I had a flying visit up to Norfolk at the weekend. My friend Geoff was 75 years young and he had a party on Saturday, at the White Horse in Chedgrave.

The White Horse is a lovely old country pub, in the heart of the Norfolk Broads, and in the summer (it was a trifle too chilly for this on Saturday) there is garden right by the river, which is absolutely beautiful. Simon Peck has owned it since 2008 and really makes people feel welcome there. Kate had chosen the White Horse for the party as it’s a fairly central location for most of the people they were going to invite, and the food is good.

Geoff had invited about 24 people, so the three of us (Geoff, his wife, Kate and I) got to the pub soon after 11.30 so that Kate and Geoff could be there to meet and greet and I could do the photography. (I ended up taking 75 photographs.)

People started turning up from about midday onwards, some I knew; some I didn’t, but got to know as the day progressed. We had drinks in the bar for an hour or so and went through for lunch at about 1.30, and what a fabulous buffet it was!

There were chicken drumsticks, freshly cooked ham, a whole fresh salmon, hot buttered new potatoes, two different quiches (one was quiche Lorraine and the other, I think, had sun dried tomatoes), home made coleslaw (which was to die for) and a fresh salad. There were heaps of freshly made bread and gluten free bread for the likes of me. It was fab and I think I made it to third helpings (well, I couldn’t let that all that food go to waste!) Kate and Geoff love this pub, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who goes up to that part of Norfolk. As a Londoner, I thought the drinks were pretty well priced too (I think a bottle of Pinot cost £13.95) and a pint of Guinness was £4.00.

http://whitehorsechedgrave.co.uk/welcome/

Kate’s hairdresser, Justine, made the cakes. You will see in the photograph of the big cake that she had decorated it with Geoff’s beloved Seething Tower. The photographs don’t do it justice, there is so much detail on it, and those who ate the cake said it was delicious. Justine also made four wheat free cup cakes for me – I’m not a big cake eater, but they were absolutely delicious. Justine, they were fantastic, thank you.

Geoff was so pleased that so many of the people he wanted around him were able to make it, some of them are not in the best of health but they pulled out all the stops to be there. Jim and his wife, Tony and his wife, Jack and Louise, Kate’s uncle John and his wife Dorothy, Geoff’s daughter Linda, Ron and Anne, to name but a few.

And you remember I wrote a few weeks back about Geoff’s grand-daughter Hari running in the Rome Marathon for Leukaemia research? Geoff didn’t know it, but she managed a flying visit up too. And she went for a run when she left the party! Amazingly dedicated, well done Hari.

Hari has raised over £1100 pounds so far (her target is £1500) and a huge thank you to everyone who has contributed and to all those who gave money at the party. There is still time to donate if you haven’t done so thus far. Hari is working so hard for this; she really deserves to do well. She’s done a number of other races, including the Great North Run.

And thank you Geoff and Kate, your great friends, I love you lots.

Xx

 

© Susan Shirley 2015