The only table for four at this popular and crowded restaurant was at 5pm or 9pm so we went for the latter. I say crowded because it wasn't just busy - it was packed. We had to wait for our table so had a drink at the bar, which by 9pm you need to get in minutes, then nice starters (onion rings and Moons Green beer sticks, a delicious and great value biltong) Another wait for mains to arrive so that eventually we asked where it was, and then huge disappointment... (I think we were really a bit over-excited, Mark) Meat with little flavour, over-cooked chicken, a rare steak that was ordered as medium, so went back to be done again. A rare rib of beef (for two to three people) that we were told 'takes a long time to cook' and 'is best served medium to melt the fat marbling the meat', which I thought was gristle, but why not tell us that when we order? And the ensuing feedback to the concerned front of house staff that we feel will contribute, is embarassing and pointless for a restaurant of this calibre. Yes we like the cow in formaldehyde artwork but the meat could have come from the case hanging above us. The only good thing was the bill, at £35 a head it was a lot less than we expected. But then we're from Suffolk - where some of the steaks are proper good.
From the Pump Street bakery - a Bear's Claw - something I had never heard of or tasted before, orginating from the northern USA and Canada. It's so hard to choose from their selection of amazing bread, cakes, pastries and patisserie that we bought a box full of different things and half a dozen crisp fresh doughnuts filled with rhubarb jam and lemon custard. It made me want to say 'au revoir' when I left the shop.
A late arrival got us both in for a fiver (you have to pay for this one...) but most of the food people were still there. What a proliferation of pickles! Lots of the same thing (of the chili jelly/home-made tomato ketchup variety) with one or two interesting exceptions - home made drinks and hot food, and lots of suppliers from Essex. But we love Abroad, and of course Essex gave us Jamie Oliver. We tried ice-cream, crisps, chocolate, strawberry and raspberry vodkas (although they weren't keen on Inspector X's horseradish vodka suggestion...) rhubarb and ginger cordial, fresh lemonade (so easy, so nice) and a shark kebab (very close to my Caribbean heart...shark kebabs...)
Oh the choice? Where to go first? With so many foodie things on one day we did an extensive expensive dash around the county - first to Orford where we knew we were going to find treats because they have the Pump Street Bakery and Pinneys and then to the Greene King Beer Festival (they may have had food but it was more about the beer...)
At Orford I spent £80 in as many yards, starting with a fab strawberry tart (well, half of one, because even Inspector X and I can only eat so much in one day...) followed by (half) a pulled pork wrap with coleslaw, the best salami we have tried in a while, an oyster, a Bloody Awkward (which regular followers of suffolkfoodie will know is an espresso with hot milk on the side - ie a SMALL coffee not a GIANT coffee, in fact I think it's called a cafe con leche Abroad, but is still to catch on here...) Where was I... a chocolate mousse and a dessert wine. What we couldn't eat we bought home - two bottles of Hill Farm oil, two Hill Farm mayo, a pheasant scotch egg, a fennel salami, honey-salted caramels, peanut brittle; doughnuts, a bears paw (more later on that one...) portuguese tarts and some other little tarts with almond and plum whose name I've forgotten, hot mint jelly, three crabs and two huge skate wings. The only thing missing at Orford was hot food and a home-made drinks.
In the next few days we will tell you what we bought in BSE and show you ALL the sumptuous pictures of the food we found.
This request has come into the suffolk foodie hq, although we are a bit late in putting it up here because we missed the e mail, because we were traipsing around the tropics. But can anyone help?
"We are holding a good old fashioned fayre on Finningham village green on Sunday August 25th 2013. We are looking for a traditional pie 'man' to sell his wares. We are expecting about 300 people. There will be stalls, hog roast, candy floss, charity stalls and hopefully jugglers and magicians. Anyone out there?" If you are a pie man with wares to sell email your details and we will pass them on.
Once a month Shauna Tate invites keen bakers to join her at The Beaters Hut Bakers Club. Shauna started the club last July and each month she comes up with a theme for the baking. Last month I went along to Cheese. I ate so much and came away with enough food for the next day. No judging takes place and all you need to do is bake or make something that can be shared beweent 8 to 10 people. Next months meeting is on Monday May 27th and the theme is Picnic. All are welcome to attend although spaces are limited in order to allow everyone to get to meet each other. I think this could become the perfect dating agency?
Cheryl creates a wonderful range of chocolates, scrumptious cakes and brownies at Artistry in Cocoa. Newmarket which we mentioned earlier. And here is her recipe:
Chocolate Cake with Ganache topping and Chocolate Dipped Strawberries.
For the Chocolate Victoria sandwich:
4 eggs
Softened Butter or margarine or a mixture of both
Sugar (granulated)
Plain Flour
Cocoa powder
Baking powder
Milk or water
Weigh the eggs.
Weigh out the same weight of butter/margarine and place in your mixing bowl.
Weigh out the same weight of sugar and add to the mixing bowl.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Weigh out the same weight of flour, then remove a tablespoon and replace this with cocoa powder.
Sieve the flour, cocoa powder and a teaspoon of baking powder together.
Break the eggs into a cup or jug and beat into the creamed mixture one at a time, adding a little of the flour mixture to prevent curdling as necessary.
Fold in the rest of the flour with a metal spoon.
Add a tablespoon of water or milk and mix in gently. Dip your spoon in the mix and hold it above the bowl. The mixture should drop off your spoon to a slow count of 3. If it takes too long add another spoon of liquid. If you have accidentally put in a little too much liquid add a small spoon of sieved flour/cocoa.
Bake in greased and lined or greased and floured tins at 190C/fan 170C/gas 5 until the cake springs back to the touch.
Remove from the oven, run a knife around the edge to loosen the cake from the tin if necessary and invert onto a wire rack to cool.
For the chocolate ganache coating :
200g- 300g milk or dark chocolate and an equal amount of cream.
Break up the chocolate into small pieces, bring the cream to boiling point and pour over the chocolate.
Allow to rest for about 5 minutes to soften the chocolate then whisk until the mixture is smooth and glossy. If the ganache is very runny you may wish to leave it to cool further before you cover the cake with it. This can be done by pouring or spreading. Do not cover your cake until the cake itself is cold.
Melt some extra chocolate gently until it is almost, but not entirely, liquid and stir well to melt out any lumps until the chocolate looks smooth.
Dip your strawberries holding by the stalks and place directly on the cake. Please note that the strawberries should be dry or the chocolate will not stick. If you wish to dip your strawberries in advance then place them onto greaseproof paper so that you will be able to remove them once set.
If you wish to pipe on the cake with the ganache you can make it with a little less cream so it will be thicker and whip it before use. You can fill the cake with a layer of ganache or you could use sliced strawberries and whipped cream and top with ganache.
The Wingspan Bar is open! This new bar at The Angel Hotel in Bury St Edmunds has been created in the vaults; the secret tunnels providing the perfect intimate spaces to enjoy a drink. The Angel (in Bury) isn't shy when it comes to decor, and the decadent finish - complete with aircraft engine bar, tables from airplane wings, bespoke furniture, interesting artefacts and curiosities, is stunning. Chef Jay Scrimshaw pulled out all the stops for the opening party on Thursday. Fellow foodies enjoyed a fabulous selection of canapes, including these Quail Scotch Eggs with Black Pudding crust, Bacon and Maple syrup doughnuts and Oysters from Pinneys - served with buttermilk .
The bar is open daily from 5pm - just allow time to try the new afternoon tea from 2.30pm before hand!