Suffolkfoodie followers, The Sparkes family, sent in this report following a very good meal at The Bistro on the Quay.  Coeliac readers, give it a try and see if you agree.

This restaurant is a great example of how to get it right, from the cheerful attentive service to the beautifully presented and delicious freshly prepared food. I am a coeliac and also have some intolerance to dairy products. As soon as this was conveyed to the waiter he asked if I would like the chef to compose a separate menu just for me.  Nothing is too much trouble.  Such a change from the usual blank looks of ‘oh not another fussy eater’  that I normally get. A real range of starters, mains and desserts, it was hard to choose.

Recommendations - Bang Bang Chicken with peanut sauce, Grilled Sea Bass and the Grilled Thai Chicken breast.  Must try - Samphire, I had never had it before. And Creme Brulee for dessert.

Yes, it is more expensive than your average pub, but then you are getting very high quality food, beautifully cooked and  in a light and friendly atmosphere where you are made to feel that your custom is valued. I am going back to try the rest of the menu.

Yesterday we headed off to the community event held by USAF Lakenheath to celebrate July 4th. They sure know how to hold an event and cook for the thousands of visitors attending.  Not a commercial food outlet in sight, but an amazing selection of foods prepared to raise funds for the various organisations that exist on the base. We ate corn dogs, hot and spicy chicken wings with carrot and celery sticks, smoked brisket with fried pickles, kebab combo of chicken and beef kebabs with corn on the cob and funnel cake with cinnamon sugar. These guys pictured made us chicken fajitas with sour cream and tomato salsa.  It was a great family day out  with an amazing firework finale.  The food just kept on coming, ooh, and yes, there was Aspalls cider in the beer tent.

Suffolkfoodie has gone off to Barbuda in the Caribbean for six weeks ( to visit her family) InspectorX and veggieplot have been left to man the computer.  Here is the first picture that suffolkfoodie sent from Antigua.  It didn't take her long to look for food!

Why not hold a Marie Curie Tea Party?  My friend Margaret held one yesterday for her 50th birthday party. We made sandwiches, cakes, cookies, scones, muffins, pimms, pots of tea and also enjoyed strawberries and cream.  The party went on until 9pm after a great afternoon of catching up with old friends. Margaret raised £200.  Well done and Happy Birthday Margaret!

Coffee break today was on the seafront in Lowestoft.  This cappuccino was good and the papers were available to read the latest gossip. Snappy service and friendly staff although no time to try the lasagne which was dish of the day.  The large terrace meant that I could catch up on a bit of windy sunshine too.

So Granny has agreed to have the reception at her house, which has saved the problem of finding a suitable venue and no doubt saved Wills and Kate a bit of money too. As we're in·the year of austerity perhaps a delivery from Iceland could be arranged? A thirty-six piece chicken platter followed by·a thirty-six·piece dessert platter would only set them back £10. What's more you can design, print or email your invites from the website and use the party planning tool to work out quantities and menus, so there would be no·need for Lady Elizabeth Anston·to sort things out for them, and a few more quid could be saved.   Beef is likely be on the menu on April 29^th·and·hundreds of bottles of vintage wine and port are being earmarked for the big day from the underground vaults of the Treasury at Whitehall.· The Queens Red Poll herd at Sandringham were·under 24 hour guard since the wedding announcement but by now·the beasts will have been dispatched and should be·hanging to mature nicely - ready to be turned into cottage pies,·Wills' favourite food.  Cakes too have changed over the years. I made my own, tradional three tier, royal-iced fruit cake. but Kate is apparently a chocoholic and may go for something more unusual. How about a cookie cake?·Or maybe your relationship started over a playstation?!

I catered for weddings for most of the 90’s. It's hard work, but usually a lot of fun. Not only did I organise the food and drink but it was not uncommon to carry out other unusual tasks, and of course not everything goes according to plan. Re-gravelling the drive is an old favourite at the country house wedding - impressive - until cars arriving at the reception become firmly embedded, requiring all hands on deck to push them out again. 

One request to have all food served by identical twins, each with a a pair of Dalmatians forming the welcome party, was probably the most bizarre. A modelling agency provided the twins, most of whom had never served food before and stood around looking anorexic and useless. Luckily most of the guests were on diets too so weren’t bothered that the canapés weren't flowing. And I wonder if the Middletons and Wales’s families will end up having a punch up in the car park? 

 I had the misfortune once of being invited to a 'dry' wedding.  There was going to be wine, but guests were expected to buy it from an overpriced bar. I decided to take matters into my own hands and bought a nice big  5 litre wine box and a roll of wedding paper. Wrap the wine box up in the paper, having located and released the tap first. As you arrive at the wedding, gift under your arm, hang on to it - insisting that you need to personally present it - you can now put the box on the table and pour to your hearts content. You'll make lots more friends and can join in the foodie party games too!

Suffolkfoodie was created by my sister Claire in 2007.  Although Claire has lived and worked in the UK, nowadays she spends most of her time in the Caribbean with her family. Not in a 'living on a luxury yacht' kind of way, but on her smallholding where she raises goats and cattle. Claire is a great cook, a published writer and has a life-threatening addiction to hot sauce and makes it in Barbuda.

This leaves me to look after SuffolkFoodie. My name is Ruth and I've worked in the food and hospitality industry since I was 19; now I'm a Nonna! I still have the passion for cooking and good food that I had in my youth. Whether I've made it myself or someone else has cooked it I like good home-made food. I'm not fussy about what I eat; give me a good stew or a burger from a street food stall and I'm happy. You can see my food stories and recipes here! For those that would like to know even more about me I moved from catering, service and hospitality to the tourism sector when I got weary working behind a hot stove. I currently work as a freelance quality assessor within visiitor attractions and the leisure and sports industries. (My eight years as a full time hotel inspector taking their toll on my waistline and leaving me craving to eat my own cooking and sleep in my own bed again.) In my years as a cook/chef I've owned and run my own restaurant in Bury St Edmunds and also had my own outside event catering businesses. I've worked as a lecturer at West Suffolk College teaching cookery and life skills to vulnerable adults as well as teaching adult education evening cookery classes. I understand the complexities of running a food led business and the energy that it takes to keep all the plates spinning (literally). I love to keep up with food trends and writing the odd blog post or two. My relaxation pursuits include growing pumpkins, discovering more about wine and experimenting with my cocktail trolley - as Jimmy Buffet sang ... it's five o'clock somewhere; pour me another one!  

Suffolkfoodie is 17 years old! The blog is noted by many for it's longevity and covers all aspects of the world of food and drink. It's hoped that you find it upbeat and entertaining; it includes reviews of Ruth's experiences when at home in Suffolk, out and about for work or when travelling for leisure. The aim is to include small independent businesses and producers, to tell you about what we've found on the side of the road or what we've enjoyed eating or cooking. If you invite paying guests to your pop-ups or to your supper club, then invite us! If you want to share a recipe or a food story send it to us. We are always on the look out for new trends, exciting new producers and innovative businesses in the world of food and drink. Ruth has considerable food and wine knowledge and as a freelance quality assessor is able to give objective and constructive feedback to producers and hospitality businesses within the industry. Ruth works with PR companies to promote new openings and food events as well as providing expert judging services for food and drink awards. We don't take bribes...but we do accept products for review and are happy to provide feedback on your product or business. Where a fee is charged or products/services gifted we make this clear.  However we do consider carefully whether products or services are appropriate for our blog.  If we like it we will tell others. If you would like more information email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Been out for blackberries after reading that there are about 140 different types out there. The writer lived in London, recommended only picking above waist height (!) and suggested you buy sweeter varieties from a supermarket as the wild ones have to be cooked to be sweet - lol...