East Anglia

This region is known for its flat expanses and open skies, as well as for its lengthy coastline.The vast fertile fields of Lincolnshire are said to produce one-fifth of the nation’s home-grown produce. So what has the region got to offer in the way of food? – well just about everything except a well recognisable cheese. Suffolk cheese was believed to be a national joke and Stilton in Cambridgeshire is a place where Stilton was sold, not, contrary to popular belief, where it was made - so that doesn’t really count! But over the last decade or so small producers are putting things right.

The immensely long coastline with its estuaries and creeks, the fens and broads, mean fish are available on a grand scale. Brown shrimps at Leigh-on-Sea, pink shrimps at Great Yarmouth, crabs at Cromer, lobsters, the finest oysters in the world, zander, pike, eels (they even named a city after them-Ely!), herring, turbot, mackerel, even whitebait has its own festival at Southend. All this fish, especially herrings, has led to numerous smoke houses and the tradition of smoked fish such as bloaters. Samphire, the succulent marsh plant, is harvested along the coast, as is sea salt at Malden.

The grain fields, coastal marshes and flat fens shelter a profusion of partridge, quail, woodcock, wild duck and pheasant. East Anglia is also well known for its soft fruit farming such as strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, especially around areas like Tiptree and Elsenham, both associated with jam making. Ham and bacon curing is another traditional industry along with Norfolk black turkeys. Hot English mustard produced from plants creating brilliant yellow fields surrounding Norwich, is an example of a world renowned product. Vegetables of nearly all varieties are grown here from asparagus, potatoes, broad beans, peas, chards in all colours, Jerusalem artichokes. Not forgetting

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