Country pub of the week: The Parrot, Aldringham

George Pell could once be found at L’Escargot, the beguilingly louche French restaurant in Soho.

When he headed to the Aldeburgh seaside in pursuit of a new dream, a gorgeous restaurant with rooms called The Suffolk, many of his London admirers followed him to see what the coast could offer. Lots, it turns out, including The Parrot, a 16th-century inn that serves fish caught in the sea nearby and tales of the smugglers who used to drink here alongside the Whigs.

The pub is a white-washed beauty, simple but with terrific food, much of it from their own allotment. Order an Adnams — it too is made nearby — and get talking to the staff: they might tell you of the police raids in the 1700s, or simply the results of the weekly pub quiz. It closes early, often 9pm; afterwards, nip down the road for a cocktail in Pell’s place.

B1353 Aldringham, IP16 4PY, aldringhamparrot.com