All packed up and ready to leave for the airport and the flight cancellation crash lands into the inbox. So instead of staring miserably at the packed suitcases Mr SuffolkFoodie and I decided that a full English breakfast (£7.25 each) was the answer. Luckily the very well run cafe at Hillcrest Nursery is open on a Sunday and serves breakfast from 9am. Half English is also available.

• we may have been first in!
• a simple menu, very good scones from the counter too
• the breakfast was served with granary toast and butter
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My worst nightmare on Valentine's Day is a meal out in a restaurant, crammed full of tables for two, with couples who have nothing to say to each other. So instead, if I'm in the mood, I'll cook something for Mr SuffolkFoodie from my repetoire of heart shaped meals.

• couer a la creme, a delicous cream cheese dessert (recipe on the blog)
• jammy heart biscuits (recipe on the blog)
• apple cobbler, with heart shaped cobbles, before it goes in the oven
• delicious hot baked apple cobbler, how to melt your Valentine's heart
• Butterflied rib eye steak for the carnivore
• tarted up couer a la creme, yes it can look like this
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Jam tarts are going to be on trend this year apparently. Get your scraps of pastry out and start baking everyone!

From my foodie friends and family this year I received - A Cheesemonger's History of the British Isles by Ned Palmer. A selection of English cheese.. A bottle of Mancino Vermouth and a Nut Mug in a pear tree. All wonderful. Thank you!

• 'an informative romp through centuries of British cheesemaking'
• Wensum White - a Brie style Norfolk produced Goats cheese
• Who'se the nut then? Brought back from Abu Dhabi by my Alice
• A bittersweet and floral vermouth containing 37 botanicals. Delicious licquorice and angelica notes work perfectly with a slice of orange.
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I'm pretending to be packing as I'm moving house, but lost interest after box number 8 of tat that I've hauled from charity shops and I'm now returning. So instead I'm telling you about Suffolk's latest cookery school, Mrs Portly's Kitchen. Mrs Portly is the alter ego of food writer and recipe developer Linda Duffin. Linda is an expert cook and has teamed up with some of Suffolk's finest producers who will be joining Linda in teaching the cookery classes. A fabulous Tudor house setting awaits you and the chance to explore the kitchen gardens and orchard to glean produce for the classes. If it's too far to travel in one day then you can stay the night! Be quick and sign up for the next class on January 17th - Game, where Linda is joined by field to fork expert Steve Tricker from Truly Traceable. Learn about game prep and butchery, cook dishes to take home and ... drum roll ... there's the legendary Truly Traceable game pies for lunch. 

We went for a pizza which was delicious, but the Espresso Martini's at The LP in Bury St Edmunds are magnificient.

• Sophisticated, stimulating and strong. The perfect Espresso Martini.
• The Elton John (mozzarella, anchovies, capers, artichoke hearts and olives)
• Goats cheese and pancetta salad with a Stevie Wonder (Piri-piri chicken,chorizo, mixed peppers and Mozzarella}a
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Looking for a perfect Christmas party venue and activity, or hunting for that extra special Christmas present? The Stillery in Bury St Edmunds is planning to help you have a very merry gin-mas. From private hire to after work drinks or cocktail classes, The Stillery has something to offer every festive celebration. The Stillery’s gin and cocktail classes are suitable for any size party and budget. Try a one-hour gin tasting or a festive “Make a Christmas classic” as a pre or post-dinner activity. Here at SuffolkFoodie we like the sound of “Rumbunctious” – a course dedicated to all things rum – but there's also “Ginspiration”, where you’ll craft your very own unique bottle of gin.   As well as a venue and cocktail bar, The Stillery produce their own premium gin, which can be purchased as a gift this Christmas. The Stillery London Dry Gin is distilled on site, in the bar itself, using the traditional “One Shot” method, producing a modern, yet classic, juniper-led gin with playful spice and citrus flavours. Bottles can be purchased online or from the cocktail bar, but also keep an eye out for The Stillery at local Christmas events – including Blackthorpe Barn’s craft fayre and the Bury St Edmunds Christmas fayre in November. Bookings for courses and purchases of vouchers and bottles can be made online at www.stillery.co.uk. For private hire, contact the team directly by calling 01284 700577 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  The Stillery is open Fridays and Saturdays, 6pm to midnight. The Stillery, 3 Short Brackland, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1EL.

Always good for a pit stop and the cakes are made in the Alder Carr farm kitchen. Coffee and orange proved to be a rather nice combination.