Happy Christmas – belatedly! I hope that you all had a wonderful time with friends and family, and that the table was laden with beautiful produce from across Norfolk. I will be brief, today. Nobody has time or inclination to read a long missive, but I do have a big problem with Christmas, and it needs to be shared. In one word… Leftovers. From Christmas Day night, foodie social media sites and magazines were posting ‘how to use your Christmas leftovers’. I don’t know about anyone else, but most of us have a turkey that is much bigger than a…
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Continue ReadingA new gastropub, the Last Pub Standing, officially opens its doors to the general public next Monday, 20 November. Named to reflect the fact that it’s the last of 58 pubs still standing on King Street, the Last Pub Standing encapsulates the fascinating history and stories that have emanated from this part of the city over the centuries. Built during the 17th century on a site that was originally part of a Greyfriars priory, the premises became a pub in 1877. Owner and general manager Darren Fennah has spent the last five months renovating the Grade II listed building, restoring…
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Continue ReadingI never understand how time can race past so quickly. It only seems like yesterday when I wrote my blog on the Loddon Swan; it is now over a month later and while much wonderful food has passed my lips, not a word or a syllable has been written here about it. For that, I apologise. However, while I have been busy travelling and working over the past few weeks, Norfolk has been on my mind. To be more explicit, Norfolk’s incredible food and its drink, all of which combines to make up the heart of this wonderful region. There are…
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Continue ReadingIt all began with a bowl of soup. A consommé, to be precise. And when I say, it all began, I don’t just mean that it was the start of the meal. More, it was the start of being impressed, at the fact a local ‘pub’ in south Norfolk could serve a consommé that truly was up there with the best of them. I was in love. The venue was The Swan at Loddon, as featured in my March blog, and I think that you can tell I was more than happy with my dining experience there for Mothering Sunday lunch. Come…
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Continue ReadingNorfolk Wine School launches WSET specialist wine training courses Norfolk Wine School, which launched last September, is delighted to announce that it is now offering the globally-recognised WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) specialist wine education courses. With the Winbirri Estate Bacchus from Norfolk recently winning an international award at the 2017 Decanter World Wine Awards, Norfolk has been rightly thrust into the wine industry’s headlines. With the public’s increasing thirst for information about wine, Norfolk Wine School’s WSET courses are ideally placed to help hotels, bars and restaurants meet this need. All Norfolk Wine School WSET courses will be taught by Chief Wine Tutor, Jeremy Dunn DipWSET.…
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Continue ReadingIn spring, you cannot have failed to notice that Norfolk’s fields were gold. Driving through the beautiful countryside found in this wonderful part of the world, at every turn, you can see field after field of golden flowers, gently swaying on the breeze. It is these flowers that produce one of our native oils – rapeseed oil. As someone who is a big fan of using local produce wherever possible, what can be better than rapeseed oil? Grown here in Norfolk, harvested and pressed here, it is straight from field to shelf with none of the miles. Compared to olive…
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Continue ReadingMonday 8 May saw many of Norfolk’s top restaurateurs, producers, butchers, coffee shops, pubs and other foodie establishments gather together at The Forum Library in Norwich for the launch of The Norfolk Cook Book. Printed and produced by Meze Publishing, who are producing a series of regional cookbooks, The Norfolk Cook Book launch truly celebrates the very best of our wonderful region. Those of us that live in – and love – Norfolk have been very vocal about our county for many years. Now, it seems that the rest of the UK is starting to notice the great produce that comes from our…
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Continue ReadingHello my wonderful Delicate Diners. I am sorry for my absence. I had a bad accident at the end of February and that, combined with a very intense deadline for my publication, The Arabian Breeders’ Magazine, resulted in blogging being the last thing on my mind. But there is so much to write about! March saw me enjoy an afternoon tea at The Assembly House, Norwich, all in aid of Marie Curie. Then there was dinner at Morston Hall, part of Galton Blackiston’s 25th anniversary celebrations. Wild Knight vodka launched their new delicious drink, and I enjoyed lunch with my…
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Continue ReadingI have long been a fan of Crush Foods. It was, curiously enough for a company who specialises in rapeseed oil, their granolas that first caught my attention. Naturally sweetened, instead of full of added sugars, their granolas include honey from Norfolk and apple juice from Suffolk. For me, their delicious cereals have been the morning choice for those that care about what they put in their breakfast bowls first thing. And, in case you are wondering, the honey, apple and cranberry is my favourite. I then became familiar with their oils. Rapeseed oil is certainly one of Norfolk’s greatest products and…
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Continue ReadingFriday afternoon, and the winter fog is drifting down outside once more. It is 30 December, and it is hard to believe that we are almost at the end of another year. It certainly doesn’t feel like it – I am not quite ready for this year to be over in many ways. It has been one of so many incredible moments. That said, I very much have enjoyed recharging my batteries the past few days, a chance to rest and reset before all the delights that 2017 will very quickly bring. For many, this time of year is one for…