Where the Chefs Eat: Gennaro Contaldo's favourite restaurants in Norfolk

Gennaro Contaldo, one half of Two Greedy Italians with the late great Antonio Carluccio, mentor to Jamie Oliver and all-around national treasure, wants to talk vegetables. They are “stars in their own right,” he tells me, and the misconception that Italians feast mainly on meat, fish, and pasta is utterly incorrect, he insists. In fact, about 80 per cent of the diet of those in Italy’s Calabria region, for example, is made up of “the humble vegetable.” But, as his new book Verdure attests, vegetables are nothing but humble. Treated right, they are “flavour sensations” and good for us all, physically and financially. “A lot of people don’t see vegetables from which you can produce a beautiful meal,” he enthuses, his trademark Italian gusto booming through as we talk. “People don’t have an excited mentality around vegetables, but there’s so many ways to prepare and enjoy them. When I look at carrots, I don’t see just carrots. There are just so many different things you can do with them.” (Check out that particular section of his new book, and you’ll find recipes for crema di carote, carrot and almond cake and carrot souffle with parsley sauce, to name but a few). Now, he is no vegetarian – “I absolutely love meat,” he practically shouts at me – and this book is not a vegetarian cookbook. Rather, it is about celebrating vegetables: “They are so nutritious; they are so healthy and so tasty and, don’t get me wrong, I love meat and eat lots of it, but I like it with good vegetables. It’s like pairing a good wine with food. You choose a white, red or rosé, depending on the season and what you’re eating, and it should be the same with vegetables.”

For Gennaro, who is regularly seen cooking away on our television screens, “vegetables are a cheap and healthy way to eat because there’s hundreds of different things you can do. This is a great book for people who are a bit unsure of how to make vegetables exciting. This is the season of the artichoke, which is just beautiful. It’s all I’ve been eating since after Christmas and, in Italy, the markets are full of them right now.”

And, while Gennaro is every inch an Italian gentleman, his life is here in the UK, with his wife of nearly 50 years, Liz, with whom he has a weekend cottage in Norfolk, a county he has adopted as another home and one of which he speaks with great adoration. “I’ve been going to Norfolk for years, and I just love it,” he tells me. “It’s not too far from London; it’s full of culture and little villages with so many churches. They’re very patriotic there in the sense of food; they do like their food and the pubs attract me so much. I love all regions of England, but I particularly love Norfolk.” While there, he grows his own vegetables and “I have my own spring water. Can you imagine? I love the fishing, too.” He knows the local restaurants well and admits that he does “love the pubs because they give me the sensation of going back in time, and the simplicity with which they do everything is wonderful. They really cook proper food like a good Sunday roast. I’ve been to places in Scotland, for example, where they advertise a roast, and then you go in, and there’s Thai food and Italian food on the menu, but, on a Sunday in Norfolk, you can really discover some places that do good proper Sunday roast.”

In that sense, Gennaro is rather Anglicised, his love of classic roast beef peppering our conversation but, amongst the “wonderful vegetables and welcoming people of Norfolk,” he is very much at home and, forthwith, he shares his favourite Norfolk spots with us.

The Kings Arms, Reepham

“This place feels so friendly from the second you walk in the door, and it’s not far from where I live; you get such a welcome from everyone, and there’s a lovely bar with an open fire in the wintertime. You can have any sort of classic roast here – pork or beef with a proper, homemade Yorkshire pudding and excellent gravy. I love gravy, but when I first came to England and tried gravy, I said, ‘What is this? What is this brown stuff?’” I did not understand why you would spread that on top of fantastic meat, but now I get it. It’s good; it’s so good. I love it, and they always say to me “hello lovely people” when I walk in because I always say that on my socials.”

Who comes here?

“This is a true local gem, adored by those who live and work in the area.”

Best table in the restaurant

“Anywhere is good. Everyone is so lovely and so welcoming, and you’ll love it anywhere, but if it’s winter, it’s lovely to have a cosy table by the open fire.”

Best time to come

“Definitely on Sundays.”

Dish to order

“I think this place is fantastic for a Sunday roast. It comes with everything, and the vegetables are not just blanched; it’s not just meat with three vegetables because each one is beautifully looked after, and the portions are quite abundant. I also like to have it with a nice glass of red wine. Of course, it has to be Italian wine. And I like my gravy on the side because, sometimes, you get the meat swimming, which I don’t like so much.”

The Parlour, Binham

“This is a restored barn and a working dairy farm. I think it used to be a 17th-century priory. It’s a farm restaurant now, where you can buy your own fresh milk. They make incredible ice cream with fresh cream straight from the field. It’s just so good. They also make their own biscuits that you can buy and take home. There is lots of space, and it’s a really beautiful place in the summer when you can sit outside.”

Who comes here?

“Everyone – old and young – comes here. It’s a real family place and now quite well known across Norfolk and beyond.”

Best table in the restaurant

“This isn’t very big, so there are no bad tables as such, but if you get one in the middle of the barn, you’re in the heart of the place, and it’s very atmospheric.”

Best time to come

“This is one place I tell everyone they have to go to; if it is warm and sunny, have an ice cream when they have finished. And buy their fresh milk to take home. If you don’t drink it, do what I do and make it into a delicious ricotta.”

Dish to order

“Let me tell you a story. The first time I went, I was looking at the menu, and I noticed that they had a Parmagiani di Melanzane, which is very common where I come from in Italy. We love it, so I ordered it, but I wasn’t sure what to expect because we are a long way from Italy. It was presented a different way than the classic, but I put a little bite in my mouth and there were explosions of flavour. It was better than I make it myself. I went to meet the chef to tell him how good it was and he was so lovely. The kitchen was immaculate, and he had been so nervous to cook for me, but he was so humble and, honestly, I nearly cried. It was just amazing, and I’ve never forgotten it.”

French’s Fish Shop, Wells-Next-the-Sea

“When I first came to England, you needed a permit to work. So, the first time, I came for just a little while. I didn’t really want to stay, but I wanted to see what it looked like. I was a cook and I’d had a job in the kitchen since I was 10 years old. Everyone thinks I taught Jamie [Oliver] everything about cooking, but that’s rubbish. He was in the kitchen before me, working in the pub with his Mum and Dad as a very young boy. Anyway, I wanted to learn to make fish and chips and I got a job that paid me £8 a week. I saw this beautiful fish come in, and then I saw what they did to it. I thought it was rubbish; I didn’t understand it. It almost put me off, but I remember the freshness of the cod and the hake. A while later, I had fish and chips done well and became a huge fan. I love this dish now and French’s – it’s so good, I would give this place a Michelin star if I could. It’s in the small fishing village of Wells-Next-the-Sea where they catch lobsters and crab and French’s is on the main road. This is probably one of the best fish and chips I’ve ever had.”

Who comes here?

“French’s is a bit of an institution, and it’s well known now, so you’ll get fish and chip lovers from all over the country coming here.”

Best table in the restaurant

“It’s always got queues round the corner so take what you can get.”

Best time to come

“It’s good all year round, but if you go in the warmer months, you can also just sit on the wall next to the restaurant and look at the sea while you eat. That’s very special.”

Dish to order

“The fish and chips, of course. And the portions are huge. I always get a children’s one, which is already massive.”

The Salt House, Dun Cow

“It’s kind of a gastropub with lovely drinks and excellent fish and lobster. This is right on the coast with views over the salt marshes and across to the sea. It’s in a very special place but the people are lovely, it’s very welcoming and the food is excellent. I just love it here.”

Who comes here?

“This place is not far from Wells, next to the sea, where everyone goes birdwatching, so you’ll find people who come here from all over the country for that reason alone. But it’s family-friendly, so there’s always lots of people here, kids running around and playing outside when the sun is shining.”

Best table in the restaurant

“On a good day, you can sit outside, and I’ll tell you, it’s paradise. There are not many cars going by, and you can see the sea.”

Best time to come

“Summertime if you can. I was there on a nice sunny day under a big umbrella and it was heaven. There are fires in the winter inside though so it’s cosy all year round.”

Dish to order

“I had a fantastic fillet of seabream. The fish comes straight from the sea, so it’s fresh. It was so crispy, just incredible. It had the freshness and flavour of the sea. The vegetables were delicious, and I enjoyed them with a glass of nice white wine. The meat was good there as well.”

Darbys, Swanton-Morley

“This is very local to me and you; you know what I love about this place? The pizza. It does woodfired oven pizza. One night, I went, and they asked me to make a pizza with them for fun, and I did. It was wonderful, but they do fantastic pizza themselves and a lovely Sunday roast. It’s a great place to enjoy.”

Who comes here?

“This is a lovely old pub that feels like a real local hangout. People come just for a beer or stay for a meal.”

Best table in the restaurant

“There isn’t really what I would call a “best table” – I’d say just get what you can, but if it’s warm, sit outside in the garden.”

Best time to come

“It’s really nice in the evening. The atmosphere is lovely, it’s full of charming people, and they have wonderful wines and beers.”

Dish to order

“I like a simple margarita myself. It’s excellent here but I also make it myself at home. I have a woodfired oven in Norfolk but you just spread the pizza out, add a lovely drizzle of olive oil, then passata – never pizza sauce - a little bit of salt and Parmesan - good Parmesan - mozzarella and basil and then put it in on the highest temperature you can. It’s easy and always tastes so good. If you don’t want to do that and you are in this part of Norfolk? Go to Darby’s!”

Gennaro’s new book ‘Verdure: Big and bold Italian recipes to pack your plate with veg’ (Pavilion Books), is out now.