A MOTHER and son have taken over the Vine House Café at Helmsley Walled Garden.

Sue and Sam Chapman said they were attracted to the cafe after seeing its potential.

Sam said: "I persuaded mum that we should buy a cafe as I wanted a bricks and mortar base and after over a year of looking for just the right thing, we found The Vine House Café.

"We plan to make the cafe a destination place for visitors to Helmsley, where they can escape the crowds and taste fresh seasonal produce beautifully presented and served with a smile. We felt it was a unique, amazing place with the potential to grow."

Sue said they had lots of plans for the cafe and customers would see changes as the season progresses.

"We are looking forward to working closely with garden staff and benefiting from the seasonal fruit and vegetables grown at here in the garden which will allow us to come up with even more creative menus for their customers," she said.

"Longer term there are plans to open the café later for private events and functions."

Sue has been in the catering industry for the last 16 years, running everything from sandwich shops to cafés and now has a mobile catering business. Sam joined the family business in 2012 and is splitting his time between the mobile units and the cafe.

The Vine House Café is open every day from 10am to 5pm, with lunch served from midday to 2.30pm.