Woodbridge

I am getting excited. Last September, my wife and I leapt out of London and moved to Woodbridge in Suffolk. We caught the very end of the tail of the summer and the place still felt exciting and vibrant. There were various live music and food events going on, but it all sort of blurred into the mayhem of moving house.

What also blurred was the profusion of sea vegetables growing along the edge of Woodbridge’s tidal River Deben. I saw samphire, sea beet, sea purslane and aster, all coming to the end of edibility, the samphire turning a beautiful deep red, colouring the grey muddy banks. But I never had the right cooking opportunity to collect them.

I did manage a long walk through the Suffolk heaths, on which I collected ceps, giant puffballs and horse mushrooms to see me through a weekend of meals. Incredible for the first foray in a new environment.

So, now, as spring approaches, my excitement is building. I can’t wait to fully embrace this new place. To get out among the woods, heaths, beaches and river edges and find new things; and to start cooking here and building new contacts and new opportunities to share the produce and wild bounty of Suffolk.