Josie, the Pie Master’s mawther, had visited the establishment of the renowned butcher,
H. Blake on Great Yarmouth market on Wednesday, to source two large pork pies for this week. The venue selected for this weeks sampling was
Holkham, after a stroll around the park. The Walk Master led 6 pie munchers around the park in a clockwise
direction, observing a barn owl, hares and deer. We passed a barn with an iron wheel mounted on one wall – we assume this was for transferring power from a transaction engine parked by the barn to machinery inside. We continued along Great Barn road to The Avenue, where we turned right and walked eight tenths of a mile to the 80 ft high
obelisk, erected in 1730. Continuing to the lake where we found seating, with fabulous views of
Holkham Hall. Here we paused for lunch with very noisy ducks and ducklings skimming across the surface of the lake for entertainment. We then set off towards
St. Withburga church, high on its grass mound. The church, much restored in the 1860’s, was open and after an internal inspection and a look round the exterior for scratch dials, we headed east after finding none. Walking around the north end of the lake, spotting a
harnser and more deer, we returned to the car. No canapés today – King Canapé was on his annual pilgrimage down the smoke. Josie was tea lady in the absence of Margaret and Liz. The pies were sliced and
DISASTER! The pies looked off!
The marbled pink interior had turned brown in the centre! We’d not seen anything like this before and it didn’t smell good either. Well, as they say "every man has his day" and I assume every butcher has his off day, and we were just unlucky. Tesco chocolate mint biscuits and Shortcake had to suffice. We left the park via the south gate, driving through the park and visiting the temple, missed by the mardling munchers as they passed it by, earlier. We then headed home via Melton Constable, to photograph the
water tower.
On route, we called in at the welcoming “
Bell” public house
in Little Walsingham for a pint of “
Blond Witch”. We had visited this establishment on the
9th March last year, for a fortifying beverage while on one of Ricky’s extreme walks! So nil points for H. Blake family butchers on this outing. We hope to try one of their OK pies in the near future.
direction, observing a barn owl, hares and deer. We passed a barn with an iron wheel mounted on one wall – we assume this was for transferring power from a transaction engine parked by the barn to machinery inside. We continued along Great Barn road to The Avenue, where we turned right and walked eight tenths of a mile to the 80 ft high obelisk, erected in 1730. Continuing to the lake where we found seating, with fabulous views of Holkham Hall. Here we paused for lunch with very noisy ducks and ducklings skimming across the surface of the lake for entertainment. We then set off towards St. Withburga church, high on its grass mound. The church, much restored in the 1860’s, was open and after an internal inspection and a look round the exterior for scratch dials, we headed east after finding none. Walking around the north end of the lake, spotting a harnser and more deer, we returned to the car. No canapés today – King Canapé was on his annual pilgrimage down the smoke. Josie was tea lady in the absence of Margaret and Liz. The pies were sliced and DISASTER! The pies looked off!
The marbled pink interior had turned brown in the centre! We’d not seen anything like this before and it didn’t smell good either. Well, as they say "every man has his day" and I assume every butcher has his off day, and we were just unlucky. Tesco chocolate mint biscuits and Shortcake had to suffice. We left the park via the south gate, driving through the park and visiting the temple, missed by the mardling munchers as they passed it by, earlier. We then headed home via Melton Constable, to photograph the water tower. 
On route, we called in at the welcoming “Bell” public house
