When I go to Wymondham Heritage Museum, it’s rare for me not to gravitate to the Bridewell Tearoom. If it’s the morning, it’s a cheese scone; in the afternoon, it has to be the lemon curd sponge. It’s the same for my wife when she’s with me, while our granddaughter demolishes an oh-so-chocolaty brownie as if it’s the last thing she’s going to eat.

Making sure my snack of choice is available is this month’s featured volunteer, Helen Munday: the fantastic manager of The Bridewell Tearoom.

Helen had her first taste of catering when she worked at John Lewis.

“I was asked to help out in the café,” she says. “I left when I had my son. When he was at Browick Road school, I was on the Friends committee. After ten years, I left when my daughter went up to high school and thought about trying something different, so I applied to the museum. I was taken on as a steward.

“But then Covid came. When the museum reopened, I was asked if I would also help in the Tearoom.

“I really enjoyed it, and Janice, the manager at the time, joked that she ought to train me up to be a manager. Unfortunately, Janice fell ill, and I found myself in charge sooner than expected!”

Helen thought the Tearoom “needed something”. First were tablecloths. Then the chairs were replaced, followed by shelves and a lick of paint. She has put up posters and menu boards and updated the equipment. A popular addition has been the craft table to keep young visitors amused while mum and dad relax with a snack and enjoy the paintings on display from local artists.

“We’ve got a new fridge-freezer. We were using packets for drinks such as lattes, but now we’ve got two coffee machines. And we’ve got a hot water machine. The volunteers love it! No more boiling a kettle. Next, I want to replace the tables. I’ve put a couple of tables outside at the Browick Road entrance - and people are sitting in the garden now the weather is improving.”

On the catering front, Helen has four bakers who produce scones, sponges, our bestselling banana bread, and those delicious brownies. The Kracken Bakes company provides gluten-free cakes. There are the usual popular snacks to tempt the youngsters, such as crisps, chocolate, biscuits and soft drinks. In addition, toasted teacakes and crumpets are available with special treats on offer for museum events such as Mother’s Day, Easter, Christmas and cream teas for Open Gardens. The Tearoom also caters for group visits.

Customer numbers are healthy, and Helen points out that entry to the Tearoom is free. She says there are 15 independent places in Wymondham where you can get coffee, so she is pleased at the number of customers who choose The Bridewell and its competitive prices.

“We have our regulars, and as many walk-ins as we do museum visitors,” she says. “But I’m amazed at the number of people who say: ‘I didn’t know you were here’.”

Helen has a rota of volunteers to cover the tearoom’s opening hours.

“We have a great team and cover most days, but we could do with more volunteers.”

As if managing the Tearoom isn’t enough, Helen works at the Tourist Information Centre, runs a Brownie pack in Norwich and runs a tearoom once a week at her daughter’s gymnastic class.

I caught up with Helen in the Tearoom one Saturday. On duty was the dubbed “weekend lady” Chris Yates.

Chris said, “You always know if Helen has been in because you can't find things.”

And Helen admitted, “I do keep changing things.”

That’s fine, but Helen, please don’t change the cheese scones or the lemon curd sponge. And, of course, those wicked chocolate brownies.

Don't forget the Open Gardens!

Time flies, and already Wymondham Open Gardens is here again, so don’t forget to book the dates. Wymondham Heritage Society will be staging the event over the weekend of June 6th and 7th from midday to 5pm, with around 20 gardens on show. Wymondham Heritage Museum, which is run entirely by volunteers, is grateful to be the beneficiary.

The programmes costing £5 for access to the gardens will also offer free entry to the Museum over the event weekend, plus a further visit before the end of the 2026 season. So garden buffs can also pop into the Ancient Bridewell and discover the history of the town and its citizens.

The museum’s Courtyard Garden will be open, where visitors can relax and enjoy a cream tea from The Bridewell Tearoom.

The museum is running a book stall and a craft and curiosities stall over the Open Gardens weekend and would welcome donations of good paperbacks and bric-a-brac, which can be left at the museum during opening hours.