I took Johny Cakes out for a cup of tea today to one of my favourite, unconventional tea rooms in Norfolk. Caroline Dwen runs the quirky and tiny Rosy Lee's Tea Room in Loddon. Expect the warmest of welcomes, an enormous snack menu, local crab sandwiches and homemade cakes freshly baked by the W.I. Caroline suggested tea in the secret garden, across the road. Jack delivered the tea in a hamper basket. The pot of tea for two with two big slices of cake was £5.60.
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It's still there, it's still worth a day out and so I went with Dad and we had Lemon Sole and chips twice. And very crispy batter and moist fish it was too (he told me to write that, but it's true)
Oysters, Scallops and Prosecco - that's my kind of market
Written by Claire
Borough Market that is, I thought it would be jaded and expensive but was totally wrong. The best walnut and gorgonzola pasta ever (£3.50) fresh oysters shucked while you wait - next door to a Prosecco stand, scallops fried to order and mountains of other things too tasty to mention.
In what appears to be one of the most expensive towns in the region we are looking for lunch. The Cafe CouCou has a window full of fab cakes and we can see some home-made quiches so we take a seat. After a bit of confused waitressing about whether the falafel had been made there or not, and if there was any leek and bacon quiche left or not, and if the pear and frangipani tart was still on the menu or not, we order the falafel which came with flat bread, tzaziki and lots and lots of leaves, and a goats cheese and beetroot flan with olives and lots and lots of leaves. Both were fresh, home-made and really nice. A more interesting choice of accompanying salads would have taken it to the £10 per dish level it was, and although slates to serve it on are clearly still fashionable in Essex, give me a plate that the food doesn't fall off and a well informed waitress every time.
Look at some of these grate spellings, collected from a variety of establishments over a surprisingly short period of time. Do people not proof read anymore?
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According to the Independent this weekend - everything Putin needs arrives by plane - Russian cooks, Russian waiters, Russian ingredients - and teams of diplomats who negotiate what he will be eating with the host country. He cannot be served milk products but no-one (except him?) knows why. He might be lactose intolerant but could just be terrified of poisoning. He cannot consume any foreigh foodstuffs that haven't been cleared by the Kremlin, and the cooking of any of his (Russian) ingredients by local cooks has to be supervised and approved by his 'Special Services'.
And I thought asking for a large espresso with hot milk on the side was fussy!?
Want to learn how to prepare and cook fish? Billingsgate Market staff are running a Summer Seafood School for families with children aged 7 to 13 on mornings and afternoons in August. But they do all kinds of other events and training too...I feel a SuffolkFoodie outing coming on...
At suffolkfoodie hq we have decided to have our AGM on Monday. A full day - packed with policy, planning, procedure, blue sky thinking and getting our ducks in a row. Our shareholders and directors will be anxious that we get it right. Good thing there are only the two of us.
Royston - for lunch - I wasn't optimistic. A trawl through the streets only produced a Turkish restaurant (a kebab shop with chairs) and a couple of cafes with baked potatoes and not much else. But then I asked a man where I could find home-made food and he said the Green Man was ok. So I went there. It was more than ok, it was very nice. I had a two small dishes - a black pudding scotch egg and a haddock and mackerel fish cake, with chunky tartare sauce, salad and half a shandy. It was freshly cooked and just over a tenner altogether. But it wasn't very busy... go there Royston. The chef was at a festival - so rest assured chef, that the rest of the team can cope while you're away!
On Brick Lane - where else? Wake up Suffolk.