A South East feast
Andrew's first feast in the South East was Whitstable where a wander round the seafood town unearthed a shop selling nothing but artisan English cheese, a retro ice cream parlour and sweet shop and a host of shops selling seafood including the legendary Whitstable oysters.
Britain's south coast is a Mecca to marine life and self-service seafood restaurant The Company Shed is no exception. Packed to the rafters at weekends it's advisable to get there early and you'll queue for hours for the simple, rustic, no-frills seafood. Andrew got in line and enjoyed a scrumptious seafood platter.
Loaded up with lobster Andrew took a break from the beach and popped in land to Sarah and Mark Hardy's dairy farm nestled in the High Weald. The area is one of outstanding natural beauty with great pasture for the dairy's organic herd of cattle, whose milk goes to make the award winning cheese.
And it's not just happy cows in the South East; on a trip to Roundwood Orchard Andrew discovered some pretty perky porkers too. Chris and Bev Brown's pigs are reared entirely outside and feast on the apples and pears produced by orchard landlord John Tobutt. The pigs fertilise the land and are rewarded with a windfall of leftover fruit. What a partnership.
Kent is often considered the garden of England but perhaps would be better described as the orchard of Britain. Andrew visited the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale Farm just off the M4. With over 2,000 types of apple and nearly 500 types of pear, as well as apricots, gooseberries, currants, vines, cherries and cobnuts, it's a veritable oasis of English fruit.
Keeping with the traditional British theme Andrew met a flock of festive birds at Copas Traditional Turkeys then tried some down-to-earth veggie cuisine at Terre a Terre in Brighton.
Finally, with time for one last stop before London, Andrew called in at no-nonsense French restaurant, Clos du Marquis, where head chef Germain Marquis talked him through some of the highlights of the menu, including the world famous cassoulet. The cassoulet was a favourite dish of Orson Welles, who always ordered a bowl whenever he visited Paris. If it's good enough for Orson it's good enough for Andrew and our roving reporter tucked in without complaint.
