Places & Faces North & West Norfolk 21 December 2018 by Countrywide Publications

CELEBRITIES / FOOD / TRAVEL / FASHION / HOMES & GARDENS / THEATRE

2 5 Festive

pages of

WHAT’S ON

INSPIRATION

HIS & HERS GIFT GUIDE

Books

our best reads

HAVE YOURSELF A VERY

Royal Christmas

BEST-SELLING AUTHOR

Elizabeth HAYNES

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ISSUE № 21

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WELCOME

TO DECEMBER’S PLACES&FACES® THE FESTIVE SEASON is upon us once again, so here at Places&Faces we have searched the region for the best festive fayre on offer. We have five fantastic pages of what’s on, with something for everyone to enjoy. We catch up with former Hollyoaks star Steven Roberts ahead of his appearance in Norwich Theatre Royal’s pantomime ‘Aladdin’, which will continue their tradition of fantastic Christmas extravaganzas! If you fancy heading to the West End Bennet Catty reviews ‘Company’ and a ﬂavour of the west heads to Bury St Edmunds in the form of Paul Young and his band Los Pacaminos. We have also been lucky enough to ask a few questions to the best-selling Elizabeth Haynes. As well as having inspiring words for future authors we have 3 signed copies of her latest book ‘ The Murder of Harriet Monckton’ to give away! We have 25 pages of festive inspiration with everything from last minute gifts for the high street for that special someone to how to have a royal Christmas. We also have plenty of festive food to temp your

family and friends over the holidays and Tyler Torrence from The Boarding House Dining Rooms in Halesworth stopped by to answer some of our questions and share one of his favourite recipes. Peter Clarke shares the secret of the Imperial Hotels special brandy sauce, which is a great way to compliment your pud! So all in all everything you need to make your Christmas a merry one. We visited the fabulous new luxury lodges at Park Farm Hotel, which is a great place to relax a little closer to home. On top of all of this we have our regular columns including staycations and a travel round up to give you inspiration of where to holiday in 2019. Not to mention Spire Norwich Hospital’s medical advice and Carl Lamb discusses the active management of your investment portfolio. So plenty to keep you entertained whilst enjoying your mince pies. Also best of luck entering our three fantastic competitions on page 33 and everyone here at the magazine wishes you all a very merry Christmas and a happy and joy filled new year!!

@PlacesandFaces

www.placesandfaces.co.uk

CONTRIBUTORS Benet Catt y, Carl Lamb, Hayley Philpott, Ian Clarke, Jennifer Dwyer, John Bultitude, Judy Foster, Julie Handforth Doidge, Katja Bainbridge, Kayla Dunne, Mark Nicholls, Melanie Cook, Nick Mobbs, Pete Goodrum, Pete Waters, Peter Clarke, Richard Bainbridge, Scott Birch, Tessa Allingham DIRECTOR OF PUBLISHING Joe Marritt E: joe.marritt@micropress.co.uk PUBLISHER Colin Huggins E: colin@H2creativemedia.co.uk FASHION & BEAUTY EDITOR Donna Titcombe E: Donna@H2creativemedia.co.uk

Published by H2CREATIVE MEDIA

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CONTENTS

51 22

73 WHAT’S ON 11 15 17 19 28 28

Visit North Norfolk Company Steven Roberts - Aladin What’s on Elizabeth Haynes Book Club

37 70 HOMES AND GARDENS 56 76 79

Jarrold - Christmas !! Wren Kitchens JHD Interior Design Tips

FASHION, BEAUTY & HEALTH 63 65 75

COMPETITION 31

3 chances to win!!

58 60 81 82

39 46 48 51 52 55 55

The Christmas Chef The Grove The Boarding House, Halesworth Richard Bainbridge Imperial Hotel Boxing Day Booze Mulled Wine

TRAVEL

FEATURES 35

Ladies Fashion Party Season! Spire Hospital: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

FOOD & DRINK

67 70 73

Have yourself a very Royal Christmas Gifts for him Gifts for her Wealth Management Five minutes with...

Staycations Park Farm Our Travel Time round-up

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What’s on see, What to do, what to

s a m t i s r Ch

in North Norfolk

North Norfolk is home to many magical Christmas events and festive cheer this December. There’s plenty on for all the family and lots of places to meet Father Christmas, says Kayla Dunne from Visit North Norfolk.

For a truly festive experience, head

to National Trust properties, Blicking and Felbrigg. ‘Enchanted Felbrigg’ at Felbrigg Hall, Garden and Park invites you to follow a winter trail through the gardens and enchanted woodland, taking in the wonderful winter landscape. Along the journey, there will be music, crafts and tasty winter treats. The event runs from 7 to 9 December and 14 to 16 December. To enjoy a Christmas past, visit The National Trust’s Blickling Estate between 1 – 21 December. Start your visit with the tree-lined driveway, lit up with Christmas lights, before stepping inside to explore the house decorated with Georgian festive splendour. There will be timed tickets for each visit. For a traditional Christmas experience, head to Holkham Hall

and take a Candle Light Tour. This is a magical opportunity to see the magnificent state rooms adorned with opulent Christmas decorations and beautiful ﬂickering candlelight. This year’s hall display is in the Statue

Gallery where there will be a full size 18th century Italian inspired wintery parterre garden. Tours start from 2 December to 17 December. Check for dates and book tickets via www.holkham.co.uk.

where to go

For some fabulous festive fun, the Cromer Pier Christmas show is great entertainment. The Pavilion Theatre is now the only Theatre at the end of a Pier that produces an in-house show every summer and winter season. Fast becoming one of the top ‘must see’ family Christmas shows in Norfolk, you will be treated to amazing dance routines, music, comedy and entertaining acts. Check www. cromerpier.co.uk for performance times; running until 30 December. No family Christmas is complete without a visit to Father Christmas! There are plenty of fabulous opportunities; you can visit Santa on a boat, on trains and even on a farm!

At Wroxham Barns Junior Farm, a visit to Santa and his elves, involves games, singing, festive crafts, Santa’s Magic Show and each child receives a gift too. Bookable on various dates up to 23 December. For prices times and dates, visit www.wroxhambarns.co.uk. For a winter water adventure, join Santa and his pixies on board the Vintage Broadsman for an hour’s Santa Cruise with Broads Tours. The Pixies will be serving refreshments and children can take part in a seasonal quiz, sing along to Christmas songs and enter a Christmas colouring competition. Listen out for Santa as he lands his sleigh on the roof, before coming into the cosy saloon to meet with the children with his presents. Trips run from 1 to 24 December; booking is essential, www.broadstours. co.uk. There’s nothing more exciting than taking a magical train journey through the stunning north Norfolk countryside to meet Father Christmas. The North Norfolk Railway Santa Special, departs from Sheringham station, taking passengers to see Santa by his open fire at Santaland. At Wroxham, you can hop aboard the Bure Valley Railway Santa train, Norfolk’s longest narrow-gauge

railway, all the way to Aylsham where children can visit Santa in his grotto. Both events run from 1 to 24 December. To book visit www. nnrailway.co.uk and www.bvrw.co.uk. Wells & Walsingham Light Railway is also running its Father Christmas Specials between 8 and 22 December. Travel through north Norfolk’s coastal countryside, followed by a visit to Santa in his carriage grotto. Children can enjoy crafts and activities before hopping back on board the world’s smallest public railway. For dates and times call 01328 711630. One of the most popular events in the Christmas calendar is Santa’s Magical Journey at Thursford running from 24 November to 23 December. Walk through a magical winter wonderland, past the penguins and polar bears to see all the teddy bears ready to be loaded onto Santa’s sleigh. After the magical forest, families can visit Santa’s house to meet the man himself. Afterwards, there are festive refreshments and family friendly shows. To book visit www.thursford. com. For things to do, event listings and for further information, go to www.visitnorthnorfolk.com

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What’s on see, What to do, what to

A show about the agonies and ecstasies of being single, and of being in a relationship.

Photo: BRINKHOFF MOGENBURG

LESS THAN A wyear since the National

Theatre’s sumptuous production of Follies – which returns in the spring – another Stephen Sondheim musical from the same period gets an unsurpassable London revival. Company, Sondheim and George Furth’s concept musical, takes place in the head of Bobby, a successful but single man on the night of his 35th birthday. Or rather, it did. Bobby of 1970 has been given a sex change and is now Bobbie of 2018, for whom the ticking body clock is a noisier influence than it ever was for Bobby. Her friends have also had a mix of gender re-assignments by award-winning director Marianne Elliott (Curious Incident and War Horse), so that Bobbie’s various (un) happily married friends include a gay couple. If you don’t know the original show, you’d never know it wasn’t always this way. If you do, the effect on the material is fascinating. As befits a show with naturalistic writing but an abstract structure, Elliott and designer Bunny Christie present a strikingly theatrical vision. Bobbie’s apartment room is tiny, and the inflatable number 35 someone has given her gradually takes up more space in it. The apartment variously glides away to make room for other spaces where she watches, engages or commiserates with a selection of friends and partnerships. Each space necessitates going through a door. The staging, like the writing, is simultaneously naturalistic and metaphoric. In several sequences, a room is simultaneously used for two scenes. In another case, during a sexual act rarely seen on the musical stage, all her friends are sitting with her on the bed watching (and singing). She carries all their advice and experience with her into every relationship.

The ingenuity of the staging would count for nothing if the individual characters weren’t all so well drawn, all with the typical Sondheim mix of comedy and tragedy. The scene in which one half of the gay couple has an emotional (and musical) nervous breakdown with the impossibly fast “Getting Married Today” – which brings the house down – and then tells his fiancée he doesn’t want to marry him is funny and sad, beautifully played by Jonathan Bailey and Alex Gaumond. It is easy to see why two such contrasting people would work so well together, and equally easy to imagine why they might not. That is, after all, the essence of relationships. The star turn in the show is the deadpan older friend Joanne, played here by Broadway icon Patti Lupone. For those of us who loved her in Sunset Boulevard and Masterclass, or indeed as the original Fantine in Les Miserables, the thrill of being in her presence is considerable. But when it comes to her big number “The Ladies Who Lunch” she takes an unexpected route, playing it with a wistful disdain rather than with the barnstorming force-ten vibrato for which she’s most famous. She makes a funny, biting classic a wistful cry of rage and is all the more affecting for it. Rosalie Craig plays Bobbie. It is a troublesome role as for so much of the show – particularly in the first half – Bobbie is the observing role in any scene rather than the motor of it. So the challenge is how to play the silence. Adrian Lester (in the 1995 London production) and Raul Esparza (in the Broadway actor-musician incarnation,

recorded for DVD) both oozed charisma. No matter where the focus of the scene was, one was always looking at them; seeing the scene through their eyes. Craig does not possess that kind of stage presence. At times this makes the show’s point – she’s a supporting character in her own life; at other times it has the unfortunate effect of making one admire the staging which Elliott requires her to do rather than watching the character. She sings well, particularly the show’s most famous song “Being Alive” but she doesn’t blow us away. Maybe that’s the point, but it’s also a shame. For me, Company’s title has always been, in part, a joke about itself: it’s an ensemble (‘company’) show and is about a solo character being invaded by the not-always- welcome company of friends. But in this incarnation, as Bobbie sang her final few lines in front of the neon sign of the show’s title, the meaning changed. “Someone to pull me up short, and put me through hell, and give me support for being alive” she sings. The word is a challenge to Bobbie and all of us: do we feel safest with our own company, or crave someone else’s? The show is not perfect. There is one weak (albeit brief ) performance, the sound design doesn’t provide enough clarity in the company numbers, and it should be twenty minutes shorter (it runs the same length as Les Miz). But it is a top-class production of a top-drawer musical. What a treat that for a few weeks in the spring it will be running concurrently with Follies (the original production of which, interestingly, opened a year after Company). One word of caution though. It’s a show about the agonies and ecstasies of being single, and of being in a relationship. It’s not one to see alone. Make sure you have company.

Company is performing at the Gielgud Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue in London’s West End. The show has just been extended until 31 March 2019. www.gielgudtheatre.co.uk 15

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Aladdin

What’s on see, where to go What to do, what to

Former Hollyoaks star is set to swap the seats for the stage as he takes on the lead role in Aladdin.

THE Norwich Theatre Royal pantomime was a key festive childhood memory for Steven Roberts. He tells John Bultitude about his festive visits to the theatre as a youngster and how he cannot wait to take to the stage this Christmas. As he gets ready for curtain up on his first professional panto performance in Norwich, Steven Roberts admits it will be a really special moment for him. He recalled: “Seeing the pantomime there was where I first fell in love with the theatre. It was my earliest memory of seeing something on stage. My family used to live near Lowestoft and we used to get on the train to see it. I remember it being so colourful and fun.” This year, he is going to be front and centre of the panto festivities as he portrays Aladdin at the Theatre Royal and he can’t wait. He said: “It will be so much fun. There will be the magic, the carpet, the genie and the relationship with my mum Widow Twankey. I am really looking forward to it.” It is the latest role for the actor who was

fortunate enough to win a high-profile soap role almost straight out of drama school. He played fashion student George Smith who, at first glance, was a fashionista donning designer labels and bringing an air of flamboyance to the Chester-set show. During his three years in the soap, he had the opportunity to portray a multilayered character. Steven recalled: “It was exciting because when I first joined, I didn’t know where George’s storyline would go. He came in as a fashion student who came in wearing anything and everything that took his fancy. Those costumes were interesting and then shortly after I joined, it transpired he had run away from home because he was worried about how his family would accept his sexuality. He found himself living on the streets with his friend Phoebe and that was a big part of my time there. “It was a challenging storyline exploring how young people can find themselves on the streets and how they cope with it. It was a tough storyline to do but I worked with the Centrepoint charity on it. It was true to life and had a strong message about learning to accept yourself and surround yourself with the right people. He had some nice friends. There was one night we did a sleep out to raise money for charity. To think

that people have to do that night in and night out is terrible.” As well as getting the chance to be part of storylines for him to get his teeth into, it was also a great experience for Steven. “It was so much fun. It is a strange bubble in a way. I was very fortunate in that it was my first job out of drama school. There is a quick turnaround but I learned a lot and I met some amazing people. It is a cliché but the people there are really lovely,” he said. Since then, his career has moved sideways into theatre and he took on one of his dream roles of the sensitive Posner in the UK tour of Alan Bennett’s classic play The History Boys. Steven said: “Playing Posner was brilliant. We toured for six months all over the country and went to lots of different theatres and I loved the play. It was a great part and that was my first professional theatre tour. “I love touring. I really like it. You get to see the country and it is nice to experience different sizes of theatre. Some can feel more intimate and some can feel bigger. You get to know the locals a bit and sample their culinary delights as well as see the local surroundings.” He also took part in a heart-warming production of The Secret Garden for York Theatre Royal over the summer which saw the human cast get some help from puppets to tell the classic story. Steven said: “It was a magical family adventure. It is a story of friendship, what it can do and how together they can overcome obstacles.” Away from his professional life, Steven does like to wind-down by going to the theatre as an audience-member as well as heading out on his bicycle or just having a relaxing meal with friends. And he is really looking forward to joining a star cast including former Emmerdale and Casualty star Rik Makarem, Milkshake favourite Kiera-Nicole Brennan and Norwich Theatre Royal panto stalwart Richard Gauntlett in Aladdin from December 12 to January 13. “I think panto feels nostalgic in a nice way. I remember coming to see pantomime when I was really diddy and I remember loving being part of that,” said Steven. So Aladdin is going to be magical for Stephen in more ways than one this Christmas. Oh yes it is. Aladdin is on at The Norwich Theatre Royal from Wednesday 12 December through to Sunday 13 January. www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk 17

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BLICKLING ESTATE Christmas is coming to Blickling Estate 1 - 21 December | 10.30am – 6.30pm Enjoy the colours, smells and sounds of Christmas at Blickling Estate. This year, discover a Georgian-themed festive experience in the house and explore our enchanting garden of lights every day of the week. To make the most of your visit, we’re open until 6.30pm, so you’ll have plenty of time to soak up the magical atmosphere.

After school magic at Blickling Estate 1 - 21 December | Daily This Christmas, seize the opportunity to visit Blickling’s magical house and garden after school. We’re open until 6.30pm so there’s plenty of time to take part in our family activities whilst on an adventure around the enchanted garden of lights. Then warm up with a hot chocolate and festive treat, before stepping inside to see the house in full sparkle.

FATHER & MOTHER CHRISTMAS

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/blickling-estate

from 25 November

THRESHOLD THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS

ELF THE MUSICAL

Norwich Playhouse 12-22 December The perfect Christmas treat, based on the cinema hit! Buddy, a young orphan, mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts, is transported to the North Pole and raised unaware that he is actually a human— until his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth.

This modern-day holiday classic is sure to make everyone embrace their inner Elf. After all, the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear! www.norwichplayhouse.co.uk

Vancouver Quarter Shopping Centre, Kings Lynn Father and Mother Christmas make their return to King’s Lynn, Vancouver Quarter Shopping Centre from 25th November with their Christmas Grotto on Broad Street. You can catch them and their elves each Thursday – Sunday up until Christmas Eve. This very popular grotto is free to attend but it is recommended you book your space www.vancouverquarter.com

DEC-JAN

BOX OFFICE: (01603) 63 00 00

Sun 2 Dec CZECH NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA A programme to delight seasoned music lovers and newcomers of all ages £10 - £37.50 Wed 12 Dec - Sun 13 Jan ALADDIN Book your mystical magic-carpet ride for the whole family this Christmas £10 - £24.50

Mon 14 – Wed 16 Jan RUSSIAN STATE BALLET OF SIBERIA One of Russia’s leading ballet companies £10 - £38 Thurs 17 – Fri 18 Jan JASON MANFORD MUDDLE CLASS A new show not to be missed £10 - £28.50

Sat 19 Jan BRITTEN SINFONIA: ELDER CONDUCTS BRAHMS AND MAHLER Sir Mark Elder conducts a programme of Britten, Mahler and Brahms £10 - £36 Tues 22 – Sat 26 Jan GUYS AND DOLLS The Norfolk and Norwich Operatic Society return with a brand new production £10 - £25 Tues 29 Jan – Sat 2 Feb ROMEO AND JULIET The RSC presents a fresh and contemporary version of the classic play £10 - £33

Book online: www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk THEATRE STREET, NORWICH NR2 1RL

ALADDIN

Wed 2 Jan BEYOND THE BARRICADE The best of Broadway and West End musicals £10 - £24.50

Tues 8 Jan A VISION OF ELVIS On the King’s birthday, enjoy the best Elvis Presley tribute act £10 - £25.50

What’s on see, where to go What to do, what to

True STORIES LIVE

TRADITIONAL CAROL SERVICE

CHURCH OF ST. WITHBURGA Sunday 23 December, 11.30am The flint church of St. Withburga is situated half a mile north-west of the Holkham Hall. All are welcome at the traditional carol service, followed by refreshments. www.holkham.co.uk

UEA CHOIR CHRISTMAS CAROL CONCERT

Heart-warming True Stories for a Cold Winter’s Night

Norwich Arts Centre 9 December Intimate monthly storytelling event True Stories Live has some exciting guests for its Christmas Special at Norwich Arts Centre on 9 December. True Stories Live is the convivial Norwich Arts Centre evening that has grown over the past two years to become a regular sell out success. It’s a lively, moving and unpredictable event with stories on a changing monthly theme that can be everything from heartwarming to revealing, from funny to shocking to sad. Nina Nannar and Helen Linehan will be joining the December line-up to tell their own true stories on the theme of Heroes. For ITV News, Nina Nannar covers stories in the world of arts and entertainment and interviews influential figures and big names – but are any of them her heroes? Will she spill the beans on anyone famous or are her heroes closer to home? Comedy writer Helen Linehan is the creator of the hilarious BBC TV sitcom Motherland starring Anna Maxwell Martin and Diane Morgan. She is also known for speaking about her and husband Graham’s experience of abortion in support of the campaign to decriminalise abortion in Ireland. www.norwichartscentre.co.uk

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St John the Baptist Roman Catholic Cathedral Wednesday 12 December Under the direction of UEA Choirmaster, Tom Primrose, the 170-strong choir and 30-strong chamber choir, will perform music by Rutter, Vaughan Williams, Holst, and Dove, as well as a host of well-loved Christmas carols for the audience to join in. www.uea.ac.uk

The Sweet: Blockbuster Christmas Show

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds 18 December The Sweet are a national treasure, British at the core and a rock music phenomena that has taken every continent by storm for more than four decades. With the hits ‘Blockbuster’, ‘Ballroom Blitz’, ‘Fox On The Run’ and ‘Love Is Like Oxygen’, The Sweet became one of the biggest bands of the ‘70s, and were the quintessential glam rockers who brought androgynous looks and crunching guitar pop to the masses. With support from the fantastic Trespass. www.theapex.co.uk

CATHEDRAL CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION

Cathedral of St John the Baptist Norwich Wednesday 19 December An opportunity to hear the Cathedral Adult Choir and Children’s Choir singing some of the most famous and well loved Christmas songs, plus some which you might not know! www.sjbcathedral.org.uk

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FISH

UEA Norwich December 4 Following the digital release of his entire solo catalogue in June, which has generated well over a million streams already, FISH has released his brand new single, ‘Man With A Stick’, the first track to be taken from his upcoming EP A Parley With Angels, out 21 September, and the first taste of his final studio album, Weltschmerz. www.uealcr.ticketabc.com

What’s on see, What to do, what to

CHRISTMAS WINTER MARKET

WELLS MALTINGS 8 December, 10am - 5pm & 9 December, 11am - 4pm This new festive fair is definitely worth a visit, with some stunning stalls featuring jewellery, woodwork, glassware, paintings, pottery, plants and more from around East Anglia. Browse, enjoy a glass of mulled wine and listen to the carols from the band and the fairground organ. This promises to be a fabulous new fair in a fantastic new building. All welcome with free entry. www.wellsmaltings.org.uk

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where to go

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CHRISTMAS WREATH WORKSHOPS

Fairhaven Woodland & Water Garden, 8 and 12 December Create a fabulous Christmas wreath to hang on your door in this popular wreath workshop. There will be a step by step demonstration and help is on hand throughout the workshop to ensure you go home with a fantastic creation. All materials supplied. Just bring yourself, secateurs and an apron. www.fairhavengarden.co.uk

CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAIR

THURSFORD CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR

On now until December 23 An extravaganza of non-stop singing, dancing, music, humour and variety. It’s a fast moving celebration of the festive season featuring an eclectic mix of both seasonal and year round favourites. The 2017 Spectacular show was sold out in record time so please make sure you book up early for this year’s Christmas Spectacular. www.thursford.com 22

Hoveton Hall Gardens 8-9 December Get into the Christmas spirit at this delightful Christmas Fair, held in a heated marquee in the stable yard of Hoveton Hall. There will be lots of beautiful handmade crafts and goods for sale, perfect for those last minute Christmas gifts. No need to book, just turn up on the day. Please note entry is via the main drive to the Hall of the A1151, not the entrance to the gardens. www.hovetonhallestate.co.uk

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S3332 Places and Faces New Years Eve KHH v2.qxp_Layout 1 18/09/2018 08:5

hil

NORWICH

New Year’s Eve Break

NORWICH PHILHARMONIC

ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS

Saturday 8 December 7.30pm

St Andrew’s Hall Norwich

AMERICAN NIGHT BERNSTEIN Overture Candide GERSHWIN Piano Concerto COPLAND Billy the Kid Suite BARBER Essay No.1 GERSHWIN An American in Paris

Why not join us for our New Year’s break and celebrate the arrival of 2019 in style! Break includes: Overnight accommodation and breakfast

Norwich Philharmonic Orchestra Matthew Andrews conductor

Pre dinner drinks and canapés 3 course dinner Disco From £165 per person Tel: 01553 675566 Email: reception@knightshill.co.uk South Wootton, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 3HQ

www.knightshill.co.uk

The Norwich Philharmonic Society is a registered charity No.264425

Tea and cake on arrival

Martin Roscoe piano

TICKETS £12-£17 (£7 students/U26) BOX OFFICE www.stgeorgesmusic.co.uk 01603 626414 www.norwichphil.ticketsource.co.uk

www.norwichphil.org.uk

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we only supply top brands ZEUS and BROTHERS Fireworks are always available throughout the year and if shop is closed just phone the above number

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What’s on see, What to do, what to

CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR & WATER SHOW Hippodrome Circus Great Yarmouth 8 December - 6 January With what is now described by many as “Norfolk Tradition” The Hippodrome Christmas Spectacular is one of the biggest Christmas productions in Europe and combines the festive spirit of Christmas with the breath-taking magic of the circus. There truly is no other Christmas show like it and it provides a completely new alternative to the traditional pantomime shows. www.hippodromecircus.co.uk

where to go

THE JAM

The Open, Norwich 1 December Bruce Foxton and Russell Hastings celebrate the 40th anniversary of ‘All Mod Cons’. With over 11 years of touring, the Jam have earned a great reputation for their live performances. www.opennorwich.org.uk

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STEVE HARLEY & COCKNEY REBEL CHRISTMAS SHOW

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AN EVENING OF ERIC & ERN AT CHRISTMAS

The Apex, Bury St Edmmunds 13 December This is a brilliant homage crammed full of renditions of those famous comedy sketches, that hits all the right notes! From Greig’s Piano Concerto to Mr Memory, “Arsenal!”, it’s a show full of Morecambe and Wise’s most loved routines, songs and sketches and of course a musical guest. This wonderful show evokes memories of times when whole families would huddle around the telly to watch those fantastic Christmas specials. You’ll feel you’ve experienced the real thing and been taken back to a world of sunshine and laughter. As seen on The One Show, BBC1 and The Alan Titchmarsh Show, ITV. www.theapex.co.uk

The Open, Norwich 20 December Legendary rock icon and the original Cockney Rebel, Steve Harley has written and recorded twelve albums in a career covering four decades, and continues to tour to sell-out audiences in many countries world-wide www.opennorwich.org.uk

PROPAGANDA

The Waterfront, Norwich 7 & 14 December Propaganda is one of Norwich’s biggest club nights every Friday at The Waterfront. With three rooms of music expect an audiovisual mix from the likes of Arctic Monkeys, The 1975, Catfish & The Bottlemen, Rudimental, The Strokes, Blink-182 and more! www.thewaterfront.ticketabc.com

What’s on

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What to do, what to see, where to go

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: THE BROADWAY MUSICAL

The Apex , Bury St Edmunds 30 December - 2 January The award-winning CTC proudly present the classic tale of A Christmas Carol. With music by the renowned musical theatre composer Alan Menken, this is a spectacular musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ most wellknown story; a perfect festive treat for all the family. www.theapex.co.uk

SLEEPING BEAUTY

Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds Now until 13 January As a newborn baby she was cursed by the evil fairy Carabosse. On the day of her 16th birthday, Aurora will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die! Will Nanny Fanny, King Edmund and Grub the kitchen boy be able to protect the un-suspecting princess? Will Fairy Fortune find a way to defeat her sister, the wicked Carabosse? And what part does the dashing Prince Florin have to play? Join in the medieval kingdom of Burytonia for magic, mayhem and more. You’ll meet jousting knights, mythical beasts and take a journey beneath the earth. Most importantly you’ll discover if love really can conquer all. Children under 18 months of age do not require their own seat/ticket. Please take into consideration other audience members and speak to a member of the Box Office team for seating recommendations www.theatreroyal.org

Norwich Traditional Christmas Market

The Forum, Norwich 7 - 23 December The market is located in front of the Norwich Forum which attracts around 5000 people daily. St Peter’s medieval Church will act as a fitting backdrop, conjuring up memories of Christmas carols, winter church services, all supported by the impressive and special character of Norwich city. Accessing the market form Gentleman’s walk through the wonderful tunnel of lights, created from thousands of twinkling bulbs, this is the longest Christmas tunnel to be found in Europe. Forming the centrepiece of this Norwich Christmas experience, be prepared to be amazed as you stop to take festive selfies! Norwich will play host not only to a wonderful Christmas market but also a long-standing traditional market, also being held in the city centre. You will be truly engulfed by all that’s wonderful about this time of year, abundant with the excitement and very special air of the festive season as you explore the sights and sounds of Norwich city centre. See the tree-lined street of Gentleman’s Walk, twinkling with Christmas lights and illuminating the wonderful array of independent shops. www.theforumnorwich.co.uk

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Christmas at Helmingham

Helmingham Hall, 1 - 9 December The celebrations begin with a two day Christmas Market on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd December including many unique stalls, traditional refreshments, festive entertainment, real reindeer, unicorn carriage rides running throughout both days and Father Christmas will be making a special appearance. This will be followed by our magical Illuminated Garden Trail, for one week only, see the gardens as never before with thousands of lights transforming the gardens into an enchanted winter wonderland. www.helmingham.com

orfolk-based Elizabeth

Haynes is a former police intelligence analyst. Her first novel, ‘Into the Darkest Corner’, has been published in 37 countries. It was Amazon’s Best Book of the Year and a New York Times bestseller. She has written a further three psychological thrillers - ‘Revenge of the Tide’, ‘Human Remains’ and ‘Never Alone’ - and two novels in the DCI Louisa Smith series, ‘Under a Silent Moon’ and ‘Behind Closed Doors’.

Places&Faces® talks to best-selling author

s e n y a H

Elizabeth

Book club

BUSTED!

Edward Laxton

Martyn Pritchard, a hippy, drug squad detective, based in Oxford, lived and worked undercover for five and a half years, during the 1970s. A young warden was cultivating a plot of cannabis plants in the Lions’ Reserve at Longleat Safari Park, in Wiltshire. This became an inquiry for the detective and a potential story for a Mirror reporter, which is how the author and detective met. Together they became entrenched in the biggest drugs scandal Britain has ever known. This book covers the adventures within the operation from Det Sgt Martyn Pritchard’s unique perspective, along with some of his further exploits along the way, including the launch of the Reading Music Festival and expose of Howard ‘Mr Nice’ Marks.

How has your life influenced your choice of subjects as an author ? That’s an interesting question. My first books were inspired by my job at the time, which was intelligence analysis for the police. I loved reading crime and I always wanted to write, so joining the police as a civilian gave me the confidence to write about that world in a way that felt authentic. But at the heart of all my writing is what life feels like – all the little insecurities and private fears and victories that you can’t even admit to yourself. That’s what always interests me, what does it feel like to be another person? So the setting and the choice of subject matter is almost secondary to that. And I write to find out things. I was reading an article about Dan Brown in the Guardian at the weekend: having been told by a teacher to write what you know, he set about writing what he wanted to know, and that’s how I feel, too. For example, my latest novel is a fictionalisation of a real murder that happened in Bromley, in 1843. Harriet Monckton was 23 years old and a schoolteacher, and she was found dead in the privy behind the chapel she worshipped at. Nobody was ever arrested for her murder, and when I found the documents relating to Harriet’s case in the National Archives, it seemed like nobody else had written about her – she had been

THE YORKSHIRE VET: In the footsteps of Herriot Peter Wright

The bucolic memoir charts his working relationship with the famous ‘James Herriot,’ from work experience with him as a lad to taking over his practice in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. Packed full of laugh-out loud moments, heartbreaking stories and transporting tales of his love for working with the animals and the people of this breath-taking part of the country. Covering his rustic childhood growing up on a farm right through to the heady days of his successful Channel 5 TV series, Peter’s warm nature and professional attitude shine through on every page.

Busted!, The Yorkshire Vet, Not A Proper Child and The Perfect Fit are available to buy on Amazon, in all good bookshops and at www.mirrorbooks.co.uk

completely forgotten. I felt so desperately sad for her, but also I wanted to know what had happened, who had killed her and how they had managed to get away with it, and the only way to find that out – for me – was to write about it. Have you always had a passion for writing, where did it come from ? I have, from a very young age. I used to write deliberately salacious stories on a reporter’s notepad and they would get passed around the playground while I cringed with embarrassment and was

my two top tips for everyone are, firstly, to stop standing in your own way; and secondly (and this is so difficult) to finish something. secretly thrilled by the reaction I got. I remember saving up to buy an electric typewriter when I was about 12 or 13 – it weighed the same as a small car so was hardly portable – and I absolutely loved it. I think this habit came partly from being an only child, and therefore having to entertain myself, and perhaps partly from my grandmother, who had short stories published in Australian magazines in the late 1940s and early 1950s. She was a remarkable woman – six children in a tent in the Australian bush – and I often wonder what writing career might have been hers had she had the opportunities I’ve been lucky enough to have. You have written a range of psychological thrillers and two novels (five standalone novels and two police

procedurals) so far, can you tell us what comes next ? Whilst researching Harriet’s story, I wanted to make sure that none of the suspects for Harriet’s murder went on to commit other crimes, because that would make them more likely to have been responsible for her death. In the course of that research I found another case, obliquely linked to Harriet’s, which instantly intrigued me rather like the original murder had done. If you can imagine this: a gang of women amassing a fortune in the early years of the 19th century, and the menfolk suddenly becoming aware of this, and declaring one of them a lunatic and thereby seizing control of the fortune for themselves – and the remaining women launching a scheme to fight back. And it’s all completely true. I can’t wait to find out what happens. You live in Norfolk with your family. Does the environment and geography of the county have an influence on your writing? I do find the landscape endlessly inspiring. I think it’s significant that since I moved here in 2013, I have mainly been writing books set in the past. This part of the country is so unspoiled that it feels a little like history is within touching distance. That’s not meant as a negative in any way, I think it’s just magical and I’m incredibly lucky to live here. Do you have any tips for aspiring writers who are based in Norfolk or Suffolk ? Writing can be a very solitary activity, and if you’re writing on your own I think it’s easy to become discouraged. Norfolk and Suffolk are full of people writing brilliant things and I would urge anyone to get out and meet other writers for encouragement and mutual support. Join a writing group, or have a look at www.nanowrimo.org if you fancy writing a novel in November. Beyond that, my two top tips for everyone are, firstly, to stop standing in your own

NOT A PROPER CHILD Nicky Nicholls & Elizabeth Sheppard

Nicky is a remarkable soul. Her story is one of the darkest, yet one of the most hopeful you will ever read. Left as a newborn in a box outside Stoke City Football ground, her grandparents took her in, but instead of finding a sanctuary, was subjected to sexual abuse. As a result of her broken young life, Nicky spent years as a homeless alcoholic, ending up in prison. In 1965, while Nicky was at Risley Remand Centre, she witnessed the arrival of Moors Murderer, Myra Hindley. Tasked with preparing Myra’s cell, this brush with pure evil strengthened her resolve to move beyond the horror of her past and take a different road. Now an internationally renowned London artist, Nicky’s experience is compelling, carried along by her rare spirit of survival against terrible odds.

way; and secondly (and this is so difficult) to finish something. I should also mention that an aspiring writer, for me, is the person on the sofa thinking that they’d like to write a novel one day. If you’re writing already, then you’re a writer. Own that and be proud of it! If you could only pick one, who would be your favourite author ? And your favourite book ? Gosh, that’s the hardest question. It’s like trying to choose a favourite child. Although I don’t write poetry, I find it inspires me to write better fiction. So perhaps Palgrave’s Golden Treasury, or the complete works of T S Eliot, both of which I love. It is impossible to pick just one favourite author, so perhaps you won’t mind if I narrow it down to ten? In that list would be Ruth Rendell, Agatha Christie, Nicci French, John Harvey, Nikki Gemmell, Jeanette Winterson, Sarah Waters, Val McDermid, Alex Marwood and Mo Hayder.

THE PERFECT FIT

Mary Jayne Baker

Welcome to Egglethwaite!! This is the ideal romantic read for those seeking a break from familiar cityscapes and cosy cake shops. Cheeky chuckles and steamy trysts abound in this new rural series. Brimming with colourful, eccentric characters, we follow the foibles of a community through laughter, tears and harebrained schemes – often with hilarious results. As Mary Jayne rightly states, this is “not your Nana’s chick lit!” so don’t be deceived by the sleepy appeal of the Dales. While the village is fictional, its environs may well ring a few bells: “Several landmarks in my little patch of the West Riding have made it into the book in fictionalised form,” says Mary Jayne. “Druids’ Altar, on the St Ives Estate near Bingley, and Hewenden Viaduct and Reservoir in Cullingworth, are likely to be instantly recognisable to those who know them. 29

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123 This month you can stock up on your New Year’s reads and win a break at Potters Holiday Resort

WIN

a two-night break at the Just 2019 World Indoor Bowls Championships

To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer this question:

How many years will Potters Resort have held the World Indoor Bowls Championships in 2019? a) 5 b) 21 c) 18

Title your answers ‘POTTERS’ and send your answer and contact details by email to competitions@h2creativemedia.co.uk or enter by post at Places & Faces Magazine, H2 Creative Media, Micropress Printers Ltd, Fountain Way, Reydon Business Park, Suffolk IP18 6DH. Competition closes 31 December 2018. See page 5 for full terms & conditions.

Between Friday 11 and Sunday 27 January 2019, Potters Resort welcomes the world to Hoptonon-Sea on the Norfolk coast as it rolls out its famous blue carpet to host the Just 2019 World Indoor Bowls Championships. The highlight of the indoor bowls calendar, Potters Resort plays host to bowls biggest tournament for the 21st year running in its impressive 1,100 seat International Arena. A range of short breaks and day tickets are available throughout the 17 days of bowls action, with players and spectators from all over the world

WIN

a copy of each of our featured titles from Mirror Books

This month we have teamed up with Mirror Books and one lucky reader has the chance to win one copy of each of our featured titles; The Perfect Fit, Busted, The Yorkshire Vet and Not a Proper Child. To be in with a chance of winning, answer this question:

What is the name of the fictional village featured in ‘The Perfect Fit’?

a signed copy of Elizabeth Haynes’ book ‘The Murder of Harriet Monckton’

We have three signed copies of this fantastic new book from number one bestseller Elizabeth Haynes. To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer this question:

What did Elizabeth Haynes do for a job before becoming an author?

Title your answers ‘MIRROR BOOKS’ and send your answer and contact details by email to competitions@h2creativemedia.co.uk or enter by post at Places & Faces Magazine, H2 Creative Media, Micropress Printers Ltd, Fountain Way, Reydon Business Park, Suffolk IP18 6DH. Competition closes 31 December 2018. See page 5 for full terms & conditions. All are available to buy from Amazon, in all good bookshops or order at mirrorbooks.co.uk

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attending, and the final week televised live by the BBC. It is the only world Championship final to be held in East Anglia and sees over 20,000 spectators attend the thrilling event. We’ve teamed up with Potters Resort to offer one lucky reader a Two Night World Bowls Weekend Break for two people on Friday 11 January 2019. As well as premier world bowls action, the winner will enjoy comfortable accommodation, four meals a day and live evening entertainment from Potters Theatre Company in the state-of-the-art Atlas Theatre. Plus, every break at Potters Resort includes use of the inclusive sports and leisure facilities, including

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two swimming pools, tennis, climbing walls, archery and daily activities such as quizzes and dance classes. If that isn’t enough, the two-night World Bowls Weekend Break on Friday 11 January 2019 also includes an invitation to the Annual World Bowls Tour Awards and Gala Dinner. With the top names in bowls attending, it is set to be a star-studded night. Situated on the Norfolk/Suffolk border, Potters Resort has inclusive short breaks available featuring the Singles Championship, World Pairs Championship, Mixed Pairs Championship and Ladies Matchplay. Bowls enthusiasts know this is a must-see event and is an opportunity to stay in the heart of the action with inclusive two-night breaks starting from as little as £214 per person. Day tickets are also available from £5 per day.

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❆

The most wonderful time of year is here again! CHRISTMAS is such a magical time of year. Old family traditions are dusted off and new ones are forged. Families and friends gather together to celebrate, give gifts and make merry. Christmas should be a time of reflection and a time to relax and have fun. Here we have compiled a few ideas for inspiration and to making the festive season stress free...

❆

Chris tmas Tip

Don ’t Chri forget to stma g party s jum et those p o Leav utfits so ers and e it t rted o e migh o late an arly. d t on th miss out you e festi perfect ve at tire!!

pages of

2 5 Festive

INSPIRATION 33

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royal

Have yourself a very

Christmas Ever wondered what the Royal Family get up to on Christmas day at Sandringham?

Last year Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, spent her first UK Christmas in Norfolk with the Royal Family, and she will have felt at home with the main meal – like Thanksgiving Day in her homeland, it’s turkey that is on the menu. Darren McGrady, personal chef to The Queen for fifteen years, has revealed that the Royals tuck into the traditional bird with all the trimmings for their Christmas Day meal at Sandringham – and then settle down in front of the TV to watch Her Majesty’s traditional message to her people. Writing for the Mail on Sunday, Mr McGrady said, ‘Right from my first Christmas, I was in love with and enchanted by Sandringham’. So what could The Duchess of Sussex have expected to find – and eat – for her first Christmas in Norfolk? Mr McGrady reveals: ‘The Royal Family meet on Christmas Eve for afternoon tea at 4pm, often in the ornate saloon with its exquisitely painted ceiling. The tea could include a ginger

cake or honey and cream sponge, small cakes and scones, sandwiches (crusts off, served in squares) filled with ham and English mustard, Sage Derby cheese and Branston Pickle or Coronation Chicken*, with a pot of Earl Grey. ‘The Royals enjoy the German tradition of Heiligabend Bescherung, literally ‘Christmas

Eve time for exchanging gifts’. The gifts are likely to be jokey and inexpensive.’ On Christmas Day, the ladies have a light breakfast – fruit, toast and coffee delivered to their rooms around 9am, while the men have a traditional breakfast in the dining room at around 8.30am – eggs, bacon and mushrooms, kippers and grilled kidneys.

Seats for Christmas Dinner at 1pm are unassigned – even for The Queen.

After church, pre-lunch drinks are served – Veuve Clicquot for everyone, but The Queen has a gin and Dubonnet and Prince Philip a beer. There will be nuts to nibble. Seats for Christmas Dinner at 1pm are unassigned – even for The Queen. There is no starter, and the meal is a traditional affair – turkey with mashed and roast potatoes, chestnut or sage and onion stuffing, cranberry sauce and bread sauce, with Brussels sprouts, carrots and roast parsnips. The turkey comes from Scoles of nearby Dersingham. The Queen likes to have German Gewurztraminer wine with the meal. The Christmas pudding, doused in fine brandy and decorated with holly, is carried into the dining room at 2pm by a steward and lit. It is served with brandy butter and brandy sauce. There are no coins or trinkets in the pudding – for obvious reasons! This is followed by a cheese course served with port. The corgis have their own menus, usually involving fresh rabbit, beef or chicken with rice and cabbage. After Her Majesty’s Christmas address on TV, an afternoon tea is served of Christmas cake, chocolate yule log, mince pies with brandy butter, scones and sandwiches. William’s favourite chocolate biscuit cake might feature too. A dinner buffet of traditional English cuisine is served at 8.15pm and might include a stuffed boar’s head, ox tongue and boiled and roasted hams, salmon and game, potatoes tossed with hollandaise sauce, sliced tomatoes and green leaves. A separate table has Charbonnel et Walker chocolates and The Queen’s favourites, Bendick’s Bitter Mints.

The turkey comes from Scoles of nearby Dersingham.

The men will go shooting on Boxing Day and the ladies will join them in a cottage on the estate for a lunch of beef bourguignon or venison stew with mashed potatoes, braised red cabbage, apple pie and Christmas pudding slices fried in unsalted butter. The evening meal is likely to be venison with dauphinoise potatoes and carrots, followed by a chocolate marquise or a chocolate pie made of cream, meringue and cinnamon. It sounds like a diet far, far removed from The Duchess of Sussex’s usual Hollywood fare, but Norfolk’s coast and countryside has lots of opportunities to walk it all off!

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Official government fuel consumption figures in mpg (litres per 100km) for the A-Class range: urban 26.2(10.8)-51.4(5.5), extra urban 40.9(6.9)-60.1(4.7), combined 34.0(8.3)-56.5(5.0). CO2 emissions 189-129 g/km. Prices, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions correct at time of production. Official EU-regulated test data are provided for comparison purposes and actual performance will depend on driving style, road conditions and other non-technical factors. Whilst this offer is only available through

Mercedes-Benz Finance, we do arrange finance behalf of other finance companies as well. Model featured is a Mercedes-Benz A 180 d SE at £24,200 on-the-road (on-the-road price includes VAT, delivery, 12 months’ Road Fund Licence, number plates, fist registration fee and fuel). Specification imagery may show optional features. Content relating to finance is promoted by Mercedes- Benz Finance. Your Retailer may offer finance on behalf of other companies. *Finance offer based on an A 180 d SE on a Mercedes-Benz Agility Agreement, on 10,000 miles per annum. Vehicle condition, excess mileage and other charges apply. †Payable if you exercise the option to purchase the car. ††Includes optional purchase payment, purchase activation fee and Retailer deposit contribution. Orders/credit approvals on selected A-Class models, between 1 October and 31 December 2018, registered by 31 March 2019. Guarantees may be required. Offers cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Some combinations of features/options may not be available. Credit provided subject to status by Mercedes-Benz Finance, MK15 8BA. Prices, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions correct at time of production.

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Barker Street, Norwich NR2 4TN 01603 980800

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Scott Dougal

Wells Crab House Seafood Restaurant

I LIKE TO look at this dish as a decadent variation to the classic prawn cocktail. Using Crab and Lobster meat from the harbour at Wells Next the Sea, and Peeled Brown Shrimp from the North Sea from our supplier in Kings Lynn means it is a very locally sourced dish. The dressing is a lot lighter than a traditional prawn cocktail too, as you don’t want to mask all the lovely flavours of the seafood. PREPARE THE SEAFOOD: • 500g Brown Shrimp

• 1 Whole 500g Cooked Lobster, split lengthways (most fishmongers will do this for you) • 1 Large Dressed Wells Crab

PREPARE THE SALAD: • 6 Radish • 4 Celery Sticks • 2 Carrots

• 2 Jalapeno Peppers

• 1 Handful Flat leaf Parsley

• 1 Red Onion

• 1 Lemon

• 1 Tbsp Pickled Capers

• 100g Cooked Garden Peas

Thinly slice the radishes. Finely dice the celery, carrots, red onion and jalapenos as small as you can. Grate the lemon finely, then cut in half and squeeze juice into a dish. Finely chop the Parsley, you need about 2 tbsp. Mix all prepared salad ingredients together and season with a little salt and pepper. Mix in the capers and peas.

Lobster, Crab & Brown Shrimp MAKE THE DRESSING: • 6 tbsp lemon juice • 160ml olive oil

Cocktail

Mix the olive oil and lemon juice briskly with a fork to combine. Stir in the brown crab meat and the lobster head meat. Beat vigorously with a fork until smooth PUT THE DISH TOGETHER: • 6 Martini Glasses • 1 Iceberg Lettuce • All of the previously prepared items

Thinly shred the lettuce. Place a handful in the base of each martini glass. Mix the salad ingredients with the white crab meat, lobster tail and shrimp mix, reserving 6 of the largest pieces of lobster to top the dish. Drizzle the salad mix with the dressing and place the reserved slice of lobster tail on top. If you can get them, garnish with some micro pea shoots. A sprig of parsley will also suffice. Serve with a wedge of lemon and a slice of crusty granary bread.

Wells Crab House 38-40 Freeman Street, Wells, NR23 1BA | 01328 710456

serves

TRY it with...

Rinse the Brown Shrimp briefly, just to wash the natural saltiness and leave in a colander to drain thoroughly. Remove all the meat from the crab, trying your best to keep the white meat and the brown meat separate. Remove the tail meat from the tail of the lobster and chop into small cubes, adding to the white crab meat. Scrape any meat from the head into the dish with the brown crab meat. Using a rolling pin, hit the lobster claw until it cracks. Prise open the claw and remove as much ,meat as you can with a small pick tool. Add to the white crab meat and lobster tail meat dish. Mix the white crab meat, lobster tail and claw meat with the brown shrimp.

LUGANA ‘ELLA’, LOMBARDY, ANCILLA LUGANA - ITALY

Ancilla Lugana is located on the shores of Lake Garda in north east Italy. The estate comprises two vineyards: La Ghidina, located in Lugana di Sirmoine, the heart of the production area of some of the most elegant whites in Italy, and Cadellora, situated in Villa franca di Verona. TASTING NOTES

Lovely floral aromas with a touch of pithy bitter lemon and pineapple and a wonderfully crisp and lively finish.

www.wellscrabhouse.co.uk

Andrew Wilson Head Chef, Unthank Arms

Theo Schotte

Head Chef, Trafford Arms

serves

8-10

MY PERSONAL FAVOURITE meal of Christmas (or possibly the whole year!) is Boxing Day lunch which, for as long as I can remember, in our family has always been cold meats and pickles. Cider baked ham, roast Norfolk turkey, rare roast beef, pigs in blankets and pork sage and onion stuffing all served with a selection of pickled onions, piccalilli, cornichons, pickled red cabbage, caper berries and baby beets. The best thing about this meal is that everybody can just have a bit of whatever they like and almost everything is either cooked the day before or pickled up to 3 months in advance (at least 3 to 4 weeks).

perfect piccalilli

dill & black pepper gravlax with mustard sauce & melba toast

INGREDIENTS • 2x 500g pieces skin on salmon • 75g medium grain sea salt • 75g caster sugar

• 20g black peppercorns crushed in a pestle and mortar • 40g fresh dill chopped Mustard sauce • 125g dijon mustard • 40g sugar

• 40ml white wine vinegar

• Small handful chopped dill

Melba toast • Loaf of good quality rye bread

METHOD Mix salt, sugar, pepper and dill in a large bowl and rub well into flesh of both sides of salmon. Place salmon pieces together so the skin is on the outside and wrap tightly in clingfilm so there are no gaps and the curing mix is contained. Place salmon parcel into a glass or ceramic baking dish and weigh down to help force liquid out as it cures. (Tins such as baked beans works well for this). Refrigerate the salmon for

36-48 hours, turning it after 24 hours to ensure an even cure. For the mustard sauce combine mustard, sugar and vinegar in a small bowl and slowly whisk in oil until well combined. Stir through the chopped dill. To make the melba toast, thinly slice rye bread, cut off crusts and cut into triangles, bake in oven preheated to 120˚c for approximately 30 minutes until crispy. To serve, rinse gravlax under cold water and pat dry with kitchen towel, slice as thinly as possible and arrange on top of buttered melba toast. Drizzle with mustard sauce and garnish with a lemon wedge and sprig of dill. CHRISTMAS TIP Be careful not to overcure the salmon by leaving it too long as it will become tough and overly salty! Gravlax makes a great starter for Christmas dinner as it is prepared in advance and ready to go Christmas morning making more time for a glass of champagne!

INGREDIENTS • 450g/1lb each pickling onions, peeled, cauliflower florets and de-seeded cucumber and topped and tailed French beans • 340g/12oz coarse rock salt

• 750ml/1¼ pint white malt vinegar • 1 tbsp each English mustard powder, ground ginger and ground turmeric

• 1 tbsp whole yellow mustard seeds • 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 175g/6oz light muscovado sugar • 2-3 tbsp cornflour

• warm large sterilised jam jars with screw tops - prepare jars by washing in hot soapy water and leaving to dry and warm in a cool oven - 130°C/250F/Gas ½ for 10-15 minutes.

sensational stufﬁng INGREDIENTS • 500g of nice peppery sausage meat my favourite is Craskes but everybody has their own preference.

• 2 medium sized onions finely diced • 3 slices of fresh bread crumbs

• 1 egg and some salt and pepper

• 4/5 leaves of fresh sage torn up. although sage is one of the very few herbs that I find just as good in a dried form

161 Grove Road, Norwich NR1 3RL

www.traffordarms.co.uk

METHOD Put the vegetables into a nonmetallic bowl. Sprinkle the salt over the top, toss together, cover and leave in a cool place for 12 hours. The next day put the vinegar into a large saucepan or preserving pan, add the spices and bring to the boil. Drain the vegetables and rinse well under running water for 3-5 minutes. Add to the simmering vinegar, cook over a low heat for 20-25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add the sugar and continue to simmer for a further 1-2 minutes. Mix 2 tbsp of cornflour with a little water and blend into the hot vegetables. Bring back to the boil and cook for a further minute, the mixture should be glossy and thick. Add the remaining cornflour in the same way if necessary. Remove the piccalilli from the heat and leave to cool for 15 minutes. Spoon into the hot jars and cover with a disc of wax paper and a screw top lid, wipe the jars and label. Store in a cool dark place for 3-4 weeks before eating.

METHOD Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Form into a sausage shape on a greased piece of tin foil. Wrap it up tightly and cook in a preheated oven at 210 for approx 30 mins. If you have a probe the core temperature needs to be 72 degrees.

149 Newmarket Street, Norwich NR2 2DR

www.theunthankarms.com

ve rence Reeand Flo lumWilliam CHeaadl Chef,

vegetarian trufﬂe, mushroom serves & chestnut wellington 4 CHRISTMAS DINNER with my family is always a toss up between which bird, fish or roasting joint we can all agree

on for our Christmas day. This vegetarian truffle, mushroom & Chestnut Wellington is the perfect alternative!

INGREDIENTS • 300g chestnuts

METHOD In a large warm pan put the 50ml of Norfolk rapeseed oil and gently sweat off the peeled and sliced onions and garlic, trying to get some lovely colour on the onions. Then add chopped mushrooms into the onion and garlic mix, stirring occasionally and ensuring nothing sticks to the bottom of your pan. Add your diced butternut squash, trying to get as much colour on the squash as you can and then add your chestnuts (if you haven’t had chance to roast your own these can be bought cooked & vacuum packed from most greengrocers). Make sure you are stirring all of the fantastic veg regularly ensuring a lovely even caramelisation which will enhance the flavours. Then add the baby leaf spinach and gently let that sweat in the pan. The spinach will now wilt in the natural veg stock. Ensure you season with plenty of salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and truffle oil. I like a strong truffle flavour so you can add more to the pan, or after as a garnish drizzled on the plate. Add a few handfuls of

• 400g wild mushrooms (chopped)

• 1 butternut squash (halved lengthways and seeds scraped out and diced)

• 500g baby leaf spinach (rinsed) • 2 red onions (peeled and sliced) • 1 sprig fresh rosemary (leaves picked and chopped) • 1 sprig fresh thyme (leaves picked & chopped) • 3 garlic cloves • Sea salt

• Bread crumbs

• 50ml Norfolk rapeseed oil • 25ml truffle oil

• Freshly ground black pepper • 500g all butter puff pastry • 1 free-range egg • Splash of milk

Christmas would not be the same without roasting chestnuts on an open fire, so using roasted chestnuts as an ingredient for this festive centre piece is a must and a clever nod to the seasonal, festive favourites everyone wants this December with an elegant touch of truffle oil.

breadcrumbs and mix together to form the vegetable stuffing mix and leave to cool On a floured surface roll out the puff pastry to 50cm x 20cm and the thickness of a pound coin. When the vegetable mix is cooled mould the mix into a cylinder shape onto the edge of the pastry, making sure it’s still not hot in the centre as you do not want the buttery pastry to start to melt. When shaped, at the edge of the pastry in a cylinder, start to roll the vegetable mix and pastry together, and seal with an egg wash and milk combination ensuring to coat the top and sides. Decorate the outside of the Wellington with your choice of design; I use my knife and run it gently over the pastry leaving lines on top that will eventually puff out and give the Wellington a lovely finished look. Cook in a pre heated oven at 200˚c gas mark 6 for 30 minutes and leave to stand for 5 minutes before slicing. This show stopping centre piece can then be served with your favourite roasted vegetables and potatoes.

111 Unthank Road, Norwich NR2 2PE

www.williamandﬂorence.co.uk

Nick De’Ath

Director, De’Ath Hospitality www.nwbdhospitality.co.uk

Christmas Drinks CHRISTMAS MORNING WHILE GETTING THINGS READY... A glass of Prosecco with just a touch of Sloe Gin to spice things up! WITH THE GRAVALAX... A glass of chilled Champagne, Alain Bergére, Reserve Brut. Attractive biscuit aromas and characterful Pinot Meunier fruit, from an individual grower. FOR THE MAIN... Pinot Noir, Forrest Estate, Marlborough, New Zealand. Tightly structured, this has gamey, red fruit flavours and classic Pinot texture. OR Cuvee Bois des Fees, Provence Rose, Domaine Tour Campanets, France. Honeyed apricot and lime flavours contribute to this fantastic wine (My favourite, will be drinking this all day long! ON BOXING DAY... I’d look for an excuse to pop down the local, The Trafford in my case and pick up a few pints of take out beer to have with the cold meats!

However, personally my Christmas tip would be not to worry too much about what colour wine with what sort of food, drink whatever you enjoy most and have a fantastic day!

white

tmas Chrissoup

Cheese & Maltloaf

Potted homemade serves

Mark Charles

serves

Head chef

INGREDIENTS • 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 medium sliced white onion • 1 small diced white onion • 1 large diced potato • 600ml veg stock

• 1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme

Gavin Hunt Owner / Chef

Vic Rowling Head Chef

• 125ml milk

POTTED CHEESE

HOMEMADE MALTLOAF

• 50ml double cream (keep 20 ml to garnish)

INGREDIENTS • ½ lb cheese (suggest a strong cheddar but can make with a mixture of cheese)

INGREDIENTS • Oil for greasing tin

• 2 tbsp sweet sherry or dessert wine

• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

• 100g stilton – crumbled

METHOD Soften the sliced onion in half of the olive oil, until translucent (approx. 10 mins). Remove softened onion from the pan and set aside. Then add the remaining olive oil and the diced onion to the pan and cook for 5-10 minutes until also softened. To the pan add the potato stock and thyme, and bring to the boil. When you have reached the boil reduce the heat and simmer for approx 15 minutes (until the potatoes have softened). Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the crumbled stilton until melted. Then blend until smooth. Add the fried sliced onions and the milk, cream and sherry. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the parsley and top with a swirl of cream. Serve with warm baked bread.

Main Road, North Tuddenham, Norfolk NR20 3DJ

www.thelodge-tuddenham.co.uk

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened • 2 tbsp Merlot Wine or port • ½ tsp Colmans mustard powder

• 300ml Hot black tea

• 350g Malt extract plus a little extra for glaze • 170g Dark brown sugar • 600g Mixed fruit

• ½ tsp coarse black pepper

• 4 large eggs

• 1 small dash of Worcestershire sauce

• 2tsp baking powder

METHOD Shred any hard cheeses and chop or crumble the softer ones. Place in a food processor with the butter, red wine or port, mustard powder, black pepper, salt and Worcestershire sauce and pulse until mostly smooth. Taste and add more salt and/ or pepper if desired. Divide the cheese mixture among 3 (4 oz) ramekins. Use a knife to smooth the tops. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least two hours. Remove from the refrigerator 10 minutes before serving. Serve in the ramekins alongside the homemade malt loaf

METHOD Heat oven to 150˚c and oil and line a loaf tin with baking parchment. Pour the hot tea in a bowl and add the sugar, fruit and malt extract and stir well. Then add in the beaten eggs and flour, and beat well.

• ¼ tsp salt

• 400g Plain flour • 1 tsp Bicarb soda

Pour into the lined tin and cook for 50 minutes. When baked brush the top with malt extract to glaze.

The Street, Lyng, Norwich, Norfolk NR9 5AL

www.thefoxatlyng.co.uk

Crumble

Christmas

Richard Barnes Filby Bridge Restaurant

serves A FANTASTIC alternative to the traditional Christmas pudding and don’t forget with this dish you can always prepare in advance and re-heat on the big day, giving you more time to enjoy the festivities with your guests.

INGREDIENTS • 4 cooking apples • 75g fresh cranberries

• 2 tablespoons orange juice

• 4 tablespoons mincemeat

serves TOP TIP: I LOVE an indulgent treat to go with my main course and what better way than to supercharge your parsnips than with this simple recipe.

INGREDIENTS • 1.5 kg parsnips

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 2 tablespoons wholegrain mustard • Salt and pepper

Filby Bridge Restaurant

• 1 tablespoon brown soft sugar

• 100g self raising flour • 50g baking margarine

• 50g caster sugar

METHOD Preheat the oven to 190ºc Peel and cut the parsnips in to large chunks. Par boil the parsnips (bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes). Place the softened parsnips in to a roasting tray. Put the honey and wholegrain mustard in a small saucepan, warm through and pour over the parsnips. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook for 20 minutes.

METHOD Preheat the oven to 190ºc. Peel, core and slice the apples. Place the apple slices, cranberries, orange juice and brown sugar into a saucepan and cook for 7-8 minutes over a low heat. Take the pan from the heat and stir the mincemeat in to the fruit. Place the fruit mix in to a pie dish. Rub together the flour, baking margarine and caster sugar. When this has been completely rubbed in, sprinkle over the fruit mixture in the pie dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes until it goes golden brown. Serve with ice cream or custard.

A modern English restaurant overlooking the Broads

Main Road, Filby, Great Yarmouth NR29 3AA | 01493 368142

www.ﬁlbybridgerestaurant.com

Turkey serves

Roulade

with

cranberry & sage stufﬁng

and a warm salad of sprouts, pancetta & chestnuts INGREDIENTS • 2 Turkey breast steaks • 1 Red onion

Stower Grange Hotel, Drayton

WITH the festive season here again Turkey returns to our menu. I enjoy this dish because it adds flavour, moisture and extra texture to a meat that is generally served in uninspiring ways. This dish has all the classic components of a winter dish with the pancetta, sage and chestnuts and is well worth the effort. It is great for dinner parties as this dish can be prepared in advance. The sprout salad is a quick one pan dish. People who are not normally sprout fans should try this dish as they will be pleasantly surprised.

• 15g Dried cranberries • Fresh sage

• Breadcrumbs • 1 egg

• Pancetta

• Chestnuts (cooked and peeled) • Rocket and Watercress

For the stuffing gently sauté half a diced red onion. Combine 250g sausage meat, 15g roughly chopped dried cranberries. Mix well and add 6 shredded sage leaves, half a beaten egg and breadcrumbs to consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Place a sheet of cling film over turkey steak and using either a rolling pin or tenderising hammer gently flatten out the turkey breast.. Evenly spread the stuffing over the turkey and roll. Secure with two cocktail sticks, Prepare the sprouts, simmer them until just cooked and immediately refresh in cold water to stop them cooking, once fully chilled the sprouts can be cut in half through the base. Slice the remaining red onion. It is convenient to buy prepared chestnuts. Before cooking the turkey roulade season well and seal in a hot pan with oil

TRY it with...

James Cox

• 250g Sausage meat

and butter. Once sealed place in a preheated oven at 190°c for 30 - 35 minutes. Just before turkey is out of the oven gently fry pancettta in a frying pan until crispy. Reduce heat and add the sliced onion and allow to cook for several minutes. Next add the sprouts and allow them to absorb the pancetta fat, add chestnuts and heat through on a low heat. Place rocket and watercress in the centre of a plate and scatter the sprout and chestnut mixture over it. Then slice the turkey roulade and lay on top. Finish with turkey gravy. TABALI, VIOGNIER - CHILE

Situated in one of the northernmost vineyard regions in Chile, approaching the edge of the Atacama Desert, Tabalí commands a unique location in the heart of the Limarí Valley. The local ‘Camanchaca’ fog blankets the Limarí area each morning and afternoon coastal breezes bring cool air which moderates the ripening of the grapes. TASTING NOTES

A lovely scent of spring flowers, beautifully integrated with autumn fruits on the palate. Two seasons in one glass!

School Road, Drayton, Norwich, Norfolk, NR8 6EF. | 01603 860210

www.stowergrange.co.uk

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Boarding THE

HOUSE Dining Rooms

Farm-to-table dining, serving hand crafted cocktails & carefully selected beers & wines.

LOCATED in the beautiful market town of Halesworth Tyler and Pauline Torrance run The

Boarding House Dining Rooms; a business based on local products, local food and local artists. They look to nurture the community with consciously sourced ingredients, hand crafted cocktails and carefully selected beers and wines. Their menu changes frequently, inspired by Suffolk’s seasons and traditions. Tyler and Pauline are constantly looking to delight and surprise their guests with creative food in the dining rooms relaxed and friendly environment. They opened the doors to the restaurant in July 2016, which has gone from strength to strength, and now with work nearly completed they will be opening Suffolk’s newest boutique hotel, restaurant and bar by next summer. All in all an exciting new year and 2019 lays ahead!

Places&Faces catches up with Tyler Torrance from The Boarding House in Halesworth to find out what makes him tick... At what age did you first start to cook? I think some people are born with an innate goal. I must admit I have always wanted to be a chef. I remember sitting in a class room at a very young age discussing what everybody wanted to be when they grew up and adamantly proclaiming that I was going to be a chef. Maybe it was the unique way my mother served sandwiches as a kid; they tended to have faces on them and could be anything from classic PB&J to tiger or alligator served with mustard of course (I may have been quite gullible). I do remember loving the magic and togetherness of going

out to dine out with the family and wanting to be part of creating that magic for others. Where did you train? My first formal training was a foundation in French cuisine that was part of a hotel & restaurant management course. The art of service, studying wine & bartending was a fantastic start. God that was back in... I used these skills for years to travel, live and love. I have always been involved in the industry working in restaurants and hotels, but studying the classics is what changed everything. Starting my career with the French foundation definitely changed the way I looked at different regional cuisines and sparked a passion for different cultures. I just happened to be lucky enough to be living in a multi cultural Mecca like Vancouver, BC, Canada, where I worked and did stage placements with the very best Japanese, Chinese and Italian chefs in the city. One of my biggest pleasures was training in Mandarine and Cantonese cuisine with Chef

Conrad Leung, a third generation master chef from China. This was proper asian chef training; he was probably responsible for training half of the Chinese chefs in Vancouver. What an amazing chef. I finally went for my papers in my twenties after cooking professionally for about ten years. Maybe a bit backwards, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Do you have any food heroes? Alice Waters for how she effortlessly showed the world how to eat locally, Thomas Keller for his sense of refinement and Chef Jeff Van Geest where it all finally fell in to place. What’s the best meal you have eaten – and where was this? A little Japanese izakaya restaurant in Vancouver called Zakkusshi’s; hell I don’t know if its even there any more but Pauline and I had so much fun. We would be there eating and drinking for hours. This place was renowned for serving some of the best Japanese food in Vancouver; think Japanese pub food with a charcoal grill. Maybe it was the company maybe it was the food but regardless we had many a great meal. So good… What are your favourite dishes for the restaurant and at home? My god I love so many different foods but it always comes down to local quality ingredients, if its not from your local farmer, butcher, artisan producer and in season I don’t want to know. One of our best local producers are the Butler’s at Blythburgh pork; throughout the year they are a main stay on the menu. One of my favourite dishes since opening The Boarding House was “Blythburgh pork tenderloin, celeriac, black berries & blackberry BBQ sauce ” mind you our Slow cooked pork belly with burnt apple sauce is most definitely designed for this season’s cold weather not to mention it’s

quite popular with our guests. At home a nice grilled shoulder chop of pork served on rice with a mushroom sauce has been one of our favourites for years. What’s the best thing you enjoy about your job? I genuinely just love to cook for people. What are your favourite local ingredients and suppliers? I am so blessed to have partnerships with some of Suffolk’s best beef, pork, lamb, venison, cheese producers. But a special thanks to our butcher Richard Thickitt as well as rearing Emerdale beef his team consistently supplies us with the finest Suffolk meat ever eg. the Butlers’ Blythburgh free range pork. The Boarding House Dining Rooms menu would not be the same with out the Wangford Farm Shop. Every morning I select our vegetables from our local farm shop; farm direct potatoes and British vegetables. Fantastic! Seasonality at its best. What a lovely local family business. How do you relax? Punk rock and yoga. LOL. Will you do the cooking at Christmas, and what is your festive celebration meal of choice? Christmas is usually quite a family effort. A traditional turkey dinner with ham and all the trimming; yes I mean all of them is put together after the restaurant is closed. Then we sit down with our family and friends. But I think I enjoy the turkey & cranberry sandwich on Boxing Day even more than the Christmas dinner itself, I think we all do... Describe your style of cooking in three words… Sustainable, Seasonal & Soulful. Tell us something we wouldn’t know about you. Well, I have been told that I can be quite excitable... Just a little bit...

Blythburgh pork selection From snout to tail, the noble pig offers a tasty array of superb cuts. This recipe celebrates just a few. Nothing gives me more pleasure than showcasing Suffolk’s outstanding free range pork and for me the Butlers’ Blythburgh meat is simply the best. The robust flavour of the slow-cooked collar contrasts with the lighter pork loin and the spicy, crisp black pudding fritters. As pictured I serve this with burnt onion purée, roasted roots, wilted cavolo nero and a pork jus made from the roasting juices of the pancetta-wrapped loin and some of the braising liquor from the collar (save the remainder as a fantastic base for another dish). Ideally roast the loin to serve after it has rested, rather than reheating. Also remember to remove the bon bons and the collar from the fridge 45 minutes before they are required to warm through under a tea towel before finishing them off. S E RV E S FOU R INGREDIENTS Pork collar • 1 pork collar joint • 2 medium onions, diced • 2 carrots, diced • 1 head of garlic • 5 sprigs of thyme 5 star anise • 1500ml light chicken stock, hot 1tbsp Chinese five spice

Pre-heat the oven to 160˚c. Place the collar of pork in a covered hob proof dish with all the ingredients except the five spice and reserving a little of the stock, ensuring, it is fully submerged. Bring to a simmer and transfer to the oven to braise for about 3 hours until the meat is tender and flaking. Remove the collar from the liquor. Once cool enough to handle, flake off the meat, including some of the soft fat for succulence. Fold in the reserved stock, the five-spice and seasoning to taste. Press into a mould and cool before refrigerating to set. When cold, cut the terrine into portions.

Black pudding bon bons • Good quality black pudding ring • Seasoned flour • Beaten egg • Panko bread crumbs

Remove the casing from the black pudding and mould the mixture into bite-size balls. Prepare separate bowls of the flour, egg and crumbs and dip the balls into each in turn, shaking off any excess at each stage, and pressing the crumbs on firmly. Transfer to a tray and refrigerate. Pork loin • 500g thinly sliced pancetta • 1kg eye loin

Lay the pancetta onto a rectangle of cling film sheets to give enough coverage to fully wrap the loin. Season, then wrap the pork in the pancetta, rolling firmly and using more cling film if necessary to seal it tightly. Refrigerate until fully chilled. Pre-heat the oven to 180˚c. Heat an oiled frying pan over a high hob, remove the cling film from the pork and brown on all sides carefully. Bake in the oven to finish roasting the pork. This will not take long. Keep monitoring after 20 minutes, returning for another 5-10 minutes and checking again, until it is cooked as you like it (I tend to keep it a little pink inside). Remove the loin to somewhere hot to rest under loose foil for 15-20 minutes. This keeps it perfectly juicy. TO SERVE

• Oil and butter

You will need to pan-fry the collar portions, deep fry the bon bons and carve the loin simultaneously. Heat your deep fryer to 180˚c. Pan fry the collar portions in a little hot oil and foaming butter until golden-brown on both sides and heated through. Deep-fry the bon bons until golden, drain and then transfer to kitchen paper and season. Thickly carve the loin. Arrange all three piggy delights attractively onto warmed plates. THE BOARDING HOUSE 10 Market Place, Halesworth, Suffolk IP19 8BA | 01986 948306 www.boardinghousehalesworth.com

Christmas pudding

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• 3 blackberries each

• 40g roasted hazelnuts

• 6 oz polenta flour( quick cook) • 2.5 oz of grated parmesan • 1.5 pints of water

• Half a pint of milk • 4 oz butter METHOD

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I will you into the secret of the the beef flavour llo fo ry ua Febr over the breast and the sauce of the stock and the BlackBerry underneath it !! until the to the rooms,Spoon e th yingbreast. in dr d Brandy sauce, as that too is what makes the Imperial Hotel Christmas se pres es areand Place to one side to heat up later leg so that itecovers garnish with pea grapmeat dried the . Th vintage pudding very special!! Blanch the carrots in boiling salted water and shoots and enjoy !! r. ne an traditional m into small refresh once cooked, around 6 minutes. 94_P&F_N&S_Final.indd 59 ust is then racked The resulting m e it remains er wh i”, ell INGREDIENTS WINE n as “carat e of the us oak barrels, know ca To make 1 pint of brandy sauce enting slowly, be rm fe s, ar ye ur ageing. The for fo llowed by further r levels, foAfrica • 1 pints of milk • 2oz butter 2015 Pinotage Rheboksloof Vineyards subject high sugaSouth is in a cellar, which rrels are stored ring the ba du re tu ra pe • 2oz of plain flour • Sherry and Brandy to taste s in tem extreme change ct on the to pa im s an This is a wonderful estate which dates The wine is made by er fermenting , which hathe and summ winter n. tio grapes in Stainless steel on their skins back to the late 1700s with traditional ta METHOD the fermen due toover l winepump Cape Dutch style buildings some of andfina regular of the cap to In a small thick bottomed pan melt the butter. Add thedate flourback and cook which to the early settlers. extract colour and flavour. The wine TE:new oak and current wasTA then in 60% this out on a medium heat until you have a sandyThe texture. Inowners anotherbought the estate ING NO STaged lour, with aromas in co amberfor 40% 2 year old oak barrels 14 2006 and one haveladle taken advantage ep de is ne pan bring the milk to a rolling simmer and then in add the milk wi figs, This ge se, to ther with of the unique micro climate of the months. at a time, cooking the milk out as you do this. Once all the milk has been ied fruit on the no dr ne is rich of wi e th vineyards in the Paarl valley giving the A wonderful wine itne y. On the palate, wine now have a shiny lump andshould director you d ho shows incorporated free textured sauce. for the growing ds anfruit g well in almondark be t ils ideal climatic conditions complex, flavours with wh t ee the iously sw Use theexpert brandyat and sherry as your seasoning somegrapes sugar. You can lvety & delic o als d ve ofwith premium notes blackberry, prunes anof ich wh HOTEL vibrant acidity, to its dueoak reallyIMPERIA put in asLmuch as you feel comfortable. 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Nick Mobbs

but very few other places in the world.

really well with the flavours of the Pheasant dish.

• A team of brilliant chefs • Superb wine list • Laid-back atmosphere The perfect restaurant for dinner or Sunday lunch. At the Imperial Hotel, North Drive, Gt Yarmouth, NR30 1EQ. To book call 01493 842000

www.cafecru.co.uk

Sunday 12.30 - 2pm Monday - Saturday 6.30 - 10pm The Terrace is open daily. For opening times & menu go to imperialhotel.co.uk

Quality Fresh Fish all year ro und

since 2004

Local cod, skate, herring, mussels, hot smoked salmon, lobsters, shrimps, prawns, scallops, crabs & much more!* *Availability dependant on the season

Tel (01493) 731305 | Hemsby Road, Scratby, Gt Yarmouth NR29 3PQ

Retreat to the Folly Tearoom in Holt and enjoy the Christmas menu on offer served from breakfast through to early evening bites; all homemade with a large measure of love and magic.

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PLEASE MAKE A RESERVATION TO ENSURE AVAILABILITY Folly Tearoom, Hoppers Yard, Bull Street, Holt, Norfolk NR25 6LN Tel - 01263 713569 WWW.FOLLYTEAROOM.CO.UK

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Richard Bainbridge is the chef proprietor of Benedicts Restaurant in Norwich

Photography by KATJA BAINBRIDGE

www.restaurantbenedicts.com

This year has been one of the most amazing years when it comes to weather. Admittedly some of our home-grown produce suffered a little this year early on because of the cold and then later in the year because of the heat. A fruit that seems to have thrived is the quince. I don’t know too much about the history of quince, I believe they originate from the Middle East places like Turkey, Iran and Jerusalem and were brought over to England as an exciting and exotic fruit. Quinces grow best at high altitudes so places like Scotland and Scandinavia have a wonderful bounty. To me quince and medlars are these ancient, strange looking bulbous fruits which are inedible and slightly poisonous when raw. Many of us have quince trees in our gardens and in the Spring they produce this beautiful, pale blossom then when it comes round to Autumn at the end of October the quince tree really comes into its own. The yellowy-golden, big, heavy almost pear shaped fruits growing from the trees with a light fur all over them start to grow and drop from the branches. At Benedicts we’ve been really lucky because we have had an abundance of our wonderful guests bringing them in to us in exchange for lunches and dinners and to me it is such a versatile, exciting fruit to get as you can make quince jelly, quince cheese, put them into sauces, making quince tarte tatin, ice creams, sorbets it really is a great fruit that I just can’t get enough of at the moment. If cooked wrong it can be quite dry to the palate however, when cooked right, especially in a cheese or jelly, makes the perfect homemade Christmas gift. The difference between a jelly and a cheese is jelly is the cooking liquor that the quinces were cooked in, so once cooked in the water the flavour has infused into the water and you add sugar to it and set it so it’s almost like a slight pinkish orange set jelly which is beautiful, especially with cheese, a big strong blue and a nice croûton. Where as cheese you do the same process but then you blend together the quince so you almost make a purée and set that with sugar as well. Quinces are naturally high in their own pectin so there is no need to go out and buy and jam sugar which is also a plus. These are super easy to make with the family and you can add your own flavours to it, two flavours that I think work really well with quince are Rosemary and green cardamom pods. However, if you like thyme this would also work well, if you like mint this also tastes great! There are so many different flavour combinations that work really well and can help enhance the quince.

e c n i u Q

Cheese & Jelly

Quince & Rosemary Cheese

Quince & Cardamom Jelly

INGREDIENTS • 1kg Quince (Each quince cut into 8 pieces) • 2 Litres Water • 2kg Granulated Sugar • 6g Whole Rosemary Stalks METHOD In a heavy based pan bring the quinces to the boil and simmer for 1 hour. After this time remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once cooled place the quinces into a blender on a high speed until it has made a pulp. Pass the pulp through a Tamis sieve and weigh the pulp. Place a pan onto a medium heat with equal quantities of the pulp and sugar. Slowly bring to the boil being careful not to catch the pulp on the bottom of the pan. Add the Rosemary and turn the heat up to bring it to a hard boil and skim the scum from the top. Boil for 45 minutes or until the pulp becomes thick and gloopy (almost a purée consistency). You can test this by scraping the bottom of the pan with a spatula? and the pulp shouldn’t fall back down for at least 2 seconds. Pass through a Chinoise into a parchment lined tray and a sterilised Kilner jar, allow to cool and then seal the jar or cover the tray and store in a cool, dry place until you are ready to use. If sealed it will last 3-6 months.

INGREDIENTS • 1.5kg Quinces (This should make 1 litre of juice) • 800g Granulated Sugar to every 1 litre quince juice • 20ml Lemon Juice (About 1/2 a Lemon) • 8 Green Cardamom Pods • 3 Sprigs of Thyme METHOD You will need to start this recipe the day before you want to make the jelly. Quinces contain a lot of Pectin so no added Pectin is needed. Chop the whole quinces into 12 pieces each without coring or peeling. Put into a large pan with enough water to completely cover them. Bring to the boil and simmer for at least 1 hour or until they are soft and can be mashed slightly. Strain through muslin or a jelly bag overnight into a bowl. The next day, measure the quince juice into a large jam pan and add 800g of sugar per 1 litre of juice. Add the lemon juice and cardamom pods. Slowly bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar then boil at around 104˚C for about 20 minutes, stirring often. Use the wrinkle test check when it has reached a ﬁrm setting point then, when ready, take off the heat. Remove the cardamom pods and keep them to one side. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes so that the bubbles settle. Rinse the cardamom pods under boiling water and pat dry. Place one in each warm, dry sterilised jar. Carefully skim off any scum from the surface then ladle into the jars and seal. Keeps unopened for up to 6-8 months. Once opened refrigerate and eat within 6 weeks. 51

Grove THE

Family, tradition, history… they are the watchwords of The Grove on the North Norfolk coast, a beautiful Georgian country house with a two rosette restaurant.

Mark Nicholls heads over to sample some of the festive fayre

n attractive building

set in four acres with the older parts dating from the 18th century, the residence with 16 rooms has been a family-run business since the mid-1930s when Robert and Hilda Graveling took ownership of the house and moved their young family in, transforming what was a private holiday home into a thriving guest house. It is that history and tradition that the current Graveling generation see as an integral part of the accommodation, and particularly the food, they offer – whether that be the cuisine served up on their al a carte menu (which has two AA rosettes) or seasonal and festive fayre.We dropped in at The Grove to sample the Christmas Party Menu, a diverse selection of seasonally festive dishes designed by head chef Reis Khalil for families, groups of friends or work colleagues to enjoy as a December lunch or dinner.

While the selection was varied, at the core was tradition, seasonality and flavour. Richard Graveling, who currently overseas The Grove with his brother Chris and three sisters, explained the ethos behind the food. “Everything we do is based around the house,” he told me. “It is a lovely setting and we try to get everything to match and complement that, and the food is an important part of this.” “We want it to be traditional but also sourced locally too and we see that as important, not only in supporting the local Norfolk economy but because we also believe the food produced in this area is of very good quality.” Joining me for a Christmas meal were daughters Laura and Sarah, who love a good roast at any time of year, but when turkey is on the table, they take little persuading.

PROMOTION

We opted for the hand-cured aniseed and Black Shuck salmon, oxtail and horseradish tortellini and the roast portobello mushroom to start, though with roast parsnip and apple soup, guinea-fowl terrine and bacon chutney and sour dough crisp on offer, it wasn’t a simple choice. For the main, Laura and I went for the Norfolk Black turkey breast with goose fat roast potatoes, stuffing, pigs in blankets, pancetta, cashews and sprouts, while Sarah fancied the similarly accompanied clove studded roast gammon. Satisfaction all round. Reis, who has been at The Grove for four years and head chef for a year, said: “I chose Norfolk Black for the turkey because they are a very traditional Norfolk bird, but also succulent too.” Alternatives included mushroom and tarragon cobbler, supreme of North Sea hake, mussel Provençal, or slow braised brisket of beef. But hey, it’s Christmas – so the turkey won hands down. To round off, we had the Christmas pudding with brandy sauce and rum butter and the bitter chocolate delice.

With a strong wine list, and a selection of spirits and ports, The Grove also offers local beers from Woodforde’s, Panther Brewery and Norfolk Brewhouse lagers, as well as soft drinks. We sat in the wood-panelled restaurant, the former study of the old house, with its pleasant lighting and candles. But for private dining, of groups of 8-25, the Green Room is a popular choice for families, colleagues or friends.

With the festive season now in full swing, the Christmas Party Menu is available for small groups to book – three courses costs £32.95 with two courses priced at £24.95, with the al a carte menu also running alongside for hotel guests and non-resident diners. Throughout the years, The Grove has passed through generations, it has evolved and transformed into the independent family-run establishment that it is today. On Robert’s death in 1978, son John took over the running of the house with his wife Ann. When they retired in 2010, they passed the business to their children – Richard, Chris, Elizabeth, Hannah and Ruth – who now work in partnership to continue the venture. Offering four-star accommodation, The Grove has 16 rooms - 11 in the house and five in the orchard, and a swimming pool as well as six self-catering cottages. The property is set in four acres of garden featuring a children’s play area, tree house and private path through woodland to Cromer beach. The Grove, 95 Overstrand Road, Cromer, Norfolk, NR27 0DJ tel. 02163 512412 or visit www.thegrovecromer.co.uk 53

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Boxing Day Here are our recommendations to keep your guests merry...

Every year

Harveys Signature 12 year old Sherry £12.99 | 50cl | ABV: 19% Not just for Grandma!! Inviting and mellow with notes of sandalwood, sweet spice, dried fruit and hazelnut. One of our favourites and a great Boxing day afternoon tipple to enjoy with a mince pie or two.

Black Shuck Gin £37.50 | 70cl | ABV: 43% This premium gin launched in 2015, and uniquely combines traditional botanicals such as juniper, coriander and bitter orange peel with Norfolk’s lavender and sea buckthorn. The Legendary Spirit of Black Shuck is one of the oldest in English folklore. Black Shuck is the name given to a ghostly black dog that has roamed the Norfolk and Suffolk countryside for hundreds of years.

Dow Vintage Port £90 | 75cl | ABV: 20%

£6 | 4x330ml | ABV: 5.6% Spiky, tropical, hoppy. Suitable for vegans. A light golden classic subverted with new world hops, for a devastating explosion of flavour.

Dow’s vintage Ports are traditionally very long-lived and this is no exception. A textbook example of this hallowed house’s magnificently precise, complex, relatively dry and truly remarkable vintage Port. Maybe one for the cellar and enjoy in a few years!!

INGREDIENTS • 1 Bottle Red Wine (Something with some body like a Merlot, it does not have to be expensive) • 1/2 Bottle of Port • 350ml Water • 1 Cinnamon Stick • Pinch Nutmeg • 6 Cloves • 4 Satsumas (Cut in half) • Sugar to Taste METHOD Place everything into a pan on a low heat apart from sugar As it starts to warm up add sugar to sweeten to your preferred taste. Enjoy!!!

Restaurant Manager at Benedicts Restaurant in Norwich www.restaurantbenedicts.com

Prosecco is the perfect fizz for any occasion and Adnams have sourced a truly great example to put their name to. This Prosecco comes from the Veneto region of Italy, in the Prosecco region. Made from the Glera grape it has the aromas of ripe apples and fresh, bright flavours of pears and white peaches and a vivifying sparkle. The perfect apéritif and the essential ingredient in a Bellini cocktail!!

at Christmas time one of my favourite family traditions is to have a get together with our friends. On Christmas Eve every year we will go over to their house and all enjoy a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie, this really kicks off the start of the celebrations for me and the festivities roll on from there. Originating from the Romans in the 2nd century, it was believed that mulled wine was drunk to promote health, keep away sickness and aid their bodies against the cold winters. As they conquered Europe, mulled wine was introduced into every country. Alternatives have come on to the market over the years and it is now usually associated with Christmas, many wine merchants or shops would try to tempt shoppers in with a free glass. To this day it is still seen as a Christmas treat and with the addition of spices nothing symbolises Christmas more than a warming glass of mulled wine at the most wonderful time of the year. I hope you enjoy and I wish you a very Merry Christmas.

Nicole Cachao

Adnams Prosecco DOC, Italy £9.99 | 75cl | ABV: 11%

Brewdog Punk IPA

e n i W

e z oo B

Mulled

Bohemian Global

The 70s style is taking fashion and interiors by storm this autumn and winter – and Christmas is no exception. Bring colour, texture and embellishment to your home with multi-coloured baubles, decorative ornaments and lots of faux fur to cosy up into.

Bohemian Global Nkuku Star Bauble set of 4 £12.95

Hayley & Jennifer are homeware buyers

Jarrold, 1-11 London Street, Norwich, NR2 1AL www.jarrold.co.uk The Granary, 5 Bedford Street, Norwich, NR2 1AL www.thegranary.co.uk

Bohemian Global Parlane Glass Bauble with Bells £7.50

Bohemian Global Nkuku set of 12 glass dewdrop baubles £24.95

S parkle Let’s Make Christmas…

There are three big trends when it comes to decorating your home this Christmas - Green & Gold, Winter Walks and Bohemian Global which look will you choose? Asks Jarrold home buyers Hayley Philpot and Jennifer Dwyer. 56

Deck the halls with boughs of traditional green and gold, snowy white woodland or retro texture, as once again there are three clear trends when it comes to decorating your home for the festive season. From trimming the tree, to adding those jolly little extras that will bring you and your guests a little bit of Christmas cheer, we have made it easier for you to coordinate your decs with everything you need to turn your home into a stylish grotto. Just pick the look you prefer and then come instore and shop the look.

Green & Gold

Green and Gold Boltze Christmas Trees from £12

Green and Gold Heaven Sends Hanging Glass Bauble £2.50 each

Good news for those who like to go traditional at Christmas – the colour palette of green and gold is back! Thanks to green being a fashion and interior trend for most of 2018, Christmas décor is embracing this colour palette in a big way. Mix it with accents of gold to give a luxurious look.

Green and Gold Parlane Star Dish £9.95 Green and Gold small metal cut out tree candle holder £50

Winter Walks Heaven Sends Glitter Deer Decoration £2

Green and Gold Culinary Concept Beaded Decoration £6.95

Winter Walks Heaven Sends Wooden Decorations £3 each

Winter Walks

Think of a cosy log cabin in the middle of a wintery forest and you will get the feel for this look. Wood, woodland foliage, white ornaments and a little bit of silver sparkle, gives a fresher look to Christmas décor. Perfect for those who love the Nordic look, this style is minimal and brings the outside in for a calm interior amidst the Christmas chaos.

Winter Walks Skandinavisk Scented SNO Candle £29

Winter Walks Heaven Sends Wreath £35 From Christmas decorations to cards, wrap and calendars, discover the Christmas Shop on Floor 3 of Jarrold. www.jarrold.co.uk

1st rule of engagement Diamonds

TOM FORD Tobacco Vanille Eau De Parfum 100ml £238 Jarrold, Norwich www.jarrold.co.uk

3-4 Northgate Street, Great Yarmouth Tel: 01493 842719

www.coxandson.co.uk

MULBERRY Union Jack Eight Card Classic Grain Leather Wallet, Midnight £215 John Lewis, Norwich www.johnlewis.com

LOCAL LUXURY

m i H SUPPORTING THE HIGH STREET

that special gift for the one you love...

Gifts for A

TUDOR Chrono ref. 79350, Steel bracelet, 41mm Case, waterproof to 200m/660ft, £3610 Cox & Son, Great Yarmouth www.coxandson.co.uk

MOSCOT Sunglasses - starting from £230 Cecil Amey Opticians www.cecilameyopticians.co.uk

STAR WARS Bobba Fett Tumbler - Officially Licensed by Royal Selangor £69 Dipples, Norwich & Dereham www.dipples.com

UNIQUE&CO Stainless Steel Bracelet with Blue IP plating £39 Dipples, Norwich & Dereham www.dipples.com

CROSS Star Wars Rollerball Pen Chewbacca £295 Dipples, Norwich & Dereham www.dipples.com

DANNER Mountain Pass Boot, Dark Brown £340 Philip Browne, Norwich www.philipbrownemenswear.co.uk

UNIQUE&CO Stainless Steel Cufflinks with Black MOP £39 Dipples, Norwich & Dereham www.dipples.com

LOCAL LUXURY

r e H

SUPPORTING THE HIGH STREET

Gifts for

that special gift for the one you love A

AMORE 9ct white gold tanzanite and diamond cluster pendant £270 Dipples, Norwich & Dereham www.dipples.com

E F C

9CT White Gold Diamond Cluster Ring £750 Dipples, Norwich & Dereham www.dipples.com

TUDOR 1926 Collection £1220 Cox & Son, Great Yarmouth www.coxandson.co.uk

CLAYTON FRANKLIN Spectacles starting from £385 Cecil Amey Opticians www.cecilameyopticians.co.uk

DYSON Airwrap Smooth + Control Styler £399.99 John Lewis, Norwich www.johnlewis.com

REVITALASH December Sale Price £75 (Reduced from £104) Norwich Cosmetic Clinic www.norwichcosmeticclinic.com

18ct White Gold Claw Set Diamond Stud Earrings Total Diamond Weight 0.22ct, from £310 Dipples, Norwich & Dereham www.dipples.com

ICHI Check blanket scarf £23.99 faux fur bobble hat £14.99 Match, Lowestoft www.matchclothing.co.uk

Great Diamonds Great Value Great Yarmouth

Prices correct at the time of going to press. Items may be available from various retailers and prices may vary so please check online for a full list of local stockists

I J

STEIFF BEARS 1906 Replica Limited Edition of 906 Height 15.7” (40cm) £298 The Bear Shop, Norwich www.bearshops.co.uk

MAISON MICALLEF Secrets Of Love Glamour Eau de Parfum 75ml £175 Jarrold, Norwich www.jarrold.co.uk

3-4 Northgate Street, Great Yarmouth Tel: 01493 842719

www.coxandson.co.uk

39-43 London Street, Norwich NR2 1HU - 01603 620638 enquiries@winsorbishop.co.uk - winsorbishop.co.uk

01.

M&S Collection Sequin Wrap £29.50

02.

Monsoon Tori Fringe Short Dress £200

03.

Carvela Gretal Jewel Embellished Clutch Bag, Black £65

04.

Swarovski Mini Bangle £99

05.

Prices correct at the time of going to press. Items may be available from various retailers and prices may vary so please check online for a full list of local stockists

01.

Kurt Geiger Knightsbridge Crystal £159

e l k r a sp time to It’s time to get festive and feel fabulous with this glamorous range, selected for you by Donna Titcombe

05.

02.

03.

04.

2018 11 Places & Faces Spa Destress after Cmas.qxp_136mm h x 93mm h 15/11/2018 15:15 Page 1

Destress after Christmas Time out in the Thermal Suite Spa from

For a beautiful way to indulge yourselfâ&#x20AC;Ś

ÂŁ20.00 per person

Beach Clinic is the place for Botox Injection. Dermal Filler Injections, Lips, Cheekbones, Cheek volume restoration and chin reshaping. Rejuvenating Facials and Chemical peels. Skin Tag and Thread vein removal. Laser Lipo fat reduction and Laser stretchmarks treatment.

Spoil yourself with time out in the Thermal Suite Spa, choose from treatments such as wraps and massages, to detoxing and facials, or sit back and enjoy the fantastic parkland views. Contact our Spa Department for more information.

available with a Harley Street trained professional

t 01394 386871 w www.uffordpark.co.uk

B E AC H C LI N I C

Beach House, Beach Rd, Gorleston NR31 6BN Telephone: 01493 603102 / 07810 272640

www.beachclinic.co.uk

Yarmouth Road | Woodbridge | Suffolk | IP12 1QW

Tel: 01493 652 774

Gorleston High Street Gorleston On Sea Norfolk

Retro clothing for him or her from the 40S 50S and 60S

CHERS U O V T GIF BLE AVA I L A R E I N S TO

es ason

party

01. 02.

Complete your glamorous look with this pretty make up range, selected for you by Donna Titcombe

03.

Prices correct at the time of going to press. Items may be available from various retailers and prices may vary so please check online for a full list of local stockists

04.

01.

Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blusher Love Is The Drug £30

02.

Hourglass Curator The Lash Instrument £71

05.

04.

Yves Saint Laurent La Laque Couture £20

05.

Elizabeth Arden Reese Witherspoon Limited Edition Red Lipstick £22

03.

Too Faced Glitter Bomb Eyeshadow Palette £68.99

Relax on the North Norfolk Coast    

Non Electric

Boiler Friendly

Six delightful four star graded properties in Sheringham, families welcome All houses have off-road parking, free unlimited Wi-Fi, gardens and Sky TV Free unlimited use of Woodlands Leisure Centre, swim steam and gym. Pool has gentle sloping steps Superb quiet location, blue flag lifeguarded beach, steam railway, theatre, golf course, shops and restaurants, all within 300m / 5 min flat walk

r & Families Stay in one of our 4 stahou Welcome graded ses

10 Year Guarantee

Enjoy our large family roo ms wit h T V & ensuite bat h/shower/ WC

Superb kitchen / dining areas with patio doors

www.patmorewatersofteners.co.uk

T: 01263 577560 E: enquiries@sheringhamcottages.com W: www.sheringhamcottages.com

WINTER SPECIAL OFFERS The Number One Choice for Beds & Advice Massive savings & big brand special offers Choose from a superb selection of divan-sets & mattresses, fabric upholstered bases & headboards, wooden & metal bedframes all from classic traditional to the latest contemporary styles Disposal service available and free delivery

Come and visit the bed experts today at: Curtis Road, Norwich NR6 6RB Tel: 01603 483636 22 Ber Street, Norwich, NR1 3EJ Tel: 01603 768260 Cowper Road, Dereham, Norfolk NR19 2DA Tel: 01362 690498 Osier Road, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP33 1TA Tel: 01284 700846 Greyfriars Road, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP32 7DX Tel: 01284 723723 Western Way, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP33 3SP Tel: 01284 247090

S P O N S O R ED BY

Staycation

Breaks

www.norfolkcottages.co.uk

NEW YEAR

RETREATS

If you are looking to escape for a short New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s break in the UK here is a selection of cottages and hotels that you might like to consider Paddock Barn, Woodbridge, Suffolk The ground floor barn accommodation is set within 17 acres of land surrounding the property and in turn is surrounded by beautiful farmland which can be explored via one of the many public footpaths. Sleeping two to four people Paddock Barn is a great self contained rural retreat. Stocked with all of your home comforts and amenities, including internet access. The double patio doors lead out on to a paved area with garden seating to enjoy a glass of something fruity weather permitting. All in all a fabulous place for paeace and quiet, with some refreshing walks and a little drop of nature thrown in for good measure. www.visit-woodbridge.co.uk/ accommodation/holiday-cottages

Tudor Cottage, Great Walsingham, Norfolk Tudor Cottage is an outstanding period cottage in The Old Foundry development at Great Walsingham. It has been beautifully restored by award winning architects and, whilst retaining many original features, including exposed oak beams and period fireplaces, has been updated with a luxurious contemporary kitchen and quality bathrooms with marble and slate tiles. The cottage benefits from a large south facing walled garden with two patio areas ideal for families. Only a short walk from the amenities of the village, and ideally located for visiting the coast, with the popular resort of Wellsnext-the-Sea and its stunning beach just five miles away. www.norfolkcottages.co.uk

Cambridge University colleges Not just for students - anyone can book! A unique backstage pass providing the opportunity to stay in a historic Cambridge college during your visit to this heritage-rich city, whilst helping to generate revenue contributing to the upkeep of these iconic buildings. With a selection of Bed and Breakfast and self catering rooms, which are mostly located in central Cambridge, you can re-trace the footsteps of graduates such as Newton, Darwin, Wordsworth, John Cleese, and Prince Charles; eat in the college hall, wander through the collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gardens or take a punt along the river followed by a drink in the college bar. A great alternative to staying in Cambridge and definitely for the staycationer who is looking for something a little different. www.universityrooms.com/ en-GB/city/cambridge/home 67

Staycation

Breaks

Hubbards Bed & Breakfast, South Creake, Norfolk This boutique bed and breakfast situated just six miles from the North Norfolk coastline and minutes from the popular town of Burnham Market. The character filled bedrooms furnished with Hypnos beds covered with ‘feather and down’ duvet’s wrapped in soft Egyptian cotton should ensure a great night’s sleep. The bathrooms have been fitted out with large walk in showers and double ended baths that cry out for you to enjoy a long and lazy soak.

S P ON SO RE D BY

www.norfolkcottages.co.uk

Lords of the Manor Hotel, Upper Slaughter, The Cotswolds The Lord of the Manor is a privatelyowned hotel which is perfectly located in the quaint Cotswold village of Upper Slaughter near Bourton-on-the-Water and Stow-on-the-Wold. Boasting idyllic scenery at every turn the hotel sits at the heart of the village and showcases all that is loved most in the area. The restaurant is listed in ‘The Sunday Times Top 100 UK Restaurants’ where you can enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner or afternoon tea. You will be drawn into the hotels unique atmosphere and sensational service that is part and parcel of this critically acclaimed dining experience. With a choice of luxurious and cosy country bedrooms there is a space for every taste. www.lordsofthemanor.com

The rooms are all equipped with the latest television and music technologies, and include free Wi-Fi so you can keep a breast of the latest funny cat videos on youtube!! Guests can look forward to a cooked breakfast sourced from the finest local produce including sausages and bacon from pigs reared down the road in South Creake and eggs provided by the hotels very own hens. www.hubbardsbandb.co.uk

Dukes House, Cambridge Cambridge is a beautiful historic town and Duke House is nestled alongside Christ’s Piece in the very heart of Cambridge making it the perfect location for a relaxing stay. This boutique B&B offers outstanding accommodation and its luxury ensuite guest rooms have been tastefully and individually designed. For added relaxation you chill in the sitting room, enjoy a drink on the balcony or linger over coffee and papers in the breakfast room looking out onto the courtyard. www.dukehousecambridge.co.uk

REACH NEW HEIGH TS

4.1% APR*

REPRESENTATIVE MAZDA PERSONAL CONTRACT PURCHASE £500 MAZDA DEPOSIT CONTRIBUTION

Book a test driveº today – visit www.wrights-mazda.co.uk

2018 M{zd{ CX-5

WRIGHTS MAZDA – NORWICH 101 Cromer Road, Norwich, Norfolk NR6 6XW Tel: 01603 427011

WRIGHTS MAZDA – BECCLES Common Lane North, Beccles, Suffolk NR34 9BL Tel: 01502 713885

The official fuel consumption figures in mpg (l/100km) for the 2018 Mazda CX-5 range: Urban 36.2 (7.8) - 51.4 (5.5), Extra Urban 47.9 (5.9) - 62.3 (4.5), Combined 42.8 (6.6) - 57.6 (4.9). CO2 emissions (g/km) 150 – 128. The mpg fi gures quoted are sourced from official EU-regulated test results obtained through laboratory testing. These are provided for comparability purposes only and may not refl ect your actual driving results. Vehicles are homologated in accordance with the new type approval procedure WLTP (Regulation (EU) 2017/1151; Regulation (EC) 715/2007). To provide comparability the referred values are NEDC values determined in line with Implementation Regulation (EU) 2017/1153. Retail sales only, subject to availability for vehicles registered between 01.10.18 and 31.12.18 at participating dealers. T&C apply. *4.1% APR Mazda Personal Contract Purchase available on all new Mazda models. Finance subject to status, 18s or over. Guarantee may be required. Mazda Financial Services RH1 1SR. Model shown: 2018 Mazda CX-5 150ps 2WD Sport Nav+, OTR from £29,695. Model shown features optional Soul Red Crystal paint (£800). OTR price includes VAT, number plates, delivery, 12 months’ road fund licence, first registration fee, 3 year or 60,000 mile warranty and 3 years’ European Roadside Assistance. ºTest drives subject to applicant status and availability. Details correct at time of going to print. Not available in conjunction with any other offer unless specified. Wrights Motor Ltd, trading as Wrights Mazda is a credit broker not a lender for this financial promotion. We can introduce you to a limited number of carefully selected finance providers and may receive a commission from them for the introduction.

Y O U WA N T A G R E AT D E A L . W E H AV E O N E O N A L L

Y O U WA N T A G R E AT D E A L .

CROSSOVERS AND SUVs* .

W E H AV E O N E O N A L L O U NETR S A A RD E AST UDVEs A CY RT OO SS GWOEAVT HE RG N W E G O*. LF. U

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E EHTAHV EE RO W N EE O TW OG GN O AF LULR T H E R . CROSSOVERS AND SUVs* .

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SO ORME NE D T V US k e- eG r&e aB t aY c a rkm -o uGt h O CESOEAM A I SAI TT PUe rSt wAeTe & P eB ratcw re RS ECP N T AV TI N ISVIDE O N FO R D O PT I O N S S O C O& M EBack AND V Great I S I T U SYarmouth AT P e r t w e e Pertwee

a t Ya r m o u t h

Pertwee & Back - Great Yarmouth Gapton Hall Road -

& B a c k - G r e a t Ya r m o u t h

Great Yarmouth, NR31 0NJ Gapton Hall Road Pertwee & Back - -Great Yarmouth Tel.Great 01493 664151 Yarmouth, NR31 0NJ Gapton Hall Road www.pertwee-and-back.co.uk Tel. 01493 Great Yarmouth, NR31 0NJ *AVAILABLE ON THE SUV664151 & CROSSOVER RANGE, INCLUDING KA+ ACTIVE, FIESTA ACTIVE, ECOSPORT, KUGA. KA+ ACTIVE ONLY AVAILABLE ON 2 YEAR 0% APR FORD OPTIONS. Tel. 01493 664151 www.pertwee-and-back.co.uk Official fuel consumption figures in mpg (l/100km) for the New Ford KA+ Active Range: Urban 41.5-65.7 (6.8-4.3), Extra Urban 56.5-70.6 (5.0-4.0), Combined 49.6-68.9 (5.7-4.1). Official www.pertwee-and-back.co.uk *AVAILABLE ON THE SUVActive & CROSSOVER INCLUDING FIESTACombined ACTIVE,46.3-70.6 ECOSPORT, KUGA. KA+ AVAILABLE CO2 emissions 129-108g/km. Fiesta Range: Urban RANGE, 36.2-64.2 (7.8-4.4), Extra KA+ UrbanACTIVE, 55.4-76.4 (5.1-3.7), (6.1-4.0). Official CO2ACTIVE emissionsONLY 138-103g/km. EcoSportON 2 YE *AVAILABLE ON THE(7.8-4.6), SUV & CROSSOVER RANGE, INCLUDING KA+ ACTIVE,44.1-67.3 FIESTA (6.4-4.2). ACTIVE, ECOSPORT, KUGA. KA+ 145-110g/km. ACTIVE ONLYKuga AVAILABLE ON 2 YEAR 0% APR FORD OPTIONS. Range: Urban 36.2-61.4 Extra Urban 49.6-70.6 (5.7-4.0), Combined Official CO emissions Range: Urban 23.3-50.4 (12.1-5.6), Extra UrbanCombin 2 Official fuel consumption figures(l/100km) in mpgfor (l/100km) for theActive NewRange: Ford Urban KA+ Active Range: Urban 41.5-65.7 (6.8-4.3), Extra Urban 56.5-70.6 (5.0-4.0), Official(7.4-5.0), fuel consumption in mpg the Ford KA+ 41.5-65.7 (6.8-4.3), Extra Urban 56.5-70.6 (5.0-4.0), Combined 49.6-68.9 (5.7-4.1). Official 38.2-56.5 Combinedfigures 31.0-54.3 (9.1-5.2). Official CO2 New emissions 209-137g/km. emissions 129-108g/km. Fiesta Active Urban 36.2-64.2 (7.8-4.4), Urban 55.4-76.4 46.3-70.6 (6.1-4.0). Official The mpg figures quoted129-108g/km. are sourced fromFiesta official Active EU-regulated testUrban resultsRange: (EU Directive and Regulation 715/2007 and55.4-76.4 692/2008Extra as last amended), are provided for(5.1-3.7), comparability purposes not reflect138-103g/km. your actual driving experience.CO 2 emi COCO emissions Range: 36.2-64.2 (7.8-4.4), Extra Urban (5.1-3.7), Combined 46.3-70.6 (6.1-4.0).Combined Official and CO2may emissions EcoSport 2 2 Subject to availability at participating Ford(7.8-4.6), Dealers Your new Ford Car(5.7-4.0), must be contracted between 1st October and 31stOfficial December and then registered by 31st CO Marchemissions 2019. Retail Only.145-110g/km. Finance Subject to status. Guarantees Range: Urban 36.2-61.4 (7.8-4.6), Extraonly. Urban 49.6-70.6 Combined 44.1-67.3 (6.4-4.2). CO2018 emissions 145-110g/km. Kuga Range: Urban 23.3-50.4 (12.1-5.6), Extra Urbanmay Range: Urban 36.2-61.4 Extra Urban 49.6-70.6 (5.7-4.0), Combined 44.1-67.3 (6.4-4.2). Official Kuga Range: Urban 23 2 2 be required. Freepost Ford Credit. 38.2-56.5 (7.4-5.0), Combined 31.0-54.331.0-54.3 (9.1-5.2). Official CO2 emissions 38.2-56.5 (7.4-5.0), Combined (9.1-5.2). Official209-137g/km. CO emissions 209-137g/km.

The mpg figures quoted are sourced from official EU-regulated test results (EU Directive and Regulation 2 715/2007 and 692/2008 as last amended), are provided for comparability purposes and may not reflect your actual driving experience. The mpg figures quoted are sourced fromonly. official EU-regulated results (EU Directive and and Regulation 715/2007 and as31st lastMarch amended), areOnly. provided comparability purposes Subject to availability at participating Ford Dealers Your new Ford Car musttest be contracted between 1st October 31st December 2018 and then692/2008 registered by 2019. Retail Finance for Subject to status. Guarantees mayand may no availability at participating Ford Dealers only. Your new Ford Car must be contracted between 1st October and 31st December 2018 and then registered by 31st March 2019. Retail Only. Fina beSubject required.to Freepost Ford Credit.

be required. Freepost Ford Credit.

Park Farm H OTE L & LEI SU R E

Stylish new lodges offer the best of both worlds for weekend breaks. Park Farm Hotel & Leisure have added something very special to their already fantastic offering.

ust

three weeks ago Park Farm Hotel, at Hethersett opened two brand new lodges, and they are already generating interest and the hotel is taking bookings. Set in the hotel’s 200 acres of peaceful woodlands and rolling farmland the new lodges are part of the hotel’s constantly evolving strategy. Michael Bannister, Business Development and Marketing Manager at Park Farm said, ‘We are always striving to meet the changing demands and requirements of our audience. We could see a growing demand for outstanding accommodation for, typically weekend, group bookings. From family gatherings to girls’ getaways it’s something that’s growing in popularity. We think we have delivered the perfect solution’.

The two lodges - Aspen and Birch - are Nordic in theme. Timber clad on the outside they ooze sophistication on the inside. The decor draws on a contemporary grey and teal palette, and the furnishings and finishing touches are seriously stylish. Gorgeous fabrics and fittings all combine to create a light, airy, spacious feel. Each lodge features 2 large bedrooms, a lounge with L Shaped sofa, a dining area and two en suite bathrooms, including a spa bath. With Wi-Fi throughout, and smart TV, everything you need is taken care of. The lodges feature floor to ceiling windows offering great views over peaceful countryside. It’s so peaceful that it’s easy to forget that this place is

PROMOTION

very easily accessible from the A11 and A47. In theory, with such spacious accommodation and all the necessary appliances - which includes a hob - you could look after yourselves in your lodge. In practice, you might sort out a quick snack, but why do more? This is luxury space with everything else you need on call. Because, of course, the lodges are part of Park Farm Hotel and Leisure which means that as self-contained as you are, you can still take advantage of award winning food ranging from a bar snack to an a la carte dinner. And of course there’s the Spa and Leisure Centre. With swimming pool, gym, sauna and steam room, it’s the perfect place to de-stress and make your stay even more special. ‘It’s a new take on a getaway break’ said Michael Bannister. ‘You have the space and seclusion of staying in a lodge, with all the benefits of full hotel service included. From two to six or seven of you, enjoying the best of both worlds makes for a great experience. Bookings so far would seem to indicate we have got it right!’. Park Farm Country Hotel & Leisure Hethersett, Norwich, Norfolk NR9 3DL 01603 810264 enq@parkfarm-hotel.co.uk www.parkfarm-hotel.co.uk

JERSEY

The warmest place in the British Isles

A selection of modern, contemporary hotels close to numerous bars, restaurants, cafes overlooking the beach

3nts

4nts

£355 per person

3H HAMPSHIRE

Free dinner on first night

4nts

£449 per person

4H RADISSON BLU

Free upgrade to seafacing room*

Breakfast included

based on travel 01-31 May

Breakfast included

based on travel 01-31 May

4nts

£565

£585

per person

4H ROYAL YACHT

A great location in the heart of St Helier and has an excellent spa

Breakfast included

based on travel 01 Jun-31 Jul

per person

5H GRAND HOTEL & SPA

Free 60 minute spa treatment (one

Breakfast included

based on travel 01-18 May

Many more hotels, dates and durations available. Please call or pop in for

FLY FROM NORWICH

details.

Contact our Jersey experts today: FINANCIALLY PROTECTED

01603 428700

BRANDON LEWIS

The Airport & Castle Mall, Norwich

“Wishing ss acro everyone

rmouth Great Yaery av ristmas Merry Ch wishes and best Year” ew for the N

Working for you Great Yarmouth & Westminster Workingall for you inin Great Yarmouth & Westminster Working for you in Great Yarmouth Westminster Working year round for the residents of&& Great Yarmouth Working for you in Great Yarmouth Westminster Please get inintouch with my team if I can help you with any local issues Please get touch with my team ififYarmouth, you any local issues 20 Church Plain, Great Norfolk, NR30 1NE Please get with my team can help youwith with any local issues Please getin intouch touch with my team ifIIIcan canhelp help you with any local issues

www.brandonlewis.co www.brandonlewis.co www.brandonlewis.co www.brandonlewis.co www.brandonlewis.co

01493 652 958 01493 office@brandonlewis.co 01493652 854958 550office@brandonlewis.co ofﬁce@brandonlewis.co

01493 01493 652 652 958

office@brandonlewis.co office@brandonlewis.co

Travel

time

Recharge your batteries with a well earned winter break

Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, Dubai The iconic sail-shaped silhouette of Burj Al Arab Jumeirah stands tall as a beacon of modern Dubai, characterized by the finest hospitality you can ever experience and is repeatedly voted the world’s most luxurious hotel. With nine world-class restaurants and bars offering some of the world’s best dining experiences, including the highly acclaimed Nathan Outlaw at Al Mahara, for even the most discerning of foodies. No visit to Dubai is complete without taking in its state-of-the-art skyscrapers. You’ll find plenty in the Downtown Dubai district. The city’s sky-piercing landmark and tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa is a fine example. It stands at a staggering height of 2,722ft and contains 160 floors. Meanwhile, shoppers can lose themselves in The Dubai Mall. Another record-breaker, it is the largest shopping and leisure centre in the world. www.jumeirah.com

Amanruya, Bodrum, Turkey This luxury resort is located just 15 minutes outside of the town of Bodrum. Guests can relax looking out over the breath-taking Aegean Sea and enjoy the beach club on the protected bay. The village-like block buildings are constructed from local materials, and each guest pavilion has a private garden with a pool and pergola. There’s also a glittering hillside infinity pool, a dainty Aman spa, a yoga studio and a library tower. Dine on expertly prepared Mediterranean and Turkish cuisine in one of the dining pavilions scattered throughout the resort and enjoy a glass of wine in the cellar-like lounge. The beach Club offers fantastic al fresco dining and for the more adventurous a selection on non-motorised water sports are available. Immerse yourself in a combination of beautiful landscapes and luxury whilst you recharge away from the hustle and bustle. www.aman.com/resorts/amanruya

Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Milan Fusing Milanese design with timeless Oriental luxury, Mandarin Oriental hotel lies in the heart of Italy’s most fashionable city. The bedrooms and suites are luxurious in every way with a chic, contemporary décor enhanced by subtle Oriental touches. Executive Chef Antonio Guida won his first Michelin star just a few months after the hotel opened its doors, with his second Michelin star rolling in the following year. Adding to this the hotels award-winning mixologists will serve you up decadent cocktails to complete the Milan experience. www.mandarinoriental.com 73

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HEALTH

WRISTY

‘Pins and needles’ in the hand and wrist sounds harmless enough. Debbie Thorpe of Spire Norwich Hospital discusses with Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Mr Adrian Chojnowski how Carpal Tunnel Syndrome could be the cause.

ow many of us have woken up

in the morning with ‘pins and needles’ in one or both of our hands? I know I have! But what about when the numb, tingly sensation persists longer than those few moments when you’re wiping sleep from your eyes? To find out, I asked Mr Adrian Chojnowski, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Spire Norwich Hospital a few questions about this relatively common condition of the hand and fingers. What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)? “Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a common condition that occurs when there is too much pressure on a nerve in the wrist. This may result in pain, numbness or tingling of the thumb, fingers and sometimes a larger part of the hand. About 3 in every 100 people will develop CTS at some point in their lifetime. While it can develop at any age, most sufferers are in their 40’s and 50’s”. What is the carpal tunnel? “The carpal tunnel is a channel in the palm side of the wrist - close to where one would look for a pulse. The bones of the wrist are arranged in a semi-circle, and a tough ligament called the transverse carpal ligament forms a ‘roof’ over the bones. The carpal tunnel is the passageway that is formed by this ‘roof’. Running through the tunnel are the tendons that we use to bend or flex our fingers, and the median nerve (one of three nerves that connect to the hand)”. What causes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? “There isn’t much room in the tunnel therefore any swelling around it can compress the median nerve, causing symptoms of CTS”. What are the symptoms? “Symptoms include aching, tingling, ‘pins and needles’, a swollen feeling, burning, numbness or pain in the hand and fingers. Occasionally patients say the pain travels up the arm. CTS tends to be worse at night causing sufferers to wake from sleep, it may also be troublesome first thing in the morning. You may find that you get temporary relief by hanging your arm out of the bed at night or by shaking your hand vigorously”. Adrian Chojnowski, Consultant Orthopaedic and Hand Surgeon at Spire Norwich Hospital explains, “It can affect one or both hands to varying degrees. Symptoms may be mild and occasional so many people

simply put up with the discomfort at the onset. Reduced sensation can make fine motor tasks such as picking up small objects or doing up a zip quite difficult. The night symptoms can be the most annoying and may lead to erratic sleep patterns as a result of waking due to discomfort. In severe, longlasting cases the thumb muscles may start to waste away or the median nerve may be permanently damaged.” “Repeated activities requiring wrist movements or, tasks requiring prolonged wrist positions such as long distance driving, could lead to inflamed tendons or swelling in the carpal tunnel, causing or exacerbating the condition.” What treatments are available for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? “Non-surgical treatments may include a wrist splint to be worn at night. Keeping the wrist bent for long periods increases the pressure on the nerve, a splint will help to keep your wrist straight to reduce the pressure. Mild symptoms may be helped by resting your hands and wrists regularly. If your condition is linked to the way you use your hands, it is important to try and avoid the uncomfortable actions. Changing the way repetitive movements are performed, reducing how often you do them, and increasing the amount of rest between periods of activity could also help”. “Over-the-counter non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID’s) such as ibuprofen or aspirin may help by reducing swelling and relieving pain. Many alternative treatments have been tried and there is some evidence that stretching exercises may help in early cases – for example, yoga”. “Corticosteroid injection into the carpal tunnel may relieve symptoms in the short term but how long this lasts is not known. CTS can be exacerbated during pregnancy, a few medical conditions can also be linked such as low thyroid hormone levels”. Adrian continues, “If your symptoms are painful and have not been helped with other treatments then surgery has a good chance of curing the problem. It is commonly performed under local anaesthesia and requires half a day in hospital. Most surgeons use an ‘open’ technique i.e. a cut

to decompress the nerve by dividing the carpal tunnel ligament. The hand will only be useful for very light tasks for the first two weeks, building up to heavier jobs by around six weeks. This means you may need some help with everyday activities for the first few weeks. It may take some months for full strength to return”. Are there any risks to surgical treatment? “Risks include a tender uncomfortable scar which may be helped with local gentle massage/cream, generally settling fully after a few months. Hand stiffness and swelling is a constant problem after any surgery or injury to the hand and rarely can be quite disabling. The risk can be minimised by gently exercising the hand, taking pain relief as necessary and not attempting any moderate to heavy or, repetitive activities for the first four weeks”. “The night symptoms tend to be cured straight away. It may take longer for the tingling to disappear. If the nerve has been damaged by the CTS then it may never fully return to normal - for example, wasting of the muscles around the thumb never tends to recover. Rarely CTS can recur many years later”. “Generally this operation provides high satisfaction rates but it is always important to consider the risks and benefits of surgery before embarking on this course”. Adrian concludes “Your GP will most likely be your first point of medical contact and will make or confirm the diagnosis, consider the non-surgical treatments and recommend a surgical opinion as appropriate.” FOR FURTHER INFORMATION about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome arrange an appointment with your family doctor or call 01603 255 614 to make a private appointment with Mr Adrian Chojnowski. Further details regarding consultant orthopaedic surgeon Mr Adrian Chojnowski can be found on his consultant profile at www.spirenorwich.com All surgery carries an element of risk and the content of this page is provided for general information only. It should not be treated as a substitute for the professional medical advice of your doctor or other healthcare professional.

www.facebook.com/spirenorwichhospital/

PROMOTION

New Year, New Kitchen T h e U K ’s n u m b e r o n e k i t c h e n r e t a i l e r * , Wr e n K i t c h e n s h a s t h e b i g g e s t k i t c h e n c o l l e c t i o n i n t h e c o u n t r y.

IF CHRISTMAS

is focussing your attention on updating your home, you’ll find plenty of inspiration at Wren Kitchens this winter. From brand new kitchen ranges to extra colours and finishes, Wren Kitchens has it all. What’s more, from Boxing Day you can get huge discounts in Wren’s famous winter sale. If you’re thinking of remodelling your kitchen or family room, Wren has the largest collection of kitchens in the UK so head down to your nearest showroom - there’s 77 nationwide - and we know you’ll discover your dream kitchen - whatever your budget.

Infinity Plus, designed, manufactured and fully built in the UK by Wren, gives you all the elements you need to create a bespoke kitchen at a price every homeowner can afford. With a choice of 23 frontal styles and thousands of unit sizes and special feature units, there’s millions of potential combinations. Add in the choice of Special, Standard, and Elements colours to choose from and it’s the next best thing to a handmade kitchen. If a contemporary handleless style has always been on your wish list, then the Infinity Plus Milano Ultra range is for you. It’s the most affordable designer

style kitchen on the market - up to 80% less than you’ll find anywhere else in the UK. For a more traditional or classic look, check out our Shaker and Country kitchens which can be personalised with a feature unit that includes dressers, wine racks and cook’s tables. Factory built Infinity features five of our most popular styles in eight colours and for those on a tight budget, try Wren Kitchens’ new Vogue range. With Vogue, you are assured of the same quality of units and the same standards of manufacturing as our Infinity kitchens but they are delivered flat packed for even more affordability. With so much going on, there’s never been a better time to visit Wren Kitchens so come and talk to one of our Kitchen Designers. They’ll help you get the most out of your space and your budget with a clever design. For more inspiration, ask for our new brochure - or check out your options online at wrenkitchens.com.

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WINTER SALE

starts on 26 December There’s never a better time to get the kitchen of your dreams than during the Wren Winter Sale. There’s shaker, modern and traditional kitchens on offer. Buy an Infinity Plus or Infinity Kitchen and enjoy a multi-buy discount when you buy 5 or more units. *Mintel

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PROMOTION

Trouble at mill? NOT AT THIS MILL

This month our resident interior design expert Julie Handforth-Doidge went to take a look behind the scenes at one of the oldest established w o o l l e n m i l l s i n Yo r k s h i r e

ESTABLISHED in 1837 Abraham Moon founded the company in Guiseley, West Yorkshire, in the very same year Queen Victoria ascended to the British throne. Today Abraham Moon & Sons are one of only a handful of vertical woollen mills left in Great Britain. The company started out supplying fabric for a growing Leeds market throughout the 1800’s and today they supply some of the major fashion houses of modern times as well as supplying 5 star hotels with top quality materials. Since 1837, bales of raw wool have been arriving on the mill’s doorstep to begin the process of creating beautiful fabrics. The Merino Lamb’s wool is predominantly from South Africa and the Shetland quality Pure New Wool is from New Zealand. Quality starts on the farm; sheep reared on a different diet can affect the quality so Adrian Moon and Sons buy their Wool from proven sources. To make their luxury fabrics they need the very best natural raw material. The wool that arrives at the factory site is either scoured or cleaned and combed broken tops, which ensures that there is less than 0.3% impurities within the fleeces. My tour of the mill was truly amazing, seeing the raw wool transformed into a fabric which was initially produced

for apparel to leading fashion labels, designers and retailers worldwide. The raw wool is taken to the Dye House, to be dyed using precise combinations of dye, pressure, temperature and time. These combinations are kept a close secret to ensure the unique colour palette remains exclusive to Abraham Moon and Sons. They currently dye their wool in over 500 different shades and colours; within the Dye House they keep a library of shade standards and recipes to ensure they have the continuity in each colour year after year. This is a highly skilled process that is essential to creating beautiful yarns It will come as no surprise that at JHD we are proud they supply JHD Interiors with fabric we use in our upholstery business. A number of the fabrics produced at Abraham Moon goes to their interior fashion division Bronte by Moon and includes products like throws, cushions and fashion accessories utilising a wide variety of popular patterns and colour ways. Their products are renowned for having excellent dye holding properties and are available in every shade, pattern and texture imaginable – the result is a range of fabrics and designs that offer stunning interior design options which we in turn can supply and use for both our commercial customer base as well as to our retail customer base. We are genuinely excited to add this superior product to our already extensive fabric range and I am sure you will be as well, in particularly allowing our own craftsmen to transform your own piece of furniture! If you would like some expert advice on designing your lounge or living room you could always pop down to see the JHD Interiors showroom.

Julie Handforth Doidge

Proprietor / Interior designer at JHD Interiors in Norwich 01603 722 385 www.jhd-interiors.co.uk 79

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WEALTH MANAGEMENT

Active Management of YOUR INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO The last decade has seen highs and lows in investment markets. Carl Lamb looks at how portfolio management can help keep your investments on track. MANY INVESTORS today are

looking for an active approach to portfolio management. This is where experienced investment specialists monitor and adjust the portfolio assets in accordance with movements in the market, aiming to maximise potential returns while giving protection against market turbulence. This contrasts with passive management, whereby the portfolio is either left relatively static or, for example, tracks the performance of an index such as the FTSE 100. However, this doesn’t mean that every portfolio managed by a specific portfolio manager will be the same - it should be aligned with the investor’s objectives, preferences and risk profile. These factors need to be taken into account when building a portfolio that is suitable. In practice, many investors opt for a “model portfolio” – that is a portfolio that has

been designed to meet specific requirements and risk levels. This means that the portfolio manager can adjust the portfolio content as needed, within the agreed risk constraints, to the benefit of all those who hold that portfolio. Portfolio ranges also can reflect particular preferences such as an ethical position or low charges. Typically the investments in a model portfolio will be adjusted at least monthly and more frequently if market conditions indicate a need to do so. The assessment of your risk profile and the establishment of your objectives are fundamental to our advice process. We will discuss and agree with you the risk score that is suggested by the assessment before making a recommendation. If suitable, we will then recommend a model portfolio that is aligned to your risk profile, takes account of your preferences and meets your agreed objectives. There are a range of portfolio managers available to independent financial advisers and your adviser will help you select the manager that is most suitable for your needs. Since combining operations with Smith & Pinching in October 2018, our advisers have access to their in-house portfolio management team who offer over 30 model portfolios covering ten risk profile allocations and specific asset or charging preferences. The model portfolio will hold a diversified selection of investments that have been approved for use by the Investment Committee,

which is made up of market specialists and investment managers who will have carried out extensive research and due diligence before approving a particular investment fund for use by the portfolio management team. We do have clients who are looking for a more bespoke approach to their investment portfolio and we can offer them full discretionary portfolio management, also via Smith & Pinching. This will see their portfolios custom-built to suit their individual risk profile, objectives and preferences and adjusted on a day-today basis when required. This high level of pro-activity is not suitable for every client as the costs involved are inevitably higher than with a model portfolio. Whatever the size of your investment portfolio, we believe that there is a management service that will be suitable for you. The value of a managed portfolio will vary according to market conditions, of course, but pro-active management of your investments will go some way to ensuring that your portfolio can both weather any market turbulence and deliver the optimum performance. _ The value of an investment and the income from it could go down as well as up. The return at the end of the investment period is not guaranteed and you may get back less than you originally invested. The tax treatment of investments depends on individual circumstances and is subject to change. For independent advice, contact Almary Green on 01603 706740 or email enquiries@almarygreen.com. Please remember that the guidance here is generic and we recommend that you get individual personalised advice.

Christmas I was given a flute as a present as it is something I’d really like to start playing again.

. .. h it w s e t u n i five m

Lynn Walters Executive Director

and Co-founder of Pure and Pure Executive, professional recruitment specialists for the East of England.

What do you like about living in Norfolk/Suffolk? I live in Bury St Edmunds and I’m also fortunate enough to spend a few weeks a year in a shared holiday home in Titchwell, North Norfolk. It’s rented out most of the time, but we go there whenever we can. Bury St Edmunds is a fabulous market town with a great culture. I love being able to pop in, grab a coffee and browse in the wonderful boutique shops. When I’m in Norfolk I spend my time running or walking on the beach, sketching and discovering great restaurants which serve locally sourced food. How does Pure make a difference to people’s lives? We have offices in Norwich, Ipswich, Chelmsford and Cambridge and all of our consultants really care about supporting our candidates to find their next career role. We work with people at all stages of their career, whether they are starting out or looking for Executive positions. There’s nothing more satisfying than helping someone to find a job they love and one where they will thrive. There are many people we helped when Pure started 16 years ago that we are still working with now. Their careers have grown alongside our business. What do you most enjoy about working with people and businesses in our region? As well as sourcing and placing talented people, our added value initiatives mean we get to work with businesses in many different contexts. This could be partnering with organisations on Best Employers Eastern Region or supporting up-and-coming talent through our career development programmes including the 82

Board Ready Talent Scheme and Women’s Leadership Programme. We come up with new ideas to support businesses and their people whilst helping organisations in the east to recruit and retain top talent. We’re lucky to be surrounded by a strong, supportive community of forward-thinking businesses that are happy to learn from each other. Local business leaders like what we do and appreciate our aim of contributing to the growth of our region. They trust us and embrace our ideas to help make them happen. I also love that East Anglia has a great breadth of interesting and innovative businesses. It’s a wonderful place to achieve a good work life balance. You can have a fantastic career and still enjoy the blend of culture and countryside on our doorstep. How is Pure contributing to the growth of the region? Our initiatives are all designed to help local businesses to develop and grow, whether it’s building candidate skills or supporting business leaders to manage and lead in a way that gets the most out of their people. For example, our Women’s Leadership Programme has supported over 80 women in the region to progress their careers while balancing work and home life. At the same time, their organisations have benefitted from improved inclusion strategies. With Best Employers Eastern Region, the initiative not only supports businesses to develop engaging places to work, it also acts as a catalyst to bring business leaders together at seminars to learn from each other as well as hearing the latest insights on employee engagement. Tell us something that people don’t know about you? When I was at school I was very musical. I played both the flute and the cello. This

What is your proudest achievement? My proudest work-based achievement has been the recent launch of our Board Ready Talent Scheme designed to support businesses to develop their succession pipelines. We secured the backing of the world-leading Cranfield Business School from the outset and it has provided a bespoke Executive Training Programme for the scheme. Outside of work, my proudest achievement was completing a 10-day trek in Peru with my colleague Caroline Batchelor a few years ago. As well as the endurance element, it meant facing my fears of flying and overcoming my nerves about leaving my children for that length of time. We were both so proud to have raised £8k for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH). Run us through a typical day for you... My husband Ian and I have two teenage children and we always try to have breakfast as a family. I leave the house between 7.30am and 8am to travel to one of our four offices and no day is ever really the same. Typically, the morning is spent going through emails, catching up with the team and meeting with partners such as Grant Thornton and Birketts to discuss and plan upcoming initiatives or events. I try to get out at lunch, even if it is just for ten minutes, and aim to eat something healthy, although I do have a sweet tooth! Afternoons are often spent on the phone or meeting with clients to advise on talent and people solutions. I aim to leave the office by 6.30pm and typically do something active in the evening like practicing yoga or going for a run. I’ll catch up with the family about their days and I usually end up eating far too late. I rarely sit down, but if I am, it will be doing something creative like drawing. What do you like to do when you’re not working? Art is a real passion of mine and I recently completed a print making course at Gainsborough House in Sudbury. Where do you like to eat and drink? If it’s a special treat, we love eating at Maison Bleue in Bury St Edmunds. They have an amazing chef, and everyone is really friendly and welcoming. Other favourites close to home include 1921 and Pea Porridge and I always pop into Guats Up when in town for the best coffee! When we are in Norfolk we enjoy visiting Titchwell Manor as we love Eric’s inventive cooking. We also recently tried Socius in Burnham Market. The tapas sharing plates were amazing and there was a real passion and energy from all the team. Can you sum up Pure in five words? Forward-thinking, trusted, recruitment specialists, eastern-region. Can you sum yourself up in five words? Innovative, creative, exacting (although my team might describe this as demanding), positive and encouraging.

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Norwich Audi Meridian Way Norwich NR7 0TA 01603 605288 www.robinsonsaudi.co.uk Official fuel consumption figures for the Audi A3 Sportback Black Edition 30 TFSI 116PS manual in mpg (l/100km): Urban 47.1 (6.0), Extra Urban 61.4 (4.6), Combined 55.4 (5.1). CO2 emissions: 117g/km. This vehicle is a WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light-Duty Vehicles Test Procedure) type approved vehicle More information is available at beta.audi.co.uk/wltp However, in line with Government guidance, to facilitate comparison between different models from different manufacturers and to accommodate the full transition to this new testing regime, we have displayed the NEDC figures. These NEDC figures are the values for this vehicle used in registration and taxation documentation until further notice from the UK authorities. These NEDC figures have been derived from WLTP testing, and may not be equivalent to NEDC figures from NEDC testing, so comparisons may be unreliable. Fuel consumption and efficiency figures are provided for comparative purposes only and may not reflect ‘real world’ driving results. Choice of wheels and other options may affect fuel consumption and emissions data. Robinsons Autoservices Limited trading as Norwich Audi is a broker and not a lender and can introduce you to a limited number of lenders, who may pay us for introducing you to them. *No ownership option. Based on Audi A3 Sportback Black Edition 30 TFSI 116PS manual at 48-month, 10,000 mile per annum Contract Hire agreement. Excess mileage up to 6p per mile and damage charges may apply. 18s+. Subject to status and availability. T&Cs apply. Ordered by 02/01/2019 from participating Centres. Indemnities may be required. Not available in conjunction with any other offer and may be withdrawn at any time. Accurate at 10/2018. Freepost Audi Financial Services.

Places & Faces North & West Norfolk 21 December 2018

Articles inside

Christmas in North Norfolk