April 2009

Welcome to our April newsletter

We’ve lined up a great programme of Food Safari events for the spring including Free Range Pork in a Day, behind-the-scenes tours at Pinney’s of Orford, a wild food foray, a hands-on vineyard experience and a "Catch and Cook" fishing trip off the Suffolk Coast.

We’re offering 20% off if you book early on any of these events (except Catch & Cook) so do book your place now!

"A real taste of Suffolk"

This is how one of the attendees at Wild Meat in a Day at the end of March. Everyone got stuck in with the venison butchery workshop led by Ray Kent of The Wild Meat Company. Along the way we picked up many fascinating game facts and tasted some intriguing dishes such as Wonmil Pheasant and Coconut & Fenugreek Snipe. Read the full report on our blog.

Meet (and eat!) the famous Blythburgh Pigs

Jamie Oliver has challenged us all to take more notice of the poor conditions in which pigs are kept. But one Suffolk farmer is so proud of his free range pigs that he’s inviting the public to meet his free range pigs at Blythburgh on the Suffolk coast. After a farm walk led by award-winning Jimmy & Alastair Butler, we’ll return to our base The Anchor at Walberswick for a pork butchery workshop. We’ll make our own sausages and charcuterie and enjoy a relaxed pork lunch with hand-picked beers and wine to match.

Free Range Pork in a Day will run on Saturday 16 May and Sunday 11 October at The Anchor, Walberswick, near Southwold, Suffolk. Click here for full details.

Pinney's of Orford Tour

Explore the best of east coast seafood with a behind-the-scenes tour of Pinney’s oyster beds and smokehouse at Butley Creek, near Orford, Suffolk. Oysters have been cultivated here for centuries and Richard Pinney started smoking fish here in the 50s.

We’re offering a half day and a full day event. The full day event features a morning fishing trip on the River Ore in search of lobsters, crab and other seafood with skipper Peter Merrin. Both events will end with a seafood feast at the celebrated Butley Orford Oysterage. Visit our web site for full details.

Half-day smokehouse tour and lunch - 30th May and 14th November
Full-day fishing trip, tour and lunch - 27th June and 2th September

Wild Food in a Day

Discover the pleasures of wild food and outdoor cooking in a beautiful setting near the Suffolk coast. Jacky, our guide, will teach us about the wild edible plants all around us, show us how to identify plants, the perils of picking poisonous ones and some historical and medicinal facts about plants
We’ll return to The Anchor in Walberswick for a cookery demonstration using some of the wild foods we gathered. Then we’ll wrap up the day with a relaxing lunch.

Wild Food in a Day, Saturday 6th June at The Anchor, Walberswick. Full details.

Catch & Cook

Come on board our specially chartered fishing boat and we’ll catch, cook and eat cod, bass, mackerel and if we’re lucky brill or turbot. Novice anglers are welcome!

During the day we will show you how to skin, gut and fillet the catch with an onboard fish skills session given by a chef from The Anchor. Our chef will also be on hand to prepare a delicious lunch and serve plenty of drinks to keep us going. Spaces are strictly limited on this event so book early!

Catch & Cook, Saturday 25 July, Walberswick, Suffolk. Full details.

Grape to Glass

Be a wine-maker for a day at Shawsgate Vineyard, an award-winning vineyard and winery near Framlingham, Suffolk. We’ll help out with the summer pruning of the vines and, after a tour of the winery and an explanation of the wine making process, we’ll get hands-on bottling and labelling.

We’ll spend the afternoon with the Shawsgate wine-maker talking and tasting our way around English wines from around the country and enjoy a relaxing gourmet lunch.