Hello!

Hello all, how are you?  Good? Good.

I am D.  I am sitting next to Eleanor at the moment.  It is the first of January 2012 and on September the 25th we both decided to try and eat and drink chain free.  Now as much as we would both like this to be all food, that just isn't really possible in our situation.  We do, however, eat and drink out a lot.  This came around as we have just moved back to Norfolk from four years at University in Leeds.  For three years while in Leeds, we ate in places we knew well and were familiar to us, the main two being Bagel Nash and Nando's.  Now don't get me wrong, I love them both, but I could go into Bagel Nash and ask for "the usual" and would get it (a mexican chicken  bagel, no avocado, on a cheese and jalepeno bagel) and Nando's was a pretty regular place for us, and if not for that, a texas barbecue double decadance with extra garlic and herb (it's really superb) sauce was a common Domino's Pizza order.  In our final year we decided to go into Pickles & Potter and I have to admit I have never eaten food like it in my life.  They served hot lunches, cake, a veggie option and the most amazing sandwiches we have both ever tasted.  My sandwich of choice was a piri piri chicken sandwich in focaccia bread, and Eleanor's choice was rare beef, brie and onion marmalade in wholemeal bread.  I have to admit, my descriptions of these sandwiches do it very little justice.  They were the most amazing mouthfuls of food I have ever tasted.  I never had a bad meal in that place.  It was tiny, and packed nine times out of ten, but everything tastes SO amazing.  The sandwiches came with a fork full of grated carrot.  I am not a fan of raw carrot but when it is grated, and dressed with what we guessed to be poppy seeds, lemon and maybe an oil, probably extra virgin, it was unbelievable.  They also did amazing salads that were vibrant and a pleasure to the eye that danced on my tastebuds.  The cake they had...well...the cake.  There were two for me.  Coffee and Pecan cake, which was slightly dry, but in an amazing way.  I could literally eat a whole cake's worth, as in a massive cake.  But the second was the chocolate brownie.  Since being small, and baking with mum to now and baking because I fancy cake, the best part of chocolate brownie was the crispy bits, then licking the uncooked batter from the bowl.  Somehow P&P managed to do just that in one cake.  It got so bad that when I went back up to Leeds recently to hand some work in I only just resisted the urge to go in and buy a lot of it to bring home.  My one regret with Pickles and Potter is not finding them sooner, as I am sure they would have taken over from the few chains we used to frequent.

So I am sure you are wondering how finding this place has made us give up chain food and drink establishments for a year.  Well I found myself in Norwich the other day walking past a lot of really lovely looking cafes and restaurants and found myself saying "That looks nice," and walking to Costa and buying a drink.  There is a heck of a lot of small independent little places that I am sure are as amazing and Pickles and Potter (although they will be hard pushed!).

So that's the plan.  Discover local gems, eat independent food, and see how we get on.  I will now make a list of places that I want to try and blog about.

The Bicycle Shop, Norwich - I met a friend there for a drink and the food looked lovely.
The Quayside Plaza, Great Yarmouth - My mother and I have been in looking at their handmade goods, and their cafe looked great.

And to be honest that is where I struggle.  There's a restaurant or two that I would love to try, some that I see and forget, and some, like Jimmy's Farm, which we just have not got around to eating at yet.

I am looking forward to it though.  It will be nice.  Have to admit, not even a day in and I miss Domino's Pizza already...sigh.

Right-o.  That'll do.  Will write again when I go somewhere new.

D