Cley Marshes Visitor Centre Cafe, Norfolk

Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) Cley Marshes, Coast Road, Cley-next-the-Sea, Norfolk NR25 7SA

T: 01263 740008 / www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/cley

Cley Marshes Visitor Centre

This gleaming piece of modernist sustainable design sits on one of the UK’s oldest nature reserves. Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Cley Marshes Visitor Centre reopened in 2007 as this eco-friendly powerhouse – and I’m putting it here in ‘Good Eats’ as the cafe is a great way to experience it!

Cley Marshes is a mecca for birdwatchers because it’s one of the best places in the country to view huge numbers of wintering and migrating wildfowl and waders, plus the rare bittern and marsh harrier. But you don’t have to be an ornothologist to enjoy a visit here – the North Norfolk coast is rugged and expansive so you can experience exhilerating walks along a truly wild and natural beaches. And when you’ve come back from the beach (or a stroll through the official Cley Marshes Nature Reserve – entry fee applies if you’re not a Wildlife Trust member), head to the visitor centre’s cafe.

The menu is basic (don’t expect large lunches, this is meant as a bird-watcher’s pit-stop) but there’s plenty of fresh and wholesome choices in the sandwiches, jacket potatoes and cakes. There are often daily specials involving soups, quiches, ‘Norfolk ploughmans’, locally made pork pies and sausage rolls (grab the onion marmalade ones if you can), and local crab sandwiches or salads (which is what we chose on our visit – nothing like eating seafood minutes from where it was caught). Coffee is good, as is the hot chocolate if you’re visiting on a cold day.Cley Marshes Nature Reserve

The great thing about the cafe is the building which was awarded Best Sustainable Development by Emirates Glass LEAF Awards for its innovative use of sustainable technology. The centre has a stunning sedum-covered green roof to attract butterflies, ease water drainage and blend into the landscape. Power by a wind turbine, solar panels and ground source heat pump, the centre has also been built to minimise energy wastage.

Enjoying a coffee and a fresh crab sandwich indoors you can sit along the cafe-wide window and gaze out across the windswept marshes and endless skies of Norfolk. Visitors can also take turns to use the binoculars provided (most visitors have their own high-tech pairs!) and watch the comings and goings of various birdlife. If you need help, the extensive bookshop (and gift shop) behind you will have a wildlife book for you.

Recommended for… Bird-watchers and nature-lovers (but also anyone who appreciates the wild, natural surroundings of the Norfolk coast)

Be aware that… The menu is small and only meant for quick snacks and light lunches (it closes at 4.30pm, or 3.30pm in winter).

‘Good’ credentials:

  • Award-winning sustainable building
  • Energy use and waste is minimise
  • Recycling, reusing wherever possible
  • Small wildlife garden to the rear, and green roof attract wildlife
  • Locally-sourced and produced food
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • ‘Wildlife Detective’ bumbags available for kids for free
  • Proceeds from the cafe (and gift shop) go to the Norfolk Wildlife Trust conservation charity

 

 

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The Kings Head, Norfolk, England

The King’s Head

Holt Road, Letheringsett, Norfolk NR25 7AR

T: 01263 712691 / E: kingshead@flyingkiwiinns.co.uk

www.kingsheadnorfolk.co.uk

The Kings Head, Letheringsett, Norfolk

I love this pub – plain and simple. It could be the award-winning food; it could be its own brewed ‘Kiwi Ale’; it could be the beautiful rural location (maybe I’m biased – it is my home turf). But I’m not the only one – The King’s Head was awarded ‘Norfolk Dining Pub of the Year 2011’ by the Good Pub Guide. The King’s Head is one of five ‘Flying Kiwi Inns’ across Norfolk run by Master Chef and New Zealander Chris Courough. His passion for local, seasonal food dictates the brilliant menus.

Food: The menu makes the most of the North Norfolk location with fresh seasonal produce direct from local fishermen and farmers dominating the dishes (Chris’ ‘Food Heroes’ who specialise in some of the finest quality produce in the country). Naturally, the menu changes daily but expect dishes like caramelised pork belly with scallops, fillet of seabas with crab risotto, pan fried pigeon breast with beetroot, followed by homemade gooseberry fool or Kel’s chocolate brownie with pistacio semi-freddo. The pub rears its own herd of cows for the menu (best not to look at them in the adjacent field if you’re planning on ordering the beef…).

Drink: The pub offers an extensive wine list (specially selected by Norfolk Kiwi ale at The Kings HeadChris and UK Master of Wines John Atkinson) but as with all good country pubs, the real winners for me are the beers. Norfolk grows some of the best malting barley and local microbrewer ‘Jo C’ brews two ales for The King’s Head, ‘Norfolk Kiwi’ (my favourite) and ‘Bitter old Bustard’.

Additional information: The pub was extensively renovated in 2007 and is at the smart end of gastropub decor – leather club chairs, Farrow and Ball paint, cosy snugs and the ‘Shoot Room’ (available for private hire). It has a very large beer garden (with big play ‘castle’ for kids). Alongside lunch and dinner, the pub also serves morning and afternoon cakes and coffee, and ‘kid’s high tea’ midweek during term time.

Recommended for… A pint of the ‘Norfolk Kiwi’ local ale with your Sunday lunch

Be aware that… Vegetarians are well catered for with the lunch menu but less so for dinner with maybe only one or two dishes suitable (but an early word with the kitchen on booking could result in some dishes being adapted).

‘Good’ credentials:

  • Emphasis on local, seasonal produce direct from farmers, fishermen and producers
  • Specialist microbrewed ales
  • Own herd of cows reared for menu in adjacent field (zero food miles!)
  • Menu ingredients include produce such as ethically-reared quail

 

Date of visit: April 2012

 

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