Never been here myself although of course we all know about it. It scored highly with my niece and her boyfriend, although they were a bit miffed to be recommended the most expensive bottle of wine when they asked what would be nice with their meal. Sometimes It's so predictable...
Best newcomer in Hardens Guide and a Michelin Bib Gourmand - and it's Pea Porridge
Written by Claire
Well we knew this all along didn't we? Went for a lovely meal here before Christmas, when I still had an appetite. We had slow-braised ox tongue, the sauté of snails, bacon and bone marrow, partridge, our favourite cotes de boeuf with fat chips and béarnaise and then delicious desserts. Still faultless, and now a bit more relaxed. www.peaporridge.co.uk
Lunch at the Lighthouse on a Times eat-three-courses-for-a-tenner voucher but have to go off menu to have two oysters with my starter. They are listed as appetizers and priced at £1.75 each...too tempting. Served with two types of tabasco I have them with my gravadlax starter and they take me straight to the bottom of the sea with flavour.
Visited Thorpeness Golf Club and hotel for the magazine and surprised to find that anyone can go there to eat. All day bar snacks sound nice (Omelette Arnold Bennett among other things...) but I had celeriac as a vegetable with my pork - first time ever served this in a year of writing about Suffolk restaurants. Chocolate tart with hazelnut pastry was fab - buttery and dark.
Went to Pea Porridge last night, used to be The Chalice, by the Old Cannon on Pease Porridge Green - hence the name, and couldn't fault it. Starter of squid with chorizo was great combination, squid clearly fresh, tender and complete with tentacles unlike the de-squeamified frozen versions. My main was lamb (with a crispy artichoke fritter balanced on at least four chunky slices of perfectly pink tender meat) and a dessert of chocolate tart with stem ginger ice cream, with a glass of dessert wine we shared. Ruth had snails with bone marrow, hake with butter beans and prawns, followed by a plate of cheeses that were delicious - served with a tiny bowl of chestnut honey - a strange sweet & metallic aftertaste I have never had before, but so good to be served something new in Bury. This is was good as it gets round here. www.peaporridge.co.uk
Lunch with Sarah at West Suffolk College's Zest restaurant, one of the best value meals in Bury and a chance to contribute to the experience of young people training to be in the restaurant business. I had nice lamb hot pot with some far too vinegary red cabbage (I told them) and then Key Lime Pie. Sarah had veg option which escapes me now. Abundance of service from students and both meals lovely - under £12 for two .
Last minute after parents evening and as a reward to myself for my skill at getting my son to choose the right A levels, we go to Bury for a takeaway and end up eating at the Noodle Bar again. Always busy in here, but this is really fast food - within minutes we had prawn toasts and deep fried squid - piping hot, freshly cooked and delicious with plenty of chili and garlic.
Granny wanted to go out to lunch so we persuaded her that The Angel would be a good place to go. Had the good value set menu £12.50 for two courses/£15.50 for three. Avoided 'Soup of the Moment' - best starter was crispy bacon & chicken livers on toast. Main courses - nice thyme crusted chicken and partridge pie, and roast pork belly. We tried all four puds because we couldn't decide which ones to have. Even better value because she paid!
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Back to this great restaurant - more expensive now - but where else can you get hare in Suffolk? We should be happy to pay more for good local seasonal food, and this is a new taste for me. The week before I got my son to skin and clean two rabbits after school (We went to see The Road - it's good to know how to fend for yourself...) I cooked them with red wine, bacon, leeks... it's satisfying to eat virtually for free and teach your children how to do it.
This is an expensive farm shop, but I can't fault the food in their cafe. Lunch goes on until 4.00pm, perfect for those of us who only decide we want to go for a walk at 1pm. We look at the llamas for a few minutes to justify eating, then a table becomes available and I can only put it on the blog if I have tasted the food. We had Stowlangtoft lamb brochette (on a stick) with a lovely aubergine side, yoghurt sauce and rocket salad. A salmon fish cake with (not very sweet but very hot) sweet chili sauce, maybe they bought the wrong one... a side order of very hot and crisp french fries and a selection of three British cheeses - Keens Cheddar, Oxford Blue and Gold Medal something, that I made them swear to remember the name but they have already forgotten. All three were as delicious a cheese as you are ever going to find anywhere and served at the perfect temperature. Then puddings - white chocolate bread and butter pudding which sounds revolting but was actually much nicer than it sounds, rhubarb mousse because I haven't had any rhubarb yet, fab pink and very sweet, but on a suspect too-white (shop?) meringue basket, and carrot cake which I don't like in any shape or form but still managed to taste.
Oh the joy of eating late when you want to ! And it was lovely food; no obese oversize portions and a menu that you are never going to see in your average pub Sunday lunch. It was £15.00 each including soft drinks. Not bad for everything sourced within five miles of the kitchen - or so they say...?!
Back to BSE for lunch with my son at our favourite local restaurant (has anyone nominated it yet? It's had enough fantastic reviews online) before we go to Wales for a two night stay with Uncle David. My first ever lunch here; it's a little bit formal if you are looking for a quick three choice menu and no frills, but as usual every mouthful from the Raspberry Prosecco aperitif to the last drop of gravy on our plate is tasty, interesting and well thought out. We have the delicious and complimentary signature pea and ham croquette canape, then a soft salami paste on fresh foccacia, cod cheek tempura (for me) and snails with bone marrow (my son) and then he has a steak with fat chips and I have pigs cheeks casserole with vegetables. I have forgotten the exact menu as they wrote it but we were too full for pudding, it was £39.75 and so much better than your average restaurant I could jump for joy.
Being Suffolk born and bred you tend not to go to these touristy villages, but I had one of my favourites here recently at The Swan - calves liver. It beat other liver (and bacon) dishes I've had recently hands down, and it was nice to have a walk around afterwards - the houses really are fascinatingly wonky.