Meal 1: Cornforth and Cornforth Café – Eye – Suffolk - 7/10
Having arrived at our bed and breakfast around 2 ‘o’ clock after a long arduous journey through the Dartford tunnel, I was very hungry and starting to flag (the curse of low blood sugar). So before I could do anything else I sought out somewhere to eat in the little sleepy village of Eye.
As luck would have it, I found Cornforth and Cornforth Café. This tiny café is a real gem. A few eclectic tables and chairs are cobbled together is a way that’s meant to look random but I suspect is not, in essentially someone’s front room. You can walk through the kitchen to some table and chairs in a back yard as well. The whole place is really charming and the husband and wife team have really made it feel like you’re being cooked a meal in your own home.
There is a very short menu of four or five dishes and an extensive soft drink and coffee menu. The shortness of the menu is a testament to the freshness of the produce they use. Its written on large portable blackboards in white chalk, which made me suspect that it’s changed on a very regular basis.
Slowbear plumped for the Loin of Pork Chop with Black Pudding and Chestnut Hash, and I went for the Goose Egg Frittata with local Asparagus, Jersey Royals and Feta. We both have a bit of an obsession with elderflower, so we both slurped down an apple and elderflower juice.
The food was very tasty. The loin of pork was “brilliant”. All the dishes are served in round skillets on wooden boards, which suits the overall feel of the place very well.
The goose egg frittata was excellent. The egg was very light and fluffy. The saltiness of the feta was counteracted by the freshness of the asparagus, which blew me away. Never had asparagus like it. You can tell that it’s been picked and cooked within hours.
We were both very tempted to have a piece of cake as well. There was a whole bench covered in homemade cakes that were divided up into very generous slices…but we resisted knowing what was on the agenda later in the evening.
The whole lot came to £15. What a bargain! Massive portions, fresh, local and tasty food, friendly and homely atmosphere. It was a very very good start to the holiday.
Meal 2: Lindsay House Restaurant, Broad Street, Eye, Suffolk - 7/10
After a swift trip to Southwold to play on the amusements and look at the pretty painted beach huts, it was time to eat again.
This time it was at Lindsay House Restaurant in Eye. This restaurant is in a beautiful Georgian doubled fronted house in the middle of town. All of the front rooms have a few tables in them, and the setting is modern but warm, with sparse table settings and a lot of white walls.
The place is busy but we are in a room with only one other table in it, which is a bit difficult for conversation, as I can be a bit loud. I felt a bit self-conscious on occasion but it wasn’t too much of a problem.
There is a very short menu and a huge specials board based on local produce. A good sign. We ordered a half bottle of Piersporter which was good value at £5.95.
We both started with the dressed Cromer crab, which was delicate and full of flavour. Only complaint was the presentation as it came with some sad looking slices of cucumber and a few salad leaves. A bit of homemade bread or toast would have made the dish ten times better.
I decided to splash out on the main course and went for the Gambas from the specials board, and it was well worth it. A plate full to the brim with huge prawns was placed in front of me, and each one was perfectly cooked in garlic and butter. There was a lot of garlic. After fifteen minutes all that was left was a happy pile of shells. The dish came with local veg as well, and although unnecessary, the courgette was delicious. It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten any courgette that actually tasted of anything other than slime, but this really did.
Slowbear went for the Roast Pork Belly, which disappeared rapidly with a big crunch of thick crackling. I’d say he enjoyed it.
To round the evening off we shared a caramelised lemon tart, which was perfect. The crunchy caramelised sugar on top was reminiscent of crème brulee, and counteracted the tartness of the lemon.
The whole lot came to £53.50 without service. Which is very cheap. Makes you wonder why you pay so much for food in London that isn’t as fresh or as well cooked.
If you’re in the area, you should give this place a go.
Meal 3: The Butley Orford Oysterage – Orford – Suffolk - 8/10
After a boozy return to the B&B it was a late start the next day.
After a lovely trip to Framlingham Castle – where I had one of the best cup cakes ever (raspberry ripple) – we set off on a pilgrimage to Orford to eat some Oysters! Yum Yum Yum!
Having done some research before setting off on this little trip, one place stood out above all the rest, so I booked a table for lunch at the Butley Orford Oysterage.
This family run restaurant also boasts a smokery, which smokes both fish and meat that you can buy from a shop joined to the restaurant. The restaurant is simply laid out and buzzing. There isn't a corner left unoccupied and this meant the service was pretty rushed. It certainly felt like a family run business with very little pretention, but a smile never went amiss eh? The tables are made from untreated wood, and the simplicity of the whole place fits with the simplicity of the food.
In no uncertain terms The Butley Orford Oysterage is a fish heaven and there was far too much to choose from so we ended up ordering a mountain. There is an extensive menu and a HUMONGOUS specials board, with all the fresh smoked fish you could ask for.
We didn’t bother with separate starters and main courses and instead ordered a whole range of dishes to come at once. Included in this were a dozen oysters from Butley’s own bed, smoked sardines, smoked prawns, taramasalata and smoked salmon.
The oysters were clean, creamy and fresh, served simply with just lemon (I hate to admit it but I did miss the shallot vinegar). The sardines were quite large and lightly smoked. The taramasalata was gorgeously dark pink and rough in texture, served in a ramekin with little triangles of toast. The stand out dish by far though was the smoked prawns. The shells fell away from the meat, which was tender and succulent.
The table was a mess by the time we left full and happy for £32.20 without service. I would definitely go back. There is still lots to try, from smoked eel to local asparagus and a whole range of fresh fish. It’s only open for lunch during the winter months but opens in the evenings after the second May bank holiday and you definitely need to book in advance.
Meal 4: Riverside Tearoom – Orford Quay – Suffolk - 4/10
As if scoffing a load of seafood wasn’t enough for one lunchtime, we got tempted by an afternoon tea after a stroll along the quay in Orford.
Orford quay is a savage marina with a few brown beach huts housing a fishmonger, a tearoom and the Orford sailing club. Seeing as it had been at least forty-five minutes since our last meal, it was high time we had a little sugar boost and settled on a picnic bench outside the Riverside Tearoom in Orford. Tea for two came to £7.75 and including a pot of your average brand tea and a scone each.
Controversially there was double cream instead or clotted, but it worked for me. The strawberry jam was chunky with fruit and my stomach was stretched to breaking point.
Time to hit the road…
Meal 5: Case Restaurant with Rooms – Assington – Sudbury - Suffolk - 8/10
Now, the Case Restaurant with Rooms is something quite special. It’s a family run restaurant with the father and son at the helm in the kitchen and the lovely Linda front of house. They aim to use local produce wherever they can, even down to their own bread. I was very eager to get eating again!
The restaurant has seven rooms that you can retire to for the night after having your fill in the restaurant.
We arrived around five after a short drive from Orford and were shown to a small but very well appointed room. The room had everything you could possibly need from Egyptian cotton sheets to fresh coffee and mineral water. The shower is very powerful, and we had a much-needed rest after our exploits of the day.
Around 8pm we went to the restaurant where we were greeted and given aperitifs in the conservatory whilst perusing the menu. The menu had five or six starters and main course and there was a long list of fresh fish on a separate specials board.
Our order was taken from the conservatory and we were left to relax until our starters were ready. Although unconventional, this was a civilised way of doing things as there had been blazing sunshine all day and the remaining heat in the conservatory was very pleasant. It really did feel like summer had arrived.
We were taken through to the dining room when our starters were ready. The dining room is lusciously decorated in dark purples and chocolate brown, with portraits of famous singers adorning the walls. There aren’t many tables and the restaurant is pretty intimate, but the atmosphere isn’t too quiet.
I went for the smoked salmon and caper berries, having whetted my appetite at the smokery in the afternoon. I have to say, that this was pretty disappointing. It was literally a few layers of smoked salmon scattered with a few caper berries with three slices of lemon…surely a chunk of lemon would have been easier to handle? I hate to criticise this place because I really fell in love with it. Lets hope I just ordered the wrong starter.
Slowbear on the other hand was over the moon with his starter selection. He went for the miniature beef wellington, which was the size of a digestive biscuit, although much fatter, and surrounded by thick gravy. If you looked at it from a bird’s eye view, it would look like an eye.
The Gasgone Semillon 2005 was flowing as the mains arrived. I got real food envy during this course as Slowbear’s turbot was out of this world. It came with garlic mash and an avocado and tomato salsa. The salsa was a weird accompaniment and didn't really work, but the fish itself made up for it. It could have come served on newspaper and we still would have been impressed.
I had Wytch lemon sole with chips and salad. The sole was also very good and the meat fell of the bones. The chips were chunky and the salad fresh, although there was a little too much red onion. Both mains were very generous.
It was about this time that something strange and quite disgusting started to happen. The table next to us were a family team, with mum and dad and a grown daughter. All fairly innocuous, until the dad started belching and farting! Really loudly! The mother and daughter barley batted an eyelid. To make matters worse they then called the waitress over and blamed the cheese!
Slowbear was determined to say something, and if I hadn’t been so amazed I would have let him. In hindsight I should have. It could have spoilt the evening if it hadn’t been so funny. I don’t know what the staff could have said to them, but really I wish they had said something.
Luckily the belcher left and we could get on with our dessert. I had a strawberry and kiwi Eton mess. It was OK, but I couldn’t taste the kiwi, and by this point I was REALLY full. Slowbear charmed Linda into giving him two puddings and sampled the apricot cream slice and the homemade strawberry roulade. Both went down well.
The next morning we plumped for some scrambled eggs on toast and boiled egg and soldiers. The eggs were orange as you like and the scrambled egg had a sinful amount of butter in it.
The whole lot, dinner, bed, breakfast and booze came to an amazing £137, including service. WHAT A BARGAIN. I have definately fallen in love with this place. I will be back again and again and again.
Verdict:
So, in the space of 48 hours we managed to fit in a gut-busting amount of eating and a fairly hefty amount of sightseeing too. I would thoroughly recommend a trip to Suffolk for any foodie, as there is a plethora of wonderful places to eat from cheap cafes to fine dining. Plus the produce is fresh and local.
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