The foodie’s county

Orford’s diminutive size is no reflection of the foodie punch this little fishing village packs. Its star attractions include Pump St Bakery with its selection of pastries and bread and Pinney’s of Orford. Pinney’s family-run smokehouse sells award-winning smoked fish, as well as locally grown oysters from nearby Butley Creek.

This seaside town has a fine range of restaurants along the high street, serving local fish and other dishes. No visit to the town is complete without dropping in on The Aldeburgh Fish & Chip Shop, described as the best fish and chippy in the world. Then there are the fresh fish huts dotted along the beach, to take your pick from the day’s catch.

Here you will find the Food Museum, which tells the story of food production and farming in East Anglia. Just outside Stowmarket, is the village of Creeting St Mary, and home to Suffolk Farmhouse Cheeses. You can find their Suffolk Blue and Suffolk Gold in restaurants and delis across the county, but a visit to their farm to stock up is worth a trip.

You know you’re in Southwold when you can smell the malt-clouds billowing from the chimneys of the Adnams Sole Bay Brewery. Beer lovers won’t want to miss a tasting tour of this famous brewery, and gin lovers will be in heaven on a gin making course at the Adnams Copper House Distillery next door.

Newmarket is famous for its racing but also for its sausages. In Victorian times the town’s butchers developed their own sausage from the pigs kept by the stables to eat the scraps. They soon became sought after by royalty and it became a tradition to take home sausages after the races. The Newmarket Sausage Association’s members, Musk’s, Powters and Tennant’s each have their own secret recipe, and have won numerous prizes. 5

Not only is the riverside town of Woodbridge picturesque, but it also boasts a thriving foodie scene. Visit the Tide Mill Living Museum and watch flour being milled using a centuries-old technique, and even take a bag or two home yourself.

Emmett’s of Peasenhall is a Suffolk producer with a Royal Warrant who have been serving succulent smoked hams since 1820. Stop by to peruse the well-stocked shelves or have an Emmett’s Bacon sandwich in the onsite café.

This historic town with its twiceweekly market is fast becoming known as the ‘foodie’ capital of Suffolk. It’s not just the restaurants such as The Angel Hotel and Maison Bleue that bring people flocking to the town, it’s the number of breweries that call it home. From squeezing inside The Nutshell, Britain’s smallest pub, or a tasting tour at the Greene King Brewery, the smell of brewing is in the air. Close by in the village of Tuddenham you’ll find Tuddenham Mill, or at Wyken Hall at Stanton, you can dine at the Leaping Hare with a glass of wine from grapes grown in the next door vineyard.

Suffolk’s county town has a lot to offer visiting foodies and two must visit places are the Suffolk Food Hall on the banks of the River Orwell and Jimmy’s Farm and Wildlife Park, where brilliant family days out are centred around the discovery of food and farming.

St Peter’s Brewery, perhaps the prettiest brewery in the country, is set in picturesque buildings surrounded by a moat. Book a brewery tour and have a meal in the great hall while you’re there.