Good food is a core ingredient of the Crown and Castle. Part of the reason is that co-proprietor, Ruth Watson, is an award-winning food writer and a long-time contributor to Sainsbury’s Magazine and BBC Good Food. She has also written two best-selling cookery books, and her third is due out in October 2006.
No wonder then that so much time and energy are devoted to sourcing wonderful local produce, and creating menus which offer interesting but not stupidly elaborate food. In the summer, you may find simple dishes such as dressed Cromer crab salad; Orford lobster with garlic butter; Snape asparagus with hollandaise sauce; or locally grown loganberries with Jersey cream, on the menu. In winter, it may be Suffolk pheasant with lentil ragout and wilted greens; slow-roast Gloucester Old Spot pork belly with mussels and shellfish broth; or hot bitter chocolate mousse.
Our restaurant, the Trinity, has a relaxed but lively ambience. Most importantly, it neither looks nor feels like a typical hotel restaurant. With 2 AA rosettes, a Michelin bib gourmand, and good write-ups in all the major guides, guests often cite the food as a major reason for staying with us. Our wine list has also won many plaudits in the guides, not least for the reasonable pricing structure
Additional Comments:
One of the marvellous things about Orford is that in the midst of unchanging landscapes and absolute tranquillity, there are so many different ways to while away the time. Just to the west of the village are Tunstall and Rendlesham forests. It’s impossible to exhaust the wonderful walks these magnificent, ancient woods provide, but if the beauty of 500-year old oak trees does start to pall, there are always the coastal and river paths to explore.
Orford Ness, the 12-mile long shingle spit that separates the rivers Alde and Ore from the North Sea, is particularly riveting. Until only 20 years ago, the Ministry of Defence used this desolate place to test nuclear weapons, and the sinister remnants of their work remains scattered across the landscape. On the plus side, the huge security blanket that existed for decades has ensured a natural paradise for a wide variety of sea-faring birds, particularly the rare avocet. Owned by the National Trust nowadays, visitors can take the ferry across from Orford quay and gaze in wonder at the beautiful, if sometimes eery, scenery.
Snape Maltings (home of the Aldeburgh Festival) is also nearby, as is the charming market town of Woodbridge, with its restored tidal mill; Sutton Hoo; and the smart, seaside town of Aldeburgh
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