The Bildeston Crown

Provenance

The Bildeston Crown’s Chef Chris Lee writes in praise of East Anglian produce.

Have you noticed how what we eat and where we source our produce has never been more interesting? Column inches are not spared in debating the atrocities of mass produced poultry farms, Delia’s apparent support of tinned mince or the effect convenience food has had on obesity levels.

It’s great that knowing where our food comes from is such an issue but sometimes I can’t help feeling that we dwell too much on the negatives and pay scant attention to the positive. The fact is that this island nation produces fantastic food and I for one am pleased that we are finally getting round to shouting about it.

Oliver Rowe built a tv series around sourcing all the ingredients for his King’s Cross restaurant from within the M25. If I was given the same challenge to do the same, but with the geographic limtations of East Anglia, I think it would be considered a breeze.

We are particularly fortunate at The Bildeston Crown, and indeed The Lindsey Rose, the  other pub within the group, in that the owner is not just a businessman but fundamentally a farmer. Although volumes required dictates that we are not totally self-sufficient (yet), our customers regularly enjoy locally reared, Suffolk rare breed, red poll beef; lamb from the farm in nearby Semer; Nedging Pork and even vegetables from the owners’ own gardens. The Game season offers up an abundance of locally shot pheasant but we do confess to going further afield for venison, albeit from the owners’ former Scottish Braeroy Estate. As for poultry we are more than happy to cross the border to Essex for Label Anglais chicken and at Christmas, Kelly Bronze turkeys.

Here in East Anglia, it is no hardship to boast that we are doing our bit for the planet by being “food miles” aware. The truth, however, is that it has been less a matter of understanding about carbon footprints and more about just loving my job of creating great dishes with produce grown or reared on my doorstep.