The cottage is very nearly ready! After weeks of builders,plumbers,electricians and carpenters the cottage is almost complete! Located in Brook Street in Woodbridge, it really is in the very centre of the town, tucked down a quiet unknown road just minutes from the river, the shops and restaurants. There are two bedrooms, one double and one with a super king wrought iron bed, a fabulous new kitchen, woodburning stove, wifi etc etc. More pictures to follow next week.

1.5 Kg Salmon, ask the fishmonger to cut in half, remove any bones but leave skin on.

100g Granulated Sugar

75g Sea Salt

2 tablespoons of Coriander Seeds

100ml Adnams Special First Cut Gin ( I use because it is bursting with the flavour of Juniper)

Large bunch of fresh Dill chopped

Line a shallow baking tin that will fit in your fridge with cling film leaving excess around edges to cover the fish.

Mix together the ingredients for the cure; sugar, salt, coriander seeds, gin and dill. Cover the skinless side of the salmon in the cure, put the two skinless sides together and place in the tin on the clingfilm. Rub any remaining cure into the top skin side and then wrap in clingfilm.Wrap tightly in a second layer of clingfilm and place in the baking tin with a board on top weighted down. I use tins of baked beans!Then put in fridge. The brine will run out as it cures but the baking tin should catch this. Leave for 24-48hours

The Gin                             The Cure            Ready for the fridge

The Dill Mustard Sauce

Having tried lots of recipes I think Anthony Worrall Thompson’s is the best (also feel like he could do with some good press!)

4 tablespoons Dijon Mustard

2 tablespoons Sugar

2 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar

2 Egg Yolks

300ml Vegetable Oil

Large bunch of chopped Dill  with more to serve too!

Pepper to taste.

Combine the first four ingredients by whisking together and then add the oil in a steady pour whilst still whisking. Add the Dill and Pepper to taste.

When ready to serve, remove the gravalax from the fridge, wipe away the cure with a kitchen towel  and lay the fish skin side down on a board of chopped dill. Turn over and slice from the tail towards the middle in thin slices. Serve with the Dill and Mustard Sauce – I love it served on the wonderful crisp bread from Peter’s Yard Bakery.

Here is one of our favourites -  my own recipe for a delicious chutney

Apple, Quince and Cardamon Chutney

1.5kg of windfall apples (a selection of all sorts is fine and works well) peeled, cored and chopped

750g light muscovado sugar

300g raisins

2 medium onions chopped

3 large quinces, peeled,cored and chopped

400ml cider vinegar

2 tbsp nigella seeds

2 tbsp ground ginger

2 tbsp mustard seed

2 tbsp crushed cardamon,  I remove the outer casings after crushing

Healthy spoon of salt and pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a jam pan and bring slowly to the boil.

Simmer uncovered for 1.5 hours until the chutney is thick and darkened. Leave to cool and put into sterilised jars( I do this by washing them first in the dishwasher)

Makes appox 2 litres, or 6 jars

Why not try Quince Vodka?

Take one large Kilner jar and fill with four grated quinces, skin, core and all! Add 1.5litres of Vodka and 250g of sugar. Store for six week and shake once a week. Then invite over a few friends for a tasting!

Thank you to The Quince Tree for your inspiration

The selection of Christmas decorations is simply second to none and impossible to leave without buying a new addition for your tree! What a happy tree you will have! In the vast Interiors shop you can buy everything from a complete dining suite to a bar of soap, all carefully chosen and beautifully displayed. Many of our guests return home with a new piece of furniture, some fit in the car and some just dont!

Make a complete day of your shopping with lunch at Cafe 1885 leaving enough time to explore the antiques and art galleries, returning to The Old Rectory for dinner and a Suffolk sleep!

Do have a look at our latest reviews:

Well it is a very special and unique outdoor festival on the Suffolk Coast during the main week of half term 15 – 29th Oct with a huge number of events planned for all the family; many in conjunction with the RSBP, English Heritage, National Trust and Suffolk Wildlife Trust. Children can watch for early morning migrant birds, celebrate halloween at a creepie castle, enjoy a graves tour at Sutton Hoo or experience a bracing heath walk. All activities can be found at www.woodwose.org

01394 444538 – so get planning for an active and busy half term!

Mike and I joined the trip which started with a boat trip from Orford Quay on  Regardless to accompany the local fishermen out on the daily trip to collect their lobster pots and marvel at the spoils caught within. We pulled up several large lobsters, shore crabs, hermit crabs, whelks and even shrimps!

We then ventured on to see the oyster beds at Butley Creek which are owned by the Pinney family and where they have farmed oysters successfully for over 50 years. Bill Pinney gave us all a great talk explaining the processes involved in their production before showing us his smokehouse which was crammed with sides of salmon, haddock and mackeral all ready to be sent on to their restaurant The Butley Oysterage in Orford or packaged up for their retail business; you can buy all their delicious products online.

Lunch was a real treat, the most succulent smoked prawns followed by a platter of all Pinneys very best -  from smoked salmon, cods roe, smoked mackeral with horseradish, oysters and smoked eel all washed down with an excellent English wine Staverton (and really it was delicious!) There really was no room left for any pud but it appeared everyone did manage a marzipan and apple tart, a chocolate torte or even a sticky toffee pudding. Fully complet we had a demonstration of slicing smoked salmon wafer thin or not so thin depending on who had a go! and then we were shown how to open oysters managing to return home with all our fingers!

A fabulous day that we hope we will repeat again – what this space and our website for more Food Safari treats!