North Norfolk Living Autumn 2020

North

Norfolk Autumn 2020

Free in Norfolk £1.50 where sold

LIVING

COVERING THE COAST, BURNHAM MARKET, WELLS, HOLT & SURROUNDING VILLAGES

Step into autumn!

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Hello!

Contents

Autumn 2020

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ELCOME to our autumn issue of North Norfolk Living, our first edition since the spring. Life has been and continues to be very different for all of us, but in these challenging times, like many I’ve found some solace in the constancy of nature and the seasons, appreciating more than ever the beauty of our area.

So for this packed issue, Sarah Whittley has compiled her A to Z celebrating autumn in North Norfolk, from wonderful woodlands to murmurations and exaltations, while Robin Chittenden looks forward to the many sightings the season will bring.

Heading indoors, Alison Huntley sets about cracking the colour code with a little help from local interiors experts, plus we’ve book chat with local author Kevin CrossleyHolland and the latest from the local arts scene.

Enjoy the issue and our slice of North Norfolk Living. You can also read this issue and more over on our new website www.northnorfolkliving.co.uk

Am da Loose Editor

Front cover image: Holkham © Jan-Willem Mantel @jwmantel

@NNorfolkLiving @northnorfolkliving North Norfolk Living Magazine www.northnorfolkliving.co.uk Editor & Advertising Manager Amanda Loose Email: amanda@northnorfolkliving.co.uk 07796 645427 Write to North Norfolk Living Magazine, PO Box 208, Stamford. Lincs. PE9 9FY Head of Design Steven Handley Design Calum Handley Publisher Nicholas Rudd-Jones 01780 765571 Email: nicholas@bestlocalliving.co.uk Published by North Norfolk Living Limited www.northnorfolkliving.co.uk 01780 765571 Printed by Warners of Bourne

4-7 BEACHCOMBINGS

What’s on, what’s good and where to go

8 PEOPLE

Alison Huntley catches up with local author Kevin Crossley-Holland

11-16 ARTS

Standby for the latest news from the local arts scene and book chat with novelist Rachel Hore

19-22 FASHION

The new season looks we’re falling for!

39-52 LIVING

Green-fingered news and tips from Fiona Cumberpatch, the latest news from the home front, cracking the colour code, and get in the know with our team of experts

55-60 FOOD & DRINK

Harriet Cooper discovers 12 ways to supercharge your autumn, and talks to Carlyn Kilpatrick of The Nurture Project

Alison Huntley has the latest from the local foodie scene, enjoys simply topping pizzas, and the joy of box sets of the edible kind, whilst Atalanta Keirle shares some season’s eatings

31-35 REWILDING

62 LITTLE LIVING

24-28 BEAUTY & WELLBEING

Sarah Whittley shares her North Norfolk autumnal alphabet from ancient woodland to zebra spiders, plus go wild with Robin Chittenden

Half-term high jinks and fab finds for your little nippers Details in this issue are correct at the time of going to press but may be subject to change

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Beachcombings What’s On, What’s Good & Where To Go!

Headlining this season…

There’s still time to visit ‘Anish Kapoor at Houghton’ this year’s must-see event at Houghton Hall which also happens to be the largest exhibition of outdoor sculptures by this celebrated British artist.

Curated by Mario Codognato, the exhibition, which continues until 1 November, features 21 sculptures and a selection of working drawings. You’ll get to see some of Kapoor’s major works in mirror and stone, including ‘Sky Mirror’ (2018), a five-metre diameter mirror of stainless steel which turns the world upside down, and a selection of stone works from 1997 to 2020 displayed across the grounds.

There’s plenty to see inside too, including a new body of painted mirror works in the Stone Hall and pigment sculptures in the South Wing Gallery.

The exhibition is open on selected days until 1 November. Tickets must be pre-booked at www.houghtonhall.com

‘Sky Mirror’, 2018, stainless steel. ‘Eight Eight’ 2004, onyx. Above right ‘Spanish and Pagan Gold to Magenta’, 2018. Images both courtesy the artist and Lisson Gallery. © Anish Kapoor. All rights reserved DACS, 2020. Photo: Pete Huggins

The inside track What FFARR, the newest apparel and interiors store in Burnham Market Who Martin and Sarah Billing, the husband and wife team behind Bringing the outside in, Nomad and the bowerbird, and Ocotillo launched Farr, their fourth concept store, in the old warehouse on North Street, Burnham Market this summer.

Expect to see Brands from far off places, including womenswear from French brand Suncoo, Indi & Cold, Nice Things from Spain, and Dutch favourite King Louie.

And what else?

Head upstairs and you’ll find children’s toys from The Netherlands and stylish homeware from across Europe.

What’s new Gift-worthy mini wireless speakers; unique coloured sneakers from Spanish brand HOFF, each named after a place from around the world.

Follow their latest finds from a-FFARR on Instagram @weareffarr

Home news It’s been a busy few months for interior designer, Rebecca Clark. This summer saw her launch Bayfield Interiors, a luxury interior design store and studio spanning two floors, in a converted 18th century flint barn in Bayfield Brecks Business Park, just two miles outside Holt.

The studio showcases stylish furniture and interiors collections which chime beautifully with the surrounding coast and countryside; think weathered woods, rattan, natural linens and cottons.

There’s also a sourcing library to browse fabrics, plus a cosy coffee shop for a tasty pit stop.

And this autumn and winter, they’re collaborating with other local businesses to host a series of workshops in the spacious barn to get you in the festive mood. There’ll be wine tasting with TFW Fine Wines on 4, 8 and 26 November, and 10 December; chocolate workshops with Harrison Chocolatiers on 7 and 21 November, and 12 December, each with a different theme. Get set to deck your door, with wreathmaking masterclasses with Constance Rose on 24 and 26 November, and 1, 3, 8 and 10 December.

Keep an eye on their Instagram @bayfield_interiors and website bayfieldinteriors.co.uk, or call 01263 836770 for more details and to book

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PSSST

Keep an eye on what’s in store at Dalegate Market, Burnham Deepdale, in the run up to Christmas.

The Deepdale Café and permanent shops there will be joined by a series of pop-ups on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 20 November to 20 December, with local artisans and producers offering gifts, decorations, and food and drink.

There’ll even be something for your four-legged friend. Ruff and Tumble will be popping up at Dalegate Market from 20 to 22 November and 27 to 29 November, with their double thickness towelling drying coats, mitts and more, including special edition Christmas coats, which will launch at www.ruffandtumbledogcoats.com mid-October.

Pictured: Ruff & Tumble double thickness cotton towelling tailored drying coat edged with faux leather, from £39 to £56.50. www.dalegatemarket.co.uk

A passion for fashion Time for tea Why not treat yourself to one of Creake Abbey Café’s afternoon teas this autumn? They’re open from Wednesday to Sunday, 9am to 4pm and as well as breakfast and lunch, they’re also serving afternoon tea between 2.30pm and 3.30pm.

All items on the café’s menu are available to eat inside at their socially distanced tables, or to takeaway - which includes the option to use their café’s plentiful outdoor seating.

Booking is recommended for indoor tables and is essential for afternoon tea (whether you eat in or takeaway) which includes homemade mini scones with homemade jam, delicate finger sandwiches, cakes and Italian biscuits.

In the Café this is served on traditional threetiered stands and for takeaway in smart boxes with clear lids.

To book, email foodhall@creakeabbeycafe.com or call 01328 730399. www.creakeabbey.co.uk

October offer The Three Horseshoes in Briston is offering a special menu on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with two courses for £13 and three courses for £17, until the end of October.

Head chef Ryan Galvin says “We have decided to provide our customers with this great value food offer following on from the popularity of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme.”

The menu includes tasty dishes for autumn such as local rump of lamb with colcannon mashed potatoes, buttered broad beans and silver skin onion jus, and make sure you leave room for a helping of their sticky toffee pudding, pictured (both dishes subject to availability).

Please book on 01263 862312 or at www.bristonhorseshoes.co.uk

Katie Shelton-Innes’ move back to Norfolk earlier this year proved to be the inspiration for her new online store, Katie’s Kind Closet, offering pre-owned designer and unique fashion pieces for women and children, which she launched during lockdown. It also benefits charities with a donation from each sale going to a good cause.

“I’d been working in finance but when I had my daughter, Harriet, I thought what’s my real passion - I love clothes,” says Katie. “When we moved back to Norfolk permanently, I brought all my clothes and had nowhere to put them.”

An interest in sustainable, second-hand fashion, a full wardrobe Katie and Harriet and lockdown, spurred Katie to set up her online store, selling pieces of her own or that she’s sourced. She also sells items for other people.

“I wanted to set up something I can give something back with. I charge sellers a flat 20% fee and on top of that I ask for a minimum of 10% of the sale price to be donated to a charity of the seller’s choice. I donate to Action For Children from anything I sell of my own.”

07799 770588, www.katieskindcloset.com

Designer dream Over in Holt, lockdown gave Julia Cooke of Exclusively From Us the opportunity to follow her fashion passion, transforming her love of pre-owned designer bags into a business.

“When I first gained an interest in designer bags many years ago, I quickly realised the best way to economise my new obsession was to buy pre-owned. I then started working in the industry which accelerated my desire to open my own business,” says Julia.

“The opportunity came about during lockdown; I already had a shop in Holt, so why not diversify and follow my dream. I now stock a wide and varied selection of pre-owned/ pre-loved vintage, classic and current designer handbags, purses, scarves and sunglasses at Exclusively From Us.” Pieces are carefully selected, and are in very good condition, by designers including Chanel, Mulberry, Louis Vuitton, Dior and Hermès to name just a few. If you’re looking for an investment piece, Julia advises looking out for classic styles and colours that have a wide appeal.

01263 711100, www.exclusively-from-us.co.uk

Holt happenings The Mindful Atelier ceramics studio was opened in the town this September by Gokce Ozer Eroz, showcasing her beautiful handmade ceramics and offering courses.

A ceramic artist for 11 years, Gokce (pictured) has travelled and studied widely, and is also a meditation and mindfulness practitioner, and qualified yoga instructor.

“My aim is to make you feel the art and inspire you with good feeling every time you reach for the mug, plate, cup or other items,” says Gokce.

Classes suit beginners and intermediate levels, from taster sessions to six-week hand-building courses. www.mindfulatelier.co.uk NORTH NORFOLK LIVING AUTUMN 2020

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MAKING A BIGGER SPLASH IN HOLT Hayes + Storr Solicitors have moved to new and improved offices in Holt.

Call in at 12 Kerridge Way, Holt NR25 6YY or drop us a line...

Call us today 01263 712835 www.hayesandstorr.co.uk Holt | Sheringham | Fakenham | Swaffham | King’s Lynn

With over 40 years in the property world, we can help you find the perfect town, country or coastal property, from a pretty seaside cottage, a family home or country house to a barn conversion or buy-to-let.

Norfolk Property Search the local property experts on the ground

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‘At Norfolk Property Search we point you to your new home’

M 07434 934579 E office@norfolkpropertysearch.co.uk

www.norfolkpropertysearch.co.uk

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Beachcombings What’s On, What’s Good & Where To Go!

Maternity Bereavement Suite Appeal The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn is raising money for the Maternity Bereavement Suite Appeal, aiming to create an exclusive facility for families who sadly lose their babies either during or shortly after birth. £185,000 is needed to redevelop an area currently attached to the Waterlily Birthing Unit in the hospital’s maternity space, ensuring bereaved families and loved ones are given a less clinical environment to say goodbye to their baby in.

Kate The QEH maternity team, January 2020 Jackman, the hospital’s General Manager for Women and Children, says “The dedicated space built from the money raised will include a nursery and partner facilities which will provide a private and comfortable environment.

“This will ensure parents have the maximum opportunity to create precious memories whilst spending unlimited time as a family.”

The money will allow the hospital to create a soundproofed suite with a separate entrance from the main corridor, ensuring that families do not have to walk through the main maternity unit to access the space.

To boost the fund, 40 Team QEH colleagues, including many from the Maternity Team and the Maternity Bereavement Midwife, are taking part in a skydive this October, aiming to raise £40,000 towards the cause. The community is also invited to fundraise by organising virtual events such as quiz nights.

Search ‘QEH Maternity Bereavement Suite’ on JustGiving to donate or contact the Fundraising office on 01553 613373 for more information

Daniel Grocott (left) and Jody Murfit

Building together Fakenham based building company, Grocott & Murfit, have recently relaunched their brand, with a new ethos and community focus, in a programme they’ve called Building Norfolk.

The idea behind the initiative is to engage their employees in activities which support the communities where the company builds, across four key areas: education, environment, wellbeing and growth.

Daniel Grocott, who developed the concept, says “Building Norfolk was an initiative that we had already developed prior to Covid-19, however we have already been able to provide support to a number of individuals at risk during the pandemic - including providing a hot meal service over the 12-week lockdown period. We delivered some 3000 meals to elderly and vulnerable people and helped to negate some of the loneliness many felt during such a difficult and uncertain period.

“The Building Norfolk vision is to protect the community ethos that makes Norfolk special for future generations and promote the county as an ideal place to invest and live.”

Grocott & Murfit will commit a percentage of its profits each year to the programme and welcomes individuals or community groups to get in touch, to discuss their projects. www.grocottandmurfit.co.uk

Spotted by Richard Campey Autumn, along with spring, is peak season for bird movement in Norfolk. Weather plays a huge part in this, so being able to read weather charts is vital for bird spotters to predict when these big falls of birds are likely to occur and where the best place to spot them is likely to be.

The presence of a polar continental weather system which brings cold air from Scandinavia, can coincide with huge numbers of thrushes and finches moving into Norfolk. Some of the key species to look out for are fieldfare, redwing, and brambling along with more familiar species such as chaffinch and the continental variety of the robin and blackbird.

If this polar continental air mass spreads into Siberia it can bring in rare birds such as the little bunting. Norfolk also often sees a large arrival of yellow-browed warbler in October and this bird has become more common in recent years as its breeding range spreads westward.

• Richard is owner of The One Stop Nature Shop, Burnham Deepdale, 01485 211223 www.onestopnature.co.uk. News of the latest sightings can be seen on the board outside One Stop.

Yellow-browed warbler © Richard Campey

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People

Go north, young man As author Kevin Crossley-Holland approaches 80, he tells Alison Huntley about his career’s great turning point and his undimmed creativity

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HE poet W H Auden effectively launched the award-winning writing career of North Norfolk author Kevin Crossley-Holland with two words “look north”.

Auden had read the young Crossley-Holland’s translation of Beowulf and knew of his fascination with myth and legend - he also knew that there was more untapped inspiration to be found in Scandinavia.

Backstage at the 70s ITV arts show Aquarius, the two had a conversation. “He said “Look north - there are so many northern stories and sagas and you’re a northern creature”,” says Kevin.

“So I did look north! It was 1978 and I gave up my job in publishing and took myself and my two children off camping in Iceland.”

The journey had begun. Decades later, his reworkings of Scandinavian legends are as successful as ever - September saw the publication of Norse Tales, five thrilling stories for children, beautifully illustrated by Jeffrey Alan Love.

“With Norse myths, there’s very little compassion or kindness or uncomplicated love. They were vigorous, the Vikings, often exuberant, essentially masculine, extraordinarily brave, even reckless. There’s a ruthlessness which children adore.”

The Scandinavian works are just part of a prodigious output that includes Arthurian stories and Norfolk tales, amongst others.

And at 79, Kevin is as busy as ever. He has just started the third in his Viking Sagas trilogy. Not even lockdown slowed Kevin’s creative juices.

He came up with ‘Belonging’ - 20 lockdown poems based on his five local Burnham parishes. These are “playful” poems with a “lightness of touch,” says Kevin.

“They have to do with times past and present, but they are oriented to people who

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don’t usually read poetry.”

And he’s just completed a new book, Arthur the Always King, which will be illustrated by Chris Riddell.

Contrary to appearances, Kevin insists “I doubt my creative energies are what they have been. I need a rest after lunch now.” Even so, he puts in three- or four-hours’ work in the morning and works again in the evening. “We eat late.”

Not even a stroke five years ago slowed his creative output for long, although it did temporarily rob him of speech. “But a wonderful speech therapist worked with me for more than a year. Coming back to public speaking was quite difficult. And in the evening when I’m tired, I find myself jumbling up words and I hate that.”

Lockdown had its benefits - cancelled events and travelling meant more time on his hands.

Kevin was also heartened that it encouraged more community spirit and kindness.

Unfortunately, lockdown also highlighted his struggle with his bête noire - technology.

“I’m prehistoric and I find it really difficult, almost impossible. With help from my PA, I did an online talk with Joanne Harris and Ben Okri for the Yorkshire Festival of Stories. There was an audience of 300 but there’s no feedback, no ripples of laughter. It’s exacting and wearisome.”

No plans have been made yet to celebrate his milestone 80th birthday next February and Kevin seems unsure whether it’s worth celebrating.

“Looking at slightly doddering contemporaries, I find it not very pleasing to find myself on the doorstep of 80. We are all a bit older than we think we are.

“What can you do? You can’t plan anything. It looks like this COVID situation will go on a long time yet. I’m not really a party type anyway.”

Let’s hope that after an award-winning

The Ghost Beck Where she rises when she chooses to break cover is some way below Chalk Hill Wood though not down as far as Barrow Pit meadow but exactly where her source is the dowser cannot tell saying she surfaces each seventh year is no more than an old wives’ tale come each spring the pond beside the surgery turbanned with old bulrushes starts swelling filling and deciding as often as not to overflow and making haste for the Hoste coursing through the Green flashing or glimmering surprising drivers on their last leg to the coast and splashing the windscreens of those who disrespect her until tiring no longer diaphanous faltering fading she becomes little more than a dark stain and then one late afternoon just disappearing a ghost lost to herself again The Ghost or Goose Beck is a stream which appears sporadically and courses through the centre of Burnham Market.

From ‘Belonging’, 20 lockdown poems

career as author, poet, playwright, translator and opera librettist, he’ll find some way of celebrating.

Norse Tales: Stories from Across the Rainbow Bridge is published by Walker Studio, £16.99

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Arts

IN THE PICTURE Amanda Loose has the latest news from the local arts scene

Festival fever

‘Shell Fragment’ by Don Seed, from Natural Lines

Autumn at Wells Maltings With their first tentative season complete after re-opening, Wells Maltings are bringing back more events this autumn. There’ll be live music from soprano Milly Forrest on 11 October, the North Norfolk Music Festival will be holding several events at the venue and 11 November will see the return of Jazz Monthly with the Nigel Price Trio.

The Handa Gallery meanwhile will play host to Natural Lines 2020: Far Shore and Earth Forms, from 16 October to 1 November, bringing together work by North Norfolk artists Elaine Banham, James Crisp, Alison Henry, Norfolk Makrs, Don Seed and Kate Vogler.

On screen, there’s a programme of films, including presentations from Screen-next-the-Sea, plus encore screenings.

01328 710885, www.wellsmaltings.org.uk

Get creative Norfolk Creative Arts in Grimston have some interesting one-day workshops coming up in mid-November. There’s reduction Lino cut printing with tutor Judith Handley on 14 November, where you’ll learn to print several colours with the same plate. A lunch and all materials are included for £110.

Reduction Lino printing with Judith Handley The following week, Sara Swanson from Argentum Jewellery will be leading a silver jewellery workshop on 21 November, where you’ll be able to make a pendant or a ring. A lunch and all materials are included on the day for £80.

Look out too, for Norfolk Creative Arts’ festive-themed willow workshop later in the month.

All workshops can be booked at www.norfolkcreativearts.co.uk

© Steve Ullathorne

Following its cancellation in May, Sea Fever 4 will be celebrated from 9 to 23 October with ‘Time and Tide’, a short season of events, all accessible online without charge. Some will also be open to invited audiences at Wells Maltings.

There’s a fascinating and varied programme, with subjects ranging from politics and climate change, to censorship and artistic integrity.

The varied programme includes Kevin Crossley-Holland in conversation with Sir Tim Lankester, anti-apartheid activist and poet Jonty Driver, and Ursula Buchan on her grandfather John Buchan.

The festival will culminate with Professor Paddy Barwise of the London Business School and Peter York (pictured) launching their new book, The War Against the BBC. Festival co-director Jim Ring says “We’re delighted to have been able to put together what seems to David [Waller, fellow director], I and the festival team such an eclectic and wide-ranging programme. Despite being staged at such a difficult time, we really hope everyone enjoys it on or offline.

“Our sponsors Hayes + Storr Solicitors have been nothing less than a lifeline over this very difficult period, without whom our heads would be well below the water.”

Visit www.seafeverliteraryfestival.com for the full programme

Well balanced There’s still time to visit Contemporary and Country’s latest pop-up event, ‘A Fine Balance’, in The Stables at Houghton Hall, running concurrently with the Anish Kapoor sculpture exhibition at the estate.

Contemporary and Country are known for working with artists and makers from across East Anglia, and ‘A Fine Balance’ features work by more than 40 of them.

Expect to see paintings, prints and ‘Out of the Blue’ by Lorraine Bewick, Contemporary and Country photography, ceramics, sculpture, furniture and more, with highlights including works on paper by Liz Taunt, paintings by Lorraine Bewick, sculpture by Bridget Heriz and works by shell artist, Blott Kerr-Wilson.

Social distancing measures are in place and if you can’t make it to Houghton, there’s a fascinating 3D virtual tour of the exhibition over at www.contemporaryandcountry.com, with hotspots to click through to view the artists’ work and read more about them.

‘A Fine Balance’ and Anish ‘Fields ’round Here’ by Liz Taunt, Kapoor at Houghton Hall continue Contemporary and Country until 1 November.

Visit www.houghtonhall.com for opening times and tickets, which must be pre-booked.

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Arts © Charlotte Murphy

BOOK CHAT

Reviews and recommendations to add to your to be read list!

WELL READ

SHELF HELP

Bestselling local author, Rachel Hore, shares five of her recent reads

Amanda Loose on four of the latest page-turners by local authors

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ECENTLY I’ve been enjoying reading a mixture of fiction and non-fiction, books that have come to me because I’ve been given them, friends have recommended them, or I’ve read about them or heard the authors speak at literary festivals in long-ago preCovid days.

Patrick Barkham is a Norfolk-based nature writer and author of Badgerlands. His latest book, Wild Child (Granta, £16.99) draws on his experience as a volunteer at a forest school and the raising of his own children to explore the all-important relationship of children with nature. It’s uplifting and inspiring.

The Confessions Of Frannie Langton (Penguin, £8.99) is Sara Collins’s Costa Prize-winning first novel. Set in 1826 it vividly narrates the story of a sassy slave girl brought from Jamaica as servant to the charismatic mistress of a London household.

It’s beautifully written and a real page-turner, too.

From John Constable to Mary Shelley and a Fens labourer called Sarah Hobbs in The Year Without Summer (Two Roads, £16.99) Guinevere Glasfurd imagines the stories of six different Western characters whose lives were affected by climate change following the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815, thousands of miles away in Indonesia. Glasfurd’s research is impeccable and the authenticity of the voices remarkable.

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Juliet Nicolson, the granddaughter of Bloomsbury-ite Vita Sackville-West, comes from a long line of daughters and has two of her own. A House Full Of Daughters (Vintage, £10.99) is a fascinating and moving family memoir about families and their myths.

I heard Juliet Blaxland speak about her life in The Easternmost House (Sandstone Press, £9.99) at a literary festival once and as a great frequenter of Southwold myself added the book to my ‘to be read’ pile.

The lockdown gave me the time to read it and I’m so glad I did. Juliet’s house teeters on the edge of a rapidly eroding cliff and awareness of its imminent loss engenders a book that celebrates her love of the rural life. It ought to be a sad book, but instead it’s quite the opposite.

Dark Obsession by Edward Glover The Oak House, £6.99 On a summer afternoon, Émile de Beaudreau spots a beautiful girl in a rowing boat. At this simple occurrence, the die is cast, and a dangerous web of obsession is spun from 19th century France, to Spain and Cochinchina, leaving betrayal, tragedy and treason in its wake.

The Secrets of Saffron Hall by Clare Marchant; Avon, £8.99 Whilst staying with her grandfather at Saffron Hall, Amber discovers an ancient book which holds a tragic secret.

As the novel shifts between 2020 and Tudor England, where Eleanor grows much prized saffron, the secret is gradually revealed. This is a gripping novel of love and loss - Clare’s debut in fact.

Walter & Florence and Other Stories by Susan Hill; Long Barn Books, £7.99 Susan Hill’s first short story collection for 15 years features two chilling ghost stories, reflections by the Duchess of Windsor, and three other tales which will draw you in and stay with you long after they are done.

The Winter Garden by Heidi Swain Simon & Schuster, £7.99

Rachel Hore’s most recent novel is The Love Child, published in paperback by Simon & Schuster, £8.99.

Heidi’s annual Christmas novels are always on my to read list, and newly published The Winter Garden is a cracker. This year, we’re celebrating with the Nightingale Square gang and new arrival, Freya Fuller, whose job it is to create the winter garden. There’s misunderstandings, romance and seasonal cheer… why wait until Christmas to enjoy it?

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pinkfoot GALLERY cley next the sea

TREVOR WOODS

Burnham Overy Staithe

Landscapes

A SHOWCASE EXHIBITION This exhibition will bring together, for the first time, solely landscape paintings by Trevor Woods from this country and further afield, capturing the varied and often dramatic landscapes

Saturday 24 October - Saturday 7 November Gallery Plus . Warham Road . Wells-next-the-Sea . NR23 1QA

Holkham, Daniel Cole

We are an established gallery based in Cley, representing UK artists oil paintings, sculpture, prints, stationery & books pinkfootgallery.co.uk

@pinkfootgallery

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Arts

IT’S SHOW TIME! Art lovers will be spoilt for choice this autumn, with a cracking season ahead in our local galleries

‘Winn Hill’ by Trevor Woods, Gallery Plus

‘Old Spot Piglet II’ by Lucy Boydell, The Red Dot Gallery

‘Deer Moving Through Summer Light’ by Rachel Lockwood, Pinkfoot Gallery

‘Norwich Cathedral From the Playing Fields III’ by Gerard Stamp, Burnham Grapevine Gallery

‘Tumbling Hare’ by Jeremy James, Bircham Gallery

F

IRST up, Holt, where Bircham Gallery will be showing paintings by Keith Roper, along with prints by wood engraver Colin See-Paynton and ceramic sculptures by Jeremy James, from 10 October to 4 November.

Colin’s prints focus mainly on nature and birds, whilst Jeremy is known for his sculptures of people and animals - from hares and otters, to small garden birds. Keith’s paintings meanwhile, are mainly landscapes and townscapes of Lincoln and the surrounding countryside, but also beyond, including The Fens around Ely. Early November sees the opening of the gallery’s Christmas Exhibition: Part 1 (7 November to 2 December), the first of two great collections for the festive season from selected artists including Tessa Newcomb, Kathryn O’Kell and Reg Cartwright.

01263 713312, www.birchamgallery.co.uk Across town, The Red Dot Gallery has showcased the recent works of Lucy Boydell in a new promotional brochure ‘Fine Artist - Fine Art’. With a mix of print and originals, prices range from around £325 to £6000. Call for a complimentary copy of the brochure or visit the gallery to see the collection of Lucy’s work.

Pictured is ‘Old Spot Piglet II’, a limited

‘Peaceful’ by Anthony Theakston

edition print.

01263 710287, www.thereddotgallery.com Up on the coast, autumn brings a mixed exhibition at Pinkfoot Gallery in Cley, showcasing some of the best art inspired

by North Norfolk. Cley-based artist, Rachel Lockwood, has recently delivered a series of paintings from her time working in local forests, and the gallery will also be showing a small collection of Daniel Cole’s bold landscapes.

There’s new work too, from Dafila Scott and Jane Hodgson, wood carver Stephen Henderson and a wonderful ‘Leaping Lockdown Hare’ by Harriet Mead, plus exciting news from ceramic artist, Anthony Theakston. He’s agreed to make a small collection of his iconic ceramic owls for Pinkfoot - Anthony stopped making ceramics a few years ago to concentrate on his bronze work.

01263 740947, www.pinkfootgallery.co.uk Meanwhile, Gallery Plus in Wells is hosting ‘Landscapes’, a showcase exhibition from 24 October to 7 November, bringing together for the first time solely landscape paintings by local artist, Trevor Woods, from this country and further afield.

After experiencing the stunning scenery of Iceland, Trevor has been looking back at places

he’s visited over the years and produced a body of work which captures these varied and dramatic landscapes. Without giving too much away, word has it that the Peak District and Lake District will be featured.

“A PDF catalogue will be released on the opening morning and the paintings will be for sale by telephoning the gallery,” says Trevor.

“And all being well, the gallery will be open for viewing and sales for the duration of the exhibition.”

01328 711609, www.gallery-plus.co.uk Our next stop is Burnham Market, where Burnham Grapevine Gallery is currently opening by appointment, contact burnhamgrapevine@gmail.com. There’s detailed information on their new website about works in stock, and you can purchase by phone too, with free local delivery. Current stock includes landscapes by Michael Chapman, prints by Max Angus, new paintings by Mari French and a small number of works by Gerard Stamp.

01328 730125, www.burnhamgrapevine.co.uk Pocock’s the artmonger of Burnham Market, is delighted to announce that they’re also now at Drove Orchards, Thornham as part of HortiCo Nursery & Garden Emporium. Laura Pocock has selected works with a botanical NORTH NORFOLK LIVING AUTUMN 2020

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Arts

IT’S SHOW TIME!

‘Nothing Goes Out But the Tide’ by Mary Blue, Walsingham Gallery & Framing

‘Lynn River Morning Mists’ by Claire Oxley, Birdie Fortescue

‘Wisdom, Hope & Valour X’ by Sarah Caswell

‘A Job Well Done’ by Andy English, Pocock’s the artmonger

‘One of Many to Come’ by Rebecca Lloyd

theme or to complement those surroundings.

Some have been specially commissioned, such as Madeleine Spencer’s range of hand-made reclaimed silver jewellery inspired by the orchards at Drove and limited edition prints of Rosamond Ulph’s hand drawn calligraphic and watercolour map of Thornham.

In the Burnham Market gallery, Laura continues to stock a wide selection of work including studio pottery and glass, paintings by contemporary artists and work dating from earlier periods.

01328 730370, www.theartmonger.co.uk Over in Great Walsingham, Walsingham Gallery & Framing are delighted to welcome two new artists this autumn - Mary Blue and Debbie Lyddon, whose work, although quite different from each other, both reflect an exploration of landscape and sense of place inspired by the North Norfolk landscape and its coastline.

01328 820900, www. walsinghamgalleryandframing.co.uk Next door, botanical artist Sarah Caswell

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Hand thrown porcelain with gold lustre pots by June Mullarkey, Dersingham Pottery & Gallery

has an extremely rare series of small paintings in the gallery, inspired by spending the whole of the iris season in her garden and by reading the Tudor fiction of Hilary Mantel. At only 35cm square (including frame) these ‘portraits’ of her favourites really pack a punch!

07747613395, www.sarahcaswell.co.uk There are new artists too, over at Birdie Fortescue. They’ve added works by Lisa Hardy and Jemma Powell to the art collection in their Fakenham showroom.

Lisa, based in Wales, predominantly works in watercolours, and is inspired by her garden, the landscape and surrounding flora; Jemma, who is based in Oxfordshire, is similarly inspired by nature, and also her travels.

There are also new pieces from Cornelia O’Donovan. And local artists feature too, including Linda Jamieson, Claire Oxley and Tor Falcon, with their differing interpretations of the Norfolk landscape, from coastal abstracts to pastel drawings of Peddars Way. 01328 851651, www.birdiefortescue.co.uk Dersingham Pottery & Gallery is now

open most days from 10am to 5pm, selling a collection of hand-thrown stoneware and porcelain individual and domestic pieces by June Mullarkey, and paintings, prints and cards

by Ben Mullarkey. Contact the gallery before making a special journey on 01485 540761 or j_mullarkey@btconnect.com www.dersinghampottery.co.uk Our final stop is Docking, where local landscape artist, Rebecca Lloyd’s work is available to view at her studio by appointment.

Expect to see a selection of pieces including large original paintings and small panels, as well as Rebecca’s limited edition prints. Email bex@ rebeccalloyd.co.uk or call 07977 227708 to arrange a time to pop over to the studio.

Holkham also have a collection of Rebecca’s limited edition prints to purchase in their Courtyard Gift Shop, as well as a large original on display in the Courtyard Café. www.rebeccalloyd.co.uk Check gallery websites before visiting, for current opening times and information

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Rebecca Lloyd Landscape Artist

Original Paintings & Limited Edition Prints www.rebeccalloyd.co.uk 07977 227708

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Fashion

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Fashion

BELTED SUEDE GILET IN RUST £480, Troy London

SHETLAND LAMBSWOOL YOKE JUMPER £105, Carrier Company

KING LOUIE JUMPER £72, Nomad & the bowerbird

SHADES OF AUTUMN Dress for the season with these fall finds from local shops and brands SAINT TROPEZ HUCKLEBERRY BLOOM DRESS £72, Allez Chic

CASHMERE V NECK £125, Oldfield Clothing

SECOND FEMALE BOYAS NEW TROUSERS £99, Anna BARBOUR DOVER GILET WITH FAUX FUR TRIM £159, Christopher William Country & Coastal

POWDER SANDIE TANGERINE SCARF £28, The Old Stores

BELLE SHOULDER BAG £119, The Tannery

KING LOUIE JUNO SKIRT £63, Ffarr in Burnham Market and Nomad & the bowerbird

WILMA CONFETTI DITSY MIDI DRESS £65, FatFace

BITTE KAI RAND FUYU JERSEY DRESS £229, Nelle-dk

ARIAT WYTHBURN H20 INSULATED BOOT £180, Christopher William Country & Coastal

GUSTAV AVO TROUSERS £219, Nelle-dk TEDDY HEADBAND £9.95, Aurina

See page 22 for stockist details

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ROBERTINA MINI DUFFLE BAG £133, The Tannery STOCKISTS Allez Chic, Castle Rising 01553 631915 www.allezchic.co.uk; Anna, Burnham Market 01328 730325, Holt 01263 710665 www.shopatanna.com; Aurina, Burnham Market 01328 258060, Holt 01263 478485 www.aurina.co.uk; Bombay Sprout, Burnham Market 07980 655570 www.bombaysprout.com; Carrier Company, Wighton 01328 820699 www.carriercompany.co.uk; Christopher William Country & Coastal, Wells 01328 710496 www.christopherwilliamcountry.co.uk; FatFace, Burnham Deepdale 01485 210927, Holt 01263 715938 www.fatface.com; HortiCo Nursery & Garden Emporium, Drove Orchards, Thornham HortiCo - Nursery & Garden Emporium; Joules, Burnham Market 01328 258715, Holt 01263 711677, Wells Beach 07392 198102 www.joules.com; Nelle-dk, Drove Orchards, Thornham 01485 525164 www.nelle-dk.co.uk; Nomad & the bowerbird, Wells 01328 712282 www.nomadandthebowerbird.co.uk; Oldfield Clothing, www.oldfieldclothing.com; The Old Stores, Roydon 01485 600591 www.theoldstoresroydon.co.uk; Pocock’s the artmonger, Burnham Market 01328 730370 www.theartmonger.co.uk; Pollard & Read, Holt 01263 714011 www.pollardandread.co.uk; Relish, Burnham Deepdale 01485 211211 www.relishonline.com; Simply Norfolk, Wells 01328 710419 www.simplynorfolk.co.uk; The Tannery, Holt 01263 713642 www.thetannery.co.uk; Thornham Deli, Thornham 01485 512194 www.thornhamdeli.co.uk; Troy London, www.troylondon.com; Urban Armour, Burnham Market 01328 738880 www.urbanarmour.co.uk

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Beauty & Wellbeing

12 ways to supercharge your autumn From cold weather skin saviours to fresh air fitness, here’s how to look and feel healthier and happier. New season, new you… says Harriet Cooper

1

Holkham beach © Ian Watts

‘Woodland Will’ at Holkham © Holkham Estate

Disconnect to reconnect How better to escape the stresses and strains of the day-to-day than by immersing yourself in the wild, to breathe in fresh air and soak up the beauty of the North Norfolk landscape? Join one of the Back to Nature Walks at Holkham National Nature Reserve, a series of three-hour expeditions led by ‘Woodland Will’ (as he’s affectionately known). Each walk has a theme and offers an opportunity to re-balance and recharge. Tickets cost £18, booking essential. www.holkham.co.uk

2

Build up strength and poise Coronavirus may have temporarily put paid to attending your regular Pilates workout, but Body Control Pilates teachers Hannah Nicol and Gary Newstead - who run The Old Stables Pilates studio at Brancaster Hall have launched an online hub where you can follow sessions led by the pair. The classes - which vary from a tenminute workout to the full hour - are packed with posture and positioning tutorials, useful advice and Hannah Nicol and Gary Newstead encouragement.

Choose from a monthly (£20) or annual (£210) subscription and watch any class from your laptop, tablet or phone, as many times as you like. www.oldstablespilates.co.uk

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Eat the rainbow Eating brightly coloured fruits and vegetables keeps you healthy especially now, when the seasonal delights reflect the autumnal hues. “In the purple group we have beetroot and plums, a good source of Vitamins C, A and K, so too blackberries, which are rich in antioxidants,” explains Pamela Taylor, nutritional therapist.

“Oranges and yellows include the humble carrot, pumpkin, butternut squash and sweet corn, providing us with beta carotene which is an antioxidant, as well as potassium and Vitamin C. Then we have the greens; the cabbages, kale and watercress, all of which are great sources of folate.” www.holtconsultingrooms.co.uk, www.facebook.com/NutritionTaylor

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Give your hair a boost The inclement climate has a lot to answer for, with central heating inside and plummeting temperatures outside leaving locks drier and frizzier, and our scalp flaky and itchy.

At Barnetts - a recently opened salon at Drove Orchards in Thornham - you can transform your locks with a rejuvenating hair and scalp treatment. Our favourites? Bumble and bumble Damage Control (£25), which promises to soften and repair every strand, and the invigorating Scalp Treatment (£10) to prevent over-drying and remove impurities; all products used are available to buy.

07392 622084, www.barnetts-hair. co.uk

5

Switch up your skincare Alter your skincare routine to introduce products that nourish, hydrate and protect in the colder weather. The Retreat at Brancaster Hall offers an extensive menu of facials and body treatments, including the Elemis Superfood Pro-Radiance Facial (£65 for 60 minutes) designed to invigorate and energise stressed, dull skin. You can also buy the Superfood skincare range at the salon, including the new AHA Glow Cleansing Butter (£30), which melts away impurities, and the Glow Priming Moisturiser (£39) for that dewy, luminous complexion.

01485 210387, www.retreat-spa.co.uk

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Experiment with your look If you fancy a change, you could think about your hair colour. Opting for a plant-based colourant will not only avoid damaging your hair with nasties such as peroxide and ammonia, it’s kinder to the planet too. The Old School House Hair Company in Old Hunstanton has recently introduced the Kitoko Botanical range into the salon; based on purified, preservative-free dyes, including metal-free henna, turmeric and rhubarb, expect equally natural-looking results that last up to 20 washes, making it perfect for damaged hair and first-time colour clients.

01485 535376, www.theoldschoolhousehaircompany.co.uk

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One of Fakenham’s outdoor gyms © Keith Osborn Photography

Energise at the outdoor gym Exercising outside can help ward off seasonal affective disorder, depression and anxiety, as well as provide Vitamin D (essential for strong bones, healthy muscles and improved immune function); not to mention the exhilaration of being in the open air. Fakenham has two outdoor gyms - one in Millennium Park, the other in Hayes Lane. Both spaces have a range of robust easy-to-use equipment for people of all ages and abilities. And the best bit about your alfresco workout? There’s no need to book, you just turn up - and it’s free. www.activefakenham.org.uk

8 Boost your bath routine Norfolk Natural Living - the slow-luxury home care and wellbeing brand established by aromatherapist Bella Middleton - has created a bespoke Saltmarsh fragrance for Holkham. With its notes of ylang ylang, patchouli and lavender, the scent perfectly encapsulates the natural beauty of the estate and has been interpreted into a bath and body range exclusively available from Holkham’s Courtyard Gift Shop. “Holkham loved that we are a local brand and that we use organic, sustainably sourced ingredients,” says Bella. In other news, NNL is opening a second premises in Holt this autumn - a wellbeing, perfumery and remedy store. www.norfolknaturalliving.com

© Mim Howell

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Head into the wilderness Coastal Exploration Company takes people adventuring amongst the wild creeks, marshes and open sea off the North Norfolk coast in traditional wooden sailing boats. Their latest offering, the Wellness Sail, invites clients to spend half a day aboard a mussel flat (an engineless punt), surrendering all mobile devices and immersing themselves fully in nature. Surrounded by nothing but wildlife, spend the time meditating, practicing yoga, wild swimming or simply soaking up the silence, before enjoying a locally-sourced meal and returning home, fully recharged. A half-day wellness sail for four, including food, costs £85 per person. www.coastalexplorationcompany.co.uk

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Go green at home Be kinder to the planet at home by visiting the ReStore, a vegan-friendly, zero waste online store selling a cornucopia of ethical essentials for everyday living. As well as beauty and wellbeing goodies - including my go-to Moo Hair Miracle Shampoo and Conditioner (£22 each) and the deliciously scented Herb and Wild Aromatherapy candles (£12), which are perfect for a cosy night in - you’ll find an impressive array of household wares. These include Fill, a range of refillable eco laundry and cleaning products in eye catching glass bottles that look cool and reduce package waste. www.the-restore.co.uk

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Regroup your mood and energy With work and school to navigate, and shorter, colder days, it’s little wonder you feel in need of a pick-me-up. Which is where massage comes in. The power of touch should not be underestimated - it eases aches and pains, yes, but it also helps reduce stress, boosting mood and energy levels. Red K Elders - a qualified massage therapist, also trained in body psychotherapy (“massage can be a supportive way into releasing emotions”) - offers one- (£70) or two-hour (£125) appointments at Wiveton Parish Rooms, where you can have your massage in front of a crackling fire. www.saltmarshtherapies.com

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Buy local and get cooking Autumn is a time to feast on fresh produce that’s packed with essential vitamins, minerals and fibre to keep our immune systems and gut microbiomes happy. “Nature is incredibly clever at supplying us with what we need,” says nutritional therapist Arabella Hambro. “Buy local, seasonal produce where possible. Batch cooking stewed fruit - easy to digest and versatile - and nutritious soups is a great way to add fruits and vegetables to your diet. The Vitamin A-packed orange root veg are also great in curries. And leafy greens, rich in folate, iron, zinc, Vitamin K and magnesium, are lovely in stir fries.” arabellahambro@naturedoc.co.uk, clinic bookings 020 3637 7181

You can follow Harriet on Instagram @girlnextthesea NORTH NORFOLK LIVING AUTUMN 2020

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ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Bouncing back at Brancaster Hall

This autumn, The Old Stables Pilates Studio and The Retreat Spa at Brancaster Hall have plenty to celebrate including the imminent arrival of twins!

W

HEN lockdown came in, Hannah Nicol and Gary Newstead of The Old Stables Pilates Studio got plugged in to their tech, filming online classes for clients. Fast forward to August, and with the help of website designer, Kirstin Crane of Visualade, Hannah and Gary launched a fantastic online Pilates hub anyone can subscribe to.

“It was always the plan that we would offer an online subscription to give clients the flexibility of not only face-to-face classes but also the option of taking us away with them on holiday,” says Hannah.

“Lockdown allowed us the time to work on this. It was also important that we got clients moving as soon as lockdown was announced. Continuity and regular exercise is so important for our mental health, and we hoped to reach some of our vulnerable clients and keep them motivated.”

The Hub features classes of varying lengths and for different abilities, with 10 new 30-minute classes uploaded each month, and access to their full back catalogue. You can pay £20 a month, or subscribe annually for £210, via their website.

In the studio, 1-2-1 sessions and up to 4-2-1 private sessions have resumed by appointment only, but Covid restrictions mean large classes are off the table for now.

But back to those twins… Bec discovered she was expecting double trouble earlier this year, but it’s all systems go in the salon, with Bec and her talented team offering their full treatment menu again.

And last month, Courtney passed her VRQ Level 2 in Beauty Therapy, so can now perform a wider range of treatments including waxing, eyelash and brow treatments, as well as manicures and pedicures, with facials and massage to come - watch this space!

Meanwhile, Jess and Lauren will be offering Environ facials from mid-October, just in time to switch up your skincare for the colder weather.

If you fancy some pampering at home, why not order some products to collect or to have posted out to you - just email hello@retreat-spa.co.uk. From Environ and Elemis skin and body care, to Scentered aromatherapy candles and balms, and more, you’ll be spoilt for choice!

From the Hub classes

The Old Stables, Brancaster Hall, Brancaster PE31 8AF The Old Stables Pilates Studio, 07788 134218 / 07771 763347 www.oldstablespilates.co.uk

Courtney from The Retreat

The Retreat Spa, 01485 210387 www.retreat-spa.co.uk

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Wellbeing

Ground force

Carlyn Kilpatrick runs Norfolk-based social enterprise The Nurture Project, which offers horticultural therapy. Here, she talks lockdown, her lightbulb moment and looking to the future with Harriet Cooper

All photographs taken before lockdown

Carlyn Kilpatrick

L

IKE everyone, 2020 has not come without its challenges for Carlyn Kilpatrick. Carlyn runs The Nurture Project, a social enterprise that operates a therapeutic year-round garden project supporting adults living with mild to moderate mental ill health.

It is based at Carlyn’s home in Kettlestone, near Fakenham, where clients are offered Social and Therapeutic Horticulture - the process of using plants and gardening to improve physical and mental health amongst the house’s beautiful walled garden, orchard, pond area and woodland, as well as at its outreach programme at Wells Community Hospital Trust.

“Our main aim is to help facilitate and promote adult good mental health, with a view to encouraging self-confidence and self-esteem, social interaction and physical mobility,” Carlyn explains. “We want to provide an impartial and safe space in a friendly environment.”

With much of the social enterprise’s work based around face-to-face contact - “client-facing is extremely valuable because you pick up so many little nuances” - when coronavirus swept across the country earlier this year, lockdown could have thrown a spanner in the works.

But thanks to Carlyn’s unwavering dedication and her hard-working team of volunteers, The Nurture Project continued to support its clients via telephone and Zoom, newsletters and monthly gardening packs.

Thankfully, things are gradually returning to normal. The Nurture Project has resumed client-facing work three days a week, and the outreach programme has restarted, though Carlyn is mindful of not rushing things. “There’s a lot of anxiety and uncertainty out there still.”

This autumn, Carlyn has also launched a programme called It’s Not Just A Walk In The Park, which takes place in the woodland at Kettlestone.

Small groups, led by Carlyn and a volunteer, will be encouraged to walk and talk, engage in meaningful tasks and enjoy insight from visiting experts (apiarists, arborists, botanists…) - all, of course, adhering to government guidelines on social distancing.

“People really enjoy our woodland setting; it’s beautiful and during lockdown we prepared pathways, created clearings and planted woodland species plants. The woods are increasingly playing an important role in our work.”

Carlyn’s energy and enthusiasm is palpable; alongside The Nurture Project, she is also involved with establishing a Green Care initiative for

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Norfolk, bringing together people and organisations that embrace the natural world. I wonder, does she ever get any downtime? “Weeding or sowing seeds decompresses me, gives me a chance to get back into my space. And I love going to the beach and swimming in the sea.”

Carlyn describes the founding of The Nurture Project as “a gradual journey”. Alongside her training in horticulture and psychotherapy, she also volunteered; at charity Home-Start and then at Thornage Hall - a residential and day care provider for vulnerable adults, where she worked in the gardens. It was then that the first seeds of The Nurture Project were sown.

“I had this slightly harebrained idea that maybe you could marry the horticulture side with the psychotherapy side. I’d also read about Thrive, a national charity providing social and therapeutic horticulture - and that was my lightbulb moment.”

While at Thrive, Carlyn witnessed how gardening could bring about positive changes in the lives of people living with disabilities or ill health, or who are isolated, disadvantaged or vulnerable.

It was when her father became ill with dementia that she began thinking about doing something similar at Kettlestone. “My father would come over to garden with me every week - it gave my mother a break and my father some independence, as well as engaging him in meaningful and purposeful activities, concentrating on cognitive and motor skills.”

“I learned more about him in those sessions than I had done in a lifetime. It was a huge privilege. Gardening with my father reinforced everything that I wanted to do.”

And so, in October 2016, Carlyn set up The Nurture Project, which continues to grow from strength to strength, even in the face of a pandemic.

“I hope something that has come out of lockdown is that people have connected more with their green or blue spaces. We often treat nature as one entity and ourselves as another; but actually we are all part of the same cycles. It’s about connecting people back. I hope that we can sustain that in some way.”

The Nurture Project, 07976 233777 hello@thenurtureproject.co.uk www.thenurtureproject.co.uk

NORTH NORFOLK LIVING AUTUMN 2020

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Rewilding

The autumnal alphabet Head outdoors and get back to nature, with Sarah Whittley’s A to Z of seasonal highlights in North Norfolk

‘Fallow in the fall’, Holkham © Joshua Gray, @joshua_grxy

Blickling © National Trust Images/ Justin Minns

Northern Europe habitats.

Look out for small but beautiful visitors in amongst the shingle; snow buntings creep along like clockwork toys, looking like scattered snow as they fly up from your feet. www.norfolkwildlifetrust. org.uk

D

is for dunes

B

is for Blickling

Fungi at Foxley Wood © Neal Trafankowski

A

is for ancient woodland

Now is the perfect time to explore our woodlands, as the leaves turn and strange alien-like life forms cling to branches in the form of fungi. Norfolk’s largest remaining ancient woodland is Foxley Wood. It’s had a chequered past but thanks to conservationists there’s a wealth of wildlife to explore, including one of our rarest native trees, the wild service-tree. www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk

Dazzling displays of autumn colour are abundant throughout the gardens and parkland at Blickling. Walk around the lake for perfect reflections of the colours in the water and watch out for barn owls, seen regularly hunting for food across the park.

Pre-book your visit at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ blickling

C

is for NWT Cley Marshes

It’s an exciting time in Cley. The magnificent marshes will be hosting thousands of regular birds and maybe just a few rarities that have been blown off course as they flee their cold

You’ll have to be quick to catch possibly the fastest beetle in the east - the incredibly rare dune beetle is still active in autumn. Holme Dunes is one of only a handful of locations where they’re found in the UK.

E

is for exaltation of larks

Shore larks really are a cause for exaltation!

These rock stars of the lark world pitch up from October to enjoy our relatively mild winter.

Their bright yellow faces and black horns make them unmistakable. Keep a look out for them along the coast, I last saw them from the coastal footpath in Salthouse, but they could turn up anywhere. We mustn’t forget the iconic skylark, which is always a joy to see and hear and the less common woodlark.

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Rewilding

Mis for murmurations

You can tell when summer turns toward autumn as birds begin to form flocks for warmth and safety; there’s none so impressive as a twisting, swarming murmuration of starlings. If you can find a starling roost site (anywhere to escape harsh weather such as reedbeds, woodland or buildings) chances are you’ll be able to watch them murmur before they go to roost. There are many locations along the coast but Stiffkey, Burnham Overy and Cley Marshes are good places to start.

N

is for the Norfolk Wildlife Trust

In these uncertain times many of us have relied on nature like never before. Norfolk is one of the most biodiverse counties in England, from chalk reefs and the broads, to saltmarshes and woodland. Here’s a special shout out to the Norfolk Wildlife Trust who work so hard to protect many of these habitats. With over 50 reserves and more in the pipeline, long may this great organisation survive.

The Great Wood, Felbrigg © National Trust Images/ Justin Minns

F

is for Felbrigg

If you fancy some autumn colour, the 380acre Great Wood at Felbrigg, home to beeches, oak, sweet chestnut and more, is a must-see.

Book your visit at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ felbrigg

Jelly ear fungus © www.robinchittenden.co.uk

Jisfungifor jelly ear and other Grey seal at Blakeney Point © www.robinchittenden.co.uk

Gis for grey seals

Or as their scientific name translates, hook-nosed sea pigs are entering the most important phase of their lives as they arrive, mate and give birth on our shores. Blakeney Point is now England’s largest grey seal colony, with more than 3000 pups being born each year. The best way to see them is from a boat and there are plenty of seal trips to choose from.

His for hips and haws

Once a regular food source, rosehips are jam-packed with vitamin C, and with its distinctive taste, they’re great for making syrups and teas to ward of those winter chills.

Haws are the fruit of the hawthorn tree; the dark red berries can be made into syrups, jams and jellies. It seems to be a bumper year, with our hedgerows dripping with the bright lipstick red hips and pillar box red haws.

Iis for ivy

The last of the flowering plants, ivy has been known to stay in bloom during Christmas. It’s a godsend for insects, especially bees, as they crave its sweet nectar when all other flowers have perished.

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Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s the weirdest looking fungi you’re likely to see. Its gelatinous, rubbery flesh looks like an alien has left a gift.

It loves dead and dying wood, particularly ash, beech, sycamore and elder. If you find a damp, shady woodland, be brave and have a look!

K

is for Kelling Heath and beyond

Every habitat supports its own specialised wildlife and heathland is no exception; we’re lucky to have decent patches of heathland from west to east of the region. Species include stonechats, linnets, adders, smooth snakes, emperor moths, tiger beetles, wolf spiders… the list goes on.

See cranes at the Norfolk Broads with North Norfolk Safaris © Martin Hayward Smith

Ois for on safari

Why not join North Norfolk Safaris on one of their Wild Goose Chases along the coast, looking for large numbers of flocks of waders, as well as scouring the woods for rutting red deer, or heading east around the coast to watch cranes gathering in numbers and grey seals with their new-born pups. www.northnorfolksafaris.co.uk

Lis for lakes

There’s a special calm that comes with watching water, sea watching and inland water watching are two very different things. I wish there was a word for this very special experience, perhaps there is. One of our grandest lakes can be found in Holkham Park; it covers 35 acres and never disappoints. Watch the grebes and ducks make ripples through the glassy reflections of the trees. www.holkham.co.uk

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Snettisham wader spectacular © Phill Gwilliam

The Millennium Garden, Pensthorpe © Steve Adams

P

is for Pensthorpe

October is a changeover month on the reserve, with some summer species like dragonflies still hanging on until the weather becomes too cold. Autumn also brings a flush of fungi to the woodland carpets, including fly agaric and parasol mushrooms. The first winter bird gathering also starts, with an increasing number of teal and the arrival of wigeon and goldeneye on the Wader Scrape and lakes. The trees in Pensthorpe’s Millennium Garden and gentle swaying grasses changing colour make it a sea of glorious rustic browns and golds.

Pre-booking essential at www.pensthorpe.co.uk

Q

is for quays

These busy places are a wonderful way to pass time, there’s always something going on. But our quays are particularly renowned for one thing - crabbing! Blakeney, Burnham Overy and Wells are perhaps the best-known locations, although the recently restored Cley Quay is also worth a go.

Ris for rutting deer

Watch out, there’s rutting about.

From late September to mid-November our woodlands become a pithy stew of ungulate testosterone. Fallow and red deer stags congregate in a lek to show off their dominance and protect their harem. With sounds like something out of Jurassic Park, it’s an exciting time - but don’t get too close, red deer stags can fight to the death. You can see the fallow deer rut in Holkham Park.

S

is for Sheringham Park

Witness the trees put on a show with their fiery autumn colours and watch where you step, as fungi brightly decorate the woodland floor, and soak up the stunning views!

Book ahead via www. nationaltrust.org.uk/ sheringhampark

harriers coming in at dusk, when up to 100 of these endangered birds of prey circle together over the reserve before they head to their night-time roost within the reedbed. www.rspb.org.uk/titchwell

Uis for underfoot

By now, the usually soft carpeted forest floors are replaced by the crunch of acorns, beechmast and other fallen fruit. But probably the most beautiful seed we have in the UK comes from the horse chestnut tree - the conker.

Now you’ll be able to see large flocks of chaffinches working through fallen beechmast but look out for the rarer migrant brambling that likes to join in on the feast.

V

is for viewing Skyspace

It seems ironic that I’m suggesting a manmade installation to enjoy our big skies but ‘Skyspace Seldom Seen’ by the American artist James Turrell is well worth a visit. Situated in the grounds of Houghton Hall, you walk up the outside ramp and enter a white cube with an aperture in the roof which is open to the sky.

It feels like a secret window onto the world, the view constantly evolving as the sky and the light changes. Houghton is open until 1 November.

Tickets must be pre-booked at www. houghtonhall.com

T

This occurs when tens of thousands of knot are pushed off the mudflats of The Wash as the tide rolls in, causing them to whirl together and come inland onto the RSPB Snettisham reserve. The RSPB have just opened a new hide - called Knot’s Landing - where you can watch this sight from a sheltered vantage point! www.rspb.org.uk/snettisham

Xis for xperts

If you’re curious about what you’re seeing during your time outside or simply want to know more, walking with a wildlife expert can open a whole new world. There’s a series of guided walks at NWT Cley Marshes this autumn, visit www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk for details.

Y

is for you can’t miss them!

I couldn’t write this without mentioning North Norfolk’s most spectacular wildlife event - the arrival of the pink-footed geese.

Around 500,000 turn Pink-footed geese © www.robinchittenden.co.uk up in the UK from Greenland and Iceland, with up to 100,000 coming to Norfolk. Look up to our big skies and watch thousands move in their characteristic ‘v’ formations between beet fields and roost sites.

Whereas our resident greylag sounds like an ugly bag of spanners, the pinkies almost squeak with excitement. Sometimes rarer geese tag along, such as the tundra bean and lesser white-fronted goose.

Zis for zebra spiders

is for Titchwell

RSPB Titchwell boasts a stunning beach, woodland trails and magnificent views across the marshland and reedbeds. Don’t miss the marsh

W

is for wader spectacular

Sheringham Park Gazebo © National Trust Images/ John Miller

We may not have vast plains stocked with roaming zebras and antelope, but we do have one of the cutest spiders in the world on our doorstep. The diminutive zebra spider is only small in size (8mm) but not character. If you have a garden you might find one hanging around on furniture or shed just waiting to pounce on its prey.

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Rewilding

GO WILD with Robin Chittenden

Some of the first signs of autumn are the chilly early mornings and the soft “tick” call of a slightly alarmed robin - not our writer who’s looking forward to the many sightings the new season will bring

Set your sights

Photography © www.robinchittenden.co.uk

Storm force October can be wild and windy or calm and sunny, and the weather will have a direct effect on what wildlife you are more likely to see.

If the forecast predicts a vicious north-westerly blow why not head out to Cley beach car park, the west end of Sheringham promenade or Hunstanton cliffs and experience the wind first-hand?

You will likely find others there already, with ’scopes trained out to sea, scanning for passing seabirds, such as great skuas, Arctic skuas, kittiwakes and gannets, which are heading south, but have been driven closer to shore than they would normally like, by the strong wind.

Some occasionally fly along the beach; among them there are hoped for scarcer species, such as Leech’s petrel, Sabine’s gull and pomarine skua. There will also be ducks, geese and waders arriving from northern latitudes to winter in Norfolk and beyond. Dress for the occasion - providing you stay warm and dry the spray and noise of waves crashing on stones will be exhilarating.

October is famously one of the best months to spot rare birds in North Norfolk. As you potter about the coast you may even come across a cluster of birdwatchers with telescopes and binoculars pointing in one direction. If you feel inclined, ask what they are looking at; usually they will be only too pleased to help.

Rare migrants can, if you’re lucky, be found anywhere, but Holkham pinewoods, Burnham Overy dunes and Blakeney Point are honeypots. If the weather conditions align there may be an arrival of redstarts, robins and goldcrests but among these you could find a species of your dreams, such as a red-flanked bluetail. It looks a bit like a robin without a red breast but sporting a red flank and blue tail.

Redstart

Season’s bounty hunters Autumn is the time for harvest. Acorns are collected by jays and grey squirrels and hidden in secret locations. The holm oaks, around Holkham Park, for instance, should be good for watching this behaviour.

Keep an eye on any jay as it flops about the tree, contorting and stretching itself to pluck those nearly out of reach acorns. It can gobble down as many as nine acorns in one session. It will then fly off to bury them in the ground.

They cough up the acorns one at a time and insert them into soft soil, often covering the location with a leaf or other debris. These scattered mini larders (and there could be as many as 3000 of them) are memorised by the jay for visiting during the darker winter months when food will be less easy to find. Clever birds, but then they are members of the crow family, which are generally accepted as the Einsteins of the bird world.

Kittiwakes at Sheringham

INSECT ID Although many insects are no longer about in their adult forms there are still several hardy latecomers. In sheltered sunny glades look out for common darters and migrant hawker dragonflies.

Butterflies, such as the comma and red admiral, will often be found sucking up nectar at late flowering ivy.

Listen in coastal grassy habitats for grasshoppers or crickets, such as the Roesel’s bush-cricket. They sound similar to a fisherman’s reel as a fish is wound in, or to a singing grasshopper or Savi’s warbler.

Birdwatchers at Cley

Red admiral

Jay

Grey squirrel NORTH NORFOLK LIVING AUTUMN 2020

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Living

CUTTINGS

3 garden buys

Green-fingered news and seasonal tips from gardening writer Fiona Cumberpatch

AUTUMN IN THE GARDEN Get ahead this season with these tips from plantsman Dean Price of Dean Price Horticulture 1. Choose shrubs It’s a good time to buy and plant new shrubs. You can see what the seasonal foliage looks like, and growing conditions are favourable. The soil temperature is still warm, and the cooler weather reduces stress on plants. Planting now give shrubs chance to make optimum growth ahead of next summer’s high temperatures. Autumn is a good time to move the majority of varieties of shrubs or trees.

Place these nickel tea light holders around the patio for an after dark glow. £20 each from Joyful Living, Drove Orchards, Thornham, 01485 525714 www.joyfulliving.co.uk

5. Plant bulbs Don’t plant bulbs too deep, or they may not show, or will come up ‘blind’ (non-flowering).

They should be two to three times their own depth. Plant most spring flowering bulbs in October, and tulips in November. Tender summer flowering bulbs, for example, gladioli, should be planted in early spring.

2. Sow seeds Many people associate spring with seed sowing, but you can get ahead by planting them now.

It’s a cracking time to sow hardy annuals outside, while more tender varieties will need to grow under glass. Pinch out to encourage a bushier, healthier plant. Indoor-grown varieties can be planted out after the last frosts in May. 3. Apply a mulch Add a deep mulch of well-rotted farm manure now. There is no need to dig it in, the worms will do that. Avoid the temptation to create a raised ‘volcano’ around shrubs, as this will rot the stem and could cause infection. It is better to make a well instead. Take care not to smother perennials.

4. Look after your lawn Feed the lawn and keep fallen leaves off, as they will suffocate the grass. An autumn feed should focus on the roots of the lawn. It is different from a spring or summer mix, which is high in nitrates.

Add industrial chic to your plot with a repurposed trolley, £65 from Annie Moses Decorative, 07881 657944 www.anniemosesdecorative.co.uk. It works as a mobile potting bench.

6. Move plants Now is the time to move the majority of varieties of plants which are in the wrong place.

Get the new spot ready first. Dig a hole. It is better to go too big than too small. Loosen the surrounding soil, so the roots can spread. Mix in leaf mould or garden compost, then dig up the plant and place in the hole. Use the old soil planting mark to gauge the correct depth: if you go too deep, there is a risk of infection. Backfill, firm in, and water well.

Dean Price is an experienced horticulturalist who offers garden design, build and management contracts through his company Dean Price Horticulture. For more details visit www.deanpricehorticulture.co.uk. To contact Dean, email dean@deanpricehorticulture.co.uk or call 07484 240938

Hedgerow Creatures Garland made from recycled paper £12 from www.nationaltrust.org.uk/shop NORTH NORFOLK LIVING AUTUMN 2020

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Living

© Meg Hodson Photography

Lighting-up time An after-dark light trail is coming to Sandringham. From 20 November until 20 December, the Luminate Light Trail will take visitors on a mile-long route around the Estate’s woodlands and park. The trail will open daily at 4.30pm.

Garry Marsden, Visitor Enterprise Manager at Sandringham says: “The combination of the beautiful setting at Sandringham Country Park and the magical lighting will make for a wonderful experience that will brighten up the darkest of winter evenings!”

Tickets are on sale now at www.luminatesandringham.com

MAKE A SEED BOMB It’s simple to craft your own seed bombs as a pretty and eco-friendly gift for a gardener Materials 5 parts finely screened compost 1 part bentonite clay (or substitute for another colour of powdered clay), available from www.amazon.co.uk Water Seeds

Hello to HortiCo!

A new venture from the team behind Burn Valley Nursery opened at Drove Orchards in August. HortiCo Nursery & Garden Emporium has been launched by Gary Nelson and Jez Scoles at Thornham. The site, which covers almost an acre, has well thought out sections which will appeal to both experienced and new gardeners.

There is a cactus house and succulent area, plants for shade, climbers, stylish courtyard plants such as palms, olive and fig trees, an area devoted to conifers and a section for ornamental and fruit trees. There are display gardens, and plenty of ideas for planting combinations, plus seasonal selections, which now include winter bedding. A pot shop has a selection of well-priced containers, from small to large, statement pieces.

“If people want to buy a plant and have it potted up here, that can be done,” explains Gary. “We are also happy for people to bring in their own pots for us to fill, or we can visit clients’ houses.” Gary and Jez have closed their nursery at South Creake in order to focus on their new business.

The attractive shop includes bird food, tools, fertiliser and plant food, with a good selection of house plants. Home and gift wares with a botanical theme are also available, and HortiCo are pleased to offer a range of artwork and artisanal wares from Pocock’s the artmonger of Burnham Market.

Horticulturalists Jez and Gary will be growing many of the plants themselves, and they will be on hand to offer knowledgeable advice to customers. “We want to offer a friendly, accessible service to everyone,” says Jez. HortiCo is dog-friendly; as well as the presence of resident nursery dog Tarka, water and dog treats are on offer to canine visitors, and their humans can find fresh coffee and ice cream next door at East Coast Gelato.

HortiCo Nursery & Garden Emporium, Drove Orchards, Thornham, PE36 6LS. Open seven days a week.

HortiCo - Nursery & Garden Emporium

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What to do 1. Mix the compost and bentonite clay in a bowl or bucket and add just enough water to make the mixture hold together.

2. Form into balls and add a pinch of seeds. Large seeds can be pushed into the middle of the ball while smaller seeds can be dispersed throughout the mix. Roll the ball between the palms of your hands to compact it and get a nice round shape.

3. If desired, roll the ball in a tray of dried flower petals, such as rose, calendula, and bachelor’s button, or add a few attractive seeds to the outside.

4. Set the seed balls on a tray in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight to harden. The seed bombs have dried when they no longer feel cool to the touch and are quite hard.

Extracted from Garden Alchemy by Stephanie Rose (Cool Springs Press, £14.99) which includes recipes for organic fertiliser, potting mixes, pest deterrents, and more.

Photos © Stephanie Rose of Garden Therapy

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Complete lawn care packages, hedge planting, tree planting, horticulturally correct pruning Growers of quality annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees.

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We are fully equipped to manage any size garden and have full public liability insurance. We also hold an Environment Agency waste carrier licence and can remove all garden waste from site if required. As a family run business, we pride ourselves on our high standards of horticultural work, customer service and aftercare. A portfolio of our work is available. Our previous and current clients are happy to provide references on request Holder of Royal Horticultural Society qualifications

Contact Dean to discuss your exact requirements or for a free quotation

Telephone: 07484 240 938 Email: dean@deanpricehorticulture.co.uk www.deanpricehorticulture.co.uk 41

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Living

r e d i s n I The nt t news from the home fro es lat e th s ha e os Lo da Aman

Go with the flow

To the power of 10 Exciting news for homes and property aficionados! Arcadia Home Interiors - the Fakenham-based luxury kitchen and bathroom specialists - have rebranded and expanded their offering.

The new Arcadia Home & Living now offers a full 360 service for your home, both inside and out, across the Norfolk area, combining state of the art home appliances, with high-quality design, craftsmanship, installation, maintenance and property management solutions.

Managing director, Danny Wyer, says “Our clients appreciate that we have the capability to manage their unique requirements, entirely in-house, with specialist staff that all uphold the same Arcadia values to deliver our AAA promise, with a personalised service from brief, through to completion and beyond.”

Arcadia Home & Living are exclusive suppliers in Norfolk of a number of luxury home brands including Siematic Kitchens and Gaggenau appliances, and now operates across 10 divisional areas: Luxury Kitchens, Luxury Bathrooms, Home Interiors, Bespoke Joinery, Outside Living, Architectural Lighting, Electrical Services, Plumbing & Heating, Renewable Energy and Home Management.

Find out more at Arcadiahomeandliving.co.uk

Shine a light METAL TRIANGLE TABLE LAMP £156, Ffarr, North Street, Burnham Market @weareffarr

GIN IN A TIN LAMP WITH SHADE £125, Tatty Tides, Holt 01263 711505 www. tattytides.co.uk

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A FREDERICK SINGLE SPOTLIGHT TASK LAMP £83, Oliver Lamps, Fakenham 01328 855028 www.oliverlamps.com

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TRIO GOLD STEM LAMP £520, Bayfield Interiors, Bayfield Brecks 01263 836770 bayfieldinteriors.co.uk

Launched back in 2019, Norfolk-based River Bespoke initially focussed on the design and manufacture of feature shelving walls for residential installation. But things have moved on at pace during their first year, with founder Katie Haynes, becoming involved in commercial projects too notably the bar area of Palm Court at The Langham Hotel, London - and also being asked to design and produce other bespoke pieces for the home.

“It wasn’t in our plans but more recently, an increasing number of our enquiries and orders from interior designers have been for other pieces like console tables, coffee tables, side tables and freestanding bookshelves,” says Katie.

“We focus on clean, simple designs that fit in with modern and more traditional interiors, usually metal with another material, whether that’s timber, quartz, marble or shagreen.

“Although we have our own designs, we also love working with designers and private clients on new ideas and will work from a simple sketch, drawing up a 3D render to help them visualise the finished piece. We also like a challenge!”

River Bespoke, 07572 868549 www.riverbespoke.com

On a roll

Rachel Simpson

There’s more to see at The Rug Studio’s concession in Holt, following the expansion of their space at Holt Antiques & Interiors Centre on Thornage Road, with a larger collection of antique, contemporary and traditional rugs, as well as some exciting new additions.

Since Rachel Simpson of The Rug Studio opened her concession at the centre back in August 2018, her pitch has always included hardwearing Afghan natural dyed kilims, both modern and traditional in design, selections from her other ranges, including contemporary collections by the American artist, Rex Ray, trending styles, tribal and antique decorative rugs, along with an array of cushions. Now with the extra space, she’s not only expanded existing ranges, giving each a dedicated area, but also added furniture and large carpets.

With 26 years’ experience in the trade and having studied woven textiles for her degree, Rachel looks for quality weaving, inspiring design and high quality of materials when buying her rugs and carpets, and also offers restoration, cleaning, and bespoke services. Contact Rachel for an appointment or dates of her duty days in Holt on 07885 757796.

Holt Antiques & Interiors Centre itself has been undergoing a refurbishment in one of the main rooms and some new dealers have been added too. www.therugstudio.co.uk www.holtantiquesandinteriors.co.uk NORTH NORFOLK LIVING AUTUMN 2020

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Living

r e d i s n I The est Amanda Loose has the lat

nt news from the home fro

Cape Vanilla

Get the look

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Art house

RICHARD BAWDEN HARE TEA TOWEL £7.50, Bircham Gallery, Holt 01263 713312 www. birchamgallery.co.uk

Homeware with art

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Local interior designer, Sophie Allsopp of Sophie & Boo, is launching a new online shop this October, bringing together some of her favourite finds from her projects.

“The idea behind the Sophie & Boo collection launching online is to give people the opportunity to buy products that we have sourced and fallen in love with on our travels sourcing for interior design projects,” says Sophie.

“It started with a trip to a show in Paris where I met two sisters who produce the most amazing bed linen in a family factory. From there we designed a beautiful linen and cotton range which will be available on the website.”

Other highlights include hand-made crockery Sophie discovered on another trip to France, and the organic home fragrance and bath products she’s been using in her interior design projects.

Look out for the shop launch over at www.sophieandboo.co.uk from early October

South Africa meets North Norfolk at Creake Abbey, following Cape Vanilla’s move into one of the destination’s courtyard shops.

Cape Vanilla specialise in creative crafts from the Western Cape, discovered by owners Julia and Richard Clarke on their trips to the area.

“We have been visiting South Africa for the last 23 years and decided to bring back some of our favourite collections,” says Julia.

“Apart from essential overheads, all of our sales are re-invested into buying more stock, helping to support local township employment in South Africa.

“Our primary range is Original Tea Bag Designs - a unique collection of products where decorated recycled tea bags are applied to a wide range of products from tea trays to tea lights. We also offer screenprinted table linen, porcelain flower reed diffuser stems, as well as boats and houses made from recycled apple boxes - all beautifully crafted by hand - and more!”

The Creake Abbey Courtyard is also home to children’s shop, Marshes & Flint, Fineline Frames & Gallery, Home by Annie Lambert, and Found Hair, with the Creake Abbey Café & Food Hall to the rear.

07710 171393, www.capevanilla.co.uk

ROBERT GILLMOR BARN OWL BIRCHWOOD TRAY £32, Red Hare Publishing 01263 740947 www. redharepublishing.co.uk

A HELLEBORE MELODY MELAMINE TABLEWARE BY SARAH CASWELL from £4.95 per piece, Sarah Caswell, Great Walsingham 07747 613395 www.sarahcaswell.co.uk

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Decorative salvage and antiques retailer, Annie Moses Decorative are on the move, but don’t worry, they’re not going far. From November they’ll have relocated from their current home at Station Garage, Burnham Market, to lovely new workshops and storage just a few minutes round the corner, at Muckleton Farm.

Having been incredibly busy over lockdown, Annie Moses has found customers prefer browsing by appointment, viewing items via the website or are requesting images of items in stock. The search service has been extremely popular helping locate that perfect piece and the upholstery, restoration and painting service continues in demand. Their stock of larger items such as farmhouse tables, antique linen presses, dressers, and chests of drawers, has increased - so more space is definitely required!

“People are very welcome to drop by to see us so do keep in touch’” says owner Lin Brice (pictured). “Phone numbers will remain the same 01328 738009/ 07881 657944 or you can email us at info@anniemosesdecorative. co.uk and follow us on Instagram @anniemosesdecorative.”

Muckleton Farm, Stanhoe Road, Muckleton, PE31 8JT www.anniemosesdecorative.co.uk

Abbey shopping

A

Moving on up

BAMBOO MUG FROM ‘AERIAL MANOEUVRES’

BY ROBERT GILLMOR £9.99 Pocock’s the artmonger, Burnham Market 01328 730370 www.theartmonger.co.uk, and HortiCo Nursery & Garden Emporium, Drove Orchards, Thornham

NORTH NORFOLK LIVING AUTUMN 2020

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Est. 2000 STAMFORD • LONDON • HOLT

Sales

Cleaning

Restoration

Bespoke

The Art of Steven Handley HEROES & ICONS THROUGH THE DECADES Original paintings and limited edition prints artofstevenhandley www.artofstevenhandley.com

C4, The Courtyard, Brownlow Street, Stamford, PE9 2EL

St Margarets, Twickenham , TW1 by Appointment

Holt Antiques & Interiors Centre, Thornage Road, Holt, NR2 6SU

 � �� � ��� � � �

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24/09/2020 16:51

Living

Cracking the colour code With bright hues having a moment, Alison Huntley finds she’s not alone in craving a bit of zing

From Birdie Fortescue’s new season collection.

Visit www.birdiefortescue.co.uk for the full collection

To boldly go…

From Emma J Shipley’s Wilderie collection for Clarke & Clarke, www.clarke-clarke.com; available from The Old Stores

M

AYBE it was lockdown and feeling restless and rebellious after weeks of staying home but suddenly, I craved colour around me. Proper, bright, joyful colour to wake up my calm, neutral, polite home.

It turns out many others felt the same. The popularity of yellows, oranges, zingy blues and rich jewel tones is soaring - colours that make for a vibrant space which in turn makes us feel more alive.

Emma Deterding of Kelling Designs is delighted that colour is back. “It feeds the soul! We all need some brightness now and it lifts the spirits. So many people don’t realise how much they love colour until they actually experience it.”

But while the Kelling gang may be selfconfessed ‘colour junkies’, there is careful method to their approach.

“How we use it depends on our clients but if we use big bold colours on the walls, we would tend to keep things more simple for the furniture. If the walls are simple and beige then we will use stronger colours on the furniture, plain or patterned.

“We are not opposed to using dozens of colours together, but I think the most versatile are teal and orange. They work with every beige and grey, look fabulous together and by themselves and work with lots of other colours too. Orange is certainly the new black and teal is a close second.”

If you fancy giving your home a reboot, Nanci Gillett of Burnham Interiors can help.

“The use of bold and playful blocks of colour is used now to create a mood,” she says. “Bold patterns and punchy colour lend a more easy, fun approach to decorating.

“We are using colour with a lot more

Start by adding soft hues of the colours you want to incorporate with your most neutral tones in a calm, subtle way.

You can then slowly build on this with cushions, lamps and accessories as your confidence grows. Birdie Fortescue confidence. Try combinations such as burnished red with navy or mustard with mauve. If you Start slowly and build yourself up for a want to create a more glamorous room, pick big burst. Change your cushions over rich tones for key pieces, such as royal blue or to a stronger colour. Use coloured and ruby, mixed with warmer tones of ochre, rose patterned lampshades, throw a rug onto and bronze. a sofa or a bed end. Use some coloured “In the past, we have seen mustard paired piping. It takes a little time to immerse with Scandi neutrals but for this season, it yourself in the colour bubble so don’t is being matched perfectly with richer jewel force it. The moment will grab you. tones. Everyone can embrace colour within Kelling Designs their homes.”

Using colour in blocks is a favourite of (either a painting or rug) and use this to add designer Birdie Fortescue too. a pop of colour to a room. I then build on this “If you have visited our showroom in with subtle hues to coordinate and complete Fakenham, you’ll know that I love to use blocks the look. of tonal colour - a subtle clash always adds “I especially love using colours together that interest,” she says. are slightly unexpected and enjoy styling these “I try to use colour in a delicately striking way to create an ambience particular to each room. I use calm colours in informal rooms to give a relaxing feel a cool blue or green works really well in a bedroom for instance. Equally, a warm and lively dining room can be created by using warmer tones that gently clash.

“My favourite colour combination would have to be greens and blues. I often gain From Harlequin’s Momentum 11 & 12 collections; curtains: Adaxial RRP £69 per metre, wallpaper: inspiration from a Textured Walls RRP £69 per roll, sofa: Lineate RRP £55 per metre, www.stylelibrary.com/harlequin; available from Burnham Interiors and The Old Stores statement piece NORTH NORFOLK LIVING AUTUMN 2020

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Living

Cracking the colour code

NORFOLK BROAD STRIPE £35 per metre, The Norfolk Fabric Co

SIRIKI TABLECLOTH from £135, Birdie Fortescue

Bright ideas From local shops and brands

Chilli RRP £73.50 per metre, from Linwood’s Kami collection of printed, washable velvets, www.linwoodfabric.com; available from BB Textiles

alongside a print or throw which features both colourways.”

Interior designer Kate Libovitz doesn’t need much persuading when it comes to going bold.

“I love a pop of colour and will always try to get something less conventional into one of my schemes,” she says. “I love combining dark green, blue or greys with mustard yellow. This tone of yellow lifts my spirits every time. It’s a colour which can work so well with so many different schemes and I often turn to it.

“My go-to is fun, bold and funky wallpaper to jazz up a small space such as a cloakroom or spare bedroom. I prefer adding colour with a texture or pattern through paper and fabric rather than flat paint as I feel it allows you to be much bolder. A flat wall of colour can be a bit overpowering.”

For soft furnishings expert Brygida Bourn of BB Textiles, her favourite colour combinations of the moment are blues with burnt orange and timeless reds with green and pink. And her go-to sources for textiles with gorgeous hues are the Linwood collection of Kami washable velvets and soft wools from Kirby Designs’ Beam collection.

But you don’t need massive amounts of colour to enjoy its effects. “We’ve seen a huge increase in coloured cushions sold online and a lot for garden use too,” says Jo Griffiths of Joyful Living. “Bright colours are definitely having a moment.

“I’m a fan of colour if used restrictively and not with additional pattern. My preference is always neutrals with a pop of green or yellow.

That said, we have had huge success with orange tones this season which work incredibly well with taupe and neutrals.”

Jo advises some care in adding colour unless you are a fan of clashing colours with bold patterns.

“Stick to a neutral base. Add your favourite colours slowly, starting with a pale tone and build up until you feel you have reached a point where you’re comfortable. Don’t follow trends, go with your own favourites. That way, your interiors won’t date so quickly, and you will feel happier with your choices.”

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LINEN COVER WITH FEATHER INNER £46, Sprout SIX SHORT DINNER CANDLES £4.95, Joyful Living

WOOLLEN COVER WITH NORFOLK FEATHER INNER from £49, Joyful Living SARAH LAMPBASE £275 WITH SOPHIA LAMPSHADE £275 (45cm diameter by height 40cm), KDLoves

FENWICK & TILBROOK 1 LITRE PURE MATT PAINT IN SANTORINI (left) or SHOUT, £25 ADDRESS BOOK BB Textiles, at Urban Armour, Burnham Market 07765 934327; Birdie Fortescue, Fakenham 01328 851651 www. birdiefortescue.co.uk; Burnham Interiors, Burnham Market 01328 730989 www.burnhaminteriors.co.uk; Fenwick & Tilbrook, 01362 684125 www.fenwickandtilbrook.com; Joyful Living, Drove Orchards, Thornham 01485 525714 www. joyfulliving.co.uk; Kate Libovitz Design, 07825 566627 www.katelibovitz.co.uk; Kelling Designs and KDLoves, Field Dalling 01328 830449 www.kellingdesigns.com; The Norfolk Fabric Co, www.thenorfolkfabricco.com; The Old Stores, Roydon 01485 600591 www.theoldstoresroydon.co.uk; Sprout, Holt www.sproutinteriors.co.uk

NORTH NORFOLK LIVING AUTUMN 2020

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Tatty Tides living country to coast

SHOP ONLINE: WWW.TATTYTIDES.CO.UK 6 Lyles Court, Lees Yard, Holt, Norfolk, NR25 6HS Tel: 01263 711505, email: sales@tattytides.co.uk

BIRDIE FORTESCUE unique homeware & decorative accessories

birdiefortescue.co.uk 01328 851 651 4 Clipbush Business Park, Hawthorn Way, Fakenham, NR21 8SX

Christmas Ranges Now In Store

www.theoldstoresroydon.co.uk www.theoldstoresroydon.co.uk

Tel: 01485 600 591 Tel: 01485 600 591 146 Lynn Road, 146 LynnPE32 Road,1AQ Roydon Roydon PE32 1AQ

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OUR BRAND NEW COASTAL SHOWROOM, STORE, INTERIOR DESIGN STUDIO & COFFEE SHOP IS NOW OPEN

BAYFIELD INTERIORS BEAUTIFUL FURNITURE, LIGHTING & HOMEWARE SHOWCASED IN OUR EXTENSIVE BARN WITH A FULL INTERIOR DESIGN STUDIO WITH A FULLY STOCKED FABRICS AND WALLCOVERINGS LIBRARY & COFFEE SHOP LOCATED AT THE STUNNING BAYFIELD BRECKS, BETWEEN HOLT & CLEY WE CAN HELP WHETHER YOU'RE LOOKING TO UPDATE A SINGLE ROOM OR A WHOLE HOUSE. WE ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE FULLY FURNISHED 'TURN KEY' HOLIDAY HOMES AND COMMERCIAL INTERIOR SPACES FOR YOUR BUSINESS, HOTEL, BAR OR RESTAURANT. WE HAVE EXPERT CURTAIN MAKERS AND TRADESMEN TO GIVE YOU THE PERFECT FINISH AND WE WILL WORK WITH YOU EVERY STEP OF THE WAY IN CREATING YOU YOUR DREAM SPACE

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Living QUAIL’S EGG MUG £10.50, Norfolk Living

FELT SO GOOD FAIRTRADE FELT PUMPKIN £12.50, The Old Stores

TRUE GRACE TANGERINE DINING CANDLES £3 each, Bombay Sprout

FUNKY ORANGE GLASSWARE SET £67, Ffarr

COLOUR MATCH

VELVET CUSHION £39, Nomad & the bowerbird

QUAIL’S EGG LARGE JUG £29.95, Norfolk Living

Pair blue hues with popping autumnal oranges for a seasonal refresh

70s STYLE BEAKER £6.50, Bringing the outside in

VOYAGE MAISON LAPIS CUSHION £70.50, Thornham Deli ROBERTS REVIVAL RD70 FM/DAB/DAB+ RADIO £179.99, Gerald Giles

BIG CRAB OVEN GLOVES £16.50, Gone Crabbing

SOPHIE ALLPORT LOBSTER MELAMINE DINNER PLATE £8.50, Thornham Deli

DOVEFLIGHT FABRIC BY MARK HEARLD £84 per metre, St Jude’s

BOSE SOUNDLINK MICRO BLUETOOTH SPEAKER £89.95, Gerald Giles

CERAMIC SHELL VASE £26, Ffarr

SET OF FOUR STACKABLE FISH GLASSES £36, Tatty Tides STOCKISTS Bombay Sprout, Burnham Market 07980 655570 www.bombaysprout.com Bringing the outside in, Wells 01328 710378 www.nomadandthebowerbird.co.uk; Ffarr, North Street, Burnham Market @weareffarr; Gerald Giles, Norwich 01603 621772 www.geraldgiles.co.uk; Gone Crabbing, Burnham Deepdale 01485 211111 www.gonecrabbing.co.uk; Nomad & the bowerbird, Wells 01328 712282 www.nomadandthebowerbird.co.uk; Norfolk Living, Burnham Market 01328 730518 www.norfolkliving.co.uk; The Old Stores, Roydon 01485 600591 www.theoldstoresroydon.co.uk; St Jude’s, Norwich 01603 662951 www.stjudesfabrics.co.uk; Tatty Tides, Holt 01263 711505 www.tattytides.co.uk; Thornham Deli, Thornham 01485 512194 www.thornhamdeli.co.uk NORTH NORFOLK LIVING AUTUMN 2020

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W O N K E H T N I News and advice from the experts

Installations by West Norfolk Glass

GET THE WOW FACTOR

The buyers may be out there but when it comes to selling your home, it’s still crucial to ramp up your kerb appeal, says Alison Huntley

I

T’S a rather scary fact that potential buyers can have made their mind up about your house as soon as they’re pressing the doorbell (which hopefully works).

The front door, in fact, is all-important, setting the scene for what follows inside, and there are endless possibilities to create a bespoke entrance which suits your home’s style, says Geoff Parker, managing director of familyowned West Norfolk Glass.

“The only limit to creating a unique front door is your imagination. Innovation in product design means that you can incorporate glass panels, colour-match and add texture to a composite or low-maintenance timber effect door. You can even pick the style of the door

furniture to complete your unique design.”

Indeed, West Norfolk Glass - accredited as an Independent Network Which? Trusted Trader last year - is an approved installer of The English Door Company, Veka and Solidor doors, along with stylish bi-fold and aluminium styles.

Security need not be compromised. “All our installations come with a police-approved Ultion lock which will automatically lockdown should it detect an attack,” says Geoff.

Door dressing always makes a home appealing, says Janie Thompson of Thornham Deli Interior Styling. “Adding large pots of shrubs or trees either side frames the door and creates a stunning entrance.”

Window dressing is key too, she adds.

Moving stories The boom in the local property market shows no sign of abating any time soon, according to local property experts

“S

INCE the property market came out of lockdown in May things have been very exciting at Big Skies Estates,” says Hetti Simpson at Big Skies Estates. “It is well documented that the property industry as a whole is very busy as a result of people choosing to make big changes to their lives and where they choose to live, coupled with the stamp duty holiday; but for us this uplift has been massive.

“As specialists in coastal property, with a focus on second homes and holiday cottages, this particular corner of the market has seen a huge surge in activity. Excitingly, there is a surge of property being offered for sale

52

One-bedroom apartment in Cromer with fabulous sea views.

Guide £365,000, Big Skies Estates

alongside an increase in motivated buyers, so sales are being agreed almost daily.”

Malcolm Duffey of Norfolk Property Search agrees. “The ability to work from home has led to many reconsidering their work life balance,” he says, adding that there’s been a surge in interest for houses in the area with “space,

Whether you have curtains or blinds, make sure they’re hanging level. “Shutters are picturesque inside and out - neatness is key when looking at any house.”

Getting creative with paint can really up your kerb appeal, from making a statement with your wooden windows and doors (and even uPVC doors with paint such as Frenchic’s Al Fresco range), to updating the colour of your render, says Laura Tipple of Tipple & Co Decorators.

“We had a customer who chose a grey/ blue for the render and a dark grey for the woodwork. They went so well together, and the house looks a real show-stopper.

Thornham Deli Interior Styling, Thornham 01485 512194 www.thornhamdeli.co.uk Tipple & Co Decorators, 01553 760276 www.tippleandco.co.uk West Norfolk Glass, King’s Lynn 01553 763164 www.westnorfolkglass.co.uk

good gardens and an office or annexe to work from.”

“At Norfolk Property Search, we’re finding the £600,000-plus range in greatest demand, with buyers paying well over the guide price in some cases.

“Buyers from the Home Counties and London are able to afford more space and a country environment here in Norfolk and are looking for permanent homes rather than holiday homes.

“Viewings are easier with the easing of lockdown restrictions, so more properties are now being sold and the stamp duty relaxation until 31 March 2021 has also prompted people to think of moving to take advantage of this saving.”

Big Skies Estates, Holt 01263 586686 www.bigskiesestates.co.uk Norfolk Property Search, 07434 934579 www.norfolkpropertysearch.co.uk

NORTH NORFOLK LIVING AUTUMN 2020

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Step out of the ordinary

A warm welcome, a scrumptious menu, a stylish lifestyle store and a cool vibe.

Relax. Unwind. Enjoy

BESPOKE FEATURE SHELVING WALLS AND FURNITURE

Designed | Sourced | Handcrafted | in Norfolk Thornham Deli, High Street, Thornham, PE36 6LX T:01485 512 194 www.thornhamdeli.co.uk

W: www.riverbespoke.com | E: info@riverbespoke.com @riverbespoke

PERIOD PROPERTY SPECIALISTS Bespoke oak framing

RAY WEST BUILDERS LTD

Wells next the Sea Tel: 01328 711994, Mob: 07889731415

www.raywest-builders.co.uk info@raywest-builders.co.uk 53

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AUTUMN FUN AND FEASTING

Welcome to our NEW Autumn Menus We offer a fast, local, reliable and friendly service for all types of plumbing repairs, maintenance and small installations Emergency call out and repairs service

Open 12noon to 8.30pm Restaurant & Bar - book online Marshside Bar/ Heated Marshside Marquee - no need to book

Installers of GROHE Sense Smart Water Sensors which protect you home against water leaks and water damage, alerting you via alarm or the GROHE Sense app.

Contact details: 01485 518648 / 07733 335845 atphcompany@gmail.com www.at-plumbing-heating.co.uk

Brancaster Staithe, PE31 8BY 01485 210262

THE JOLLY SA ILORS

watch this space. . garden room makeover

iceni maintenance quality property improvements Please contact Steve Baker on T: 01328 738223 M: 07952 081056 E: icenimaintenance@mail.com

All menu items available as Takeaway Brancaster Staithe, PE31 8BJ 01485 210314 www.jollysailorsbrancaster.co.uk

BESPOKE kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, home office • TILING • PAINTING & DECORATING • PLUMBING • CARPENTRY & JOINERY • WORKTOPS HOME & HOLIDAY HOME REPAIRS & MAINTENANCE

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Letheringsett, NR25 7AR 01263 712691 www.kingsheadnorfolk.co.uk

A taste of North Norfolk living www.acinns.co.uk

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Food & Drink

THE DIGEST Enjoy a taste of the local foodie scene with Alison Huntley

Under the grill with…

Gemma Arnold, executive head chef at Thornham Deli Favourite autumn ingredient Chris Everitt’s Brancaster mussels.

Staple local ingredient Micro cresses, baby vegetables and salads from Nurtured in Norfolk.

Sweet or savoury I prefer savoury to eat but prefer preparing sweet dishes in the kitchen. I like to get creative on the sweet side.

What’s your cooking style I love simplicity using locally sourced produce with a twist.

Dish you most enjoy preparing Anything Thai style.

Top tip for aspiring cooks Keep focused, passionate and creative. I always told myself to keep pushing and to aim for the top. Always believe in yourself.

Thornham Deli, 01485 512194 www.thornhamdeli.co.uk

Gin-spiration Local producers are showing their creative side when it comes to producing tempting new variations Black Shuck’s Pink Grapefruit Gin is distilled with traditional botanicals as well as plump pink grapefruits. RRP £37.50 (70cl). www.blackshuckltd.co.uk

Sea purslane, samphire, sea aster and Douglas fir all play a part in Bullards’ Coastal Gin. RRP £40 for 70cl in a bottle, 70cl eco pouch refill £35. www.bullardsspirits.co.uk

WhataHoot launched their Navy Strength Gin to mark the opening of their new distillery in King’s Lynn; it’s an impressive 57% proof.

RRP £48 for 70cl.

Available at the distillery shop and www.whatahoot.co.uk

The best things in life are Treehouse At The Treehouse in Holt, two friends have teamed up with a double mission - to help support local families and to fight food waste. Lorna Berry and Rachel Forsyth used to run local music groups for children and were shocked to realise the extent of local deprivation.

They persuaded the county council to let them take over the town’s old children’s centre and have turned it into a relaxed and cosy cafe and community fridge.

The fridge is a source of free food for whoever needs it. The shelves are stacked with garden surplus and food from local supermarkets which is close to date and would otherwise go to landfill.

The Treehouse opens Monday to Friday 9am to 3pm, and Saturdays from 9am to 12pm. www.thetreehousecafe.co.uk

Rachel Forsyth

From the North Norfolk larder Autumn is a time of bounty, with superb local ingredients leaving chefs spoilt for choice!

For Galton Blackiston, owner of Michelinstarred Morston Hall, finding his seasonal favourites means plenty of fresh air. He turns to the countryside for blackberries and elderberries which play an important role in savoury and sweet dishes.

“With blackberries, I will usually make a compote to serve with grouse or venison.

All game is good with fruit,” he says. “The elderberries are turned into an elderberry ripple ice cream which we serve with a vanilla pod souffle.”

Ben Handley of The Duck Inn at Stanhoe and The Hunworth Bell confesses: “At this time of year, I love wild mushrooms and our local mushroom man Clive Houlder provides amazing ceps. They work beautifully as a stand-alone vegetarian dish with home-made pasta or with Arthur Howell’s local beef.

“I have an idea for a new dish of barbecued beef brisket with a cep and truffle mac n’ cheese. The staff are desperate for the taste test!”

It’s no surprise that the favourite ingredient of Fran Hartshorne, head chef at The White Horse in Brancaster Staithe, is mussels.

“Our mussels are harvested in the harbour my kitchen window at The White Horse overlooks - you couldn’t get more local and they’re very good!” she says.

“My woodland recipe gives a Norfolk twist by adding locally-foraged mushrooms and pancetta which also supports our local suppliers. Mussels are bold in flavour so they can take on other ingredients.” www.morstonhall.com www.duckinn.co.uk www.hunworthbell.co.uk www.whitehorsebrancaster.co.uk

Galton Blackiston

Mussels at The White Horse

Ben Handley © AWPRCO NORTH NORFOLK LIVING AUTUMN 2020

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Discover

The Three Horseshoes Just 10 minutes from Holt

Freshly prepared dishes using local produce Menu of the Day - Monday to Wednesday Five comfortable ensuite bedrooms Extensive landscaped gardens Myrtle & Thyme In the garden of The Three Horseshoes Floristry Decorative accessories for the home and garden

The Three Horseshoes West End, Briston, Norfolk NR24 2HY 01263 862312 www.bristonhorseshoes.co.uk

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Food & Drink

A pizza the action Alison Huntley shares a slice of deliciousness, touching base with six of the local eateries where the pizzas are simply topping - to eat in, or takeaway!

Dippy delights

All praise Calabrese

At Eric’s Pizza at Drove Orchards, Thornham, they aren’t afraid to play around with some of the classic recipes. Yes, there’s a standard margherita but there’s also a vegan version with vegan mozzarella.

Then there’s a three-cheese pizza with gorgonzola and mascarpone alongside mozzarella and chives, and a mushroomy piece of heaven with pickled shitake, button mushrooms, roast garlic oil and truffled crème fraiche.

The meat feast has two different salamis iceni and moccus - with charred pepper, and there are even dips for the crusts.

There’s a yurt restaurant and plenty of outdoor space, including in the orchards.

01480 775415 www.ericspizza.co.uk

Things are kept simple yet delicious at Il Calabrese in Holt where an old family recipe is called on for the hand-stretched dough used for their 10-inch pizza bases.

As you’d expect, there’s a margherita (with buffalo mozzarella) and a Vegetariana (peppers, mushrooms, courgette, red onion and olives).

But you can push the boat out a little more with a Capricciosa (Parma ham, mushrooms, artichoke and buffalo mozzarella) or turn the heat up with a Calabrese, topped with red chillies, peppers and spicy nduja sausage. The range is likely to expand too, and you’ll get one of the friendliest welcomes around.

01263 479325 www.ilcalabrese.co.uk

Jolly good!

They’re famous for their pizza at Brancaster Staithe’s Jolly Sailors pub, just a hop and a skip from the harbour.

Alongside the traditional offerings, things can get quite lively. The Jolly Smokehouse pulled pork pizza also has barbecue sauce, red onion and sweetcorn while a Prawn Zinger adds mozzarella, anchovies and chilli. Or maybe you’d prefer a Jolly Fiorentina with spinach, mushrooms and egg?

Such casual food suits the family-friendly ambience here perfectly. And they also go beautifully with their own microbrewery’s beers so try a half of Oystercatcher or Sharpie alongside.

01485 210314, www.jollysailorsbrancaster.co.uk

Hot stuff There’s an Inferno on the pizza menu at The Golden Fleece in Wells, made up of chorizo and bacon jazzed up a treat with jalapenos, fresh chilli and hot sriracha sauce.

If you’re not brave enough for that, there are gentler options, such as the Hacienda, with sweetcorn and mushrooms alongside red onion, pepper et al. Or maybe the Oceania with a garlic butter base and a topping including smoked salmon, capers and lemon-dressed rocket.

If it needed any more selling points, how about the fact it’s right on the quay with spectacular views across the harbour?

01328 710650, www.goldenfleecewells.co.uk

Quacking ideas

By George, it’s Byfords They love pizza so much at Byfords in Holt that there’s even a breakfast version on offer, topped with a full English plus mozzarella.

At other times of the day, their stone-baked selection includes chicken (with spinach, Parma ham, olives and mozzarella) or goat’s cheese versions (with red onion marmalade, rocket and pine nuts as well as mozzarella). They’ll also do half a pizza with a salad for you.

Takeaway pizzas are so popular customers can often be seen eating them in the car because they can’t wait until they get home!

01263 711400, www.byfords.org.uk

The Dabbling Duck in picturesque Great Massingham is a renowned foodie place and it doesn’t let its high standards slip for its pizza menu.

Great ingredients and creative thinking are much in evidence. Of course you can keep it simple with margherita, pepperoni etcetera, but how about trying cumin pulled lamb with green harissa, chickpea and coriander? Or crispy crayfish po boy with remoulade sauce and pickles?

Their appealing vegan pizza has roast pepper, romesco sauce and spinach alongside the vegan mozzarella. Pizzas are available on Fridays and Saturdays.

01485 520827, www.thedabblingduck.co.uk Check websites for opening times and any pre-ordering requirements NORTH NORFOLK LIVING AUTUMN 2020

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Food & Drink

Box sets Many of us have discovered the joys of home delivery but the variety of treats you can have delivered boxed-up to your door from local producers is a delight, as Alison Huntley discovers

St Giles’ Fruity & Citrus Home Isolation Pack

Gin gin

Meaty marvels

Morton’s Meat Boxes come straight from the farm near Coltishall and offer a different top-quality selection each month, chosen by farmer Rob Morton. Most is from their farm (they also smoke their own meats) but other trusted suppliers are also used.

One recent box, for instance, featured top-quality beef from HV Graves and the Worstead Estate (ribeye and sirloin steaks plus steak burgers) as well as Morton’s own pork and Cumberland sausages.

Morton’s is a high-welfare farm with livestock kept in small groups.

There’s an award-winning selection including free-range chickens and turkeys, Jacob lamb and Mangalitza pigs (kept outdoors). National delivery in insulated, biodegradable packaging.

Morton’s Family Farm, Skeyton, 01692 538067 www.mortonsfarm.co.uk Gnaw Birthday Letterbox Chocolates

When pubs and restaurants closed their doors, things must have seemed pretty grim for gin makers, St Giles. But inspiration came their way with the creation of the home isolation pack - two bottles of their gorgeous gins (including raspberry, rhubarb and ginger) plus six assorted tonic waters. Lockdown suddenly got a lot more bearable.

St Giles - who handcraft their gin in a custom-made copper still - also do garden party packages (gin, luxury tonics, two tumblers plus recipes) and sell all three of their gins online for UK delivery. The bottles look divine too.

St Giles, Norwich 01603 737460 www.stgilesgin.com

More cheese please Norfolk Mardler and Dapple, Wissington, Binham Blue… the cheesy delights from Norfolk Deli run on and deliciously on. And they can be delivered to your door.

The deli’s creation of cheese boxes was driven largely by a wish to support local and national producers.

And the selections - many Mrs Temple’s Delights available in letterbox-friendly Cheese Box, Norfolk Deli sizes and packaging - have proved a winner.

They don’t just offer Norfolk produce. Selections include British and European cheeses and cheddars. Care has been taken to choose cheeses which won’t disintegrate in transit and next-day delivery is promised across mainland UK. Norfolk Deli, Hunstanton 01485 535540 www.norfolk-deli.co.uk

Come on Canaries

Chocs away

Who wouldn’t want a box crammed with delicious, ethical chocolate popping through the letterbox?

As lots of chocaholics discovered in lockdown, Norwich-based Gnaw’s hand-crafted chocolate comes in buttons, hot chocolate shots and bars with flavours from granola and peanut, to toasted coconut. Vegan, gluten-free and no added sugar versions also available.

Simply select your desired choice of goodies online - and soon it can be winging its way anywhere in the UK and most of Europe.

Gnaw, Norwich 01603 501518 www.gnawchocolate.co.uk

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Fresh cocktails straight to your door? Same day delivery every Thursday, Friday and Saturday through North Norfolk and Norwich (postcodes NR1 to NR14 and NR24 to NR28) if I order by 12pm? Where do I sign?

Cocktail Canaries are in the seriously hedonistic treat business. Salted caramel espresso martini, mango margarita… the range really makes it feel like the weekend starts here.

Whether in bottles or eco pouches, their cocktails have no preservatives or pasteurisation and are made to order by an awardwinning bartender. They’ll give you a £1 discount for every bottle returned. And there’s a nationwide postal service.

Cocktail Canaries, Aylsham 07341 816860 www.cocktailcanaries.co.uk

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Beer cheer

Mixing the magic

Over at Mix Off, quality cocktails are also the name of the game but theirs come as ingredients in a box, all ready for you to take starring role as the mixologist in chief.

‘You make it, you shake it, you drink it!’ is the slogan. Each themed box - choices include ‘Mediterranean Delights’, ‘Movie Night’ and ‘Gin Lovers’ - has everything you need plus a unique QR code which you can scan to watch a video of their top mixologist giving a step-by-step guide.

Even better is Club Mixology, which offers a different pair of cocktails to make each month, including tasty garnishes. Enough is included to make four to five drinks. UK delivery.

Mix Off, King’s Lynn 07732 864232 www.mixoff.co.uk

Let them post cake

Talk about serendipity… the delicious artisan traybakes created by King’s Lynn bakery Simply Cake Co. just happen to be the perfect shape for posting through a letterbox. What joy!

The cookies (a new addition) and millionaire’s shortbread are enticing enough but the serious action here is the brownies. Chocolate orange brownie anyone? Salted caramel? Raspberry and white chocolate?

Founder Susie Lemon was ahead of the game in setting up her online shop three years ago and believes that quality ingredients are the only way to go. Hence Belgian chocolate, proper butter and local free-range eggs.

You can create your own selection (vegan options available) and have it delivered anywhere in the UK. Simply Cake Co., King’s Lynn, www.simplycakeco.com

Getting it covered

The humble veg box has evolved into something far more sophisticated thanks to some clever thinking at Norfolk in a Box. Supporting local producers and suppliers couldn’t be easier. In one delivery, you can get not just local fruit and veg but cheese, honey, tea, cider, cakes, you name it. And dry ingredients too, such as lentils and couscous.

Choosing from 122 goodies might be tricky but delivery is straightforward.

They cover the whole of Norfolk (and some way beyond) with different delivery days depending on your postcode.

Norfolk in a Box, Wereham 01366 321119 www.norfolkinabox.co.uk

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Over in West Norfolk, the ambition of Duration Beer was always to build “a destination farmhouse brewery”. And they weren’t going to let lockdown stop them.

While keg sales fell off a cliff, web sales of beer boxes rocketed, says founder and managing director Miranda Hudson.

More importantly, not only did people see home delivery as essential, there was also a wider appreciation of quality local produce.

And this is definitely a premium product - “more of a weekly treat than an everyday purchase”.

‘Build a box’ gives you six to 15 fab beers (all in superbly stylish cans) but if that isn’t enough, go for ‘build a case’ to get 24 beers. UK mainland delivery with free delivery over £50. Click and collect Fridays 12pm to 6pm.

Duration Beer, West Acre www.durationbeer.com

Easy as pie In Bayfield, there were anxious times at the beginning of lockdown as Sarah Pettegree of Bray’s Cottage Pork Pies furloughed staff and considered mothballing the business.

But not so fast… their Pies by Post quickly became busier than they had ever been in their history, even at Christmas.

Bespoke, lettered, celebration pork pies started winging their way across the country, many as heartfelt gestures from loved ones who couldn’t be together.

Pies are sent out four days after the order being submitted. They are sent overnight in quality chilled packaging, arriving ready to eat and staying fresh for up to five days in the fridge.

Bray’s Cottage Pork Pies, Bayfield, Holt 01263 712958 www.perfectpie.co.uk

Sweet treats When you want to send a bit more than a card, Sponge cakes in Holt have the perfect solution - Cake Cards. Genius.

Choose a card from a huge selection - you can even upload one of your own photos to personalise it - then just choose your cake and whether to go for one or two slices and that’s it. If you order by 2pm, it will be despatched the same day.

Fruit-based cake slices stay fresh for up to five days, non-fruit-based cakes for up to seven.

Cakes include red velvet, lemon, and Victoria sponge and there are vegan and gluten-free options. Their tempting online shop offers plenty of whole cakes for home delivery too.

Sponge, Holt www.sponge.co.uk A Sponge cake card

29/09/2020 15:13

Food & Drink

Season’s eatings

With local foodie Atalanta Keirle You can follow Atalanta on Instagram @feastnorfolk

I love the summer, but I am always ready to embrace the changes autumn brings. The cooler days and darker evenings approaching bring the need for comforting and spice-filled eating. I also look for recipes that lend well to batch cooking, enabling you to fill your freezer each time you cook something.

This soup is vegan and can be made the day before; it can easily be doubled, while the koftas also can be prepared up to the cooking stage in advance.

Spiced butternut squash soup Ingredients (serves four) 3 tbsps light olive oil 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 1/2 tsp coriander seeds 1/2 tsp fennel seeds 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes 1 tsp salt 2 garlic cloves, peeled 1kg peeled and chopped butternut squash 400g tin coconut milk 400ml vegetable stock (can add more if too thick once blended) Handful of chopped coriander leaves

Method 1. Preheat oven to 180C 2. Grind all the spices together in a pestle and mortar 3. Mix the squash, garlic, spices and oil together on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes 4. Add the spiced squash to a saucepan and stir in coconut milk and stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes until the squash is soft 5. Blend the soup and check for seasoning 6. Serve with roughly chopped coriander leaves

© Atalanta Keirle

Beef kofta with herbed butter bean hummus

Eco kit What’s not to like about these brilliant eco scourers?

Made from 100% biodegradable coconut hair, they make super light work of scrubbing pots and pans. £4.75 for two.

Ele and Me, Wells-next-the-Sea, 01328 712201 www.eleandme.com Eco kids will enjoy the range by Liewood stocked at Marshes & Flint - choose from a fab variety of durable steel water bottles that keep liquids hot for up to 12 hours and cold up to 24 hours, making these perfect for beach outings, whatever the weather. £24.

Marshes & Flint, Creake Abbey, North Creake, 01328 738916 www.marshesandflint.co.uk

Richard’s Cookshop stocks some gorgeous KitchenCraft Natural Elements additions for your eco kitchen. I love the pastel shades of their reusable bamboo fibre ecofriendly travel mugs, £6.99 each.

Richard’s Cook Shop, Hunstanton, 01485 535889 www.richardscookshop.co.uk

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Beef kofta 500g minced beef (ideally 20% fat content) 1/2 onion finely chopped 1/2 tsp ground allspice 1 tbsp cumin seeds 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp caraway seeds 1/2 tsp chilli flakes salt and pepper 2 garlic cloves crushed 25g toasted pine nuts Handful finely chopped flat leaf parsley

© Atalanta Keirle

Herbed butter bean hummus 1x tin butter beans (keep 1 tbsp of the bean liquid) 1 clove finely grated garlic 1 tbsp of lemon juice 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt Small handful of flat leaf parsley and mint Freshly ground salt and pepper (adjust to taste) Method Blitz all the ingredients until roughly pureed

Method • Toast the spices in a frying pan stirring all the time for 3 minutes, then grind in a pestle and mortar.

• Mix all the ingredients well in a bowl and form into kebab shapes for the kofta. Thread onto wooden skewers - there should be enough for 8 skewers.

• Griddle on a high heat for 3 minutes each side, turning occasionally. These are also delicious barbecued.

Serve the kofta with dollops of hummus, flat breads, and a raw onion salad, or a tomato and raw onion salad

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A little reading…

Living

Half-term high jinks, story time, and some fab finds to keep your little nippers busy outdoors this autumn

A little spooky fun… © Holkham Estate 2018

Spend Halloween at Holkham, where deep in the enchanted walled garden you’ll find live performances of the tale of Hansel and Gretel, spooky storytelling, pumpkin carving, face painting, witch-crafts and tantalising skele-trails for the whole family to enjoy.

Fancy dress is welcome.

There’s an opportunity to get up close and creepy with the crawlies, plus a hair-raising chance to conquer the tree top terrors under the cover of darkness on the ropes course.

The tickets must be pre-booked via the website, with two sessions to choose from per day: 10am to 1pm, and 1pm to 4pm, Wednesday 28 to Saturday 31 October. www.holkham.co.uk

A little naming…

Gifts with your name on are fun at any age, but especially when you’re a child. Glitter & Mud in Wells personalises children’s sweatshirts, t-shirts and baby grows to order and has a lovely collection of designs, including glittery lettering!

“Kids love having their name on things, it gives them a sense of ownership, friendship and something to talk about with other friends,” says Dale Skipper of Glitter & Mud. “With choices of colours and fonts, you can really make them personal.”

Adult sizes are available too if you fancy a spot of twinning. Keep an eye out for all Dale’s latest designs on Instagram @glitter_and_mud Head to Glitter & Mud on Wells quay or www.glitterandmud.co.uk

THE DEN KIT COMPANY FLOWER PRESS KIT £19.50, Ele and Me

The Pumpkin House will be back for its third year this October, decorated with over 1000 pumpkins - from mini to emperor - to choose from! This pop-up pumpkin shop and pumpkin patch, near the A148 at Thursford, will include a decorated wooded trail, haybale maze and this year, a miniature pumpkin house to visit too. They’re open from Wednesday 21 to Saturday 31 October, from 10am to 4pm. www.pumpkinhouse.co.uk

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Local mum Hannah WhymanNaveh got creative during lockdown, writing, illustrating and publishing children’s book Piper and Minnie: Minnie goes missing.

“I haven’t picked up a pencil since college until this year,” says Hannah.

“I was randomly drawing with my girls and suddenly a picture of Piper, my youngest, and her pet chicken, Minnie, just came onto the page.

“The book is aimed at two- to six-year-olds and will be the first in a series of at least five short stories, which have already been written, including a Christmas story.”

We asked four-year-old James for his verdict: “I like the book because it is about being on a farm and I loved looking in all the different places trying to find Minnie. I would love to read more books about Piper and Minnie - especially if there was a tractor in one.”

Piper and Minnie: Minnie goes missing is available from Amazon or Hannah’s Etsy shop, Shadowthorpe.

A little shopping…

For the great outdoors

HAPE POCKET SWING £19.95, Ele and Me

MOLO JUMPER £59.95, Nippers of Norfolk

EMU AUSTRALIA FOX WALKER BOOTS £39, Nippers of Norfolk

BANWOOD BALANCE BIKE FIRST GO IN DARK GREEN £139, Marshes & Flint

THE NATURE OF PLAY: A HANDBOOK OF NATURE-BASED ACTIVITIES FOR ALL SEASONS, FANNY & ALEXANDER £16.99, Marshes & Flint

STOCKISTS Ele and Me, Wells 01328 712201 www.eleandme.com; Marshes & Flint, Creake Abbey, North Creake 01328 738916 www.marshesandflint.co.uk; Nippers of Norfolk, Drove Orchards, Thornham 01485 525676 www.nippersofnorfolk.co.uk

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A GRIMM HALLOWEEN Wednesday 28th to Saturday 31st October Frightful fairy tales, cringy creepy crawlies, wacky witch-crafts, peculiar pumpkin carving, cycle skele-trail, bewitching twilight tree tops on the ropes course and much more.

holkham.co.uk

Imaginatively and Thoughtfully Sourced Toys and Clothing for life’s little adventures!

Clothing, toys and gifts for babies, toddlers and children up to 14 years Currently open seven days a week. Visit the website for our updated opening hours from November

Wells, Norfolk / www.eleandme.com

Nippers of Norfolk, Drove Orchards, Thornham, PE36 6LS 01485 525676 @nippersofnorfolk www.nippersofnorfolk.co.uk 63

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