Local larders: Suffolk
With a flourishing fine dining scene, renowned producers and over fifty miles of gorgeous coastline, Suffolk is a must-visit for food lovers – but it's traditionally been something of an under-the-radar gem. That's fast changing, though, with word spreading about its fantastic food and drink.
Local larders: Suffolk
With a flourishing fine dining scene, renowned producers and over fifty miles of gorgeous coastline, Suffolk is a must-visit for food lovers – but it's traditionally been something of an under-the-radar gem. That's fast changing, though, with word spreading about its fantastic food and drink.
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Local LardersWhile we’d like to avoid sparking a regional row, we think it’s fair to say that if you were looking to book a foodie getaway, Suffolk might not top your list (we’d be willing to bet that the likes of its neighbouring Norfolk, Cornwall, Cumbria or London would be higher on the wish-list). That’s not because we think there’s good reason for its omission, of course – far from it. Suffolk is a complete treasure for food lovers. From the gnarly crackling of its pork to its melting Baron Bigod cheese and succulent Sutton Hoo chicken, you’ve probably already sampled its produce on the menus of the UK’s most celebrated restaurants, and you'll definitely have visited pubs home to a Suffolk tipple (Adnams, Greene King and Aspall all call it home).
Farming has been at the county's core for centuries and fruit and veg can be found growing around every corner, while its coastline rewards trawlers with the freshest seafood. It’s no wonder ingredients and provenance are the bedrock of Suffolk’s cuisine, a natural larder which is packed into the menus of its country pubs, artisan bakeries, farm shops and charming beachside cafés. Its fine dining scene is equally as rich, though it wasn’t until 2021 that it earned its first Michelin star, thanks to Bury St Edmunds favourite Pea Porridge. It may currently be standing alone, but there are fantastic chefs galore and those we have spoken to agree that Suffolk’s culinary reputation is rising fast. Soon, it’ll be at the top of your foodie getaway list – here, we’ve explored why.
Guiding star
Justin and Jurga Sharp knew market town Bury St Edmunds was the right place to open Pea Porridge when they first visited in 2009. Since then, the restaurant has become a popular neighbourhood spot and point of culinary pride, evolving in recent years to take inspiration from the Moorish flavours of North Africa, Sicily, southern Spain and the Levant. It held onto its Bib Gourmand award for nine years before, in 2021, Michelin inspectors deemed the restaurant worthy of its first star. ‘It was an absolute joy,’ Justin says. ‘It’s not something we pushed ourselves towards. We felt we had reached the pinnacle ten years before when we got the Bib Gourmand, in terms of the level of food we were doing, the style we were creating and the whole ethos.’
Unsurprisingly, bookings now come from further afield, and Justin hopes their star will be the first of many for Suffolk. ‘I would love for there to be more representation in the Michelin guide for Suffolk,’ he nods. ‘I hope our relative success can spur younger chefs in other restaurants on to achieve.’ He points to the likes of chef James Carn (previously of Pea Porridge and behind new fine dining spot Lark, which is just down the road) as an example of the talent in the area. He agrees that Suffolk may be viewed with less prestige than other food-led counties, but points to its world-class produce as reasons why that should change, from its cheese and saffron to game, lamb, asparagus and vineyards (highlighting Ark, in particular). 'It’s an exciting time to be in Suffolk,’ he says. ‘The more we can do to promote Bury St Edmunds and wider Suffolk, the better it is for the whole county.’
'A sleeping giant'
It may be a one-star county for the time being, but there is brilliant cooking galore across Suffolk, much from the kitchens of its welcoming country pubs – Brendan Padfield's popular gastropub the Unruly Pig in Bromeswell, The Brewers in Rattlesden, the Packhorse Inn in leafy Moulton and Barrow's The Weeping Willow are just four honourable mentions in a packed field. Elsewhere, there's the stylish Maison Bleue (also in Bury St Edmunds), Aldeburgh's The Suffolk and The Tuddenham Mill, a restaurant which boasts four AA rosettes and is set in an ancient watermill. Its chef-patron is Lee Bye, who grew up just over the Cambridgeshire border and has spent much of his career championing Suffolk, agrees that a team effort to shout about Suffolk's gastronomic greatness would put it on more food lovers' maps (he, too, points to Lark as somewhere to visit – chef James is also a Tuddenham Mill alumnus).
‘Suffolk is much like Norfolk, for example, but Norfolk has always championed food and drink, while I think Suffolk has been quite understated in doing the same,’ he says. ‘People have always been a bit more reserved, but Suffolk is now starting to be taken more seriously – Pea Porridge has its star, we have four rosettes. The relationship between chefs and producers here is really strong – Suffolk is a sleeping giant, but it’s coming to the foreground.’
A place by the sea
However excellent it is, we know a rich food and drink tapestry needs more than just fine dining, and Suffolk's villages and towns have thriving independents in spades (head to Snape Maltings, for example, for a Suffolk food and drink bonanza). That's particularly true of classy seaside towns Southwold and Aldeburgh. From its craft bakeries – Two Magpies and Pump Street are especially popular – to delightful cafés, they have become go-tos for an upmarket culinary getaway by the sea.
Though many of Suffolk's delicacies come from its land, its North Sea bounty is equally as rich. Suffolk has a rich fishing heritage – it's said that in the early twentieth century, Lowestoft harbour was so full of fishing boats it was possible to cross it without getting your feet wet. Today, the cod and plaice its fishermen catch are battered and fried in its fish and chip joints, while lobsters and oysters are enjoyed across the county.
The big cheese
Suffolk once had a pretty poor reputation when it came to cheese. Centuries ago, it was a big butter exporter, but that high demand for cream meant there was little left to use in cheese. What cheese was produced was hard, lacked flavour and was often heavily-salted as a result. Rumour has it that its Suffolk Bang cheese was so poor that a poem was once written about it, and producers were even ordered to stop making it. Despite a bumpy start, Suffolk cheese-making has, thankfully, improved since then, and today attracts praise from around the world.
The melting Baron Bigod in particular, has garnered plenty of attention of the years. Made at Fen Farm Dairy in the market town of Bungay, it's a traditional Brie-de-Meaux style cheese, with a nutty, mushroomy rind and fresh, citrusy centre. It's made by hand using milk from its Montbeliarde cows, and is one of just a handful of its type in the world to be produced by the farmer from start to finish. Today, it plays a starring role in Michelin-starred menus around the country. Meanwhile, St Jude, a soft, mould-ripened cheese, is produced just down the road (using milk from the same cows which make Baron Bigod), and is also fast becoming a go-to for fine dining chefs.
Pork of the town
If you haven't stumbled on its cheese, you'll no doubt have sampled Suffolk's pork, from the free-range pigs at family-run Blythburgh to the cuts and charcuterie of Dingley Dell, which supplies the likes of the Gordon Ramsay Group and Michel Roux. Pig farming, after all, has a significant history in Suffolk and remains a major industry today. Local pork is turned into some of the county's most beloved products, including Suffolk ham, traditional, dark cured ham famous for its rich and smoky flavour. There's also the peppery, nutmeg-spiked Newmarket sausages, which are made by three local butchers, Musk's, Eric Tennant's and Powters. Historically a royal favourite, they've been awarded a Royal Warrant since 1907, as well as Protected Geographical Indicator of Origin status.
From seafood to cheese and pork to pints, when it comes time to book your next foodie break, there’s plenty to encourage you to give Suffolk a try.
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