The most wonderful pop-up has just opened in the deepest wilds of Wiltshire near Royal Wootton Bassett. The popular online journal The Foodie Bugle, brainchild of the enchanting Silvana de Soissons, has come to life and has spilled out from its virtual home into the most perfect real-life setting in the form of a pop-up shop and cafe at Silvana’s gorgeous country home.

The shop sells kitchenalia, vintage and home goods and is housed in a large shed. It is a tardis with shelves packed with gorgeous displays of handpicked items for sale. Each item I admired, John Paul (Silvana’s husband) told me about its provenance with great passion. Next to the shed is the garden department housed in the most gorgeous old granary, tools line the walls and seeds are displayed in handmade trugs, while the whole building rests on staddle stones. We perused the shop for ages, adding two Victorian school blackboards to our basket, as well as a bottle brush and memo pad made from old ledger paper.

Then our friend arrived to join us for lunch in the pop-up cafe in Silvana’s enormous kitchen. Everything is home cooked and we feasted on Pappa al pomodoro (an Italian tomato soup) with hot rolls straight out of the oven, summer beans with roasted almonds, goats cheese, brie and garden herb pesto and lamb shanks slow cooked with shallots that was melt-in-the-mouth delicious.

Silvana is the most amazing chef and it’s an absolute joy to eat in her gorgeous kitchen and watch her cook. Her Italian heritage and warm and friendly manner makes her the most entertaining hostess, although she is as meticulous in serving you as any fine restaurant. In fact, this is how shopping should be done, in a leisurely manner, where you talk to the shop keeper and learn more about the products that you are buying.

The food is beautifully presented and tastes as good as it looks, the summer bean salad with goats cheese and edible flowers was just amazing. The sweets were just as delicious; an orange, thyme and rosewater cake, served with goosberries and biscotti, and some of the most delicious meringues I’ve ever tasted. Around Silvana’s home are more gorgeous displays of jelly moulds, vintage crockery, blankets and linen, earthenware bottles and vintage glassware, all for sale. We finished our meal with coffee served in Coronation cups from 1953!

The shop and cafe are open Friday – Sunday, 10am – 6pm, but you need to book lunch in advance. The menu is simple and seasonal Italian/English food and is priced at £5/course, with a full range of drinks too. The gorgeous venue is worth the drive to visit and is only 10 minutes from M4.