Food and Drink

Tastes of the East

Welcome to the Food Basket of Britain. Delicious
hams, fine ales, seafood treats, prize-winning jams
and fresh fruit and vegetables.

Meat Feast

Home to the second largest number of pigs in the
country - pork is the prime meat of the region. Pick up
a sweet-pickled ham from the village butchers of
Emmett's (Peasenhall, nr. Saxmundham) - or
sausages such as the Braughing; and the famous
Newmarket, with its royal warrant. Jimmy's Farm
(nr. Ipswich) rears the Essex pig, with sausages and
dry cured bacon available in the farm shop.

Our sheep, beef and dairy herds are small
compared to other areas, but they are important to
our farming 'balance' - their grazing playing a crucial
role in maintaining the landscape. Look out for
the Red Poll, a medium-sized cow whose fine
grained meat is of the highest quality. In The Brecks
of Norfolk and Suffolk, rabbits were once reared in
vast numbers - becoming the staple diet of the poor.

The Marsh Larder stocks venison reared on the Earl of Leicester's estate at
Holkham Hall (nr. Wells-next-the-Sea), along with local duck, hare and pheasant.
More venison at Woburn Country Foods - direct from Woburn Abbey, the home of
the Dukes of Bedford. Or head to Wimpole Hall (Arrington, nr. Royston), where the
rare breeds at Home Farm produce beef, pork and lamb. Purchase the meats from
the gift shop, or try them in the dishes served at the restaurant. A major area for
poultry farming - we supply a quarter of England's table chicken. Norfolk is
well-known for turkeys, particularly the small black-plumed variety. In the 18th C.
huge flocks of turkeys (up to 500 at a time) were marched to London on foot in order
to reach the Christmas markets (their feet coated with tar).

Something Fishy

With over 250 miles (402 kilometres) of coastline, fishing was once one of the great
industries of the East of England. In the 19th C. places such as Great Yarmouth
and Lowestoft were noted for their huge catches of herring. Smoking of the fish
created kippers (spilt open and smoked) and bloaters (smoked whole). Today just
a handful of boats operate along the coastline - pick up delicious smoked fish from
the unspoilt North Norfolk Coast at the Cley Smokehouse (Cley-next-the-Sea) and
the Norfolk Kipper House (Sheringham). At the town of Aldeburgh, freshly caught
fish is sold direct from the fishermen's black-tarred huts on the beach.

The region is noted for its shellfish. Try the famous Cromer crabs - succulent and
fleshy, they are regarded as the best in the country. Head to Cookie's at nearby
Salthouse, where you can tuck into a crab salad whilst overlooking the coastal
marshes. Colchester oysters have been cultivated in the tidal estuaries around the
town since before Roman times. Enjoy them as part of a seafood platter at The
Company Shed on Mersea Island. Alternatively, head north to the The Butley Orford
Oysterage, where oysters are grown in the nearby creeks by the Pinney family, then
served up in their restaurant. The fishing village of Leigh-on-Sea is a great place to
relax with a pot of locally caught cockles with salt, pepper and vinegar by the side.

In the summer, you can also pick ‘the asparagus of the sea' - the Samphire (a
succulent marsh plant) from the coastline of Norfolk and Essex. Heading inland,
eels have always been associated with Ely, where they were once part of the local
staple diet. Try them in local restaurants or follow the special ‘eel' trail.

Other Treats

Best known for its cereal crops - farmers in the East
of England grow more than a quarter of the country's 
wheat and barley. Visit the mill shop of Jordans
(nr. Biggleswade), home of the moreish breakfast
cereals and crunchy bars. Both Redbournbury
Watermill (Redbourn) and Mill Green Museum and
Mill (Hatfield) grind wheat to create organic and
stone-ground flour, which you can use to make
delicious bread at home. Norwich is the home of
Colman's, the famous producer of mustard. It was in
1814 that Jeremiah Colman first started milling
mustard. Visit their shop in the Royal Arcade which
sells prepared and powered mustards.

In our rich fertile soils (such as The Fens) - carrots, 
asparagus, onions and potatoes are cultivated on a
grand scale to supply our supermarkets. Whilst half
of England's entire crop of sugar beet is grown and
processed here too. The region is also noted for its
fruit, such as apple orchards around Wisbech; and
Wilkin and Sons at Tiptree - one of the country's
most famous jam manufacturers. Visit their little
museum and tearoom. From here, follow the 'tea'
trail to Norwich to see the world's largest collection of ceramic teapots - then onto
Woburn Abbey, where the tradition of afternoon tea was invented.

For something a bit different, head to Gunns Bakery in Sandy, where you can try a
clanger - a baked suet pastry with savoury meat at one end, and something sweet
at the other. The village of Stilton (nr. Peterborough) takes its name from the
famous cheese - which although never made here was distributed to hungry
travellers in the 18th C. Whilst at Maldon, award-winning natural sea salt is still
produced in the traditional way. Wash it all down, with a tour of The English Whisky
Company at Roudham (nr. Thetford) - England's first and only registered whisky
distilling company. Cider was once the main country drink, and has been
associated with Norfolk and Suffolk for over 600 years - the tradition continuing
today at the Norfolk Cider Company (Wroxham) and Aspall Cyder (Debenham).

A Fine Vintage

Being the driest part of Britain (low rainfall), and with the right soil conditions
(limestone/chalk) - the East of England has become one of the foremost English
wine producing regions. Today our award-winning vineyards range from small
back garden enterprises to large commercial concerns. Many of them are open for
guided tours and free wine tastings.

Click here for our full listing of vineyards

For lovers of good food and wine - the region offers a wide variety of restaurants and pubs. Taste culinary delights from around the world, or seek out our local specialties