Have you ever wondered what makes the flavour of Orford oysters unique, how much milk goes into a traditional Suffolk cheese, or why East Anglian barley makes the best beer in the world? Discover the answers with Food Safari.
Food Safari specialises in gourmet Field to Fork days that take you behind-the-scenes at some of Suffolk’s best food and drink producers. Workshops go one or two steps beyond a traditional cookery school combining farm walks, wild food forays or fishing trips with hands-on butchery or fish skills workshops and cookery demonstrations; and always wrapped up with a gourmet feast, usually at The Anchor at Walberswick.
Events include:
Wild Meat Day - Game is abundant at this time of year and whether you are a country-dweller who shoots your own game or a townie more likely be found in the local butchers, you're bound to learn lots on Wild Meat in a Day.
Free Range Pig in a Day a visit to Blythburgh Pork combined with a pork butchery demonstration and sausage-making workshop
Wild Food Day – we'll explore the countryside, coast and a domestic garden to learn to find common wild foods and mushrooms
Cheese in a Day learn the art of aristan cheese-making at Suffolk Farmhouse Cheese
Catch & Cook – off-shore fishing, learn to prepare the fish with a chef and enjoy a seafood feast.
Seafood Day - river fishing trip in search of lobster, crab and other seafood, followed by a tour of Pinney's of Orford's traditional smokehouse and oysterbeds.
Beer Safari - a new way to discover what goes into producing great beer. Join a guided exploration to learn about the key ingredients of beer and how it is brewed. With an expert guide, we will visit a hop farm, a malting barley farm and breweries. Along the way we will meet the farmers and brewers, hear their stories and taste their wares.
Children's Food Safari
This spring sees the launch of a new Food Safari gourmet experience days for children. Launched just over a year ago, Food Safari has received numerous requests from people to run its ‘field to fork’ days for children. Children’s cookery workshops are popular now but Food Safari will go a step further and give children (aged 6 – 12) the chance to make the connection between farming and food.
“Food Safari is a genuine and generous-hearted enterprise, that is properly ‘field to fork'” Hattie Elllis, Scoff, The Spectator.
Children aged between 6-12 will meet the rare-breed pigs and chickens, to see beehives, vegetable garden and polytunnels before getting hands-on preparing lunch.
We will make sausagaes and burgers from the farms own meat. Bake bread with local flour to be cooked in a wood-fired oven. Pick salad and collect eggs to make pudding. There'll be lots to learn along the way to give children the opportunity to think more about where food comes from.
Parents will share the feast and all the family willl leave inspired to try something new at home, whether that's growing a few salad leaves on the windowsill, baking bread or even keeping a few hens.
Ages: 6 – 12 years, max number 15
Price: £75 for the first child; 15% off further children in the same family accompanied by the same adult. This includes an apron and a pack of recipes from the day.
Parents: Children must be accompanied by an adult. The price includes the adult’s lunch and refreshments.
The Anchor at Walberswick is home to Food Safari butchery and cookery workshops. Sophie Dorber, chef proprietor, leads the cookery workshops and provides sumptuous feasts to wrap up the day profiling great local produce and wild foods. Mark Dorber, international beer judge, shares his expansive knowledge of beer and wine and provides hand-picked selections to match each course.
Suffolk is firmly on the food map and its outstanding natural countryside and coastal beauty combined with an abundance of local artisan producers, farmers, specialist food shops make it a perfect destination for a foodie weekend or holiday.
Food Safari can create bespoke events for private groups, corporate away-days or family celebrations. Gift Vouchers are available.
