Sarah Hardy enjoys

Review Make Tea Time For

THE ORANGERY AT KETTERINGHAM HALL IN SOUTH NORFOLK IS A CHARMING SPOT FOR AFTERNOON TEA, DISCOVERS SARAH HARDY

ETTERINGHAM HALL is a gorgeous place, just off the A11 between Norwich and Wymondham, and is really accessible, despite its lovely, rural location.

Dating back to the 15th century, the Tudor manor boasts a fine history but now fulfils several roles; it has a new bridal shop, offers lots of office space and there’s even a little nursery. Add in beautiful grounds and a resident cricket club, and you’re starting to get the picture. K www.orangerytearoom.co.uk

The Orangery tea room opened last summer and makes the most of both its surroundings and the interior, especially the large, ornate windows and doors. I loved the colourful botanical print wallpaper and the numerous plants, too.

With around 36 covers, the tearoom opens five days a week, during the daytime, serving breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. It is now run by Laura Butler whose mother, Sarah Softley, operates Softley Events and organises weddings, corporate events and activities at the hall.

The hall has around 36 acres to explore, including a lake, woodland areas, and Victorian walled gardens and do look out for the numerous sculptures scattered around the grounds.

Our deputy editor Emma and I thoroughly enjoyed a traditional afternoon tea (£18.95 each), which saw a threetier cake stand filled with a selection of mini scones, finger sandwiches and sweet treats including brownies and macarons. There was also a lovely fruit jelly in a shot glass which added a bit of fun! And you can add a glass of fizz for an extra special occasion.

I chose Earl Grey tea while Emma opted for English Breakfast, and both came in their own teapots which were happily refilled as we ploughed our way through our respective cake stands. Sandwich choices included smoked salmon and cream cheese, and delicious ham hock, and both vegan and gluten free options were available, too.

The tea room is lucky enough to be supplied with fresh fruit and vegetables from the Norfolk School of Gardening which operates from the hall’s walled garden. And there’s a real emphasis on local suppliers, too, with Breckland Orchard posh pop, ice cream from Dann’s Farm, and Norfolk Cordials all used. Everything is homemade, and all dietary requirements are catered for so it is a very inclusive place. And, interestingly, all of the coffee granules, tea leaves and peelings go back to the garden to be composted.

Next time I might try breakfast, which is served until 11.30am. Bacon sandwiches are offered alongside, say, avocado on toast, with smoked salmon, which is always a winner with me! LUNCHES INCLUDE paninis, quiches, soups and sandwiches. AFTERNOON TEA needs to be booked. DOGS ARE ALLOWED on the terrace where there are several tables, overlooking the lake. THE TEA ROOM is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

www.chefeast.org.uk

ALL IN THE NAME OF RESEARCH

EMMA OUTTEN VISITS THE QUADRAM INSTITUTE, THE NEW CENTRE FOR FOOD AND HEALTH RESEARCH AT THE HEART OF NORWICH RESEARCH PARK

T MIGHT’VE SLIPPED under the radar, but around 300 research staff moved into the new Quadram Institute on the Norwich Research Park, last spring. A partnership between what was the Institute of Food Research (IFR), the University of East Anglia, the Norfolk and

Norwich University Hospital and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, its mission is to deliver healthier lives through innovation in gut health, microbiology and food.

The big difference between the IFR and the Quadram Institute, however, is that the latter is also now home to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital's Endoscopy I www.quadram.ac.uk

Centre. As Communications Manager Andrew Chapple points out on a tour of the building, ‘It’s quite a unique thing to have.’

The Institute is also home to a Clinical Research Facility (but more of that later), a lecture theatre space which can accommodate up to 180 people, and a café. And above all that are state-of-the-art laboratories, complete with an experimental kitchen.

One of the main research areas is food innovation and health. For example, the Quadram Institute is responsible for compiling and publishing data on the nutritional composition of foods eaten in the UK. Which is where the kitchen comes in, as Andrew explains: ‘One of the things this is used for is when we’ve got a research collaboration: say a company is doing a new ready meal and wants to know how much sugar, salt, and fat is in it. We will cook it, weigh it and analyse it. And it’s really accurate measuring, we’re not talking a cup of something here.’

The kitchen may also be used to see if what we are eating is changing, composition-wise. ‘We recently spent a few weeks roasting pork joints,’ adds Andrew.

But back to the Clinical Research Facility, home to a host of research studies into a range of health conditions, involving patients and volunteers. Andrew says: ‘We want people to volunteer to take part – we need healthy people as well as people with certain conditions.’

One of the latest studies to launch is the REST study, focusing on white wheat bread with high Resistant Starch (a type of fibre). White bread made from refined wheat flour is one of the UK’s favourite foods but normally, it has very low levels of fibre. Fibre exerts a protective role in reducing the risk of many common diseases that are diet related. However, in the UK, 91 per cent of the adult population does not meet the recommended fibre intake of 30g per day. A correct fibre intake helps to control blood sugar levels and body weight, which may reduce the risk of developing type II diabetes and obesity.

One of the Research Group leaders at the Institute is Dr Brittany Hazard who, along with her team, has developed a type of white wheat flour that appears similar to conventional white bread flour but has higher resistant starch content.

The REST study will seek to measure blood sugar after eating a high resistant starch bread made with the flour, and a conventional white bread, low in resistant starch.

Dr Hazard, who previously worked on developing wheat with increased levels of resistant starch at the University of California, says: ‘If you think about it most people in this country view white bread as a staple food product so I think a lot of people would be interested in this research.’

She adds: ‘My background is in plant genetics so my interest is in developing nutritional traits in wheat using

crop genetic approaches, and using them to understand the potential impact on health.’

Meanwhile, another Group Leader, Dr Paul Kroon, has spent more than two decades looking at the health benefits of dietary polyphenols (a large class of chemical compounds synthesized by fruits, vegetables, tea, cocoa and other plants that possess certain health benefits). ‘I started working on them in about 1998. What I’m particularly interested in is: do polyphenols have health benefits?’

Dr Kroon and his team at IFR have shown that polyphenols in green tea and apples block a signalling molecule called VEGF, which in the body can trigger hardening and narrowing of the arteries and is a target for some anti-cancer drugs. This research, he comments, is the one he has found ‘the most exciting.’

He is also involved in a new £5 million programme to study the benefits of a plant-based diet – the Edesia: Plants, Food and Health project – which will see PhD researchers from across the NRP working to unravel the complex relationship between plant-based foods, metabolism, gut microbiota and health.

It’s funded by the Wellcome Trust. Dr Kroon says: ‘It’s the first time an organisation on Norwich Research Park has won one of these Wellcome programme grants.’

The cross-disciplinary initiative will see 25 PhD students – five each year starting in October 2020 – train in a wide range of disciplines, from plant science, nutrition and clinical trials, to population-based studies. He adds: ‘It’s a really big achievement.’ THE QUADRAM INSTITUTE is looking for healthy people, between 18 and 65 years of age, living within 40 miles from the Norwich Research Park to take part in the REST study. Email REST@quadram.ac.uk or call 01603 255101.

Where Conservation is key

THE BERNEY, SET IN PICTURESQUE NORFOLK COUNTRYSIDE NEAR KING’S LYNN, IS A GASTRO PUB WITH BEAUTIFUL ROOMS. HERE, GENERAL MANAGER PHIL LANCE EXPLAINS HOW MUCH OF THE LOCALLY SOURCED PRODUCE COMES FROM BARTON HALL ESTATE

Where in Norfolk can we find The Berney? Is it on the Barton Hall Estate? The Berney is in a fantastic village called Barton Bendish, which I like to describe as quintessentially English. And, yes, Barton Hall is to be found in the village.

How would you best describe the pub? The pub is a gastro pub serving delicious food. Our lunch menu is very traditional in that it has favourite dishes such as haddock and chips, gammon and chicken club sandwich to name but a few. Whilst we don’t have AA Rosettes at this point, we believe that the dishes on our dinner service

menu are of a 2 Rosette standard and include dishes like pan fried sea trout and daube of beef. We have a tagline of ‘Inspired Food, Relaxed Atmosphere’. This is because, whilst we serve fantastic food, we want people to be able to relax and enjoy their visit, without the ‘stuffy’ atmosphere that may be associated with a fine dining establishment.

And the restaurant? We hear you’re big on locally sourced produce? The most locally sourced produce is game and vegetables, both of which come from the estate. We have things like potted pheasant, pheasant casserole and venison sausages, and we put pigeon on, plus any other game that the estate can produce for us.

Can you cater for vegans? Of course, we cater for vegetarians and vegans and the team of chefs are happy to write specific menus for our guests if they want us to.

Who’s the head chef? Rob Stayte is our head chef and he is very talented indeed.

How many rooms are at The Berney and how would you describe the accommodation? We have eight rooms in total, three in the pub itself - one of which is a beautiful suite with roll top bath and a super king size bed - and then a further five outside. One is a stunning suite called The Old Forge which is, as it’s described, in the old blacksmith’s building. There are then a further four converted from the old stables block.

Is it a cosy place to go to in the winter? It really is a very cosy place to be. We have a log fire in the bar and we also do have a snug with a wood burner.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner – is The Berney a good place to go for a romantic dinner and an overnight stay? With our cosy bar and snug areas and dimmed lighting, The Berney really does provide an exceptionally romantic place to come for Valentine’s Day. In fact, we have an offer on for Valentine’s Day which is detailed on our website.

We understand The Berney is involved in a conservation project? Tell us more... Yes, grey ‘English’ partridges have a Red List conservation status (RSPB), meaning they need urgent conservation action. The estate has worked hard to ensure that these unassuming and rare birds thrive, and The Berney wanted to honour them by naming the main restaurant area ‘The Grey Partridge Room’, after The Grey Partridge Project. Since the inception of the project in 2009, when 41 breeding pairs were counted and were surviving against all odds, it has promoted a holistic approach to increasing grey partridge numbers on the estate.

We hear The Berney has had a recent refurbishment? Yes, The Berney was refurbished about 18 months ago, so it is full of authentic charm but with a contemporary twist. THE BERNEY COUNTRY PUB, HOTEL & RESTAURANT. Church Road, Barton Bendish, King’s Lynn PE33 9GF Tele: 01366 347 995