Warming food & drink & wonderful cultural experiences are happening right now
says Melanie Cook of www.VisitNorwich.co.uk
Autumn always conjures up the idea of big platefuls of hearty food accompanied by something delicious to sip. And Norfolk is bursting at the seams with incredible local seasonal ingredients and the talent to cook it. This month I’m highlighting some of the fantastic ways we can enjoy our capital city and county through the delights of good food and drink.
Chet Valley vineyard, located just eight miles from Norwich in Bergh Apton, knows a thing or two about wine. John Hemmant, a graduate chemist, started his vineyard over 10 years ago and works extremely hard to manage the winery and work sustainably. With respect for the natural environment and maintaining a complex permaculture, the team manage their field space whilst cultivating a variety of vines, bringing together technical expertise with sensitivity to the fruit in question. The result of all this hard work and dedication is beautiful wine. And award-winning at that.
One of the best ways to learn about the winemaking process and the fruits of their labour is to book onto a Wine Tasting Experience. Held seasonably between April and October (so there is still time), they take place on Wednesdays and Saturdays with two experiences a day. Costing £30 per person you taste four wines including their delicious sparkling wine.
Why not make a bit more of your visit by adding in lunch for an extra £25 per person? Or event better book a picnic (£85 for two) which is full of gorgeous local produce and a bottle of their wine to be taken out onto the vineyard.
Eat your way through cheese, charcuterie, freshly baked bread, and other nibbles whilst sipping a chilled white. The romantic in me thinks this is such a great idea and also a wonderful surprise and/or present for someone. Note that while this is offered until October, they’ll be creating some nice things to do at Christmas – so watch
this space!
But wine tasting isn’t the only way to enjoy Chet Valley. The vineyard is trying really hard to share their love of wine and winemaking in more ways so they recently invested in a dedicated events space which can be booked for private events including catering. And you can indulge in vineyard stays as they have accommodation overlooking the vines. The Sunday Times listed it as one of the top 7 vineyards to stay in the country. High praise indeed!
Farmyard on St Benedict’s Street in Norwich is a fabulous restaurant with a big heart, supporting their staff by introducing a Happy Hospitality policy post pandemic. Recognising that hospitality staff work long and unsociable hours they put their chefs on a four-day week to avoid team burnout and improve wellbeing. They also care about local producers, so they work directly with farmers and businesses to get the best produce seasonally from our region. Not only that, they also cook over charcoal which is sustainably sourced on their Bertha oven to give the handpicked produce a unique flavour.
During lockdown when businesses had to be creative to continue trading and also provide for the community, owners of Farmyard – Andrew and Hannah, dreamt up Farmyard Frozen, a range of restaurant quality meals. In June this year at the British Frozen Food Federation Awards, they won both Retail Gold Award for Best Dessert for its Gold Bar and Retail Innovation Award – which was especially incredible as this category is chosen solely by the judges. They beat some of the biggest and most well-known brands we know including Waitrose and Marks and Spencer.
For anyone wanting to dine out, the restaurant doesn’t disappoint. They have a slogan ‘Refined Food With Attitude’, meaning, fine produce, not fine dining. Farmyard opened in 2017 and has since received critical acclaim from none other than Jay Rayner (a hard man to please) and been awarded three rosettes by The AA.
What can you look forward to eating? Well, tuck into starters such as chilled spring pea & asparagus soup, crispy shallots, mint; mains like cod, laksa, agretti, furikake, chard and desserts – tonka & coconut rice pudding, almonds, raspberries. There’s also a choice of snack and sides.
Lunchtime set menus cost £23 for 2-courses and £29 for 3-courses with an a la carte menu in the evenings. Prices start at £10 for a starter, £20 for a main and £5 for dessert. The wine list is largely international offering one local wine – Flint Charmat Rosé at £50.
Another amazing restaurant in Norwich is Brix and Bones on London Street, located within Gonzo’s Tea Room. This is true hidden gem. A 30-seater restaurant, it has a bespoke open kitchen which is exciting for diners to see from their tables which uses charcoal and a wood burning grill. This restaurant cooks over fire, and it is incredible! And so is the inventive menu. Like many of our fabulous restaurants, George Wood, the hugely talented chef proprietor uses local seasonal produce, yet his flavours are inspired by world travels. This is a meaty restaurant although vegetarians are catered for too. George sources his sustainable and organic meat from local businesses and those around the UK. Try dishes such as Korean pulled pork, beetroot taco and pickled ginger; Mutton leg, foraged chanterelles, wood sorrel verde, and bone marrow fudge doughnut.
In July, Brix and Bones was nominated by the public as one of the best local restaurants in the country which led to them being placed in the top 100 restaurants by Good Food. An incredible result especially as there were over 37,000 votes.
New for this year is a tour with The Shoebox Experiences – The Tipsy Tavern Trail. Which, in itself, is such an alluring theme I would buy tickets without knowing what you get! This is a serious tour – ish. Over 3 hours and 1.3 miles you will be taken across Norwich starting at The Red Lion in Bishopgate. You’ll stop at three historic drinking holes for a half-pint or a tipple before you complete the tour at The Murderers for a full pint and a Q&A with your guide. All this for £45 per adult (over 18), the tour is also wheelchair accessible.
Finally, there’s nothing like a food and drink festival to whet your appetite for local produce and products. The North Norfolk Food and Drink Festival takes place in the Walled Garden at Holkham Hall between 2 – 3 September (10am – 4pm, free entry, parking £5). It’s biggest yet, there will be over 70 stalls featuring regulars like Candi’s Chutney, Black Shuck gins, honey from Leigh’s Bees, and fantastic breads and pastries from Bread Source as well as newbies like Norfolk Doggy Deli with treats for our four-legged friends. Plus, there will be food stands to buy lunch and snacks and The Arthur Howell Cookery Theatre which will offer a packed programme of demonstrations and talks from the area’s chefs and local producers – hosted by Norwich-based foodie and wine expert Andy Newman.
More this month:
Norfolk Heritage Open Days is the largest programme of free events outside London. Whilst some events must be booked in advance, many are ‘turn up on the day’. This is a not-to-be-missed experience to get into some of the most incredible buildings in Norfolk. Examples are: The Strangers Club on Elm Hill, Pull’s Ferry Watergate Room and Quaker Meeting House. Take a look at norfolkheritageopendays.co.uk.
As part of the 50th anniversary of The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Jago Cooper the centre’s Executive Director hired new talent which included Kenneth Paranada, Curator of Art and Climate Change. This month see The Stuff of Life | The Life of Stuff (10 September – 14 January 2024). In this major international art exhibition, visitors will meet artworks composed of salvaged materials, re-synthesised fragments, and e-waste.
It’s your last chance to see The Last Voyage of the Gloucester: Norfolk’s Royal Shipwreck 1682 at Norwich Castle as it closes 10 September.
Full details of everything mentioned here and loads more ideas can be found at www.visitnorwich.co.uk
