A KENDAL food shop that was gutted by a fire has already bounced back, opening a pop-up restaurant.

Babaganoush's soup kitchen - in the canteen building a few doors down from the shop that was badly burned - opened on Monday to keep the business going strong despite last week's devastation.

The pop-up sells soups, hot specials, grilled sandwiches and cakes.

Cherith Platt, who owns Babaganoush with her husband Nigel, said: "It is only the first day but it has gone well and been busy so far.

"I will just be glad to get this week done. Monday was our first day.

"We have had the insurers round in the shop and we are waiting to hear back about the damage. We have a lot of things to sort out.

"The response from everybody since the fire has been really heartening and we are grateful for that."

The canteen originally opened to provide extra seating for those who wanted to eat from the Babaganoush food shop on Berry's Yard, off Finkle Street.

For the pop up, a kitchen has been opened in the canteen building, which will remain open for people to sit in as well.

Cherith added: "We will be concentrating on this pop-up continuing to provide food while we work to restore the other building.

"Food is now available for people to take away and to eat in."

The pop-up soup kitchen is open to serve lunch from 10.30am until 2.30pm

Cherith said that it was most likely that the main food shop would remain closed until after Christmas.

The fire took hold of the shop on the afternoon of Sunday, November 19.

It was caused by a tumble dryer which caught alight when it was not turned off.

The building, including the flats above the shop, sustained significant smoke damage, and the back rooms where the tumble dryer was situated were completely gutted.

The blaze was tackled by fire fighters, who described the heat in the building as 'like an oven'.