Essential Suffolk October 2017 by Achieve More Media

October 2017 | Priceless

Essential SUFFOLK

ALDE & ORE ESTUARY The campaign to protect coastal communities and the environment Theatre | Food | Fashion | Homes & Interiors | Property

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CELEBRATING ALL THAT MAKES OUR COUNTY GREAT

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OCTOBER 2017

| Welcome

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

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

WELCOME October really is a beautiful month but as the leaves change colour and fall, the evenings close in and more and more mornings have a distinct nip in the air, we are reminded that it’s just a hop, skip and jump and then winter will be almost upon us. But living in a rural county we are lucky to be able to take in and really appreciate the changing seasons and all they have to offer. On the cultural front, October in Suffolk is a packed month with Ipswich School Festival of Music, Flipside bringing Margaret Atwood – author of A Handmaid’s Tale – to Snape along with the rainforest and a whole host of cultural treats and Halesworth Arts Festival too. Then there’s Framlingham Sausage Festival which attracts more than 5,000 people into the town for a competition that’s so popular they even have to close the roads! Meanwhile over in the west of the county, Gainsborough’s House is launching an £8.5 million bid to create a national art centre in Sudbury. The fundraising is being spearheaded by Suffolk artist Maggi Hambling with an auction on October 20, where there will be 130 rare and much sought-after contemporary paintings under the hammer. Little wonder its attracted art buyers from far and wide.

Cover photograph: Bearded Tit by Matt Parrott

Plus, as autumn gales start to sweep in, another fundraising campaign gets underway – but this time for £12 million to protect the Alde and Ore Estuary from being lost to the sea by storm surges. The BBC’s Nick Robinson is lending his weight to the campaign and has presented a film, which will be premiered this month. As always there’s plenty to read in this issue of Essential Suffolk – including Food & Drink, Fashion, Homes & Interiors, the latest properties for sale and, of course, the ever popular Pub Walk with Darcy. We’re also online; visit essentialsuffolk.com or find us on Twitter @EssentialSFK and on Facebook too. See all our social event photographs at essentialsuffolk.com @EssentialSFK

Essential Suffolk

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

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K I TC H E N S

B AT H R O O M S

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01473 610 192 www.angliafactors.co.uk 34 GLOSTER ROAD MARTLESHAM HEATH IPSWICH IP5 3RD

Contents

FEATURES

REGULARS

Saving Suffolk’s Estuary

Suffolk in Brief

What’s On

October Festivals

Appeal for the river wall defences on the Alde and Ore

Halesworth Arts Festival, Framlingham Sausage Festival, Flipside and Ipswich School Festival of Music

Food & Drink

Homes & Interiors

Scottish Dance Theatre at DanceEast, Who’s Afraid of the Park in Ipswich, Reasons to be Cheerful at the New Wolsey and Heart of Gold at the Spa Pavilion

Gardening

Fashion

Property

Pub Dog Walk

Essential Faces

Gainsborough’s House Turning Sudbury into a national centre for art

Ormiston Families

My Suffolk

Saving children from social exclusion

Ann Osborn – Director of Rural Coffee Caravan

News from around the county

Where to go and what to see in Suffolk this October

Mini Previews

More new styles for your Autumn /Winter wardrobe

Rolling countryside around the Bildeston Crown

Dining at The Glemham Crown, a spicy recipe from The Turks Head plus a gallery full of ideas for eating out this month

Make a splash with a new bathroom

Finding inspiration for your outside space

A selection of our county’s finest homes for sale

Highlights from Suffolk’s social calendar

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OCTOBER 2017

SAVE OUR SUFFOLK ESTUARY The Alde and Ore Estuary Trust is launching a £12 million campaign to protect coastal villages, communities and the environment along the Suffolk coast – Anne Gould reports

Photograph by Tony Pick

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Save Our Suffolk Estuary

inter storms by the seaside are often spectacular in their fury with crashing angry waves, scudding clouds, driving rain and impossible winds. For householders and landowners along Suffolk’s coast, these tempests are also times when they have little option but to hold their breath and pray. Climate change, rising sea levels, a high tide and the wrong wind direction could, at any time, combine to create the sort of devastating storm surge that in 1953 caused 307 people to lose their lives on the east coast. Back in 2013 – the last time such a surge occurred – thankfully there was no loss of life, but 26 properties in Snape were flooded and the freshwater Hazelwood Marshes, a valuable protected wildlife area in Aldeburgh, was lost to the sea. The consequences of a similar event occurring again could potentially turn Aldeburgh into an island but also have equally damaging consequences across the whole area, from Snape to Orford and Butley. According to the Alde and Ore Estuary Trust, the problem is that due to a lack of maintenance and substantial settlement over the last 50 years, the river walls across the whole estuary, which enclose internationally protected wildlife environments, are in disrepair. Some are too low, while others are badly cracked and steep on the landward side which makes them vulnerable to breaches. So in a unique effort to preserve the centuries old landscape across the area, the trust has set up a community campaign to repair the river walls and, because Government funds are limited, the aim is to raise £12 million to recover

the repair bill. The campaign is being launched on October 14 at Orford Town Hall with a reception and premiere of a Save our Suffolk Estuary Film presented by BBC journalist and Radio Four Today programme presenter, Nick Robinson. Speaking exclusively to Essential Suffolk he said, “You cannot come here without being very, very aware of the potential for this beautiful place to be swept under water.” Nick who has a home in Orford said, “I remember the first time I came here, visiting the Jolly Sailor and seeing a mark indicating the water level in the ’53 floods. I also vividly remember the last time the water rose

and was literally inches off topping over the quayside here. It was the Government’s autumn statement in Westminster and all the while I was watching Radio Suffolk’s Twitter feed to see what was happening with the storm.” So when the Trust asked him to voice the film he was only too happy to help. In it, he takes a tour of the estuary starting at Shingle Street where the “tide can be relentless in shaping the mouth of the river and eroding the coast”. At Slaughden he describes the sliver of land where the North Sea is barely a footstep away from the river as the “biggest challenge” in protecting the estuary. ‰

Flood water at Snape following the 2013 tidal surge

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WELCOME TO THE HOME OF COLOUR Any door, any window, any conservatory, any colour! Do you remember when you could only get double glazing in white? (then they went yellow in the sun!!). Then, whole property developments appeared with brown mock wood windows in various shades. The home improvement industry has come a long way with most manufacturers offering a range of finishes. Did you know that the majority of non white windows come with a foil sticker, stuck onto the original frames, this allows for different colours and wood effects. Where once we saw white windows turning various hews of yellow we are now starting to see windows with the foil bubbling and coming off. Colourchange UPVC offers a unique colouring service for windows, doors, conservatories and roof line products. Established 6 years ago, owner Daryl Collins formed the business supplying colouring services to the trade. Double glazing companies, builders, property developers and trade fitters would all use Colourchange UPVC to colour their products, and that is a large part of the company’s business today. With a unique product and a large showroom the business has expanded into the home market rather than just trade. Homeowners can now purchase directly from Colourchange UPVC. We offer you a range of 30,000 different colours, a mind boggling choice, made possible by the use of the latest paint bonding technology. We do not simply spray the surface of the product, that would just flake off after a few hot and cold days. Colourchange UPVC have researched the latest colour bonding technology to create a painted surface that is durable, weather resistant, extremely hard wearing and we provide all coloured products with a 10 year warranty. Just like the KFC recipe there is a secret to just how we achieve this but our showroom based at Base Park in Bentwaters is testament to the quality of the products we provide. Homeowners are no longer restricted to a few colours, literally any colour is available.

For more details you can visit Colourchange UPVC’s website www.colourchangeupvc.co.uk or contact Daryl on 01394 420774

Business owner Daryl Collins

Base Business Park, Unit D4, Rendlesham, Suffolk IP12 2TZ 01394 420 774 | enquiries@colourchangeupvc.co.uk | www.colourchangeupvc.co.uk Colourchange UPVC are a Consumer Protection Association approved company and are certified by Certass – authorised by the Department for Communities and Local Government. CPA and Certass registered companies undergo a rigorous selection process to ensure that they deliver your home improvements to the very highest standards. The Consumer Protection Association provide an independent 10 year insurance backed guarantee for work undertaken by Colourchange UPVC.

Save Our Suffolk Estuary “If work is not done here it could spell trouble in the future – Aldeburgh as we know it could be gone. On a summer’s day, this place is so beautiful and so tranquil that it’s easy to forget that each and every day this area is threatened by the rising waves of the sea”. He told Essential Suffolk that funding the scheme requires everyone to play a part because Government funds are very limited and it’s estimated that its contributions will extend £1.5 – £2million at most. The farmers around the estuary have committed to a fund-raising target of £5million through donation of land for development. There’s been a legacy of £630,000 and the trust is applying to various charities for help but the appeal is looking for donations in addition to fundraising to meet the target. The first such event is an inter-estuary pub quiz with 15 pubs taking part in a virtual meet up on November 23. Amanda Bettinson, the secretary of the Alde and Ore Estuary Partnership, said that the aim of the work was to raise the level of all the river walls to 3.3 metres. “To prevent breaching, the wall must be heightened and the back slope strengthened using high-performance turf reinforcement meshes and earth anchors.” This system has been used worldwide and has already been tested on a 500 metre stretch of the wall close to Orford Quay. At the moment some walls are more vulnerable than others, she said and the trust has carried out surveys to establish areas where the walls are weakest. “Modelling of the upper estuary has already been carried out to establish the flood risk for the next 30-50 years and sections of wall have been divided into four colour-coded categories – black, red, green, and blue.” Now modelling of the whole estuary is underway to establish wall heights and hydrodynamics of the river. By doing this they have been able to establish flood cells and make assessments about how work should progress. Simply raising the wall height in one area could negatively impact another area so all the work has to be carried out with care.

INFORMATION For more information about the Alde and Ore Trust, the launch event and the pub quiz visit www.aoep.co.uk or @SOSestuary on Twitter.

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News

SUFFOLK in brief The New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich, has officially launched its fundraising campaign to stage a production to celebrate the legendary Ipswich Town FA Cup win of 1978; Our Blue Heaven – a musical production timed for the 40th Anniversary of the victory in May 2018. In order to meet the production costs involved in staging this sporting musical chronicling Town’s FA cup run, the theatre has launched its campaign to raise £45,000 in public sponsorship to cover a proportion of the costs needed to create the production. As part of the creation of the show, the Theatre has collated stories from those who were caught up in the events of 1978, from the third round victory in Cardiff in January to the final in May, and the euphoria of the Victory Parade. Stories that are funny, quirky, co-incidences and twists of fate; Peter Rowe has created the ultimate feel good show directly from these memories, combined with the hits from the era. To pledge to back the project and make the production a reality visit www.ourblueheaven.co.uk

A unique initiative which encourages people to embrace ‘doing good’ as well as ‘getting fit’ has been launched in Ipswich. GoodGym has a unique approach to building community cohesion, promoting fitness and reducing social isolation. Members stop off on their runs to do physical tasks for community organisations and to support isolated older people with one-off tasks they can’t do on their own. Guest of honour at the launch was Michelle Mitchell, who recently represented GB and won a gold medal, two silver medals and a bronze medal at the World Transplant Games in Malaga. GoodGym Ipswich, which has been established in partnership with Suffolk County Council, is the 37th area nationwide. Led by local trainer Ian Duggan he said “The town and surrounding area has a fantastically vibrant running community. Goodgym will add to this and give more people a chance to get involved in running and do good at the same time. We’ll be meeting every Monday evening at 6.30pm. Come and join us!” Find out more by visiting www.goodgym.org/areas/ipswich.

An historic law firm is marking the 100 year anniversary of its founder’s son’s death – killed at Passchendaele during World War I. Kerseys Solicitors was established in Ipswich in 1881 by a then 21-year-old William Edward Kersey. His only son, William Henry Myddelton Kersey (known as ‘Myddelton’), who was expected to join his father’s firm, was killed in the infamous western Belgium battle at the age of 24 on October 17, 1917. Kerseys, will hold a minute silence as a mark of respect to Kersey and all who have been killed in wars or recent tragic events across the world. Managing and senior partner Anthony Wooding said: “It’s sad, but also important to be reminded of our long history. It helps us to put our difficulties into perspective and recognise the opportunities many of us have today.” Myddelton was killed near Ypres when a stray shell fell on his unit’s dug-out in the early hours of the morning, while they were sleeping. He left behind his father, William, mother Ada Laura Kersey and one sister, Marion Elizabeth. William Henry’s name is also on a brass plaque inside St John the Baptist church and on a war memorial on Felixstowe seafront.

The Young Art East Anglia competition is launched this month and the theme for 2018 is ‘Nature’s delights’. The annual competition and exhibition of children’s art for children aged 5 to 11 recognizes the remarkable range of talents of primary school children in Suffolk while raising money for Cancer Research UK. The exhibition will be held at the Peter Pears Gallery in Aldeburgh on March 9, 10 & 11 next year. Competition entries are to be submitted in January 2018, with judging taking place in February from which approximately 350 works will be selected for the exhibition. To find out more visit www.youngarteastanglia.co.uk

Big Drop Brewing Co., the UK’s first brewing company dedicated exclusively to making only the finest <0.5% ABV beer, has unveiled a brand refresh of its original beers to coincide with the launch of two new beers. The company, whose founders are

based in Ipswich, has strengthened its links with Suffolk in the branding, working with local artist Helen Maxfield. Big Drop Lager and Spiced Ale provide a long-awaited expansion of their 0.5% ABV range of full flavoured craft beers. The range of four beers features a contemporary, fresh look. “I took a lot of inspiration from the countryside of my Suffolk roots when developing Big Drop beers” explained Rob Fink, Founder of Big Drop Brewing Co “and Helen’s wonderful imagery of the area has been incorporated into the identity of the beers with a distinctive rebrand.”

Anglia Factors, makers of bespoke kitchens and interiors, is hosting a rolling cooking demonstration using the latest Neff appliances on Saturday 28th October between 10am and 4pm. The event is designed to provide information and demonstrations for anyone looking into buying a Neff oven or hob – and indeed those who already own one. Andy Baker from Adnams will be there throughout the day with cocktails and mocktails and has kindly donated of a bottle of Adnams Gin for the charity raffle. People can drop in at any stage between 10am and 4pm and there will be a collection in aid of Anglia Factors chosen charity, St. Elizabeth Hospice. Adrian Rawlinson, Head of Communications at St Elizabeth Hospice, added: “We are extremely grateful to Anglia Factors for their continued backing of the hospice. They not only support us with regular collections but also taking on tough challenges for us such as cycling from London to Paris and the recent Prudential Ride London-Surrey event. St Elizabeth Hospice cares for over 2,000 people in east Suffolk each year who are suffering from a progressive illness, helping them maximise their life. Last year the hospice cost in excess of £10million to run and over 70% of this has to be raised locally through different types of fundraising. Support as we receive from Dan and his team is absolutely vital to ensuring we can continue to offer and grow our care.”

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

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OCTOBER 2017

WHAT’S ON OCTOBER 1

OCTOBER 2 Shopping Day for Cancer Research UK

Village Hall, Lavenham, 10am to 2pm

Jeremy Hardy

Lots of lovely things for ladies of all ages. Hotfooted ladies boots and shoes, collections of ladies clothing, jewellery, fashion accessories, gifts, plants and more. Refreshments and light lunches available. Entry: £3 to Cancer Research (£2 entry after 1pm) www.facebook.com/charityshoppingday

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 8pm Jeremy Hardy is in his fourth decade as a stand-up comedian. That’s a more dramatic way of saying he started 33 years ago and, without a lottery win, probably has at least another 33 years to go before he can retire. You might know his voice as BBC Radio 4’s favourite comedian, but he's also been seen on TV in QI, Mock The Week and Grumpy Old Men. Tickets: £14 Box Office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk Woodbridge Shuck Festival

Whisstocks Quayside View the new waterfront with music and children’s entertainment www.woodbridgeshuck.co.uk

OCTOBER 4 10cc’s Graham Gouldman

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 7.30pm Gouldman has written many songs for other artists, including 'For Your Love' (The Yardbirds), 'Bus Stop' (The Hollies), 'No Milk Today' (Herman's Hermits), and co-wrote 'I’m Not In Love', ' The Things We Do For Love', 'Dreadlock Holiday' and 'Rubber Bullets' with 10cc. Graham's trio will perform a selection of his hits. Tickets: £24.50 Box Office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk

OCTOBER 6 Oktoberfest 2017

OCTOBER 1 – 16 Cornucopia

White House farm, Great Glemham A feast of fine arts, heritage craft, rural writing and autumn foods. www.aldevalleyspringfestival.co.uk

OCTOBER 1; 7 & 8; 14 & 15; 21 & 22; 28 & 29 Undley Pumpkin Patch & Maize Maze

Undley Road, Beck Row, IP288BX 10am – 5pm Come out and see us at the Pumpkin Patch and pick your pumpkins! Fantastic range of gourds, squashes and pumpkins of all sizes to decorate or to use for culinary purposes. Try our largest ever 2017 Maize Maze. We have face painting, pumpkin carving/decorating and some fantastic craft stalls as well as donkey rides. Entry: Free Contact: 07831146432 undleyfarmevents.co.uk 16

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Grand Hall, Corn Exchange, Ipswich, 7.30pm Brush the dust off your Lederhosen, Oktoberfest is back! Ipswich’s very own Oktoberfest in the Town Hall for an evening of Bavarian celebration. Enjoy authentic Bavarian food and beer accompanied by foot stomping, thigh slapping music with The Oompah Band (as featured on Channel 4’s ‘So Graham Norton’). For a truly immersive Oktoberfest evening, why not don a traditional Bavarian outfit – lederhosen is encouraged! Tickets: £18 Box Office: 01473 433100 Farmers Markets

Stowmarket Market Place, 9am – 1.30pm Wannabe –The Spice Girls Show

Spa Pavilion Theatre, Felixstowe, 8pm The Spice Girls remain the biggest girl band of all time with nine number one singles, 80 million record sales, world tours, movies and a musical to their name. A stunning tribute, featuring your favourite Spice Girls hits, from the chart stomping ‘Spice Up Your

Life’ through to the hip shaking ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’, they will take you on a Spice World journey that will make you Zig-A-Zig-Ahhhh. Tickets: £22 (£20 concessions) Box Office: 01394 284962 www.felixstowespa.co.uk

OCTOBER 7 Triple Bill

DanceEast, Ipswich, 7.30pm Joss Arnott Dance’s new contemporary programme takes you on a gripping journey through athletic and technically brilliant choreography that has established the company as one of the most exciting new voices in British dance. Tickets: £12 Box Office: 01473 295230 www.danceeast.co.uk Suffolk Philharmonic

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 7.30pm Sunshine and Shade: From brilliant Italian sunshine to the shade of an English glade, and from the call of the cuckoo to the frenzy of the tarantella, Suffolk Philharmonic’s autumn concert captures every mood. A charity concert in aid of the Diocesan Centenary Fund. Tickets: £34 – £16 Box Office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk Back To Bacharach

Spa Pavilion Theatre, Felixstowe, 7.30pm Back to Bacharach is a sensational show with three West End singers and a ten piece live band to recreate the full rich sound of the originals. Tickets: £25 (£23.50 concessions) Box Office: 01394 284962 www.felixstowespa.co.uk In Harmony Charity Concert

Museum St Methodist Church, Ipswich, 7pm A wonderful showcase of local choirs and performers including the Endeavour Singers and Stellar Acapella plus special guests Portobello Road (multi award-winning barbershop choir) and the London Belles (vintage vocal trio). Raffle and interval refreshments. All money raised goes to charity Fresh Start – New Beginnings Entry: £10 Contact: izzy.ixer@gmail.com www.ticketgun.com/events/in-harmony

What’s On Farmers Markets

OCTOBER 11 – 14

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

Oliver!

I Had a Black Dog

High Street Exhibition Gallery, Ipswich Seckford Theatre, Woodbridge

OCTOBER 10 The Young’uns

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 7.30pm The Young’uns have cemented their reputation at the forefront of the English folk scene in the last few years. Having taken their uplifting voices, powerful songs, spine tingling harmonies and raucous humour to audiences across the UK and around the world, they won the title of ‘Best Group’ at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2015 and 2016. Tickets: £16.50 Box Office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk

Consider yourself at home with Lionel Bart's classic musical based on Charles Dickens' novel, Oliver Twist. The Tony and Olivier Award-winning show is one of the few musicals to win an Academy Award for Best Picture and is widely hailed as a true theatrical masterpiece by actors and audience members alike. Tickets: £16.50 Box Office: 01473 295900

A darkly comedic and sensitive look at one man’s life with depression. Small Nose Productions bring you a moving and playful adaptation of Matthew Johnstone’s international bestseller “I had a black dog, his name was depression”. Tickets: £10 Box Office: 01473 295900

OCTOBER 13 Navi –The King of Pop

Spa Pavilion Theatre, Felixstowe, 7.30pm OCTOBER 12 Simon Day, In Character

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 8pm The Fast Show pub bore Billy Bleach, an unemployed know it all who lives with his mum in Bermondsey, will be speaking to the public for the first time since being in rehab for gambling and constant overt sexist remarks in the pub, along with many of Simon’s other characters. Tickets: £25 – £20 Box Office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk

This incredible production stars the world’s leading Michael Jackson tribute artist Navi who is joined by Jackson’s original lead guitarist – Jennifer Batten. Jennifer was Michael’s ‘right-hand woman’ on three sellout world tours. Now she has teamed up with Navi for an unforgettable experience – taking fans closer than ever dreamed to an original MJ concert. Tickets: £25.50 (£20.50 concessions) Box Office: 01394 284962 www.felixstowespa.co.uk

1 in 5 of our patients’ care is paid for by a gift in a will

SCOTTISH DANCE THEATRE Jill

Andy

Linda

Age suitability 12+ years

FRIDAY 20 & SATURDAY 21 OCTOBER | 7.30PM

Can you help? Our aim is to improve life for people living with progressive illnesses, and offer the best care to them and their families. People such as Jill, Andy and Linda and 2,000 others every year, but the fact is we can’t do it without your support. Next time you update your will, and after your loved ones are taken care of, please consider a gift to St Elizabeth Hospice. It’s easy to do, and a small gift can make a big difference.

01473 723600 stelizabethhospice.org.uk/legacy

Contemporary dance at its finest, from two exciting international choreographers. Tickets from £12, £9 concessions

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OCTOBER 2017

OCTOBER 14

Echoes of Ellington

OCTOBER 17

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 3pm Farmers Markets

Halesworth Town Centre, 9am – 1pm Nayland Village Hall, 10am – 1.30pm Stonham Barns Market Square, 10am – 2pm Woodbridge Community Centre, 9am – 1pm Wolsey Orchestra – Symphonie Fantastique

Grand Hall, Ipswich Corn Exchange, 7.30pm With Halloween approaching, join the Wolsey Orchestra, conducted by Ben Palmer, for an evening of classical music inspired by magic, witches and other strange goings-on. Programme includes Berlioz’ Symphonie Fantastique and the Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Dukas. Entry: £15 Adults (£3 children / full-time students) Box Office: 01473 433100 www.wolseyorchestra.org

OCTOBER 15 Farmers Markets

The Barn, Assington 10am – 2pm

Highly-specialised virtuoso players will play the Duke's greatest hits; ‘Take The A Train’, ‘Satin Doll’, ‘Mood Indigo’, ‘Caravan’, ‘Don’t Get Around Much Anymore’, ‘Sophisticated Lady’, and all your other Ellington favourites. Tickets: £18.50 Box Office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk

OCTOBER 16 Electric Strawbs

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 7.30pm Following their first album with Sandy Denny in 1967, Britain’s most successful international progressive folk-rock band, The Strawbs expanded their soundscape with ambitious new compositions and luminaries such as keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman. The Electric Strawbs sees original frontman David Cousins, along with Dave Lambert and Chas Cronk, move gracefully into their fifth decade of music making. Tickets: £20 Box Office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk

The sleep of your dreams…

Specialising in luxury wool bedding made from the finest British wool scientifically proven to improve sleep quality. Research suggests wool bedding can help provide up to 25% more stage four regenerative sleep – meaning you'll wake up feeling refreshed, revitalised and ready to face the day. Visit our sleep studio to find out more about how our temperature regulating, allergy approved products can help you get a good night’s sleep. Wool Room Sleep Studio, Sycamore Farm, Somersham Road Bramford, Ipswich IP8 4NN. T: 01473 831723/07477 090 745 E: thewoolroomea@gmail.com Open Tuesdays and Thursdays 10am – 4pm Call us to arrange a visit at any other time.

www.thewoolroom.com 18

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Albion Quartet

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 7.30pm The newly formed Albion Quartet comprises four outstanding performers with a wealth of experience in some of the UK’s foremost ensembles (including the Badke and Navarra Quartets, and the London Bridge Trio). Tickets: £20 – £15 Box Office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk

OCTOBER 17 – 24 The Wind in the Willows

New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich Tired of spring-cleaning, Mole leaves Mole End and ventures out to the riverbank, where he befriends the resourceful Ratty, the bad-tempered Badger and the troublesome Toad of Toad Hall! Tickets: £8 Box Office: 01473 295900

What’s On OCTOBER 18

The Selecter & The Beat

OCTOBER 21

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 8pm The Australian Pink Floyd Show

Ipswich Regent, 7pm Selling four million tickets worldwide and described by The Times as “The Gold Standard”, and The Daily Mirror as “The Kings of the Genre”, The Australian Pink Floyd Show gave its first ever concert in Adelaide, Australia in 1988. Since then, they have performed in over 35 countries worldwide. Tickets: £33 Box Office: 01473 433100 www.ipswichregent.com

OCTOBER 19 Squeeze

Ipswich Regent, 7pm South-London legends Squeeze have announced an extensive run of UK dates. This follows the success of their North American tour in 2016 and the incredible reception to their latest album Cradle To The Grave. Tickets: £51 Box Office: 01473 433100 www.ipswichregent.com

Two-Tone ska legends, The Selecter and The Beat, unite for an exciting doubleheader show. Led by the iconic Pauline Black and Arthur ‘Gaps’ Hendrickson, The Selecter, will play hits including ‘Three Minute Hero’, ‘Missing Words’ and ‘On My Radio’. The Beat, fronted by Ranking Roger, has a massive back catalogue of skanking greats. Both bands are renowned for their energetic live shows, which get everyone dancing. Tickets: £27.50 Box Office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk

OCTOBER 21 Farmers markets

Beccles Heliport 9am – 1pm Harkstead Village Hall, 9am – 12 noon Alder Carr Farm, Needham Market, 9am – 1pm

The Big Draw

Wickham Market Village Hall The event is free and materials are provided. You don't need to be an experienced artist everyone can draw and all ages are welcome including families. Just drop in and have some fun, draw, doodle, sketch, crayon or even try your hand at some animation. www.thebigdraw.org

OCTOBER 22 Castalian Quartet

St Mary the Virgin Church, East Bergholt, 4pm Formed in 2011, this outstanding young quartet with its “richly romantic energy and passion” (Strad Magazine) is fast becoming a favourite of audiences in the UK and abroad. Programme: Haydn, String Quartet Op.20 no.2 in C; Schumann, String Quartet no.1 in A minor Op.41 no.1; Beethoven, String Quartet in A minor Op.132. Entry: £14 (students £7) Box Office: 01206 298426 svamtickets@btinternet.com www.svam.org.uk

EssentialSUFFOLK

OCTOBER 2017

Suffolk Singers Choral Workshop – Rutter's ‘Gloria’

OCTOBER 26

Andy Parsons

Framlingham College. 9.30 to 5pm, public performance at 4.30pm

Griff Rhys Jones:Where was I?

Directed by Suffolk Singers Music Director Claire Weston and assisted by John Hutchings and Chris Milton, this year’s workshop features John Rutter’s ‘Gloria’. The price includes all music, expert tuition and tea and coffee all day. Entry: £20 (under 19s free) Information: 01379 788143 or 01379 643206 www.suffolksingers.co.uk

The star of Not the Nine o'clock News, Smith & Jones and Three Men In A Boat is airing stories, anecdotes, reminiscences and outright lies from forty years of travelling down rivers and up mountains, into Africa, out of India, and across the arid wastes of the BBC canteen. It's a career, if you mean bouncing chaotically downhill without a map. 90 minutes of comedy exploration. Tickets: £17 Box Office: 01473 433100 www.ipswichregent.com

Mercury Theatre, Colchester Grand Hall, Corn Exchange, Ipswich, 7.30pm

OCTOBER 23 Harry Panto and the Chamber Pot of Secrets

OCTOBER 27

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 2pm

Brother Strut

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 8pm

Abra Cadabra! With a wave of our wand we bring you this wizard production. Join our young magicians as they fight the dark lord in this spellbinding tale of good versus evil. A ghoulishly spooktacular parody production for October half term. Tickets: £12 (child £10 / family £40) Box Office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk

Individual members of this critically acclaimed funk and soul band have performed on records that have accumulated over half-abillion sales. “You will wait a very long time indeed to see anything better, I can’t think who can top this” 10/10 Blues and Soul Magazine. Tickets: £20 Box Office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk

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It’s one of the things we do best. Or is it? Was it something we did best but like everything else has now gone West. Or South. Or East. Ah – go on. Take a risk. Put on your lucky pants and your party shoes – and get yourself on a night out. Tickets: £16 Box Office: 01206 573948 CockFight

Dance East, Ipswich, 7.30pm Two blokes in an office. One older, one younger, each body pushed to its limits. A cross between The Office and an Australian style cage-fight, this game of comical oneupmanship builds to a moment of impact where everything is suspended. Tickets: £12 Box Office: 01473 295230 www.danceeast.co.uk

OCTOBER 27 AND 28 Bugsy Malone –The Musical

Spa Pavilion, Felixstowe CBM Theatre Company youth production of Busgy Malone. Everyone’s favourite fun gangster musical comes complete with

What’s On custard pies and splurge guns! Set in Prohibition era New York, the show charts the story of rival gangsters Fat Sam and Dandy Dan as they wreak havoc with their petty disputes. After penniless ex-boxer Bugsy Malone falls for aspiring singer Blousey Brown, will he be able to resist seductive songstress Tallulah and stay out of trouble while helping Fat Sam defend his business? Tickets: £19.50 – £17.50 Box office: 01394 284962 www.felixstowespa.co.uk

Great Odds

New Wolsey Studio, Ipswich, 1.30pm Exploring ambition, communication and friendship, the story follows the Great Odds; Marco, Grouch and Jewels, on an exciting and sometimes wobbly journey... Dreams change shape, unexpected things are uncovered and success comes through surprising discoveries. Tickets: £8 Box Office: 01473 295900 www.wolseytheatre.co.uk Farmers Market

Woodbridge Community Centre, 9am – 1pm

OCTOBER 28 BBC Concert Orchestra

Tickets: £23 Box Office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk OCTOBER 31 Shalamar

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 7.30pm One of the most successful soul groups will ‘Make You Feel Good’, with a ‘Night to Remember’. Tickets: £34.50 Box Office: 01284 758000 www.theapex.co.uk Murder at Fawlty Towers

OCTOBER 29

Snape Maltings, 7.30pm

Red Rose Chain, Avenue Theatre, Ipswich

Britten’s music for radio drama seeped into his concert works, nowhere more so than in the final version of the sparkling piano concerto, which draws on his music for the D.G. Bridson adaptation King Arthur. The full suite beautifully captures the pomp and pageantry of Arthurian legend and offers tantalising glimpses of his music yet to come. Two other high-profile composers from the early decades of radio complete the programme. Tickets: £32 Box Office: 01728 687110 www.snapemaltings.co.uk

Farmers Market

Village Hall, Lavenham 10am – 1.30pm OCTOBER 30 Courtney Pine featuring Omar

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 8pm Courtney Pine returns to the tenor saxophone for the first time in a decade for this alliance with soul star Omar, who’s 1992 hit single ‘There’s Nothing Like This’ led to collaborations with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu and Angie Stone.

Basil’s plans to host a murder mystery at Fawlty Towers are scuppered when the Hotel Inspector is actually found dead in his room! Typical... All the staff have a motive, but who is responsible? Collect the clues, question the characters and solve the mystery! www.redrosechain.com

Tell us about your event visit essentialsuffolk.com/ whats-on-in-suffolk We cannot guarantee inclusion in print but all suitable listings will be included online

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Mini Previews

HEART OF GOLD Felixstowe Spa Pavilion, October 20

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL New Wolsey Theatre, October 3 – 7 Pioneering disabled-led theatre company Graeae is on the road for the final time this autumn with its acclaimed musical Reasons to be Cheerful. And the extraordinary wit and wisdom of Ian Dury and the Blockheads’ music and lyrics will be brought to life at the New Wolsey this month by an inclusive cast of 14 actors and musicians. As a prominent disabled activist, Ian Dury was a patron and staunch supporter of Graeae. The parallels with the show’s 1979 setting are clear. Today, as nationwide cuts continue to impact on the lives of deaf and disabled people, Graeae puts them centre stage. Protest songs are being written all across the country as part of an extensive community engagement programme inviting original songs for a new generation to be included in the tour. First seen in 2010, Reasons to be Cheerful has gone on to play at theatres and festivals across the UK, in stadiums around the world, and even in front of HM The Queen. This coming of age tale rejoices in the infectious and enduring music of Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Featuring stone-cold classic songs including Hit Me With

Your Rhythm Stick; Plaistow Patricia; Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll; Sweet Gene Vincent; What A Waste and the titular Reasons to be Cheerful (Part 3), this show is loud, bold and jubilant. Using Graeae’s signature theatrical language, all performances of Reasons to be Cheerful seamlessly include British Sign Language, audio description and creative captioning. INFORMATION Box office: 01473 295900 www.wolseytheatre.co.uk

Heart of Gold is no ordinary fundraising gala – yes it’s raising money for the British Heart Foundation and Felixstowe’s Salvation Army. Yes it is community led and showcases the very best of Felixstowe’s talented performers. But what makes it extraordinary is that it started off as a Suffolk University project for student Taryn Mason. She explained, “I set out this challenge as part of my Business Management degree, the first Heart of Gold concert will be a night of terrific local, live music with plenty of memorable, magical songs the audience will love.” The event, hosted by Dean Wales, promises to be packed full of music hits from jazz, the 50s, 60s, 70s, Pop Rock and West End Musicals. Heart of Gold stars include some of the very best local talent like Felixstowe Community Choir; 70 – 100 men and women of all ages who will be performing uplifting harmonies and foot-tapping tunes. Stage Door Theatre Company has been on stage at the Spa a record number of times and is back for Heart of Gold with numbers from All Shook Up, Singing in the Rain, The Wiz and many more. Felixstowe Academy is also involved featuring The Rhythm Section with Josh Locke. This band is made up of three 17-year-olds from the Felixstowe Academy with the accompaniment of teachers Mike Wren and Matt Keane. For one night only, The Rhythm Section will be guest-starring hugely talented local musician and band leader Josh Locke, famous for his work around Suffolk with JS & The Lockerbillies.

INFORMATION Tickets: Adult £15 (concessions and under 16s £10) Box office: 01394 284962 www.felixstowespa.co.uk

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Mini Previews

WHO’S AFRAID OF THE PARK? Chantry Park, Ipswich. October 29 Half term approaches and that means that Hallowe’en fever will slowly start to ramp up as the end of October gets closer and closer. But as the 31st this year falls on a school night St Elizabeth Hospice has come up with an alternative to traditional Trick or Treat, with a fund-raising event for families and teenagers in Chantry Park.

SCOTTISH DANCE THEATRE DanceEast, October 20 and 21 This month, for the first time, DanceEast will be welcoming Scottish Dance Theatre with an exciting double bill. With technically brilliant dancers, an impressive repertoire and previous work with some of the world’s most exciting choreographers, audiences will be spoilt with this stunning programme of work. The company has commissioned some of the most daring choreographers and artists from all over the world to make bold new works, namely Slovakian-born, Belgian-based choreographer Anton Lachky, and Londonbased Botis Seva. Dreamers, by Lachky, is a highly physical work, set to wellchosen excerpts from the classical cannon, including works by Bach, Hadyn, and Chopin. Dreamers are people who dare to dream while not being asleep. Here Lachky creates a new idea of what reality can be, encouraging audiences to make sense of apparent nonsense, and to see the close relationship between reality and surrealism. TuTuMucky by Seva is set to an original score by beat producer Torben Lars Sylvest, and blurs the boundaries between ballet, contemporary, and hip hop. The work, at the opposite end of the musical spectrum, is inspired by an interest in social order, structured lifestyles and hierarchies, and explores how, in a world full of order, we find peace in chaos.

For younger ones there’s a ‘Spooky Stroll’ starting at 3pm where there’s every chance you will come face to face with some of the things that go bump in the night. Ideally suited for children you will encounter a UV paint drip pod, UV gunge shooters, a UV Bubble pod and UV foam cannon. Hallowe’en fancy dress is encouraged and there will be a prize for the best dressed. Then later the same day After Dark promises some ‘real’ spooks on what has been described as a trail of fear. Recommended for those aged 15 years and older, you will encounter all the UV fun too but with some extra frights and plenty of scares along the way. So why not dress up and prove you’re not afraid of the park! INFORMATION www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk/spookystroll

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

EssentialSUFFOLK

OCTOBER 2017

FESTIVAL MAGIC It’s the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Hallowe’en madness is just around the corner but Suffolk’s festivals are still in full force. Essential Suffolk looks at what’s on the agenda

Flipside Literary Festival Snape Maltings, October 6 – 8

It is also bringing the Brazilian rainforest to Suffolk in the form of Leonardo Fróes, 76, a Brazilian poet and author of 14 books. Forty years ago he gave up his job as editor-in-chief of a publishing company and left Rio de Janeiro to live with his wife in a little farm they had bought on the mountains of nearby Atlantic Forest. Since, he’s worked as a translator working on poems and novels from British authors Virginia Woolf, Malcolm Lowry, D.H. Lawrence, George Eliot, Jonathan Swift, Shelley and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Suffolk artist, Jelly Green, will be continuing the rainforest theme with an exhibition of her works from South America. Plus the festival will include a ‘jungle trail’ for children around the Maltings and Snape Marshes. Other highlights include Brazilian singer Monica Vasconcelos and the London Bossa Collective and the irrepressible Cuban group Son Yambu. And just in case you feel inspired you could also sign up for the brand new weekend writing course with award-winning novelist and screenwriter Paul Bryers. INFORMATION www.flipsideuk.org

The Amazon in autumn? Latin America as the leaves fall… how can it be? The answer is FlipSide! The festival that loves to look at things differently is back and it’s bigger, bolder and greener than ever. Bringing the very best Brazilian, Cuban and Mexican writers, artists and musicians to Snape Maltings in collaboration with their remarkable British and Canadian counterparts, FlipSide presents a weekend of encounter and exploration for all. Headlining this year is Margaret Atwood, author of the dystopian novel, A Handmaid’s Tale - which earlier this year was screened as a much-lauded TV series. Other familiar names on the line-up include Jackie Kay, Ali Smith, Anna Pavord, Anne Michaels, Helen Macdonald, Philip Hoare, Iain Sinclair and Lucy Hughes-Hallet.The weekend will include talks to walks, family fun to fascinating films, food, music and more. Flipside has always put the accent on enjoyment and environmentally friendly entertainment; but this year it’s also thinking out loud: How do we live now? How should we live now? How do we even start to answer these questions?

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Halesworth Arts Festival The Cut Arts Centre, October 7 – 22 This year’s 16th Halesworth Arts Festival is being held entirely at The Cut Arts Centre which is now equipped with new comfy seating. The Festival line-up covers many areas of the performing arts offering something for everyone. Plus in addition to all the performances ArtBox is exhibiting a range of work created by adults with special needs. Jazz Legend, Chris Barber, is first up this year and with his 10-piece band will be playing a selection of his favourite music: from his roots in New Orleans style to the early music of Duke Ellington and Sidney Bechet... before going back to When the Saints go Marching in! The Big Chris Barber Band combines all these ingredients into an exciting, and often moving, evening of world-class jazz.

Festivals Folk fans will have a chance to see Chris Wood, an uncompromising writer whose music reveals his love for the unofficial history of the English-speaking people. On October 10, world renowned pianist, Noriko Ogawa who has performed across the world and is also a winner of the Leeds International Piano competition will be playing a programme that includes Beethoven, Yamane and Liszt. Following its hugely acclaimed premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the recent West End run, Cautionary Tales for Daughters brings its razor-sharp musical story-telling to the Halesworth Arts Festival. Imagine the playfulness of Victoria Wood with the satirical bite of Tim Minchin. Told through live music, comedy and original animation, the audience meets Cherry – the Amazing YoYo Girl, an obsessive dieter caught between gluttony and vanity; Chanel – The Labelled Girl, whose criminal obsession with designer clothes leads to her grisly demise; and fickle Princess Sylvia who only realises she could have had anything and anyone when it’s too late. Also taking part in the festival are James Russell who will be giving a lecture about Edward Seago, Stacey Kent the internationally acclaimed, Grammy-nominated vocalist, with a remarkable collection of songs, including American Standards, Bossa Nova classics, Chansons and original songs from the pen of Stacey’s husband, the saxophonist, composer and arranger, Jim Tomlinson. On October 16, Kathy Lette has issued an invitation to her new show, Girls’ Night Out. It’s a psychological striptease taking us from Puberty Blues to Menopause Blues. She also talks poignantly about the trials, tribulations and hilarity of raising a child on the autistic spectrum, from the times Jules came home from school with a sign sticky-taped to his back saying “Kick me I’m a retard” to his success playing Jason on Holby City. Then on October 19 there’s award-winning Opera-lele which has rapidly established itself as one of the most innovative and exciting new acts in the UK. It’s a crossover act specialising in singing music from opera and musical theatre accompanied by the emotionally powerful yet understated twang of the ukulele. Having both trained as singers at the Royal College of Music and Goldsmiths College in London, George Bartle and Amanda Harkett burst onto the ukulele scene with a performance on the Main Stage of the Grand Northern Ukulele Festival. Highlights from their unique programme will include pieces from Puccini’s Turandot, Bizet’s Carmen, Verdi’s Rigoletto, Mozart’s The Magic Flute and Delibes’ Lakme.

Then, on the 21st and direct from sell-out performances in Shanghai, New York and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and inspired by the life of Nina Simone, Black Is The Color Of My Voice follows a successful jazz singer and civil rights activist seeking redemption after the untimely death of her father. She reflects on the journey that took her from a young piano prodigy destined for a life in the service of the church, to a renowned jazz vocalist at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement. INFORMATION www.halesworthartsfestival.org.uk

The Great Framlingham Sausage Festival October 8 The annual celebration of sausages takes over the historic market town of Framlingham for the seventh year running on October 8. This event, which now attracts over 5,000 visitors of all ages, and from all over the World, began as a small fringe event of the Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival in 2010. From humble beginnings on the town’s Market Hill, it rapidly grew to include many more venues. Recognising the popularity of high quality, locally produced sausages and their ability to tempt people around a trail of discovery, the event now not only showcases the hidden treasures of the town, but introduces visitors to dozens of dedicated East Anglian sausage producers. There are 15 producers lined up to compete in 2017, some of whom are entering more than one sausage. And the good news for visitors is that they have to judge which is best. From small holdings like Suffolk Black Pigs using rare breed pigs, to seasoned producers like Musks who have a Royal warrant, the mix of flavours is a real treat. A £5 ticket will buy the trail map which is also the vital voucher to get a free tasting of every sausage on the trail – so that’s at least 16 sausages to try. There are three categories this year: the ever popular Gluten Free; pork free and, new for 2017, World Flavours, which does of course include Great British! The focus really is sausages, however a new Fresh Talent Performance Area for budding musicians will add to the festival atmosphere. Workshops, including ceramic painting and sausage making are free to attend with your ticket. There’s entertainment for a younger audience with Steff and Nonsense, plus the festival’s favourite, Greg Chapman, returns bringing his intimate theatre experience to the Sausage Festival. To end the day on a very special high note, the awards, which are free to attend, will be held inside Framlingham Castle at 5.30pm. INFORMATION www.framlinghamsausagefestival.com

EssentialSUFFOLK

Festivals

OCTOBER 2017

Ipswich School Music Festival October 8 – 17 This autumn’s Ipswich School Festival of Music will see classical music, jazz and big band all featured on the stage of the Great School Concert Hall at Ipswich School for the eighth annual celebration of music from some of the country’s top professional musicians. The London Mozart Players will open the Festival on Thursday October 12. Founded in 1949 as the UK’s first chamber orchestra, they have achieved international renown for their outstanding live performances and CD recordings of the core Classical repertoire. The line-up for the Festival also includes the National Youth Choir Fellowship Octet, who will be joined on stage by the Ipswich School Chapel Choir and the Prep School Super Singers, plus the popular Jazz Night which will feature the Chris Ingham Trio and jazz saxophonist Alan Barnes. This year sees the welcome return of the Sunday Afternoon Tea Concert. Award-winning left-hand alone pianist Nicholas McCarthy will perform tracks from his new album featuring Bach and Rachmaninov, whilst audiences will be able to enjoy tea and cakes as part of the ticket price. This year’s Festival Finale on October 17 will be the Ipswich School Big Band and The Parachute Regiment Big Band playing in the Big Band Bonanza; a rousing end to the

Festival, and one which is sure to prove popular with the audience. The Parachute Regiment Band will also stage a march past during the first day, as well as running a workshop for Big Band musicians. Meanwhile the London Mozart players will work alongside the Ipswich School Chamber Orchestra, and renowned choirmaster Dominic Peckham and members of the National Youth Choir Fellowship Octet will run a workshop for pupils from local primary schools, culminating in a short concert. Sion Parry, Ipswich School’s Director of Music and the Festival Artistic Director, said: “I’m delighted that we have another great line up of top professional musicians joining us at Ipswich School this October. We hope they will entertain audiences and inspire young musicians with a diverse range of musical styles and passionate performances.” INFORMATION Box office: 01473 295900 | www.ipswich.school/festivalofmusic

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Gainsborough’s House

Celebrating

GAINSBOROUGH An £8.5million campaign has been launched to create a National Centre for Thomas Gainsborough. Essential Suffolk reports

e was the ninth child of a Sudbury weaver but Thomas Gainsborough grew up to be a leading portrait artist, landscape painter and a founding Royal Academician whose pictures hang in the world’s most famous galleries and museums.

future of the Grade I-listed Georgian property and its internationally significant collections.

His birthplace, Gainsborough’s House, just off the Market Hill, is now devoted to his art and yet as you walk through the upstairs galleries and linger in the exquisite garden – dominated by a centuries old mulberry tree – close your eyes and you might be able to imagine what it must have been like growing up in 18th century Suffolk. With its permanent works, ever changing exhibitions and workshops it’s a wonderful asset for Suffolk but with its modest access off a short alleyway it’s almost hidden away and takes the visitor by surprise. There are plans though to put Sudbury on the international cultural map with the creation of a national centre for Thomas Gainsborough. Gainsborough’s House wants to construct a dynamic, new arts venue that will inspire audiences from across the UK and beyond and secure the

From the collection – Thomas Gainsborough’s Portrait of an Unknown Youth (The Pitminster Boy)

Commenting on the plan, Chairman of the Heritage Alliance, Loyd Grossman said, “I believe that Gainsborough’s House has great potential as a centre for the study of eighteenth-century art, as an educational resource for children, as a resource for local artists – especially printmakers –

and as a contributor to the tourist economy of Sudbury and Suffolk.” The project will include the renovation of the existing building and the construction of a new, landmark threestory structure with four new galleries – a showcase Gainsborough gallery, a landscape studio with panoramic views over Sudbury, a community gallery, and a major exhibition gallery and performance space. Already some funds are in place, in 2016 the Heritage Lottery Fund earmarked £4.73 million to turn this vision into a reality then Babergh District Council acquired the old labour exchange building next door for the new gallery extension. Gainsborough’s House now needs to raise a further £2.77 million of matched funding to turn this dream into reality. This month leading artists from across Britain are getting behind the project with a unique art sale and opportunity to bid for contemporary and postwar paintings, prints and sculptures rarely seen in the market place. The Contemporary & Post War British Art Sale will feature 130 lots donated from over 125 estates and studios that have pledged their support. ‰

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Gainsborough’s House

Top left: Julian Opie – Elena rolling her eyes, Top right: Maggi Hambling’s North Sea Rolling, Bottom left: Margaret Mellis – ‘Fish In Pan’ Bottom right: John Hoyland – Sky Dance © The John Hoyland Estate. All rights reserved, DACS 2017

Maggi Hambling CBE, a Patron of Gainsborough’s House who spearheaded the event along with art critic Andrew Lambirth said: “Since galleries couldn’t exist without artists, it’s fitting that artists have responded so wholeheartedly to supporting a new National Centre for Thomas Gainsborough, one of England’s greatest.” The works represent some of Britain’s greatest and most inspiring artists including Edward Bawden, Francis Davison, Anthony Eyton, Antony Gormley, Clive Head, John Hoyland, David Inshaw, Allen Jones, Sarah Lucas, Margaret Mellis, Julian Opie and William Pye. The auction takes places on October 20 and has already attracted buyers from across Suffolk and the UK. Mark Bills, Director of Gainsborough’s House, said: “This is a unique opportunity to bid for contemporary and post-war paintings, prints and

sculpture rarely seen in the market place and in so doing be part of this exciting and ambitious project.” Plus the gallery has also organised ‘Reviving An Artist’s Birthplace – Art Week’ to take place October 14 – 20. This will include an Autumn Art Fair with the opportunity to buy original works of art no matter what your taste or budget. During this week there will also be free entry to Gainsborough’s House and heritage Garden. Noreen Grant, Joint-Chair of Gainsborough’s House Print Workshop, said: “It’s a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate the continuing pursuit and importance of printmaking in East Anglia and as practised in all its disciplines within the House. It is also appropriate that sales of prints should help to fund the new National Centre as Gainsborough was himself a printmaker!”

Mark Bills added: “Our aim for Art Week is to close the gap on our fundraising target by March 2018 and bring this project to fruition. It’s a great challenge but we hope that the Auction and Art Fair will give all those with a love of art a unique opportunity to bid for or buy a wonderful, original work – whatever their budget – and in doing so be part of this exciting and ambitious project.”

INFORMATION The Autumn Art Fair takes place at the Old Labour Exchange in Weavers Lane, Sudbury. October 14 – 20. Entry is free. The Contemporary & Post War British Art Auction takes place at The Assembly Rooms, Town Hall, Sudbury on Friday 20 October from 6.30pm. Tickets £25. Gainsborough’s House 46 Gainsborough Street, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2EU. T: 01787 372958 www.gainsborough.org

EssentialSUFFOLK

OCTOBER 2017

YOUNG LIVES MATTER

Based in Ipswich, Ormiston Families helps disadvantaged children and young people in East Anglia who face social exclusion. But as Anne Gould discovers, founders Di and Peter Murray have created a charity that extends much, much further

ragedy often spurs individuals and families with the impetus to give something back. What the Murrays have helped to give back is a charity working not just across East Anglia but the whole of Britain, with an incredible legacy helping many, many thousands every year. It encompasses three organisations the Ormiston Trust – a grant making charity, Ormiston Academies Trust running primary and secondary academies across the UK and the Suffolk based Ormiston Families which is based in Ipswich. Peter Murray, from Little Waldingfield says it was 48 years ago when his sister, the young newly married Fiona Ormiston Murray and her husband set off on an early morning car journey to his tea plantation in Tanzania. They never arrived at their destination

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because a lorry swerved across the road and killed them both. “It was a family tragedy but my father put £500 into investments in her name and it’s from this that Ormiston Trust and Ormiston Families have grown.” The trust, he says, was established as a living memorial to a woman who loved children but was denied the chance to have her own. Its aim is to provide services to support children and young people from disadvantaged communities who face the very real dangers of social exclusion. Peter, who was awarded an OBE for his work, and Di have both devoted their lives to charity and helping others in need say Ormiston’s vision, “Is of a world in which every child will be loved, nurtured and valued”. “Our first project was a children’s centre for under 5s in Ipswich in 1980 at the

Robert Milne building. At the time we had a lot of help from Suffolk County Council and Barnardo’s.” This was the start of partnerships with Save the Children and the Lankelly Foundation that has seen the charity grow into what it is today. Ormiston Families operates four core programmes – The Connect Programme works with local communities across the East of England, supporting children, young people and families through a variety of innovative services. Among these are pioneering emotional, physical and social wellbeing initiatives for children and young people with emerging mental health and emotional issues. The Unite Programme works with offenders and their families in visitor centres across the region’s prisons and within the community to

Ormiston Families help maintain positive and crucial family ties, where appropriate. The Engage Programme works across schools in East Anglia to bridge the gap between school and home life and facilitate improvement in attendance, attainment, behaviour, wellbeing and social interactions. The Nurture Programme gives a helping hand to families with young children. This initiative provides help to parents and carers, supporting them to overcome their issues and giving them confidence to meet their child’s needs, helping to fulfil every aspect of their child’s development. Ormiston Families’ work includes children’s centres, providing children’s visits across the region’s prisons and support for parents through a range of parenting courses. The scope of what is provided is immense; last year Ormiston Families ran 37 projects, helped 16,589 individuals and were supported by 192 volunteers. And the diverse range of services ranged from a friendly voice on the telephone to 1:1 psychosocial therapy sessions; communal cooking with teenagers; supporting women at

high risk of domestic abuse; drop-in advice sessions for parents; to NonViolence Resistance programmes and many others. Some of the projects they are involved with, says Peter, are helping people who are really “at the edge”. “Helping these people does more than just address their problems, it also helps save the tax payer money in the long term too.” For instance there’s MPower in Ipswich, Lowestoft and a further two centres in Norfolk which aims to helps women who have had at least one child removed from their care. According to the British Journal of Social Work, 2015, “At least one in four women return to the family court, having previously lost a child through court order.” The cost of having a child brought up in care, says Peter “is immense” but MPower aims to help women address the issues that led to them losing their child with the aim to reduce the likelihood of it happening again. Another ground breaking programme works with offenders and their families in visitor centres across the region’s prisons and to help maintain positive and crucial family ties, where

appropriate. Research shows that maintaining these visits helps prevent reoffending but it has enormous long term benefits too for the children. Peter said that 200,000 children are affected by parental imprisonment – that’s three times more than those in care and five times more than are on the child protection register. Children of offenders are three times more likely to experience mental health problems, exhibit anti-social behaviour and become Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET). Of these children 65 per cent of boys who have had a father in prison go on to offend. So the aim of maintaining positive family ties is to break the cycle of offending that passes from one generation to the next. Of course running such an immense and wide ranging charity is enormously expensive – last year the turnover was £6 million. While there is some help for core costs from the Trust, in the face of Government cuts like all charities, says Peter they are having to look at alternatives. So Ormiston Enterprises has been set up and runs five nurseries in Suffolk to help with funds. There’s an upmarket Christmas event, The Beauchamp Bazaar, held in a very fashionable part of London each year that helps too – this year it’s at St Columba’s Church of Scotland, Knightsbridge on October 24. In Suffolk there’s also the Ormiston Families’ Fundraising Advisory Board (known as the FAB committee) which runs a series of fundraising events including Walk with a Fork at Helmingham Hall. This group of seven individuals, including the charity’s president Lady Tollemache work tirelessly for Ormiston Families. The charity offers a whole range of ways for people and businesses to help including everything from gift aid and legacies right through to adventure challenges like the London Marathon and mountain climbing.

INFORMATION www.ormiston.org Left to right Rosie Gutteridge (Trustee Ormiston Families), Wendy Davies (Service Manager Ormiston Families), Lady Erroll (High Sheriff of Bedfordshire), Ruth Bedford (Security HMP Bedford)

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WE DON'T DO HYPERBOLE But we do do amazing projects that everyone who works with Birch are really proud of. We’d rather you just look at examples of our work and decide for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

Let’s talk about your build because we’re passionate about making your project a reality

Birch Group Unit 25 Brightwell Barns Ipswich Road Brightwell Suﬀolk IP10 0BJ 01473 599150 | enquiry@thebirchgroup.co.uk | thebirchgroup.co.uk

Health

MANAGING PAIN WITH EXERCISE Our natural response to musculoskeletal pain is to do as little as possible. But what if that pain is persistent? Regional Clinical Lead Physiotherapist for Nuffield Health, Adam Bellis, explains how exercise can help manage pain and get you on the path to recovery

Firstly, it’s important to differentiate between acute and persistent (chronic) pain Acute pain is short-term and tends to be associated with possible damage to your body. For example, if you sprain your ankle it’s likely you will feel pain associated with the bruising and swelling. Usually it will settle as your body heals because the affected part no longer needs protecting. Healing usually takes less than three months, even for quite severe injuries. Persistent pain lasts longer than acute pain and often doesn’t indicate ongoing damage, even though it may feel like it. In the past we assumed that this was because we had not healed after an injury, but we now know that this is unlikely in most cases. Instead, the pain is less to do with injury in our bodies and more to do with our central nervous system. It’s like the volume knob on our pain system has been left turned up, like a radio stuck on ‘loud’. Tackling your pain problems with exercise is a process that is best carried out with professional guidance. You’ll usually need to strike a balance between activity and rest, building duration and intensity slowly as your symptoms allow. With both acute and persistent pain, appropriate levels of graded exercise have been shown to improve pain and psychological wellbeing. Of course, if pain worsens with exercise, then the type or intensity should be modified accordingly. First stop: Seek advice from a physiotherapist Pain may be a signal that something isn’t right with your body. Always start by seeking medical advice from a physiotherapist or doctor if you are in pain. Physiotherapy is proven to work for many types of conditions including back pain and joint and muscular pain. When a physio assesses you, they will attempt to identify the main factors driving your symptoms and come up with a strategy to help you manage these factors more effectively. They will guide you through the initial stages of your rehabilitation in order to maximise your recovery while minimising the risk of aggravating your symptoms. Next stop:Things you can do yourself Once you’ve seen a physio, you can begin to increase your activity. Here are some low-impact and low-intensity exercise ideas you can do at your own pace to get you going in the initial stages. Walking can be used to help burn calories as well as provide general conditioning to your cardiovascular system. Start out with short walks (10 minutes or so) and aim to progress where possible. If walking does cause an issue, you

can opt to use a crosstrainer, which removes the impact from the movement. You can find one in almost any gym. Swimming is an excellent exercise in general. There’s no impact to the joints or limbs, its full body exercise and both resistance and cardio in nature, allowing you to get your muscles working whilst improving cardiovascular fitness. Even if you can’t swim, pool-walking is an excellent option as it will reduce impact stress but add resistance. Weight training can also help with pain management. But it needs to be done at an appropriate level and intensity and progressed under the guidance of a health professional. Weight exercises can help keep joints healthy while strengthening and promoting healing in the other soft tissues including muscles, ligaments and tendons. Usually, it’s more appropriate to start with simple movements, performed slowly and within a limited range of movement. It’s often easier to control these using gym-based resistance machines. Pilates and yoga are good stretch and flexibility classes. If you choose to take part in a class, just ensure you introduce yourself to the instructor and inform them of your current condition, which will help them to tailor the exercises for you. What to avoid when you’re in pain There are very few absolute restrictions regarding exercise and these will be individual to you and your condition. Generally speaking, faster or higher impact exercise that aggravates pain or symptoms should be avoided, at least in the short term. Lower impact exercise performed at a lower speed and intensity is generally a more appropriate place to start. Sports that involve sprinting and sudden changes in direction such as football, basketball and tennis should also be put on hold until the pain has settled to a more manageable level. Your physiotherapist will help you to gradually increase the amount of running and guide you back to your sports. Remember, don’t ignore pain and have it checked out by a physiotherapist or your GP. In almost all circumstances some form of exercise is appropriate and will help reduce pain, improve tissue healing and support recovery. The Physios at Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital are a dynamic team who can offer treatment, guidance and support when you are suffering with pain. Specialties covered include problems with muscles, joints and bones, sports injuries, women’s health and one-toone Pilates. All the team have been trained in a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy approach to support those with chronic pain to help set realistic goals, exercise plane and progression of activity.

For details on how to find out more about the Physiotherapy services available at Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital, contact us on 01473 279 179, or visit www.nuffieldhealth.com/physiotherapy/ipswich. This content is provided by Nuffield Health and was originally published on NuffieldHealth.com https://www.nuffieldhealth.com/article/managing-pain-with-exercise

EssentialSUFFOLK

OCTOBER 2017

Mellow shades of mustard, brick and copper team up with muted blues and greys for a calm colour palette this autumn. Take a look at these great new additions to the collections from our leading independent local retailers

FALL for YOU

Marble knit over top £47 Adams Apple

Fransa print dress £59 Holly Blue Boutique Striped sweater dress £74.99 Ninni Noo Boutique

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Fashion

Pink coat £115 Ninni Noo Boutique

Fransa print coat £165 Holly Blue Boutique

Adini lime coat £142 Adams Apple

Yaya slash neck knit in camel £69.95 Laura Jane Boutique

EssentialSUFFOLK

OCTOBER 2017

Checked sweater £68 Ninni Noo Boutique Yaya fitted blouse with collar and coral print £59.95 Laura Jane Boutique

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Part Two Ilivias pull over £99.95 Laura Jane Boutique

always proud ~ to feature ~

LOCAL RETAILERS Floral print blouse £49.99 Ninni Noo Boutique

Adini tunic dress £55.50 Adams Apple Lily&Me tunic £49.50 Caramel

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Lily&Me tunic £46 Caramel

Fashion Reversible cotton and Cashmere mix poncho £135 Moose Lifestyle & Interiors

Part Two Tocca poncho available in grey and olive £109.95 Laura Jane Boutique

Bariloche tweed jacket £199 Holly Blue Boutique

STOCKISTS Adams Apple 70 Thoroughfare, Woodbridge. T: 01394 384685 Caramel Snape Maltings. T: 01728 687467 www.caramel-aldeburgh.co.uk Holly Blue Boutique 72 Thoroughfare, Woodbridge. T: 01394 382300 Laura Jane Boutique 89/91 Thoroughfare, Woodbridge. T: 01394 386686 Moose Lifestyle & Interiors 20a Market Hill, Woodbridge. T: 01394 382691 Ninni Noo Boutique 57 Thoroughfare, Woodbridge. T: 01394 388655

Elephant top £39 Moose Lifestyle & Interiors

ADINI BIANCA LILY & ME LEBEK EMRECO YEST SIGNATURE MARBLE GARDEUR IN TOWN POMODORO MONARI OLSEN

70 Thoroughfare Woodbridge 01394 384685 Snape Maltings Snape Suﬀolk IP17 1SP

@adamsappleofwoodbridge

01728 687467 www.caramel-aldeburgh.co.uk

New Autumn Collections Now in Store EssentialSUFFOLK

FIVE OF THE BEST BED & BREAKFASTS LONG MELFORD SWAN Refresh and unwind in the Suffolk countryside this October. A Michelin listed boutique, two rosette restaurant with five star rooms, offering a variety of menus. Each room boasts a Super king-size Hypnos bed, Egyptian cotton sheets, state of the art televisions, complimentary Noble Isle products and free WiFi throughout. AUTUMN BREAK OFFER – From £475 per room l Two nights in a 5* rated luxury boutique bedroom l 3 Course gourmet dinner in our 2 AA rosette restaurant each evening l Award winning breakfast each morning l A bottle of chilled prosecco in your room on arrival

Long Melford Suffolk CO10 9JQ 01787 464545 info@longmelfordswan.co.uk www.longmelfordswam.co.uk

Fresh air and peaceful surroundings make for A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP The Sibton White Horse has a converted building housing five well-appointed rooms. Quietly situated adjacent to the pub with ample parking, most rooms have views over the green. Rooms are contemporary furnished with modern ensuite facilities and the comforts of a four star silver rated inn, there is Freeview TV and wifi access. A lovely fresh breakfast buffet is complemented by a freshly cooked English breakfast and several fish dishes, there’s a vegetarian option too. Dinner is available, an opportunity to sample the pub’s enviable reputation for its food.

Halesworth Road, Sibton Suffolk IP17 2JJ 01728 660337 Info@sibtonwhitehorseinn.co.uk www.sibtonwhitehorseinn.co.uk

THE SHIP AT DUNWICH Nestled in between Southwold and Aldeburgh, The Ship is a great place to eat, drink, relax and get away from it all. Now a quiet village, surrounded by nature reserves, heathland and beach, only the ruins of Dunwich monastery remain to hint at the fate of this once thriving medieval port. You will find traditionally furnished bedrooms, some with views across the sea or marshes plus an enormous garden and a beach that’s a couple of minutes’ walk away. STAY AND EAT 2 night break with dinner from £270 per couple.

ENJOY THE SUFFOLK COUNTRYSIDE Located in the pretty hamlet of Eastbridge, on the doorstep of RSPB Minsmere, enjoy a relaxing break and explore all that the stunning Suffolk coast has to offer. Here at The Eel’s Foot Inn we have six spacious individually designed en-suite rooms. Two family rooms and a further four all with comfortable king sized beds. With the freshwater marshes bordering the Inn and scenic countryside leading directly to the sea, The Eels Foot is popular with families, walkers, birdwatchers and holidaymakers.

St James Street, Dunwich Saxmundham IP17 3DT 01728 648219 info@shipatdunwich.co.uk www.shipatdunwich.co.uk

THE EELS FOOT INN 01728 830154 theeelsfootinn@hotmail.co.uk www.theeelsfootinn.co.uk

THE WESTLETON CROWN Set on the Suffolk Heritage Coast between Southwold and Aldeburgh,The Westleton Crown is waiting to welcome you. This traditional 12th century Suffolk coaching inn retains the character and rustic charm of its heritage – but with the added sophistication and comforts of contemporary living. l

34 stylish, comfortable bedrooms l crackling log fires local ales l creatively indulgent AA 2 rosette menu l extensive wine list l

HALF PRICE WINTER BREAK OFFER Enjoy up to 50% off published room rates this winter.

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The Street, Westleton IP17 3AD 01728 648777 info@westletoncrown.co.uk www.westletoncrown.co.uk

Christmas Celebrations

Get the party started! Whisper it quietly but Christmas is on the horizon and, as we all know, enjoying the festive season is just as much about planning ahead as being spontaneous. For some this is all about thinking of decorations and colour schemes – picking up pine cones, thistle heads and rushes on autumn walks to dry, spray and decorate. Others will have their Christmas cake stored away in a dark tin with a weekly anointing of brandy! When it comes to Christmas parties, planning need not involve more than a handy guide and a few phone calls. It’s at this time of year that restaurants and hotels start getting booked for Christmas parties, lunches on the day itself and, of course, festive staycations. So if you want one of those all-important Friday or Saturday nights in December it’s time to call around for menu options now. Equally, for those who don’t want Christmas Day to be about slaving over a hot stove all morning and then having a mountain of clearing up in the afternoon, decisions about going out to eat need to be made soon. If you are looking for inspiration Essential Suffolk has taken the hard work out of party planning – so let the next few pages guide you to a happy and stress-free Christmas.

Christmas at The Wentworth

Celebrate at one of Aldeburgh’s finest hotels offering classic comfort, style and personal service.We have an indulgent selection of festivities for you to choose from; whether you’re looking for a break from the Christmas shopping, a family get together, a party night for friends and colleagues or a full gala evening. FESTIVE BITES Come in out of the cold and into the Wentworth and enjoy mulled wine and homemade mince pie by the open fires in our snug bar and comfortable lounges. Or maybe you’d prefer a traditional Afternoon Tea complete with Yule log. CHRISTMAS PARTY NIGHTS 9, 15, 16, 21 & 22 December Three course, coffee and mince pies and dancing until midnight to our resident DJ. There’s 35% off Bed & Breakfast rates for those attending so why not stay? Tickets £34.50 per person. FESTIVE PARTY LUNCHES 13 & 19 December If you’d prefer a lunch time celebration why not enjoy mulled wine on arrival, three course lunch, coffee and mince pies, crackers and festive novelties all served in the restaurant with live piano accompaniment for a wonderfully atmospheric treat. £28.50 per person. CHRISTMAS LUNCHES Available between 8 & 22 December* Why not book a special two or three course luncheon, complete with Christmas crackers available in the restaurant, lounges and the bar and a perfect way to get your celebrations underway. Two courses £16, three courses £21. * excl. Sundays GALA NEW YEAR’S EVE DINNER DANCE 31 December 2017 This glittering Black Tie evening starts with a Champagne and canapé reception followed by a delicious four course meal after which you will be entertained by our resident DJ. Welcome in the New Year at midnight before carriages at 1am. Tickets £82.50 per person.

The Hotel for all seasons Wentworth Rd, Aldeburgh, Suffolk IP15 5BD | 01728 452312 stay@wentworth-aldeburgh.co.uk | wentworth-aldeburgh.com

OCTOBER 2017

The Festive Season at

UFFORD PARK Christmas is said to be ‘the most wonderful time of the year’ and at Ufford Park Woodbridge we have variety of events happening across the festive season, allowing you to enjoy time with friends and family. We kick-off the season with our Ladies Charity Shopping Night, which is being held on Thursday 23rd November and offers you the chance to buy those perfect gifts and stocking fillers. Doors open at 6:30pm and tickets cost £6 per person and include a drink and canapés on arrival. This year’s shopping night is in aid of Age UK Suffolk. If you are looking for somewhere to hold your Christmas Party, then look no further! Our ‘Enchanted Forest’ themed Christmas Party Nights run from late November right through until mid-January 2018 and are priced from just £37.50 per person. We are also able to offer private parties and festive lunches for those looking for a more intimate gathering. Our New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner is one of the hotel’s most popular nights of the year and tickets include a drink on arrival, a three-course meal and live band. Why not make a night of it? Take advantage of our best available rates by booking with us direct. All prices include a full English breakfast and complimentary use of our Health Club. If you are interested in joining us at any of our Festive Events this year, please contact our Events Team on 01394 383555 ext.300/325

The Festive Season

Ufford Park Woodbridge

It’s never too early to book for Christmas!

Christmas Day Lunch from 12 noon

Free gift delivered by Santa & his little helpers

£69.95 per adult

| £28.50 per child (5 -12 years old)

Children under 5 years old FREE

______________

Boxing Day Lunch from 12 noon

£29.95

per adult | £17 per child (5 -12 years old) Children under 5 years old FREE

________________

New Year’s Eve

Gala Dinner £90 per person

includes a glass of ‘fizz’ and canapés on arrival, 3 course Gala Dinner, live music & ‘The Enchanted Forest’ themed décor

(over 18 year olds only)

Family Disco £30 per person | £15 per child (5 years - 12 years)

Children under 5 years old FREE

includes an arival drink, buffet and disco

t 0844 847 9467 (local rate) w www.uffordpark.co.uk

Yarmouth Road | Woodbridge | Suffolk | IP12 1QW

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SAMPLE MENU STARTERS • Soup of the day with herb croutons (GF, DFoR) • Brussels pâté served with toasted brioche & Suffolk chutney (GFoR) • Prawn salad drizzled with a garlic & herb sauce (GFoR) MAINS • East Anglian roasted turkey served with a bacon roll, chipolata, sage & onion stuffing & pan gravy (GFoR) • Oven baked fillet of salmon served with a white wine & chive sauce (GF) • Roasted vegetable shepherd’s pie topped with bubble & squeak mash with vegetable gravy (V+, GFoR) All served with seasonal vegetables & potatoes DESSERTS • Christmas pudding & brandy sauce (V, GFoR) • Vanilla & raspberry cheesecake with raspberry coulis (V) • Cheese & biscuits (GFoR) V Vegetarian | V+ Vegan | GF Gluten Free GFoR Gluten Free on Request | DF Dairy Free DFoR Dairy Free on Request

Christmas Celebrations

at Deben Inns Are you thinking about Christmas? Are you looking for ideas to eat out with friends, family or colleagues or just a chance to leave the kids at home and enjoy an evening with your nearest and dearest? Whatever you’re looking to do Deben Inns can help. With six popular inns famed for their food and hospitality it is our job and pleasure to make sure you have a memorable Christmas meal. Although under the banner of Deben Inns we are

not a pub ‘chain’. Each inn is individually run, each offers its own menu and each has its own style. What we do hope you will notice that each pub has in common though is the welcome you will receive. Our Christmas menus, offering both two and three course options, range from just £13.95 and full details can be found on our website. If you’re looking for the ultimate stress free Christmas day with no preparation,

no cooking and no washing up then we can help here too. This year four of our pubs – The Butt & Oyster at Pin Mill, The Maybush at Waldringfield, The Coach & Horses at Melton and The Swan at Westerfield – will be open on Christmas day each offering an individual Christmas Day menu. Again full details can be found on our website or call us today for more information.

YouÊre guaranteed a warm welcome at our Inns this Christmas

The Butt & Oyster Pin Mill, Ipswich, IP9 1JW 01473 780764

The Coach & Horses Melton, Woodbridge, IP12 1PD 01394 384851

The Fox Inn The Street, Newbourne, IP12 4NY 01473 736307

The Maybush Cliff Rd, Waldringfield, IP12 4QL 01473 736215

The Swan Westerfield Road, Westerfield, IP6 9AJ 01473 251447

The Wilford Bridge Wilford Bridge Rd, Melton, IP12 2PA 01394 386141

Get the Deben Inns app for our latest news and offers. Simply search Deben Inns in the app store and follow the simple instructions.

www.debeninns.co.uk EssentialSUFFOLK

Christmas Celebrations

Christmas party nights at

SECKFORD HALL On a crisp, clear evening as you draw up to Seckford Hall prepare yourself to escape the frosty night and enjoy a spectacular Christmas party with friends and colleagues in the beautiful historic Mansion. Hand in your coat and indulge in a complimentary glass of sparkling wine to warm your soul and feel the pressures of the week ease away. With roaring log fires, stunning surroundings, and magical decorations, the holiday season truly starts here! Experience an event that’s a treat for everyone as you celebrate with an exquisite 3 course meal, great wine, award winning cocktails and dancing until the late hours. Whether you’re with friends, family or colleagues, Seckford Hall is the perfect place for you to celebrate the joy of Christmas. Prices from £45.90pp We can also provide private parties in The Mulberry Suite and The Board Room. If you wish to join in with The Great Hall celebrations after the meal you are more than welcome. Why not stay overnight and take advantage of our special rate for a standard double room bed and breakfast (subject to availability) which includes your Party Night ticket? Call 01394 385678 or email events@seckford.co.uk Limited availability so book now.

CHRISTMAS PARTY MENU STARTERS • Lightly curried parsnip & apple soup • Locally smoked mackerel & spring onion rillette, pickled cucumber & soda bread toast • Suffolk game & porcini mushroom pressed terrine, Adnams broadside chutney, toasted sourdough • Treacle cured sea reared trout, shaved fennel, beetroot & orange salad, wasabi crème fraiche MAINS • Slow cooked Blythburgh pork belly, sticky red cabbage, roast garlic mashed potato, Suffolk cyder gravy • Roast Suffolk bronze turkey, chestnut stuffing, duck fat roast potatoes, seasonal vegetables, • Crispy seabass fillet, seafood, saffron and chervil risotto, lemon oil • Pumpkin and roasted squash pie, sunflower seed crust, braised red cabbage DESSERTS • Traditional Christmas pudding, Brandy custard • Mulled wine spiced poached pear, chilled vanilla rice pudding, • Clementine & prosecco jelly, ginger posset, amoretti biscuit • Dark chocolate & hazelnut brownie, cherry & kirsch syrup, crème fraiche

CHRISTMAS PARTY NIGHTS AT SECKFORD HALL

Take a glass of bubbly and enjoy roaring log fires surrounded by magical decorations. Celebrate with our exquisite food, fine wines and music to dance the night away. Please contact our events team on 01394 385678 or email events@seckford.co.uk PLEASE QUOTE: SH-ESC1 WHEN ENQUIRING SECKFORD HALL • WOODBRIDGE • SUFFOLK • IP13 6NU

EssentialSUFFOLK

OCTOBER 2017

A rare chance to join the Christmas Party at

BRUISYARD HALL Bruisyard Hall, the country house wedding venue near Saxmundham, is offering local people, business and groups a rare opportunity to enjoy its facilities at a oneoff Christmas Party night in the stunning medieval barn on 14th December. Usually an enchanting setting for weddings and parties, the Bruisyard Hall events team will welcome up to 140 people to enjoy a Christmas Party to remember. Guests will be greeted with prosecco on arrival followed by a three-course locallysourced meal. There will be a fully stocked managed bar, a dance floor and music by a Dreamwave Events DJ. Tickets are just £65 pp and the menu includes spiced pulled pork with toasted cashews, slow cooked lamb rump, dark chocolate cream and spiced orange compote, as well as the traditional Christmas favourites. A lucky few guests can book to stay overnight in one of the 12 luxurious bedrooms in Bruisyard Hall. Bed and breakfast is available from £150. Robert Rous, owner of Bruisyard Hall, said: “We tend to be booked out for weddings and events far in advance, so we wanted to set a date aside to enable local people to come and enjoy a fun festive celebration at Bruisyard Hall. It’s the first time we’ve done this and we hope to welcome many local businesses and groups to this very special event.”

CHRISTMAS PARTY MENU STARTERS • Spiced pulled pork, toasted cashews, caramelised apple gel, black pudding • Smoked mackerel, samphire, crispy kale, pickled beetroot • Sauteed wild mushrooms, toasted brioche, truffle oil, mustard cress (V) MAINS • Traditional roast turkey, roasted root vegetables, red cabbage, spiced stuffing, cranberry jus • Slow cooked lamb rump, oak smoked mash, caramelised carrots, broccoli, red wine jus • Mixed nut roast, roasted root vegetables, red cabbage and cranberry jus (V) DESSERTS • Traditional Christmas pudding, honey and cinnamon ice cream, brandy sauce, poached berries • Dark chocolate set cream, mango gel, spiced orange compote • Suffolk cheese board Followed by tea and coffee

Visit www.bruisyardhall.com/events for more details.

C e l e br at e i n s t y l e t h i s C h r i s t m a s T h u r s d a y D e c e m b e r 1 4 th 2 0 1 7 6 : 3 0 p m For one night only, gather colleagues, friends or family to enjoy an enchanting evening at Bruisyard Hall. A spectacular locally-sourced, three-course meal in the luxurious medieval barn followed by dancing to the sounds of a Dreamwave Events DJ.

For more information or to book call 01728 639000 or email info@bruisyardhall.com 46

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Christmas Celebrations

A cosy Christmas at the

SIBTON WHITE HORSE Nothing warms the cockles of one’s heart more than an invitation to cosy country pub on a cold winter’s night. At Christmas the atmosphere inside is extra warm and convivial with traditional festive garlands, roaring fire, reassuring low ceilings, cosy corners, the perfect setting for a glass of mulled wine or celebratory meal. Our chefs have put together a really interesting menu, that not only reflects Christmas but also embraces what’s local and in season. Running from 1st – 22nd December and is available for lunch and dinner when pre-ordering in advance. Whether you’re a couple or a larger group you’re more than welcome to join us for this special time of the year. We can cater for parties up to a maximum of 22 persons. Our small handsome dining room can be sole use for 12-14 diners, just perfect for a festive family gathering. Our Christmas menu offers two courses for £21.95 and three courses for £26.95 and includes quality crackers and table novelties. DECEMBER SPECIAL OFFER: Stay for the night in a double room, two courses from the Christmas menu and full English breakfast for two just £125 per room. Available Sunday – Thursday until 21st December. Tis the season to be jolly – so enjoy a cracking Christmas at the Sibton White Horse.

CHRISTMAS FAYRE MENU STARTERS • Jerusalem artichoke soup, grated chestnuts, crispy skins, homemade bread • Treacle cured salmon, beetroot, cucumber & coriander salad, ginger & lemon grass • Duck liver pate with smoked breast, port reduction, toasted brioche • Binham blue cheese panna cotta, candied walnuts, green apple salad, parmesan tuile (v) MAINS • Roast breast of ‘Suffolk’ turkey, sage & onion stuffing, duck fat potatoes, sprouts & pancetta, seasonal vegetables, red wine sauce • Slow cooked Emmerdale Farm beef cheek, truffle mash, marrow fritter, kale, glazed carrot • Pan fried hake, dill & lemon potato cake, braised leek, crab bisque • Homemade gnocchi, celeriac, wild mushroom, spinach, parmesan, crispy sage, truffle oil (v) DESSERTS • Dark chocolate tart, poached Morello cherries, pistachio ice cream • Christmas Pudding, brandy ice cream • White chocolate & cranberry bread & butter pudding, orange brulee, vanilla custard • Mulled winter fruits, spiced ginger bread, cinnamon ice cream

Join us for lunch, dinner or an overnight stay and be assured of a satisfying experience Christmas Fayre menu available from 1st to 22nd December | 2 courses – £21.95 3 courses – £26.95

We also have a special offer during December. When two persons stay one night sharing a double room they will receive two courses from our Christmas menu and full English breakfast for just £120. Offer available Sunday to Thursday until 21st December. Only available when booking direct on 01728 660337 Treat someone to a Sibton White Horse gift voucher this Christmas... the perfect gift for any occasion call 01728 660337 for more details

Halesworth Road, Sibton, Suffolk IP17 2J J 01728 660337 | info@sibtonwhitehorseinn.co.uk www.sibtonwhitehorseinn.co.uk

EssentialSUFFOLK

OCTOBER 2017

PUB WALKS

Sponsored by

with Darcy We’ve headed inland this month to picturesque Bildeston, right in the centre of our beautiful county If we were to draw a line from Bury St Edmunds to Ipswich and then another from Stowmarket to Sudbury, the intersecting point would be Bildeston. It’s a pretty little village surrounded by undulating farmland and unless you have reason to travel the country lanes of mid Suffolk it may well have passed you by. However The Bildeston Crown has long had a reputation for excellent food and luxury accommodation and is also very welcoming to our four-legged friends. The walk heads out along a tree lined corridor before meeting well maintained field edges and clearly marked paths. Though it’s generally easy walking we’d highly recommend sturdy footwear as, with just a short downpour a few hours before we headed out, the ground was pretty boggy in places.

This is another walk where we very quickly leave the hustle and bustle behind to enjoy nature close up. There are two long stretched of wooded pathway and, if the dogs aren’t too playful, there’s a chance to spot plenty of wildlife with countless birds and squirrels at very close quarters. As you reach the open farmland the views are terrific and those big Suffolk skies are just a joy. My first investigations of this route were late in an afternoon and I was treated to a family of deer feeding in a field just north of the hedge-line from points 3 to 4 so keep your eyes peeled for Bambi and co!

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www.christchurchvets.co.uk

THE WALK Distance: Approx. 4 miles Time: Approx.1.5 hours Terrain: Generally easy; roads, paths, field edges and verges Stops: The Bildeston Crown Ordinance Survey Map: 196 and 211 Start Point OS reference: 993 495 (map 196) As always please keep your dog under close control and follow any advisory signs. For a printable version of this and more than 60 previous walks go to: www.essentialsuffolk.com/dog-walks where you will also find more pictures of each walk route. 1. Exit the Bildeston Crown car park and turn left.Turn almost immediately left again at Bizzie Lizzie Cottage by the Footpath (FP) sign. Keep left following the path where the railings start. Continue straight ahead, ignoring any other paths, for about five minutes and then cross a style. Continue straight ahead. After another few minutes cross a wooden bridge and emerge into a field. Keep to the right hand edge of the field. At the next field corner cross another wooden bridge into the next field. Again continue straight ahead. At the next field corner cross a third bridge. Again continue straight. At the next field corner IGNORE the wooden bridge and instead continue to follow the field edge round to your left until you reach the next corner. 2. At the field corner turn right but keep left, taking the tree lined corridor to the left of the field. Continue straight ignoring any field entrances. After approx. 10 minutes walking the path turns to the left and you emerge into a field. 3. Keep left heading down the slope of the field (the perimeter of Wattisham Air Field can be clearly seen to your right). As the woodland runs out on your left the footpath continues across the middle of the field straight ahead. At the field boundary the path continues straight ahead into the next field. Keep to the left of the hedge. 4. At the next field corner you’re at a crossroads of footpaths with a wooden signpost.Turn left. Continue along the field edge and straight into the next field (there’s a slight dog leg to get round the bend but continue straight). Continue straight ahead for approx.10 minutes until you meet the road. 5. At the road turn right and walk for approximately 150 metres until you reach a footpath sign on your left. 6. Turn left following the footpath along the field edge and at the field corner cross the wooden bridge into the next field. At the next field corner, pass through the ‘kissing gate’ into the next field. At the next boundary pass through another ‘kissing gate’, cross the private access road to the property and through/by a further ‘kissing gate’ into the field opposite. As the path approaches the back of some residential properties follow the Official Path Diversion through a new cul-de-sac of bungalows (Tankard Farm Close). 7. At the road turn left and after approx.100yds cross the road and turn right following the FP sign (obscured a the time of writing) to the right of house number 12. 8. Follow the path straight ahead until you meet a footpath T junction. 9. At the T junction turn right (this will put you back on the path that you walked at the start of point 1) and retrace your steps to The Bildeston Crown.

GAME ON THE MENU … at The Bildeston Crown NEW – special Game menu being introduced in October

Friday 10th November Game Dinner – £70pp The best of Suffolk Game matched with delicious Tuscan wines from Frescobaldi

See website for further details of the above, our room deals, Christmas party menus and other specials

104 High Street, Bildeston, Suffolk IP7 7EB 01449 740510 reception@thebildestoncrown.co.uk thebildestoncrown.com

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DESTINATION: HAPPINESS Lesley Rawlinson makes an autumnal visit to The Crown Inn at Great Glemham and discovers it’s an absolute gem

n my opinion autumn is the perfect season for eating out; the beach-body (if one has been achieved) has been tucked away under loosely fitting layers so the odd indulgence is far less obvious. It’s great to garner inspiration for entertaining at home too; especially in the run up to the Christmas season, with clever twists on old favourites or the reassurance that good ingredients, cooked well, will always win the day. And so it was, with all of this in mind, an absolute pleasure to dine at the Glemham Crown. It’s one of those Suffolk village pubs that’s had a somewhat ‘chequered’ past. It was greatly in need of some love and attention and, probably more importantly, custodians with the vision to develop a sustainable business that would attract locals, and visitors, year round. Thankfully, Richard and Cheryl Andrews took on the challenge of breathing new life into The Crown and what they have achieved, in just two years, is to be applauded. Why? because it feels like a pub that’s been at the heart of its community for ever. Firstly it’s a beautiful 18th century building and in bringing it back ‘up to scratch’ they’ve ignored the temptation to fill every pockmark and smooth every edge and instead have allowed the building to retain its true character. There are no fewer than three fireplaces and a spacious restaurant as well as a more intimate ‘snug’, a comfy lounge area and spaces to sit at the bar. Dogs are very welcome as we discovered when we published a ‘Pub Walk with Darcy’ from The Crown last year and for me it’s just one of those places where relaxation comes easily; there’s no formality, the smiles are warm and welcoming and there’s simply a quiet and reassuring ‘vibe’ 50

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that can’t be manufactured so it can only have evolved through plenty of good experiences. Landlord Richard is also Head Chef and his passion for creating delicious and memorable dishes is clear. This may be a village pub but the food offering is impressive and a glance at the bar menu is a good indicator of the creativity at work here. There are some expected staples including fish and chips and traditional beef burger alongside more adventurous salt and pepper squid or spiced halloumi burger but when did you last see six, yes six, versions of mussels and fries on a menu? With a pizza oven on site there’s also a full list of stone baked pizzas available too and, completely in touch with the needs of twenty first century diners, virtually any menu choice – including the pizzas – can be offered gluten free. We settled down to look at the a la carte choices. It was the first week of a new autumn menu and just by reading through the tempting descriptions I was sure I could catch a whiff of bonfire smoke in the air. To start broccoli, stilton and celery soup; poached pear, walnut, beetroot and stilton salad or duck liver pate with homemade chutney perhaps? My taste buds were drawn to whiskey cured salmon with mackerel mousse and herb toasts (again available gluten free if preferred) and the meaty red fish was absolutely jam-packed with flavour. My husband decided to try a very seasonal wild mushroom puff tartlette with mustard and tarragon cream. I’d overlooked it for fear of a rich heavy starter that might spoil my appetite for the main course to come, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Light crisp pastry with flavoursome mushrooms bound in a completely complementary sauce – top notch!

Dining Review | Glemham Crown

Lamb rump with root veg and rosemary and redcurrant sauce, local sausages with mash and onion gravy, liver and bacon with buttery mash, bubble and squeak with kale and poached egg… the mains choices continued where the starters left off – wrapping us in reassuring seasonal deliciousness. Mr R made an unsurprising (for him) but oh-so-satisfying selection with stuffed pork belly roulade which came with roast beetroot, cider sauce and champ. About five years ago Richard had written an earlier incarnation of this recipe for us as the ‘Chef’s Recipe’ for the magazine when he’d been head chef at the Middleton Bell. It’s been one of my husband’s absolute favourites so to have it prepared by the man himself was too tempting to miss. Melt in the mouth pork with perfectly prepared accompaniments – he was definitely in his ‘happy place’. I made a less predictable choice – ‘pie of the day’. We’ve been so bombarded with making healthy food choices that a pie rarely makes it on to the Rawlinson family menu but this tender lamb in rich gravy with a subtle hint of mint was heavenly. Served in an enamel pie dish, alongside a generous helping of mash, green beans and peas my plate was screaming ‘traditional pub grub’ at me and I’d order it again in a heart-beat. Needless to say that after those hearty dishes we didn’t feel we could do the dessert menu justice however the great thing about Richard’s puddings this autumn is that he’s taken a leaf straight out of the family favourites book and compiled a list, all handmade by Deborah Brame, that’s sure to please. There’s jam roly poly, spotted dick, chocolate brownie, ginger sponge and of course sticky toffee pudding! Suffolk Meadow handmade ice creams and sorbets are always available too. So, make it you mission to visit The Crown at Great Glemham this autumn. It’s the kind of discovery that, once made, will become a firm favourite and in Cheryl and Richard’s hands I’m confident that this is another Suffolk success story that we’ll be enjoying for many years to come.

INFORMATION The Crown Inn, Great Glemham, Saxmundham, Suffolk, IP17 2DA 01728 663693 | www.thecrowninnglemham.co.uk Opening Hours Monday, Wednesday & Thursday, 12 noon – 3pm & 6pm – 10pm (food served 12 noon – 2pm & 6pm – 8pm) Tuesday, 6pm – 10pm (sorry no food service) Friday & Saturday, 12 noon – 3pm & 6pm – 11pm (food served 12 noon – 2pm & 6pm – 9pm) Sunday, 12 noon – 6pm (food served 12 noon – 3pm)

EssentialSUFFOLK

OCTOBER 2017

THE SPICE IS RIGHT

Wow your family and friends with this authentic Indian recipe that adds a spicy twist succulent Suffolk pork

Head Chef Chandra Mauli creates fabulous seasonal dishes using lots of wonderful local produce and has quickly gained an enviable reputation. He comes to the Turks Head with an award winning global profile. His training in his native India was in classic French cooking. He started his career under the guidance of Antonio Carluccio, becoming part of a team gaining accolades as one of the Top Ten Italian restaurants in India. Following a move to England in the early 2000s his career lead him to different areas of the country, gaining local knowledge and understanding of the abundance of seasonal produce in

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the UK. During this time, which also included a stint at the famed Old Bridge at Huntingdon, he was able to progress through the kitchen ranks to Sous Chef at the Inn at Woburn, under a former Head Chef for HM The Queen. His most recent position was as Head Chef at the Black Lion in the ever beautiful Long Melford, gaining a wellearned reputation for fantastic locally sourced dishes. This has been the perfect opportunity to immerse himself in the Suffolk countryside and the amazing local game in particular. His menus at The Turks Head reflect his fabulous career and use the finest local ingredients.

Chef’s Recipe | The Turks Head

Slow cooked Blythburgh pork vindaloo, spiced organic carrots and lotus seed biryani INGREDIENTS Serves 4 1.5kg Blythburgh pork belly (skin off) 75g whole dried red chilli 1 bulb garlic 100g ginger 1tbsp turmeric powder 200ml malt vinegar 1tbsp coriander powder 3tbsp garam masala powder 10 chopped shallots 1/2kg organic carrots 1tbsp cumin seeds 5 bay leaves 2tsp whole garam masala* 50g lotus seeds* 200g basmati rice 1/2 bunch mint A pinch of saffron 2 red onions (sliced) 50g Jaggery or brown cane sugar* 4 medium Maris piper potatoes (peeled) 1tbsp mustard oil* Small tub of plain full fat yogurt 100ml vegetable oil * You may not find these ingredients in a supermarket but they will be available in a good Asian greengrocer’s.

METHOD To make the vindaloo paste 1. Soak the dried red chillies. 2. Place half a bulb of peeled garlic, half the ginger, the jiggery and malt vinegar in a steel pot overnight. In the morning add 1 tbsp of garam masala powder, the turmeric powder, bay leaves and 1 tsp of whole garam masala plus the soaked red chillies and cook for 2 hours on a very slow gentle heat. Puree it in food processer and adjust the seasoning according to taste. Set aside. To make the pork vindaloo 1. Baste the pork belly and potatoes in the vindaloo marinade. Use the paste according to your taste for hot food, you may have some left over. 2. Add half of the chopped shallots, 1 cup of water and cook it in oven at 160°C covered with tin foil for 3 hours or until cooked. Check it half way through to ensure it is not burning. If needed add more water. For the carrots 1. Peel the rest of the ginger and garlic and puree. 2. Peel the organic carrots. Baste them with mustard oil, cumin seeds and 1 tsp of ginger and garlic paste. Season them according to your taste and roast them for approximately 30 minutes at 190°C until cooked. To make biryani 1. 2. 3. 4.

Soak saffron in half cup boiling water. Deep fry the sliced red onion and lotus seed separately until golden brown. Set aside. Half cook the rice in boiling water (approx. 8 mins) and drain it and set aside. In a hot saucepan add vegetable oil the remaining whole spices and the rest of the shallots to brown them gently. Add ginger and garlic paste and cook for 2 mins. Add the garam masala powder and 1/2cup of water. Finally add the fried lotus seeds and season. 5. To layer the biryani use a cake tin or small tray and layer rice first and then lotus seed mix, soaked saffron water, brown onion, chopped mint and repeat the same layer again. Cover it with tin foil and finish it in the oven for 20 mins at 160°C.

TO SERVE Finish the pork and biryani with a sprinkling of fresh chopped coriander and serve it along with pot of plain yogurt and roasted carrots.

DOGS, MUDDY BOOTS AND MUDDY CHILDREN WELCOME Following extensive refurbishment and redevelopment, The Turks Head in Hasketon has now been open nearly three months and the reaction from our guests has been wonderful. We serve real ales, fantastic wine and above all delicious food. Through local suppliers we source the freshest ingredients which our chef uses to create a delicious ever changing seasonal menu. Our Sunday roast, served from 12 to 5pm, is extremely popular. The pub serves a frequently changing list of local cask ales from East Anglia’s wonderful breweries. Our wine list is extensive, from a wonderful house Merlot to a stunning Margaux.

The Turks Head, Low Road, Hasketon, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP13 6JG | 01394 610343 | www.theturksheadhasketon.co.uk

EssentialSUFFOLK

SEPTEMBER 2017

The Seafood & Grill

The Coach & Horses

The Maybush

For the freshest fish and shellfish and the best sea views around, come to the Seafood & Grill at the Brudenell Hotel, Aldeburgh. With floor to ceiling windows showing off the stunning shingle beach, there is no better place to tuck into the catch of the day or sip on the Brudenell signature G&T. Sunday roasts and cream teas are also divine.

The Coach & Horses located just outside of Woodbridge, has extremely good access to the A12 with ample parking. Originally a staging inn or coach house, it’s historical role is equally well served today providing great family food. We offer a great combination of quality, value and atmosphere that the Deben Inns are renowned for. See our website for details of our menus.

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: All day, every day. For food service times, please visit the website.

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

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

Melton, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 1PD

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

01728 452071 Brudenellhotel.co.uk

01394 384851 coachandhorses@debeninns.co.uk www.debeninns.co.uk

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

The Middleton Bell

The Fountain

Sibton White Horse

Set in the beautiful village of Middleton the Bell Inn offers top quality food using the best local produce. Now under new ownership by the successful team from The Eels Foot Inn. Dine in the garden, traditional bar area or beamed restaurant and enjoy home cooked food and ales directly from the cask. The Bell is the perfect venue to meet friends and family.

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. Full A La Carte menu plus set price menus; two courses £14.95, three courses £17.95. Current specials always included on the website. Sunday lunch served 12 noon to 7pm. Covered heated patio and spacious beer garden.

Step through the door of this unassuming pub and prepare for a surprise. The heart of this thriving village local is 16th-century and steeped in history. Relax with a drink, enjoy lunch or dinner and you can expect easy relaxed service whilst absorbing the pubs immense character or spill out into the impressive courtyard and indulge in some of the finest alfresco. Awarded 2 AA Rosettes, the ever changing menu is thoughtfully created and built upon fresh, local and seasonal ingredients, with produce from the pub’s kitchen garden.

Open: 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 11pm, Tuesday to Saturday, 12pm – 9pm, Sunday (Food served 12pm – 2.30pm, 6pm – 9pm, Tuesday to Saturday, 12pm – 5pm, Sunday). Booking advised.

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 The Street, Tuddenham St. Martin, IP6 9BT

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

The Street, Middleton, Suffolk, IP17 3NN

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

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

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

01728 648286 54

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Food Gallery

Ufford Park Open every day, The Park Restaurant offers a relaxed atmosphere, local produce and a seasonally-changing menu. You can enjoy Sunday Lunch in both the restaurant and bar and this is priced accordingly. Join us on Sunday 8th and 22nd October and sit back and relax with local saxophonist playing between 12 noon & 2pm. Afternoon Tea is served throughout the year and this is priced at just £16.95 per person. All party sizes can be accommodated. Open to all; non-members welcome.

The Artisan Smokehouse Café & Deli Set in the lovely village of Falkenham, near Felixstowe, with wonderful countryside views. Join us in our licensed café, where all the smoked foods are hand-made on site. Enjoy breakfast, coffee & cake, and light meals including smoked meat and fish platters, cheese boards, sandwiches and salads. While you’re here why not grab something to take home from our deli, which stocks a wide range of products, including our own award-winning smoked foods.

The Turks Head At The Turk’s Head we serve local ales, fantastic wines & beautifully executed food using the abundance of local produce Suffolk has to offer. We have launched a set lunch menu from Monday to Friday, £15 for two courses, £18 for three. On 5th October we have our next Progressive Supper with The Table and The Ufford Crown. Dogs, muddy boots and muddy children always welcome.

Open: Monday to Sunday 6.30pm to 9.30pm Sunday Lunch in The Park Restaurant served 12 noon – 2pm

Open: Thursday to Saturday, 10am – 4pm. Please see website for variations in opening. Food served all day – breakfast until 11.30am

Open: Monday to Thursday 11am to 11pm, Friday to Saturday 11am to 12am, Sunday 11am to 8pm

Yarmouth Road, Melton, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 1QW

Goose Barn, Back Road, Falkenham, IP10 0QR

Low Road, Hasketon, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP13 6JG

0844 847 9467 reception@uffordpark.co.uk www.uffordpark.co.uk

01394 448414 info@artisansmokehouse.co.uk www.artisansmokehouse.co.uk

01394 610343 info@theturksheadhasketon.co.uk www.theturksheadhasketon.co.uk

The Eels Foot

Seckford Hall

Fynn Valley

Enjoy delicious food and drink in a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere at the award winning Eels Foot inn located in the pretty hamlet of Eastbridge.The extensive beer garden offers a children’s play area and a wood fired pizza oven available Sat – Sun 12:00 – 20:00. The Inn has six rooms and is a certified location with The Caravan and Motorhome Club. With freshwater marshes and scenic countryside leading directly to the sea The Eels Foot is a great place to stay. Open: Monday to Thursday 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 11pm, Friday to Sunday 11:30am – 11:30pm (Food served Monday to Thursday 12pm – 2.30pm, 6pm – 9.pm Friday to Sunday 12pm – 9pm) Eastbridge, Leiston, Suffolk, IP16 4SN 01728 830154 theeelsfootinn@hotmail.co.uk theeelsfootinn.co.uk

1530 Restaurant Perfect for business or pleasure, the talented team of chefs at Seckford Hall turn local produce into mouth-watering dishes, with seasonally changing menus. The philosophy of 1530 is to offer the freshest food, cooked simply and beautifully presented, in a classic style at reasonable prices. Visit us soon to enjoy a memorable meal and experience the tradition, history and good taste at 1530. Open: Lunch: A la carte 12pm – 2pm daily. Afternoon Tea: served 3pm – 5pm daily. Bar: Tudor Bar menu served 12pm – 6pm daily. Dinner: A la carte Sun to Thurs 6.30pm – 9.30pm, Fri and Sat 6.30pm –10pm Seckford Hall Hotel, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP13 6NU 01394 385678 reception@seckford.co.uk www.seckford.co.uk

Winner of the ‘Most Welcoming Golf Club’ in England award this is the place to bring your family and friends for a wide range of tempting meals prepared by our talented chefs. Enjoy a home made bar meal or daily special in the cosy Courtyard Bar, utilising great local produce. Al fresco dining in the sheltered Courtyard is a popular option. Sunday Lunches are served in The Terrace overlooking the golf course, all freshly roasted on the day and children eat free! The spacious Valley Room is perfect for large family celebrations. Full details of our menus and offers can be found on our website. Open: Open every lunchtime and Tuesday – Saturday evenings. Fynn Valley Golf Club, Witnesham, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP6 9JA 01473 785202 restaurant@fynn-valley.co.uk www.fynn-valley.co.uk

EssentialSUFFOLK

Villeroy & Boch Legato bathroom furniture. Beautiful black matt lacquer furniture with LED lighting, showing his and hers basins. Legato bath in tiled surround. Villeroy & Boch bluetooth mirror with LED lighting. Villeroy & Boch Astoria tiles. Woodbridge Interiors

Beautiful

BATHROOMS

Bathrooms are rooms that often get overlooked, after all they tend to be spaces where visitors seldom go â&#x20AC;&#x201C; however we spend a significant amount of time in them and so it makes sense to invest and consider comfort as well as function. One of the best things about luxury hotels are the warm, welcoming bathrooms with the latest mod-cons, fabrics and toiletries â&#x20AC;&#x201C; so why not make your own bathroom as luxurious by lifting it to the same high standards? Take inspiration from these leading Suffolk independent retailers

Made to measure wall hung vanity unit with dual sinks and mirrored cabinet above Debenvale

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Refurbished barn bathroom with bespoke door and tongue & groove units all handmade and hand-painted Roger Gladwell

Homes & Interiors

Make a statement with a Villeroy & Boch free standing oval bath with a floor standing bath filler Woodbridge Interiors

A bright, clean and modern feel, the style from textured wall tiles, shapely raised basins, chrome fixtures and natural wood cupboard doors Anglia Factors

Heated stone floor and an up-lit standalone bath with cream painted cabinets under a dark stone surface holding his and hers ceramic hand-basins Anglia Factors

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Homes & Interiors

OCTOBER 2017

Kobe ladder shelf. Was £72.50 now £64.99 Glasswells

Christy Renaissance towels from £5 each Barretts of Woodbridge

Essential SUFFOLK

Paris bathroom accessories sale price from £9.25 Glasswells

always proud ~ to feature ~

LOCAL RETAILERS

Orla Keily towels. Sale price from £15 Glasswells

STOCKISTS Anglia Factors 34 Gloster Road, Martlesham Heath, Ipswich. T: 01473 610192 www.angliafactors.co.uk Barretts of Woodbridge 40 – 42 Thoroughfare, Woodbridge. T: 01394 384300 www.barretts.co.uk Debenvale The Granary, Rendlesham Mews, Rendlesham. T: 01394 421214 www.debenvale.com Glasswells Ranelagh Road, Ipswich or Newmarket Road Bury St Edmunds T: 01473 253164 www.glasswells.co.uk Roger Gladwell Maypole Green, Dennington, Woodbridge. T: 01728 638372 www.rogergladwell.co.uk Woodbridge Interiors Smithfield, Melton Road, Woodbridge. T: 01394 386390 www.woodbridgeinteriors.co.uk

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Antiques & Auctions

IF ONLY I HAD ONE OF THOSE!

James Neal

It’s always fascinating to look at the catalogues produced by other Auctioneers and one in particular always receives particular attention when it arrives. For many years Tony Murland has been holding sales of antique woodworking tools with more specialist items associated with cabinet makers, carvers, engineers, coach makers, coopers and more recently kitchenalia. The variety is always spellbinding and in years gone by the descriptions of the individual lots was full of wit and the occasional element of innuendo. Today the descriptions are more deadpan but the objects are no less appealing. The latest catalogue arrived recently, the pages filled with objects you never knew you needed or wanted. When, for instance, did you realise you would benefit from owning ‘a well-made adjustable scratch stock’? If a combined early 19th century axe and hammer is on your wish list then you too will be thrilled one is available complete with the embellishment of a cockerel emblem. In amongst the unusual pieces there are tools which would be universally useful today including moulding planes, smoothing

Kitchens

planes, spirit levels, saws, chisels and even various piano tuner’s spanners. In case that is not quite enough variety for you there are also oil cans, brass trammels, plumb bobs and even a selection of tools for sail makers. It is fascinating to see the diversity of the items on offer and the honesty of the Auctioneer, who occasionally, when faced with trying to describe an object not previously known to him, resorts as in the case of Lot 412 to ‘a most unusual early cane style tool with a clip on end, maybe for gardening work?’ So, if you are looking for something very different you may well like to keep an eye out for these remarkable auctions which are usually held at the Orwell Hotel in Felixstowe. Finally, you may also be surprised to learn, Tony was (he would probably say still is) an accomplished footballer who regularly applied for the post of England Football Manager when it became vacant. No doubt he will be disposing of his letters, in response to those applications, from the Football Association if his pension fails to deliver! But then again, he can’t be as old as his tools!

Bathrooms

German kitchen furniture | Corian | Caesarstone | Miele | Neff

Villeroy & Boch bathrooms | Hansgrohe | Matki | Aqata | Keuco

2 A1 A12 A12

WOODBRIDGE

D NR LTO ME

LD FIE ITH SM

A1152

A1 15 2

01394 386390 www.woodbridgeinteriors.co.uk

WOO MELTON DS L N

WOODBRIDGE INTERIORS

KITCHEN & BATHROOM SPECIALISTS

KITCHEN & BATHROOM SHOWROOM SMITHFIELD, MELTON RD, WOODBRIDGE IP12 1NG

EssentialSUFFOLK

Enhance your home with

beautiful windows & doors

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

burgess-group.com

Seeking inspiration for the garden? Garden designer Catharine Howard says step one is to decide on the style of garden you want

CREATING OUTSIDE SPACE

Gardening

ast month I stood with a friend in her garden, to the noisy backdrop of the builder’s grinding digger gears in prepping the site to build an extension onto her town house. What to do with the garden? There were plans for an artist’s studio in a shed but beyond that, the canvas was blank. I was reminded of the first thing that I learnt in planting design: before thinking of individual plants choose the style of the planting. Jungly, formal, bosky, meadows and the rest. Once you have a handle on the desired form of the vegetation, it is much easier to pick from the overwhelming palette available. She was not sure whether she wanted a borrowed view looking out onto her neighbour’s exuberant and spangled prairie planting or whether to wrap the garden round her to create privacy and mystery. So the suggestion was that she should go and look at two local gardens that are open to the public. On the assumption that most design is either a curtesy to an influence or a full on ram raid to take ideas, I am an avid garden visitor. The two that I shall tell you about have allure in spadefuls but are yin and yang for the guiding spirit behind the planting design. First is the Exotic Garden at Henstead. This tucked away two acre garden is like visiting the Far East; the owner Andew Brogan has built up an eyewatering selection of exotic plants that survive in his well sheltered garden, two miles inland from the North sea. (The secret here is to get the shelter belts round the garden planted up first). This has all been done by hard graft and the desire to reclaim Nirvana from a nettle and bramble infested patch. You meander through the garden, past objects retrieved from their former use: a resting speed boat, old bottles, a solid timber pagoda that might have been teleported from Thailand. The planting is heavily peppered with enormous bamboos, tree ferns and out in the sunny areas bottlebrush plants and the giant echium from the Canary Islands which can reach four metres. From this garden take away the notion of exotic, jungle, quirky, inward looking and

private and feed your design thoughts with these inspirations. A total contrast to Andrew Brogan’s site are the gardens at Bressingham Hall just over the border into Norfolk. This is the place to come to get ideas about space, vista, colour, distant views, flowing curves and the rest – the plethora of island beds are planted to pull the visitor on a journey. The planting is as rich as a medieval banquet. The planting in one bed pulls your eye onto the next area and a stampede of colour, textures and shapes has the visitor almost breaking into a run to sample the next exquisite flower. These gardens hang high on the rungs of horticultural excellence and innovation. Adrian Bloom is something of a horticultural globetrotter – lecturing, plant collecting and on home turf developing the 17 acres of gardens. There is a rich representation from the flora of North America and a sensational connection of conifers. These gardens have been a major influence in the world of garden design: Beth Chatto came here to get the first plants to start her nursery and Piet Oudolf recalls a visit at the beginning of his career as a seminal influence. I’ve already mentioned the island beds, of which there are 47 throughout the garden. These were originally developed to get away from plants getting etiolated at the back of formal herbaceous borders and any plants trialled had to be able stand without staking. Interesting that this wise notion, some 50 years old, has become the mantra of the Dutch new wave designers who in turn have filtered down to us amateur gardeners. So a garden visit or several before embarking on your own garden design, will be invaluable. You will learn what you like and don’t like, what mood you want to evoke and what the plants need to do to enhance all this. Back to your own site or plot, learn it inside out. Go out in all weather and all points of the sun’s journey across the sky. Be tuned in with ears and eyes – this way you will get to the Genius Loci or spirit of the place and that will inform your plant palette.

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

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Finance

OCTOBER 2017

JOINING THE MILLIONAIRES’ CLUB Neil Hewitt, Financial Planner at Scrutton Bland explains why it’s important to know about Inheritance Tax. Did you know that the number of millionaires in the east of England went up from 75,000 to 82,000 from 2015-16? Many of these happened unintentionally through soaring property prices, although often people are unaware that the house they bought several decades ago is now worth so much until they come to sell it, or the value becomes apparent to their descendants when it is sold after their death. Whilst being a ‘paper’ millionaire may come as a pleasant surprise, there are still large numbers of people who continue to be unaware that when they die, their estate may be liable to Inheritance Tax (IHT). If your assets (property, possessions, pay-outs from insurance policies and cash) total more than £325,000 then the part of your estate that is above that threshold figure may be taxed at 40%. There are exceptions to this, such as if you leave everything to your spouse or civil partner, or to an exempt beneficiary such as a charity. There is also a relatively new allowance known as the Residence Nil Rate Band which, under certain conditions, gives you an additional allowance of £100,000 provided that you pass your home to your direct descendants.

Neil Hewitt Financial Planner

Whilst IHT may be something that most people have heard of, a recent study found that one in ten Britons who said they planned on passing on a legacy after death had not sought any specialist advice to determine whether they may be liable. And 12% of the people questioned said they thought their house would be exempt from IHT, and that their ISA savings would also be free of this tax. Both of these assumptions are incorrect! If you would like to find out more about Inheritance Tax and planning your financial affairs for later on in life, Scrutton Bland have teamed up with solicitors Steeles Law and invite you to a seminar designed to help you prepare for the future. In this seminar we will guide you through Inheritance Tax, Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Trusts and the Financial Planning solutions available to you. When: Tuesday 10th October Time: 4.30pm – 6.00pm Where: The Corn Hall, St Nicholas Street, Diss IP22 4LB To book your free place, please email events@scruttonbland.co.uk or call 01206 838400 There will also be a similar event in Ipswich city centre in November. Please email events@scruttonbland.co.uk or call 01206 838400 to register your interest.

Scrutton Bland is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

The finest bespoke kitchens designed and built using traditional skills in our Suffolk workshop.

www.valedesigns.co.uk 01728 830581 Visit us at: The Workshop Forge Cottages Thorpe Road Aldringham Suffolk IP16 4QX

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Property

Essential

PROPERTY 66 67 69 71 72 75 76

Fenn Wright Flick & Son Savills Clarke & Simpson Hopkins Homes Jackson-Stops Mortimers

68 Creeting St Mary

70 Woodbridge

74 Spexhall EssentialSUFFOLK

Witnesham

Copdock

Offering in excess of 3000 sq. ft. of accommodation, is this substantial five bedroom detached house that is set on a landscaped plot around a quarter of an acre.

A beautifully presented attached house situated in a rural location. Recently undergone a programme of modernisation presented in the highest standard, the work carried out enhances the character of the property and provides comfortable family accommodation.

Guide Price £570,000

North Ipswich

• Beautifully presented family home • Mature gardens approaching 1/4 acre • Extended over the years • Comprehensively fitted Neptune kitchen • Generous family accommodation • Attractive bathrooms & en-suite • Views over the countryside • EPC Rating – D Guide Price £650,000

Stonham Aspall Set back from the main Valley Road, is this well presented four double bedroom detached house which was constructed in 2012. Along with around 2,100 sq. ft. well thought out family accommodation, there is a detached double garage with further parking to the front.

Situated in the picturesque village of Stonham Aspal we are delighted to offer for sale this four bedroom grade II listed heavily beamed property with modern living under a thatched roof, with mature grounds of approximately just over an acre. Guide Price £625,000

• • • • • • •

Grade II listed detached house 4 Bedrooms 3 reception rooms Kitchen/breakfast room Utility room & pantry Viewing highly recommended Hunting scene directly painted onto the plaster above the fireplace • EPC Rating – TBC

• Reception hall & sitting room • Kitchen/dining room, family room & study • 4 bedrooms & dressing area • Family bathroom, cloakroom & en-suite, utility • Detached double garage & parking • EPC rating – C Guide Price £675,000

• • • • • • • •

5 bedrooms 3 bath/shower rooms 5 reception rooms Kitchen/breakfast room Utility room Potential for an annexe Double garage EPC Rating – C

OCTOBER 2017

UPPER LANGDALES FARMHOUSE FACTS LOCATION: CREETING ST MARY GUIDE PRICE: ÂŁ740,000 JOINT AGENTS: JACKSON-STOPS

SUFFOLK LONGHOUSE Enjoying a tucked away rural setting, Upper Langdales Farmhouse is a classic Grade II Listed 17th century country dwelling. The property, which is within easy reach of Stowmarket Railway Station, has two principal reception rooms, central farmhouse kitchen, snug, study and service rooms plus four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Understood to date from 1600, Upper Langdales is a classic timber framed Suffolk Longhouse and offers much in the way of rustic charm. The property is surrounded by arable farmland on three sides and sits at the head of a long farm track driveway.

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With its traditional heritage it offers a wealth of exposed timbers throughout and accommodation extending to some 4,200 sq ft. On the ground floor, set off the entrance hall, are two principal reception rooms, each of which are twin aspect and have working fireplaces. A central farmhouse kitchen has a large chimney recess and a stable-style external door and links to a snug / sitting area beyond which is a study, a utility room and cloakroom. On the first floor there are four double bedrooms and two bathrooms (one ensuite). Outside, picket fencing and shingle pathways lead into a delightful area of

knot garden to the front of the house, at the end of which is a range of domestic and garden stores. The gardens, which run around the house, are enclosed by mature natural hedgerow and a variety of trees including horse chestnut, ash and fir, well stocked herbaceous beds and borders, together with an area of terrace, beyond which is a large natural pond. At the southern end of the garden is an area of orchard with fruit trees and bushes. In all the property extends to about 3â &#x201E;4 of an acre.

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

OCTOBER 2017

MULBERRY COTTAGE FACTS LOCATION: WOODBRIDGE GUIDE PRICE: £365,000 JOINT AGENTS: MORTIMERS

TOWN CENTRE COTTAGE Properties like Mulberry Cottage – a new detached cottage in the heart of central Woodbridge – are few and far between. So this rare opportunity to live just off Market Hill is perfect for those who might be thinking of downsizing or perhaps want a Suffolk retreat within walking distance of a railway station. The accommodation includes an openplan kitchen-living area, bedroom with dressing area, bathroom and cloakroom, a courtyard garden and secure off-road parking. Downstairs the kitchen area includes a granite worktop arranged in

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an L-shape incorporating an inset stainless steel sink with drainer and mixer tap above. There’s a gas hob with stainless steel hood above and sagecoloured wall-mounted cupboards either side. There are further cupboards, an integrated Zanussi dishwasher, fan oven and grill and to one end is tall integrated fridge-freezer. A step down leads to the living area – an exceptionally bright room enhanced by an atriumstyle window above. Upstairs the bedroom is 12’4 (max) x 11’11 with dormer windows to the front

aspect. Two steps lead down to the bathroom and beyond is a dressing room. The rear courtyard is approached via double doors from the living area as well as a timber gate from the parking area. There is space to park in the parking area which is shared with neighbouring properties.

INFORMATION Mortimers 01394 386688 To see more pictures of this property visit www.essentialsuffolk.com/property

Witnesham, Nr Ipswich £895,000

Wilby, Nr Stradbroke £775,000

Situated on The Fairways, an exclusive development within the picturesque parkland course of Fynn Valley Golf Club, this beautiful, 5 bedroom, architect-designed house extends to around 3,350 sq ft & sits in a generous plot of just under half an acre with amazing views overlooking the Fynn Valley. EPC = TBC Ref: 5678

A superb house with impressive outbuildings & beautifully landscaped gardens & grounds of 2 acres, set back from a small country lane. Hallway, drawing room, kitchen/dining room, utility room, cloakroom. 3 first floor bedrooms, en-suite shower room & bathroom. 2 second floor double bedrooms & cloakroom. Fantastic garden room with kitchen & cloakroom, along with a triple garage with oﬃce above. Ref: 5806

Weybread, Nr Harleston – 14 Acres £750,000

Wickham Market, Nr Woodbridge £665,000

A detached house standing in lovely gardens & grounds of 14 acres, including woodland & meadowland, within the village of Weybread, between Fressingfield & Harleston. Hall, sitting room, kitchen/dining room, conservatory, utility room, study & cloakroom. Master bedroom with en-suite bathroom. 2 further bedrooms & bathroom. Double garage. Attractive gardens & grounds, along with store buildings. EPC = D Ref: 5578

A detached house in an enviable position on a small country lane within walking distance of the centre of Wickham Market. Sitting room, study, downstairs bedroom/snug, dining room, open plan kitchen/living room, utility room & downstairs wet room. Master bedroom with en-suite shower room, 3 further first floor bedrooms & bathroom. Double bay cart lodge & garage, plus further 19'8 x 16'4 store/workshop. Gardens of 0.4 acres. EPC = D Ref: 5809

Peasenhall, Nr Framlingham £595,000

Yoxford, Nr Heritage Coast £495,000

An attractive, single-storey, highly energy eﬃcient cottage, standing in the most superb rural location with outstanding views of undulating countryside. Kitchen, open plan sitting/dining room, stunning garden room with fantastic views, master bedroom with en-suite shower room, 2 further bedrooms & bathroom. Loft room with scope for conversion to further bedrooms & bathroom. Double cart lodge & workshop/utility room. Gardens of over an acre. EPC = B Ref: 5817

A former mill converted to a most charming 3 bedroom detached house, standing in grounds of over three quarters of an acre, adjacent to meadows. Hallway, sitting room, dining room, kitchen, utility room, ground floor bedroom & bathroom. 2 first floor bedrooms & bathroom. Outbuildings. Ample oﬀ-road parking. Mature gardens of 0.8 acres. EPC = E Ref: 5819

Stratford St Andrew, Nr Framlingham £435,000

Earl Soham, Nr Framlingham £357,500

An exciting & rare opportunity to purchase a Listed church conversion in the village of Stratford St Andrew. Entrance lobby, reception hall & study area, open plan kitchen, dining room & sitting room, ground floor bedroom with en-suite bathroom, rear hall/utility room & cloakroom. Galleried mezzanine area, 3 first floor bedrooms & bathroom. Gardens & grounds of approximately 0.35 acres. Garage & parking. Ref: 5745

A most attractive Grade II Listed detached house situated in the heart of Earl Soham & within walking distance of the pub & shop. Sitting room, dining room, kitchen, bespoke conservatory, utility/cloakroom. 3 first floor bedrooms & bathroom. Oﬀ-road parking. Courtyard garden. Ref: 5818

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

T: 01728 724200

www.clarkeandsimpson.co.uk

The Finest Homes in the Finest Locations Anyone driving down the country lanes of Suffolk described in Ed Sheeran’s song Castle on the Hill will have no doubt have caught sight of some of the impressive new communities built by Hopkins Homes and sister company Hopkins & Moore.

The Woodbridge-based homebuilder has always taken the long view when considering the development design. It painstakingly selects the mix of styles, range of property sizes and the layout of new communities to deliver homes of distinction that are built and finished to the highest possible standard. At the heart of Hopkins Homes’ ethos is a commitment to the creation of homes which not only meet a need within the community but that also complement and enhance the local architectural style and landscape. This commitment results in homes and developments which reflect and become a part of the heritage of the area. Whether home-buyers are looking to live in a vibrant city, coastal retreat, bustling market town or rural enclave, Suffolk and the wider region can meet every need.

There’s something for everyone from the Hopkins Group whether they are first time buyers, a growing family, downsizing or retiring.

“

James Hopkins, Executive Chairman of Hopkins Homes explains: “From our first renovation project 20 years ago to last year which saw us build over 1,000 new homes across the region, our passion for design, quality and longevity has remained undimmed. I personally insist that every home we build demonstrates the level of our commitment to the creation of beautiful homes that not only meet modern lifestyle demands but also enhance the local communities that they are a part of. Alongside this we constantly strive to help build strong communities for our region and have a reputation for supporting local charities and good causes across Suffolk through our Building Communities Fund. This is a £250,000 endowment fund which awarded over £16,000 worth of grants to Suffolk charities earlier this year.”

”

There are currently seven developments under construction in Suffolk and 25 across the wider region. Hopkins Homes has recently launched St George’s Park, an exclusive new development at Needham Market. Tucked away at the edge of the thriving market town, St George’s Park is located at the site of the former chalk quarry which immediately gives this new community its own identity. The flagship development will offer a carefully selected range of one to four-bedroom homes in 25 different house styles including terrace, coach, semi or link-detached, detached and bungalow styles. The Hopkins & Moore development, The Heathers, in Wenhaston, is situated on the south side of the River Blyth valley, amidst the beautiful Suffolk countryside, with close links to the quintessential

Hopkins & Moore has recently launched a new development based in Tunstall, a fabulous location at the heart of the Suffolk Heritage coast between Woodbridge and Aldeburgh. The Pines offers an exciting range of two three, four and five-bedroom houses, providing the perfect community for family living with both primary and secondary schools nearby.

seaside towns of the Heritage coast that characterise the county. Wenhaston is a highly desirable village with amenities including a village hall, shop and primary school. House prices start from £199,995 with two, three and four-bedroom homes available. Situated between Southwold and Aldeburgh, The Kingfisher place development in Leiston, has only a few properties remaining. The beautiful homes are just one mile from the Suffolk coastline and close to the RSPB’s Minsmere nature reserve. Saxmundham is only five miles away providing rail links into London Liverpool Street in under two hours. With a range of three and four-bedroom houses available, the development can satisfy the needs of every lifestyle and the location of the development means residents can enjoy the benefits of town, coast and country living. The Priors Grange development is located in the charming and historic market town of Saxmundham, where a mix of large and small shops and eateries can be found. A range of styles and sizes of one, two, three and four bedroom homes is available. The Priors Grange development combines tranquil country living, as the beautiful coastline is only a few minutes’ drive away, with excellent road and rail links to London, Ipswich and Norwich. The charming town of Framlingham is home to the very popular Hopkins Homes development, Prospect Place. There is a diverse collection of new homes including one and two-bedroom apartments, two-

bedroom coach houses and terraced houses, three-bedroom terraced, semidetached, detached and town houses as well as three- to four-bedroom town houses, detached houses and a detached bungalow across 25 different designs and styles. The properties echo the existing architecture of the town and grandeur of the engine sheds formerly located at the site. Beautiful open spaces characterise the town, including the Mere; a wildlife haven with the castle as its backdrop and Pageant Field.

For those who are looking for homes beyond Suffolk, the Hopkins Group has a large number of developments in neighbouring counties. In Norfolk the King’s Meadow development in Holt, has properties starting from £234,995 whilst there are also homes available at Beach Vale, Overstrand; Birch Gate, Wymondham; Broadbeach Gardens, Stalham; Butterfield Meadow, Hunstanton; Grace Park, Lakenham; Heathlands, Snettisham; Mulberry Grove, North Walsham; Oakley Park, Mulbarton; Saddlers Rise, Watton; St George’s Place, Sprowston; Staithe Place, Wells next to the Sea; Watermill Meadow, Stoke Holy Cross; Wherry Gardens, Wroxham. In addition a new development – Queen’s Meadow in Hockering – is due to be launched early next year. An exciting community and inspiring environment has been created at Alconbury Weald, Cambridgeshire and Hopkins Homes was chosen as the gateway developer for this prestigious new destination. Also in Cambridgeshire there are developments at Birches Tye, Burwell and Miller’s Place, Soham. There are also two developments in Essex – Colne Gardens in Brightlingsea and Oliver’s Grove, Stanway.

Now with just two properties remaining the Hopkins and Moore development, Foundry Place, is an exclusive collection of just 16 homes located in the village of Grundisburgh. Foundry Place is in a glorious location surrounded by outstanding natural beauty, close to the town of Woodbridge where independent retailers, a variety of places to eat and drink and leisure facilities can be found. Grundisburgh is only six miles from Ipswich from which it takes 64 minutes on the train into London Liverpool Street.

The Government backed Help to Buy scheme* is available on all released properties and Hopkins Homes can help make your dream new home become a reality with other buying options such as their own PartExchange scheme*. Details of all developments and individual properties can be viewed at www.hopkinshomes.co.uk Email sales@hopkinshomes.co.uk or call 01394 446860 to request specific development information.

*Terms and conditions apply.

OCTOBER 2017

THE OLD RECTORY FACTS LOCATION: SPEXHALL GUIDE PRICE: £1,250,000 JOINT AGENTS: FLICK & SON

LUXURY COUNTRY LIVING The Old Rectory lies in the picturesque rural community of Spexhall, around two miles to the north of Halesworth. This spacious Grade II Listed former parsonage dates back to the 17th Century and is situated in grounds of approximately two acres close to the attractive round-towered St. Peter’s Church. The timber-framed property has been modernised a number of times over the centuries but the current owner has sympathetically restored it to its former glory, maintaining many of its original features as well as some new additions. The Old Rectory is laid out over three floors with seven bedrooms and five reception rooms. 18th Century gothic canted bay windows and open fireplaces

essentialsuffolk.com

adorn both the sitting room and dining room. A bespoke fitted kitchen features slate flooring, an oil-fired four oven Aga with double Butler sink, wooden drainer and worktops as well as an island unit and plenty of space for a breakfast table. The large drawing room has handsome windows with shutters and dual access to the rear garden offering particularly pleasant sunset views over the fields beyond. The first floor houses six of the seven bedrooms, four of them with ensuite bathrooms. The master bedroom also has a dressing room. The seventh bedroom is on the second floor with an adjoining bathroom and study. Many of the rooms in the Old Rectory have extensive views of the surrounding gardens and attractive countryside.

Outside, the property has a sweeping drive up to the house with plenty of parking space as well as a double bay cart lodge, coal shed and boiler house within the grounds that also feature lawns, a number of ponds and wooded areas. Grace Young from agents Flick & Son said: “For anyone that would love to experience luxury country living, the Old Rectory could be the next home for you. Its unspoilt position is something that has to be seen to be appreciated.”

INFORMATION Flick & Son 01986 873757 To see more pictures of this property visit www.essentialsuffolk.com/property

WOODBRIDGE

ALDEBURGH

A beautifully presented and restored Grade II* Listed townhouse with a delightful south facing garden set in the heart of Woodbridge. ● Garaging & off street parking ● Walking distance of town’s amenities

An elegant Georgian town house of over 5,600 sq ft with sea views enjoying a prominent position close to the beach and High Street. ● 3 reception rooms ● 7 bedrooms ● 4 bath/showers ● Study landing ● Basement with wine cellar & laundry ● Walled garden of about 1/3 acre ● Roof terrace ● Swimming pool ● Garage range

GUIDE £1,650,000

GUIDE £2,750,000

GRUNDISBURGH

HIGHAM

An extended and modernised period property set within 3.5 acres and located on the edge of the sought after village of Grundisburgh.

Stunning Georgian style country house, with 4,500 sq ft of accommodation arranged over three floors, overlooking the Stour Valley.

● 2 bathrooms ● Outbuilding with games room ● Large garage

● Kitchen/dining/living area ● Study ● 5 bedrooms ● 4 bath/showers

● 3 reception rooms ● Study ● Amdega conservatory ● 6 bedrooms ● 3 bath/showers ● Cellarage ● Private part-walled garden

● 3 reception rooms ● Kitchen/breakfast room ● 4 bedrooms

● Mature garden ● Paddock ● Edge of village position ● Epc-D

GUIDE £795,000

IPSWICH 01473 218218

15 Tower St, Ipswich IP1 3BE ipswich@jackson-stops.co.uk jackson-stops.co.uk

● Architectural design by Quinlan Terry ● 2 reception rooms

● Garage & car port ● Workshop & store ● Approx 10 acres ● Epc-C

GUIDE £1,950,000

Local & National reach through a network of London & Regional offices PR OPERTY EXPERTS SIN CE 19 10

NO VAT

NO SALE, NO FEE. NO TIE IN PERIOD.

Guide Price £495,000 Ufford

Wickham Market

An excellent opportunity to acquire this beautiful Grade II listed period cottage with the benefit of A2 (office use) on the market square. Many period features, garden and off-road private parking.

Guide Price £795,000

An immaculate five bedroom detached house offering spacious family accommodation benefiting from luxury fitted kitchen and bathroom suites. Good sized garden, double garage. EPC:B

Old Martlesham

£585,000

Ufford

£375,000

Melton Park

£510,000 Melton

£569,000

Woodbridge

£895,000

Woodbridge

£895,000

Eyke

£550,000 Woodbridge

£365,000

Woodbridge

£225,000

Melton

£330,000

Melton NEW BUILD £625,000 Little Bealings

SALE AGREED

01394 386688 | info@mortimersestateagents.co.uk www.mortimersestateagents.co.uk

£1,000,000

SALE AGREED

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

The Ladykillers It was all the usual excitement of the new Autumn / Winter Season at the New Wolsey Theatre with guest night for the Ealing Comedy ‘The Ladykillers’ by Graham Linehan. The invited audience were also first to hear of a new production in the planning; Our Blue Heaven – marking 40 years since Ipswich Town’s historic FA Cup victory in 1978.

Helen Taylor, Nathan Bradley

David & Sue Tasker

Christine Piper, Rachel Tarkenter

Phil Gage,Theo Clarke

Steve & Janet Rudge

Joanne & Matthew Leek, Carole Burman

Penny & Barry Wayne

Judy Wadman, Jo Reeder, Mike Wadman

Carl & Karen Lamb

David Watson, Mathew Russell

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Essential Faces

Orford Flower Show & Fete A major event in the Orford calendar is the annual Orford, Sudbourne and Gedgrave Flower Show and FĂŞte. The Show marquee houses almost 200 exhibits of locally grown vegetables, fruit and flowers, all shown under exacting rules. Handicrafts, cooking, painting, photography and other talents are also included in the competitions with the extremes of giant vegetables providing major interest for growers and novelty for visitors. Vicki Bingham, Judith Shallow

Lyn Holman, Mark Fairweather, Sally Tulk-Hart

Christine Bromley-Martin, Joy Castle

Tony Eames, Andrew Curtis, Howard Nash 78

essentialsuffolk.com

Richard Davey, Nick Robinson

Doris Fulford, Monique Beauval-Nash, Vivien Ashley

Deiter & June Kodderisch

Ann Beaumont,Veronica Worrall

Jonnie Howard, Mike Pearce, Mike Pringle

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

Christopher & Moira Brigstocke,Tom Standen

Suki Pearce, Diana Grayburn

Susanne & Tony Hasting, Lizzie Clark

Mike Redmond, Alex Smith

Bethany Batley, Kris Hope, Jane Dale

Anna Sarginson, Stephen Worrall

Frances Brennan, Jo Brennan

Scott Backhouse, Neil Jacobs, Daryl Syrett

Lisa & Geoff Burnand

Edward Greenwell, Mandy Bettinson

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Newman Design

Just Tiles

8 Brightwell Barns Ipswich Road Brightwell IP10 0BJ 01473 811728 info@newman-design.com www.newman-design.com

TILE SHOWROOM

Smithfield, Melton, Woodbridge Suffolk IP12 1NH

www.angliafactors.co.uk

GARDENING

Tree Surgery Need some help or advice? Call us on 07507 660 533 suffolktreescape@gmail.com

A superb collection of furniture, homeware, antiques, art, gifts and cards Grange Barns, Grundisburgh Road Woodbridge, IP13 6HN. T: 01473 735491

www.antiques.eu.com

essentialsuffolk.com

Supplying Suffolk with beautiful exclusive tiles since 1998

01394 382067 justtileswoodbridge.co.uk

To advertise from just £25 per month call 01473 809932 we’ll be happy to help and advise you

LEISURE

E L E C T R I C B I C YC L E S Beautifully hand crafted, bespoke kitchens, cabinets and furniture www.orwellsfurniture.co.uk

East Anglia’s Largest e-Bike Showroom Wide range of 40+ high quality e-Bikes available to view and test ride.

Enduringly beautiful windows and doors

Sales | Servicing | Accessories

Notcutts Garden Centre, Ipswich Road Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 4AF. 01394 386666

e-Vélo, 7a Blyth Road Ind. Est. Halesworth, Suffolk IP19 8EN 0800 246 5306

www.burgess-group.com

www.evelobicycles.uk

MOTORING

SUFFOLK HOT TUBS Have you had your hot tub serviced? Get a start of season service for £149. 10% off all chemical orders over £50. Spas in stock for quick delivery. Splasher pools / hot tub chemicals in stock.

Traditional craftsmanship, first-class products – A love for wood and an eye for detail For more information call 01206 298746/01473 365167 or visit www.hall-brothers.co.uk

NOW HERE The exclusive Deckworld Deben six seat hot tub – just £6795. Ask for details.

Mercedes-Benz Independent Specialist Sales, Service & Repair

Providing a complete, bespoke service We share your vision! Felixstowe Road, Ipswich, IP10 ODE (Opposite Miller & Carter)

Tel: (01473) 655777 www.deckworld.co.uk

01394 780045

www.samueldavidconstruction.co.uk

Complimentary Courtesy Cars The Woodlands, Badley Needham Market, IP6 8RS 01449 774222 service@derrickwells.com www.derrickwells.com

EssentialSUFFOLK

OCTOBER 2017

My Suffolk

Rural Coffee Caravan is a small Suffolk charity that recently hit the national headlines when its caravan was stolen from the secret location where it was stored. Charity director Ann Osborn talks about her Suffolk

How did you come to live in Suffolk? We moved here from Hertfordshire in 1987 – actually it was the week before the famous October gales. Why Suffolk? My mother had just passed away and my father wanted to live with us and my husband’s mother also wanted to live with us – so we were looking for a house with two annexes. In Hertfordshire, it was too expensive to buy anything with this sort of accommodation and that’s how we ended up in Weybread in the Waveney Valley between Harleston and Fressingfield, in a house that was once an old shop. What do you love about Suffolk? The big skies and the pace of life. There’s the slightly undulating west contrasting with the coast, the heather at Dunwich and seaside towns like Aldeburgh and Southwold. When I first came here I found it very different because it was so rural. I lived in Ware and used to step outside onto a pavement and could walk to where I wanted to go. It’s not like that here and I was quite lonely at first because of the rural isolation but now I would not live anywhere else. Coffee Caravan takes you right across the county so are there any secret places you’d recommend? I visit so many places from Santon Downham at the tip of Forest Heath to Orford in Suffolk Coastal in the east so there are lots of places that don’t feel new to me anymore. There are some villages though that people perhaps don’t know about like Moulton near Newmarket with its lovely packhorse bridge and the area around South Elmham. The way I discovered the secret places of Suffolk though when I first moved here, was to get in the car and just drive and see where the road took you. I used to follow sign posts to different villages and then in the middle of nowhere, they would disappear. You would come to a cross road with no indication where you were supposed to go. But that’s Suffolk.

essentialsuffolk.com

Do you have any hobbies? Well, I have four grandchildren aged between nine years and ten months and they keep me very busy. I am lucky as they only live a mile away. We like going out to the theatre, I like to read and I wouldn’t miss my two kettlebell workouts a week. But I really love Christmas and I start getting ready really early – planning the decorations and so on. Do you like to Eat Out? Yes and some of our favourite places are The Fox and Goose at Fressingfield, The Castle at Bungay, The Old Kings Head in Brockdish and Focus Organic in Halesworth. We also like The Froize Inn at Chillesford but as it’s a long way from where we live we don’t get there very often. Where do you take visitors when they come to Suffolk? We would take them walking in the Waveney Valley – we love it here so much we feel like landowners. But then we would also take them to the iconic places like Aldeburgh because I lived there for a while when I was younger and we’d look at the old house I stayed at in the High Street. We’d go to Snape Maltings, Southwold and Halesworth because of its lovely pedestrianised centre and The Cut too. On our tour, we’d also go south across the Orwell Bridge to Suffolk Food Hall. If you could choose one picture to represent Suffolk what would it be? It would be a picture from the pier at Southwold looking down the coast and including the lighthouse. When the children were small the playgroup would hire a beach hut and I have had lots of lovely family times there. It didn’t matter what the weather was like we would go there come rain or shine, invite friends, cook and just enjoy being by the sea.

ROGER GLADWELL LANDSCAPE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION LTD

Maypole Green, Dennington, Woodbridge, Suffolk. IP13 8AH Tel: 01728 638372 Mobile: 07785 966221 email: sales@rogergladwell.co.uk www.rogergladwell.co.uk

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Traditional craftsmanship, first-class products – A love for wood and an eye for detail For 50 years we have been creating beautifully-crafted products from wood. Every project is as individual as our client’s brief and designed to complement the home it is for, whether it is a period property, a barn conversion or a contemporary residence. For more information call 01206 298746 / 01473 365167 or visit www.hall-brothers.co.uk