Middle England on Sea

10 years on and I'm still seeing out the old year and celebrating the new one in Blakeney, en famille and friends.  I usually like to go to different places but there's something very comforting about North Norfolk which I've visited for the past 30 years and although some moan that it's gone 'up-market and London,' this has resulted in some great places for food and drink.

 

 fabulousnorfolk.co.uk

We stopped for lunch at The Duck, Stanhoe and probably over-influenced by it's pretty name, I opted for Fairytale Pumpkin, Hazelnut & Parmesan Risotto, which did actually live up to it's title, being just the right texture with soft slivers of pumpkin blended beautifully into the rice; with hazelnuts giving a nutty, earthly, flavour, perfect for winter.

Anther meal of note was a New Years day Rib Eye Steak, perfectly cooked medium rare with chunky chips and onion rings, accompanied by green peppercorn sauce at the lovely and welcoming, Wiveton Bell, accompanied by a few glasses of red.

It wasn't all eating, though you wouldn't know it from the tightness of my post-New Year waist band.  There are inland and coastal walks under the fabled big skies of Norfolk and we enjoyed walking from Blakeney to Glandford, although the Arts Café at Glandford which is supposed to be good, was closed. 

We did a walk that took in great coastal views, a windmill, a stately home and rolling parkland (Norfolk's not as flat as made out) at Sherringham Park and headed onto Cromer having a drink at the traditional Red Lion and fish and chips from Mary Jane's.

We kept up our tradition (along with many others!) of walking along the beach from Wells with it's cute beach huts towards Holkham with it's Shakespeare in Love and royal connections and back through the pine woods, looking forward to a pit-stop in the Red Lion, Stiffkey, my husband's most favourite pub in the world.

The Good: Fab drinking, eating and company.
Go again : At least twice a year.