Essential Suffolk March 2015

March 2015 | Priceless

Essential SUFFOLK

A WALK AT PIN MILL The 40th route in our ‘Pub Walks with Darcy’ series Theatre | Food | Fashion | Homes & Interiors | Elite Properties

www.essentialsuffolk.com

CELEBRATING ALL THAT MAKES OUR COUNTY GREAT

MADE FOR LIFE DESIGN

|

MANUFACTURE

|

I N S TA L L

VISIT US

Halifax House | 497-499 Wherstead Road

Showroom, Design and Manufacturing all at the same Suffolk address.

Ipswich | Suffolk IP2 8LL | 01473 680091

www.orwellsfurniture.com

www.foxwoodceramics.co.uk

SHOWROOM 36 –38 Woodbridge Road (A1214) Rushmere St Andrew Ipswich | 01473 617050 | info@foxwoodceramics.co.uk

MARCH 2015

Lesley Rawlinson Director lesley@achievemoremedia.co.uk T: 01473 809932 M: 07519 477583

Adrian Rawlinson Director adrian@achievemoremedia.co.uk T: 01473 809932 M: 07718 149307

Alison Watson Account Manager alison@achievemoremedia.co.uk T: 01473 809932 M: 07546 485204

Anne Gould Editor editor@achievemoremedia.co.uk M: 07411 701010

Paul Newman Designer paul@newman-design.com

Cover: Pub Walk with Darcy at Pin Mill see page 48

| Welcome

WELCOME The days are getting lighter and soon, very soon, the clocks will be changing and Spring will be here. No matter what the weather throws at us, with gardens coming to life, bursting with yellow clouds of daffodils are a joyous sight not least because it looks like someone has got a paintbrush out and spruced everything up. The result is that we all feel better, energised and instead of keeping warm by the fire we want to get out and about and enjoy what Suffolk has to offer – whether it’s walking, fine dining, going to the theatre, shopping for new season fashions or possibly even a new home.

Luckily, Essential Suffolk has a complete guide to everything you need to know about clothes, food, property, what to do and where to be seen.

We have an exclusive interview with one of the world’s leading artists, McAlpine Miller who, like so many creatives, has fallen in love with Suffolk and made his home here. His is a truly international lifestyle with exhibitions round the globe, but for him living in Tunstall is a retreat which allows him to work, relax and be himself.

Of course Spring is connected with the word; frolic – often used to describe young animals, particularly lambs, but did you know it’s also a word connected with quilting? Want to know more? We have the story of the Southwold Frolic, its magnificent patchwork – a sumptuous piece of textile art created by 23 needlewomen from right across east Suffolk.

This issue we publish the 40th route in our Pub Walks with Darcy series.

She’s been all over the county trying and testing the best walks that start (and end) at dog-friendly pubs and this month returns to picturesque Pin Mill with a pretty route from the Butt & Oyster.

Until next month don’t forget to keep up to date with what’s going on by following us on Twitter @EssentialSFK and visiting our website essentialsuffolk.com

See all our Social photos at essentialsuffolk.com

Anne Gould Anne Gould Editor editor@achievemoremedia.co.uk

Follow us on twitter @EssentialSFK

TERMS AND CONDITIONS Copyright on all content is with Achieve More Media Limited.

Reproduction in part or whole if forbidden without the express permission of the publishers. All prices, events and times were to the best of our knowledge correct at the time of going to press and you are encouraged to contact the venue prior to booking.

All expressions and opinions within the publication are those of the editor including contributors. Essential Suffolk is a trading name of Achieve More Media Limited.

Essential SUFFOLK is Suffolk’s most exclusive magazine delivered only to individually selected homes, businesses and venues. It is brought to you each month with the valued support of our commercial partners. Please let them know you saw them here.

To subscribe either:

12 issues for £24 Single issues just £2.95 All delivered straight to your door

1. Visit www.essentialsuffolk.com/essential-shop 2. Send a cheque for £24 (for 12 issues) or £2.95 (for a single issue) to Achieve More Media Ltd, 21 Terry Gardens, Kesgrave, Suffolk IP5 2EP Prices include postage and packaging.

Personal details will be used for subscription purposes only.

EssentialSUFFOLK

5

KITCHENS BATHROOMS BEDROOMS HOME OFFICES HOME CINEMAS LIBRARIES

Connec on sociat with us l media

34 Gloster Road Martlesham Heath Ipswich IP5 3RD 01473 610 192 www.angliafactors.co.uk

Contents

08

26

29

38

72

50

FEATURES

REGULARS

26

Southwold Frolic

29

Papworth Trust

13 14

32

Community art in the form of a quilt

Fundraising for disabled and older people

Sammy the Suffolk Seal Seeing Suffolk through the eyes of a child

FEATURES

08

McAlpine Miller

98

My Suffolk

International artist at home in Suffolk

Nicola Bateman, new Chief Executive of the Suffolk Agricultural Association

23

Suffolk in Brief News from around the county

What’s On Where to go and what to see in Suffolk during March

Mini Previews The Aldeburgh Literary Festival, The History Boys at the New Wolsey, Robert Castellani at Geldeston Locks and Murmur & Inked at Dance East

40 48

Fashion

50

Food and Drink

New looks for early Spring

Pub Dog Walk Darcy’s 40th route is a beautiful short walk at Pin Mill

62 68 72

Homes & Interiors

75

Property

91 92

Motoring

Planning your new kitchen

Antiques & Auctions Calling cards at the ready

Gardening The symmetrical gardens of Columbine Hall

A selection of our county’s finest homes for sale

The new Renault Twingo

Essential Faces Highlights from Suffolk’s social calendar

Dining review at 745pm, Short Break at the Long Melford Swan, Wine from Adnams’ Rob Chase plus our gallery full of ideas for eating out

EssentialSUFFOLK

7

MARCH 2015

CHANGING THE COURSE OF ART HISTORY Artist in residence at The Savoy and with collaborations with Pele, Lady Gaga and Virgin Altantic, McAlpine Miller is an international artist who has been compared to Da Vinci, Monet and Picasso. Anne Gould met up with him at his Tunstall home

L

iving in Suffolk you are never really sure who you might meet.

You might be at the supermarket and find there’s an international singer songwriter standing next to you at the checkout. Or you could drop into the pub and find there’s a best-selling author, a member of Britain’s acting aristocracy, a leading BBC broadcaster… in the bar. So if you are walking in the forest around Tunstall you might just encounter a man and his dogs whose work and influence is said,

by Art Business Today, “To be changing the course of art history – much in the same way that Da Vinci, Monet and Picasso did.”

The artist McAlpine Miller has lived in Suffolk for some years now – he explained that after living in London for 20 years he first of all moved to a place near Bury St Edmunds, but 18 months ago Tunstall became home.

8

essentialsuffolk.com

Suffolk People | McAlpine Miller

Although originally from Ayreshire in Scotland he also has family who live locally; “I used to come to Woodbridge when my children were young and visit this part of Suffolk and I fell in love with the place.”

So with the world at his feet what is it that makes Suffolk so special for McAlpine Miller? Well it seems it’s a combination of things; the people are so friendly, there are some great walks and it seems, he says, like an ‘exceptionally favoured’ part of Britain. Snape and the Maltings are just up the road, Aldeburgh is close by so there’s music and there are galleries to visit, he adds. “Suffolk also has some great artists and I’m honoured that I’ve got some of their original work in my home. It’s also nice to feel part of a community and be able to support it too. Most of my exhibitions are in London or America, we are continually on the move and it’s always a delight to come back here.”

In the art world McAlpine Miller is very much a superstar – in addition to sell-out exhibitions he’s worked with Pele to create a series of paintings to commemorate the 2014 World Cup. This year he’s collaborating with Virgin Galactic and Zero G Colony, with artists like Lady Gaga, Calvin Harris and David Bowie on the first live music show in space. It’s an event that will take place in New Mexico and although it’s going to be transmitted around the world in 3D it is invitation only for the world’s elite.

During the event McAlpine Miller will create paintings in an individually designed pod with a televised broadcast round the world. He was also one of seven contributors to create a front cover for luxury magazine LUXURE, along with the likes of Manalo Blahnik.

Back in 2012 he was Artist in Residence at The Savoy, commissioned to paint a series of pictures – including icons like Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin and

Frank Sinatra and this month he’s returning to the hotel where there is a limited edition release to the public of some of these images. While McAlpine Miller keeps none of his original works himself there’s obviously some attachment to these Savoy images because his dining room chairs have all been upholstered using fabric printed with copies of the original artwork. “There can be just the two of us at the table but it feels like we are being joined for dinner with all these faces,” he explained.

This month he also has a small exhibition of new drawings at St Christopher’s Place, there’s the Pele exhibition at the Halcyon Gallery in September and a big show in Miami later in the year.

Like many artists, writers and musicians McAlpine Miller says that art is something that is and always has been fundamentally part of his life – well since the age of two. ‰

EssentialSUFFOLK

9

For the love of the Foxhall Road Cup Final.

For swift, affordable hospital treatment that gets you back to the life you love.

There are those things in life you want to keep on doing. But every now and then, your health might just get in the way.

Life doesn’t have to stop. Just because you don’t have health insurance, it doesn’t mean you can’t have swift access to private hospital treatment. ƂÌ Õvw i ` i> Ì ] «>Þ } v À «À Û>Ìi ÌÀi>Ì i Ì > iÃ Ì ÕÃÌ >à >VViÃà L i° "ÕÀ ë Ì> «ÃÜ V V>ÀÀ ià ÕÌ > vast range of procedures and all are supported by continued follow-up care for as long as you need it.* "ÕÀ ÌÀi>Ì i Ì V ÃÌà >Ài ÌÀ> ë>Ài Ì > ` > i vv «>Þ i Ì V ÛiÀà > Ì i V>Ài Þ Õ½ ii`° *À Vià >Ài > à Ài >vv À`>L i than you might think and you may even be eligible to spread the cost with interest free credit.† We also promise to meet any comparable price.** So get in touch and get back to the life you love.

An invitation to meet our Consultants Let’s talk varicose veins À Ƃ > > iÀ E À ƂLÕ "Ü ] ÃÕ Ì> Ì General and Vascular Surgeons Date: Wednesday 4th March 2015 Time: 7pm Place: Õvw i ` i> Ì «ÃÜ V ë Ì> ] Ý > , >`] «ÃÜ V ] -Õvv *{ x-7°

01473 858846 Õvw i ` i> Ì °V É «ÃÜ V «>Þn

Hospitals + Health Checks + Physio + Gyms

Promise is valid for patients paying for themselves. Excludes assisted conception and IVF treatments. *Where possible, we promise to assist you to receive any follow up advice, treatment or ECTG VJCV KU ENKPKECNN[ TGSWKTGF HTQO [QWT %QPUWNVCPV HQT CU NQPI CU [QW OC[ TGSWKTG KV +H C RTQUVJGUKU KU WUGF CU RCTV QH [QWT VTGCVOGPV VJKU KU IWCTCPVGGF HQT VJG OCPWHCEVWTGToU QHƂ EKCN NKHGVKOG QH that prosthesis. “Clinically required” indicates where further intervention and/or monitoring of a patient’s condition is deemed necessary as a direct result of surgical intervention. †Subject to UVCVWU 6GTOU CPF EQPFKVKQPU CXCKNCDNG QP TGSWGUV

0QV KPENWFKPI RTKXCVG RCVKGPV WPKVU CV 0*5 JQURKVCNU .QECN CTGC FGƂ PGF CU YKVJKP OKNGU QH VJG 0WHƂ GNF *GCNVJ JQURKVCN 9G YKNN OCVEJ against written quotes only. Your initial consultation and any necessary tests are paid for separately.

Suffolk People | McAlpine Miller

“I remember one Christmas coming downstairs to find this beautiful set of poster paints and watercolours and I was so excited. These were actually for my older brother but I carried on using them for many, many years. I had a fascination with drawing and painting from a very early age. It was something I needed to do and it was a form of empowerment.”

For his family this talent was something that came out of the blue and although his older brother liked drawing and was a source of inspiration while McAlpine Miller was growing up, he’s ended up with a career in IT. After school he went to art school in Glasgow and then when he came to London in 1990 it was with just enough money to pay rent for a month. “I was lucky enough to be introduced to a gallery in Albermarle Street and they offered me an advance on an exhibition in February. Then when the show opened it was in the middle of a snow storm and nobody came.”

But as it has turned out this was just a little hiccup on the way to fame and fortune. Today he’s in the fortunate position of having a waiting list for his pictures and daily working life in his studio at Tunstall Hall has an order about it. “I prefer the natural daylight and like to work from 8.30am - 6pm.

It’s also important to have two days off at weekends like everyone else.” One day, he says, it would be nice to have an exhibition in Suffolk…

EssentialSUFFOLK

11

CELEBRATING

10 YEARS

MASTERS IN BESPOKE FITTED FURNITURE

KITCHE NS

n

BE DROOM S

n

BATHROOM S

Specialists in the design, manufacture and installation of bespoke and handcrafted fitted furniture, personally designed to suit your individual requirements and style to an exceptional level of quality.

Situated in beautiful surroundings, our breathtaking showroom is a restored 19th century timber framed barn, renovated by our very own team of professionals.

With two floors of displays, we are proud to be one of the largest bespoke showrooms in Suffolk.

Visit us to experience the outstanding quality of our products for yourself.

n

S TUDIE S

OPENING TIMES Monday to Friday: 9am – 5pm Saturday: 10am – 4pm

01394 421214 THE GRANARY, RENDLESHAM MEWS RENDLESHAM, WOODBRIDGE SUFFOLK IP12 2SZ

www.debenvale.com

News

SUFFOLK in brief Suffolk company John Banks Limited has announced that they have officially become the new name in Cambridge for Renault and Dacia for sales, service and parts.The John Banks Group already has seven other franchised sites Honda at Cambridge, Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds, Suzuki at Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds, and Honda Motorcycles at Bury St Edmunds and Cambridge. With John Banks being 179th in the Top 200 Dealer Groups in the UK with the Renault dealership and a further 25 staff joining the team at John Banks this will of course strengthen the company’s portfolio. John Banks have purchased the site at Swann’s Road from Richard West of ‘Wests’ whose family business has been operating in Cambridge for over 50 years.

Suffolk Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the Government awarding New Anglia LEP a further £48.5m to be spent in the region to 2021 and which could unlock a further £120m in public and private sector investment. The announcement sees funding for a new Engineering and Innovation Technology Centre for West Suffolk College, a new Innovation Centre for Ipswich and investment for tackling issues faced by business in our coastal towns. “The announcement is great news for Suffolk and for the East of England,” said John Dugmore, the Chief Executive of Suffolk Chamber of Commerce. “It is a vote of confidence in our economy and will rightly see investment of over £13m to support small and mediumsized enterprises, across Norfolk and Suffolk who want to invest and grow.”

CLA East’s call for the ‘hardest-to-reach’ areas in rural Suffolk and across the eastern region to be made a priority in the broadband roll-out has been backed by an influential committee of MPs. In a recent report the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select Committee has warned that poor broadband is causing harm to the rural economy. It echoed CLA East’s concerns over the roll-out of broadband across the eastern region and the current minimum speed which, according to the committee, is outdated to meet modern technology needs.

CLA East Regional Director Ben Underwood said: “We are pleased MPs have listened carefully to the evidence we set out to them “It is clear that rural areas have fallen behind.

If the Government is serious about levelling the playing field it must listen to MPs and prioritise hardest-to-reach areas, even if this

means diverting new investment into alternative technologies such as satellite.

Access to fast, reliable broadband and mobile phone coverage is vital for the success of rural business and social inclusion in the countryside. It is unacceptable that 10-15 percent of the population is still unable to get broadband.”

Milsom Hotels and Restaurants are pleased to announce the appointment of Aaron Skerritt as the new restaurant Head Chef at milsoms Kesgrave Hall in Suffolk.

Aaron who was previously a Senior Sous Chef with Milsom Catering started his new role at the beginning of February. Before that he has worked in the kitchens at Le Talbooth and Kesgrave Hall. With Aaron’s arrival in the kitchen there also comes a promotion for Stuart Oliver, who after seven successful years as Head Chef, will take up the new position of Executive Chef at Kesgrave Hall. This post has been created due to the recent development of The Hangar into one of East Anglia’s leading party, event and wedding venues.

Finalists have been confirmed for the 2015 Suffolk Coastal Business & Community Awards.The winners will be announced at the Awards Dinner on 12th March at The Hangar, Milsoms Kesgrave Hall.

A full list of categories and finalists can be found at www.essentialsuffolk.com/scbcaawards-finalists

Framlingham College pupil Alex Emsden has been selected for the England U16 squad after a number of selection camps over the past few months. Alex will play his first matches during half-term at Lilleshall where he will play an U17 select XI in preparation for the Easter test matches vs the Dutch.

Framlingham College Director of Sport, Simon Sinclair added, “Alex is a skillful midfielder who has worked tirelessly on his game over the last few years and fully deserves his recognition on the International stage. Everyone at the College is delighted for Alex and proud of his achievement. He has played an important role for the College 1st XI this year and we would like to wish him all the best.”

Five current pupils from The Royal Hospital School have gained places in the prestigious National Youth Choirs of Great Britain. Sally Watson (Year 11) recently gained a place joining George Rennison (Year 13),Taylor Godfrey (Year 10), Dan Waterman (Year 10) and Tom Brown (Year 9). William Saunders, Director of Music at the Royal Hospital School, said “This is a staggering achievement – the choir equivalent of an Olympic team.The Royal Hospital School has a long tradition of choral excellence and this success is testament to the hard work and devotion to singing shown by these young people.”

In a move designed to increase the choice for home buyers and sellers a number of Suffolk estate agents have joined the new property portal OnTheMarket.com which has launched as a direct competitor to Rightmove and Zoopla. OnTheMarket.com is a mutual organisation focused on providing an outstanding service for property searchers, estate and letting agents, vendors and landlords.The venture already has the support of more than 4,000 estate and lettings agency branches nationwide, including those of leading national, regional and local firms.

With the launch of the site neither Rightmove nor Zoopla will be able to claim their property listings cover the entire market because many estate and letting agents will be leaving them to join OnTheMarket.com as the best platform to showcase their properties in the clearest and simplest way. The properties of regular Essential Suffolk advertisers Clarke & Simpson, Fenn Wright, Jackson-Stops & Staff, Neals and Savills can all be found on the new site.

More news can always be found at www.essentialsuffolk.com/content

EssentialSUFFOLK

13

MARCH 2015

WHAT’S ON MARCH 1

MARCH 1 – 14

Ipswich Orchestral Society Family Concert ‘We've Got Rhythm’

Educating Rita

Ipswich Corn Exchange, 2.30pm A concert aimed at families, to introduce children to classical music in a fun way.

There will be music by Grieg, Marquez and many others plus Star Wars. Audience participation too.

Tickets: £7 – £10 Box Office: 01473 433100 www.ipswichcornexchange.com

Mercury Theatre, Colchester Certain that she can do more than a shampoo and set, hairdresser Rita sets out in search of adventure and the education she never got at school. Heart-warming and hilarious, Educating Rita is one of the great comic stories of the past four decades.

Tickets: £10 – £25 Box office: 01206 573948 www.mercurytheatre.co.uk

American Roots Night

The Fisher Theatre, Bungay, 7.30pm Authentic music from the Mississippi Delta to the Kentucky Mountains by some of the finest traditional American roots, bluegrass, ragtime and blues musicians. Those who follow traditional bluegrass music cannot fault The New Essex Bluegrass Band’s approach to the art. With some of the most capable musicians around, their respect for its authentic origins and roots produces impeccable arrangements and hair-raising harmonies.

Tickets: £10 Box Office: 01986 897130

MARCH 2 Down to Earth – Monty Don

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 2pm

production is an otherworldly mystery that leaves a terrifying eeriness suspended in the air. The Mist in the Mirror is a gothic fireside story which the audience is invited to eavesdrop on. Visual theatre innovators ‘imitating the dog’ will once again be on hand to create an unnerving ethereal atmosphere before the show even begins and an unsettling feeling that might just follow you home at the end of the night too...

Box Office: 01473 295900 www.wolseytheatre.co.uk

MARCH 4

The Magnificent Music Hall

New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich Trio Da Kali

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 8pm

This talented cast from BBC TV’s The Good Old Days invites you once again on a trip down memory lane to relive those golden memories of traditional Music Hall illuminated in song, dance, magic and laughter.

“This is cutting edge Victoriana, rich in the kind of eccentricities beloved by the British and their visitors” – Time Out Box Office: 01473 295900 www.wolseytheatre.co.uk

Monty Don is a renowned gardening writer and BBC television presenter. Hear him speak about his life and travels visiting gardens all over the world, what really happens behind the scenes when filming, about how he made his own organic garden from a bare field and how understanding and working with nature enriches and empowers us all.

Tickets: £18 Box office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk

MARCH 3 – 7

essentialsuffolk.com

First & Finest

Tourist Information Centre, St Stephen’s Church, Ipswich, 2pm A guided walk to celebrate the many achievements of Ipswich and its people.

Tickets: £3

The Mist in the Mirror

New Wolsey, Ipswich Presented by Oldham Coliseum Theatre, Adapted by Ian Kershaw from the novel by Susan Hill. This tense and atmospheric new

14

Three Malian musicians from a heritage of distinguished griots, celebrating the African continent’s finest, most subtle and sublime music. The trio’s first international appearance was at the BBC Proms in summer 2013; they have since gone on to collaborate with the celebrated Kronos Quartet and were most recently seen with Toumani Diabate at last year’s London Jazz Festival.

Tickets: £12.50 (concessions £10.50) Box Office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk

To see more event listings for this month and beyond visit

essentialsuffolk.com

What’s On Including Coppelia, Swan Lake and La Fille Mal Gardee.

Box office: 01473 433100 www.ipswichregent.com

MARCH 5 Doric String Quartet

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 7.30pm Described by Gramophone Magazine as ‘one of the finest young string quartets’ it has emerged as the leading British string quartet amongst the new generation.

Tickets: £18 – £15 Box Office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk Woodbridge School Fashion Show

MARCH 5 – 8 The 14th Aldeburgh Literary Festival Jubilee Hall, Aldeburgh

(See mini preview page 23) Tickets: £11 Information: 01728 452587

Seckford Theatre, 7.30pm MARCH 6 Murmur & Inked

Jerwood Dance House, Ipswich

The Russian State Ballet and Orchestra of Siberia

Ipswich Regent Raymond Gubbay presents Russia’s acclaimed ballet company, returning to Ipswich with great ballet masterpieces following a sensational season in 2014.

(See mini preview page 23) Box office: 01473 295230 www.danceeast.co.uk

Depart Orford Quay, 10am Come and visit Suffolk’s only island to look for the superb wildlife that spends the winter there.

Tickets: RSPB members £12, non-members £19 Booking essential, through Minsmere visitor centre on 01728 648281 Bury Bach Choir

Handel’s Messiah Tickets: £23 Box Office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk Farmers Markets

Beccles Heliport, 9am – 1pm Metfield, Village Hall, 9am – 12 noon Snape Maltings, 9.30am – 1pm

Jazz by the Waterfront

St Peter’s By the Waterfront, Ipswich, 7.45pm Essential Sounds Big Band www.stpetersbythewaterfront.com

To see more event listings for this month and beyond visit

essentialsuffolk.com

CREATING THE VISION, LIVING THE DREAM

We create beautiful gardens, inspired by your vision, built with our expertise, a space, however grand or compact, to admire, relax in and enjoy.

01473 722828

Basepoint, Unit 39 70-72 The Havens Ransomes Europark Ipswich IP3 9SJ (opposite Makro).

info@gilman-earledesign.com www.gilman-earledesign.com

RSPB Havergate Island Boat Trip

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 7pm

Tickets: £12 Box office: 01394 615015 Email: boxoffice@woodbridge.suffolk.sch.uk

MARCH 5 – 7

MARCH 7

EssentialSUFFOLK

15

What’s On Charity Concert

MARCH 9

The Royal Hospital School This show-piece charity concert will feature a range of music from sacred and secular vocal to classical and jazz instrumental and will include pieces by the Chapel Choir, Band, Orchestra, Chamber Choir, Jazz Band, Show Choir, Barbershop Group and soloists.

Conductors: William Saunders, Roger Jones and Alice Reidy. All proceeds raised will go to Riding for the Disabled (RDA).

Box office: 01473 433100 www.ipswichregent.com The Art Of Nose

The Barn, The Street, Walberswick, 10am – 1pm An exhibition presented by Artbox in Suffolk raising funds for Comic Relief and Artbox.

Art for sale. Breakfast butties and hot drinks.

Entry: £1 Pop Chorus in Concert

Jerwood Dance House, Ipswich, 7.30pm Enjoy the vocal talents of this fun Suffolk choir singing a selection of great pop songs in harmony joined by special guests including Bigsingthing Community Choir from Swindon.

Tickets: £8 Information: 07788 585441 Email: sing@popchorus.org www.popchorus.org

MARCH 8 Peachy Keen Vintage Fair

David Starkey –The Tudors and Us

Mercury Theatre, Colchester The UK's leading constitutional historian David Starkey talks about the period he describes as “the most glorious soap opera, with the whole future of countries turning on what these huge personalities felt like when they got out of bed in the morning”.

There will also be the chance to pose questions directly in a special question and answer session.

Tickets: £14 (Talk recommended for 14+ years) Box Office: 01206 573948 www.mercurytheatre.co.uk

MARCH 9 – 14

When even a footie–averse critic like myself has a ball, this is bound to be a roaring success” – The Daily Telegraph “…masses of good jokes, this one’s a runner” – The Times Box Office: 01473 295900 www.wolseytheatre.co.uk

MARCH 10 Katherine Jenkins

Ipswich Regent Katherine Jenkins will be taking her new album ‘Home Sweet Home’ far and near, with a full concert tour in the company of the National Symphony Orchestra, her touring orchestra for much of the last decade.

Box office: 01473 433100 www.ipswichregent.com

A Celebration of Schools Music

Snape Maltings, 7pm For six days every March Snape Maltings Concert Hall rings with the sound of young people’s music making. Bringing together schools from across the county over 1,500 pupils from 50 schools perform in one of the world’s greatest concert venues. Every kind of music imaginable, all ages and all abilities join together in this unique and long running partnership between Aldeburgh Music and Suffolk County Council.

Box office: 01728 687110 www.aldeburgh.co.uk The Three Lions

New Wolsey, Ipswich

St Peter’s by the Waterfront, 11am – 4pm A new vintage event for Ipswich with stalls ranging from mid-century novelties to 1980s retro to modern takes on yesteryear.

Entry: £2

MARCH 13 The Manfreds

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 7.30pm The Manfreds, with ‘The One In The Middle’ Paul Jones, will be performing many of their biggest hits including 5-4-32-1, Pretty Flamingo and Do Wah Diddy Diddy, along with a mix of solo hits and jazz and rhythm ‘n’ blues renditions for which they are famous.

Tickets: £19.50 Box Office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk

MARCH 14

Bleak House

Jerwood Dance House Join The Pantaloons Theatre Company for a fog-filled adventure in Victorian London.

When a dead body is discovered in Mr Krook’s Rag-and-Bone shop, a web of mysteries starts to untangle, with far-reaching consequences. Hilarious, tragic and romantic by turns, Dickens’ darkly comic masterpiece is retold by The Pantaloons in their own inimitable style. A company of five actormusicians brings the novel’s cast of over 50 characters to life in a thrilling tale of love, skulduggery and spontaneous combustion…

Box office: 01473 295230 www.danceeast.co.uk

To see more event listings for this month and beyond visit

essentialsuffolk.com

Suffolk Sinfonia: Crossing the Border

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 7.30pm

A footballer, a prince and a prime minister walk into a hotel room…This hilarious new comedy offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of diplomacy in action, revealing what really went on between David Cameron, David Beckham and Prince William in a Swiss hotel the night before England’s bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In spite of missed planes, mistaken identities, misunderstandings and sartorial challenges, they are determined to bring the beautiful game home. But when things start to go disastrously and deliciously wrong, three heads may not be better than one! ”

Malcolm Arnold’s Tam O’Shanter Overture, Hamish MacCunn’s Land of the Mountain and the Flood, Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony and Elgar’s Enigma Variations.

Tickets: £12 – £10 Box Office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk Photography day on RSPB Havergate Island

Spend an exclusive day with a small group on Suffolk’s only island for up to 12 hours of tuition, observation and photographic opportunities in this wonderfully diverse and fragile habitat.

For more details and booking call 01728 648281.

EssentialSUFFOLK

17

MARCH 2015

The Village

MARCH 16 – 18

MARCH 18

Jerwood Dance House, Ipswich (also March 25 at The Apex, Bury St Edmunds)

The Picture of Doreen Gray

Cardinal Connections

New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich

Tourist Information Centre, St Stephen’s Church, Ipswich, 2pm

For this latest large scale community dance performance project DanceEast is delighted to be joined by newly formed company Unit made up of DanceEast Associate Artists Tom Hobden and Kate Flurrie. The Village is inspired by the hundreds of little villages across England. The audience will zoom in and out of local characters’ lives to reveal a web of community spirit.

Box office: 01473 295230 www.danceeast.co.uk

Ipswich born Thomas Wolsey was made Cardinal 500 years ago. Discover more about his many national and local achievements on this guided tour of Ipswich.

Tickets: £3 Fanfare Ciocarlia

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 8pm

Janice Day and the Dance Band Divas

Seckford Theatre, Woodbridge Presented by A Class Act the show tells the stories of the forgotten girl singers of the 1920s and1930s. Sponsoring Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

Tickets: £15 Box office: 0333 666 3366 www.aclassact.org.uk Suffolk Singers – Serenading Spring

St Michael’s Church, Framlingham, 7.30pm With just a week to the first day of Spring, the Suffolk Singers will be ‘Serenading Spring’ under the dynamic musical direction of Claire Weston. Music by Anerio, Bruckner, Byrd, Deruflé, Franck, Gjeilo, Goodall, Hutchings, Mealor, Mendelssohn, Tallis and Whitacre.

Tickets: £10 (including refreshments) Information: 01473 635525 or Hall Farm Butchers, Framlingham.

Award winning LipService Theatre returns to the New Wolsey. Doreen Gray has it all, a drive time radio show, a high ratings lifestyle programme on Even More 4, but hitting 50, Doreen finds her face no longer fits the bill. At a school reunion she stumbles across a youthful self-portrait and makes a dark and dreadful deal. Featuring community actors as Doreen’s school mates live on stage and on film.

Email: creativelearning@wolseytheatre.co.uk if you would like to be involved.

Box Office: 01473 295900 www.wolseytheatre.co.uk

MARCH 19 Woodbridge School Gala Concert

MARCH 17 Farmers Markets

Halesworth, Town Centre, 9am – 1pm Woodbridge, Community Centre, 9am – 1pm

Purveyors of unadulterated Gypsy brass; fusing infectious, lightning-fast melodies, thunderous drums, unbridled brass and a mischievous, captivating stage presence, Fanfare Ciorcarlia are the unparalleled titans of the Balkan music world.

Tickets: £18 Box Office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk

Secret Love: A Sentimental Journey through the life and music of Doris Day

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 7.30pm MARCH 15 Farmers Markets

Assington, The Barn, 10am – 2pm El Llanto Se Mueve (The Cry Moves) – Jairo Barrull Flamenco Company

Snape Maltings This concert will include Chris Williams’ new Tsunami Requiem for massed choirs – the School Choral Society, Junior Choir and The Abbey Choir as well as the visiting choir from Stormarnschule Ahrensburg – over 200 singers on stage. They will also sing Handel’s Zadok the Priest. The first half of this concert will have performances from the Swing Band, Concert Band and the Symphony Orchestra.

Box office: 01728 687110 www.aldebugh.co.uk

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 7.30pm Flamenco dancers Jairo Barrull and Irene La Sentio are joined by a full cast of award winning gypsy musicians from Seville and Jerez to evoke the pure essence of flamenco’s soul: el llanto (the cry).

Jairo said “El Llanto is the root, the beginning of everything flamenco. El Llanto is purity, beauty, sadness and suffering. It is the mixture of cultures, identities and it is history. It is the voice of our ancestors, The Untouchables caste that came from India centuries ago”.

Tickets: £20 Box Office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk 18

essentialsuffolk.com

MARCH 19 – 21 An Evening with Pam Ayres

Mercury Theatre, Colchester

Acclaimed jazz singer and West End actress Claudia Morris celebrates the 90th Birthday of her Hollywood idol Doris Day. Tickets: £18.50 Box office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk

Pam Ayres brings her latest show to Colchester as part of her 40th anniversary tour, following the recent publication of her new book of poetry You Made Me Late Again!

Tickets: £23 Box office: 01206 573948 www.mercurytheatre.co.uk

What’s On Johnny Cash Roadshow

MARCH 20

MARCH 21

Dance 70s through to the Present Day

We Are Handmade Contemporary Spring Craft & Design Fair

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 7.30pm Ufford Park Woodbridge Hotel, Golf & Spa A night filled with non-stop 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s hits to keep you dancing all night long! Fancy dress optional.

Tickets: £7.50 www.uffordpark.co.uk Last Man Standing

Jerwood Dance House Danger, the fragility of existence and the desire to survive; we are surrounded by these things in the relentlessness of life.

How do we respond? With fear, anger, determination? Last Man Standing is dance driven by unparalleled energy and athleticism, performed by world-class dancers. A hotly anticipated new work from rising star James Wilton, renowned for exhilarating choreography that leaves you breathless.

Wilton’s work draws on martial arts, breakdancing and capoeira to create raw, earthy and ground-breaking performances.

Box office: 01473 295230 www.danceeast.co.uk

The Old School, Long Melford, 10am – 4pm With approx. 40 stalls, this event will offer shoppers a wonderful choice of beautifully designed and handcrafted items. Makers will be showcasing the latest in contemporary and vintage inspired handmade items including jewellery, clothes, bags and prints.

Entry: Free Information: 07824 888346

The only tribute show to be endorsed by the Cash family. Featuring all the big hits, including Ring Of Fire, Walk The Line, Jackson and Boy Named Sue. Tickets: £19 Box Office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk

MARCH 21 Farmers Markets

Simply Events Spring Craft Fair

The Town Hall, Hadleigh, 10am – 4pm The fair will host 35 quality handmade crafts stalls from local makers including jewellery, textiles, ceramics glass and handmade soaps.

Entry: Free Email: info@simplyevents.me

Harkstead, Village Hall, 9am – 12 noon Aldeburgh, Church Hall, 9am – 12.30 Beccles Heliport, 9am – 1pm Debenham, Community Centre, 9am – 1pm

MARCH 22 Robert Castellani

Aldeburgh Music Club

Geldeston Locks Inn, Beccles

Snape Maltings Aldeburgh Music Club Choir with the Prometheus Orchestra conducted by Edmond Fivet perform Fauré’s Requiem and Haydn’s Nelson Mass.

Box office: 01728 687110 www.aldebugh.co.uk

Suffolk based prize-winning acoustic guitarist (See mini preview page 25)

SPR RIING | SUMMER SUMMER 2015

HAVE H AVE A F FLIRT LIRT W WITH ITH A

NEW WORK BY THE THE BEST BEST NEW DANCE COMPANIES

DREAMING LAST MAN D REAMING MURMUR MURMUR & L AST M AN CODE INKED STANDING IIN NC ODE INKED S TANDING

PROMISES OF FL LAND AND & 4 4X4 X4 P ROMISES O OF TONGUE T ONGUE O F G ANDINI GANDINI HAPPINESS H APPINESS THEO JJUGGLING UGGLING THEO

2FACED 2FACED DANCE D ANCE C OMPANY COMPANY

A AAKASH AKASH ODEDRA ODEDRA C OMPANY COMPANY

JJAMES AMES WILTON W ILT TO ON D ANCE DANCE

ROBERT ROBERT CLARK C LARK

Friday 6 Februarry y

F riday 6 Friday M arch March

Friday 20 March

F riday 1 Friday M ay May

CLINKARD CLINK KA ARD

Friday 15 May

Friday 26 26 Friday June June

ENJOY A H ALF P RICE D RINK IN THE HALF PRICE DRINK DANCEEAST BAR AFTER THE SHOW AND F EEDBACK Y OUR T HOUGHTS FEEDBACK YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE WORK YOU HAVE JUST SEEN

EssentialSUFFOLK

19

MARCH 2015

Licence to Thrill –The Music of James Bond

MARCH 23 – 28

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 7.30pm

The History Boys

Goldfinger, Diamonds are Forever, You Only Live Twice, Live and Let Die, Skyfall and many, many more. Be ‘shaken and stirred’ by the star-studded Syd Lawrence Orchestra and cast of top London singers.

Tickets: £22 (£20 concessions) Box office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk

MARCH 23 – 25 Three Men In A Boat

Mercury Theatre, Colchester Jerome K Jerome's ripping yarn of youthful friendship, mischief and folly, originally intended as a guide to boating on the Thames, continues to celebrate the very essence of Britishness, inspiring many of our comic legends from Morecambe and Wise to Monty Python. Equipped with a working pub, live piano accompaniment, music hall singing, a dog and a feast of physical comedy, settle yourself in for a night out to remember!

Tickets: £22.50 – £10 Box office: 01206 573948 www.mercurytheatre.co.uk

New Wolsey Theatre, (See mini preview page 25) Box Office: 01473 295900 www.wolseytheatre.co.uk The Full Monty

Ipswich Regent In 1997, a British film about six out of work Sheffield steelworkers took the world by storm. Now, they’re back and this time they really have to go The Full Monty… live on stage. Simon Beaufoy, the Oscar winning writer of the film, has gone all the way with this hilarious and heartfelt adaptation that’s getting standing ovations every night.

Box office: 01473 433100 www.ipswichregent.com

MARCH 25 – 28 Blackadder: Back In Time (for Comic Relief)

Rushmere Players serving three courses of Blackadder. Following their sell-out performances in 2013, Rushmere Players are

AG AND ASSOCIATES

osteopathy and physiotherapy sports injury treatment • Physiotherapy • Sports & Exercise and Musculosketal Medicine • Physiotherapy -based Pilates

• Psychotherapy including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy • Chronic pain management programmes

Mercury Theatre, Colchester Lucky Eric, Judd, Les and Ralph are the original men in black as they tell the tale of one night in a Yorkshire disco in the 80s in this outrageous parody of Saturday Night Fever.

Tickets: £25 – £10 Box office: 01206 573948 www.mercurytheatre.co.uk

Farmers Market

Woodbridge, Community Centre, 9am – 1pm

STUART CLAY TRAPS Country sports, fishing and clothing specialists We stock most makes of: • Shotgun, rifles and air rifles • Men’s, ladies and children’s clothing and boots • Sporting guns • Fishing tackle and equipment • Full range of fishing accessories and fresh bait Stockists of: • LE CHAMEAU • LAKSEN • HOGGS • AIGLE • DEER HUNTER • MUSTO • HUCKLECOTE

• Nutrition and Naturopathy

www.gilmourosteo.co.uk e-mail: reception@gilmourosteo.co.uk essentialsuffolk.com

Bouncers

• MRI and Imaging Services

Tollgate Cottage, Yarmouth Road Melton, Woodbridge, IP12 1QF 01394 387818

20

MARCH 26 – 28

MARCH 28

Sir John Mills Theatre, Ipswich, 7.45pm

ANDREWGILMOUR

• Osteopathy

pleased to be presenting a further three episodes from the lives and incarnations of Edmund Blackadder. Scripts by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton – this is a performance by amateurs. Episodes in order of appearance: General Hospital, Dish & Dishonesty, and Beer. All in aid of Comic Relief 2015.

Tickets: £9.50 (£7.50 concessions) Box Office: 01473 211498

Stuart Clay Traps Ltd 3a & 3b Wilford Bridge Road Melton, Woodbridge Suffolk IP12 1RB 01394 385567 sales@stuartsgunsandtackle.com www.stuartsgunandtackle.com

What’s On Carmina Burana

St Michael’s Church, Framlingham, 7.30pm The Phoenix Singers perform Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. Programme will also include Carnival of the Animals and Three Scottish Folksongs by Mack Wilberg.

Conducted by Andrew Cantrill featuring the Bibby Piano Duo and the junior choir from Robert Hitcham’s Primary School, Framlingham.

Tickets: £12 from Hall Farm Butchers, 25 Market Hill, Framlingham or 07802 597071 Email: william@glasse.org.uk

Woodbridge Choral Society and Kingfisher Sinfonia

Concert Hall, Snape Maltings, 7.30pm Box office: 01728 687110 www.aldebugh.co.uk

MARCH 29 Farmers market

Lavenham, Village Hall, 10am – 1.30pm Mahogany Opera Group: Folie à Deux

Laura Wright

Corn Exchange, Ipswich The nation’s favourite sporting soprano, Laura Wright makes her headline debut appearance at the Ipswich Corn Exchange.

She’ll be performing some favourites from her past albums, as well as songs from her recently released album ‘Sound of Strength’ which not only shows off Laura’s classical singing prowess but also fuses together more popular, mainstream works too.

Box office: 01473 433100 www.ipswichregent.com

Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall, 5pm Boogie Night 3

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 8pm The very best of Soul and Reggae with Imagination (Body Talk, Just an Illusion, Flashback), Aswad (arguably Britain’s most successful reggae band, in terms of both popularity and longevity) Odyssey (Native New Yorker, Going Back To My Roots, Use it Up Wear It Out) and Junior (Mama Used to Say). Boogie Nights are always the best in Town!

Tickets: £27.50 Box office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk

Part staged performance, part concept album, this is a lyrical investigation into love and loneliness within a relationship. Songs are woven together for two singers, an acoustic harp and a specially created electro-magnetic harp. Folie à Deux is a collaboration between British composer Emily Hall, Icelandic writer Sjón (lyricist to Björk) and features vocals from Swedish jazz artist Sofia Jernberg and Icelandic tenor Finnur Bjarnason.

Tickets: £15 www.aldeburgh.co.uk

MARCH 31 Gretchen Peters

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds 7.30pm Two-time Grammy nominee Gretchen Peters has been touring for the past two years, releasing a live DVD and CD and appearing at the Glastonbury, Isle of Wight and Cambridge Folk Festivals.

Tickets: £21.50 Box Office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk

To see more event listings and tell us about your event visit essentialsuffolk.com/whatson We cannot guarantee inclusion in print but all suitable listings will be included online

EssentialSUFFOLK

21

Mini Previews

THE 14TH ALDEBURGH LITERARY FESTIVAL Various venues March 5 – 8 Mary and John James set up the Aldeburgh Literary Festival shortly after they opened their now famous bookshop in the centre of town and this year, as ever, there’s a glittering list of national and international authors, writers and commentators who will be taking part.

For instance Elif Shafak is Turkey’s most widely read and well-known female writer and commentator with new novel The Architect’s Apprentice. Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch is the famous historian of the Christian church whose new documentary, provocatively called Sex and the West, is about to air on TV this spring. The Guardian parliamentary sketch writer John Crace will be mocking all parties in the General Election, meanwhile Sir Max Hastings, former editor of The Daily Telegraph and The Evening Standard will be talking about the First World War and the generals of 1914.

The country’s most famous travel writer, Colin Thubron will be taking part as will Helen Macdonald whose indefinable account of grief and falconry, H is for Hawk, has won all the major non-fiction prizes including the Samuel Johnson Prize and the Costa.

Of particular local interest is a charity event in aid of St Gregory’s Church at Rendlesham with an overview of the exciting recent Anglo-Saxon finds that have been made.

Also over the weekend, as part of the festival, is an art exhibition at Aldeburgh Cinema

by Group Eight. These are nine East Anglian artists who specialise in painting outdoors and are showing work inspired

by Aldeburgh’s seafront and marshes. A full list of tall those taking part is on the website.

INFORMATION Tickets for each event are £11 01728 452389 | www.aldeburghbookshop.co.uk

MURMUR & INKED – AAKASH ODERA COMPANY

Jerwood Dance House, Ipswich March 6 As ever DanceEast has another visual dance treat this month, with a double bill from the prestigious Aakash Odedra Company. Artistic Director Odedra is one of the most sought-after British choreographer/dancers today and the man is clearly a genius. Like many people with dyslexia he found school a challenge but his exceptional abilities were always in the field of dance rather than the classroom. As a result his work is often informed by this learning difficulty, with extraordinary, stunning and brilliant results.

Originally trained in the South Asian styles of khatak and bharatanatyam, Odedra has developed a distinctive movement style following intensive training with a range of choreographers across the world. In Murmur, Odedra and Australian choreographer Lewis Major delve into the idea of warped and exaggerated realities.

In a major collaboration with Major and Ars Electronica Futurelab (Linz, Austria), the company explores how the misconceptions of dyslexia can be revealed through visual design, light, sound and movement. Scarification and tattoos have always been used as marks of identity or experience.

Odedra’s grandmother’s body was covered by signs that ensured her protection and sense of belonging.

In Inked, choreographed by Olivier award-winner Damien Jalet, the body becomes a place of transformation, an envelope marked, folded and metamorphosed by its journey through a ritualised space. The figures and drawings made on his own body reveal the inner duality of the dancer who enters through a series of transformative stages in a selfseeking quest, an exploration of the body’s limits and powers, as a way to transcend them.

INFORMATION Box office: 01473 295230 www.danceeast.co.uk

EssentialSUFFOLK

23

Mini Previews

THE

HISTORY BOYS

ROBERT CASTELLANI

New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich March 23 – 28 Alan Bennett’s multi award-winning masterpiece, The History Boys is a must-see at the New Wolsey Theatre, this month.

Winner of more than 30 major awards including the Olivier and Tony Awards for Best New Play, The History Boys is the story of a group of bright, funny and unruly sixth-formers in pursuit of sex, sport and a place at university.

Their maverick English teacher is at odds with the young and shrewd supply teacher, whilst their headmaster is obsessed with results and league tables. Staffroom rivalry and the anarchy of adolescence overflow, provoking insistent questions about history and how you teach it.

Their A Levels may be over, but their true education is only just beginning. Widely hailed as one of the greatest theatrical events of the last decade, The History Boys is a hilariously funny and exceptionally moving play about the true purpose of education.

The play premiered at the National Theatre in 2004 directed by Nicholas Hytner and helped launch the careers of many of its original cast members including James Corden and Dominic Cooper.

It went on to open on Broadway in 2006, with a film adaptation featuring the original stage cast released later that year.

The History Boys also had two successful West End runs, playing at the Wyndham’s Theatre in 2007 and 2008, and has won countless awards including the afore mentioned Oliver Award for Best New Play, Tony Award for Best Play, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play and Evening Standard Award for Best Play.

Geldeston Locks Inn, Beccles March 22, 2pm Suffolk based Robert Castellani is a prize-winning instrumental acoustic guitarist like no other. He has been nominated three times for the national ‘Guitarist of the Year’ award and has won many prizes for his compositions and performances. He was also noted in Acoustic Guitar magazine’s list of 30 of the world’s great guitarists under the age of 30.

People who have seen him play are regularly astonished at his amazing and mesmerising skill so his gig at the iconic riverside Geldeston Locks Inn – just on the Norfolk side of the River Waveney between Beccles and Bungay is something not to be missed.

Robert’s style draws from many influences including folk, rock, blues and classical music. His playing incorporates percussive sounds on the body of the guitar, altered tunings and harmonics, the result of which creates a sound thought impossible from just one instrument. Robert, who is Head of Guitar at Suffolk New College is also an experienced composer; having studied a classical music degree, he has also written music for orchestra, piano trio, solo violin and solo piano.

This brand new production for 2015 is presented by Sell a Door Theatre Company, whose recent productions include Avenue Q (2014 UK Tour), Spring Awakening (2011 UK Tour) and Seussical (West End).

At one time, his videos gained in excess of a quarter of a million views on YouTube exposing his music all over the globe and earning praise from a whole host of fans. Gregg Wright, guitarist for Michael Jackson described Robert’s music as, “Playing that’s gonna scare a LOT of people”.

INFORMATION Box Office: 01473 295900 | www.wolseytheatre.co.uk www.historyboysuk.com | @HistoryBoysTour

INFORMATION www.robertcastellani.com www.geldestonlocks.co.uk

EssentialSUFFOLK

25

Southwold’s Frolic

Needlecraft and quilt making was once an essential skill for life but now it’s very much a vehicle for art. Anne Gould talks to artist and teacher Sue Yates about the Southwold Quilt

Southwold’s

FROLIC A

fter years in the doldrums needlework and handcrafts are enjoying an unprecedented revival inspired, in part, by the BBC’s The Great British Sewing Bee. But according to Sue Yates, the inspiration for the Southwold Quilt came from somewhere completely different the book, The Last Runaway by Tracey Chavalier. “It tells the story of a woman who leaves this country in the 1850s and moves to Ohio, a world that’s very different from rural England – at a time when slavery still exists but where women get together and sew.” It was very much the tradition, she says, for a quilt to be made as a community betrothal/wedding gift and women would get together in what was known as a ‘Frolic’ to create a really specially hand sewn bedspread in a day.

she came up with a plan to create a quilt – that illustrated a pictorial view of the town with a view of the sea too.

To start with, she said, there were about six people who were involved meeting for two to three hours on Thursday evenings through the winter to get on with the sewing. News of the project grew quickly by word of mouth and more and more people got involved from further and further afield too.

Eventually the ‘frolic’ swelled in numbers to 23. “We had people from Oulton Broad, Wickham Market and even Woodbridge who became part of the team. They just really wanted to be involved. I initially wanted to have the sea flowing through the whole piece.

I also wanted pictures of the community within the windows of the buildings rather than what was in the windows.”

At about the time Sue, who is the Head of Textiles at St Felix School, was asked by the Headmistress, Fran D’Alcorn, to come up with ideas for a community project. “I loved the idea of getting together with like-minded souls and making something special. I thought then of making a quilt. I decided to visit some quilting friends and ask what they thought of my mad idea.” The response was universally enthusiastic and when Graham Denny, owner of the Buckenham Gallery on the High Street in Southwold said he was looking for entries for the Southwold Arts Festival

She said that everyone was given a section that was 12 inches square and the choice to create whatever they wanted with whatever colours or materials they chose. “The finished piece was a piece of art, so it was essential that it should represent the individual making it. We had one participant who only used psychedelic colours for all her blocks, we even had one which had a seagull in the corner of the bank and it was brilliant.”

But what made it really special was that because sewing sessions were at St Felix

School Sue was able to use the facilities and demonstrate new and different techniques for people to try out.

“I demonstrated batik, dyeing, felting, reverse appliqué, transfer printing, bubble jet printing and faux chenille.

Different members of the group brought very different skills too, we had a member who could make glass and one who had been to the Royal School of Needlework.

Others worked in very different styles – one member produces patterns for sewing groups and magazines.”

She said that some came religiously each week but others who had commitments elsewhere just got on with it under their own steam, emailing or using Facebook to stay in touch. “When we had done enough 12-inch blocks we started on the 6-inch beach hut blocks.

The intention being that we could put them between the large blocks to make some contrasts. These went together quickly and everyone enjoyed a change of scale and theme.”

They finished it by putting in the sea and decided that, as it was to be hung, it needed to be professionally quilted.

“We asked for help from DaisyMay, based at Martlesham near Ipswich, who put it together in an amazing three days and helped out creating binding too.”

The finished piece ended up being 2.5 metres by 3.5 metres and she said, “far outweighed” their expectations. ‰

EssentialSUFFOLK

27

MARCH 2015

Final quilting at DaisyMay

Originally the plan was for the quilt to stay at the Buckenham Gallery for a couple of weeks, but it proved so popular that it stayed for the whole summer. “Apparently they are still getting people turning up wanting to see the quilt so we hope that it will be homed in the town somewhere eventually for all to see, ” says Sue. It’s been such a success that now they are thinking about what to do this year.

“People are really keen and we thought about doing it at Brampton where I live.

We want to do a real community thing and extend it to as many people as possible. There are lots of lonely people who are clever and creative who love to sew and joining a ‘frolic’ to create a quilt is so enjoyable. It offers the opportunity to enjoy a chit chat, have some fun, meet new faces and make something really beautiful too.”

INFOMRATION If you’d like to be involved in the next quilt contact artbysusieyates@gmail.com DaisyMay Quilting can be contacted via www.daisymay.biz

Award winning interior design, creating beautiful, elegant and timeless interiors in the heart of Suffolk

www.rendallandwright.com 28

essentialsuffolk.com

Papworth Trust

EXTREME FUND RAISING Papworth Trust is a charity that has been working with disabled and older people, their families and carers across East Anglia and beyond for almost 100 years.

Anne Gould finds out more about its important work and fundraising in Suffolk

F

or many people in Suffolk and the UK Papworth is probably best known for its hospital and the groundbreaking heart surgery that’s performed there. But this village on the outskirts of Cambridge is also home to a charity that really makes a difference to the lives of disabled people, supporting them with a wide range of skills to help with independent living and training.

In Suffolk for instance it has two centres in Ipswich and others in Bury St

Edmunds and Lowestoft which offer a range of learning and leisure activities for disabled people, such as cooking and gardening. There are youth clubs for young disabled people who need extra support and a social enterprise, Papworth Trust Workwise, which provides workbased training to adults with mental ill health. There’s also a free information and advice service offering vital advice and guidance to people living in Suffolk, on a range of disability related issues. ‰

EssentialSUFFOLK

29

MARCH 2015

Further afield, it offers care and support in people’s homes and out in the community, as well as helping those who are looking for work. Nationally the Trust has a centre that provide holidays and there’s a rehabilitation centre for those who might have suffered a lifechanging accident or injury. The charity also campaigns with disabled people on the issues that affect them, such as better transport, the ‘Bedroom Tax’ and access to work.

This month though, Suffolk is a big focus for the charity with two huge fundraising events underway. The first is a ‘Jail Break’ on March 20 where ten local business people are going to be locked in at Barclays Bank Ipswich, and

there they have to stay until they have raised at least ÂŁ300 each for the charity.

Fundraiser Jo Revitt says the idea is that at 10am the doors will close on the volunteers and through use of emails and social media they each have to get their colleagues, friends, families and followers to pledge ÂŁ300 to the charity. “It will be a great networking opportunity but hopefully a lot of fun and will help promote the charity as well.â€?

Among the willing volunteers is Josh Seager, a Suffolk fireman who started up GenR8 in Ipswich last year, which already does a vast amount of charity fundraising. “I found out about the challenge through Facebook’s Suffolk Business Stars group and at the time I

Parachute for Papworth Trust Papworth Trust

21st March 2015 Cambridgeshire 28th March 2015 Beccles Deposit ÂŁ50 Minimum sponsorship ÂŁ250

charity Papworth Trust.

To book a place please get in touch with Jacqui Cameron on: 07792 569 631 jacqueline.cameron@papworthtrust.org.uk www.papworthtrust.org.uk Registered charity number 211234

30

essentialsuffolk.com

didn’t know much about Papworth Trust. Then Jo showed me round the Ipswich centre. They do such amazing work helping disabled and vulnerable people and I immediately agreed to take part. It’s going to be a challenge earning our ‘bail’ but I have been joined by Suffolk businessmen friends Darrel Smith and Samuel Stamp-Dod so there will be some friendly faces there to keep us all going�. Jo says that they’ve already got seven businesses interested but if there’s anyone else who would like to take part she’d be very happy to hear from them.

Meanwhile, she says March is also the month when they are asking volunteers to reach for the skies by taking part in a sponsored Parachute for Papworth from Beccles Airfield. “Jumpers will enjoy an adrenaline filled 13,000 foot jump in tandem with an experienced instructor.

All profits from the skydive event will pay for our essential services.� Anyone up for the challenge will need to pay a deposit of £50 and raise a minimum sponsorship of £250, but Papworth Trust’s fundraising team will be there to support every step of the way.

Papworth Trust

Then later in the year, in July, she says, Suffolk will be host to the climax of a four-day fund-raising cycle ride from the Welsh coast to Lowestoft. The ‘Country to Coast’ route is 330 miles long and starts at Papworth Trust’s Kerry Farm in Powys – which is a working farm that provides supported holidays for families, friends and carers.

The challenge will take riders on four days of cycling through the Welsh borders and the English countryside visiting historic cities and towns along the way ending at the Trust’s Waveney Centre in Lowestoft. For those who are up for a gruelling four-day bike ride registration is £95 and each rider will be expected to raise £995 in sponsorship.

INFORMATION For more information about any of these events contact Jo Revitt on 07792 569851 or jo.revitt@papworthtrust.org.uk www.papworthtrust.org.uk

BIG SAVINGS

Draper 78942 Planer Thicknesser

off brand names

ELMERS PRICE

SSP £1135.25

£449

Draper 34879 professional carpenters bench

Draper 09951 tilt & clamp workbench

Draper 31462 compressor

SSP £465.33

SSP £41.25

SSP £149.99

SSP £269.98

SSP £69.99

ELMERS PRICE

ELMERS PRICE

ELMERS PRICE

ELMERS PRICE

ELMERS PRICE

£199

£17.99

£74.99

£119.99 £47.99

"

###

#

Draper 23321 garden shredder

Karcher WV50-Plus window vac kit (Includes spray bottle detergent)

!

#

!

EssentialSUFFOLK

31

MARCH 2015

SAMMY

the Suffolk seal Keeping your children occupied while on holiday can be a full time job for parents, but Suffolk Cottage Holidays has come up with the solution. Anne Gould finds out how

I

f you are a child Suffolk can be a magical place to have a holiday. Lizzie Hammond, owner of Suffolk Cottage Holidays knows that only too well with her own fond childhood memories of time spent discovering the backwaters and byways of our Heritage Coastline.

Back then she never imagined that her career and business would lead her, not just towards tourism, the county that enchanted her so much during those impressionable formative years, but also into the world of book publishing too.

Thanks to Australian-born author Lucy Stone, Lizzie and Suffolk Cottage Holidays have recently brought out a children’s storybook, Sammy the Suffolk

32

essentialsuffolk.com

Seal and a copy, along with a furry toy is now there to welcome every family that arrives at one of their seaside holiday homes. Aimed at younger children and with suggestions for every season of the year it’s been such a surprise success – not just with holidaymakers but with local people too – that now there’s even another book on the way, Hettie the Hedgehog for properties that are more inland.

Lizzie explained that the book first came about when Lucy, a gap year student who is currently studying for a MPhil in Children’s Literature at Cambridge, came to work at her Woodbridge offices.

Her upbringing was in Sydney but it

wasn’t the Australian sunshine, sparkling blue seas and golden beaches that inspired her imagination. Lucy explained, “My grandparents moved to Orford when I was a child and my sister, cousins and myself used to visit and spend the most magical childhood holidays there. There was a castle at the bottom of the garden. We could see the sea from the top of the castle and the coast stretching out towards Woodbridge in one direction and Aldeburgh, Southwold and Dunwich in the other.

And then there were grandma’s meringues for tea.”

Aldeburgh, she says has a magical beach.

“I first encountered it on a grey autumn

Sammy The Suffolk Seal

Author Lucy Stone

day in 1996. We found a long sweeping slope of dull brown pebbles on which blackened fishermen’s huts and their clinker boats huddled against the salt spray swept in by a chilly wind from the silvery sea. My sister and I were captivated.” The family returned again and again in summer and in winter and her memories of searching for amber, hidden treasure, sailing boats on the boating lake at Aldeburgh, hunting for Easter eggs at Orford Castle and venturing on Swallows and Amazon adventures have obviously created a defining presence. So in many ways Lucy having fallen in love with the county as a child visitor made her the perfect author for Sammy the Seal.

She explains that it tells the story of two sets of cousins who visit Suffolk with their grandparents and dog Jock at various times of the year. While here they encounter a magical seal called Sammy who introduces them to ancient Suffolk tales, the music of Benjamin Britten, the history of the lost town of Dunwich. They learn about Orford’s medieval merman, ancient Scandinavian kings and warriors in Woodbridge and Southwold and its lighthouse.

Once written says Lizzie, they turned to Jenny Duke for images – she’s an artist and teacher who has a home in Friston but who is currently also studying – for an MA in children’s illustration. “When

we started out the idea was just to have copies in our properties but it has proved so popular, especially at our Aldeburgh shop with local people that we are thinking about doing a reprint.”

Meanwhile Lucy has started getting invitations to go out and do talks about Sammy – she’s already successfully been to Orford Primary School but there are other visits in the pipeline too. Sammy the Suffolk Seal, £7.99, is available from good bookshops right across Suffolk and Cambridge.

INFORMATION www.suffolkcottageholidays.com

Lucy with illustrator Jenny Duke

EssentialSUFFOLK

33

Finance

MARCH 2015

WHICH ALLOWANCES SHOULD YOU BE USING BEFORE 6TH APRIL?

James Wright

5th April is fast approaching and this can mean the loss of various tax free allowances if they remain unused.

Provided you have a pension plan in existence some allowances can be carried forward.

In July 2014 the ISA allowance was increased to £15,000.

For a couple this is £30,000 that could be put aside into an income tax and capital gains tax free structure; following the autumn statement, upon death of a spouse the ISA value can pass to the remaining spouse still within an ISA. This can allow income and growth to continue to be generated in a tax efficient environment.

The capital gains tax allowance can often be forgotten.

Everyone has a tax free allowance of £11,000 of gains in the 2014/15 tax year. This can’t be carried forward so if your investments are harbouring gains, sales or switches may ensure you utilise this allowance.

With interest rates so low ISAs can be seen as pointless but remember once we are past 5th April the allowance is lost so it’s “a use it or lose it allowance”.

Pensions have various changes coming from April for flexibility in accessing and the taxation of death benefits. Maximising pension contributions can therefore be seen to be at least as important as an ISA allowance in the future. Contributions to a pension can be 100% of earned income up to £40,000 per annum or alternatively if you don’t have any earned income you can still contribute £3,600 gross. As this is gross and basic rate relief will be received in the pension, a cheque of £2,880 would be required to maximise this allowance for some.

34

essentialsuffolk.com

If you paid a large tax bill at the end of January for 2013/14 you may be keen to try and reclaim some of this. Investing into an Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) can provide up to 30% income tax relief. Investments up to 5th April this year can be carried back to the 2013/14 tax year or applied during the current tax year. You are also able to defer capital gains tax through an EIS if this is the reason for your large tax bill.

An independent financial adviser is well placed to ensure you use all your allowances and can provide advice and recommendations that best suit your circumstances. If you would like to review your existing investments or discuss using all your allowances you can contact me on james.wright@scruttonbland.co.uk or 01473 267000. Scrutton Bland Ltd are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Health

GENERAL SURGEON’S EXPERTISE FAR FROM GENERAL Consultant General Surgeon, Mr Alan Cameron has been in Ipswich since 1988. Born in Belfast he went on to study medicine at Oxford and King’s College Hospital in London. Mr Cameron retired from Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust a year ago, but remains as busy as ever at his private practice at Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital. Here he gives an insight into his past and current practice, together with the choices available in the treatment of varicose veins, an area of expertise for him. For those who suffer from the condition there are several safe and effective options readily available in our area.

“When I started at Ipswich Hospital in 1988 there were only five general surgeons so we had to cover the whole gamut of general surgery between us.

Quite a challenge! As more colleagues were appointed we gradually all became more specialised and I concentrated on vascular surgery – the management of disorders of the arteries and veins.

Arterial surgery in particular was fascinating; every case was different so required input from other disciplines like radiology. The technical aspects were challenging; you really didn’t want the join between arteries to come adrift in the middle of the night! One of the big changes during my 25 years of practice was the increased use of minimallyinvasive treatments like angioplasty (stretching of a narrowing by a balloon) and indeed stenting for aortic aneurysm (placing a graft inside the aorta from the groin rather than by major open surgery).

These developments were exciting.”

“Varicose veins are a very common condition which, if left untreated, can be

Mr Alan Cameron Consultant General Surgeon

painful and cause distress,” explains Mr Cameron. “Women tend to be more affected than men and overall 3 in 10 adults suffer. I still have a big interest in the surgery of varicose veins and there is a huge range of consequences of the complaint; some are unsightly but painless, whereas others have serious complications such as phlebitis (acute inflammation) or in very extreme cases can contribute to ulcers. Proper assessment by clinical examination and by ultrasound testing is necessary to decide on the best form of treatment. Treatment itself could range from advising support stockings to full stripping under general anaesthetic. Newer ‘endovenous’ techniques where a catheter is placed into the veins to destroy it, and vein injection techniques are available via my colleagues at Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital. We also treat those irritating ‘spider veins’ by injection as an outpatient procedure.”

“Another major longstanding interest of mine is hernia surgery. I have been a member of the British and European Hernia Societies for years. These days groin hernias are repaired using a plastic mesh and I am proud to say that I introduced it to Ipswich nearly 20 years ago. Although I see lots of hernias, every one is different. Not all groin hernias for example will need a repair; if they are not causing symptoms they are best left alone. I am particularly keen on the use of local anaesthetic for groin hernia repair; there is a lot of evidence that the recovery is faster. Surprisingly, most patients actually enjoy the experience of being awake in the operating theatre!

Local anaesthetic is very suited to the elderly or frail case of course, but many younger patients also prefer it. Not all

cases are suitable so general anaesthetic or epidural can be used.”

“I am not keen on laparoscopic ‘keyhole’ groin hernia repairs but lest I am seen as opposed to all keyhole surgery I should mention my interest in the rather obscure subject of treatment of excessive sweating and blushing by the keyhole operation called endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy. I have been doing these since 1986; I was a founder member and later President of the International Society.

At Ipswich Nuffield we have had patients from as far North as Norway and as far South as Zimbabwe who have travelled to Ipswich to be looked after by our experienced team”.

“On a more personal level, my greatest interest is in travel, and an offshoot of the British Hernia Society is a charity called ‘Operation Hernia’ which has provided an ideal opportunity to combine my love of surgery with visiting other countries. This enables me to travel abroad to operate on people with hernias who could not otherwise get them done. One highlight was a trip I led to a remote area of Peru where we did literally hundreds of cases in a week. Mind you, the world is a small place. In a Mongolian Hospital on the edge of the Gobi desert I found an examination couch which had been manufactured in Ipswich!”

“Surgery is a demanding and absorbing occupation; I can’t imagine anything I would rather have chosen as a career.

Sometimes surgery doesn’t leave much time for other activities but I do manage to fit in a bit of messing about in boats or tennis or indeed choral singing. And four little grandchildren are a new delight.”

Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital offers a comprehensive range of general surgery procedures, and extensive diagnostic and imaging facilities. To find out more about Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital, visit www.nuffieldhealth.com/ipswichhospital. Reserve your free place at our forthcoming Let’s Talk Varicose Veins open event on March 4th! For details, or for information on how to book a private consultation with Mr Cameron, get in touch on 01473 279 179.

EssentialSUFFOLK

35

MARCH 2015

NEW TECHNOLOGIES EMBRACED AT ST JOSEPH’S PREP SCHOOL At the St Joseph’s College Prep School, we have ‘Gone Google’ as part of our continued investment in teaching and learning throughout the school. With the provision of free cloud storage and Google Apps, the Google platform is helping to further develop our inspiring and collaborative learning environment

Discover what makes St Joseph’s feel different

The arrival of 32 new Chromebook laptops to access this technology means the children from Nursery to Year 6 are able to access this not just in computing classes, but also across all their subjects.

Year 3 teacher, Mrs Hughes, illustrates the impact that has already been made using the example of one piece of work from a current cross curricular project that spans Literacy, History, Geography, RE, Design & Technology and even Food Technology.

“We created one Google slides document that was focused on Roman gods in only 15 minutes. The teamwork element was hugely motivating and encouraged the children to produce their best work. We finished the session sharing our collaborative document and the children discussed their ideas for editing and ways to develop their learning in the next session.”

The technology also facilitates teacher feedback and marking as described by Prep School Deputy Head, Mrs Wood: “The children shared their work allowing me editing rights and I was able to access it from an email. The next time the children open their document they will be able to read my comments and make improvements or revisions.”

The use of the technology has also gone beyond timetabled classes with the Infant Google Chrome Club, just one of a multitude of clubs and activities provided as part of our extra-curricular and enrichment provision. Clubs offered reflect the all-round offering at St Jo’s. These include musical, dance and artistic clubs by the Artsmark Gold awarded Creative and Performing Arts department to netball, rugby, football and a generic sports club, plus cooking clubs and writing workshops in between.

Prep and Senior School Open Afternoon Friday 6 March, 2pm Register today with our Admissions Team on 01473 694575 or admissions@stjos.co.uk Bursaries up to 100% and Scholarships available.

www.stjos.co.uk

The independent day and boarding school for girls and boys aged 3 to 18.

36

essentialsuffolk.com

be your best

Experience for yourself the inclusive and nurturing environment that develops our children into well-rounded individuals who challenge themselves to be their best in every aspect of life at the school and beyond. Register for our Open Day or book in for an individual tour today by contacting our Admissions Team on 01473 694575 or admissions@stjos.co.uk.

St Joseph’s College, Belstead Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP2 9DR. 01473 694575. www.stjos.co.uk

Profile | St Joseph’s College

ST JOSEPH’S CONTINUES TO GROW FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH The first half of the 2014/15 academic year has been very busy as we look back and celebrate the successes that have happened across all aspects of life at our vibrant school. Here is just a snapshot as we continue to build an exciting future founded on the powerful ethos and values that make our school such a unique educational environment The announcement of our new Senior Leadership Team in September was closely followed by that of a number of new Governors who are providing valuable support for the very detailed strategy for growth, as documented in the new College Development Plan published at Christmas.

Our record GCSE and outstanding individual A Level subject results over the summer have been followed by further academic success. Last term, our A Level students led St Joseph’s into the National Finals of the UK Senior Team Maths Challenge as they beat last year’s winners, Colchester Grammar School, into second place and Ipswich High School into third place during the regional finals.

We continue to invest in pioneering technologies to help develop innovative teaching including a 3D printer in Design & Technology that is already inspiring students with outstanding results. It is with projects such as Philip Yeung’s UltraSonic device for the blind that we look to follow last year’s success by Chad Griffiths and Max Griffin in being awarded prestigious Arkwright Engineering Scholarships again.

October saw the prestigious annual St Joseph’s College National Schools Rugby Festival in its 28th year with 16 of the top UK rugby schools provide a highly entertaining weekend of action to 4,000 spectators and 17,000 people who watched the final via live streaming. Whilst St Joseph’s didn’t have the superstars of last year, their fantastic team spirit saw them reach the Final, losing 7-8 to Millfield School, Rugby World magazines’ Team of the Year 2013-14. This spirit has continued and after seven rounds of the NatWest Schools U18 National Cup, the team finds itself in the last eight nationally, and the last East Anglian representative.

Success in school sport has been nurtured not just in rugby, but also in cricket and hockey. Ellie Cook and Dominic Manthorpe have both been recognised by Essex County Cricket, Ellie being selected for the Under 15 girls’ squad and Dominic awarded a one-year contract with the Essex Academy.

The £2m investment in the new Astroturf complex has provided even more opportunities for both participation and inspiration.

Girls’ hockey has flourished supported by masterclasses from top regional coaches and an overseas tour at half term seeing team and individual successes including Olivia Locke, who captained Bury Tigers regional Under 16 hockey team aged just 14.

At St Joseph’s, we look to inspire through many different avenues including the Artsmark Gold awarded, Creative and Performing Arts department.

There have been numerous participatory, and inspirational, opportunities including concerts, the Dance Show involving 150 students from Year 3 to the Upper Sixth, the LAMDA public preview, a singing masterclass with choral director Greg Beardsell as well as the school production of Lionel Bart’s ‘Oliver!’.

Discover for yourself what makes St Joseph’s feel different.

Go to www.stjos.co.uk to read the College Development Plan and Latest News. Then join us at our Open Day on Friday 6 March 2015 for a tailored tour of either the Prep School, Senior School or Sixth Form and experience for yourself the unique environment that develops our pupils into wellrounded individuals.

EssentialSUFFOLK

37

MARCH 2015 Gubbins Pots by Sophie Conran for Burgon & Ball £19.95, Happiness Store

English Garden True Grace scented candle £25, Love One

to

mum with love

Mothering Sunday is on March 15. Show your mum how special she is with an extra special gift from these leading independent Suffolk retailers

'You Look Lovely' wash bag £24 Love One

Beefayre Bluebell & Wood Amenome large candle £14 Happiness Store

A range of earrings, bracelets and necklaces

by Kate Hamilton-Hunter from £18.99 Love One

Peony Vanity Tray £24.95 Happiness Store

Teal Capiz handbag £36 Cake & Catwalk 38

essentialsuffolk.com

Mothering Sunday

Spring Blossom collection storage jars from £12.75 and mugs £8, House & Garden

Longline Envy bead and leather necklace £26 Cake & Catwalk

Longline Envy heart and star necklace £24 Cake & Catwalk

STOCKISTS Cake & Catwalk The Jerwood Dance House, Foundry Lane, The Waterfront, Ipswich. T: 01473 235573 www.cakeandcatwalk.co.uk Happiness Store Ltd 2b Cumberland Street, Woodbridge. T: 01394 548815 House & Garden Snape Maltings, Snape, Nr Aldeburgh. T: 01728 688303 www.snapemaltings.co.uk Love One 21 St Peter’s Street, Ipswich. T: 07711 517787 E: cathy@loveone.co.uk

Treat Mum to a Bathsheba Gift Voucher this Mother’s Day Your local boutique, day spa for luxury REN facial and body treatments, nails and perfect grooming, mother-to-be packages.

24 Church Street, Woodbridge

01394 388813 www.bathshebaspa.co.uk or email: spa.bathsheba@gmail.com Monday – Saturday: 9.30am – 6.30pm Thursday (late night) until 8.30pm

EssentialSUFFOLK

39

MARCH 2015

Spring IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER While there will be days when we still need to wrap up against the elements, the promise of sunshine among the showers isn’t too far away.

Take inspiration from these early spring looks for 2015

Masai tangerine jacket £95, Masai tunic dress £78, Masai black culotte £74, Caramel

Taifun mac £180 Holly Blue Boutique

40

essentialsuffolk.com

Black dress with bold flower print by Issa £499 Chattertons

Navy & lime stripe dress by Diane Von Furstenberg £289, Chattertons

Pink oatmeal jumper £45 SLC SLC

Fashion

Sandwich shoulder bag £39 Fleur

Printed scarf £18 Ninni Noo Boutique

Kello leather jacket £325 Caramel

Katherine Hooker Daisy jacket £630 Darcy B

Sandwich double layer coral top £69, Kate Page silk scarf £49.95, Part Two Soffy trousers £64.95, Fleur

Blackpinkwhite top by Issa £315 Chattertons

Megumi Ochi gold loafers £185 Hannah Stowe

Tangerine cashmere pashmina £120 Hannah Stowe

Part Two red/cream print scarf also available in back/cream print £34.95 Laura Jane Boutique

EssentialSUFFOLK

41

MARCH 2015

Cocoa Cashmere stripe tunic £179 O&C Butcher

Black and white print trousers £25 Ninni Noo Boutique

Modula Pippa 3 bag £229 O&C Butcher

Pinstripe straight leg trousers £39.99 Ninni Noo Boutique Pebble grey cotton jeans by Velvet £145 Chattertons

R A D I A N T

beauty MEDICAL AESTHETICS

Look 10 years younger WITHOUT SURGERY Give the Gift of Rejuvenation with RADIANT BEAUTY GIFT VOUCHERS, the Perfect Mother’s Day Gift

ck g Sto ng n i r p i S Arriv Now aily D

All treatments administered by highly qualified and experienced nurse practitioner Dr. Kathleen Walker

CARAMEL® 140 High Street, Aldeburgh Suffolk IP15 5AQ

CARAMEL® Snape Maltings, Snape Suffolk IP17 1SP

01728 452141

01728 687467

www.caramel-aldeburgh.co.uk 42

essentialsuffolk.com

U UÊÊ UÊÊ UÊÊ UÊÊ

Anti wrinkle injections to relax muscles and dermal fillers to soften deep lines.

Mild and moderate chemical peels.

Treatment for facial veins, sun damage and age spots.

Micro dermabrasion.

Permanent hair reduction.

Treatments offered at Radiant Beautiful Medical in Woodbridge.

Nether Haugh, 6 North Hill, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 1HH t: 01394 386877 e: kathy@drkathywalker.com www.drkathywalker.com

Fashion

Part Two printed trousers also available in cornflower blue £74.95 Laura Jane Boutique

Soaked in Luxury animal print mac £69 Laura Jane Boutique White skinny trousers £38 Ninni Noo Boutique

Yest tunic £50 Adams Apple

NEW SPRING COLLECTIONS AVAILABLE NOW IN STORE

18 Market Hill Woodbridge Suffolk IP12 4LU 01394 385757

80 High Street Southwold Suffolk IP18 6DP 01502 725197

WWW.CHATTERTONSHOP.CO.UK

EssentialSUFFOLK

43

ALDEBURGH’S

BEACHSIDE TERRACE OPENS FOR SPRING AND SUMMER ON 2ND APRIL 2015 Join us at the Brudenell Hotel’s Seafood & Grill, East Anglia’s premier seafood destination, for al fresco dining with stunning coastal views, beautifully fresh locally-sourced fish, and a very warm welcome.

Seafood & Grill, Brudenell Hotel, The Parade, Aldeburgh, Suffolk IP15 5BU 01728 452071 www.brudenellhotel.co.uk/seafood-grill-restaurant

Fashion

for men...

Charcoal floral tee £43.99 SLC SLC

Wide leg trousers £38 Ninni Noo Boutique Blue fitted dress by Diane Von Furstenberg £329 Chattertons

Gant banker stripe shirt £90, Gant light weight cotton V-neck jumper £90 O&C Butcher

Hackett tailored chino £100 O&C Butcher Hackett cotton twill jacket £400, Hackett gingham shirt £95 O&C Butcher

STOCKISTS Adams Apple 70 Thoroughfare, Woodbridge T: 01394 384685 Caramel 140 High Street, Aldeburgh and Snape Maltings. T: 01728 452141 www.caramel-aldeburgh.co.uk Chattertons 80 High Street, Southwold & 18 Market Hill, Woodbridge. T: 01394 385757 www.chattertonshop.co.uk Darcy B Market Hill Framlingham & Woodbridge. T: 01728 720052 www.darcy-b.co.uk Fleur 166 High Street, Aldeburgh. T: 01728 454822 www.fleuraldeburgh.co.uk Hannah Stowe 20a Market Hill, Woodbridge. T: 01394 382691 www.hannahstowe.co.uk Holly Blue Boutique 72 Thoroughfare, Woodbridge. T: 01394 382300 Laura Jane Boutique 89/91 Thoroughfare, Woodbridge. T: 01394 386686 Ninni Noo Boutique 12 Quay Street, Woodbridge. T: 01394 388655 O&C Butcher 129 –131 High Street, Aldeburgh. T: 01728 452229 www.ocbutcher.co.uk SLC-SLC Brightspace Studio 160 Hadleigh Road, Ipswich. T: 07890 280052 www.slc-slc.co.uk

EssentialSUFFOLK

45

MARCH 2015

Business Profile | Niroshini Cosmetic Acupuncture

THE ULTIMATE NON-SURGICAL FACELIFT Acupuncture has been used in China for thousands of years to promote health but now it’s also being used for the ultimate ‘non-surgical’ facelift.

Melissa Day, owner of Niroshini Cosmetic Acupuncture explains why Facial Massage and Lymphatic Drainage (includes facial acupressure, Western and Oriental facial massage and Metamorphic Technique) – The ultimate relaxing facial treatment, using essential oils and specialist massage techniques to activate all layers of the skin and underlying muscles, aiding lymphatic drainage.

The treatment has been featured on TV’s ‘Ten Years Younger’ and celebrities including Jennifer Aniston, Angelina Jolie and Madonna use it too as a safer and completely natural alternative to Botox and cosmetic surgery.

Cosmetic acupuncture helps a range of health and skin requirements including sagging skin, fine lines, wrinkles, muscle tone, acne and other skin concerns and conditions. It is also safe, efficient and effective.

The treatment was pioneered by doctors in China in the 1970s. Special ‘acupuncture points’ help stimulate collagen and improve muscle tone.

Melissa Day, who recently launched Niroshini Cosmetic Acupuncture in Suffolk and who works with private clients in London and throughout East Anglia, says it works to improve facial contouring and tone. It uses lifting and muscle toning techniques, invigorating Qi (energy flow) and blood circulation. To achieve maximum benefits with the nonsurgical facelift, a course of ten treatments over five weeks is recommended. The ten treatment programme which is delivered as an indulgent ritual includes Niroshini Treatment Plan Development, Facial Massage and Lymphatic Drainage and complimentary eyelash and eyebrow tinting/shaping.

Melissa, is fully qualified in facial and cosmetic acupuncture and has years of experience as a Reiki Practitioner and complementary therapist. As a member of 46

essentialsuffolk.com

the British Association of Beauty Therapy & Cosmetology and the Complementary & Natural Healthcare Council, Melissa follows strict codes of ethics and practice which cover everything from hygiene to client confidentiality.

“I believe every client is unique so every treatment is bespoke and my combination of Eastern and Western therapies provide not just physical but mental, emotional and spiritual benefits too.”

The advantage of acupuncture is that it’s completely natural – there are no pills or potions, nothing is injected and there is no scarring or recovery time as it’s a very gentle process. Some moderate bruising however can occur after a session and for this, Niroshini Cosmetic Acupuncture, provides clients with Arnica Gel for home use.

It’s well known that these treatments are also restful and rejuvenating so be prepared to float out of any treatment at Niroshini Cosmetic Acupuncture feeling more than a little blissful.

Niroshini’s treatment menu includes: Niroshini Treatment Plan Development (required before booking for Facial Acupuncture or Niroshini Cosmetic Acupuncture Ritual) – Includes a full profile of your health and lifestyle and a visual eye reading – an essential part of the acupuncture system (this is a component of the acupuncture assessment).

Facial Acupuncture –This form of acupuncture aims to boost your health and the benefits can aid specific ailments or general wellbeing.

Niroshini Cosmetic Acupuncture Ritual – A luxury treatment for those seeking a non-surgical facelift and an answer to fine lines, wrinkles, sagging skin and a wide range of skin blemishes and conditions. Includes facial acupuncture and facial massage.

In Suffolk, Niroshini treatments are available at the award-winning Image Beauty Salon and DanceEast, both of which are conveniently located in Ipswich town centre.

“I think I have been on a bit of a journey, from being really nervous of acupuncture, as I assumed it would be painful despite hearing only good reports from others that had experienced it. By the end of the 10 treatments, I was positively embracing this lovely experience; Melissa clearly loves what she is doing. Looking back on the pictures from day one onwards and comparing to the latest ones, my face and skin look and feel improved. I always walked away from a session with a glowing complexion. I feel much better about my appearance and I put that down to feeling better inside. Melissa is a very talented and patient practitioner, always concerned for how her clients are feeling; her attention to detail is excellent.”

Jane Clark For information about treatments and prices: www.niroshini-acupuncture.com

TEA LEAF VISION In addition to launching Niroshini Cosmetic Acupuncture, Melissa Day is a Suffolk business owner with a philanthropic mission.

Melissa supports Tea Leaf Vision, a charity based in Sri Lanka which aims to educate the families of tea pickers – some of the poorest and most under privileged people in the world.

This year she is aiming to raise £12,000 to buy a second-hand school bus for the charity.

She explained that it is part of an extraordinary spiritual and emotional journey that has taken her halfway across the world to discover her birth mother, a tea-picker, who through tragic circumstances gave her up for adoption as a baby in Sri Lanka 29 years ago.

Melissa was adopted by British parents and was brought up in the UK and is now based in Suffolk. Throughout her childhood she had only one valued connection to Sri Lanka – the picture of a woman at a convent holding a tiny baby in her arms.

A friend on holiday in Sri Lanka offered to visit the convent and then miraculously, through a series of unbelievable coincidences, managed to track down Melissa’s mother who also treasured her own copy of the very same picture. Shortly afterwards, Melissa flew out to meet her mother and to her delight discovered she has two full brothers and an extended family as well, living and working as tea pickers on a plantation in the hill country.

It’s through them that she was introduced to a secret family Ayurvedic skincare remedy based on locally grown plants that has remarkable healing properties particularly for scars, skin blemishes and conditions like acne.

Melissa is now seeking to bring this magical natural remedy to the West, not just to benefit clients who believe in her natural approach to beauty but also to give something back to her brothers and other working families on tea plantations by providing funds for schooling for their children.

To honour her family heritage, the ‘recipe’ has remained a closely guarded secret but to achieve her dream, she now needs help from a like-minded investor on the next step of product sampling and trials.

With the help of Niroshini Cosmetic Acupuncture, she is now sponsoring her brothers through Tea Leaf Vision’s one year English diploma programme. Her fundraising efforts are aimed to benefit all students at Tea Leaf Vision.

To donate, visit: www.virginmoneygiving.com/Melissa-Day Niroshini Cosmetic Acupuncture Tel: 01473 430026 email: info@niroshini.com www.niroshini-acupuncture.com

EssentialSUFFOLK

47

MARCH 2015

PUB WALKS with Darcy

Sponsored by

This month Darcy returns to Pin Mill for a beautiful short walk – the 40th in her series

When we first launched our magazine a friend suggested it would be great to find a few new dog walks that ended at a dog friendly pub, a challenge we were happy to accept and, we thought, something that would give us some interesting editorial content for a few months. Four years later this walk at Pin Mill is Darcy’s 40th Suffolk route and from the feedback we get, and the numbers of people who visit her walk archive online, we know these pub walks have proved extremely popular. With twenty five locations and a wide range of different lengths, from over two hours to just 30 minutes, we are sure there will be the perfect one for you – whether you have a dog or not.

48

essentialsuffolk.com

www.christchurchvets.co.uk

This month’s walk fits the latter shorter category. Starting from the public car park in the beautiful hamlet of Pin Mill it follows easy paths and delivers excellent views of the river Orwell as well as giving you the opportunity to visit one of Suffolk’s most iconic pubs, the very dog friendly, Butt & Oyster made famous as the setting for the opening chapters of two of Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons series of children’s books.

If you are looking for a longer walk this route can tie in very easily with our Pin Mill route 1 which can be found on our website.

6 Park Cottages

7 8 PINMILL

PH

1

5 Ch u

4

rch La n

e

Church Farm

Hill Farm

2

ut Tree arm

3 CHELMONDISTON PO

THE WALK Distance: Approx. 1.5 miles Time: 30 minutes Terrain: Well maintained paths ands tracks Stops: Butt & Oyster (PH) Ordinance Survey Map: Explorer 206 379 (public car park) Start Point OS reference: 284 586 As always please keep your dog under close control and follow any advisory signs. For a printable version of this and previous walks go to: www.essentialsuffolk.com/dog-walks where you will also find more pictures of each walk route.

1. From the public car park walk towards the road and then turn right immediately before the dog bin (before you reach the road) passing the benches and heading for the signpost and wooden gate. Once through the gate turn right and walk up the field with the wooden fence on your left. At the end of the field keep left passing by the stile and metal gate and walk along the track with houses on your right.

2. As you reach the road turn right at the bridleway sign on to Collimer Close and walk for approx. 75yds until you reach another bridleway sign on your left.

3. Turn left at the sign. After approx. 175yds you will reach a junction with a quiet residential road and the school on your left. Go straight over and pass the recreation ground that is on your right.

4. Shortly after passing the recreation ground the path forks (at the end of the next field). Keep right by the hedge and follow the path until you reach a track.

5. When you reach the track turn right at the South Suffolk Route B cycle sign. Follow the track keeping right as you meet the next cycle route/bridleway sign. After approx. 5 minutes the track splits to a single path to the right (marked by another cycle route sign).

Follow this path.

6. At the end of the path, with trees to your left and the boat storage area to your right, you will meet a T junction.Turn right here.This path leads you to a double garage where you will turn left toward the river.

7. At the Pin Mill sailing club turn right and the Butt & Oyster will now be directly ahead of you.

8. To return to the car park turn right in front of the pub and walk up the road for approx. 100yds.

Situated in the hamlet of Pin Mill on the River Orwell The Butt & Oyster is one of the best known public houses in Suffolk renowned for its good beer, good food and great views.

The Butt and Oyster is a fantastic pub with a welcoming and traditional atmosphere. With or without a dog it is a great start or finishing point for beautiful walks that take in amazing scenery.

Let the sounds of the Orwell seduce you. Watch the changing tides on traditional timeless shores. Understand an artist's inspiration with Thames barges, swans and the river, enjoying the finest Suffolk ales whilst being tempted by the wonderful aromas which welcome you.

Our menu offers a wonderful selection of dishes prepared with love from the best local ingredients where practical.

The menu include honest ‘pub grub’ alongside more contemporary dishes, all freshly prepared and presented by friendly, efficient staff. There will always be seasonal specials which you can discover on our blackboards on the day. You’re now able to make an online reservation request. We’ll get back to you either by email or phone to confirm your booking or to arrange an available time.

Pin Mill, Ipswich, Suffolk IP9 1JW 01473 780764 www.debeninns.co.uk/buttandoyster buttandoyster@debeninns.co.uk Get the Deben Inns App for our latest news and offers.

Simply search Deben inns in the app store and follow the simple instructions

EssentialSUFFOLK

49

A PASSION FOR FOOD

Adrian Rawlinson visits Suffolk’s most unique restaurant; 745pm at Middlewood Green

O

n paper David Wicks’ restaurant, 745pm, shouldn’t work! An offering of a fixed five course menu set in a converted farm building could, I fear, be just a little too continental for many. Add to this the fact that diners choose and serve their own exceptional value wine and it is clear that this is a relaxed dining experience that differs significantly from what most of us will have ever encountered in the UK. However, work it does and for four years 745pm has gained a loyal following, enthusiastic reviews and is often booked up weeks in advance.

When the restaurant first opened my colleague Anne ate there and was effervescent in her praise comparing it to the best of eating out in rural France or Italy. This likeness is no accident; David and his wife have spent more holidays than they can remember falling in love with the mediterranean way of cooking food. There are strong echoes of this in the simple but exquisitely executed dishes which David now prepares and for which 745 has become

famous. The wine list is beautifully illustrated with personal recollections of where many were first tasted and David’s passion and deep but unpretentious knowledge shines through.

According to David farmhouse fine dining, unlike conventional fine dining, does not rely on luxurious location, elaborate service and foie gras and lobster. Instead it uses the finest home produce, fresh local ingredients and a lot of hard work to produce a feast of flavours.

David initially set up the restaurant as a diversion from the ‘boredom’ of retirement. He had proposed to complete his ambitious plans for the gardens at Moat Farm and then put his feet up. However having been involved in businesses for all his working life – he can list innovative furniture design, pioneering computer software and hospital construction as just some of the roles within his extensive cv – he itched to have one more go. “I missed running a small business, missed the buzz of

designing and inventing stuff and missed the customers. Providing people with really well designed products and value for money has always been a passion of mine. So has growing my own food, cooking lots of courses for supper and exploring the world of wine. The result was inevitable.”

Initially 745pm opened for just two days a week, Friday and Saturday, with service starting – as the name suggests – at 7.45pm. However such has been the demand that from February David has now also added Thursday nights.

A perfect time we thought to visit and sample for ourselves.

Arriving at 7.30pm on a dark winter’s evening the restaurant lights welcomed us through the unspoilt rural darkness with which Moat Farm is blessed.

745pm seats a maximum of 24 people and David’s conversion, utilising many of the pieces of furniture he has made, has created an intimate and welcoming venue.

Food pictures courtesy of Rob Wicks eatpictures.com

50

essentialsuffolk.com

Dining Review | 745pm A fixed menu (5 courses for £35.50 including service) allows David to keep waiting costs to a minimum and the overall price down. He also supplies wine on a help yourself basis at retail price through a charitable company.

On the night we visited choices ranged from £15 to £28.50 per bottle and although we were not drinking (a selfimposed abstinence) a fellow diner, who coincidentally ran a wine tasting circle, could have not been more enthusiastic about the quality and the value.

For his dishes David only uses the very best ingredients. In season some of the vegetables, not surprisingly, come from the kitchen garden and the pork and bacon are home reared. Around the restaurant there are beautiful annotated photographs – taken by his son, a professional food photographer – that tie in ingredients and, like the anecdotes within the wine list, give a backstory to the family’s long standing passion for food.

The nominal five courses (seven as it transpired) were all beautifully presented and perfectly cooked. Ahead of the first official course we were enticed with two exquisite canapes.

Prawns on a short curried biscuit and smoked salmon and cream cheese in a delicate filo nest.

So to the first course proper.

‘The Cheese Course’. This was a membrillo (quince paste) and blue cheese tart which was absolutely delicious and my wife, who normally is not a great fan of blue cheese, totally agreed. To follow we enjoyed ‘Fungus 3’ which comprised a mushroom terrine, cappuccino porcino (the etiquette for the eating of which is still a debate – to drink or to spoon?), green leaves in black truffle dressing and beetroot bread. Whatever the etiquette of the cappuccino the result was excellent and a testament to David’s creativity.

The third course ‘Fish’ comprised a ballotine of swordfish, a vibrant broad bean custard and crushed charlotte potatoes tossed in mint butter and was followed by our next surprise course a palette refreshing sorbet. “See if you can guess” said David. I did. Cucumber and elderflower which could only be described as exquisite!

The next offering was ‘Arancini’ described as ‘Paella ingredients – Sicilian presentation’. For those yet to experience arancini they are deep fried rice balls used for that rare occurrence –

left over risotto. If the mushroom course was testament to David’s creativity the arancini were testaments to his attention to detail. Three different arancini: one containing the seafood element of the paella, one the chicken and one the chorizo, all accompanied by a deeply flavoursome saffron infused stock reduction – the essence of the paella. Again a dish to savour and one to remember.

The final course was ‘Citrus’. A lime and basil cheesecake with lemon jelly and vodka and orange ice cream.

Initially, not really being a sweet dessert kind of person, I thought that the cheesecake was far too sweet for my palette. However, when combined with the tart zing of the lemon jelly it was a dish that danced in my mouth and one I have since raved to friends about as indeed I have the whole evening.

At 745pm David has created something very special in Suffolk’s culinary landscape. I am somewhat embarrassed it has taken me four years to try it but can assure you our next visit will be a lot sooner.

INFORMATION 745pm, Moat Farm Middlewood Green, Suffolk, IP14 5HG 01449 711222 www.745pm.co.uk

EssentialSUFFOLK

51

MARCH 2015

Swan BREAK

Lesley Rawlinson heads to Long Melford for a short stay at The Swan

W

hen Lorna Pissarro, Marketing Director and Proprietor of the Long Melford Swan first told me of plans to add accommodation to the boutique restaurant I was quietly excited. At that stage the road ahead didn’t look straight forward – not least because the one vital part of the puzzle, purchase of a neighbouring property, along with all the requisite planning permissions, was yet to be finalised. But in the relatively short time that I’ve known Lorna it’s become apparent that she’s a lady who makes things happen and the recently completed project, Melford House, is testament to her unwavering eye for detail at every turn.

But this isn’t the first time that her company, Stuart Inns – which she owns and runs jointly with her brothers Oliver and Iain – has taken a property, stripped it practically to the bone and then reawakened it as a vital and vibrant part of its growing empire. Less than two years ago this successful family team took the Ram public house in the middle of Hadleigh and redefined it as The Hadleigh Ram, now a popular restaurant of note for discerning Suffolk diners.

During the transformation from tired pub

52

essentialsuffolk.com

to classy eatery Lorna’s hand was very much at the design tiller and appreciating what she achieved at The Ram I was eager to see the results in Long Melford.

Next door-but-one to The Swan, Melford House had been a family home – a townhouse on the ever popular half mile (or so) commercial stretch of Hall Street at the heart of the village.

Perpetually popular with antique hunters there are countless amenities available in this small town; but part of the beauty of the location is that it’s also a very short walk from the front door to the National Trust’s Melford Hall and a few hundred yards further to Kentwell Hall – the renowned Tudor country house and rare breeds farm.

Reimagining a space – taking a three bedroomed family home and creating, instead, four perfectly appointed boutique style en suite rooms – is indeed a skill. Each has been lovingly crafted with individuality and personality and while all four are luxuriously appointed the differing shapes and sizes have presented great opportunities to vary the finishing touches. As standard each room boasts a super kingsize Hypnos bed, Egyptian cotton sheets, state-of-

the-art television, complimentary Noble Isle bathroom products (which are made in the UK from natural extracts) and free WiFi. All have fabulous bathrooms, three with free standing baths and all with walk in showers and stunning handmade tiles.

For me it’s the more subtle details that add another layer of luxury; the choices of fabrics, individually styled pieces of furniture and wall coverings all add to the uniqueness of each room. Lighting plays a key part in any interior design scheme and it really comes to the fore in the bathrooms Lorna has created.

She’s clearly given great thought to morphing from ‘functional morning routine station’ to ‘tranquil relaxation oasis’ and with three clever stages of lighting we move from fully-lit to belowbath-mood-lighting at the flick of a switch. With a couple of hours to kill between checking in and evening meal I have to admit that my first stop was a lengthy soak in the double ended tub while the cares of the day, indeed the week, drifted off with the steam.

Relaxed and ready to enjoy our evening meal we headed to the restaurant. This too has had quite a makeover in recent

Short Break | The Swan

months with the redecoration of the bar and restaurant and the small kitchen converted into a further ‘secret’ dining area – The Pantry – perfect for small parties and used as the breakfast room for overnight guests. The new kitchen, added at the rear of the building, is complete with glass wall for a comprehensive view of Head Chef Thomas Bushell and his team, at work.

can be compared to a hug from a warm blanket this was it. Meanwhile Mr R ordered the 500g (yes, a whopper) pork cutlet steak with garlic mash, broccoli and peppercorn sauce. Suffice to say the more-than-man-sized portion almost beat him but not one to take defeat lightly his forced himself to clear his plate – apparently purely for the good of you, our reader!

Although the open fire in the bar was tempting we chose to dine in the candlelit restaurant. I started my meal with an absolutely exquisite fish and shellfish soup. Laced with roasted red peppers and cherry tomatoes it had a deep Mediterranean flavour that was warming and wholesome. My husband chose his starter from the ‘Small Plates’ section of the menu as oatmeal crusted frogs legs with garlic aioli had caught his eye and are so rarely available that he just had to indulge. Mains were a more difficult choice. As with the menu at The Ram, The Swan offers a really comprehensive selection with grill options as well as the trademark restaurant-style dishes, but on this cold February evening the seared wild venison loin with red wine sausage, tomato and bean cassoulet and king oyster mushroom won my vote. If food

A mixture of chocolate ice cream with blood orange and purple basil sorbet were Adrian’s take on our shared dessert theme as I selected chocolate fondant with orange carpaccio. We decided to count the citrus sides as one of our fivea-day while the chocolatey calories… well they’ll probably still be with us next Christmas but who’s counting?

To round things off I’d spotted a chamomile and citrus tea among the selection of Novus teas in our room so decided that retiring to Melford House for a soporific cup would be the perfect end to a splendid evening.

Waking revitalised from a wonderfully restful night and refreshed by the powerful rainfall shower, it was time for breakfast. While I always enjoy breakfast – what’s not to like about a

‘full Suffolk’– I sometimes find the menus rather predictable. Gladly this was not the case at The Swan and so, even though we’d eaten very heartily the night before, I couldn’t resist straying from the norm and ordering ham hock bubble and squeak with poached egg and parsley sauce. I can truthfully say I have never seen the dish on a menu before but I would order it every time, it was breakfast perfection.

Our stay was short but with driving time just under an hour from home it was enough to recharge the batteries.

The team at The Swan take terrific care of their customers, I know we’ll be returning and, with the promise of further rooms above the restaurant later this year, I have a feeling the watch words will be ‘book early’.

INFORMATION Enjoy dinner, bed and breakfast from £95 per person (deluxe room) or £110 per person (superior room). For current offers, full details and rates visit www.longmelfordswan.co.uk Long Melford Swan, Hall Street, Long Melford, Suffolk, CO10 9JQ 01787 464545

EssentialSUFFOLK

53

MARCH 2015

745pm

Shepherd & Dog

The Anchor Inn

The finest home produce, fresh local ingredients and a lot of hard work to produce a feast of flavours. Enjoy plate after plate of wonderful food, elegantly presented in the beautiful rural location that is Moat Farm. A five course set menu at a sensible price with service included and wine at half the price charged in conventional restaurants.

Just along the A1120 the Shepherd & Dog looks like a typical English Pub. Once inside you will discover a place that boasts incredible food and attentive service married with stylish interior. Food is served all day from the Grazing menu, a small plates relaxed style of dining. The a la carte menu showcases the best seasonal ingredients and is served both at lunch and at dinner. This is a special place and worth finding out about!

The Anchor Inn, lies next to the pretty river Stour and is a great place to dine with family and friends. With a relaxed bar and conservatory there’s also private dining available. It has an outside decking area with canopy for alfresco dining. Don’t miss their bar-be-cues and live music events.Tried their prix fixe lunches? 2 courses for only £14.95.

Open: Supper is served Thursday, Friday & Saturday at 7.45pm. Diners are requested to arrive at 7.30pm

Open: Tuesday – Sunday all day for food.

Closed Mondays

Open: Every day for lunch and dinner.

Check out the website for exact timings.

Forward Green, Earl Stonham, Stowmarket, Suffolk, IP14 5HN

The Anchor Inn, 26 Court Street Nayland, Suffolk, CO6 4JL

01449 711222 supper@745pm.co.uk

01449 711685 info@theshepherdanddog.com www.theshepherdanddog.com

01206 262313 info@anchornayland.co.uk www.anchornayland.co.uk

The Bildeston Crown

The Froize

The Fox

The Bildeston Crown is a 15th Century coaching inn steeped in history and located in the glorious Suffolk countryside.

The brasserie style menu offers a wonderful selection of classic French and English food

by Head Chef Delphine Barrais. The service is warm and friendly with the emphasis on relaxed dinning. Please view our website to browse the menu.

David Grimwood’s lovely Freehouse Restaurant The Froize, is all about the food and the people who eat it! All our main courses are served from a visual hot table in the dining room. From beautiful roast joints – tender, moist and succulent to our infamous pies – deep filled and all topped with a golden short crust top – all our dishes are made using top quality, seasonal fresh ingredients, sourced locally, cooked with love and passion and served with a smile!

Imagine a chocolate box style village pub, beaming with pinkness, beautiful tranquil gardens and flowers around the door.

Add a loyal and friendly clientele and great food and you’ll wish you had discovered us sooner. Fine locally sourced food is offered seven days a week, all day at weekends and this is complimented by an ever changing range of guest ales and wines. Food offers are available throughout the week.

See our website for details.

Open: Food service is from 12 noon to 2.45pm and 7pm to 9.45pm daily (9pm Sundays)

Open: Lunch every day except Monday and for supper on Friday and Saturday.

Booking advised

High Street, Bildeston, Suffolk, IP7 7EB

Chillesford, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 3PU

The Street, Newbourne, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 4NY

01449 740510 reception@thebildestoncrown.co.uk www.thebildestoncrown.com

01394 450282 dine@thefrozie.co.uk www.froize.co.uk

01473 736307 fox@debeninns.co.uk www.debeninns.co.uk

Moat Farm, Middlewood Green, Suffolk IP14 5HG

54

essentialsuffolk.com

Open: Monday to Saturday 11am to 11pm Sunday 12 noon to 10.30pm Food served 7 days a week

Food Gallery

Fynn Valley

The Peacock Inn

The Middleton Bell

Open to everyone, not just golfers, we are the place you bring your family and friends for a wide range of tempting meals prepared by our talented chefs. Meals can be eaten in our cosy Courtyard Bar, The Terrace overlooking the golf course or utilising the entire spacious Valley Room on busier occasions. Full details of our menus and offers can be found on our website.

Situated opposite the picturesque bridge in the village of Chelsworth, The Peacock is a traditional half-timbered 14th century Inn, with cosy log fires and three rosette silver accommodation. Perfectly positioned for touring, walking and cycling in the beautiful surrounding countryside. Offering a selection of real ales and seasonal homemade food.

Try our Sunday roast in a relaxed atmosphere, bookings advisable, dogs welcome.

Set in the beautiful village of Middleton the award winning Value Pub of the Year 2012 Bell Inn offers top quality food using the best local produce at prices that ensure you will want to return again and again. Dine in the garden, traditional bar area or the beamed restaurant and enjoy home cooked food and ales directly from the cask. The Bell is the perfect venue to meet friends and family.

Open: Monday to Saturday, 12pm to 3pm and 6pm to 11pm. Sunday, 12pm to 6pm (Food served 12pm to 2.30pm and 6pm to 9pm daily)

Open: Bar: Monday 6pm to 11pm, Tuesday to Friday – Lunch, 12 noon to 3pm, Evening, 6pm to 11pm, Saturday: 12 noon – midnight. Sunday: 12 noon to 10.30pm Food served Tuesday – Sunday Booking advisable please call for details

Open: Open lunch and evening except closed all day Monday and Sunday evenings.

Fynn Valley Golf Club, Witnesham, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP6 9JA

37 The Street, Chelsworth, Suffolk, IP7 7HU

01473 785202 restaurant@fynn-valley.co.uk www.fynn-valley.co.uk

01449 743952 wilcri@aol.com www.thepeacockchelsworth.com

01728 648286

Ufford Park

The Dog

The Galley

The Park Restaurant, situated at Ufford Park Woodbridge is set in 120 acres of historic parkland. We offer a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere and have a seasonally-changing menu offering lots of locally produced food.

Mother's Day is fast approaching so why not treat your mum to a delicious lunch from our set menu on Sunday 15th March and enjoy the beautiful views across the golf course.

All party sizes can be accommodated for.

Open to all; non-members welcome.

Award Winning Public House, Restaurant & Bar. Our menu constantly evolves to reflect the changing seasons and celebrates the very best of locally sourced produce. Our ‘Specials Board’ is inspired by the prime seasonal ingredients available each day and the entire menu is complemented by a carefully selected wine list. New guest beer every week. Real ales and rustic ciders. Save 20% off food orders everyday between 5.30 and 6.30pm. Set price menu one course £7.50, two courses £10 or three courses £13.

The Galley in Woodbridge is a family run restaurant offering vibrant and exciting menus using fresh, local produce, in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. For those wishing to hold a celebration or business lunch, there are private dining rooms available including the bright, spacious and welcoming room upstairs or our beautiful large wine cellar. Due to popular demand the team at the Galley are continuing their special event on the second Sunday of every month – an extra delicious Sunday Roast! Next available on 15th March and 12th April. Meet the Artist diner 26th March Dale Devereux Barker.

Open: Monday to Sunday 6.30pm to 9.30pm Sunday Lunch served 12 noon to 2pm Yarmouth Road, Melton, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 1QW 0844 847 9467 enquiries@uffordpark.co.uk www.uffordpark.co.uk

Open: Monday – Closed. Tuesday to Thursday 12 noon to 2.30pm and 5.30 to 11pm. Friday, Saturday and Sunday – open all day. Food Served 12 noon to 2pm (2.30 Sunday) and 5.30pm to 9pm daily The Green, Grundisburgh, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP13 6TA 01473 735267 www.grundisburghdog.co.uk

The Street, Middleton, Suffolk, IP17 3NN

Open: 7 days a week, lunch 12 noon to 2.15pm, dinner 6pm to late (early bird diner 6 – 7pm) 21 Market Hill, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 4LX 01394 380055 www.thegalley.uk.com

EssentialSUFFOLK

55

Coming soon OPENS ON

10TH APRIL 2015

WE’VE BEEN BUILDING AN EXCELLENT REPUTATION FOR OUR FABULOUS FRENCH INSPIRED FOOD AND WITH THE LAUNCH OF BRASSERIE BLEU WE’LL BE TAKING OURSELVES TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL. PLEASE COME AND CHECK OUT THE INSPIRATIONAL NEW MENU AND FOR THE FIRST MONTH WE HAVE 60 FREE* MEALS TO GIVE AWAY - BONNE CHANCE! WHITE LION, MARKET CROSS PLACE, ALDEBURGH, SUFFOLK IP15 5BJ 01728 452720 WWW.WHITELION.CO.UK/BAR-AND-BRASSERIE-MENU *Terms and Conditions: Each day from 10th April to 9th May 2015 inclusive, we will give away a free lunch and a free dinner per day.

Winner’s will be drawn at random. Please check our website for full terms and conditions.

Food Gallery

Arlingtons

Butt & Oyster

Sibton White Horse

Buzzing brasserie style restaurant with café bar set within the building converted from the Arlingtons Ballroom. The perfect venue to catch up with friends, talk business, celebrate special occasions. French style menu served in typical informal Brasserie manner offering a large selection of freshly prepared Suffolk reared meat dishes and vegetarian choices as well as fish & shellfish from sustainable sources. Plus takeaway deli, breakfast from 8am, light meals and homemade cakes throughout the day.

The Butt & Oyster is one of the best known public houses in Suffolk renowned for its good beer, good food and great views.

As you eat watch the changing tides on traditional timeless shores. Understand an artist’s inspiration with Thames barges, swans and the river, enjoying the finest Suffolk ales whilst being tempted by the wonderful aromas which welcome you. Food offers are available throughout the week.

See our website for details.

A 16th century unspoilt destination inn set in the heart of the Suffolk countryside.

A memorable experience is waiting at The Good Pub Guide’s Suffolk Dining Pub of the Year 2015.’ Relax with a pint of local cask beer or a glass of wine beside the log burner and absorb the atmosphere and charm of such a wonderful building. Indulge in our delicious thoughtfully crafted menu.

Built upon local, seasonal ingredients we offer an easy and unpretentious service, grounded in the tradition of the English inn.

Open: Monday to Saturday, 11am to 11pm.

Sunday, 12pm to 10.30pm Food served 7 days a week

Open: 12pm to 2.30pm Tuesday to Saturday, 6.30pm to 11pm. Monday to Saturday 12pm to 3pm, 6.45pm to 10.30pm Sunday Halesworth Road, Sibton, Nr. Saxmundham, Suffolk, IP17 2JJ

Open: Monday to Sunday, 8am to 10pm 13 Museum Street, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 1HE 01473 230293 enquiries@arlingtonsbrasserie.co.uk www.arlingtonsbrasserie.co.uk

Pin Mill, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP9 1JW 01473 780764 buttandoyster@debeninns.co.uk www.debeninns.co.uk

01728 660337 info@sibtonwhitehorseinn.co.uk www.sibtonwhitehorseinn.co.uk

The Fountain

The Angel

The Maybush

Located in the lovely old village of Tuddenham St Martin, three miles north of Ipswich, informal bistro style restaurant set in an oldie worldy 16th century country pub with great food, great service and great value.

Parties welcome from two to 45 people. Full A La Carte menu and a set two or three course menu. Current specials always included on the website. Covered heated patio and spacious beer garden.

Using the best local ingredients from the excellent producers on our doorstep, we prepare great tasty food here on the premises and aim sell it to you at a reasonable price. Mon-Fri we offer a choice of tasty home cooked lunches for £5, in addition to our full menu. Sunday roasts and our homemade burgers are a speciality. We are equally proud of our drinks offering with 6 real ales (listed in the 2013 CAMRA Good Beer Guide), draught Suffolk Cyder & lagers, and East Anglia’s widest range of spirits with over 220 gins.

The Maybush Inn sits on the banks of the Deben in Waldringfield. The busy riverside pub and restaurant affords panoramic views across the river and beyond. The Maybush has become famous for its excellent food offering with a wide range and varied menu including local game, meats and fresh seafood.

Vegetarian options and children’s menu available. Food offers are available throughout the week. See our website for details.

Open: Monday to Friday, 12 noon to 2pm and 6pm to 9pm. Saturday, 12 noon to 2pm and 6pm to 9.30pm. Sunday, 12pm to 7pm

Open: Monday to Friday, 12 noon to 3pm and 5pm to close. Open all day at weekends

Open: Monday to Saturday 11am to 11pm Sunday 12 noon to 10.30pm Food served 7 days a week

The Street, Tuddenham St. Martin, IP6 9BT

Theatre Street, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 4NE (Just off the Market Hill)

Cliff Road, Waldringfield, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 4QL

01473 785377 fountainpub@btconnect.com www.tuddenhamfountain.co.uk

01394 383808 mail@theangelwoodbridge.co.uk www.theangelwoodbridge.co.uk

01473 736215 maybush@debeninns.co.uk www.debeninns.co.uk

EssentialSUFFOLK

57

Wine

MARCH 2015

BRING OUT YOUR DEAD ‘Bring out your dead!’ – a familiar cry in 1665 on the streets of plague-ridden London – is not a call one hears much these days. Unless, that is, you happened to be sitting in The Crown in Southwold last December, when it was briefly resurrected by myself and colleague Alastair Marshall, along with a willing accomplice, Mr T. – a fine Pickwickian figure-about-Southwold and a worthy upholder of all things vinous.

The ‘dead’ referred to bottles: those ancient and decrepit specimens, well past their best and probably quite undrinkable, which lurk in the cellars of even the most assiduous wine-lover. All three of us were guilty of hoarding such relics and the call to ‘bring out your dead’ was a novel challenge. It required us to convene for lunch, armed with our most unpromising exhibits, in a bid to find out if any of them had actually defied its allotted life-span, yet could possibly be enjoyed.

You might wonder why any selfrespecting wine-merchant should have overlooked his ageing bottles and failed to give them a chance when in their prime. But I defy you to find an interesting cellar which does not contain the occasional cobwebbed skeleton, and there is something cathartic about sharing ones disasters with others who have also, maybe, got it wrong. The discovery of such oversights is a trifle embarrassing and – as we all agreed – would be a glass too far to swallow on one’s own. Working on the assumption that a problem shared is a problem halved (or - in this instance - divided by three), we pulled up our bottles, corkscrews and chairs and approached the task in hand.

The line-up kicked off with a bottle of 2002 Oberemmeler Spätlese, and prior to our very good and creamy Adnams Vodka-doused Gravadlax, we found ourselves enjoying a sprightly, citrussy,

58

essentialsuffolk.com

Rob Chase

off-dry and remarkably un-dead bottle of Mosel Riesling. Delicious but, for our purposes, it was alive and kicking enough to be deemed a failure.

A rare bottle of an experimental white Rhône was produced to go with the starter itself. White Rhône always demands a lot of my palate and this 1997 Cuvée Hippolyte was no exception.

Made by the Brunier family at Vieux Télégraphe in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the experimentation had involved new and old oak barrels – some for fermentation and some for maturation. This, in all honesty, with the grapes they have to work with, was always going to be a nonstarter. When younger, it had just about been drinkable, but now it was showing the errors of its makers’ ways, and could comfortably be laid to rest.

With our respective main courses – chicken supreme, braised ox-tail and tagliatelle – we embarked upon the reds: a 1983 Château Montrose, St Estephe; a 1987 Cabernet/Merlot from Cloudy Bay and a 1997 Argentinian Malbec called Colomé.

The Montrose had been decanted, simply to avoid the soup-like effect of floating sediment, so it had the slight advantage over the two ‘younger’ bottles.

Initially it tasted slightly linear – no immediate fruit highlights and a hint of oxidation, but once swirled and sipped, it started to come alive and harked back to the days of ‘proper’ claret, before the heady vintages and style-change that heralded the late 1990s and beyond.

This bottle – from a seriously good year and a decent château – had ultimately been cellared too well and thus failed the day’s challenge. Even after a magnificent 31 years of lounging, it wasn’t nearly dead enough.

As far as any of us knew, Cloudy Bay really only ever grew Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, so the

appearance of a bottle of Cabernet/ Merlot was quite an eye-opener. In those early, pioneering and exciting days of quality New Zealand wine, Cloudy Bay was owned by David Hohnen, who created a similar brand in Western Australia called Cape Mentelle. The latter went on to produce very good Cabernet/Merlots, but Cloudy Bay really established its reputation as the foremost Sauvignon Blanc winery in Marlborough. Maybe it was the ’87 vintage that decided them that their climate was better suited to white grape varieties than to chewy reds. Our bottle was a little like one a junior Médoc from the 1960s; marginally unripe and just a tad vegetal; best drunk when young.

A fascinating bottle and certainly a glass of history, but a result nevertheless, as another cadaverous bottle bit the dust.

The 1997 Colomé was the first seriously important wine that Adnams shipped from Argentina. It was made from oldvine Malbec, grown at around 3,600 meters above sea-level in what was deemed to be the world’s highest ‘commercial’ vineyard. In one bottle, this 17-year-old exemplified everything that is deemed important in the production of quality wine today. Nowadays, everyone talks about growing top quality grapes at an altitude of maybe 300 or 400 metres, and how old vines produce fruit that makes vastly superior wines.

And everyone has now heard of Malbec – Argentina’s very own grape variety. It seems that once again, Adnams got there first. Our bottle was pretty darn good too; maybe not exceptional, but thanks to its heritage it had plenty of ripe fruit which just seemed to get sweeter as the lunch progressed. The only criticisms were that it didn’t share the elegance of the St Estephe, and it didn’t quite qualify as being moribund. Maybe, come 2031, we will find another bottle that we can put to the sword/corkscrew. Meanwhile, we are scouring our cellars, ready for the next call to ‘bring out our dead’.

E OR ST ͳ ER Z * ST && CH HE K AR LC E'H M CO E/ 7T W W S NE K E N D

We’re celebrating the opening of our beautiful new store in Colchester by

G I V I N G Y O U A £50 G I F T V O U C H E R . . . with every £500 spent on any of our furniture collections. Come and see us at: Neptune Colchester, CO3 8LT, 01206 212 650 *Colchester Opening Offer: £50 for every £500 spent on furniture in store except kitchen and accessories. Offers close 7th March 2015.

Neptune Bury St Edmunds, IP32 7BE, 01284 731025 For full details please ask in-store or visit neptune.com

MARCH 2015

DESIGN EXCELLENCE Right from the very start, Neptune has had a clear set of goals; to create the finest quality furniture, with outstanding design and all at a price that need not cost the earth. It’s a formula that’s clearly working as the latest store opens in Colchester

N

eptune opened its doors in Colchester last month, its ninth store in the UK. The joint owners, Jasper Burnham and Martin King, have impressive business backgrounds. Jasper has exchanged his role as Head of UK Retail at Neptune’s head office for the pleasurable challenge of directly providing East Anglian customers with beautiful kitchens and Neptune’s whole home concepts. His new partner, Martin, an experienced and successful retailer is the current owner of Neptune Bury St Edmunds.

These like-minded businessmen have developed a true understanding and knowledge of the product they sell, setting up Neptune Colchester to be the destination for people looking for beautiful furniture for their homes.

Colchester has been designed to be an inspirational centre of interior design, boasting a 6200 sq foot showroom with an added 2,000 sq foot of outdoor display space to showcase Neptune’s stylish garden furniture.

Neptune’s overall design concept is elegant, relaxed, authentic and inspired,

60

essentialsuffolk.com

influenced by classical proportions, English heritage and traditional artisanal techniques. Neptune furniture is designed to feel bespoke and original, hand crafted and functional and is made using the best in raw materials; beautiful oak, superb granite and pure English lambswool. The palette is carefully considered and sophisticated with paint colours, finishes, sizes, handles and hinges providing all the elements for individual and unique designs.

The showroom features Neptune’s four kitchen collections: Chichester, Suffolk, Henley and the highly acclaimed and latest introduction, Limehouse, together with the company’s comprehensive range of furniture, furnishings and accessories that provide inspirational solutions for the whole home. Created to feel like a large home, the kitchens are situated on the ground floor, each display having its own style and personality.

Chichester is a quintessentially English range of painted wood furniture. An innovative combination of traditional detailing, elegant craftsmanship and

sophisticated proportions, its versatility lies in the fact that it can sit comfortably in the most contemporary space or look stylish in a rustic farmhouse. The soft hand painted finish and distinctive profile looks fabulous in any of Neptune’s paint colours, complemented by the wide range of handles and hinges resulting in a truly versatile, flexible and affordable kitchen.

Originally Suffolk was a Neptune chair based on an old English antique design actually first produced in a few workshops in the middle of Suffolk between 1790 and 1840. The Suffolk chair’s popularity led to the creation of comprehensive kitchen and furniture range. Based on the classic Shaker look of pared back simplicity, Suffolk has perfect proportions with no unnecessary adornment, highlighting its natural elegance. Hand finished in a beautiful dove grey with a soft toned ash for the shelving and drawer boxes, Suffolk offers practical, understated and individual style.

The ethos behind Henley is an oak kitchen that again works equally well in

Business Profile | Neptune

both a country setting and an urban apartment. The result is a celebration of English oak featuring clean lines, warm textures with a classical restrained luxury and contemporary detailing. Its versatility is such that by simply fitting authentic brass handles you can create a traditional look, or by adding a sleek work top, a cut out handle feature, some vintage accessories and the cool look of stainless steel you have an ultra-modern kitchen with a highly original finish.

Experimental, creative and functional, Limehouse underlines Neptune’s knowledge and understanding of great design and also celebrates new technology and modern aesthetics.

Limehouse is inspired by the simplicity and functionality of our industrial past, celebrating its precision and linear design, resulting in a thoroughly modern take on a traditional working kitchen.

The look and feel of Limehouse is smooth with a natural flow, a slick dynamic which still retains Neptune’s signature style. Equally at home in a new or period setting, its pared back style features a hand-painted finish in Neptune’s Lily colourway. This cool

neutral shade is the perfect contrast for the touches of industrial aluminium and chalked oak work surfaces that blend modern and organic materials creating a truly contemporary look.

Neptune also offers free standing furniture for kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms and fitted furniture for bathrooms that extend the Chichester, Suffolk, Henley and Limehouse design and quality aesthetic across the whole home. Customers can also find sumptuous upholstery, an extensive collection of dining tables and chairs, bed and table linens, throws, cushions, tableware, stylish lighting, pictures, mirrors, distinctive decorative accessories together with a luxurious outdoor living range.

Jasper Burnham said; “Having the inside track I can promise that our customers will be delighted with the superb quality and attention to detail that is integral to all Neptune kitchens, furniture and accessories. Innovation and traditional master crafting are combined to create beautiful components that our designers will use to make the most beautiful

kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms.”

Martin King added; “However big or small your home, the Neptune whole home philosophy ensures we have something for everyone. Our creative and expert designers are here to help and advise and together we can transform your dream home into reality.”

Local customer feedback has been incredibly positive and Jasper and Martin are very confident that the Colchester store will be a great success and a blueprint for their plans to expand their Neptune network across East Anglia.

INFORMATION Neptune Colchester 342 London Road, Stanway Colchetser CO3 8LT 01206 212650 info@neptunecolchester.com Neptune Bury St Edmunds Barton Road Bury St Edmunds IP32 7BE 01284 731025 info@neptuneburystedmunds.com

EssentialSUFFOLK

61

MARCH 2015

Life in 2015 can be busy so it’s hardly surprising that key spaces in our home – like the kitchen – have become multifunctional, needing careful planning and design.

Essential Suffolk discovers more

1

FOR 21ST CENTURY LIFE 62

essentialsuffolk.com

Homes & Interiors

S

pending more time in the kitchen could be good for your health, as a new survey reveals we’ve walked 130,000 steps – just around our kitchens – in 2014. In a recent study respondents were asked to wear a pedometer whenever they were in the kitchen and the results were eye-opening.

Sunday was the busiest day, an average of 0.6 miles (1,400 steps) and anything up to 6 hours spent in the kitchen by the person doing all the cooking and cleaning. Saturday was a close second (0.4 miles), with weekdays seeing lots of traffic mainly at breakfast time and early evening (average 0.2 miles).

Totalled up this means we will have walked an average 61 miles (or 130,000 steps) around our kitchen in 2014; the same distance as London to Oxford. But it seems that kitchens have changed – we don’t just use them to make meals. When asked what Brits used their kitchen for, cooking was obviously top of the list. But also appearing in the results were: eating (86%), socialising (35%), homework/study (25%) and browsing on the internet (24%). So it’s hardly surprising that kitchens are getting bigger, along with our expectations for design, finish and functionality.

EssentialSUFFOLK

63

MARCH 2015

PLANNING If your current kitchen layout doesn’t work for you, change it. There may be design elements that have always suited you well, distances between key essentials like the hob and sink for example, but when you’re considering a new kitchen layout be constructively critical of what you already have in place and you may be surprised by what you discover. Professional kitchen planners will ensure you’ve asked yourselves the right questions but this ‘time and motion’ style study of your own may well help you to understand your needs a little better.

3

2

4

STORAGE Modern storage solutions can make the most of even the smallest of difficult to reach spaces but consider too what you really need to store in the room. Reworking your kitchen is a golden opportunity to de-clutter and if you have a particularly attractive crockery set or glassware, or maybe items that you prefer to have close at hand, you might consider open shelving – as part of the solution – as well as cupboards.

5

64

essentialsuffolk.com

6

Homes & Interiors FINISHES Rustic, modern, high gloss or natural wood the finish you choose needs to sit well with the rest of your home.

However, that doesn’t mean that an aging property can’t host a sleek modern design – in fact that contrast can be stunning – but it does mean working very closely with your kitchen designer to ensure that you’ll get the outcome you’re hoping for. Consider too how many functions your kitchen needs to be fit for. High gloss finishes look stunning in the showroom but maybe not quite so appealing covered in muddy dog or sticky fingers.

7

SURFACES Most designers will recommend a combination of surfaces, if space allows.

Marble and granite offer a cool, enduring finish that won’t go out of fashion. Corian is perfect for the sink area as an all-in-one sink and work surface can be created for an ultimately hygienic solution. Wood adds natural warmth and is a good choice for islands and breakfast bars.

8

9

10

EssentialSUFFOLK

65

Quality Qualit y Carpets & F Flooring looring Excellent Ex cellent Servic Service e Highly C Competitive ompetitive Prices Prices from the Lar from Largest gest Independent Stockists Stockists in the area area Established in 1981 EB Carpets ha have ve over over 30 years years of successful successful trading trading in which time we we have have built a reputation reputation for for supplying qualityy pr qualit products oducts with servic servicee to to match. match.

A ffamily amily firm w wee are are the area’s area’s largest largest independent stockist stockist of all types types of floor coverings coverings and our fully trained trained team team can advise on the ideal solutions for for both domestic and commercial commercial use.

We We recognise recognise our customers customers want want both quality quality and value value for for money money and pride ourselves ourselves on consistently consistently delivering delivering both.

We We are are happy happy to to offer offer free free estimates estimates so whatever whatever you you are are looking for for please give give us a call. We We look forward forward to to helping you. you.

SPECIAL OFFERS SPECIAL EACH EACH MONTH

RUGS AND ROLL ROLL END OFFERS

CHOICE OF OVER 150 OVER ROLLS IN ROLLS STOCK STOCK We We will beat any any genuine genuine written written quote quote from from any any retail retail outlet

EB Carpets & F Flooring looring 246-248 2 46-248 High Str Street, eet, Walton, Walton, FFelixstowe elixstowe T:: (0 T (01394) 1394) 282538 282538 email:info@ebcarpetsandflooring.co.uk email:info@ebcarpetsandflooring.co.uk

• EXPERT EXPERT PERSONAL PERSONAL SERVICE SERVICE

• FFAMILY AMILLY RUN RUN BUSINESS BUSINESS • UPLIFT OF EXIS EXISTING TING C CARPETS ARPETS

• ALL FL FLOOR OOR PREP PREPARATION ARATION • DOMES DOMESTIC TIC & C COMMERCIAL OMMERCIAL

• FREE LLOCAL OCAL DELIVER DELIVERY Y • FREE ES ESTIMATES TIMATES

Thread veins?

Excessive sweating?

We have the team to help

Dr Bella Smith is an experienced local GP who is qualified in treating hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) and performing Sclerotherapy for thread veins. She also offers other cosmetic procedures including botox and fillers. Uniquely, in Suffolk, under one roof our team of specialists offer the following solutions: Osteopathy • Physiotherapy • Spinal Surgery • Upper & Lower Limb Surgery • Chirpody/Podiatry • Pilates • Acupuncture & Hypnotherapy • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy • Health Screening Diagnostic Imaging • Massage • Cosmetic Treatments Contact us today and let your recovery begin.

10 Fonnereau Road, Ipswich IP1 3JP (01473) 217592 www.gilmourpiper.co.uk practice@gilmourpiper.co.uk

Excellence in musculoskeletal healthcare • Large kitchen and bathroom showroom

WOODBRIDGE INTERIORS

• Villeroy & Boch, Matki Aqata & Hans Grohe

KITCHEN & BATHROOM SPECIALISTS

• German kitchen furniture, Corian & Neff • Full installation service • Free design

01394 386390 www.woodbridgeinteriors.co.uk

Kitchen and Bathroom showroom Smithfield, Melton Road Melton, nr. Woodbridge IP12 1NG

66

essentialsuffolk.com

Homes & Interiors

11

12

14

15

13

GADGETS & APPLIANCES This is where the 21st century can add some stunning twists. Built in appliances have become the norm but add time and energy saving hot water taps, pop up electrical points for the best use of your island or even a sous vide for the latest of cooking techniques. Think about the lighting too – there’s little point having a well-planned and appointed workstation if you can’t see what you’re doing.

STOCKISTS Anglia Factors 34 Gloster Road, Martlesham Heath, Ipswich.

T: 01473 610192 www.angliafactors.co.uk (images 9 –15) Debenvale The Granary, Rendlesham Mews, Rendlesham.

T: 01394 421214 www.debenvale.com (image 4) Neptune Design Centre Ltd Barton Road, Bury St Edmunds.

T: 01284 731025 www.neptuneburystedmunds.com and London Road, Colchester.

T: 01206 212650 www.neptunecolchester.com (image 1) Orwells Furniture 497 – 499 Wherstead Road, Ipswich.

T: 01473 680091 www.orwellsfurniture.co.uk (images 5,6 & 8)

Samuel David Construction Ltd Unit 98, Bentwaters Business Park, Rendlesham. T: 01394 766837 / 07889 129746 www.samueldavidconstruction.co.uk (image 7) Wood Farm Kitchens The Old Barn, Wood Farm, Helmingham Road, Otley, Ipswich. T: 01473 890122 www.woodfarmkitchens.co.uk (image 3) Woodbridge Interiors Smithfield, Melton Road, Woodbridge.

T: 01394 386390 www.woodbridgeinteriors.co.uk (image 2)

EssentialSUFFOLK

67

Antiques & Auctions

MARCH 2015

A CULL IS ON THE CARDS! As you can imagine one of the highlights of last year revolved around a decision to have a purge of our extensive archive of files. Among those destined for shredding and re-appearance in a different guise was an auction sale file from the summer of 1972. You can now appreciate more fully the need for the cull! The auction was held over two days in June starting at 10.30am each day with the order of sale proudly proclaiming there would be ‘No Luncheon Break’ on either day! The days of a one hour pause during a sale were long gone.

Equally remarkable was the content of the auction as it included some 250 Lots of visiting card cases. In those days illustrations were in monochrome where it is easy to see the sheer beauty and quality of the Lots for sale, not to mention the extraordinary variety of designs and materials used in their creation. Silver cases, some embossed, others with filigree decoration, were crafted by top silversmiths including Nathaniel Mills. They were decorated with intricate

James Neal

landscapes, some inspired by views from the Orient. Others had painted or plain metal cases, there were tortoiseshell and straw work models too. Continuing the theme of diversity, papier-mâché, marble, ivory, carved wood, ebony, china, birch, bark and even moose hair also featured along with mother of pearl, Tonbridge Ware, leather and tartan representing any number of the clans.

This wonderful private collection attracted a wide field of buyers, who in those days were not blessed with digital images, email condition reports and internet bidding. The sale was held in the times of visiting the Saleroom, viewing the items personally and even staying overnight locally to attend the auction so you could see the competition and the whites of their eyes. How times change and it is the same for the card too. Today it emerges from a pocket or wallet rather than from a wonderfully crafted case.

returns to Barretts To celebrate Barretts Bed Month in March we are welcoming the return of Dunlopillo beds.

Made from pure natural latex, with exceptional levels of comfort and a leaning towards the firmer feel.

Wide choice of base fabrics and stylish matching headboards available.

Over 25% off the 4’6’’ Orchid sprung slatted divan set Barretts Bed Month introductory price: £2149 (RRP £2999)

Barretts of Woodbridge 68

essentialsuffolk.com

40 The Thoroughfare, Woodbridge Free customer car park 01394 384300 | sales@barretts.co.uk www.barretts.co.uk | www.barretts.co.uk/shop

Business Profile | Suffolk Carpet Weavers

30TH ANNIVERSARY FOR SUFFOLK CARPET WEAVERS and better showroom which has recently been improved. John said “Because the business is going from strength to strength we have just revamped the showroom to give us more display area.”

Suffolk Carpet Weavers was set up by Henry Wilden and John Masters in Ipswich in 1985 and has an unrivalled reputation for its bespoke carpets, which were made on-site until 2011, when the company moved to its current showroom in Martlesham. The move to the Martlesham site allowed for a bigger

As well as offering bespoke carpets of all different colours and patterns, which are all British made comprising 80 per cent British wool and 20 per cent nylon, the company also makes a large selection of rugs which are made at Martlesham.

Between 80 and 90 per cent of business comes from returning customers or recommendations, and John puts that down to his and Henry’s knowledge and their ability to say ‘yes’ to most people’s

needs, giving advice and never pressuring people to buy from them.

Looking to the future John’s son, John Paul, has now joined John and Henry in running the company. “He has been on the fitting side for 11 years, but within the last year he has started working in the shop doing sales and organising fittings,” John said.

Suffolk Carpet Weavers is situated at Top Street, Martlesham, and is open from Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm and on Saturday from 9am to lpm. The business is closed on Sundays and bank holidays.

For more information, visit www.suffolkcarpetweavers.com

John Paul and John Masters

Any carpet, any size at exceptional prices SUFFOLK CARPET WEAVERS ARE CELEBRATING OVER 30 YEARS IN BUSINESS THIS YEAR. THAT’S OVER 30 YEARS OF • Transforming homes across Suffolk • Personal, professional attention • Competitive prices

• Fitting carpets and floorings • Bespoke designs • Glorious hand-whipped rugs

Suffolk Carpet Weavers Unit 5, Bridge Business Park Top Street, Martlesham IP12 4RB Open Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm Saturdays 9am – 1pm (excluding bank holidays)

01394 610202 www.suffolkcarpetweavers.com

EssentialSUFFOLK

69

MARCH 2015

“

We were very impressed with the quality of the windows and the installation.

They look beautiful and there’s no problem with the sea wind getting in.

Mrs B Aldeburgh

State-of-the-art manufacturing techniques create high performance windows and doors that look simply stunning.

Nothing makes us happier than a happy customer...

At The Burgess Group, we work hard to ensure that the people we work for get exactly what they’re looking for in their new windows and doors. That’s what makes our bespoke design service so popular.

We’re happy to match the design of existing windows or to return them to a style that is more appropriate to the architecture of the property, replacing poor quality installations, for example.

All Burgess Group windows and doors are A-rated for energy efficiency, helping to eliminate draughts, and are

70

essentialsuffolk.com

available in a wide range of colours including heritage pastels.

Our customers appreciate having just one contact for design, supply and installation too. It makes things easier at every stage of the project.

To see for yourself, please visit us at one of our three East Anglian showrooms so that you can browse the options available. If you like what you see, we’ll arrange a convenient time to visit your property and take measurements so that we can provide you with a detailed quotation.

Business Profile | The Burgess Group

Our heritage pastel colour palette provides a perfect complement to traditional homes

WOODBRIDGE Notcutts Garden Centre, Ipswich Road Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 4AF 01394 386666 BURY ST EDMUNDS 8 Fornham Business Court, Hall Farm Bury Drift, Fornham St Martin Suffolk IP31 1SL 01284 760222 INGATESTONE The Old Forge, 53 High Street Ingatestone, Essex CM4 0AT 01277 350950

www.burgess-group.com Unique slim framed aluminium bifolding door, anthracite grey

EssentialSUFFOLK

71

MARCH 2015

SYMMETRY RULES If you are on a quest to create a ‘dauntingly perfect’ garden, a visit to Columbine Hall in Suffolk might be in order – says gardening writer and expert, Catharine Howard

T

he columbine has many names – Aguilegia and Granny’s bonnet amongst them – and I’d rate it as one of the top 10 answers to that crazy question: “what is your favourite flower?”. Give it another month or two before these flowers burst into bloom with humming bird heads carried on graceful stems. In flower iconography the references are to the Holy Ghost and the sacred dove.

And so to Columbine Hall. Tucked away behind ploughed fields and a ribbon development of bungalows that spill out of Stowupland. The house takes its name not from the flower but from ancient association with the Norman family of de Columbers who owned the feudal manor in the 13th century.

Moated houses are not uncommon in Suffolk but this one is remarkable in the vertiginous way that the timber-framed property, substantial and interesting,

72

essentialsuffolk.com

rises up from watery surroundings.

The moat wraps itself almost entirely round the house and the one remaining sliver of land creates a bridge in. House and platform (the official term for land enclosed by a moat) stand impregnable in the middle.

The present owners have lived here for 22 years and with the professional expertise of George Carter (architect turned landscape designer) and the full-time gardener Kate, have made a dauntingly perfect garden. There are strict principles that can be copied.

The first notable one is the sense of grand entrance on arrival. The farm buildings have been bust through so that a straight drive takes the visitor through the former farm yard and in over the moat to park and arrive right near the house.

Symmetry rules – yew hedges and trees are planted in avenues or matched pairs.

Your view is focused on the house.

This is a great lesson to emulate – how you arrive creates a strong mood.

So often the drive can land the visitor in to a parking lot with no view of the house at all.

On the way in, a ‘house style’ has been created so that the timbers used for bridge, gates and so on all have the same sharp finials atop. As I walk round, the style is echoed all over the garden.

The obelisks in the sumptuous walled vegetable garden are painted verdigris, and the same colour appears again in the strict avenues of the Platform garden. There is a lot going on at Columbine, with so many vistas and different bits of garden that this echo of repetition is doubly important to stamp unity on the design; pulling the grounds together, as it were. It is an easy and obvious trick that can be replicated in any garden. ‰

Gardening

BEAUTIFUL SPACES FOR YOUR HOME AND GARDEN

A complete building service from planning to completion.

Our work is always completed to the highest possible standard.

Whatever your project, call us for a free estimate DESIGN & BUILD DESIGNER KITCHENS, BATHROOMS & WET ROOMS PROPERTY AND HOME REFURBISHMENT PROPERTY RENOVATION NEW BUILD HOMES | HOME EXTENSIONS

T: 01394 766837 M: 07889 129746 sdconstruction@btinternet.com

www.samueldavidconstruction.co.uk

EssentialSUFFOLK

73

Gardening

MARCH 2015

George Carter’s methods are formal and historic: Columbine’s brochure (for it is open to the public through the Invitation to View scheme) refers to the 17th century style. This takes us back to the works of Le Notre at Hampton Court with the use of straight lines and grandiose design. Careful reference to the landscape beyond the house and grounds save the layout from being pretentious or overbearing. For example, the east side of the house looks out onto a formal grid of pleached limes and planting is pared down to long rectangular beds in the grandly named Allee.

The grass is mown into wide paths but what really makes it work is the fact that as you get near to the moat, long grass is left to grow away with an infusion of cow parsley. The fat Maran hens are allowed to wander freestyle. Everything fades, in blurred edges back to nature

74

essentialsuffolk.com

and in and around this there is the invitation to make a journey. The paths out from the house go down a lime walk, through a wilderness and into an orchard. In a dip in the landscape, there is a bog garden which makes the most of an aspect with no view. The visitor is kept busy with things that distract – the circuit completes itself with a Moat walk and the house seen from its knockout side is reflected upside down in the water, even on an overcast day.

INFORMATION Catharine Howard is a designer, writer and gardening coach with many years’ experience in creating and renovating gardens. For a consultation or garden design contact her at www.thegardeningcoach.co.uk

Property

Essential

PROPERTY 76 77 79 81 82 83 84 85 86 88

Castle Estates Hamilton Smith Grier & Partners Neals Bennett Homes Clarke & Simpson ECR Properties Jackson-Stops & Staff Fenn Wright Savills

78 Grundisburgh

80 Laxfield

84 Fressingfield EssentialSUFFOLK

75

GRUNDISBURGH £335,000 An established and secluded 3 bedroom detached bungalow tucked away in a sought-after area of the village. Sitting room, dining area, kitchen, utility room/storage room, bathroom, separate W.C. Good sized corner plot, Large detached garage. EPC: D.

N BU EW ILD

N BU EW ILD

WOODBRIDGE £475,000 A spacious 4 bedroom detached house. Sitting room, dining room, kitchen, utility, cloakroom, master bedroom with dressing room and en-suite, family bathroom, double garage and gardens backing on to mature woodland.

EPC: tbc.

HOLLESLEY £350,000 An attractive 2 bedroom detached period cottage.

Sitting room with large inglenook fireplace with multi-fuel stove and exposed timbers.

Kit/breakfast room, utility, conservatory, bathroom, two bedrooms with en-suites. Double garage and gardens. EPC: tbc

WICKHAM MARKET £425,000 A superb individual 4 bedroom detached house.

Entrance hall, cloakroom, open plan sitting room, dining room and kitchen, utility room, master bedroom and guest room with en-suite, family bathroom, garage and car port. Nice garden backing on to farmland.

UFFORD £310,000 A charming 3 bedroom detached cottage which has been modernised and extended in recent years. Sitting room, kitchen/dining room, study/bed 4, shower room, 2 first floor bedrooms and bathroom, good sized garden backing on to farmland, off-road parking. EPC: tbc.

OLD MARTLESHAM £495,000 A unique and individual 3/4 bedroom detached bungalow offering good sized accommodation.

Kitchen, open plan sitting room and dining room, study/bed 4, cloakroom, master bedroom with en-suite, garage, car port and gardens.

OLD MARTLESHAM £695,000 An impressive 5 bedroom detached house. Sitting room, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room, utility room, cloakroom, study, master bedroom with en-suite, family bathroom, large attached garage, ample parking for many cars, good sized gardens. EPC: D.

WANTED Mr & Mrs N, in rented. Would like a 3 bed detached or semi property in Woodbridge up to £400,000

Mrs B. Cash buyer. Would like a spacious 2 bedroom town house in Woodbridge with 3 receptions and a downstairs cloakroom up to £650,000

Hamilton Smith Woodbridge | woodbridge@hamilton-smith.com | 01394 386688

Mr & Mrs B. Cash buyers. Would like a large detached property in Woodbridge up to £1.2million

www.rightmove.co.uk

MARCH 2015

GRUNDISBURGH HOUSE FACTS LOCATION: GRUNDISBURGH GUIDE PRICE: OFFERS IN THE REGION OF £1,950,000 AGENT: JACKSON-STOPS & STAFF

GEORGIAN GLORY Without a doubt Grundisburgh House is all you’d expect of a beautiful Georgian country house. Set in mature grounds of 60 acres and with easy access to Woodbridge the property is nothing less than impressive.

Dating from the mid 18th century it’s Grade II listed and has a classically handsome well balanced Georgian façade.

It offers light well laid out accommodation with five reception rooms including an elegant drawing room with a circular bay, a large sitting room with a library alcove, a large study, well-proportioned dining room and an ‘everyday snug’.

There’s an impressive kitchen, with marble and granite work surfaces by Orwells of Ipswich and features a four oven oil-fired Aga plus a range of modern appliances, with a spacious walk in larder and utility/boot room beyond.

78

essentialsuffolk.com

There are both rear and service halls with cloakrooms off, as well as an extensive cellar.

On the first floor there are six double bedrooms which include a master bedroom with luxury en-suite shower/bathroom and dressing room.

There are two further modern bathrooms.

The house presents many classic Georgian features with 10ft high ceilings, deep skirtings, ornate covings and sash windows with working shutters and has benefitted from considerable updating too.

Next to the house is a detached and recently rebuilt coach house, which has been converted into a pair of garages and a two storey annexe with a kitchenette and bathroom.

A glazed end elevation opens out onto a wide decked area which links into the impressive natural swimming pond.

The eco-friendly pond, with a central swimming area, was constructed in 2012 and has proved to be extremely successful as both a leisure facility and also an attractive pond.

Grundisburgh House is accessed through a brick entrance and gate and a gravelled drive which sweeps to the front of the house and continues beyond the coach house.

The gardens and grounds include wide lawns bordered by well stocked herbaceous and shrub borders and an extensive south-facing York stone terrace.

Beyond the gardens lies 30 acres of meadow bordering a small stream. In all the property extends to about 60 acres.

INFORMATION Jackson-Stops & Staff 01473 218218 To see more pictures of this property visit www.essentialsuffolk.com/property

%+ . + +

2 ) ) &''&)+,% +0 +& ',) *+) " % )&&$ $ #0 &$'# + % + ')&' &,+ % ) ) ) % % &$$& + &% + )&, &,+

2

* + * 0$&% )+ * % &$ % + - ## & *+ ) &#+ )+0 $ " * + - )0 *+ ,* & +* & )* . ## ')&'&)+ &% 3

% &''&)+,% +0 +& ',) * + * &,+*+ % % ) + +#0 * % &$ . + ,% (, %+ )% # # 0&,+ &%*+), + &% % $ + ) #* ,* % # + %+ ) )&,% #&&) & + , # % +& &' % '# % ')&' )+0 * * +, + % + * $&*+ *&, + + ) , &#" - ## ! %+ +& + )* ,) 3

2 - # # &% + $ )" + &) + )*+ + $ # + ,# $ + %+,)0 * $ + . * % /+ % +& ')&&& &$$& + &% % * * +, + % # 3

+ )) ) *' ) +

2 % #$&*+

0 )* )&&$ &++ $ #0 * 1 + ,# - ## #& + &%

"%) & ' & & " $ &(" &' # )! *** & & " $ &(" &' # )!

)$ % ' ) & &,) )&&$ ' ) & &$ . + ' ) & +,) * + )&, &,+ & ) % ) %+#0 ,' + . ## ') * %+ &$$& + &% % #, % +.& ) '+ &% )&&$* % # + ,# &' % '# % " + % $ #0 ) % )&&$ +& + ) ) . + - )0 ') - + $ +,) ) %* 3

&#

# &' +) + *+ ) *+ ) , &#"

&#+

MARCH 2015

MANOR FARM FACTS LOCATION: LAXFIELD GUIDE PRICE: £1,100,000 AGENT: CLARKE & SIMPSON

FAMILY FARMHOUSE Situated in an idyllic stand-alone location in one of the most desirable villages in Suffolk, Manor Farm is a very special property. Standing in almost 11 acres of beautiful Suffolk meadows, at Laxfield, the main farmhouse is timber framed and is believed to date from the 16th century.

The house boasts numerous exposed beams and splendid inglenooks and also offers excellent accommodation over three floors including six bedrooms.

Downstairs the sitting and drawing rooms are substantial, there’s a 16’ x 14’3 ‘snug’ and a large dining room. The beautiful kitchen/breakfast room has a triple aspect and every modern appliance and is very much the nub of the property.

80

essentialsuffolk.com

Beyond there’s also a scullery, utility room and cloakroom.

Upstairs there are four double bedrooms on the first floor with the master suite benefitting from a large bathroom and two dressing rooms/bedrooms. Stairs lead to the second floor, which some may use as two further bedrooms or used as an ideal teenagers’ retreat.

To the rear there is a well-tended area of extensive lawn interspersed by mature flowerbeds and trees. Next to the house is an independent annexe with an open plan kitchen/sitting/dining room, as well as two bedrooms, both with en-suites. There is also an excellent array of outbuildings

including former stables, store buildings, cart lodges/carports and a pool room, which leads out to the swimming pool.

To the east of the property is a further cart lodge, which could be an ideal field shelter and a meadow/paddock which extends to approximately 5.7 acres. On the opposite side of the road from Manor Farm is a further block of land extending to more than 2.5 acres which has been used for horses in the past but is now a haven for wildlife.

INFORMATION Clarke & Simpson 01728 724200 To see more pictures of this property visit www.essentialsuffolk.com/property

01394 382263 enquiries@nsf.co.uk www.nsf.co.uk 26 CHURCH STREET WOODBRIDGE SUFFOLK IP12 1DP

A selection of pretty cottages in the area

WOODBRIDGE Within walking distance of primary and high schools. Sitting Room, Dining Room-Family Room, Kitchen, Conservatory, 3 Bedrooms, Bathroom. Parking.

Enclosed rear garden. EPC Band D. Offers around £315,000

OLD MARTLESHAM A semi-detached period cottage. Sitting Room-Dining Room, Kitchen, 2 Bedrooms and a Bathroom. Parking. Enclosed rear garden. Large Summerhouse. EPC Band D. Offers around £225,000

WOODBRIDGE

WOODBRIDGE

WOODBRIDGE

Only a short walk from the Thoroughfare. A purchaser needs to complete the renovations started some time ago.

The accommodation comprises Sitting Room, the basis for a Kitchen-Breakfast Room, 2 Bedrooms and a Bathroom.

EPC Band D. Offers around £185,000

A very stylishly modernised cottage with a large bright Living/Dining/Kitchen area occupying the majority of the ground floor with oak floor and a wood burner. Utility area, 2 Bedrooms and a Bathroom. Parking outside the cottage. EPC Band D. Offers around £265,000

A period cottage opposite Woodbrige School. The accommodation comprises Dining Room, Kitchen, Sitting Room, 2 Bedrooms and a Bath & Shower Room.

Unrestricted parking opposite the property. Enclosed rear garden. EPC Band E. Offers around £210,000

Eye, Suffolk SHOW HOME MASTER BEDROOM WITH ENSUITE SHOWER ROOM

SPACIOUS LIVING ROOM WITH FRENCH DOORS TO A PRIVATE GARDEN AND THE COURTYARD

CONTEMPORARY FITTED KITCHENS WITH BOSCH OVEN, HOB AND DISHWASHER

MOVE IN WHEN YOU WANT TO

Ideal home and gardens

PART EXCHANGE* your existing property for a new home at Maltsters’ Yard and let Bennett Homes take the stress out of the buying and selling process.

Located in the attractive market town of Eye, Maltsters’ Yard comprises just 16 high specification homes set around a communal landscaped courtyard garden. There are 14 two and three bedroom properties, all with garages and their own private gardens, also two spacious apartments.

This is an age-restricted development for over 55s and ideal for couples or people living alone.

We have incorporated features we know are important for active retirees - including the fact that your home is perfect for a ‘lock up and leave’ lifestyle for holiday and extended leisure time.

To find out more talk to one of our Home Advisers on

01284 766057 * Terms and conditions apply

Quote ref ESM0315 Details correct at time of going to press.

You are welcome to visit Maltsters’ Yard Show Home.

To arrange an appointment, for more information or to request a brochure, call 01284 766057 and speak to a Home Adviser 2 bedroom houses from £214,995 3 bedroom houses from £239,995 2 bedroom apartments from £149,995 www.bennett-homes.co.uk/esm0315

Helmingham Guide Price £925,000

Earl Soham Guide Price £625,000

An impressive, predominantly Georgian farmhouse, with 3 reception rooms & 5 bedrooms, in a rural, yet convenient location with double garage, home office & modern stables. Grounds extending to 1.07 acres, with a further 6.5 Ref: 5240 acres on a long term lease. EPC = F

A fine timbered former farmhouse, in a prominent position just outside Framlingham, with 3 reception rooms and 4 double bedrooms. Gardens and grounds extending, in all, to just over an acre. EPC = E

Saxtead Guide Price £600,000

Framlingham Guide Price £575,000

A highly impressive 4 bedroom house sitting in a lovely position at Saxtead Green with extensive and well maintained grounds extending to 2 acres with greenhouse, double garage and three bay cart lodge/garage.

Ref: 5229 EPC = D

An extended 4 bedroom cottage, with bespoke kitchen and vaulted sitting room, sitting in grounds of 2.5 acres on the edge of Framlingham. Large double garage and additional studio. Stables. Garden and paddocks.

Ref: 5238 EPC = G

Framsden Guide Price £575,000

Aldeburgh Guide Price £450,000

A substantial detached 4/5 bedroom house dating from the 1950 with over 10 acres of meadow/paddock land and outbuildings. EPC = D

A spacious apartment extending to just under 1,200 square feet in all, arranged over three floors, in a prime location overlooking the High Street and with views at the rear of the beach and sea. EPC = D

Ref: 5246

Ref: 5245

Ref: 5235

Debenham Guide Price £435,000

Rendham Guide Price £425,000

A Georgian fronted, timber framed, historic village house with 20’3 by 18’ centrally heated garden room and delightful gardens with an abundance of flower borders, mature trees and shrubs.

An immaculate and spacious 4 bedroom detached house on a plot of approximately one third of an acre with double garage and lovely garden with excellent views of the water meadows. EPC = D Ref: 5236

Ref: 5234

Clarke and Simpson, Well Close Square, Framlingham, Suffolk, IP13 9DU

T: 01728 724200

www.clarkeandsimpson.co.uk

MARCH 2015

PERIOD HOME MEADOW FARM FACTS LOCATION: FRESSINGFIELD GUIDE PRICE: OIEO £695,000 AGENT: ECR PROPERTIES

Located in an attractive rural location on the edge of Fressingfield, Meadow Farm is a period four bedroom farmhouse with two holiday lets with an established income and equestrian facilities set in grounds of around six acres (stms).

Extended several years ago to create well laid out and practical accommodation Meadow Farm retains many period features including exposed timbers and two inglenook fireplaces. The hallway which leads into the extended part of the house has an impressive part vaulted ceiling and brick flooring. Doors lead through to the kitchen, dining room and sitting room and the stairs lead to the first floor galleried landing with bedrooms (master with ensuite) and family bathroom.

Outside there are double timber gates that lead into a concrete parking area by the house, with the holiday cottages to the left hand side, behind which are the gates to the stable yard. There is also a separate access drive which leads to the cottages.

The paddocks, which are enclosed by a combination of post and rail fencing and mature hedges, are particularly attractive and gently fall to the far boundary with far reaching views beyond.

The gardens are mainly laid to lawns but are bordered by attractive beds and shrubs. Other outside features include an orchard, a pond and a willow tree.

INFORMATION ECR Properties 01449 711727 To see more pictures of this property visit www.essentialsuffolk.com/property

E S TAT E A G E N C Y F O R E Q U E S T R I A N & L I F E S T Y L E P R O P E RT I E S

Serious buyers, contact us for information on property not available on the open market, including…

• Equestrian centres with acreage • B & B - Suffolk • Glamping - Suffolk • Livery yard - Essex • Equestrian centre - East Anglia

SUFFOLK, 11 miles Bury St Edmunds Excess £795,000 • Rural location • far reaching views • Grade II 5 bedroom farmhouse • pp for annexe • purpose built stable yard • post and rail paddocks • one acre Christmas tree plantation • income potential • excellent outriding • around 20 acres (stms)

Contact Emily Cooper-Reade MNAEA

JOIN OUR SOLD PROPERTIES Contact us to discuss our extensive marketing package

SUFFOLK, Near Eye Excess £695,000 • Attractive rural location • period 4 bedroom farmhouse • 2 holiday let cottages with established income • well placed for Suffolk Coast • stable yard • barns • around 6 acres (stms) • EER D

SOLD (stc)

SOLD (stc)

SOLD

www.ecrproperties.com 01449 711727 / 07767 327327

SOLD

jackson-stops.co.uk LE ED SA RE G A

Woodbridge

Nr Halesworth

Enjoying a secure and tucked away setting with fabulous rural views towards the River Deben, a stunning, newly refurbished, contemporary house with over 3000 sq ft of accommodation. 2 vaulted reception rooms. Open plan fully fitted kitchen.

Study/snug. 5 bedrooms. 4 luxury bath/shower rooms. Triple oak framed cart lodge.

Modern security system. EPC=D

A fully renovated & refurbished Grade II Listed Suffolk farmhouse providing extensive & comfortable accommodation overlooking the common. 3 reception rooms. Kitchen/dining room. 7 bedrooms. 3 bath/shower rooms. Triple garage. In all approx 1 acre.

New Guide £835,000

Guide Price £1,500,000

Nr Stowmarket

Nr Framlingham

A stunning country property in a mature 5 acre setting, at the end of a no-through lane, surrounded by Suffolk farmland, presenting spacious & well-appointed accommodation, including an amazing leisure complex, plus a pair of self-contained cottages, together with workshops & stores. 3 reception rooms. 34 x 20 ft kitchen/breakfast room.

6 bedrooms. 3 bath/shower rooms. Mature paddock & meadow grounds. Epc=B

A handsome and elegantly presented, Georgian fronted 5 bedroom village house, amidst sheltering and secluded gardens. 3 reception rooms. Kitchen/breakfast room.

5 bedrooms. 2 bathrooms. Double garage with annexe conversion potential. Domestic stores. About 0.3 of an acre.

Guide Price £625,000

New Guide £1,450,000

Contact Tim Dansie, Jonathan Penn or James Squirrell 01473 218218 ipswich@jackson-stops.co.uk Local & National reach through a network of London & Regional offices

People Property Places

Suffolk, based in Ipswich

01473 358 400 Specialists in the sale of town, village and country houses.

Experts in equestrian property.

Waldringfield

The Ferry, Felixstowe

A unique home with versatile accommodation over three floors, offering panoramic views out across the sea, River Deben and Felixstowe Ferry Golf Club. The property also benefits from no onward chain.

A unique family home constructed in a New England style designed to embrace modern living and take full advantage of this stunning setting with views over the surrounding countryside and down to the River Deben.

Guide Price £800,000

• • • • • • •

Approximately 0.7 acres 5/6 bedrooms 5 bathrooms 3/4 reception rooms Quadruple garage Direct access to beach Planning permission for boat house with shower and sun room • EPC Rating D

Westhall, Halesworth

• 4 bedrooms, 4 bath/ shower rooms • 3 reception rooms • Space for a boat • Double garage & parking • Fully fitted kitchen • First floor sitting room with views over farmland to the River Deben • Electronic C-Bus intelligence system Guide Price £850,000 Close to Ipswich Station

Just one of five executive detached houses set on a south facing plot approaching a third of an acre in a secluded gated development, within easy walking distance of Ipswich mainline railway station.

Guide Price £575,000

• 4 double bedrooms, 2 bathrooms • 3 reception rooms • Kitchen/breakfast room • Double garage & parking • South facing rear garden • Set on a plot approaching a third of an acre • Secluded, gated development, EPC Rating TBC

suffolk@fennwright.co.uk Associated London office: Park Lane, Mayfair: 020 7409 8438

An attractive period farmhouse with excellent equestrian facilities, including stables, manège and range of outbuildings, set in grounds of approximately 7.84 acres.

• • • • • •

4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms 3 reception rooms Annexe accommodation 8 stables, 4 paddocks Range of outbuildings Suffolk Timber Barn, Nissan Hut • Natural pond, 7.84 acres • EPC Rating F

Guide Price £750,000

fennwright.co.uk

Agent Profile | Fenn Wright Ipswich

NEW LOOK FOR FENN WRIGHT IPSWICH OFFICE Long established estate agency Fenn Wright has brought its new concept of property marketing into the heart of the town.

The negotiators' desks and electronic equipment are tucked away out of general view - a far cry from the traditional layout of an estate agency.It is all part of offering a more comprehensive service to both our sellers and property seekers in the heart of the county town."

Charlie, who has carried out extensive research into Fenn Wright’s 246 year history, believes it is among the longest established estate agencies in the whole of the UK. It has certainly been at the heart of the local business community in Suffolk and Essex for many generations.

The prominent Ipswich office in the Buttermarket overlooking Giles Circus, has been the subject of a major refurbishment and its fresh new look adds contemporary twists to the existing character of this historic Buttermarket building.

This new concept was first revealed at the new Kesgrave branch of Fenn Wright last year and is already a firm favourite with buyers and sellers alike, serving east Ipswich and beyond.

The new remodelled Ipswich office will continue to handle both residential sales, lettings, surveys and commercial property. It is a major development for the successful and well established business, at an exciting and positive time for the market.

This new design palette is unlike any other outside London, the agents claim,

and is the result of in-depth research by the firm's marketing department in conjunction with Colchester-based branding, marketing and design consultancy, Puur.

The new concept does away with the old-style office where buyers or sellers are lured through the door by glossy pictures displayed in shop windows and then confronted by a phalanx of agents behind desks, all eagerly inspecting the latest quarry.

Fenn Wright partner and head of Suffolk residential Charlie Wright, who is the third generation of his family to work within the company said: "The new look Ipswich office is the next stage in the evolution of our business. It is not only a more welcoming office for our clients, the feedback from the team at Ipswich is it is a much more pleasant and enjoyable environment to work in.

Fenn Wright managing partner Alan Williams added: "There are people who question any decision to expand estate agency businesses given the current prominence of on-line property portals.

It's our view, though, that nothing beats the personal touch. We've heard a lot recently from people who've spent many hours trawling the internet and haven't found a suitable property. Face-to-face, we're are able to build up a dialogue with buyers and better understand their most significant needs so we can tell them immediately we spot a house we think might suit them. A catch up on progress over a coffee also helps to build better connections with sellers. We do hope our new-style property shops will prove an even more welcoming environment for buyers and sellers and make their moving experience more relaxed and enjoyable."

TO FIND OUR MORE Contact Fenn Wright in Ipswich on 01473 232700 or Fenn Wright in Kesgrave on 01473 358400 www.fennwright.co.uk

EssentialSUFFOLK

87

www.renault.co.uk

All-New Renault

h month when ordered by 31 marc from £145 deposit and £145 per REPRESENTATIVE EXAMPLE:

48 monthly payments of Customer deposit Cash price

FOUR YEARS WARRANTY WA ARRANTY RENAULT & RENAUL LTT ASSISTANCE ASSIST TANCE

£145 £145 £9,995

Dealer deposit contribution £250 Total amount of credit £9,600 Finance facility fee £99

BRISTOS

£4,292 £149 £11,895

Duration (months) Fixed interest rate p.a.

6.9% APR representative

49 5.90%

The of ficial fuel consumption figures in mpg (l /100km) for All-New Renault TTw wingo SCe 70 are : urban 50.44 ( 5.6 ) ; extra-urban 72.43 (3.9 ) ; combined 62.77 (4.5 ) . The of ficial CO2 emissions are 105g /km. EU Directive and Regulation 692 /2008 test environment figures. Fuel consumption

345 WOODBRIDGE ROAD and CO2 mayy vary with driving styles, road conditions and other factors.

The 2015 4 + package applies to new vehicles when ordered from a UK Renault-approved dealer from 1 Januar y 2015. All vehicles provided with 4 years’ warrant y and Renault Assistance as standard. Warrant y 4 IPSWICH, SUFFOLK, IP4 4E T years /10 0,000 miles ( whichever comes first ) . For full Renault Warrant y terms and conditions visit w w w.renault.co.uk /warrant y. For Renault Assistance terms and conditions visit w w w.renault.co.uk /assistance. Finance provided by RCI Financial Ser vices Limited, PO Box 149, Wat ford WD17 1FJ. Subject to status. Guarantees and indemnities may be required. You must be at least 18 and a UK resident ( excluding the Isle of Man and Channel TEL 01473 325309 Islands ) . Terms and conditions apply. Our dealership introduces customers to a limited number of financial providers including RCI Financial Ser vices Ltd. Of fer based on 6,00 0 miles pa, excess mileage 8p per mile inc VVA AT. W W W.BRISTOS.CO.UK / REN AULT Offers cannot be used with other schemes or finance offers and are available on featured new vehicles when ordered by 31 March 2015 and registered by 30 June 2015. Car shown with optional Powder Blue paint at £225.

M.R.King & Sons

90

Optional final payment Option to purchase fee Total amount payable

essentialsuffolk.com

FOUR YEARS WARRANTY & RENAUL RENAULTT ASSISTANCE ASSIST TANCE

M.R.King & Sons 46 Quay St, Halesworth, IP19 8EY 01986 874464 | www.volvocarshalesworth.co.uk

Motoring

ESSENTIAL FACTS l l l l l l l l l l

Model tested: Renault Twingo Expression SCe 70 Engine: 999cc 3Cyl 12V petrol Transmission: Five speed manual Power: 70bhp @ 6000 rpm Torque: 67 lbft @ 2850 rpm 0 – 62mph: 14.5 sec Max Speed: 94mph CO2: 105 g/km MPG: 62.8 Price: From £9,495

NEW RENAULT TWINGO

By Tim Barnes-Clay By shoehorning an engine into the rear of the car, rather than the front, you free up a stack of space. You also make the car shorter and more nimble. That’s exactly what Renault has done with its up-to-the-minute New Twingo.

erect and slightly higher than you might at first imagine, so for added comfort it’s worth asking for height adjustable seats – if funds allow. All the same, there’s more than enough breathing space for four-up.

A rear engined car can be more costly for the manufacturer because they need to produce precise parts for the job, rather than just selecting items already ‘on the shelf’. If you’ve ever wondered why most compact cars are built in the same way, that’s the answer right there: price.

You and your fellow passengers will also find the Renault’s interior both charming and well-thought out. Whilst it’s been assembled to a budget it manages not to feel inexpensive, and there’s plenty of storage areas. The front seats also fold flat, so bringing home flat-pack furniture from your local DIY store won’t be an issue. Another innovation is the dash-mounted, detachable, R&Go system, which holds a Smartphone and displays a revcounter; a trip-computer, or a sat-nav, via specific apps.

If truth be told, because more and more cars feel alike, the Twingo makes for a refreshing change. It’s cleverly put together, affordable, and really rather entertaining. When all’s said and done, it’s a welcome departure from the unremarkable.

The talented Twingo, although no racing car, performs well. 0-62mph in the non turbo version, on test here, takes 14.5 seconds, and the ride is firm but accommodating. The engine note is rather sweet and, once up to full speed,

INFORMATION Bristos 345 Woodbridge Road Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 4ET 01473 325309 www.bristos.co.uk/renault

Renault, thanks to its Nissan-Daimler partnership, already has a rear-engined floor-pan on its shelves though, so expense is no concern. Daimler owns Smart, and Renault’s fresh Twingo is based on the same foundation as the imminent Smart Four-Four car.

The hot from the oven Twingo is in fact 10cm shorter than the departing model, but the cabin has been stretched lengthways by 22cm.You do sit a little

there’s a lot of fun to be had.

The brakes scrub off momentum impressively too.

The Twingo has been designed for short city hops – but, of course, it’ll handle longer trips without a problem. Like the best little cars the Twingo comes into its own once it’s in urban areas. With a black-cab challenging turning-circle it’s child's play to park, and its compressed dimensions make zipping through traffic a delight rather than hard work.

EssentialSUFFOLK

91

Essential Faces

Hopkins Homes Kingfisher Place Preview Evening Snow showers didn’t deter those eager to view the new Hopkins Homes Kingfisher Place development in Leiston. Invited guests got the chance to investigate the show home and find out more from the Hopkins team while enjoying champagne and canapés.

James Hopkins, Lee Barnard, Michael Cox

Joanne & Karl Sore

Anita Grimwood, Anna Grimwood

Lydia Gathorne-Hardy, David Bailey

Lee Barnard, Jill Bryce

Heaven Sochon

Zsu & Carl Brennan

Margaret & John King, Theresa Wilding

Terry, Nick & Margaret Henshall

Relax in our luxury Thermal Suite Spa, work out in the Health Club’s gym or swim in the pool.

0844 499 1630

(local rate)

www.uffordpark.co.uk

To view more, or purchase, photographs from these events visit essentialsuffolk.com

Neptune Colchester The corks were popping to celebrate the opening of Neptune’s ninth store in the UK, in Colchester. The joint owners Martin King – who currently owns Neptune Bury St Edmunds, and his business partner Jasper Burnham – former Head of Retail at Neptune’s head office, plan to expand the Neptune brand across East Anglia.

Martin King & Jasper Burnham cutting the ribbon

Valentine & Marianne West

Jodie Cherry, Kelly Campbell

Suzie Bradshaw, Adele Padget

James & Janet Tutton

0844 499 1630

Martin & Jane King, Di & Jasper Burnham

Anne Reeves, Archie Burnham

(local rate)

www.uffordpark.co.uk

Giles & Hannah Redman

Mary & Andy Gibson

A fantastic, award winning golf course with superb greens & a 2 storey heated driving range.

Essential Faces

UCS Art Exhibition at Prettys Prettys has a continuing partnership with the UCS Department of Arts and Humanities and recently hosted the exhibition ‘Grain’ as part of their work to support and participate in a wide range of community projects.

Ian Seeley, Matthew Cole, Jon Bloor, Ian Waine

Rachael Taylor, Chris Mapey

Tim Bacon

Georgina Rayment, Jo Charles

Stephen Stanley-Little

Tony & Penny Tottle

Cristina Granena Sanchez

Cad Taylor, Charlotte Chantry

Richard Guy

Trevor & Lynn Broughton

Wedding Open Day - Sunday 1st March.

Non-exhibitor event.

0844 499 1630

(local rate)

www.uffordpark.co.uk

To view more, or purchase, photographs from these events visit essentialsuffolk.com

Red Rose Chain: Avenue Theatre Opening Party There was plenty of cause for celebration at the opening party for The Avenue Theatre, the brand new venue at Red Rose Chain’s Gippeswyk Hall HQ in Ipswich. The year ahead will see a full programme of events productions and workshops thanks to a £1 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Peter Funnell, Sharon Goddard, Judy Cligman, Alan Edwards

Zara Chancellor, Charles McIntyre

Philippa Hill, Georgina Hill

Bill and Barbara Quinton, David Ellesmere

Amanda and Nigel Mann

Ella Dodge, Daniel Abbott, Lucy Telleck

A

Jane and Steve Curzon

0844 499 1630

Joanna Carrick, David Newborn, Kirsty Thorpe

(local rate)

www.uffordpark.co.uk

Cheryl Sharland, Hayden Locke

Join us for Sunday Lunch, afternoon tea, or just pop in for a cup of coffee & enjoy the beautiful views.

Essential Faces

To view more, or purchase, photographs from this event visit essentialsuffolk.com

St Jospeh’s College Giants of the musical theatre (and St Jo’s parents) Tim Howar and Ruthie Henshall thrilled the audience in St Joseph’s Chapel with their Head West concert; raising funds for the Osiligi school project, helping to educate some of Kenya’s poorest children.

Bob and Christine Feltwell Liz, Ann, Tom and Stephen Marshlain

John and Anne Ager

Russell and Cordelle Sheldon

Ruthie Henshall Tim Howar with Lily and Dolly

John Curtin, Sue Owens

Steven and Maggie Peck, Graham and Teresa Colthorpe

W Jo Bloom, Marcia Sharp

Tom Castles, Dr Martin Hine, Joe Lilborn

Bethany and Angela O'Halloran

Disco, 70’s to present day - very popular book early!!

Friday 20th March, 7:30 - midnight, £7.50per person.

0844 499 1630

(local rate)

www.uffordpark.co.uk

Directory

Essential

DIRECTORY HOMES AND GARDENS

CATERING

Quality Bespoke Fitted Kitchens at Affordable Prices

01473 890122

$ #"# "$ # !$

www.woodfarmkitchens.co.uk MOTORING

Beautifully hand crafted, bespoke kitchens, cabinets and furniture

3

www.orwellsfurniture.co.uk

www.angliafactors.co.uk

KITCHEN | DINING | LIVING B E D R O O M | B AT H R O O M

Sales, Service & Repair

Visit our beautiful showroom Barton Road, Bury St Edmunds 01284 731025

The Woodlands, Badley, Needham Market, Suffolk, IP6 8RS Tel: 01449 774222 service@derrickwells.com

www.neptuneburystedmunds.com

PRINTING

Do you have a book to self-publish?

DO YOU HAVE CHICKENS? Keep them safe with CLUCK ‘N’ SHUT from just £115

We can help you turn your idea into a reality www.foxwoodceramics.co.uk

www.gippingpress.co.uk Tel: 01449 721599 enquiries@gippingpress.co.uk

A light activated chicken coop door opening and closing device Cluck ‘n’ Shut gives you peace of mind and keeps your chickens safe.

Battery operated — no mains power required Fully automated — just sit back and relax Aluminium door that will not rust Waterproof enclosure

DECKWORLD ARE ALSO YOUR LOCAL IPSWICH SUPPLIER OF HOT TUBS VISIT OUR SHOWROOM FOR LATE SEASON DEALS. HOT TUB CHEMICALS ALWAYS IN STOCK. Felixstowe Road, Ipswich, IP10 ODE (Opposite the Shepherd and Dog) Tel: (01473) 655777

Gipping G ipping td Press Press LLtd

HEALTH & BEAUTY

DR BELLA SMITH MBBS BmedSci (first) MRCP MRCGP (merit) DFSRH

GP and Cosmetic Doctor Treatments for: • Excessive Sweating of armpits and hands • Thread veins of legs • Injections for wrinkles

01473 217592 Email: practise@gilmourpiper.co.uk

To advertise call 01473 809932, we’ll be happy to help and advise you EssentialSUFFOLK

97

My Suffolk

MARCH 2015

How long have you lived in Suffolk?

Most of my life. I was born in Epping but we moved here when I was 13 and lived in Great Barton. I went to St Benedict’s Upper School in Bury St. Edmunds – which is a great school, and then I went on to do a degree in History and Classics at the University of Surrey.

When you were growing up did you ever think that you’d be in charge of the Suffolk Show?

Well, no. For a while I wanted to be the next Michael Wood or Indiana Jones but those dreams quickly changed when I left university and realised I had to get a proper job. I spent the next 20 years in the events industry working on the Ideal Home Exhibition, Tech and Gadgets Exhibition and then on jobs that took me round the world to the Far East, South America and North America.

Then one day last year I was offered two jobs in the same day – one in Sydney, Australia and the other at Trinity Park.

There was no contest.

Nicola Bateman is the new Chief Executive of the Suffolk Agricultural Association and the Suffolk Show. She’s the first female Chief Executive in the 184-year history of the organisation and loves her home county

What’s so special about Suffolk?

I love it, my family are up here and my sister has a cafe in Bury St Edmunds and another one in Ixworth. I’ve got an amazing home in Tostock. It doesn’t matter how much I’ve been round the world I’ve always loved coming home.

It’s the greatest feeling when you get to Heathrow, drive round the M25 and start travelling up the A11. My favourite place is home in Suffolk.

What’s your favourite view?

It’s my home and my front garden – I live in the village of Tostock, which years ago won the title of Best Kept Village so many times that it’s been allowed to keep the sign. It’s very old fashioned, there are only 300 people who live in the village, there’s a green that used to have a wonderful old oak tree, there’s a pub on the corner and a lot of people who ride horses. So you wake up in the morning to the clip clopping of hooves and in the summer there are also the walkers who pass by.

Do you like to walk?

There are some lovely routes around Tostock, Thurston and Pakenham along unspoiled single track lanes. But I love Southwold – we go there to walk and for fish and chips too. Then there’s also a lovely walk round the back of the Abbey in Bury St Edmunds, especially when the spring flowers are out and the bells are ringing.

98

essentialsuffolk.com

Where do you like to eat out?

In Ipswich at The Mariners, Sutherland House in Southwold, The Crown at Framlingham, The Butley Orford Oysterage, in Bury the Noodle Bar. Also The Coffee House on the Morton Hall Estate – all the food is locally sourced and it sells the best sausage rolls ever. I defy anyone to make anything better.

What about days out?

Obviously the Suffolk Show because it’s an event that celebrates the county I love.

Greene King, Aspalls or Adnams?

I couldn’t possibly pick just one.

What do you do to relax?

I don’t have much time – the theatre in Bury St Edmunds is excellent but I only manage to get there for the pantomime.

I love music and enjoy the Bury Festival and I go to the Apex too. When it comes to sport you’ll find me standing on the line the rugby club in Bury St Edmunds at the weekend watching my young son play for his team. I’ll be there come wind, rain, sun, snow or sleet. At the start of the season there will be about 30 parents looking on but by the middle of winter that number will be down to ten people – and I’ll be one of those ten.

If you had to take visitors on a tour of Suffolk where would you take them?

We’d start off at Tostock of course – go into Bury for the Abbey and The Angel. Then head out to Newmarket, I’d want to take in places like Hartest, Clare, Long Melford, Lavenham and Kersey. We’d then go over the Orwell Bridge via Trinity Park, take a look at the estuaries and then up to Woodbridge, Orford, Aldeburgh, Dunwich and Southwold. The way home would take us to Yoxford, Pettaugh, Framlingham Castle, Debenham and then back to Tostock, of course.

The Award Winning

Ipswich Operatic & Dramatic Society proudly presents

An Amateur production by arrangement with The Really Useful Group Ltd.

Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber Book and Lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton Based on the Billy Wilder film

20th - 23rd May 2015 The Regent Theatre Ipswich Box office: 01473 433100

Website: www.ipswichregent.com Tickets £18.00 & £16.50 Concessions only on first night and Saturday matinee £16.00 & £14.50 Family ticket (2 adults and 2 children) £50.00 Group offer - buy 10 tickets and get 11th ticket free

Orchestrations by David Cullen & Andrew Lloyd Webber Original production by The Really Useful Group Ltd. Sunset Blvd Logo : TM & © 1993 RUG Ltd.

/IODSIpswich @IODS1

www.iods.co.uk

® Ipswich Operatic & Dramatic Society registered charity number 800129

Inspired by tradition

TRADITIONAL CHARACTER, CONTEMPORARY LIVING If you're searching for a new home with traditional charm as well as all the internal features you desire for comfortable, convenient and stylish living, look no further than Hopkins Homes and Hopkins and Moore.

We are East Anglia's leading developers, building collections of homes to exceptionally high standards, each one individually designed to complement its setting, be it town, village, countryside or coast.

Call us or visit our website for further information hopkinshomes.co.uk • 01394 446860 Hopkins Homes builds traditional award winning homes throughout Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex