Melanie Saddington takes over Rose and Thorn in Harwich

Melanie Saddington, 27, from Harwich has taken on the Rose and Thorn Café in Harwich, a business she has always dreamed of having.

Melanie previously worked at the café, before taking it on alongside her partner Matthew Smith.

Dream - Melanie says she has always wanted to own a little coffee shop (Image: Credited) Since the takeover the pair have changed the layout of the café and the menu to make the shop more appealable to a wider range of customers.

Miss Saddington said: “This was like my first job doing anything coffee related, I'd never done it before.

“The old manager Rosie said she was going to sell and I’ve always said I would love to own a little coffee shop.

Tranquil - the new layout shows so much appeal to customers (Image: Credited) “I’m a big reader and one of my favourite books is called ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’, so the name is fitting.

“Since we’ve taken over, the support has been incredible, it’s been the craziest few days.

“We’ve put new items onto the menu because we really wanted to expand that and make it suitable for all groups.

Counter - the aesthetic arrangement at the café counter (Image: Credited) “We also changed the layout because the way it was before was quite compact and we wanted to create spaces for different groups.”

“I knew it was going to be good, but I didn't realise it was going to be this good - I can only hope that it will carry on.”

The new menu has a vast amount of options such as breakfast rolls and waffles on the breakfast menu.

The lunch menu consists of toasties, quiche, sandwiches and soup of the day.

The café also has the option of vegan and gluten free to cater for as many customers as possible.

They also have a gluten free bread option, as well as cakes and a choice of plant-based milks both vegan and gluten free also.

To see the menu and find out more about the Rose and Thorn Cafe, visit their Facebook page https://tinyurl.com/Rose-and-Thorn-Cafe