EDitorial ± 30-Jun-2017

Light Lunches: Darsham Nurseries Cafe

Well, we've been pondering this hugely significant day for a goodly while and now it's finally here. After exactly 73 years of continuous service, the lad Andy has landed a deserved medical retirement from the GPO. No more holes and poles for the boy from Sheffield, no sirree. What's more, he's offered to buy a posh lunch for me and Kev at somewhere upmarket. We're all winners today.

Zoe takes us past Yoxford and we turn off way before and Darsham Hamper and just before Lily's Pantry into the Darsham Nurseries Cafe. Nurseries, yes, since there's plenty of fancy plants. But cafe? Like Prince Charming himself, I've been adamant for a while that this doesn't quality as a cafe. It's open for the odd evening do serving a special menu and there's zero sign of a humble bacon bap. Mind you, there's seating, they serve tea and they mostly do business during daylight hours.

Quibble aside, it's a flippin' delight if you've got the time and the money. Surrounded by some of the finest folk in these parts, some of whom had travelled from as far afield as Bungay, we had:

  • to start — chickpea salad, muhammara, whipped feta and pistachio, spiced pilaf, olives, pickle
  • main — sumac-cured salmon, radishes and buttermilk
  • main — alde valley lamb stew, broad beans, mint and aioli
  • main — chicken thighs, spoon salad and labneh
  • extra — herb farinata

That's right. We were very happily chowing down on foodstuffs that we couldn't even pronounce and it was wonderful. Man, those flavours. Did we stop there? No, we did not, continuing on to:

  • sweet — lemon and bay posset, strawberries, almond biscuit
  • sweet — salted chocolate and olive oil mousse, creme fraiche, cacao
  • sweet — feta and honey cheesecake, crushed pistachio, gooseberries

Wowzers. Very decent cafetiere, too. Andy very kindly dusted off his platinum card to make that big bill go away and I didn't quite make it back for my 3pm conference call, but hey, it was so worth it. Absolute best of luck to Andy, the original Eco Warrior, and we'll all do our utmost to keep up the light lunch trips. Cheers, Andy!

If it was a car -- LaFerrari Aperta.
If they were passing by -- Richard Curtis.

EDitorial ± 25-Jun-2017

130Story: Visited / Dragged / Teenage / Payments / Threw

The rules of 130Story are simple: given a random seed word, write a story in 130 characters.

Visited

Dragged

Teenage

Payments

Threw

More to follow.

EDitorial ± 23-Jun-2017

Ipswich Lunches: Grazing Sheep

Cruising along the 'Swich waterfront past Colours and Isaacs last night, I slammed on the passable brakes on the temporary Holywells Park bike. There, squeezed twixt Pizza Express and the Waterfront Bar, was a new-to-me eatery. That's going on the list.

Next day and winding-down Andy's nabbed a prime parking spot near the Salthouse. Sweet. On the short stroll back, we passed a gaggle of important looking business folk including new town MP Sandy of Ipswich. Mildly starstruck, on we strode to The Grazing Sheep. Most pleasant outdoors but all tables taken. No matter, in we go and upstairs to window seating offering the perfect opportunity to people watch. Already impressed by the decor and atmosphere within.

Downstairs to order and there's many tempting options. Shirley Valentine Kev goes for the Greek salad, Andy takes a toastie and I'm a falafel fiend. Add to that the obligatory San Pellegrino and a Colada Crush for our driver. Seems full of life, this place, and our plates arrive via a handy dumb waiter. That's some good looking grub. Very, very good.

Gotta get back, alas and alack, so a takeaway coffee it has to be. Gutted to miss out on the sweet stuff. Open for breakfast until late afternoon with the odd late closing thrown in over the summer months, this Sheep's a keeper. I will return to the fold.

If it was a car -- Lambretta Super Comtesse.
If they were passing by -- Nick Park.

EDitorial ± 18-Jun-2017

130Story: Situation / Ahead / Targets / Falls / Penalties

The rules of 130Story are simple: given a random seed word, write a story in 130 characters.

Situation

Ahead

Targets

Falls

Penalties

More to follow.

EDitorial ± 11-Jun-2017

130Story: Couples / Activity / Northern / County

The rules of 130Story are simple: given a random seed word, write a story in 130 characters.

Couples

Activity

Northern

County

More to follow.

EDitorial ± 4-Jun-2017

130Story: Favourites / Falling / Ethical / Explain / Event

The rules of 130Story are simple: given a random seed word, write a story in 130 characters.

Favourites

Falling

Ethical

Explain

Event

More to follow.

EDitorial ± 2-Jun-2017

Light Lunches: Westwood Caravan Park, Bucklesham

That Andy. Due to leave the GPO within the month and already cannae get out of bed, or so he said. Plan was for a rare cycle to cafe outing on another solar-powered day. Then things changed, as they're wont to do, and two wheels became four. I'm in a car. I can't carp.

Through the mean Martlesham backroads, down and up the Brightwell dip and lo, it's Westwood Ho! Pleasing roadside signage proclaims a fulsome twelve hour opening period for the Westwood Caravan Cafe. No immediate response at the barrier but we're given the nod to park in the gravelled area. Memories of the nearly non-existent savoury options at a previous campsite trip (the infamous Moon & Sixpence) fade away on seeing the menu inside. Bacon sandwich, sausage sandwich, all day breakfast, etc. Egg and beans on toast for me, ta very much, plus a bacon sarnie for the chauffeur.

Seated outside (too nice to sit in there) on the decking with a captivating view of a cavalcade of caravans, it's not long before two bits of granary toast are presented with proper HP. More than satisfactory sandwich for Andy, like his Nan used to make with lashings of butter. Thumbs up for cans of new-to-us St Helier citrus drinks, one in the eye for San Pellegrino.

Andy's back inside to assess the many products on sale in the campshop from pegs to soup to shaving gel but thankfully emerges with prepacked goodies, a hunk of Belgian choc loaf cake (from Lichfields) and a wodge of lemon tart (from Margaret's Country Kitchen). We need those calories after our long drive, not. Perfectly OK pushbutton lattes add a shot of caffeine to our imminent sugar rush. Really could have done with putting the pedal to the tarmac on our return journey.

If it was a car -- Westfield Megabusa.
If they were passing by -- Barry Newman.