If you've never tried oysters before will you promise me that you'll give them a go, because no matter what you think of them I can guarantee it's a real experience that you'll never forget.
Well that's what happened to us today, the last day of my Suffolk Diet challenge, where our lunchtime dish was a plate of oysters that I'd ordered from the welovelocalfood website. I've never eaten them before and I have to admit that despite my bravado, when it came to trying them, I suddenly got nervous...especially as the scene played out like a bush tucker trial!
There on one side of the table was my husband. I was on the other. In between us was the plate of oysters for us to share.
Although I'd prepared and washed them in the kitchen, I left them in the shells for serving and we opened them individually, taking it in turns. My husband went first, surprised at the speed in which the seafood left its shell, missing its destination and landing on his plate with a slippery splat.
Then it was my turn. But for some reason, I just couldn't do it. My throat tightened and I stared at the shell for so long, my husband took another, this time hitting the spot. And yes, it's his first time too and the conversation oriented around whether it was better to swallow or chew.
After he'd eaten his third, I finally gave it a go, but as soon as I opened the shell, the oyster also fell straight onto my plate below. I'm afraid that I was a bit of a wuss and cut it in half, before dangling each piece above my head aiming straight for my tonsils.
The chorus of "do it, do it, do it" from my children will no doubt ring in my head forever, as I shook my head and quivered as each half of the oyster hit the back of my throat.
Although the taste was good, for some reason the texture brought about my gag reflex.
"For goodness sake," I kept telling myself. These were simply innocent oysters, not something unpalatable like kangaroo's wotsits!
But it was no good, I was obviously a culinary wimp and the only thing for it was to try cooking them. So we tried again, this time wrapped up in Suffolk bacon and served with cream and worcestershire sauce.
Well, I managed one and a half, before the same thing happened again. I just couldn't cope with the texture, even when disguised in the bacon.
And I really felt gutted, especially as I had been so looking forward to enjoying them and it being a real highlight of the week's experience. I'd also been amazed that it was possible to source such a delicacy from Suffolk and that they were so cheap too. At less than £6 for a dozen, I had hoped I'd be soon impressing my friends with a fabulous platter. Instead I feel a real wuss and that I'd let myself down.
But having had such a false start at home today, I really hope l can get over myself and give them a go another time. However next time, I think I'll visit the Butley Oford Oysterage restaurant or take one of the tours run by Food Safari and let them be served by the hands of the professionals. Then, I might have the confidence to try them again at home. I've heard a great account of the day from blogger Grethic, who sent me a message about the tour she went on yesterday.
Anyhooooo, moving on from my oyster challenge, the finale of this week's Suffolk Diet was far more successful, with a tasty pot roast of beef brisket, served with onions and potatoes that were delivered by Paul last Friday, as well as the extra carrots that I'd bought at the Farmers' Market yesterday.
We even finished the last of the kale, which you can see tucked behind the bottle of Ickworth's Lady Geraldine's Blush.
So, as the day ends and the Suffolk Diet challenge is brought to a close, I'm wondering how I can best summarise the week that's just passed.
Perhaps I should start with the challenge itself, which was to see how easy it would be to live of just Suffolk produce. Was it easy? The answer to that is most definitely yes, well that is if you know where to buy such products. Admittedly, the delivery service Local Food Direct at www.welovelocalfood.co.uk did offer a huge helping hand, by allowing me to select produce from its website, which could be delivered to my door, so I didn't have to spend lots of time hunting out Suffolk food from around the county.
However, being a long-term supporter of local food, I also found my knowledge of my locality helped too, knowing which independent shops and market stalls would most likely stock Suffolk produce.
And I've been amazed at the variety of food that is produced locally, from oils to dairy products, a whole range of meats, the oysters, ready-meals, granola and sauces, as well as local cider, beer and wine. Of course there were a few things I struggled with in the beginning such as sourcing Suffolk butter, but I was pleased to have finally found some during yesterday's visit to Wyken Farmers' Market. So, with the exception of butter at the beginning of the week and the lemon that I used for the Ipswich Lemon Pie, everything else that I've eaten at home has been Suffolk made.
But what about eating out? As expected this was where I struggled most and the week kicked off with a shaky start, with a visit to a local garden centre and a training course, where the origins of the food were uncertain. However, by the end of the week it was great to see businesses such as the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich stocking Suffolk juices and the Greenest County awards on Thursday proved that even large events can be catered for with local food. When I started the challenge I felt too shy to ask cafes and retailers if their food was sourced from Suffolk, but by this weekend I found the question rolled more easily off my tongue and I believe that one cafe in particular - my favourite haunt in Bury St Edmunds - is now considering incorporating more Suffolk produce into their menu.
It's also been a great week for trying new things, including some old Suffolk recipes, choosing granola for breakfast and trying out new vegetables such as the kale. Even my husband commented today that he'd actually liked the kale - and that's incredible coming from a man who has an unnatural allergy to a veg box.
I've wrestled with making fresh pasta out of local flour as well as turning my hand to incorporating mashed potato into pastry. I've even tried kippers for breakfast, which is one of those things that has not ever entered my consideration before.
So, I guess the big question is, could I keep this up for longer?
Hmmm...actually, I think I could, but I'd have to make some changes as I've also missed a few things this week too, such as the tomatoes that form a regular part of my diet, as well as fresh peppers. One thing this challenge has most definitely brought out is the issue of seasonality and how we take the supply of such produce for granted, no matter what time of the year. And although I now only buy strawberries in the summer when they are in season in England, I'm not sure I could do the same with tomatoes. So it's good news then that the welovelocalfood website has just started supplying Norfolk grown tomatoes, which are just from over the border.
I've also missed rice and couscous as well as quick cook pasta and I'll be glad to incorporate those back into my diet again. However for everything else, I now feel much more committed to buying good quality produce that is local to Suffolk or at least the East of England. As well as investing in our local economy, I also support the idea of reducing food miles as an important factor in minimising our dependency on transport as well as the oil needed to ferry goods around.
This challenge has been great. It has most definitely raised my interest in local food and has even done a great job of getting me back into the kitchen, despite it being a very intense week. I also think my diet has been healthier too.
At the beginning of the challenge I read that The Telegraph's Rose Prince had described Suffolk as the "Best Region" in her Good Food Producers Guide 2010. I know I am now biased, but as my Suffolk Diet draws to a close, based on my experience this week and having seen what's available, I can't help but agree.
And who knows I might even give the oysters a try again, not yet, but one day perhaps, when I am next visiting the coast.
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If you want to hear more about the challenge, I'll be chatting to Lesley Dolphin in her afternoon show at BBC Radio Suffolk, Monday 2:20pm. Listeners from outside the region can listen online at http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/suffolk/hi/tv_and_radio/
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