A CAFE owner will be serving up continental cuisine when she opens an evening creperie this weekend.

While some shops and businesses feel the pinch of the recession, Sally Hughes, who runs Cafe Rio in Manningtree High Street, is bucking the trend by opening a creperie in the cafe on Saturday 6pm.

Sally, who also owns the nearby delicatessen, said: “Setting up my own creperie was something I always wanted to do so I decided now is a good time.

“Manningtree is a great place with lots of potential – that is why I’m willing to invest in it.

“It is hard to keep businesses going in these times but they are so important because otherwise people just lose faith.

“It is a horrible thought to lose a place like Manningtree but hopefully we can keep the place thriving and people will support you if you can offer them the right product.”

It will be open Friday and Saturday 6pm-11pm and Sunday to Thursday 6pm-10pm.