Our current trip to Yorkshire involved
a stopover in Norfolk, in order to call in and see my father. It had been
a while since I'd last seen him so I managed to book us into a hotel, close to dad's care home. It was rather ironic to have chosen the King's Head Hotel at North
Elmham, as it was one of mum and dad's favourite dining places.
It is only a short drive from where they lived in Swanton
Morley, and a visit to the hotel's Sunday lunchtime carvery was a regular way
of celebrating family get-togethers and other special occasions. Although our
one night stay there brought back some bitter-sweet memories, they were on the
whole good ones, and it was encouraging to see the improvements that have been
made there.
A look around shows that a lot of money has been spent on
the King's Head, bringing this traditional, country hotel, slap bang up to
date. The hotel is sited on a prominent crossroads on the edge of North Elmham,
which itself is a small village on the banks of the River Wensum, five miles to
the north of Dereham.
The hotel is an attractive red-brick building, constructed in typical East Anglian
style, with that unmistakable Flemish influence of ornate gables and
characteristic curved roof tiles. We had a couple of rooms in the former stable
block, which has now been converted to provide comfortable and well appointed overnight
accommodation. I say "couple of rooms" as son Matthew accompanied us on the trip.
Mrs PBT's has a number of relatives in the Bingley area of Yorkshire,
and we'd been meaning to take a trip up to "God's own country" for
some time. Matthew decided to come along for the ride as well, so with the
large number of bags which wife and son deemed necessary to bring, we had a
full car for the journey up.
Returning to Norfolk
and the King's Head for a moment, after calling in to see dad, we enjoyed a
hearty evening meal in the restaurant. I opted for the steak, kidney and
mushroom pie, correctly guessing that it wouldn't be a "proper pie".
It was still good, although why do chefs insist on using puff pastry which
disintegrates the moment your cutlery gets anywhere near it, leaving flakes of
the stuff all over the place.
There were three cask ales on tap in the bar, but regrettably their
quality did not match that of the food. The beers were Southwold and Ghost Ship
from Adnam's, plus that rarest of sights, Draught Bass; surely a beer to gladden the heart of a
certain well-know devotee and prolific blogger! The Bass was on
better form than the Southwold, but it
was still a little tired. Yet again this demonstrates the complete lottery
associated with cask beer.
On the plus side, the King's Head provided us with a quiet
and comfortable night's sleep, and I will certainly stay there again, the next
time I go to see my father. Speaking of which, although dad is starting to look
rather frail, he was in good spirits, even though he wasn't talking a lot of
sense.
He is in his late eighties now, so his appearance isn't
exactly surprising. It was good to see
him and good also to renew our acquaintance with north Norfolk
and the King's Head.
7 comments:
If only we were to remain in the EU, then perhaps they'd get round to banning these phoney "pies" eh, Paul? If they're going to serve a dish of stew, then why not just top it with dumpling?
The other bête noire of mine that I spotted were the potatoes. In my experience these are not generally new potatoes - whatever the claim - but just otherwise-unacceptably small ones, scrubbed and boiled. I've only to look at their often parchment-like skins and I get guts ache.
But at least it wasn't served on a slate, in a small wheelbarrow, or any other horror.
Cheers,
E
I do enjoy your detailed style of writing, Paul, telling us about your son and Dad in a way few bloggers can. A bitter-sweet visit, I sense.
Sadly, dwindling real ale sales in the Norfolk village mean I couldn't give many recommendations for that central Norfolk belt, and there's not many Beer Guide entries round there either. Most senior pubgoers seem to drink wine, juice or coffee !
Shameful omission of the Bass pump there ! Thanks for testing it Paul.
retiredmartin
Hope you enjoyed your family trip to Norfolk and Yorkshire. The Norfolk accommodation sounds pleasant enough and the food looks rather fine. Know what you mean about the pastry. Personally, I prefer shortcrust which is easy to make too. Also, I would have tipped the pie out as cannot stand food arriving in pots. Still, at least it came on a plate (as previous comment said). Made me laugh about the bags as I’ve just written a post on Minimalism. I’ve managed to stop doing that and cannot believe how much easier it is to travel without all the stuff. It is a gradual process though! Haven’t been to Yorkshire recently but had my UK hols for now and hope to travel to somewhere warmer next time haha. Cheers, Andrea
"Although our one night stay there brought back some bitter-sweet memories, they were on the whole good ones, and it was encouraging to see the improvements that have been made there."
Alas, the older we get, the more places there are that evoke such emotions.
"I say "couple of rooms" as son Matthew accompanied us on the trip."
Good for him.
I say that as my youngest has professed a desire to see his grandmother (my mom) next summer, should she be able to make it out to Edmonton next March. It's tough when we all don't live in close proximity so it's nice to see them making an effort to be in touch other than through phone calls and such.
"although why do chefs insist on using puff pastry which disintegrates the moment your cutlery gets anywhere near it, leaving flakes of the stuff all over the place."
I'll make a mental note to ask my wife. :)
"Yet again this demonstrates the complete lottery associated with cask beer."
Le sigh.
"He is in his late eighties now, so his appearance isn't exactly surprising."
Indeed. Mom is 88, with botched cataract surgery and bone cancer. But she can still talk my ear off when I call two or three times a week. (I always pour a large beer before calling) :)
Cheers
Thank-you everyone for your comments and observations.
Dealing first with the food: Etu, you are correct about the so-called "new potatoes", they were even described as such on the menu. Despite the misrepresentation, I don't actually mind these smaller spuds boiled in their skins like this, as they are a slightly healthier option to chips.
As for the pie, I should have asked, especially as I half expected it to be some stew in a dish, topped with puff pastry. I agree Andrea, that short-crust pastry is much easier to make, although I suspect many places use the shop-bought, frozen, ready-to-use stuff. Perhaps your wife can enlighten us on this, Russ?
Moving on to the beer, my findings from frequent visits to central Norfolk Martin, sadly reflect your own experiences. Most pubs stock more cask ales than their turnover/trade can support, and the result often disappoints. However, I did notice that the Mermaid at Elsing has crept back into the Guide.
I remember this pub well, having stayed several times at Bartles Lodge, which is virtually next door. It was a nice sociable pub, with a welcoming wood-burning stove in winter. The limited beer range was generally well-kept and the food was also good value - especially the curries. Pies though, were as described above!
Was good to see the Bass on sale, but disappointment at its condition. The last place I visited in the US, with my sister and brother-in-law, was a brew-pub deep in the Ohio countryside. This was on the way to drop me off at the airport. Nice place, good food and good beer, but the most memorable thing was seeing a Bass mirror hanging on the wall!
As for the "packing", I took a couple of photos just before we left Andrea, showing my two bags and Eileen's "several". If we hadn't been travelling by car, I would have cut my luggage down to just my rucksack, as I too am trying to limit the amount of baggage I take away with me.
I almost got it spot on with my American trip, and aimed to do the same with this one. My good intentions were ruined though by the ease with which things can just be chucked in the back of the car!
And finally to age. It will be good Russ, if you can arrange it so that your youngest can see his grandmother (your mum). I agree it's difficult when families live so far apart, and with the vast distances involved in your part of the world, it must be doubly difficult
Briefly, because I feel I've already written a complete blog post here, one of the purpose of this trip was to visit my wife's Yorkshire relatives. We called in on her aunt yesterday, and were amazed at just how sprightly she was, bearing in mind she is 95 years of age! She accompanied us on a walk along the nearby canal, where we stopped to feed the ducks.
More to follow!
The only good thing about cut price (so called) airlines is that they don't half teach you to restrict your luggage and what you put in it.
At least where there are observed smoking bans you can wear your clothes more than once. I keep saying when I can be arsed to talkabout smoking, it is the smell that effs it up. Not so worried about health. I can take precautions but smoke gets everywhere.
Including in your eyes - as the old song goes.
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