East Anglia Staycation 2012

Settling back into the daily routine after our East Anglia staycation 2012...North Norfolk via Essex.  A fantastic trip to the beach and an excellent opportunity to catch up with Essex friends and family.  I have to say the hardest part of this trip was packing! Essex has a certain reputation here, an image...and the clothing that goes along with that image is at odds with beach walks, hiking, crabbing, lounging etc. Regardless of what we were wearing, we ate well! 

I have to say I really love seaside holidays.  There is something so fiercely British about them, especially in the winter, families braving the elements...knowing the promise of chips or ice cream awaits. I am no exception...there is something that makes hot hot chips covered in vinegar and salt that much more special when you are sitting on the pier trying to keep you hair out of your face (because of the wind).  Equally exciting is a small treat of salt watery seafood from the little stall...cockles, whelks, prawns, cray fish...shooing away seagulls while trying to gobble it all up.  

Cromer Crab and chillin with the 'rents

My parents have been visiting for the last few weeks and I am ashamed to say that I can count the number of times I actually cooked on one hand! How embarassing!!  But hey...if their paying....I'm eating!! so you can't really blame me...

My mum and I had a delicious lunch at the Ottolenghi by Angel in London...sadly the pictures are on her camera, but it was a great great great experience.  She had lamb koftas with two salads and I had pan fried salmon with avocado salas and two salads, and I made her share the lemon polenta cake for dessert....I've yet to try to make the cakes at home (he hasn't published the recipe anywhere so I'm gonna wing it) but they are on the list.  Other meals enjoyed included a massive plate of fish n chips at Geos in Clacton-on-Sea...The fish was crispy, comfortingly greasy without being messy and oh so HUGE! We had to trample a few seniors to get a table...no we didn't, we waited in line patiently but I was prepared to use my handbag if needed! And then we hit the road up to the North Norfolk Coast where we feasted on Cromer Crabs...

This was part of a home "cooked" meal...cept we bought them already prepared, or "dressed" as they say here.  Now that I think of it, this was our starter...dressed Cromer Crab on peashoot salad...followed by...oh this is so funny...cornish pasties bought from the bakery beside the crab shack!! One less meal I actually cooked!! oh dear...