Food & Beer Culture

Next to the Woodforde's brewery in Woodbastwick stands the Fur & Feather Inn, housed since 1992 in a row of converted thatched cottages. A pub right next to the brewery shows just how closely beer and village life are tied together in Norfolk: the cask comes from the yard next door, and the beer tastes of the surrounding countryside.

From the coast comes Cromer crab, a small, sweet crab from the North Sea off Norfolk. A Best Bitter with mild bitterness and light carbonation complements its meat without overpowering it. Samphire, a salty plant from the salt marshes, pairs well too.

Inland, people eat Norfolk dumplings, made from flour and fat and cooked in stews. The robust Strong Bitter suits them well, its roasted notes balancing the richness. Suffolk ham, a mildly cured ham, also pairs beautifully with a Bitter showing bread crust and honey.

On the coast, people eat fish and chips, battered fish with thick potato chips. The fried food calls for bitterness to refresh the palate. Also popular is the Yarmouth bloater, a lightly smoked herring named after Great Yarmouth.

Festivals play their part too. The Cambridge Beer Festival, run by the local CAMRA group, has been a gathering point for real ale from across the country for decades. You order it by the pint or the half, and if you want to try more, go for the smaller measure. With any dish, the rule holds: the beer should accompany it, not overwhelm it, and it's fine for it to linger in the glass while the conversation carries on.