Food and Drink

Tastes of the East

Visit the mill shop of Jordans, producers of the famous breakfast cereals and crunchy bars. Then head to Gunns Bakery, where you can try a clanger - a baked suet pastry with savoury meat at one end, and something sweet at the other. The rich fertile lands of The Fens are the ‘food basket of Britain', where asparagus, onions, carrots and potatoes are grown on a grand scale to supply our supermarkets. The region is also noted for its fruit - and Wilkin and Sons are one of the country's most famous jam manufacturers. Visit their little museum and tearoom.

Drawn from 500ft below the chalk layers of the Ash Valley, natural spring water is bottled at Hadham (nr. Bishop's Stortford). Redbournbury Watermill has bread baked using its freshly ground organic flour - whilst at Maldon,award-winning natural sea salt is still produced. Norwich is the home of Colman's, the famous producer of mustard - visit their shop which sells prepared and powered mustards. Wash it all down, with a tour of The English Whisky Company, England's first single malt distillery. Whilst cyder has been associated with Norfolk and Suffolk for over 600 years - and the tradition continues today at the Norfolk Cyder Company and Aspall Cyder.

Farmers Markets

Meet local growers and producers selling their products direct to the public. All goods and items sold have been grown, reared, caught, brewed, pickled, baked, smoked or processed by the stallholder. See our full listing of markets

Farm Shops

Visit one of our traditional farm shops - here is a selection from around the region: Alder Carr Farm; Bedfordshire Growers Ltd; Browns of Stagsden; Elveden Estate Shop; The Food Company; La Hogue; Pearces Farm Shop; Spencers Farm Shop; Suffolk Food Hall; Walsingham Farm Shop; Willows Farm Village.

Food Festivals

Make time to visit our special ‘foodie' festivals - a celebration of our local culinary treats. Food and drink tastings, cookery demonstrations by celebrity chefs, special competitions and dinners of local produce at restaurants. Events include the Norwich Food Festival, Feast East and The Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival You can also enjoy the food halls at our annual county shows
Meat Feast

Pork is the prime meat of the region, used to create delicious products. Pick up a sweet-pickled ham from the village butchers of Emmett's - or sausages such as the Braughing and the famous Newmarket, with its royal warrant. Jimmy's Farm rears the Essex pig, with both sausages and dry cured bacon available in the farm shop.

The Marsh Larder stocks venison reared on the Earl of Leicester's estate at Holkham Hall, along with local duck, hare and pheasant. More venison at Woburn Country Foods - direct from Woburn Abbey, the home of the Dukes of Bedford. Or head to Wimpole Hall, where the rare breeds at Home Farm produce beef, pork and lamb. Purchase the meats from the gift shop, or try them in the dishes served at the restaurant. Norfolk is well-known for turkeys, particularly the small black-plumed variety. In the 18th C. huge flocks of turkeys (up to 500 at a time) were marched to London on foot in order to reach the Christmas markets.

The Real Ale Trail

Refresh your taste buds with a pint of ‘real' ale, which has been matured naturally in the cask. The East of England grows some of the best malting barley in the world - and with such a wonderful raw ingredient on its doorstep it is not surprising that brewers in the region are becoming established as some of the finest in Europe, winning many national awards. Famous names include Adnams, Charles Wells, Elgood and Sons, Greene King, McMullen and Sons, St. Peter's and Woodforde's. Why not go on a brewery guided tour? In the last couple of decades, brewing on a small scale has enjoyed a revival, as micro-breweries have sprung up across the region. There is also a year round calendar of Beer Festivals.

Check out our full listing of brewery guided tours

Enjoy our special 'foodie' festivals - a celebration of our local culinary treats.