“Air, light, and wave seemed full of burning rest,
And her heart sprang, and she drew
With all her spirit and life the sunrise through,
And through her lips the keen triumphant air
Sea-scented, sweeter than land-roses were,
And through her eyes the whole rejoicing east…”
‘Tristram of Lyonesse', by Algernon Charles Swinburne.
I’ve been meaning to do this for a while. Two things, in fact. Update this website and move to Norfolk. And boy I’m glad I have - move, I mean.
Norfolk is not normal. It is a county (feels
like a country) unto itself. The
industrial revolution passed it by, but the agricultural revolution was born
here and still thrives. It has it’s own rules and it’s own unique landscape.
Nature abounds as do beautiful buildings, crumbling ruins, abbeys and churches.
There’s a thumping art scene and the food to be gleaned from the land, salt
marsh and sea is outstanding. Bounty, bounty and more bounty. And I love it
all.
So, I ran away from the Circus (quite literally)
leaving the buttery glow of the Cotswold’s an unctuous smudge. In Norfolk I
found a lost world of dairymaids, lush pastures and: Cheesing.
For the last two months (so June & July 2012) Mrs Temple and her small team
of cheeringly lusty ladies have welcomed and shown me the art of cheese making.
Early early at the start of each dewy day, the mornings milk from the Temple
herd flows into the Cheese Room vats and ‘cheesing’ begins. Dozens and dozens
of the little beauties are lovingly handcrafted each and every day - from
Binham Blues (a creamy blue, like a Stilton) to Copys Clouds (white and furry
and soft, like a brie).
If you’re beginning to dream up seriously
backward times then think again. All the whey from the cheese room and slurry
from the farm feeds the Temples’ anaerobic digester (Mr Temple’s also a very
clever engineer) which churns out electricity for their enterprises. Brilliant. So thank you, thank you Catherine, Jennie,
Lesley and Lanie-Loo.
Equally lucky was I to be pointed in the
direction (thank you Emma and Aiden) of Plumstead Hall Farmhouse - a hub of
smiles and blithe spirits. Such great thanks to Percy, Emma, Rex and Greta for welcoming
me as part of their household and sunny nonconformity. Here’s to months ahead
of constant thoughts on food, occasional (!) bouts of gluttony and discovering
the playground that is North Norfolk. Anyone looking for a perfect B&B
should look no further, by the way: www.plumsteadhallfarmhouse.co.uk
August for me is all about island hopping and
cooking on the west coast of Scotland, before returning to lovely Norfolk and
the misty mellowness of September and who knows what…
I'll keep myself posted...
I'll keep myself posted...
