While many food markets are closed for the foreseeable future, one group of Suffolk chefs have banded together to ensure the people of Bury St Edmunds can still safely enjoy delicious and authentic street food during this phase of lockdown.
The Birdhouse food truck, which is situated just outside of the town’s All Saints Hotel, opened last week and has been serving an array of freshly cooked takeaway dishes for people to enjoy at home.
Lee Cooper, who is the hotel’s head chef, is the mastermind behind Bury’s latest culinary venture.
“We started The Birdhouse in response to Suffolk going into Tier 4. We’re all chefs and we basically wanted to make sure we could still offer food while our restaurant is closed, so we bought this food truck and parked it outside the hotel," he explains.
With the prospect of international travel still uncertain, Lee and his team of chefs hope to bring a global flavour to Suffolk, by curating a menu that draws on a number of cuisines from around the world.
“As we’ve all travelled quite a bit previously and just loving cooking great food from around the world, we can call on all of these influences we have. We’re really excited to bring that to Bury St Edmunds. For instance, I’m a big fan of American-style BBQ, so we’re doing brisket and pulled pork. We’re butchering the meat ourselves and longsmoking it.”
Other dishes on the menu currently include a range of loaded chips, Suffolk fish and chips, Lebanese lamb wraps, and BBQ pulled pork in a brioche bun - with burgers and burritos due to be added shortly.
“We’ll be adding some breakfast favourites to our menu, including a Suffolk burrito. It’s something I’ve designed myself, and it’ll have a little bit of everything in it, including cowboy beans, pulled pork, hash potatoes and crispy bacon.”
But with such an international flavour to its fare, Lee and the rest of the team at The Birdhouse are ensuring the ingredients they use are as locally-sourced as possible.
“We’re using some great Suffolk produce in our cooking - that way, we’re still championing those suppliers we would’ve used in our restaurants and giving them a shout out, because as much as the restaurant trade is struggling, so are our local traders. We’re doing a Baron Bigod burger soon, and we’ll start using Dingley Dell pork, Blythburgh pork and Gressingham ducks.”
Having only been open for just over a week, the feedback Lee and his team has received has been incredibly positive.
“It’s absolutely blown me away – the response has just been immense. People say they’re really enjoying it because it’s something different, and we’re already getting repeat customers who are ordering their favourites over and over again. I think being able to treat yourself to a restaurant-quality meal at home is so important right now, and that’s the vibe we wanted to create with our food truck.”
The Birdhouse is currently open Tuesday to Saturday between 4pm and 9pm. To place an order for collection, email info@arabellareeve.co.uk, or call 07944 792564. Its full menu can be found on its Facebook page.
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