Published:
10:44 AM June 1, 2022
Norfolk’s food scene has taken centre stage in a new episode of Channel 4’s Best of Britain by the Sea.
Food critic Grace Dent and celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott travelled to Norwich and Great Yarmouth “to meet the people serving up the very best of British”.
The episode, which aired on More4 on May 30, started in Norwich and Harriott described it as a “gastronomic capital”.
The two explored Elm Hill before going to the Assembly House, dubbed by Dent as “one of the prettiest hotel entrances in Britain”.
Ainsley and Grace inside The Assembly House.
– Credit: Best of Britain by the Sea
Head pastry chef Mark Mitson showed Harriott how to make the gateau opera from the unicorn-themed tea.
He estimated that the hotel makes 1,500 afternoon teas a week.
Dent and Harriott then went to Norwich Market, where they met the owner of stall Coral Bay, Conroy Robinson, who served them Jamaican rice and peas, curried goat, and jerk chicken which Dent said was “what (she’s) been looking for for 10 years”.
Then at stall Cocina Mia, owner Ana Bridgman served them Chilean beef and cheese empanadas.
To end their time in Norwich the pair went to St Benedicts Street, which Harriott said was “fast gaining a reputation as the place to go for high-end hospitality”.
Ainsley Harriott and Grace Dent visit Sweet Sensation in Great Yarmouth.
– Credit: Best of Britain by the Sea
At Benedicts, chef Richard Bainbridge told them of his love for the city before serving them food that “makes you feel warm and cared for” including a prawn cocktail tartlet, a pork doughnut, and a potato mousse.
To make their way down the Norfolk Broads, the pair rented a boat in Brundall and stopped at Coldham Hall in Surlingham.
The duo then arrived in one of Norfolk’s seaside towns – Great Yarmouth.
Stopping in Sweet Sensation, Dent and Harriott both had a go at making candy floss with varying levels of success.
Ainsley and Grace on Great Yarmouth Beach.
– Credit: Best of Britain by the Sea
They then met Peter, the owner of The End of the Pier Arcade – a penny arcade with games dating back to the 1920s.
For their last meal, they got chips from Yarmouth Market – Harriott went to see Norma Docwra at Docwras and Dent to James Rose at Dearnos Market Chips.
The pair sat on the beach to enjoy them where Dent called Yarmouth “pure kitsch British seaside”.
Dent and Harriott finished their trip with a stop at the Pleasure Beach for a go on the rides.