A month or so ago, I agreed to feed the gathering celebrating a friend’s completion of the Norfolk coastal path. That friend was Andrew Hadley, who managed to raise over £20,000 for the local YMCA for his 100-plus mile effort.
At the beach at Hopton, I managed to barbecue my burgers, sausages, ribs etc for those who had joined him on his final spurt, along with a merry band of supporters.
Within that jubilant throng were the owners of the George Hotel and number 10 Arlington Coffee Lounge, Bar and Bistro (to give it its full name), Julie and David Ashworth. They are now nearly two years into their ownership of the hotel, situated just off leafy Newmarket Road, in Norwich.
It was simple fare, and yet I must have managed to pull everything together, including the gluten free and vegetarian options, as Julie joked that I could help out in her kitchen should I ever want to. And by the way, did I like Thai food?
And so it came to pass that a couple of Fridays later, there I was giving my 'assistance' to chef Aaron Sodah who had produced a one-off Thai street food menu for a packed out dinner service.
I can genuinely say that in the late afternoon, I did assist. The desserts, produced by chef Zoe, were fruit based, so lots of mangos to peel, de-seed and chop. Then Aaron asked me if I would de-seed and chop the box of red chillies needed for the evening. Now, when a chef says, 'you can pop a pair of those blue plastic gloves on if you want,' may I suggest that your response is not, 'nah, that’s alright.'
Yes, dear reader, they are the stupid words I said. For three days, the ends of my fingers were on fire. Ironically, I had to wear little blue plastic gloves of my own to put in and take out my contact lenses. And I wasn’t allowed anywhere near Mrs F in the K.
It is true to say that as service started, I was of less use. But what a spectacle to view. As the orders came in, on the little ticker tape contraption you’ll have seen on tv, the 'machine' of the kitchen hit overdrive. 'Two prawns, two chicken, one pork,' is shouted at the pass.
Now some may say that I am a bit of a fussy eater...one example being I’m not a fan of mashed potato. 'May I have boiled / roast with mine?' is a regular F in the K comment while out. Can I say this. If I’m eating in a busy restaurant, no more will I try and recreate my own dish from component parts of various offerings. It’s frantic enough back there without idiots like me.
Julie and David (previously Norfolk’s chief fire officer and now self-proclaimed toilet plunger and painter) are assisted by daughter Sophie as general manager and Lauren Hill front of house. I promise this is worth a visit.
georgehotel.co.uk
Follow Julie on Instagram @thegeorgehotelnorwich
and Mark @fitchinthekitchen
