The month’s third new pie - “Norfolk” pork pies from the “pie heaven” that is the Black Olive deli in Southwold, listed in the Independent’s “
50 Best Delicatessens”. Eight pie munchers, without the Weather Wizard, set out on a 5-mile Boldero walk, extended to 5½ miles to take in a church for lunch. A short walk was thought a good idea as heavy rain and wind gusts of up to 50 mph were forecast. Parking on some hard standing by Alburgh Road, Hempnall, we set off west, in good weather, along a footpath that did not follow the course on the map. Soon we were heading south along Lower Lane where
Shaggy Parasols were found and duly harvested. Further on, many
Wood blewit” were found and added to the
Mushroom Master's haul. Turning left as we passed Lundy Green, storm clouds were gathering in the south. On reaching Spring Lane there was a few spots of light rain. We turned north, up the lane a short distance and, much to José’s disappointment, then turned left along a footpath. José had wanted to continue on to the “Three Horseshoes”, but it was deemed prudent to press on along the Boldero walk before the weather worsened. Walking past a Nursery, the rain increased and it looked as if it would get worse - so those not in waterproofs, donned rain gear. Before we reached Rookery Lane a storm lashed us – gale force winds drove hale stones into us, standing upright was difficult and José Luis had his spectacles blown off his face and into a bush! The firm surface of Rookery Lane was very welcome, and we headed north up it, with the wind behind us gradually abating. We deviated from the Boldero walk to visit Topcroft parish church of
St. Margaret, for lunch in the porch. The church was locked and yielded no scratch dials. Leaving the church we noticed a mound of fungus, but not edible.
The weather was now bright sunshine and almost no wind – if only we had followed José’s recommendation and had gone to the pub, we would not be soggy and cold. We retraced our steps for quarter of a mile and then we were soon walking along footpaths and finding more Wood blewits. Then across a field of heavy clay and onto a quiet road for the last leg back to the car. Stormy weather again was imminent and canapés were skipped – hot tea and coffee were eagerly consumed, despite the fact we’d forgotten to bring any milk with us. Straight on to the pies, it was now raining again, with a fantastic complete double
rainbow, so a case of cut, snap & munch. The good-looking, hand raised pies when cut reviled a dark interior with a very small amount of jelly. The piecrust crisp and the filling nicely seasoned, a hasty consideration of these pies turned in a score of 7.57143 with a standard deviation of 1.17006. With that, we dashed into the cars for shelter. A pie worth re-visiting when climatic conditions permit a more considered verdict.
The month’s third new pie - “Norfolk” pork pies from the “pie heaven” that is the Black Olive deli in Southwold, listed in the Independent’s “50 Best Delicatessens”. Eight pie munchers, without the Weather Wizard, set out on a 5-mile Boldero walk, extended to 5½ miles to take in a church for lunch. A short walk was thought a good idea as heavy rain and wind gusts of up to 50 mph were forecast. Parking on some hard standing by Alburgh Road, Hempnall, we set off west, in good weather, along a footpath that did not follow the course on the map. Soon we were heading south along Lower Lane where 
Shaggy Parasols were found and duly harvested. Further on, many Wood blewit” were found and added to the Mushroom Master's haul. Turning left as we passed Lundy Green, storm clouds were gathering in the south. On reaching Spring Lane there was a few spots of light rain. We turned north, up the lane a short distance and, much to José’s disappointment, then turned left along a footpath. José had wanted to continue on to the “Three Horseshoes”, but it was deemed prudent to press on along the Boldero walk before the weather worsened. Walking past a Nursery, the rain increased and it looked as if it would get worse - so those not in waterproofs, donned rain gear. Before we reached Rookery Lane a storm lashed us – gale force winds drove hale stones into us, standing upright was difficult and José Luis had his spectacles blown off his face and into a bush! The firm surface of Rookery Lane was very welcome, and we headed north up it, with the wind behind us gradually abating. We deviated from the Boldero walk to visit Topcroft parish church of St. Margaret, for lunch in the porch. The church was locked and yielded no scratch dials. Leaving the church we noticed a mound of fungus, but not edible.
The weather was now bright sunshine and almost no wind – if only we had followed José’s recommendation and had gone to the pub, we would not be soggy and cold. We retraced our steps for quarter of a mile and then we were soon walking along footpaths and finding more Wood blewits. Then across a field of heavy clay and onto a quiet road for the last leg back to the car. Stormy weather again was imminent and canapés were skipped – hot tea and coffee were eagerly consumed, despite the fact we’d forgotten to bring any milk with us. Straight on to the pies, it was now raining again, with a fantastic complete double rainbow, so a case of cut, snap & munch. The good-looking, hand raised pies when cut reviled a dark interior with a very small amount of jelly. The piecrust crisp and the filling nicely seasoned, a hasty consideration of these pies turned in a score of 7.57143 with a standard deviation of 1.17006. With that, we dashed into the cars for shelter. A pie worth re-visiting when climatic conditions permit a more considered verdict.
