A Broad Appeal

The Norfolk Broads can be very appealing, especially on a sunny day after cycling 10 miles with the promise of an ice cold beer and rustic food in a riverbank hostelry awaiting you.

Well, that's what we had in mind when we approached the Reedham Ferry Inn. However, the truth was that we ended up in a very common trap. This was a place brazenly serving mediocre food in the knowledge that their transient tourist clientele are unlikely ever to complain or return(think theatreland restaurants in London).

There I was faced with a beef salad on iceberg lettuce, when the menu clearly stated char grilled steak salad on rocket. But what can you do when you are literally trapped as you have to take a small ferry boat to get to it? Do I take it back and risk having a nice dribble of spit in the dressing? My therapy was to cut my losses and then bitch it off on all available internet forums promoting the Broads.

Not only that, we got charged £4 to take our bikes over on the ferry, but those pedestrians who parked their very environmentally unfriendly cars on the other side got to go free!

We did, however, make up for it in the evening. We were taken for a meal at the Lavender House just outside Norwich. Here the food is lovingly prepared with panache, style and extreme enthusiasm. Amongst other things, we dined on crab cocktail with sweetcorn ice cream and cucumber jelly, fillet and shin of beef with smoked mashed potatoes, iced peanut butter parfait with banana marshmallow and the most delectable after dinner chocolates, especially the caramels with sea salt.

Alongside the main courses you also get pre-courses, such an amuse bouche of shellfish consume and a pre-dessert of butternut squash mousse topped with maple syrup and a coconut creme. Now this was a place worth travelling to, a place where they value the customers and food alike.