IF IT is just a cup of coffee or a cosy tea you want, then there are these comfortable sofas for a half-hour chat. If you want a proper well-cooked meal, you can sit at tables where the chairs have hymn-book racks behind their backs which betray their origin.

This new restaurant, which has been receiving excellent reviews from its customers, is the Pilgrims' Kitchen, found via the elegant cloisters of St Edmundsbury Cathedral, in St Edmundsbury & Ipswich. The former refectory has been transformed over recent months into an inviting eating place, with rustic furniture, chapel chairs, heritage colours, and pots of fresh herbs; and the young are catered for with high chairs and toys. Home-cooked, locally sourced produce still tops the menu, including locally made jams, chutneys, and sauces. Cakes and scones are baked on the premises, and drinks, including wine, are Fairtrade. The Pilgrims' Kitchen is open six days a week from 8.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.