#TheFoodieCounty

We have written before about the mouthwatering food and drink available in Suffolk, but as what's on offer is always changing, with new food events always on the horizon, it's a subject which we are happy to write about again!

The county is fast becoming known as a destination for food lovers and with very good reason. There is a veritable buffet of world-class food and drink producers; award-winning restaurants, who pride themselves on using local and seasonal produce; and the county is abundant in foodie festivals, farmers' markets and cookery workshops.

It is possible to make your way around the county and find culinary highlights at every turn. From sampling local beers in Britain's smallest pub in the west of the county, to feasting on locally grown oysters in the east.

In between are breweries, famous bakeries, smoke houses, cheese makers, wild-food chefs, sausage makers and more.

Starting on Sunday, 12th March, there will be a regular farmers' market in Bury St Edmunds on the second Sunday of each month from 10am – 4pm.

The Traverse in the centre of town will be buzzing with some of the area's finest food producers selling bread (including the 'Bury loaf' which has been created especially for the event), honey, handmade pies and cakes, Suffolk pork and boar. Most of the food is produced within a 30 mile radius of the town and will be sold by the producers themselves.

Regular markets take place in Bury St Edmunds every Wednesday and Saturday.

Wrap up warm and take a guided afternoon tea walk around Suffolk's county town, followed by tea and cake. Upcoming dates are 21st February, 8th, 17th and 28th March, 4th, 18th and 27th April.

Tickets cost £8 and can be booked via the Ipswich Tourist Information Centre.

Try wild food at Shillingfords at the Quay in Sudbury. Michelin trained chef Carl Shillingford forages for wild ingredients such as mushrooms, elderberries, wood sorrel and nettle seeds to make his creative dishes which include wild herb potato cakes and hedgerow pesto pasta in this quayside venue.

If you want to learn to identify all the edibles that we might normally pass by without noticing, pull on your wellies and join a wild food forage with the experts.

Learn which foods go with which wines, at a wine and food pairing evening at the Westleton Crown near Southwold. 

A three course menu is offered, along with a guided wine tasting on 24th February, 17th March, 21st April and 12th May.

No need to worry about having a designated driver as you can opt to stay overnight at an all inclusive price. 

Indulge your sweet tooth and join a chocolate-making workshop at the Suffolk Food Hall near Ipswich on 7th March.

Learn about tempering, piping ganache, dipping and rolling (it's every bit as fun as it sounds).