IPSWICH 2015
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opping to festive sh Your guide ts in Ipswich and even
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IN IPSWICH 201
The festive season is well and truly upon us. And what better way to kick things off than sitting back and relaxing, as you read through this guide to everything that’s going on in Ipswich this Christmas. This year, we’ve made it our mission to help you as much as possible when it comes to shopping for gifts. We are, therefore, proud to present YOOHOPP, our new click and collect website and the key to simple shopping in Ipswich this Christmas. You’ll find everything you need to know about it on pages 8 to 11 and at yoohopp.co.uk/ipswich. You’ll also find this guide crammed full of fantastic things to do this Christmas. Check out all the events on the next two pages, and you’ll find details of where to meet Father Christmas on pages 6 and 7. Don’t forget to visit allaboutipswich.com to be kept up-to-date with everything going on in Ipswich this festive period and join in the conversations on our Facebook and Twitter pages with #MerryIpswich.
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Over the festive season, there will be lots of great events happening around the town centre for you to enjoy.
Sat 7 Nov to Thurs 24 Dec
Suffolk Craft Society ‘Christmas’ at the Town Hall
Browse and select from a range of gifts including jewellery, prints, textiles, furniture, glass, ceramics, metalwork, basketry and wood.
Sun 15 Nov St Peter’s Street Market
Head to St Peter’s Street between 10am and 4pm and experience the handmade and timeless Christmas market.
Thurs 19 Nov Christmas Lights Switch On
Make sure you’ve got your spot in the crowd on the Cornhill in plenty of time for the official switch on at 6.30pm.
Fri 20 Nov Mitch Benn, Don’t Believe A Word, The Red Rose Chain
“I’m a sceptic. But don’t take my word for it. Or indeed anybody’s. For anything…” and this is the basic premise of Mitch’s new critically acclaimed show.
Sat 21 Nov The Pantaloons Presents Macbeth
Join this highly regarded theatre company as they perform a classic at St Peter’s by the Waterfront. Show starts at 7.30pm.
Sat 21 Nov House of Baiss Celebrates 25 Years!
Head to the St Nicholas Centre and help celebrate 25 fantastic years. Shows start at 4.30pm and 7.15pm.
Mon 23 to Sat 28 Nov Hairspray at the Regent
Hairspray is back, with a brand new production of the smash hit musical comedy, touring the UK.
Visit
ALLABOUTIPSWICH.COM/CHRISTMAS for full details and listings. 4
SAT 28 Nov UCS Christmas Fayre
Last year’s event attracted hundreds of local residents and around 30 local businesses to the picturesque Ipswich Waterfront. Entry is free to the general public.
FRI 4 Dec The RAF in Concert 2015, Ipswich Regent
75 years on from the historic battle, the bands of the Royal Air Force present an evocative and rousing evening of musical entertainment.
SAT 5 Dec The Ipswich Masters 2015, Ipswich Corn Exchange Ipswich will host its first major darts tournament when some of the sport’s stars compete at The Corn Exchange.
Tues 8 Dec Choral Pops and Seasonal Delights
Head to St Peter’s by the Waterfront for an evening with Tutti Frutti Voices, the Community Light Orchestra Wind Ensemble and Harrison Cole on piano.
Wed 9 Dec Steeleye Span in Concert, Ipswich Corn Exchange
Folk rock pioneers Steeleye Span are touring with a new live show. Maddy Prior, the voice of the band, leads a line-up featuring faces old and new.
Wed 9 Dec One Night of Queen, Ipswich Regent
One Night of Queen is a spectacular live concert, recreating the look, sound, pomp and showmanship of arguably the greatest rock band of all time.
thurs 10 Dec Beatrix Potter’s The Tale Of Mr Tod, Red Rose Chain
Join us for a Christmas adventure of mystery, suspense and slap stick, as Mr Bouncer admits anybody into the rabbit hole! (Even scoundrels like Mr Tod!)
Thurs 10 Dec St Peter’s Street Late Night Shopping
Shop from some of your favourite independent businesses this Christmas. Many shops open until 7pm, some even later.
FRI 11 Dec Frankly Sinatra, Ipswich Regent
The world’s “A-number 1” Sinatra celebrates the centenary of the greatest singer of the 20th century.
Fri 11, Sat 12 & Sun 13 Dec Ipswich Christmas Market
The great annual Ipswich Christmas Market will once again be brought to the town by Ipswich Borough Council and promises to be bigger and better this year.
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Children everywhere will be wanting to meet one special man this Christmas, and in Ipswich, there’s plenty of opportunity for them to check on the elves and get their wish lists in early.
SANTA’S GROTTO AT BUTTERMARKET From Saturday 21 November
Meet Santa this Christmas at the Buttermarket Shopping Centre where children will get the chance to speak to the important man himself to let him know what they’d like for Christmas. There will also be the opportunity to have pictures taken with him as a memory of the experience and each child will receive a gift. The grotto will be located by the North Mall entrance, next to the Calendar Club. £4.50 per child.
SANTA’S WORKSHOP IN THE BEAR GARDEN First three Sundays of December
Join Santa in his workshop and see what it takes to be one of his elves. Children will get the chance to meet Santa and chat to him about all the wonderful things they’d like for Christmas, before helping him make their own special toy to take home. Each session lasts two hours and parents are welcome to leave their children in the care of those at The Bear Garden while they complete their Christmas shopping. Each session is priced at £19.99 per child. Maximum of eight children per session. For further details, contact The Bear Garden in Tower Ramparts Shopping Centre on 01473 558994.
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SUNDAY LUNCH WITH SANTA AT NOVOTEL
Sunday 20 December, 12 noon until 2pm
Meet Santa and his little helper as you enjoy an all-youcan-eat carvery buffet lunch. There will also be Christmas crafts to entertain the children. £12.50 per person. £7.50 for children aged 3-12. Under-3s eat free.
Follow @allaboutipswich on Twitter for tweets from Father Christmas! 7
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YOOHOPP.CO.UK/IPSWICH
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What is YOOHOPP?
Why should I use YOOHOPP?
YOOHOPP is a fantastic new website which will allow you to shop Ipswich’s high street in one place. No longer will you have to search a number of websites to find what you want. Instead, you can do it all in one place with ease.
It’s so easy! You can browse items available on your local high street all in one place, at your leisure. You can then arrange a time to collect your items in the town centre when it suits you. You’ll also save time now that you don’t have to hunt round for that perfect item and, instead, you can spend that catching up with a friend over lunch or taking the children to panto.
For the first time in the UK, as well as big name national retailers, YOOHOPP will also host a number of local independent shops, helping you uncover hidden gems you might not have found before.
Not only that, but once you’re signed up, we’ll often send you some fantastic offers to enjoy in the town centre when you’re collecting your purchases.
How does YOOHOPP work? It’s simple. You can browse the categories to find inspiration or, if you know what you’re looking for, type the description, whether it’s a specific item or a brand name, into the search box and discover what can be found in Ipswich.
Where can I find it? Just visit: yoohopp.co.uk/ipswich and start shopping!
Once you’re happy with what you’ve found, click on the item and place it in your basket. From here you can decide to carry on shopping or buy your purchase. You’ll then be sent details of when your item will be ready to collect. 9
Quiz Silver Diamante High Heel Sandals £39.99 Debenhams
T-Rex Skull Table Décor, £23 The House In Town
ut stress o ake the lection of t o t h se swic out our ed in Ip as. as arriv pping! Check e this Christm h P P O t YOOH hristmas sho rchase onlin ctly wha C u find exa ! to of your available to p r ie s n a e utto items makes it k of a b functiong for at the clic ’ h rc a e Our ‘s ou’re lookin y
Mary Berry’s Cookery Course £17.99 Lakeland
Armani Men’s Watch £199 Ernest Jones
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Dress Up Christmas Tree £7 Wilko
Umbrella Pendant Necklace, £4 Accessorize Men’s Santa Slipper £3.99 Shoe Zone
VISIT IRATION H P S IN T RE GIF /IPSWIC FOR MO HOPP.CO.UK O YO Disney Fairies Periwinkle Doll, £10.40 The Entertainer
Pudding Christmas Jumper Decoration £7 Monsoon
Large Aluminium Heart with Bird, £12 Zeebra Chic
Subject to availability. Items and descriptions correct at time of going to print – November 2015.
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Medium Bashful Reindeer, £16 Loveone
YOUR FAVOURITE Independent BUSINESS 2015 Each year, All About Ipswich embarks on the search for Independent Business of the Year and this summer we asked you to vote for your winner. Once the votes were counted, we sent a mystery shopper in to the top twelve to assess the customer experience. These reviews were then passed to our judging panel and our winner can now be declared.
Where
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INDEPENDENT BUSINESS OF THE YEAR 2015
Winner Pocket Watch & Petticoats can be found above Twist N Shout in St Stephen’s Lane and specialises in vintage-esque dresses, cardigans and accessories. Our mystery shopper couldn’t find a negative thing to report about the experience she received from owner Sophia and we don’t think you will either.
Runner up: Hydrojetz Highly commended: Applaud Coffee (formerly Baker and Barista)
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Other finalists, as voted for by members of the public, were: Carats, Cool Beanz, The Bear Garden, Jacey’s, Fish Face, Just Essentials, Berridges, Peggy’s Place and Riley and Riley.
TICKETS STARTING AT £10 GROUP DISCOUNTS ON OFF-PEAK PERFORMANCES PRE-SHOW MEALS AVAILABLE AT £12.50pp WWW.WOLSEYTHEATRE.CO.UK
Mince Pie Recipe
A British staple – served with a glass of mulled wine or left out for Father Christmas. Liz Ambler at Arlingtons shows us how to bake the perfect batch of crumbly, fruity mince pies.
YOU WILL NEED: 350g mincemeat 200g plain flour, sifted 40g golden caster sugar 125g unsalted butter, diced 1 large free-range egg, beaten A handful of dried cranberries A handful of dried mixed fruit Milk, to glaze
METHOD Grease a 12-hole pie tin. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Rub the butter into the flour and sugar by hand and then stir in the beaten egg. Bring the mixture together, wrap in cling film and chill for an hour. Thinly roll out the pastry onto a floured surface. Cut out 12 circles with a fluted pastry cutter and press gently into each hole. Tip the mincemeat into a bowl. Add the cranberries, orange and a dash of water and mix together. Fill the pastry circles with mincemeat. Cut out another 12 slightly smaller discs and use to cover the mincemeat. Press the edges together to seal. Make a small slit in the top of each, then brush lightly with milk. Chill for about 30 minutes. Bake the pies for 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove onto a wire rack and serve warm.
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Earlier this year, Degero in St Nicholas Street was crowned Best Town Centre Venue and Overall Winner at the Best Bar None awards. Here, they share a recipe for one of their Christmas cocktails.
METHOD Roast orange slices for approximately 30 minutes. Take your hi-ball glass and add the sugar (both white and brown), mint leaves, lime wedges, end of a cinnamon stick, pinch of cinnamon powder and one half of roasted orange and mix together. Add the crushed ice and 50ml of Bacardi. Using a spoon, mix all the ingredients together. Then add a dash of soda and top with crushed ice. Garnish with the other half of the roasted slice of orange and the remaining cinnamon stick. A cocktail full of flavour, and with added Christmas spice!
YOU WILL NEED: Hi-ball glass 2 teaspoons white sugar (or 25ml sugar syrup – sugar and hot water mixed together) 1 brown sugar sachet 6 mint leaves 5 wedges of lime 1 cinnamon stick (you’ll need to cut off the end) Pinch of cinnamon powder 1 slice of roasted orange (cut into halves) Crushed ice 50ml Bacardi Dash of soda
Other venues accredited by Best Bar None in Ipswich are: Isaacs Ipswich Regent Ipswich Town Hall & Corn Exchange Bowmans The Plough
Revolution Dove Street Inn Cricketers Golden Lion The Kingfisher The Mulberry Tree
Degero Thrasher Cult Bar ITFC
Best Bar None is supported by the Home Office and promotes responsible management and operation of licensed premises. Being recognised by Best Bar None means establishments in the town meet national benchmarks for a well managed night time economy venue.
LOOK OUTY-LEAR FOR ST M’S TREE R E W TO FESTIVAL!
ST MARY-LE-TOWER THE WINTER CONCERT SERIES
The series begins on Tuesday 24 November and culminates on Tuesday 22 December, with the annual Christmas concert given by the Choir of St Mary-le-Tower. Light refreshments consisting of tea, coffee, rolls and biscuits are offered from 12.20pm. Admission is free with a retiring collection.
IPSWICH STREET RANGERS KEEPING IPSWICH SAFE, CLEAN AND WELCOMING this Christmas IPSWICHCENTRAL.COM