Bang on at Bury St Edmunds Christmas Fayre. Tom's Salty Shack ...four fabulously fresh Mersea Island oysters and a glass of Prosecco. £8.00.

• and a glass of Prosecco
• dancing with the Morris Men later
• a bamboo plate of four fabulously fresh oysters
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We were thrilled to receive this parcel in the post; a selection of cheeses from The Fine Cheese Co. Delighted also that we were sent a selection to review called Sisters in Cheese, a one off selection created especially with Mothers Day in mind - the three cheeses recognising women's roles as cheese-makers down the ages, and a tribute to today's 'dairymaids'. A very appropriate range in time for our own Mothers Day lunch where my three daughters thought that it meant a cheese each! We're all cheese lovers in my house and considering that all three daughters worked for me at some point waitressing in my restaurant where only English cheeses were served they've had to learn their stuff, so I didn't mind sharing.       

The selection included a Sharpham Brie which is a raw, Jersey cow's milk cheese made in Devon on the Sharpham Estate. Rich, delicate and creamy with an unctuous texture. The cheesemaker is Debbie Mundford. 

A baby Curworthy, a pasteurised cow's milk cheese dating back to the 17th century, and thought to be even older than Cheddar. Smooth, firm and mellow with a creamy flavour and made by Rachel Stevens.

Wigmore, a raw, Ewe's milk cheese with a gentle, delicate flavour and made in Berkshire by Anne Wigmore. 

The Fine Cheese Co is based in Bath, with a branch also in London just around the corner from Harvey Nicks. If you are unable to visit then the online selections and cheese gifts are very tempting with a frequently changing cornucopia of cheeses to choose from. I even spotted our own Suffolk produced Baron Brigod. My parcel arrived in great shape, with ice pack keeping it cool and the cheese all in perfect shape. A handy caring for your cheese and cheese etiquette leaflet included too.

• well packaged including an ice pack to keep cool
• cheese and fridge etiquette
• unwrapped and bringing to room temperature
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We met Amos Smith aka Mossy back in the middle of 2016 when he brought us some test jars of his deliciously moreish homemade yogurt. He wouldn't deliver until he was sure he had perfected the recipe, which had been handed down to him from his Auntie Jo.  So we waited patiently. When it finally arrived we loved the slighty sweetened, faintly caramel like natural bio yogurt. In fact we have been watching Mossy and waiting ... and waiting for the product to launch. At last Mossy has his production line up and running and his yogurt production perfected. Check out this map of stockists.

My perfect kind of Autumn activity ... afternoon tea followed by a tour and walk in an English vineyard; then a wine tasting. What an entertaining afternoon Jed our guide at Chilford Hall Vineyard provided. We learnt how to grow and prune grapes, pick them, make them into wine and all about different styles of English wine and grape varieties. The tasting at the end included 5 wines. A thoroughly interesting and fun afternoon and how lucky for us to have a perfect, sunny late October day.

• afternoon tea
• the vines
• a walk through the estate
• the winery
• the wine tasting
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So while we are told to avoid burnt toast, charcoal remains the trendy detox, teeth whitening hangover cure. Popular in the good old U.S of A is the black coconut ash ice cream from Morgenstern. Noo Yawk.

The EADT Suffolk Food & Drink Awards 2017 close for entries at midnight on Wednesday 8th March. The EADT Suffolk Food & Drink Awards are a celebration of our flavoursome county. With its proud heritage of farming, coastal fishing and brewing, few places can boast the rich variety of produce found in Suffolk. The county’s producers and purveyors grow, rear, catch and cook some of the best food and drink to be found in Britain. From independent butchers, bakers and farm shops, to neighbourhood pubs, vibrant cafes and fine dining restaurants, the EADT Suffolk Food & Drink Awards recognise and reward them all. Enter or nominate a business now!

2016 was a boom year for gin and the appetite for it seems to continue to grow. On 17th & 18th March the Long Melford Swan is holding a ‘Celebration of Gin’ weekend which sounds just up our street. It kicks off with a pop up bar on Friday from 6-9pm created by Williams Chase & Fever-Tree Tonic. A gin expert will be on hand to create a perfect G&T by using a variety of garnishes and flavours. The celebration continues on Saturday 18th March, with a gin masterclass and a carefully paired afternoon tea. Led by Hayman’s Distillers, the afternoon will include a tasting experience to explore the wide range of flavours in the nations favourite spirit. Tickets for the pop up gin bar are £5 per head which includes the first drink. The gin masterclass and afternoon tea is £32 per head. Spaces are limited so booking is essential. To book or find out more: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

You are what you eat ... from ediblegovernment.com. God bless America!

What's this all about then? I took 8 friends to the new Northgate in Bury for dinner on Sunday night. We started the evening with excellent cocktails in the bar. The bar staff were great, friendly and charming. Then it all went a bit downhill. My starter was good, main course satisfactory and dessert awful. The dessert wine didn't arrive until after the pudding and the coffee and tea order was eventually taken just before midnight.  As for the faff to make the tea. Do I need to be told to warm the cup, wait for it to brew ( timer supplied for the countdown) in order to get two mouthfuls of English Breakfast brew? The most spectacular thing of the night was the bill.

• Line caught mackerel, beetroot, apple and parsnip (9/10)
• Sidecar of the Orient (10/10)
• Loin of venison, shank, sauerkraut and kale (6/10)
• Roasted pistachio sponge, salted chocolate, burnt apricot (1/10 for the apricot)
• Tea at midnight! Losing the will so ask for the bill.
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With the help of my amazing niece Afiya Frank (pictured) I'm in full swing with my Little House of Cooking Cafe. For those of you that don't know I get stuck in for a couple of months from the end of October until Christmas running the cafe during the Christmas Festival at Blackthorpe Barn, Rougham. It's been so busy, baking madly with no time to blog and hardly time to sleep. Come and visit us if you get time, we are open from 10am until 4pm everyday up until and including 22nd December. It's not just cakes, we serve a very good Welsh Rarebit too!

• Home made soup every day
• Citrus almond and polenta cake ( no gluten)
• Pecan tarts
• Hot chocolate ... the works
• Al fresco on craft weekends
• Mulled wine caravan for craft weekends
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