The Pigs at Edgefield, Norfolk

We had been to the food festival at Holkham Hall when we decided to head to the Pigs at Edgefield on the way home for lunch. This was our second visit and I remembered the first being filled with porky delights so we were looking forward to it. We had friends visiting so there's always that added pressure when suggesting somewhere to eat! The Pigs is a relaxed pub with chunky wooden furniture and a laid back atmosphere. We had a look through the menu and settled on the 'Iffits', The Pigs' version of Norfolk tapas. They're served on long boards and at £11.95 for 4, good value. I had forgotten that they provide a gluten free menu so we'd made a guess at what I could eat and then checked at the bar. The waitress checked this against the gluten free menu and we were good to go. Except for one slight problem, the menu refers to low gluten rather than gluten free, so unfortunately that meant I couldn't have anything that was deep fried due to the risk of cross contamination. It's a real shame as some of these dishes looked great, crispy fried pigs ears and the hand cut chips were unfortunately off limits. I'm not sure if they're always off limits and I'm planning on writing to them to confirm. I understand the pressures of a commercial kitchen and they obviously have to cater to the majority but it would be great if they could introduce a gluten free fryer.

'Iffits'

Those minor niggles withstanding the food is great. We tucked into tender ribs which were coated in marmalade which made a tasty change to BBQ sauce. Locally smoked prawns were another favourite, as was the smoked salmon and beetroot. The only one which received mixed reviews from my gluten eating friends was the Binham Blue with toasted muffin; lemony flavours with the blue cheese clashing rather than complimenting. All in all though, its good tasty local food which showcases some great Norfolk produce.