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Seeking traders of quality food and drink and related products for our World and Medieval Markets to be held as part of the Bury St Edmunds Food and Drink Festival on Sunday 26 and Monday 27 August 2012. We are seeking quality hot and cold foods and drinks including cheeses, meats, bakery products, olives and cooked speciality foods. I wondered if you could perhaps give this a mention on your website or in a newsletter if you have one so food producers in Suffolk can have the opportunity of being involved. More information is available at www.marketsquaregroup.com

A quick and easy crab recipe which serves eight as a starter, or four as a large main course.

Ingredients

2 dressed crabs ( I use brown and white meat, some prefer just the white meat)

600g linguine
10 tbsp very good olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp finely chopped fresh red chilli
75ml dry white wine
3 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp chopped basil
Juice and grated zest of ½ lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the linguine for 9-11 minutes, or according to packet instructions, until al dente.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan and add the garlic and chilli.

Fry lightly without colouring for about one minute.

Stir in the crabmeat and heat through for another minute.

Add the wine to the pan and let it bubble and reduce a little.

Drain the linguine and add to the crab mixture.

Stir in the parsley and basil and toss everything together to coat evenly.

Finish with the lemon juice and grated zest.

Season to taste and serve immediately

A pre- theatre snack is always better with a cocktail or two, and we had ours at La Bodegra Negra with a side order of tortillas and ceviche which by all accounts is the 'next big thing'. But only if you live in the Caribbean and can get the best quality and freshest raw fish, which here most of us can't. If you are by the seaside here it's worth trying with just a squeeze of lime, oil, salt, pepper and chili. One American website I looked at said the name came from English-speaking people, who watched fishermen on the coast of Peru eating their fish directly from the sea with just lemons and salt, and said 'See the beach.' and since this was a phrase that the locals couldn't repeat, they pronounced it 'Ceviche' instead. Well Americans - just because you don't have as much folklore as us there's no need to make it up. 

A visit to Cro-o-mer would not be complete without going to the Bob Davies Crab Shop in The Gangway, these crabs are famous for being among the best you can buy. Watch Gary Rhodes with Bob Davies, showing Gary how to prepare them in his shop. I made my two huge dressed crabs into Crab Linguine for the whole family.  You can find the recipe along with others on our recipe page here,

Below are the contents of the Jubilee Hamper served at Buck House before the concert - Heston came up with the ideas and Waitrose packed it - no doubt it's now all available in their stores.

• Chilled British Country Garden soup
• Tea-smoked Scottish salmon
• Diamond Jubilee chicken
• Vegetarian option: Mushroom Parfait
• Fresh bread rolls
• Country Life butter
• Crunchy seasonal crudités

• Lemon and caraway Madeira cupcake
• Chocolate indulgence cupcake
• Sandringham strawberry crumble crunch

• Waitrose West Country farmhouse cheddar and Red Leicester
• Duchy Originals Oaten biscuits
• Duchy Originals Harvest chutney
• Extras: 12 hand wipes, clear plastic cutlery and napkin, Diamond Jubilee poncho, Union flag!

Meanwhile in Sudbury we joined friends in the park and ate our own home made couscous, watercress, orange and smoked mackerel salad, pheasant and bacon terrine, fresh strawberry cake and pretty white chocolate cake pops.

Well while we are in London we might as well go out for breakfast too...so here we are at Albion, the cafe at Boundary - Terence Conran - for a full English and kidneys on toast. It was listed as £ rather than £££ in our guide but at £8.50 for kidneys (just kidneys, no sauce, on dry toast) it soon adds up. But couldn't fault the ingredients and we were asked if we prefer streaky or back bacon which is a nice touch as I always prefer streaky, given the choice. Apart from thinking the waiter was going to ask us for a pound to get a hot drink (strange uniforms...) it was a nice start to the day.