Brand Southwold

Helping Londoners feel at home....

Why is Southwold so successful? Why are other seaside resorts failing? It's certainly not short of a few quid, just look through the estate agent windows lining the high street.  There are very few houses or should that be beach huts under £500,000. How do the locals manage? 

Porsche, BMW and Range Rover are the preferred modes of transport. The Chairman of the Southwold and Reydon Society recently stated in the Daily Telegraph that Range Rovers were hardly ever seen in Southwold....What? Southwold attracts all classes not just the filthy rich, famous and celebrity culture. 


Like swallows heading to warmer climes city dwellers head here in their droves to take up their billets for the pre-requisite two weeks in this seaside resort. Who actually lives in Southwold once all the holiday makers disappear? I have been to Southwold for over 40 years and I've never seen so many properties that have become holiday lets. Many moons ago even the dustbin men owned houses on the green. Ginger was a typical example and local trawler skippers graced the Red Lion keeping a beady eye on the outsiders. Nowadays, the majority of workers travel in from the outlying areas much like those in Korea who travel from the South into the North.


A few months ago the good folk of Southwold got very hot under their ever so well starched collars when the council announced that Costa Coffee was about to set up shop! Anybody would have thought that the Martians had finally arrived based on the not so complimentary feedback. For those of you who have not ventured into the untamed backwaters of Suffolk For many years Southwold has re-buffed any attempt by 'high street' retailers to even make it up the beach let alone up the street. Some such as Fat Face, Co-Op and unbelievably Tesco Express have made it over Gun Hill.

Soon to be replaced by SeaLink

Unlike the majority of seaside destinations Southwold is blessed with so many exclusive brands and an overwhelming range of points of interest including Adnams, The Swan Hotel; a lighthouse; a pier; a putting green; a boating lake; a golf course; a tennis court; a theatre; a cinema; a harbour; numerous pubs; fish and chips; pricey antique shops; numerous coffee shops and restaurants.  

Why should the people of Southwold be so upset by the introduction of Costa. Is it anything to do with the 1,200 stores across our country or the fact that they might attract the wrong type of person to the town? Interestingly, it has nothing to do with quality, ethics, training of baristas and shock horror it has nothing to do with price. It is all to do with the brand and protecting that brand as much as possible. The majority of us like a bit of variety and what could be more boring than having the same group of shops repeated in every shopping centre. Nothing to do with blinkered, snooty opinions. Just good business sense. I have to admit that I didn't step over the Costa threshold to enjoy a Flat White. Nothing to do with my conscience....Costa just isn't my brand.....honest. It will be interesting to see how long Costa will remain in the town. 

For me a good cup of coffee is like a good bar of chocolate and I'm affraid to say there are very few places in Southwold that actually provide a good coffee. Prices and quality of said beverage vary alarmingly. Surprisingly the best cup of coffee is to be found at The Black Dog, Walberswick. Probably the smallest deli in Suffolk. They also sell the cheapest croissants in the area.

However, Southwold is in danger of killing off the proverbial goose that laid the golden egg. Many restaurants in both Walberswick and Southwold are in my opinion are overpriced and provide indifferent levels of service. Well, that's another story. Long live the brand!

Cafe-Tasse Blanc Citron

A massive chemistry set!

Before tucking into a bar of Cafe Tasse I thought I would start with another passion of mine, Southwold.  

I can honestly say that the town and its surroundings have remained unchanged for over half a century.  The herring fleet may have gone and the high street may have seen a variety of shop fronts with retailers coming and going over the years but essentially the place has remained pretty much the same.  

Perched on the Suffolk coast just above Ipswich and below Lowestoft this picturesque seaside town has remained relatively unknown.  House prices have gone through the roof over the years as the tendrils of celebrity reach Southwold.  There have been numerous TV programmes and films set in this lovely coastal backwater including, "Upstairs, Downstairs" and "East of Ipswich" to name just two. 

The town has a a pier with arcade machines provided by Tim Hunkin,  a lighthouse, a picture palace, a Summer Theater and it also boasts its own brewery. Adnams, renowned throughout the UK, providing beer and now their own spirits produced from their distillery in their own innovative style. 

They've even begun to make their own whiskey which will be available to the general public towards the end of 2013. Distillery Tours of this totally modern facility are available for £10 per person, over 18s only, includes gin and vodka tasting at the end.

Ok, enough of beer and spirits lets talk chocolate. I actually plucked this next bar of chocolate from a shop in Southwold so, my introduction has some sought of credible link.

Blanc Citron, produced by Cafe Tasse, a Belgium chocolate maker. I have no idea where the white chocolate comes from as information is fairly limited. However, the bar is made with sugar, whole milk powder and candied lemon peel. The aroma is very lemony and a vision of a huge lemon cheesecake immediately pops into my head! The chocolate is smooth, not too sweet or cloying and the pieces of lemon peel provide an extra dimension almost making it refreshing. 

There is some aftertaste but overall this is genuinely an enjoyable bar of chocolate and I could happily munch the lot. A great improvement on the Extra Noir bar and scores a respectable 6/10. £1.49 for a 45g bar.

Escape from Walberswick!

I don't believe I have ever seen Walberswick so jam packed with cars.  A traffic jam in Walberswick? Can you believe it? The M25 was probably quiet in comparison. The promise of a heat wave brought out the sun-seekers in their droves eager to enjoy the view, the beer and the chance to catch a few rays.

There is only one road leading into and out of the village and by 11am the only two car parks were full to bursting point.  Plans are now underway to tarmac most of the marshland, getting rid of that rather unattractive grassland!  I'm only joking.....but Waveney District Council might seriously consider it?  The Anchor looked really promising  as they were hosting an Oyster and Ale weekend but they'd already run out of West Mersey oysters.  The fact that they serve Adnams beer and take their food seriously is definitely a reason to pay them another visit perhaps when it is not so busy.  We decided to hot foot it back to Southwold via the Ferry.  

Pay the ferryman!

We're not talking 'roll on roll off' more jump on jump off, dependent on tide.  A word of warning don't have too many pints if you plan to take this route. 

Apparently, this is one of the few remaining rowed ferries left in the country.  You can tell health and safety have visited as a thick red line has been painted on the jetty marking the point of no return..  This ferry has been in operation since the 13th century.  Somebody recently voiced an opinion that 90p per person to cross the Blythe River, between Walberswick and Southwold was expensive......we threw them over the side. Dogs go free.  They'll even take bikes and buggies if you ask nicely. The journey only lasts five minutes but it will be the best 90p you've ever spent with stunning  views of the harbour and Southwold shimmering in the distance.

Just VW Cool!

This car has eye Lids!

Concourse condition!

We made it safely over to Southwold and saw that the Peoples Car had invaded!  Southwold has always been cool but now it really is cool with the arrival of VWs and they were everywhere!  

I'm afraid to admit this but my family did own one of these beauties many, many years ago but due to a foolhardy French Policeman I crashed it! The policeman survived but the van didn't. 

Sutherland House, an attractive hotel on Southwold High Street, has somehow remained out of the reach of family Adnams and recently appeared in the Sunday Telegraph's 150 Best Restaurants in the UK, we we were only aware of this fact after our meal.  Many parts of the house date back to 1455 fortunately this does not include the staff.  We arrived late but managed to find a table in the attractive garden at the rear of the house.  We quickly ordered going for Sea Bass and Brown Shrimps and a Steak Sandwich. These dishes arrived quickly and were well presented. The sea bass was perfectly cooked served with crushed potatoes and an al dente selection of vegetables all locally sourced.

Unfortunately, the steak sandwich was another story, tough, fatty and in my opinion the arrangement just didn't work. Please avoid serving food on slate as knives make a most earsplitting noise reminding me of my school days when we had blackboards!  I plucked up the courage and complained to the young manageress who was genuinely shocked that my meal was a disappointment. 

Steak Sandwich...more meat and two pieces of bread....

They say you can always tell how good a restaurant or business is by how well they deal with customer complaints.  On this occasion the team at Sutherland House excelled themselves. Well done guys on a great meal but do have a look at that steak sandwich it wasn't pretty! Two main courses with drinks £34.

Next review will include chocolate. I promise! I have two Cafe-Tasse bars ready for tasting but it is just too hot for chocolate!

Beer v Chocolate

It is 9:45 on a sunny Saturday morning on East Green, Southwold and it is changeover day. Holiday cottages literally belch out their reluctant occupants onto the streets and into their cars. Screaming kids, frantic and flustered yummy mummies’ with their tanned but slightly bemused husbands survey the scene of packing cases, duvets, plastic dolphins and buckets that now have to be squeezed with the skill and precision of a surgeon into the back of their 4x4’s. A plethora of vacuums can be heard as they get to grips with the clean up operation sucking up sand, nail clippings and discarded chips, that the Labrador refused to eat, from every nook and cranny. A squadron of skivvies grunt and grind for several hours, racing to set their houses back to normal before the next influx of holiday makers hit the beaches. I never realised how busy sleepy old Southwold was at this time of the morning!

But what do I care about holiday makers, distraction over, I’m about to join the Adnams brewery tour.
For those of you not familiar with Southwold, it has its own brewery and has been brewing beer in some shape or form since the 14th century, when Johanna de Corby and 17 other 'ale wives' of Southwold were charged by the manorial court with breaking the assize of ale.



Jack the Basher!

 In 1872 George and Ernest Adnams bought the Sole Bay Brewery with the help of their father George. Unfortunately, George wasn't up to the country life and took himself off to South Africa where he was eaten by a crocodile!


Look out for Southwold Jack or Jack the Spiter or even Jack the Basher which adorns many Adnams products. Apparently he was created to scare the peasants!

Interesting fact, Southwold was actually raised to the ground by a fire, many years ago. When it was rebuilt several ‘greens’ were constructed to stop this situation ever arising again.

The tour is very interesting, full of history and amusing anecdotes’ lasting about two hours. The first hour is spent walking between the various buildings that hide a multitude of industrial appliances all cleverly concealed behind quaint looking houses. Taste the various malted barleys, sniff the hops and admire clouds of yeast shimmering in their stainless steel vats. Heed the warning about breathing in CO2 as it will kill you!  The second hour is spent tasting nearly every Adnams beer that possibly existed!  The only drink that lacked a bit of flavour was the Adnams Ginger Beer which needed a bit more ginger! I have it under good authority that more ginger is being added for the next batch. It's all light hearted stuff and probably not for the serious conoisseurs. The tutours obviously love their jobs and make the whole process great fun. 

To be sure by the end of the tour I can’t remember my own name let alone all the details of how the beer actually made it to the bottle! It’s all just a happy mish-mash by the end. You’ll have to sign up to the brewery tour if you want to find out more. At £10.00 per person, (18 years or over) including a free bottle of beer it is a great way to start the day. Be warned, they cunningly guide you to the Adnams Cellar and Kitchen shop where you get to taste some delicious wines and spirits whereupon they cleverly convince you to hand over the entire contents of your bank account! Next week I’m going on the wine and spirit tour if I can find some spare cash…..

Amazing what you find on the shoreline!

The Adnams Cellar and Kitchen Shop also sells chocolate bars by Amelia Rope and I couldn’t resist buying a 100g bar of dark spearmint. According to Amelia's website these single origin chocolate bars are her latest creation adding to her her chocolate collection which is all about quality, taste, purity and indulgence. As usual her bars are beautifully packaged and this particular bar is resplendent in its bright green foil jacket. The chocolate, a 67% cocoa, single origin, is from Madagascar so one can expect a good tasting chocolate. The minty flavouring is provided using organic spearmint oil.

As you open up the foil packaging there is a good spearmint aroma. The bar is simple in design and well made. The taste of spearmint is subtle and perhaps for my taste a little too subtle. The bar is pleasant but lacks any sort of punch and is rather understated. I tried another chunk this morning and whilst there is nothing wrong with this bar it is not giving me that 'pep up' feeling or the tingle down the back of my neck that I usually associate with her chocolate.  Amelia’s bars are top-end in terms of price so expect to pay from £4.95 for a 100g bar. Overall 5/10. To buy on line click here.  Beer 1 Chocolate 0 on this occasion.