nourish team Fielding Cottage at Honingham, Norfolk, offers the visitor everything from frolicking goats to admire to cheese-making courses – plus a fantastic farm shop, holiday cottages, and The Goat Shed Kitchen, their on-site café offering a selection of tasty dishes from Chef Dan Freear. Team nourish went along to find out more.
Fielding Cottage has evolved over the years from selling goats’ cheese, made by hand on their farm since 2009, to a small empire with The Goat Shed Kitchen at its heart. Offering both indoor and alfresco dining – where you can watch the goats at play – Dan, who was Head Chef at Stratton’s in Swaffham for many years, has created a tasty menu showcasing the very best of Fielding Cottage’s own produce and that of local producers.
Dan cooked a selection of current dishes, specials, and new plates coming on to The Goat Shed Kitchen menu for summer – including The Goat Shed lemonade, which was so refreshing and perfectly balanced. We also enjoyed mint tea and espresso coffee.
From the breakfast menu, we tried the black pudding, fried egg, and chilli jam sourdough sandwich, which was a very generous brunch dish with plenty of jam for chilli lovers! This is a winning dish, full of spice and flavour. A second brunch option came in the form of a stack of American pancakes with smoked bacon and maple syrup. The pancakes were light and fluffy and, with the sweet-salt-smoky bacon and maple that is a nourish favourite, it was all we could do to stop at just the one!
A seasonal special was asparagus, lentils, poached egg, and crispy Parma ham – a true marriage in heaven and enhanced by a clever dressing that cut through the richness of the dish.
Our favourite was an open sandwich of marinated beetroot, parsley and walnut pesto, and Fielding Cottage’s own Wensum white goat cheese, all on sourdough. This combination of flavours is a classic for a reason, and had there not been a cloud burst outside, we could almost have been enjoying this in the Mediterranean. We also enjoyed more Fielding Cottage cheese in a fresh and vibrant salad with tomatoes and their signature Norfolk Mardler goat cheese.
To finish was a very moreish carrot cake with sharp apple and hazelnuts – not overly sweet and perfectly balanced. In fact, we kept going back for more – it was so good!
The Goat Shed Kitchen offers something for everyone, including gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan. From salads to toasted ciabatta and grazing boards, there is much to enjoy in the café before visiting the shop and purchasing many of the delicious ingredients to take away and recreate your own taste of Fielding Cottage at home.
- To get in touch visit their website: www.fieldingcottage.co.uk or on social media @fieldingcottage
