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The Crown and Castle, Orford


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As the weather was splendid last Sunday, we did the archetypal British thing, when the sun shows itself and sat in a traffic jam on the way to the coast for a good hour or so. Thankfully, as the great string vested masses turned off the A12 and descended upon Clacton (they are very welcome to it), the road cleared and we headed up towards Orford.

On this occasion, we were taking our good friends Dan (think Lenny from Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men or even Lemmy from Motorhead, for that matter) and Nuria, his frumpy Spanish wife (she smells of mothballs, bless her). As it was her first time in Suffolk, we did a quick detour to a little gem of a pub called the Ramsholt Arms near Woodbridge, Suffolk. This place really is in the middle of nowhere (Ramsholt is not even on some road maps) but that is no bad thing as it was already absolutely packed at 12pm. A picture perfect setting as its right on the estuary, complete with sailing boats clinking away in the wind. The Lemmy lookalike, did have a little whinge about not wanting to try the tasting menu at Hibiscus again, later this year. Eventhough he slept through part of that meal !, but I decided we could discuss this matter later, in a civil manner, over a pint and my with my trusty baseball bat as light encouragement. In any case we could have happily spent the afternoon there but we knew better was to come.

We then headed off to Orford just up the coast, to the Trinity at the Crown and Castle. Incidentally, I had e-mailed the owners Ruth and David Watson prior to our lunch. As much as I love this place, I was ashamed to say that it had been a long while since we last dined there. Nevertheless, Ruth Watson e-mailed back and informed us that whilst they would be away and couldn't say hello, there was a glass of Champagne for us all behind the bar. Not a bad little start to the afternoon off and a kind and welcome gesture.

We arrived a tad early and were told that they had reserved a table outside for us as well as inside. Naturally, as it was about 27 degrees, we opted to sit outside. We had a quick look inside and were perturbed to see that next to the Visitor's book, there was now a dartboard with a picture of Jay Rayner placed upon it, darts sticking out of his now, shredded olfactory organ. What on earth did you say about them Jay? Okay, sorry, I am joking, there is actually a copy of his recent good review of the Crown and Castle from the Observer.

Returning to the dining area outside, this has well spaced tables to the rear of the Hotel, which faces south and is a perfect sun- trap. Each table has a large individual canopy and was occupied with families happily enjoying themselves. The Hotel itself is Victorian styled red brick building, just off the small main square and next to the impressive Norman Keep. In the distance you can just about make out the rivers Alde and Ore. The views of these are naturally much better from the bedrooms, but I'll get to that later.

The Champagne duly arrived as we perused the menus. I neglected to ask what it was, but it was very pleasant. More so for my friend, as Rosie is on a health kick and being abstemious and as I was driving, guess where her glass of champagne went? Unsurprisingly, a shorter menu was on offer for lunch, than for dinner, with about 4/ 5 choices for each course. Prices are listed only against the main courses at lunch, and these range from £14.95 to £17.25. Does that sound a bit pricey for a lunch course in deepest Suffolk? It shouldn't do, as this price includes either a starter or your dessert course. If you want to add a third course then you may, for an extra £5.

The Ugly Bugger and I both opted for a starter, simply described as a Fishy Platter: Smoked Trout, Salmon and Prawns + Langoustine + Oyster. As near to perfect a summer dish as you could have. Orford is blessed with its own Smokery and one assumes that this is where the three smoked items came from. All were quite deliciously fresh and tender and not overly smoked. The Langoustine was again, spankingly fresh and the oyster a rounded and delightful way to finish off the dish, with a smidgen of shallot vinegar. I won't regale you with emetic details of where Dan's mind wandered after eating the oyster, lets just say his missus fended of his salacious attempts to show her his, and I quote "Oyster magic" and leave it at that. Overall, this dish was nothing too fancy, but perfect, fresh, ingredients very well presented. The girls both opted for " A plate of good artisanal salamis James's fab fennel pickle". The salami's and fennel, I tasted were moist and very pleasant. Especially well received by the girl's, judging by the speed with which this course was dispatched.

With our main courses, I suggested a bottle of Chateau Musar 1996 (£25.50)- I'm developing a bit of a taste for this stuff, a wonderful aroma and punchy spiciness from what looks like a fairly lightweight wine. This went well with what we chaps had ordered. Slow-Roast Pork Belly of Gloucester Old Spot + Tiger prawns + Shellfish broth + Aioli. The meat was nicely fatty which rendered the flesh both tender and flavoursome in part and chewy in others; bits of the fat having crisped up nicely. The dish also contained a few new potatoes and roasted pepper, which were welcome additions. Both Dan and I were slightly unsure about the broth at first, which was like a very thin fish soup. But on reflection, we thought all the elements worked well together.

The Girls both opted for Seized Local Cod fillet + brown shrimp risotto. Fantastic, fresh and faultless fish, served with a richly creamy risotto strewn with a generous helping of tiny brown shrimps and surrounded by a amazing tasting vivid- lime green coloured basil oil. God knows what the "Seized" referred to, in relation to the fish, perhaps the Missus can enlighten us?

Puddings were: a Gooseberry and Jersey Cream fool, a bitter chocolate soufflé cake + cream, and two fabulous warm pecan nut and bourbon tarts + vanilla ice cream. The latter was wrestled off Dan, by his better half, as it was that good. Including two coffees, two teas and a brandy (for him, the swine), the bill came to a very reasonable £123.50 for four. Especially so for me, as our friends kindly took care of the bill. Hurrah. I should mention the staff, who were excellent on the day. Rosie pointed out that even in the absence of the Watsons, who are usually very much in evidence, everything ran like clockwork at each of the tables during the lunch. A sure sign of professional, confident staff and an operation humming along nicely.

We asked to show our friends round some of the bedrooms. The best ones to go for overlooking the water in the distance are Rooms 9 / 8 and 7. Number 3 is huge and overlooks the market square to the side of the Hotel. Rosie and I really love the rooms and the atmosphere that pervades throughout the Hotel. I have mentioned before that there is not an atom of chintz in these bedrooms, Ruth Watson describing the interiors as a -Conran meets Ikea look - and I am pleased to write that the Garden rooms have now all been completely refurbished.

They have been very honest in the past stating that the Garden rooms needed renovating and whilst comfortable, I don't think the owners will mind me saying that the bathrooms were previously the colour which obtuse professional footballers would have thought tasteful in the early 1980's. Thankfully no longer, the bathrooms are now excellent and the bedrooms are complete with sea grass carpet, huge beds and best of all a small private terrace with your own garden furniture. My friend was especially taken with the Garden room, or maybe that was the oyster still speaking. Nevertheless, we are all thinking about venturing back to stay very soon. I think I'll get him some bromide though.

Orford is a beautiful quiet, unspoilt village, and after lunch we wandered round to the Smokery to buy ham joints doused in cider and treacle before being smoked- I am eating this as I write and its delicious. Then venturing down to the quay to see the boats before walking along the dyke and back to the Hotel. Sadly it was then time to leave and venture back. Our friends fell asleep before we had even left the outskirts of Orford (!). Hence Rosie and I amused ourselves counting the number of lobster red people, squirming in agony in their cars, on the way back from Clacton.

Go and spend a day in Orford and try the Trinity at the Crown and Castle, but for god sakes, don't tell everybody about it- please!

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On this occasion, we were taking our good friends Dan (think Lenny from Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men or even Lemmy from Motorhead, for that matter) and Nuria, his frumpy Spanish wife (she smells of mothballs, bless her).

With friends like you.....

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Once again bapi, i feel compelled to warn you of the affects the south is having on an honest (if southern) yorkshireman.

the evidence:

1) you are friends/go for dinner with people who don't fancy the tasting menu at hibiscus.

2) rosie not on the sauce, yet you still drive. Are you mad man? you'll be telling me next you have to do your own housework!

As you know the key to a successful relationship is letting wife drive you home from a good dinner, in a state of mildy drunken contentedness whilst you declare your love for her. Listen to me i've been successfully married for 1 month, i know what i'm talking about :biggrin:

great review, hope to see you up north soon.

gary

you don't win friends with salad

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I like the Pinney's (Butley Orford Oysterage), especially their smoked salmon.

Also in that part of the world are Flora Tea Rooms at Dunwich. Fish straight out of the sea - Dover Sole and chips, eaten on th beach. Dunwich has a fascinating history. The village disappeared under the sea, but still elected an MP as a rotten borough.

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Bapi's dead right about Orford being a must .... especially in perfect weather but it is the sort of Suffolk village which is also enchanting in the winter. And Crown and Castle is fab.

The cod dish we had was pretty scrummy - no wonder Bapi can't remember much about it as I certainly didn't offer him any. Perfect fish. Brown shrimp rissotto worked very well as well, kind of basil oil type thingy also - lots of mopping up with bread.

Perfect place to stay although I shall not speak to any of you again if you go there because I shall be jealous.

Gary: you are absolutely right about Bapi's not drinking and then driving. But he is also on a minor health kick as well - he takes every 40th day off drinking. He insists on driving because he's a control freak - although he didn't seem to mind me driving back from the Fat Duck? Hmmm - perhaps he's only a control freak on the weekends? And no, he doesn't wash his own socks or iron his shirts .....

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Andy- Re my rude comments about our friends. Just a bit of fun, as both are lurkers on this site and she has been nagging me to post the review. Bless her, after reading it, she even e-mailed us to ask whether she really smelt of mothballs! Of course we said no, it was more like Kippers.

Gary- Re Hibiscus tasting menu - Go figure, he eats like a horse and on form could easily manage the tasting menu twice over. So we'll see, but in any case I have now opted against the baseball bat method of coercion in favour of an electric genital clamp. Andy, can I borrow yours?

Re Rosie's driving- Have you seen Driving Miss Daisy? That's why I drive Oh, and I am from Lancashire thank you.

Rosie- Stop mithering woman and get my dinner on the table.

Andy- Re Seized Cod - I will e-mail them and find out.

http://www.crownandcastle.co.uk/

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Andy- I had an e-mail from Ruth Watson and she stated the Seized method simply means " the fish (or meat) is placed directly on a very hot solid surface(rather than a pan), so the outer surface seals and caramelises very quickly."

I, and more so Rosie, can vouch for this, as the cod's skin was uniformly crisp. Its making me hungry even thinking about it.

But the Hotel is now booked till Mid September - !!!!!!Damm

Jackal- had Fish and Chips from Dunwich and ate them on the beach but I wasn't impressed at all. Ok piece of fish but flaccid chips and only about 10 of them - a complete rip off. Mother-in-law insisted on going here- she therefore sat in the boot with the dog on the way back home.

Never tried Butley- Orford Oysterage, but what I did like when we were in there last weekend is that all the fresh fish was all laid out in the small shop at the back of the restaurant. Whilst we were browsing, a chap came in from the adjoining kitchen , holding two large trays covered in butter. He then pulled back the covers and took two huge fresh Sole, which had obviously been ordered in the restaurant, plonked them onto the trays and walked round the corner and banged them in the oven.

Jay- Absolutely agree, The Smokery is excellent and all visiting Orford should go here. Huge whole smoked Eel, Bloaters , Kippers, chicken,pigeons though sadly none when we were there, garlic bulbs, cheeses and various sausages.

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  • 1 month later...

Thanks for the recommendation Bapi. Enjoyed a couple of days at the Crown & Castle and I liked both the food and the attitude. Good wine list - not if you want to spend hundreds - but excellent by the glass and half-bottle selection. Well worth travelling back 800 years or so to Orford.

The oysterage & the smokery are also compulsory.

Wilma squawks no more

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Gavin,

I am so glad that you enjoyed the C&C, we stayed there for three nights earlier this month and had a very relaxing time.Rosie and I were getiing over some sad news- hence I didn't post details- but it was the perfect tonic for us and they looked after us magnificently well.

The perfect antidote to London.

Cheers

Bapi

Incidentally, you weren't the couple behind us on the terrace, with the Good Food Guide on the table were you?

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  • 6 months later...

Another excellent stay in Orford with friends, the weekend before last on Crown and Castle's "Long weekend" package. This entitles you to Dinner, B&B for Friday and Saturday, a snack lunch on Sunday and best of all, you can sleep off lunch by keeping the room till 9pm on Sunday, before venturing back home.

Rosie and I had a quick lunch at the Butley Orford Oysterage, in the main square, when we arrived on Friday - Griddled prawns with Aioli (me) and Griddled Sardines(missus) followed by two smallish Dover Sole for me and Sea Bream for her. Served v simply with a few ( overdone potatoes). V austere inside, not bad food, but a dozen oysters would have been a better choice.

We then pootled around the corner to the C&C and booked in to be told by David Watson, the owner, that BBC2 were filming in the restaurant that night. Something to do with Ruth Watson's new dieting book and a series about dieting now running on Tuesday nights in Feb/ March. Being woefully unphotogenic and remembering the old adage how the camera puts 15 pounds onto one's mug, this was something to make sure I cannily avoided that evening I thought. The dining room was busy and buzzy when we went through to dine and the girls chose to sit on the crimson banquette seating. In the main room, I am always fascinated by the large painting of a naked lady bending down, her arms outstretched, on a beach, which is grandly displayed on the main wall in the Trinity restaurant. She always looks to me as if she is bending down to ….. well, just go and see what you think. I started with the smoked fish panoply and followed this with, beautifully cooked pink lamb to follow with a salsa Verde and a potato and chive cake. Excellent lamb with the bare minimum of sauce, but just enough to moisten the meat. Other dishes were a, starter of excellent beef carpaccio with a light mustard dressing, spice encrusted cod in a light spicy broth and Lemon sole fillets with brown shrimps. I wasn't paying attention particularly on this occasion, as I was probably gassing too much, so apologies for the poor descriptions. This was followed by very moreish hot, runny, chocolate mousse with Jersey cream and a glass of Rasteau.(Probably went straight on to my buttocks, but who cares?). But then Ruth Watson then pitched up and asked if the film crew could film her talking to us. Er, yes we mumbled. But if this footage makes it onto your screens I will impale my self on a rusty spike- to say we were all like terrified rabbits caught in headlights is an understatement. Our friend Alan who could talk for England (and has been known to misbehave when we go away together- see later), would ususally be ideal fodder, but on this occassion became instantly mute and started sweating profusely, whilst Rosie and I just burbled some, hopefully inaudible, rubbish.

The next morning was one of those quintessential British days- weather wise, which I love- bright searing blue sky, not a cloud in sight, but lord it was gonad frighteningly cold. We had a brisk walk, fighting against the wind along the coastal path and then took a quick trip to Aldeburgh, where Benjamin Britten lived for many years. We opted for a quick lunch at Regatta. Good, plump oysters and a half a kilo of Moules with a Belgian beer for £7.50.It was Moules week apparently and there were about five different ways of having the mussels served. I also noticed there was a cookery school opposite The Lighthouse restaurant( in the GFG)- which is run by Thane Prince. Her name rings a bell from a newspaper column, I think.

Returned to Orford and before dinner were informed that my friend and his frumpy Spanish missus, who we took there last year and who went back and stayed at the C&C late last year, had bought us some champagne for our stay. Which was a nice surprise( bet it was her, as he is tight as hell.) But as we already had our aperitifs before us and had chosen the wine (an excellent St Veran and a meaty Barolo) we declined to save it till later (sacrilege, I know). Rosie had splendid seared scallops to start and pink lamb with an aubergine puree to follow ,after my recommendation from the night before. I had fantastic "Asian spiced griddled prawns " served with slivers of deep fried chillies and a crisp crunchy salad,(I loved this dish) followed by a excellent steak covered in Café de Paris butter with hideously naughty fat chips. Dessert was the er, um, chocolate pudding again.( Sue me) Unfortunately, things went down hill after that- quaffing champagne after a meal is not a good idea is it ? Especially as our friend Al has had it inculcated into him,( not by us) that he has to be positively the last one to get to bed when he goes away to a Hotel. He stubbornly insists on staying up everytime to see everyone elsoe off. Unfortunately, by doing so he also kept the barman up till 4am,( I left at 2am) for which the barman got unfortunately got into trouble, but the best bit was the when he got up to leave. He apparently- collapsed against the table, pirouetted like Robin Cousins, then fell back and had an altercation with a chair….. which he lost. Result - a broken chair and £50 on his bill. I would have paid a months salary to have seen it happen. :wink:

Missed breakfast, but lunch was a fabulous steak sandwich for two of us and two Omelette Molieres.This was followed by another 5 mile yomp around this beautiful part of the world, before we sadly headed off. I love this place and will be returning in the Summer with any luck - very highly recommended.

Edited by Bapi (log)
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  • 5 months later...

Creature of habit that I am -we pootled back up to Orford a few weeks back for a short stay and a bit of a break from the Big Smoke. I 'd e-mailed them and asked them to put some flowers in our room, as I know Rosie suffers from terrible hayfever( I jest- more than my life is worth at the moment ), however very kindly they had popped a bottle of champagne in there for us as well, along with a nice note; which I thought was a rather charming thing to do.

The missus is 5 months down the line to sprogdom( and as mentioned above, doing a passable impression of my very own little Velociraptor at times). Hence she is naturally being abstemious, which er, left me to demolish 99.75% of the contents of the bottle. But thankfully as we had arrived in good time for lunch outside on the patio, where I consumed the champagne along with a very interesting home cured gravlax. Interesting as the flesh had an unusual maroon colour and taste which stemmed from the addition of beetroot, it worked surprisingly well. Rosie opted for the potted brown shrimps, which although the portion was in a small ramekin, it proved more than enough and extremely tasty. Main courses were for me a generous portion of lemon sole with sautéed cucumber, capers and a nutty butter- also very good and a cod dish which escapes me for Rosie.

Bless their hearts- in my e-mail to them, I had also made an insouciant comment about wanting their Griddled Prawns again and if possible, some Langoustines to boot. OK I'm cheeky. I wasn't expecting a result but lone behold, that very evening the Blessed Helena came over to let me know that they had saved me a plate of Langoustines. Marvellous stuff I thought. I enjoyed two Carlingford Lough Oysters( because I am also greedy), then Griddled Tiger Chilli Prawns with crisp Asian slaw and a wonderful coriander and mint dressing as my starter. Lip smackingly delicious. This was followed by a mountain of langoustines with excellent aioli and thick cut chips. Not exactly a balanced meal by my own choice - but one of my most enjoyable this year. Not everyone likes fiddling about extracting the flesh from Langoustines - but I am in the category that firmly believes the task is worth the effort. Took me ages to get through them though. I washed this down with a nice little half bottle of Albarino. ( I'm not Gary you know :biggrin: )

After more freakin shopping the next day in Aldeburgh, we returned for lunch and had half a pint of smoked prawns, a shrimp risotto redolent with a lemony twang - pure comfort food for Rosie and expertly fried lemon sole goujons for little old me. Other highlights at dinner that evening were the usual suspects for me again- half a dozen oysters and Properly hung Sirloin+ café de Paris butter+ hand cut chips. Beautifully rare, tender meat that almost sliced itself when I pointed my knife at it. Finished with a frangipane and loganberry jam tart - yum. A wonderful couple of days away at a great little operation and heartily recommended.

Edited by Bapi (log)
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  • 2 years later...

Oh dear- looking at the above posts- I do rather go on about places if I like them. But why the hell not? What's wrong with being a creature of habit and returning to the same place, especially if it's bang on the money every time? I dread to think how many times we have been since my last post.

Incidentally, since that post, some of you may have seen the owner Ruth Watson- giving mindless and inept hoteliers "what for" on The Hotel Inspector on channel five. She was actually away filming when we went for lunch last Saturday- but that didn't stop the place running smoothly.

Note too- the bar area has been extensively renovated and one can enjoy a selection of nibbles from Brindisa, along with a selection of sherries if you choose.

Again, being a cheeky sod - I had e-mailed and asked whether there was any chance of some Orford lobster. True to form, there was, though, as it had just arrived, it would take some time to prepare. (Good work Olly) So we started with some oysters from Carlingford in Northern Ireland which were first rate as we fed the horror his lunch. Then potted shrimps for me, and a great salad of locally smoked eel, potato, and beetroot. Very clear and fresh flavours. Followed by some truly excellent lobster, which was astonishingly fresh and served with a judicious garlic butter.

A fabulous lunch all round- apart from the fact I had to trudge up to the bloody castle next door before puddings arrived, so as to placate the whinging two-year old.

Suprise, suprise - we are heading back for a stay later in the year.

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Thanks for your notes - it's so good to hear that the place continues to fire on all cylinders... haven't been for a good few months, but after your notes, it's got to be back on the "escape from bloody London" agenda... Lunch at the Crown, shopping for smoked eel and mackerel from the smokehouse and then fresh dabs from Aldeburgh - a perfect day out, followed by tea and (bad) cake at the Maltings.

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