Paula Sutton’s guide to Norfolk
9th November 2024
The author and interiors influencer, who lives in West Norfolk, talks to Harriet Cooper about her favourite antiques shops, the beauty of flat landscapes and finding inspiration from period architecture
One of the wonderful things about Norfolk is that you don’t have to go to the fanciest sounding restaurants to find amazing food – the pubs are incredible. My favourites are The Gunton Arms (www.theguntonarms.co.uk), where I spend half my time sitting at the table and the other half looking at the artwork, and The Victoria at Holkham (www.holkham.co.uk) is great for Sunday lunch. Also, The Dabbling Duck in Great Massingham (www.thedabblingduck.co.uk) and we go to our local, the Bedingfeld Arms in Oxborough (www.bedingfeldarms.co.uk). I tend to order the catch of the day. I like my fish and when you’re close to the coast, you know it’s going to be fresh. And then there’s Meadowsweet in Holt (www.meadowsweetholt.com), which has a Michelin star. I love that they offer a tasting menu, and they’re so friendly.
Downham Market, near where I live, has become something of a destination for foodies. Mabel bakery (@mabelthebakery) sells these incredible pastries; there’s a queue every morning and people come from all around. And there’s also The Pantry (@thepantrynorfolk) and The Norfolk Cheese Company (www.thenorfolkcheesecompany.co.uk). In King’s Lynn, I go to Norburys (@norburysfinefoods) which serves great coffee and deli bits. And if we’ve been on the coast, we’ll pop into Gurneys, the fishmongers in Burnham Market (www.gurneysfishshop.co.uk).
If I’m going shopping and I want it all, I go to Holt. My absolute favourite is Norfolk Natural Living (www.norfolknaturalliving.com), the products are beautiful, and everything is presented immaculately. Their perfumery is amazing too… if I could have that shop as a room in my house, I would. I’ll always have a rummage in Richard Scott Antiques (www.richardscottantiques.co.uk) – it feels like going into your granny’s house where she has kept all this wonderful china for decades; and Shirehall Plain Antiques Centre has lots of elegant furniture. Birdie Fortescue is another place I like (www.birdiefortescue.co.uk). Where else do I go shopping? Burnham Market has very pretty shops and Creake Abbey is wonderful (www.creakeabbey.co.uk).
I love the big, old houses in Norfolk – Holkham, Houghton, Oxburgh, Felbrigg, Blickling… The interiors and the stories; not necessarily the real stories but the ones I can imagine when walking through the long galleries and in the Downton Abbey-esque kitchens. I’m obsessed with period architecture and formal gardens, that’s where I get inspiration from. And I love a walled garden, the one at Holkham is my dream.
My favourite walk is on the beach at Holkham. It’s also where I clear my head. Maybe because I am London by birth, but the huge expanse of sky and sand is so appealing. It throws me into a sense of mindfulness, where I start being creative and thinking about what I want to achieve. We’ll bring a picnic and those who want to, go for a swim. I’m happy to sit in the dunes and look out to sea.
My three children are in their 20s now, but we used to take them to Go Ape in Thetford Forest (www.goape.co.uk). There are some great cycling trails there, too. Also, Wells-next-the-Sea is wonderful for families – it has something for everyone with its beach huts, fish and chips, little shops and theatre.
If I was to describe Norfolk in three words… unpretentious, friendly and bucolic. You could be speaking to the biggest landowner or the humblest person, everyone is so friendly. It has a lovely sense of community. And there’s beauty in the flat landscape. That sense of openness is what mesmerised me when we first came to live here, I find it very peaceful. And now we’re going into winter, I know I’m going to see the most stunning sunsets.
The Potting Shed Murder by Paula Sutton (Renegade Books, £16.99) is out now; eBook and audio also available. Her second in the Hill House Vintage Murder Mysteries series, The Body in the Kitchen Garden, is due to be published next year.
You can follow Paula on Instagram at @hillhousevintage
