HERTFORDSHIRE’S COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL, THE PERFECT VENUE FOR EVERY OCCASION.
Cottonmill Lane St. Albans Hertfordshire AL1 2HQ T +44 (0) 1727 864477 E enquiries@sopwellhouse.co.uk www.sopwellhouse.co.uk
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Colour crush Our colour crush this issue is Scuba Blue Keep an eye out for this vibrant colour filling the shops with this turquoise takeover! This shade takes us away to an exotic paradise of beautiful seas and skies.
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Mothers Day
15 th March
Sunday Special at
Treat your mum this year to a bubbly breakfast for only £11.95 Choose one from: - Full English - Vegetarian Breakfast - Eggs Florentine - Eggs Benedict - Eggs Royale - Smoked Salmon & Scrambled egg - Chorizo Hash and a glass of prosecco
Or a very special two or three course Sunday lunch from only £17.95 Starters
Mains
Desserts
- Soup of the Day - Classic Prawn Cocktail - Pâté - Creamy Garlic Mushrooms
- Roast Pork - Roast Rump of Beef - Roast Butternut Squash - Roast Chicken
- Strawberry Cheesecake - Chocolate Tart - Apple & Rhubarb Crumble
Children’s menu available Please book in advance to avoid disapointment
FRE flowers E choco and la for all tes mums
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FOOD & DRINK ‘Rustic chic dining where you just won’t want to leave’ Redcoats Farmhouse offers a rustic chic dining experience with excellent food and service. With an array of dishes, their beautifully presented food will tantalise your taste buds leaving you wanting more. As an award-winning restaurant, Hertfordshire’s Redcoats has built up a reputation as one of the best in the area. Offering seasonal menus which are regularly updated, local produce is used where possible to create a fresh delicious dining experience. The interior is worth a visit alone, with a cosy bar area, rustic interior and log fire. If you would like a group catered for then Redcoats is able to take bookings for up to 150 people. Redcoats also regularly host important occasions including weddings, birthday parties, business events, afternoon tea, anniversary celebrations and funeral receptions. Redcoats have over 30 years experience in planning and managing weddings and can offer you an unforgettable day. Offering stunning surroundings, a fabulous 3 course wedding breakfast, drinks and beautifully created canapés, it is no wonder Redcoats Farmhouse is a popular wedding venue. Whether you wish for an intimate dinner or a full day marquee event with exclusive use of the house and gardens, Redcoats could be the place for you. Let Redcoats spoil you on Valentine’s Day and book a fabulous meal for that special someone. #romanceatredcoats Call us on 01438 729500 Visit www.redcoats.co.uk for more information on food, weddings and rooms.
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FOOD & DRINK Cheers to Cocktails Who doesn’t love a delicious cocktail, helping us to pretend we are laying on a tropical beach with the waves crashing and the sun beaming on our faces… but enough dreaming! Cocktails ooze class which makes for a great night out visiting your local cocktail bar, trying out the never ending choice of mixtures and of course watching the mixologist showing off his or her skills.
‘Treat mum’ cocktail drinking?
Mother’s day Cocktail recipe Bloom Bellini
Mokoko Cocktail Bar & Grill
This cocktail is based on a delicate
26 Verulum Road
floral premium London dry gin,
St Albans
inspired by English country gardens.
www.mokoko-bar.com
Bloom Bellini is perfect for those
Mother’s Day is Sunday 15th March so why not treat your mum to an evening of
who appreciate a more delicate and Adhoc Bar & Kitchen
subtle gin-drinking experience.
The Old Court House, Fish Hill Royston www.adhocbarandkitchen.com
• 25ml Bloom Premium London Dry Gin
The Snug
• 10ml peach juice mixer
Hitchin, Hertford, St Albans,
• Prosecco/Sparkling Wine
High Wycombe, Cambridge
to top up
www.thesnugbar.co.uk Shake together the gin and peach Chic Champagne & Cocktail Bar
juice with ice in cocktail shaker,
35 Church Gate
pour into open glasses. Top with
Hitchin
the Prosecco and serve. Add a
www.chicbar.co.uk
stirrer and fruits of your choice to decorate.
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Will you be my Valentine’s gifts
Just For Me 30 Leys Avenue Letchworth Garden City Hertfordshire SG6 3EW 01462 676688
Jewellery Box L 4 Leather 6 The Arcade Letchworth Garden City Herts SG6 3ES T: 01462 338816
For her... Wild Roses Lingerie 61 Norton Way North Letchworth Garden City Hertfordshire SG6 1BH www.wildroseslingerie.co.uk T: 01462 674956
Annie’s Chocolate Emporium 10 The Arcade Letchworth Garden City Hertfordshire SG6 3ES www.annieschocolateemporium.co.uk T: 01462 680800
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1 The Arcade Letchworth Garden City Hertfordshire SG6 3ET 01462 675707
valentine? Valentine’s Day is the one time of year where couples, lovers and friends can express their feelings, either anonymously or by shouting them from the
Framework Photographic
rooftops. This is the day
The Arcade Letchworth Garden City Hertfordshire, SG6 3ET 01462 484363
where love and romance is celebrated with cards,
The Body Shop
gifts and flowers. It can be hard to buy
21 Commerce Way Garden Square Shopping Centre Letchworth Garden City Hertfordshire SG6 3DN
For him...
even for someone you know really well. It doesn’t have to be a well thought out gift for Valentine’s; chocolates, flowers,
Mr Bransons
light-hearted presents
11 Central Approach Letchworth Garden City
are all acceptable and appreciated on this one day of the year. Let us help you find the perfect Valentine’s gift for the one you love.
Jewellery Box 1 The Arcade Letchworth Garden City Hertfordshire SG6 3ET 01462 675707
To find out more about Shopping and Eating Out in the world’s first Garden City, visit www.shopletchworth.com @LoveLetchworth
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Dates for Valentine’s
S
If you want fine dining then this
most exciting part
Tea with a Tiger in Hertfordshire
of Valentine’s is the
Broxbourne £59
Glasshouse is an international
date! There are so
Redletterdays.co.uk
theatre of cooking and a luxury
ome may say the
many great places to go in
restaurant. Watch the food
Hertfordshire and we have
This is a great one for any
be prepared in front of your
found a select few perfect
animal lovers and goes against
eyes and enjoy these exquisite
places to go out in style. From
the cliché dinner date. Enjoy a
dishes which will delight your
luxury dinners, to a relaxing day
fabulous afternoon tea spread
tastebuds. You can also book a
being pampered, to spending
for two and get an up close and
room to stay at The Grove if you
a day with the big cats having
personal view of all the big cats
fancy making a night of it with a
afternoon tea it’s all here.
whilst being educated as you
few drinks.
eat.
Thegrove.co.uk
The Glasshouse restaurant
A massage at The Cove Spa Hitchin, St Albans, Cheswick
At The Grove, Chandlers Cross,
http://www.thecovespa.co.uk/
Hertfordshire
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is the place to come and eat. The
Give yourself a break and come
to get a tasty and reasonably
and have a massage at The
priced meal with a variety of
Wine tasting evening for two
Cove Spa. Awarded ‘The Most
different foods on offer.
£55 Hertfordshire
Commended Spa/Salon at
Dreamdays.co.uk
a wide variety of treatments.
3 course dinner with champagne cocktail for two at Hilton hotel,
Relax and let The Cove Spa take
Hertfordshire £49
tasting? Try a quality selection
care of you and your partner.
dreamdays.co.uk
of the finest wines and learn
Dine out in a Hilton hotel with
Jamie’s Italian, St Albans
about the different types of
a gorgeous three course meal,
grapes from key wine producing
chosen by you from the set
regions. Awaken your taste buds
http://www.jamieoliver.com/
menu, followed by a champagne
and have a fun and educational
italian/
cocktail. Great for a romantic
evening.
Who doesn’t love Jamie Oliver’s
meal in a beautiful dining area
gorgeous recipes? If you
with luxury food and drink. The
fancy an Italian why not give
perfect date to impress. Also
Jamie’s Italian a visit for fresh,
why not book a room to stay to
carefully sourced and seasonal
enjoy your night further?
the prestigious British Beauty Awards 2013, Cove Spa offers
If you would like a more sophisticated approach how about an evening of wine
ingredients. You will be sure
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blooming lovEly
N
ow entering its 20th year, Barnabys’
bouquets. As is still the case today, each flower had a specific meaning
bespoke bouquets
attached to it, making
have brought smiles
it possible to have an
to their customers’
entire conversation
faces for long enough
using only flowers.
that you can be certain that they know what they’re talking about. This is why we’ve asked their designers, who have amassed in excess of 100 years of experience between them, about the origins of and how best to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
Although red roses are the star attraction, as one of 250 Vera Wang Wedding and Floral Collection accredited florists in the entire UK flower industry, Barnabys stock a wide and colourful array of flowers ready for Valentine’s Day. As well as these, they sell Belgian
We are now gearing up for Valentine’s Day, the
chocolates, Champagne truffles, balloons and
traditional flower of which is a rose as it signifies
soft toys in their historic Stevenage Old Town
romantic love, but there are many other flowers
store, where the friendly staff are ready to help
that people send to communicate the different
you with orders large or small.
types of love they feel for those important people in their lives.
Barnabys are open six days a
The legend of Valentine’s Day
week and you can be found on
originated during Rome’s third
Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or
century, when Emperor Claudius
www.stevenageflowers.com.
II decided that single men made better soldiers and outlawed marriage for young men. A priest named Valentine defied the Emperor by performing marriages for young lovers in secret, but when he was found out was sentenced to death. Valentine fell in love with his jailer’s blind daughter, who visited him in prison. Before he was put to death, he cured her and then sent her a letter, signing it “from your Valentine”. In honour of this, the jailer’s daughter planted a pink-blossomed almond tree by his grave. This is the origin of sending a card and flowers to those you love, the latter of these introduced in the 18th century when lovers began sending each other coded messages in custom floral
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IN THE Fast lane to Finishline (UK) Ltd is the one-stop solution to all your vehicle needs. Our body shop offers customers the complete vehicle bodywork solution, providing the following services: • Accident damage repair • Repairs to small dents and scratches • Insurance repairs • Wheel refurbishment • Motorbike paintwork • Commercial repairs • Courtesy vehicles Our purpose built bodyshop is complete with a Spraybake booth that can hold vehicles up to 12ft high and 3.5 tonnes in weight and a car-o-liner jig system for structural repair.
MECHANICAL REPAIR If you vehicle requires mechanical repair, we offer •Tyre fitting • MOT • Servicing
• Mechanical diagnostic
We pride ourselves on our excellent customer service and high standard of workmanship, meaning that each job is carried out to the same high quality no matter how big or small. Our fantastic team are all highly qualified with a wealth of experience and qualifications. Whatever your requirement we would be delighted to help so please pop along for a free estimate.
RACE CAR PREPARATION AND REPAIR The Finishline Motorsport team has over 8 years of saloon car racing experience, preparing and racing championship winning cars. We offer race car preparation and repair that is secondto-none. We supply and fit a range of racing items including Mintex Racing brake pads and GAZ shocks.
Finishline (UK) Ltd Jacks Hill, Great North Road, Graveley Hitchin, Herts SG4 7EQ
T: 01462 677112 | E: info@finishlineukltd.co.uk W: www.finishlineukltd.co.uk
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success
Corporate Track Days and Race Car Rental If you fancy driving a fully race prepared car around
in your life our Corporate Track Days are ideal team
one of the UKs most exciting race circuits then a
building and networking events. Our days are run
Corporate Track Day events would be the perfect
with a maximum of 10 participants so you could
day for you!
book out a few spaces on a day and we will fill the rest or you could chose to book all 10 spaces and
• Drive two Finishline race prepared vehicles
have the day to yourselves.
• Receive one-to-one instruction from an S grade instructor
We also offer Arrive & Drive race car rental
• Drive at either Brands Hatch or Snetterton
packages that can be tailored to suit your
• Full catering provided throughout the day
requirements please check or website or give us a
As well as being a perfect gift for the car enthusiast
call 01462
677112 for more information.
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BMW M
Seat LEon
Hatchback
BMW M3 Coupe
Seat LEon Hatchback
If you have been looking for a car that combines
Pitched as an alternative to the VW Golf that
practicality and high performance, go no further.
will be easy on your budget, the Leon is a smart,
The M3 oozes class, the exterior hinting at, rather
reliable car that outdoes its competitor on several
than boasting, its muscle. Features include four tail-
fronts. Perfect for families, it is cheap to run with
pipes, bulging wheel arches and a power dome in
outstanding safety equipment including seven
the bonnet but the subtle centrepiece is the carbon
air bags, a tyre pressure monitoring system and
fibre roof. As well as looking great, this works to
stability controls. As part of the optional Driver
the advantage of the car’s handling, both reducing
Assist Pack, you can also choose to have a Lane
its weight and lowering the centre of gravity. With-
Assist feature installed that will detect if you
in, the car is reserved, with bespoke dials, steering
unintentionally stray out of your lane and gently
wheel and sports seats ensuring it is as stylish
countersteer you back on track.
inside as it is out. Pacey and composed on the road, the Leon is The real strength of this vehicle is its frightening
nice to handle throughout its price range, its
power. Its handling and ability to take corners is
performance capabilities growing pleasingly at the
exquisite, particularly at high speeds, and once
high end. Even the three-door model is spacious in
you’re on a reasonably fast road the M3 comes into
the front and back, with lots of head and leg room,
its own. The car is comfortable with accelerating
and the boot has a good capacity of 380 litres.
without let up as far as you can take it while still
All Leon cars, from entry-level up, get fully kitted
maintaining the flexibility to allow an easy ride if
out, featuring air-con and a MP3-compatible,
you’re in traffic.
six-speaker sound system with CD player and Bluetooth. The heating controllers are simple
There’s none better at marrying these strengths to
and easy to use and a well-positioned integrated
the ability to perform day-to-day than the M3, with
touch screen comes as standard at the top of the
enough space for four adults and a decent sized
dashboard. This is a nicely styled vehicle that is
boot. To its detriment, it is relatively expensive to
effective in every sense of the word.
run, but overall is one of the finest ways to spend your money.
FACTS/SPEC for 1.4 TSI 125 SE 5dr 0-60: 9.1 secs
FACTS/SPEC for 3.2 V8
126mph top speed
0-62: 4.60 secs
54.3 average mpg
155mph top speed from 338 bhp 20.1 average mpg
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m
oVe m I LIKE
T H E
WAY
Y OU
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The full-flavoured heritage of Redcoats Farmhouse makes staying at the family-run hotel & restaurant like being treated to a sumptuous dinner party at a friend’s house. Our head chef is winning plaudits for his creative menu with local produce and foraged ingredients.
Redcoats Farmhouse Hotel & Restaurant is the dream location for a romantic weekend or to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries or family reunions.
d e r u o v a l F l l e u g F erita H Redcoats Farmhouse Hotel & Restaurant Redcoats Green, Near Hitchin, Hertfordshire SG4 7JR
T: 01438 729500
sales@redcoats.co.uk
www.redcoats.co.uk