The Suffolk

Made in suffolk

The Suffolk

George Pell’s Suffolk

Taking pride of place in the centre of Aldeburgh’s high street, in a coaching inn dating back to the 17th Century, the Suffolk is an acclaimed restaurant with six elegant rooms above.

Opened in the summer of 2022 by George Pell following the great success of L’Escargot Sur Mer - the coastal pop up from Soho institution L’Escargot - the restaurant celebrates the wealth of high quality ingredients that can be found across the county.

With a menu that changes continuously with the seasons, each day head chef Tom Payne creates fresh dishes inspired by the best local ingredients that can be sourced.

It was our great pleasure to spend a day with George journeying over the county to meet with his key suppliers and understand their respective crafts.

# George Pell’s Suffolk
*An ode to Suffolk by George Pell*

Arriving in Suffolk we quickly realised that on our doorstep are some of the country's finest food producers, artisan bakers, growers, fisherman and cheesemakers. We wanted to capture this cornucopia of fantastic produce. Our food and drink menu has been carefully articulated to make sure we do justice to their efforts, a shop window for Suffolk's finest.

## Pinney's of Orford

I believe every good meal should start with an oyster and we have access to the finest oysters in the UK, farmed only 10 miles away in Butley Creek by the famous Bill Pinney of Pinney's of Orford, a family run business that has been smoking their own fish in their oak fuelled smokehouse for their shop and restaurant in Orford.

## Fen Farm

One of my absolute food heroes is the dairy farmer Jonny Crickmore who owns Fen Farm on the wild borderlands of Suffolk and Norfolk. Jonny is the most devoted artisan I have ever met and now Baron Bigod rightfully receives praise for being Britain's best cheese. He was inspired by the traditional ways of making brie de meaux in France with his secret weapon of using his own milk produced on the farm.

## Maple Farm

You can't really talk about the Suffolk food scene and ignore Willam Kendle, owner of the exquisite Maple Farm. Here, William is trying to incubate pioneering growers, methods and technology to create a new template for regenerative and sustainable farming practices. Their farm shop is also home to Alice Norman's Pinch, the best place to indulge in a coffee and one of her signature maple and bacon crullers.

## Salter & King

Good meat matters, that's what my old friend Gerard told me. He is Aldeburgh's local (and handsome) butcher whose shop, Salter & King, is on the high street. He's the chap that sources the best local beef for our restaurant. Tom Payne, our head chef, loves nothing more than getting one of his Iken Red cows (we serve a sharing, aged, cote de boeuf) and cook it over coals in our Bertha oven.

## Sean's café

At the heart of every good community is a great café and Sean has mastered this with his simple approach to cooking the best produce. Sean's full English can't be beaten, and features the likes of Rymer eggs, Fruit Pig black pudding, Harvey & Co bread, Procters sausages and Bramfield bacon. I'm often found hiding here with my dog Oskar after a windy walk on the marshes.