Suffolk: steal a lazy long weekend there soon
by Derek Wyatt
I would spend most of my summer holidays as a boy with my grandfather in his small terraced house in The Croft, Bures on the Stour which bordered Essex and Suffolk. He had retired early from the Admiralty and sought a place by the sea to continue his love of sailing but somehow ended up in a backwater.
He was a canny old bird. Every day he would try to avoid the washing up! He would go and do the daily shopping immediately after breakfast and then after lunch he would take me for a five or ten mile hike.
After supper he would try and teach me Russian by listening to the World Service. He would always lay up for our three meals but always dished the dishes. We would walk to Sudbury, Assington, Pebmarsh or Nayland most weeks, sometimesalong the Stour, if we could, or on footpaths and narrow roads.
On Wednesdays or at weekends, they would take me by a Chambers coach (once a charabanc) to Lowestoft (where my Nan’s family came from) or Clacton. We would swim, play and eat fresh fish and chips out of yesterday’s newspapers, whatever the weather.
Suffolk is where I call home. I have been staying in Aldeburgh long before it became Chelsea-by-the-Sea. My first visit was in 1958 and I have been going back ever since (three times this year already). When, I have felt under pressure - whatever the reason - I would drive there arriving late, walk in the freezing winds to Thorpeness and back, sip a pint of Adnams by the fire in the bar at The Wentworth and wonder why it was I had been under the weather.
I love the light: it is the key to understanding the Suffolk coast. On rough, tough days the colour of the sea changes all the time as it is beaten up by more powerful spirits whilst on sunny days the crisp deep blue skies dominate the landscape. It is quite overwhelming. No wonder it has captured the imagination of such musicians as Ben Britten, writers of lyrical prose such as Ronald Blythe (read his delightful; The Time by The Sea), poets like the wondrous George Crabbe (Peter Grimes et al) and sculptures and artists like Maggi Hambling (see her Scallop tribute to Britten at north end of the beach).
By the by, it is to Aldeburgh’s huge shame that there is no public monument to Britten. More recently, I have started to re-visit some of my earlier haunts – Clare, Long Melford, Castle Hedingham, Preston, Biddleston and Lavenham – in west Suffolk close to the Essex borders - and I have looked longingly at the quality of the 15th and 16th family houses which to huge credit have been lovingly preserved. I doubt if any other county can boast so many in such wonderful condition.
I have two recommendations.
The first is the Lavenham which ought to be recognised by Unesco for it stunning mediaeval and Tudor buildings. Stay at The Swan as everyone else does for the sheer majesty of its buildings (a new spar is opening shortly). It is now owned by the TA Hotel group which also has in its collection the Brudenell and the White Lion at Aldeburgh, The Crown at Woodbridge and the Thorpeness Hotel & Golf Club. The Swan has upped its game of late. The staff is courteous, willing and helpful. Its main hugely impressive dining room is worth a three hour drive just to see it; by which time you will want to take some nourishment there and its offerings match many of London’s best restaurants. Don’t leave it too long.
The second is the unsung hero known as The Crown at Bildeston which is quite the best in the county. Best not just in service but its relatively new chef, Zack Deakins deserves a couple of Michelin stars. The wine list could be improved and it would be good to find some more local ones such as those from the Lavenham Brook vineyard (the white Bacchus is improving all the time) but go and partake of the Ingrams menu (named after its farming owners) which is simply fabulous.
I had on one evening Rabbit: roasted rack and loin (the best ever), confit leg, celeriac and apple remoulade, pickled grapes and toasted walnuts and on another: Muntjac - roasted saddle, braised haunch with fennel, poached cherries and bitter chocolate (to die for). On Monday, 7th July, the third stage of the Tour de France begins in Cambridge and finishes in Pall Mall. Why not support our British riders and the Suffolk economy by taking that lazy, long weekend in Suffolk……go on you’ll love it.
ends
Written in late June 2014 since when Zack Deakins has moved on