Hello my lovely Delicate Diners – and a very Happy Easter to you! What a miserable day it is; typical Bank Holiday style, tipping it down with rain outside, and not a Bond film to be found on the TV inside. So what better to do than share some of my brilliant Easter weekend experiences in Norfolk. I suggest you pull up a glass of something, sit back, and enjoy this foodie blog celebrating fabulous foodie Norfolk. My weekend began a day early as I had a friend up from London for a visit. I had returned from Switzerland the…
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I 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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In 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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I 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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Friday 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…
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Thursday night saw me go to what has to be my favourite restaurant in Norfolk – Relish. Located at Newton Flotman on the A140, Relish Restaurant has been the backdrop to the past few years of my life. I have been brutally sunburned on their patio, been left the keys to lock up as we leave, supported them when they were challenged by offensive locals, and often nipped into the kitchen to say hello and thank you. I have had first dates there – one guy I met at the restaurant actually made it into my top three of worst…
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It is almost time… At 10am tomorrow, the doors open once more on Norfolk’s premier gluten-free event – the Your Gluten Freedom Expo. Held at The Forum in Norwich, the Expo follows on from the last two high successful events, and is eagerly anticipated by many. The first gluten-free Expo was held last October to great success, and founder Sara Matthews, of Sara’s Kitchen, must be applauded for her vision. Since then, the team may have grown but it is still very much Sara at the helm. In a bid to keep things moving forward, there are a few changes this…
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I am home! The sun is shining, I have four days off, a rare treat, and while working on Your Gluten Freedom, The Delicate Diner and creative projects, I also have some time to just enjoy being back home. Indeed, I have already been out and done my shopping for the weekend ahead – and when I am home, it’s never a supermarket but always the local shops. I would much rather put my money their way than to some big conglomerate that doesn’t care about the individual as much as the profit in their pockets. So, with that in mind, whenever…