A café specialising in crullers and gelato has announced big expansion plans for next spring as the business continues to grow.
Suffolk local Alice Norman opened Pinch at Maple Farm in Kelsale in May 2021.
"I set up Pinch after I moved back home to Aldeburgh during the pandemic," said Miss Norman.
"I am smitten with it and I am going to stay here forever."
Originally selling meal kits for six months during the height of the Covid pandemic, the business developed into a café once it became safe to do so.
Pinch now exists as a coffee shop and café, serving crullers - a deep-fried pastry similar to a doughnut - homemade gelato and a range of pastries.
"Despite the limited array of options it still gets busy, especially during the summer and holiday seasons," said Miss Norman.
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The café is going to move into a bigger premises next spring, but won't be going far from its current location.
"We are moving into a larger unit at Maple Farm which is currently being renovated," said Miss Norman.
"The Kendall family own the farm and have been so helpful with the business, even planting lemongrass in their polytunnel so that we can use it in the café.
"We use a lot of the ingredients from the farm and are trying to be as sustainable as possible."
The new home of Pinch should be open between the end of April and the beginning of June 2024.
The current on-site farm shop will be expanding into the unit currently run by the Pinch team, creating the opportunity for them to expand their offering to include savoury food as well.
Pinch will start serving Roman pizza - a square-shaped dough cooked in an electric deck oven - and Miss Norman has plans to travel to Rome in the new year, where she will undertake some work experience at a traditional pizza restaurant where she hopes to perfect the skill.
Miss Norman has been a chef for 10 years and has worked in restaurants in London and across Asia, including Emilia in Mayfair, which closed down during the pandemic.
This December, she featured in a list of the top 30 UK hospitality giants under the age of 30.
"I knew that we would eventually offer savoury food after we had built up a reputation and could guarantee that we would have too much food waste left over at the end of the day," said Miss Norman.
"The time is now."
The café will open throughout December from Thursday to Saturday, from 9am to 2pm, and on Sunday from 9am to 1pm.
Pinch has several winter offerings on offer at the moment, including an indulgent hot chocolate with a scoop of gelato on top, grilled panettone from Pump Street Bakery brushed with hot marmalade and served with alpine cheese, and mince pie turnovers.
Pinch will be at a London Christmas market held at Oval Space on the weekend of December 16, which is a ticketed event due to its popularity.
The café is set to close for a month in January - as it does every year - so those looking to enjoy the winter treats should get in now before the closure.
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