Come hungry. Not just for the food – although there’s plenty of that. Come hungry for big skies, quiet rivers, local flavours, cosy pubs and the chance to slow down for a while.
Autumn is a lovely time to discover the Broads. The waterways are quieter, the landscape starts to change colour and there’s something particularly appealing about spending a day outdoors when you know a good meal and a warm welcome are waiting at the end of it.
Across Norfolk and Suffolk, the Come Hungry campaign is celebrating the region as the Home of the Harvest – and in the Broads, food, landscape and local character are never far apart.
Taste the landscape
The Broads sits at the heart of one of the country’s great food-producing regions.
The surrounding farmland produces seasonal fruit and vegetables, the grazing marshes are home to cattle and the nearby coast brings fresh fish and seafood into the region. Add local cheeses, breads, honey and preserves and there is plenty to fill a picnic basket – or a table.
Independent butchers, bakeries, delis, markets and farm shops can be found across the area, alongside local breweries, vineyards and other producers.
Check out places to eat and drink here.
Eat by the water
One of the pleasures of the Broads is the number of places where lunch or dinner becomes part of the day itself.
Cruise to a riverside pub, find a café after a morning walk or settle beside the water with a drink and watch the boats drift past.
From traditional village pubs and waterside restaurants to independent cafés and tearooms, there are plenty of places to build a day around good food.
Make the journey part of the meal
In the Broads, getting there can be half the fun.
You might travel by boat to a riverside pub, cycle between villages with a café stop along the way, or walk beside the river before rewarding yourself with lunch.
Explore towns such as Beccles, or villages including Horning, Ludham, Reedham, Loddon and Coltishall, where food, drink and the water are never very far apart.
There’s no need for a complicated itinerary. Pick somewhere you’d like to eat, find something interesting nearby and leave plenty of time to enjoy both.
Come hungry for more
Because an autumn visit to the Broads is about more than food.
Come hungry for windmills across the reeds, wildlife along the riverbank, historic villages, market towns and quiet stretches of water.
Come hungry for a bike ride, a riverside walk, a few hours on a boat or simply an afternoon with nowhere urgent to be.
Autumn brings a different rhythm to the Broads, with quieter places, changing colours and cooler days that are ideal for exploring.
Then, when you’ve worked up an appetite, there is always somewhere welcoming to stop.
Check out “Things to Do” here
Stay a little longer
Turn your food discoveries into an autumn short break and take your time exploring different parts of the Broads.
Stay aboard a cruiser, choose a waterside cottage, book a hotel or settle into one of the area’s holiday parks, lodges or independent places to stay.
Leave room for an unplanned pub lunch, a farm shop you spot along the way or a café that looks too tempting to pass.
Sometimes the best parts of a break are simply finding somewhere lovely, ordering something local and deciding there’s no reason to hurry.
Check out “Where to Stay” here
Come hungry to the Broads this autumn – for local flavours, beautiful places and plenty more besides.