Dipping our toes in the Suffolk water for Mothering Sunday

When I woke up this morning, I had no idea that I would end up at the seaside later this afternoon, but thanks to the beauty of spontaneity, that's exactly where we headed to celebrate Mothering Sunday.

It all started with breakfast.

Officially our Suffolk Diet doesn't start until tomorrow, but as we stared at the packet of smoked salmon from Pinney's of Orford, the phrase "what the hell" came to mind and no sooner had we agreed to relax the rules, the salmon was on the the menu for breakfast, along with scrambled eggs courtesy of our hens in our garden and some home-made Scotch pancakes.

Of course, Suffolk isn't known for its salmon leaping up the River Ore - or any of the other local waterways for that matter - but as this week also includes speciality food that's been processed in our county, I thought salmon that's been smoked in Orford was fair game.  It certainly makes a change from my usual brand at the supermarket and tasted superb.   The scotch pancakes were made by my husband, using the Maple Farm Kelsale flour that was delivered on Friday by Paul from Local Food Direct.

Breakfast offered the perfect opportunity to tell the children about our plans that start tomorrow, where for one week we are going to try and eat only food that has been grown or produced in Suffolk.  The boys are only 5 and 8 years old, but seemed to understand that if you can get good quality food from within your region, it's much more sensible than importing equivalent items from elsewhere.

It was also a good chance to talk about where food came from.  And while I was explaining that salmon isn't farmed in Suffolk, but has been brought from Scotland for processing in a local smokehouse, I suddenly had the urge to visit the place where it all happens - the village of Orford, which lies on the coastline of Suffolk.  We've never been there before and thought what better excuse is there to do so.

A couple of hours later, we arrived at the pretty Suffolk village and as we headed for the quay, it was easy to spot the Pinneys of Orford shop.

When I ventured inside, I got a very warm welcome from Suzanne, who answered a whole array of  questions, including whether they actually bred their own oysters - and the answer to that particular query was yes.

They've been doing so since the 1950s when the founder, Richard Pinney, restored derelict oyster beds, which dated back to the 19th century.  The smokehouse is also next to the beds, where a wide range of fish and other products are smoked for retail and for their restaurant, which is also located in the village and goes under the name of The Butley Orford Oysterage.  If I hadn't already received their oysters and kippers for the week ahead, I would have definitely been tempted to buy from over the counter.  Instead, I left with a bottle of locally produced Stokes tomato ketchup, from their selection of sauces and preserves that they also stock instore.

The next stop was a quick stroll to the nearby quayside, to catch a  view of the local nature reserve Orford Ness and the moored fishing boats that were awaiting their next trip out to sea...

...and was followed by a quick peek at Brinkley's Shed, which is run by local fishermen to sell locally caught fish and shellfish.

 Following some earbashing from the children, who weren't really that interested in staring at a fish shed, we decided to head for Orford Castle, the village's keeptower, which dates back to the 12th century.  Its presence reveals the importance of Orford, which was an important port at the time of Henry II.

However, our visit to Orford was quicker than I imagined due to having promised the boys a chance to play on the beach.   So after a short drive up the coast, we reached the lovely seaside town of Aldeburgh, which despite its shingle beach happens to be one of our favourite haunts in East Suffolk

Like Orford, Aldeburgh also has a long tradition of fishing and has its own shed that sells fish too.  It's called The Fish Shack and is situated close to the RNLI lifeboat station.

It was closed by the time I got there, but I couldn't help notice a poster advertising a unique service by a local bar, which offers to cook any fish that you buy. 

As well as fish, other Suffolk produce is well catered for in Aldeburgh, with a range of outlets including Lawson's Delicatessen on the high street

...as well as Munchies -  one of my favourite independent cafes - which has a menu that proudly supports Suffolk produce, including locally made ice-cream.

It's just a shame it was closed by the time we were ready to eat, so we settled for a trip to the chip shop for some Lowestoft caught fish instead.  I'm afraid I forgot to ask where their potatoes came from.  I guess if I'm going to succeed at this challenge, I'm going to have to get into new habits when eating out.

But it doesn't matter about today, as the proper challenge starts tomorrow.  This afternoon was really about dipping our toes in the water and starting to ask more questions about the origins of the food we buy.

And talking of water, while I ponder the menu for the rest of the week, I'll leave you with a view of the Suffolk sea, captured in the early sunset before we set off for home.

 More information about Orford village can be found at www.orford.org.uk and further details about Aldeburgh are available at www.aldeburgh-uk.com.