Historic Villages, Modern Meals Make East of England a Must by Various Travel Authors on Creators.com

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Historic Villages, Modern Meals Make East of England a Must

By Priscilla Lister

We joked that we needed bread crumbs to find the way back to our room at The Swan at Lavenham, an ancient timber-framed inn that meanders among three connecting buildings dating to the 15th century. While it has been updated with contemporary comforts, its splendid historic ambience encouraged us to imagine the time when this charming medieval village was the center of England's wool- and cloth-making industries.

Classically photogenic villages, truly outstanding restaurants serving locally grown produce, historic cathedrals, vast country house museums and vibrant university towns drew us to East Anglia, as the East of England is still known. After an easy 2 1/2-hour train ride from London, we landed in Norwich to begin our exploration of this enchanting part of the country that once inspired landscape painter John Constable.

Norwich, the regional capital of the East of England, was Britain's second city after London from medieval times to the Industrial Revolution. Today it offers an example of how to preserve historic buildings through The Norwich 12, considered the United Kingdom's finest collection of individually outstanding heritage buildings spanning Norman, medieval, Georgian, Victorian and modern eras. Norwich Castle and Norwich Cathedral alone are worth a visit here.

But don't miss Elm Hill, Norwich's famous medieval street saved from demolition in the 1920s, still home to specialty shops and cafes. Just around the corner, we enjoyed high tea complete with scones and clotted cream at The Maids Head Hotel, which dates back to the 13th century. Queen Elizabeth I is believed to have stayed here in 1587.

Then we were off to Blickling Hall, a National Trust property built in the early 1600s that is open for touring. One of England's great Jacobean houses, it is surrounded by gorgeous English gardens. Inside is the Long Gallery, home of one of the finest private collections of rare books in England — some 10,000 volumes. As the docents explained, the Long Gallery's plasterwork ceiling celebrates the five senses in detailed medallions.

We stopped in the market town of Holt for a delightful meal at Byfords, believed to be in Holt's oldest house and surely one of its most beautiful. Now a popular restaurant, delicatessen and posh B&B, Byfords offers locally sourced Mediterranean-influenced dishes.

That afternoon we were off to Burnham Market, a colorful village near the sea where many Londoners have second homes. After afternoon tea at the Hoste Arms, we went to The Hat Shop at Pentney House, the country's largest millinery. On the second floor were displays of elaborate hats of every description, color and feather.

We spent the night a short drive away at the Titchwell Manor Hotel that overlooks the Titchwell Marsh on north Norfolk's coast, a reserve that draws bird-watchers from all over the world. A former Victorian gentlemen's club that now has 26 rooms, the hotel is known for its food, and we were especially enraptured by Chef Eric Snaith's seafood dishes. Fish, mussels, oysters and lobsters are taken from nearby Brancaster Staithe while the famed Cromer Crabs are harvested from waters just a little further up the coast.

Next we headed to Cambridge, the university town that is a vibrant and bustling city among the relative quiet of the rest of this region. Cambridge is celebrating its 800th anniversary this year, and its history is revealed in the imposing buildings of its oldest colleges. Our Blue Badge guide, Mavis Drake, had us in stitches during our walking tour of the town. The Blue Badge guides are widely regarded as the United Kingdom's best, trained extensively and awarded the title after 18 months of study, and Mavis is marvelous at sharing the inside stories of storied Cambridge.

Our favorite afternoon activity was taking a punt along the famous "Backs" of the university.

This translated into enjoying a leisurely boating glide down the River Cam while our "punter" navigated the flat-bottomed craft with a long pole.

That night we stayed in the Hotel du Vin, right in the center of Cambridge, and the dinner there was now at the top of our gustatory list. The Hotel du Vin is a U.K. chain of luxury and boutique hotels that are equally well-known for their Continental bistros. Its Cambridge location is a stunning creation of modern comfort inside a medieval building. In its atmospheric bistro, our favorite was the twice-baked cheese souffle with red onion marmalade and the turbot with crushed potatoes and spinach.

Up early again, we were off to the ancient market town of Bury St. Edmunds for a lovely lunch at the landmark Angel Hotel after a walking tour of this town's most historic spectacle. Past the Abbey Gate, built from 1120-1148, we entered the Abbey Gardens, where blooming flower beds have frequently earned national "Green Oscars" in U.K. competitions. Little did we know we were also entering extensive ruins from what in those medieval times was one of the wealthiest abbeys in England. We learned about this history with another excellent Blue Badge guide, Anthony Mitchell, who brought to life the myths and legends of St. Edmund and the mysterious disappearance of his body and head.

Finally we headed to Lavenham, the most picturesque of all the villages we saw, considered the country's finest example of a medieval town.

You could make a pilgrimage to the East of England based on a single pursuit: It's known as England's cycling country for its easy bicycling; birding is big in Britain and there are places devoted to that here; there are many waterway, coastal and pastoral walking paths among this relatively flat countryside; there are historic sites galore and even some cemeteries filled with American soldiers who died here during World War II.

We sampled a lot of these activities, but what remains most vivid are those meals in charming inns. One evening we ventured out a few miles away to a 15th century coaching inn for dinner. At the lovely 12-room inn and restaurant, The Bildeston Crown, winner of the coveted silver award in the nationwide Enjoy England Awards for Excellence 2009, Chef Chris Lee wowed us with his stunningly imaginative cuisine that proved we were deep in the bread basket of England.

My mouth still waters at the memory of his gnocchi with English asparagus, garden peas and broad beans, followed by his exceptional platter of hash browns, English muffin and truffled poached egg, finished with his tropical fruit jelly, coconut parfait and pineapple spring roll. My companions enjoyed their equally brilliant platters of "head-to-toe" pork creations and seafood sensations, and we ceremonially bestowed our own crown to the Bildeston Crown.

IF YOU GO:

The train to Norwich leaves London from Liverpool Street Station. For information, go to www.nationalrail.co.uk.

For more general information, go to www.visiteastofengland.com, the official tourism website for the region.

For specific places and people mentioned in this story:

www.blue-badge-guides.com

www.norwich12.co.uk

www.foliohotels.com/maidshead

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/w-blicklinghallgardenandpark.htm. www.byfords.org.uk

www.titchwellmanor.com

www.hotelduvin.com/Cambridge

www.theswanatlavenham.co.uk

www.thebildestoncrown.com

Priscilla Lister is a freelance travel writers. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.