Food Diary

Someone wrote and asked me what I've been eating while I'm here. Before I came, I was remembering that on previous visits to England, I had not been impressed with the food. Bland and heavy came to mind. I have to say, though,  I haven't experienced that at all on this visit. Another thing that is different this time is it's more difficult to find a proper cup of tea than it is a coffee. Before, when you asked for coffee, you got Sanka. Those days are long gone.
 
When we went out to dinner in Southwold over the weekend, we ate at The Crown restaurant which is part of an Adnams hotel there. There were four of us; two selected the scallops and scampi for the starter, one chose the smoked tomato and goats cheese salad, and the other went with pork terrine. Judging only by comments, I would guess that Irene and I made the best choice with the scallops. Under the ever-so-small scallops were those crisp English peas, which made for a nice variety in texture. For the entree, the three ladies all went with fresh sea bass, served with tiny new potatoes, spinach and fennel. The gentleman had a steak, which he said is never as good as the steaks in America. For dessert, we all got the roasted peach served with ginger ice cream.

For lunch at the 1885 Cafe at Snape Maltings, I had tomato hummus, olives, and bread to start, followed by a baked portabello mushroom with goats cheese on Thorpness greens. See what I mean by lovely meals?

Jennifer and her friend Joy have a routine of going for pizza on Friday evenings, and we have done that twice since I've been here. Pizza Express actually has more ambiance than its name would suggest. We sit in the courtyard and eat pizza with the thinnest crust I've ever had in my whole entire life. There's one pizza which has a hole in the middle (think big flat doughnut) with a salad in the hole. You never feel stuffed when you leave. Plus, they put hardly any cheese on their pizzas.

Nearby Jennifer's house, there's what I would call an upscale grocer called Waitrose. They have a Good to Go counter with fresh made items. My favorite has been the beetroot and goats cheese salad with a mix of wheatberries and lentils, spinach and a lemon/creme fraiche dressing. I've had this several times; in fact, I had it today. 

While I was at Waitrose, I bought a Ginger Beer. I've seen ginger beers on menus, but have no idea what it tastes like. The bottle, says "an alcoholic ginger beer made with jamaican ginger, sicilan lemons and a hint of chili. Serve over ice with a slice of fresh lemon."

Of course, when we cook, which is most evenings, it's just as I would cook at home. Fruits and vegetables are fresh, cheeses are abundant. Eggs come in cartons of 3 or 6 or 9, never 12. Interesting, I thought. There are a few butcher shops in town for fresh meat, although Jennifer buys beef at the Air Force base because the German base has its own cattle ranch, and the grass fed beef is superb.

Aldeburgh Charm

Aldeburgh is on the water, just a few miles south of Southwold. Again, charm abounds. It's hard to stop taking pictures of the same things over and over and sometimes I just have to put the camera away and say I have enough that I won't forget how it made me feel.

I feel like strolling instead of walking. I feel as if the gray weather is here on purpose so the flowers can be appreciated all the more. I wish I could paint and draw everything I see. I like that the gardens are always humble. I like seeing poppies growing unexpectedly in the marshes, lavender growing in the wall of a church.

I like people leaving notes on their walls. I like the tiny details given to things, rather than the grand gesture. I like the isolated calm broken by a village.




I like a busy street that still allows you to see the gentle landscape beyond.

Suffolk Coastline

Apropos to visiting the Suffolk coast, the weather turned and there was a continuous mist, wind and a gray sky. It was perfect.

The picturesque beach huts line up to punctuate the gray. These are quite small, no water, no electricity, you can't stay the night, and to purchase one is at least 100,000 pounds, which converts to roughly $150,000. They are available to rent for the day or week, 20 pounds a day ($30). The beach huts are quintessential Southwold. Artist after artist paints, photographs, fuses glass, any medium will do to capture their charm.  In another area, the huts are used for a shopping village, much like flea market booths.

I took advantage of being in the area to visit a business colleague, who through the years has turned into a friend and now, my host in his charming English village. We were greeted with a glass of champagne in their lovely garden area, the American flag flying high in our honor. My heart burst from the sweet gesture. It's one I will remember if and when I have a guest visiting from another country.

Our host, Jamie, is a sailing aficionado and quite involved in a small sailing museum there. He had the keys to unlock the door even when it wasn't open, so we got to see the "Alfred Corry," the Southwold No.1 Lifeboat, dedicated in 1893, which is being restored to her original form and takes up most of the space in a small museum. Stories and photos of rescues and maritime history line the museum walls; there's even a section about the Scottish girls working in the herring factory, who were able to gut 40 herring a minute!

We left Southwold after a proper English breakfast of ham and homemade sausages, cooked on the outside grill, creamy scrambled eggs, toast, juice, and afterwards, coffees. (Tea had been prepared early, upon our waking.) It was all quite delightful. We left with full hearts and traveled south along the coastline, stopping in Leiston to see the Abbey ruins, then to Thorpeness, a village built in 1913 as a holiday fantasy village for people to experience "merrie auld England," then on to Aldeburgh, which was large compared to the others and bursting with charm. Our biggest surprise was the Snape Maltings, disused malthouses which have been converted into one of the finest concert venues in the country, and most recently a recording studio. Plenty of shops and galleries, a tearoom and a pub (of course). Currently some of the malthouses are being converted to residences, as well. This photo only shows the front side, what you see as you would drive down the road. Unfortunately, I was so taken aback once we were inside the complex that I failed to photograph any other part.

Newmarket: A Little Rubbish Town

A little rubbish town is how the driver described Newmarket as we drove in. It sounded negative to me, but he went on to explain he meant there were are only houses and horses, no cute antique shops, no upscale cafes, and such.

This is the door to my sister's house. I have my own skeleton key. Yes, I said skeleton key. I plan to venture out today and find the charm that I know is here. Martin, the driver, may call it rubbish, but I believe I saw more charm than he did. Like beauty, charm is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose. The only thing I have found that I forgot to pack was my calcium, so my first trek out will be to a market. I bet it's a charming walk.