Places&Faces® 79 October

OCTOBER 2016 / £3.50 WHERE SOLD

The magazine for Norfolk & North Suffolk SEASONAL RECIPES FROM RICHARD BAINBRIDGE, SIMON WAINWRIGHT AND FRANCK PONTAIS

GHOSTLY GOINGS-ON THIS HALLOWE’EN!

win!

A CARIBBEAN MEAL FOR FOUR at Turtle Bay, Norwich

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING IN THE CAPITAL LUCY O’BYRNE THE VOICE STAR STEPS ON TO THE NORFOLK STAGE

ALAN PARTRIDGE A-HA! NORFOLK’S BEST-KNOWN MEDIA PERSONALITY RETURNS TO NORWICH

+ AN AUDIENCE WITH PETER WILSON / HOSTRY FESTIVAL HAPPENINGS / A SIDEWAYS LOOK AT THE WELLS CRAB HOUSE

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

ISSUE NO.79 www.placesandfaces.co.uk

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BOOK NOW

R E T IN R W E T & IN N W M U & T N U A AUTUM m o r f s k m a o r f e r s b break 0 0 .

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Best Large Attraction 2014 & 2015 Norfolk EDP Tourism Awards 2014 & 2015

Epic Indoor Adventure

Trick or Tw e e t

22nd-30th October Join us for ‘mini-beastly’ halloween fun!

Open 10am-5pm. NR21 0LN

www.pensthorpe.com Sorry no pets except assistance dogs

OCTOBER Tues 27 Sept – Sat 1 Oct PRIDE AND PREJUDICE Matthew Kelly and Felicity Montagu star in Jane Austen’s ultimate romantic comedy £8 - £27.50 Thur 6 – Fri 7 Oct RAMBERT World class dance £7 - £24 Sun 9 Oct ROSS NOBLE Surreal stand up £8 - £25

Wed 26 – Sat 29 Oct BEAUTY & THE BEAST Northern Ballet with fairytale dance adaptation £8 - £37.50 Mon 31 Oct – Sat 5 Nov CHICAGO John Partridge, Hayley Tamaddon, Jessie Wallace star in razzle dazzle musical £8 - £42.50

Mon 10 – Sat 15 Oct THE FULL MONTY Hilarious and heartfelt drama £8 - £32.50 Sun 16 Oct MAY CONTAIN NUTS Star-studded evening of comedy £8 - £30 Tues 18 – Sat 22 Oct THE SOUND OF MUSIC Lucy O’Byrne, Andrew Lancel star in unforgettable family musical £8 - £37.50

Book online: www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk T H E AT R E ST R E E T, N O RW I C H N R 2 1 R L

Beauty and the Beast

BOX OFFICE: (01603) 63 00 00

 ASSEMBLY HOUSE CHRISTMAS FAIR 2016 Saturday 26th November 10am to 5pm Sunday 27th November 11am to 4pm All welcome, entrance free Woodcraft  Pottery  Plants Clothes  Jewellery  Textiles Knitwear Beads  Baubles  Prints Preserves  Festive Food & Drink Cushions  Cards  Tins  Toiletries Baskets  Decorations  Stationery  Toys Live carols in the courtyard and much more!

The Assembly House, Theatre Street, Norwich, NR2 1RQ 01603 626402 • www.assemblyhousenorwich.co.uk

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CONTRIBUTORS Richard Bainbridge, Chris Bailey, Daniel Bycroft, John Bultitude, Benet Catty, Melanie Cook, James Fossdyke, Judy Foster, Julian Gibbons, Pete Goodrum, Carl Lamb, Ellen Mary, Nick Mobbs, Mark Nicholls, Hayley Philpot, Franck Pontais, Jennifer Read, James Spicer, Simon Wainwright, Peter Wilson

12 ISSUES FOR £24

CAROLYN ATKINS

E carolyn@h2creativemedia.co.uk

WELCOME WELCOME TO OCTOBER’S PLACES & FACES®.

Now that the nights are drawing in and the days are getting shorter, it’s the ideal time of year to retreat indoors to read a good book.

Great news then, that media personality extraordinaire Alan Partridge will be paying Norfolk a visit this month, when he’ll be signing copies of his new book, Alan Partridge: NOMAD at Jarrolds on Saturday, October 29.

Alan Partridge (aka Steve Coogan) has been inextricably linked to the county ever since he first graced (or should that be disgraced) our TV screens and, love him or loathe him, you can be certain that, along with Delia Smith, Bernard Matthews – oh, and Admiral Lord Nelson – he’s helped to put Norfolk on the map.

Meanwhile, those of us bold enough to brave the elements at this time of year will find plenty of events worth stepping out for, from the fabulous Hostry Festival to some horrible Hallowe’en happenings. Take a look through the following pages for suggestions and then get booking, as these things sell out fast!

There are some lovely seasonal recipes in this issue, too (perfect in the colder weather), but my advice is to skip cooking at least one night this month to treat yourselves to some truly tasty seafood at The Wells Crab House on the North Norfolk coast. We had a lovely meal there recently and on a dark, autumnal evening you can be sure of some great food, along with a bright and cheery welcome.

While we’re on the subject of restaurants, there are plenty more that are on our hit-list (it’s just a matter of finding the time!). These include the colourful Caribbean restaurant Turtle Bay in Norwich and the great-sounding Giggling Squid, a new Thai restaurant, also in the centre of the city. There’s a chance to win a meal for four at Turtle Bay in this issue, so don’t forget to enter. Another one on the list is The Market Bistro in King’s Lynn which has recently been named one of the best restaurants in the world by Condé Nast Traveler magazine (@CNTraveler) – congratulations!

Carolyn Atkins

GENERAL ENQUIRIES

call Jane on 01493 742088 or visit our website at www.placesandfaces.co.uk/ magazine-subscribe

ONLINE: www.placesandfaces.co.uk

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Copyright on all content is with H2Creative Media Limited. Reproduction in part or whole is forbidden without the express permission of the publishers. All prices, events and times were correct at the time of print, and you are encouraged to contact the businesses and venues prior to making bookings. All expressions and opinions demonstrated within the publication, are those of the Editor including contributors.

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CONTENTS

110 73

PERSONALITIES

TRAVEL

TV star Lucy O’Byrne plays Maria in the Sound of Music 32 An audience with Peter Wilson, Norwich Theatre Royal’s CEO 122 A heartfelt tribute to Paula Hodds

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FASHION AND BEAUTY 36 45 47 49 51

We’ve got the blues!

Top flight accessories The eyes have it!

Up-to-date denim designs Office essentials

WHAT’S ON 14 16 20 22 24

Awesome ideas for October Broaden your horizons this autumn Eerie Hallowe’en events What’s happening at this year’s Hostry Festival?

Another look at Groundhog Day

The Levin Hotel is the height of luxury

HOMES AND GARDENS 80 87 88 92

All sorts of autumnal tasks Dan Bycroft advocates a personal approach Property of the Month More inspirational interiors from Jarrolds

COMPETITION 69

Win a mouth-watering Caribbean meal for four

BUSINESS 105 All about equity release 107 Julian Gibbons bemoans the changing face of the law

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COVER STORY A-ha! Alan Partridge makes a pilgrimage to Norwich

Looking Ahead

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Carolyn Atkins highlights a few October activities KEEPING ABREAST OF EVENTS

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and all kinds of activities are taking place around the region. On Wednesday, October 5 and Thursday, October 6, the Keeping Abreast More Than Just Fashion Shows will take place at Norwich OPEN on Bank Plain.

Designed to raise awareness and funds for Keeping Abreast, the breast reconstruction charity, these very moving evenings also help restore confidence and femininity to women who have undergone surgery (all the models have been through breast reconstruction or preventive breast surgery due to the discovery of breast cancer or a faulty BRCA gene). A great event for a great cause, tickets are £12.50 (VIP tickets £25); visit: www.keepingabreast.org.uk

BEST FILM

Bridget Jones’s Baby is on my must-see list this month as I loved the other two films: Bridget Jones’s Diary back in 2001 and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason in 2004. The new movie, starring Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Patrick Dempsey and Co, has been out for a few weeks now, but is so popular that it’ll no doubt still be around for a while. As most readers will already know, the film follows hapless journalist Bridget Jones whose single life and career is interrupted when she discovers that she has fallen pregnant. Unfortunately, however, it’s a 50/50 guess as to who the father might be…

30 FOOD AND DRINK 53 56 58 60 64 67

Seasonal slow-cooking with Franck Pontais Cast your net to include The Wells Crab House Another feather in Richard Bainbridge’s cap Fabulous fish at The Imperial Hotel Shaking it up during Norwich Cocktail Week Cocktail of the Month: Bubblegum Daiquiri

MOTORING 110 From here to Infiniti!

Test-driving the new QX30 Crossover 112 Behind the wheel of the new-look Ford Ka

REGULARS 115 High Society: the region’s VIP events

NEW COSMETIC COUNTER

Bobbi Brown Cosmetics has unveiled at new counter at Jarrolds in Norwich, featuring colour cosmetics, brushes, fragrance, skincare and expert advice. Developed by celebrated make-up artist Bobbi Brown, this exclusive line of cosmetics aims to deliver a range of make-up colours and products that works for all skin tones. The Places & Faces® team is looking forward to checking it out soon.

CLEVER CHARITY INITIATIVE

Great news for the Big C which has been chosen by Adnams as the recipient of its first-ever Pennies campaign to run online as well as instore. The support coincides with the #cancerconversations initiative that was launched through drip mats in pubs and outlets serving Adnams beers. The Pennies initiative sees customers’ purchases rounded up by a few pence, with the proceeds going to the Norfolk & Waveney Cancer Charity. More at: www.adnams.co.uk

LOOKING FORWARD TO CHRISTMAS

The countdown to Christmas has already begun and the pop-up charity card shop, Cards For Good Causes, will open this month in The Forum in Norwich, firstly in the Millennium Library on the ground floor, from Monday, October 10 to Sunday, October 30, and then in the main space, The Atrium, from Monday, October 31 through to Thursday, December 17. Cards For Good Causes sells charity Christmas cards for over 40 charities, 20 of which are local, including two different designs that have been designed by local artists Beverley Coraldean and Joe McLean (pictured above) for nothing.

The pop-up shop will be open daily from 10am to 5pm. Besides the lovely cards, there’ll also be wrapping paper, gift tags, advent calendars and Christmas novelties. www.theforumnorwich.co.uk

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| OCTOBER 2016

1 THE VOICE OF VONDA Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter and musician Vonda Shepard will be at the Apex in Bury St Edmunds on Thursday, October 13, as part of her UK tour. The multi-Emmy, Golden Globe and Grammy Award-winning artist is best-known for being the former musical director of Ally McBeal, writing the theme song, Searching My Soul, and appearing in every episode. Vonda writes bluesy, soulful tunes and has a powerful voice that can cut to the back of any room.

Since the famous TV show ended, Vonda has released five studio albums and toured extensively. She has also performed duets with legendary artists including Rod Stewart and, famously, Robert Downey Jr. Box Office: 01284 758000. More at: www.theapex.co.uk and at: www.vondashephard.com 2 MAJOR MARITIME EXHIBITION Gorleston Ladies’ Lifeboat Guild is hosting a major Maritime Exhibition at The Education Barn, Beccles Road, Raveningham, NR14 6NS, on Saturday, October 1 and Sunday, October 2 from 10am to 5pm.

The event includes painting demonstrations, refreshments including home-made cakes, a RNLI souvenir stall and raffle for a superb maritime painting. For further information please contact Tricia Duffield on 07715 585864.

LOWESTOFT LITERARY FESTIVAL Broadcaster, journalist and author Libby Purves will be speaking at the Lowestoft Library Literary Festival on Saturday, October 1. Book ahead on 01502 674660 or visit the Library for tickets. www.friendsoflowestoftlibrary.onesuffolk.net HOT STUFF! A star-packed cast is heading to the Norwich Theatre Royal on Monday, October 10 for the return of the hit musical, The Full Monty, which will strut its stuff until Saturday, October 15. Famous faces to look out for include Gary Lucy (EastEnders, Footballers (check) Wives, The Bill), Louis Emerick (Brookside, Last Of The Summer Wine), Joe Absolom (Doc Martin and EastEnders), Kai Owen (Torchwood, Hollyoaks), Andrew Dunn (Dinnerladies, Coronation Street) and Chris Fountain (Coronation Street, EastEnders). Box Office: 01603 630000. www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk 3 HEAD TO HALESWORTH The 15th Halesworth Arts Festival takes place from Saturday, October 8 to Sunday, October 23 and looks set to be another very successful event. Andy Hamilton, John Lill, OperaUpClose, Dervish and the Choir of Royal Holloway all feature in this year’s packed programme, while this year’s art exhibition at The Cut is entitled PERFORMANCE and features the photography of Bill Jackson and Peter Everard Smith. Find out more at: www.halesworthartsfestival.org.uk.

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on what’s Watch household names at the region’s theatres, take in some wonderful art and then raise a glass to autumn at the Norwich Beer Festival!

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WHAT’S ON

october 5 FOODIE FUN From lunch on its first day to brunch on its last, Aylsham Food Festival 2016, running from Friday, September 30 to Sunday 2 October and organised by Slow Food Aylsham, has something for all foodies.

Activities include talks, a country market, a harvest lunch and a gala dinner as well as cookery and butchery demonstrations, wine tasting, family entertainment and a prize draw as well as the final event, the Big Slow Brunch in the Town Hall on Sunday, October 2. Find out more at: www.slowfoodaylsham. org and at: www.norfolkfoodanddrink.com

5 4 TRAVEL TO THE WINDY CITY Come along to the Norwich Theatre Royal on Monday, October 31for another starstudded show – Chicago. Running until Saturday, November 5, and set in the 1920s, it tells the story of Roxie Hart who shoots her lover dead and finds herself joining forces with double-murderess Velma Kelly to keep herself off Death Row with the help of super-smooth lawyer Billy Flynn.

Roxie Hart is played by Hayley Tamaddon (Coronation Street, Emmerdale and former Norwich Sleeping Beauty panto), Billy Flynn is played by John Partridge (EastEnders, Celebrity Big Brother, and lots of West End shows) and Jessie Wallace (Kat Slater from EastEnders) has also recently been added to the cast. Box Office: 01603 630000. www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk

6 KING’S LYNN’S STAR-STUDDED LINE-UP Popular pop rock duo Chas ‘n’ Dave kick off this month’s activities at the King’s Lynn Corn Exchange with the much-loved “rockney” singers rabbiting on on Saturday, October 1. Other must-see shows this October include comedians Ross Noble on Thursday, October 6, and Rob Beckett on Wednesday, October 19, Jimmy Osmond on Friday, October 28, Elaine Page on Sunday, October 30, and a wildlife talk presented

by TV’s Steve Backshall on Monday, October 24. Box Office: 01553 764864. www.kingslynncornexchange.co.uk

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AN A TO Z OF SUFFOLK Inspired by architectural landmarks in Suffolk, artist Leanda Jaine Hughes will exhibit her new body of work in Southwold this month. In the new “A to Z of Suffolk”, Leanda Jaine creates a series of limitededition images using screen-printing and embossing. She selects a different building, landmark or location in Suffolk to represent each letter of the alphabet, such as the letter O for Orford Ness, M for Martello Towers, S for Sole Bay and so on.

The A to Z of Suffolk is at Craftco, 40a High Street, Southwold, IP18 6AE from Saturday, October 1 to Sunday, October 30. More at: www.leandajaine.co.uk 7 HERE FOR THE BEER! The Norwich Beer Festival is back, with the 39th event taking place at St Andrew’s and Blackfriars’ Halls from Monday, October 24 to Saturday, October 29. Organised by the Norwich & Norfolk Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), it’s a must for real ale enthusiasts. Visit the CAMRA website for more details at: www.norwichcamra.org.uk

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lifE’s lESsOns

Before we head into the depths of winter, enjoy some late autumn events that focus on learning as much as entertaining, advises Melanie Cook of VisitNorwich

he nights are drawing in and the hour of change is almost upon us. But before we pull out the winter duvet and stock up on mince pies, why not embrace the last few weeks of autumn with some first-class and different events for adults and children alike?

Two incredible exhibitions launch this month in Norwich: the first being Fisherman and Kings: The Photography of Olive Edis at Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery (from Saturday, October 1 to Saturday, January 7).

This landmark exhibition will unveil a Norfolk heroine few will have heard of.

Born in London in 1876, Olive Edis was an inspiring woman. Not only running a successful business in a man’s world, but also patenting

WHAT’S ON her own inventions and becoming one of the most important photographers of the first half of the 20th century - as well as being Britain’s first accredited female war photographer.

No-one knows why, but Olive Edis opened her first photographic studio in Sheringham. And whilst many of her portraits were of North Norfolk fishermen, her reputation grew quickly, and soon her commissions included royalty, high society, four prime ministers as well as two Pankhurst sisters (suffragettes Christabel and Emmeline) and Nancy Astor.

This event will be the first-ever comprehensive exhibition to exclusively celebrate Edis’ life and work, and will feature 190 rare photographs which were taken by her between the years of 1900 and 1955.

The second big exhibition is at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts: Fiji: Art and Life in the Pacific (Saturday, October 15 to Sunday, February 12). This will be the largest and most comprehensive exhibition ever assembled about Fiji, with the highlight being a specially commissioned, eight metre-long sailing canoe.

The first (and very exciting) city-wide Science Festival arrives this month, too. Between Tuesday, October 18 and Sunday, October 30, the festival presents a superb line-up of creative and participatory events, talks and experiments for grown-ups and children alike. The highly popular Professor Robert Winston features at The Forum with a discussion Modifying Humans: Where does genetics stop? (Wednesday,

October 19, £15). You can also see Marty Jopson (from The One Show) talk about The Science of Everyday (Saturday, October 22, over-sevens, at The Forum from midday to 1pm, £6). Meanwhile, more family events include themes such as: Mini Professors, Puppets in Space, The Experimentics (venue: OPEN), and DNA Detectives, and that’s just for starters! See the whole, amazing programme at: norwichsciencefestival. co.uk.

Heading outdoors, Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden offers interesting workshops and activities this half term; these are a safe bet in school holidays, with a good number of creative things to get stuck into. The first, their Fungi Foray (Saturday, October 22, 10.30am and 2pm) is suitable for all ages. This two-hour roam takes you through woodland looking for and identifying fungi with expert Dr Tony Leech. There’s also a tea room lunch offer of mushroom soup, roll and a pudding for £6. The Foray costs £6.50 for adults and £3.65 for children and booking is essential.

For those who like to ramble at leisure, between Saturday, October 22 and Sunday, 30 (for the price of garden entry), there’s also Grow Your Own Oak Tree Week. Visitors to Fairhaven are invited to forage for acorns in the woodland garden to plant in recycled pots using Fairhaven’s own leaf soil.

Another interesting session is three hours of Fungi Photography (Saturday, October 22, 9.30am, £35, RHS and Fairhaven members £30). This practical workshop is led by professional photographer Peter Mallett and is aimed at beginners to intermediates using SLR or DSLR cameras.

At the end of October, there will also be all sorts of Hallowe’en-themed events, with spooky spectaculars cropping up across East Anglia. Take a look at pages 20 and 21 to find out more about these, which include everything from creating creepy pumpkins to a full-blown Hallowe’en parade.

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y r t s u d n i y b t h g u a t e s l B a n o i s s e f o pr OPEN EVENING Monday 7th November • 5:15 – 8:15pm 0800 854 695 • info@lowestoft.ac.uk • www.lowestoft.ac.uk St Peter’s Street, Lowestoft NR32 2NB

Open Even ts

Open Evening Thursday 6th October 4:30pm - 7:30pm

Information Evening Thursday 24th November 5pm - 7pm

Discover your future - Apply online now

Experience a differen t www.eastnorfolk.ac.uk

CLass

With all sorts of eerie East Anglian events to choose from, you can be sure of a very horrible Hallowe’en this year. This is simply a selection of the horrendous happenings to be had…

PUMPKINS A-PLENTY!

Norwich Pumpkin Rescue Saturday, October 29, 10am to 5pm Everyone loves carving pumpkins at this time of year, but apparently afterwards thousands of these colourful squash are simply thrown away.

The Pumpkin Rescue initiative seeks to reduce this amount while making us think about food waste in general. Norwich Pumpkin Rescue will take place outside The Forum in Norwich on Saturday, October 29, hosted by Norwich City Council’s One Planet Norwich as part of the Norwich Science Festival.

Come along and have your face painted, take part in a children’s quiz, get some top tips from Love Food Hate Waste and enjoy a tasty pumpkin treat thanks to FoodCycle Norwich. And if you’re going to be carving a pumpkin this year, why not try turning its contents into a delicious soup, pie or tart?

You’ll find a host of recipes at: www.hubbub.org.uk

SPOOKY CITY

Monday, October 31, 6pm to 8pm Norwich This spooktacular Hallowe’en event includes some fangtastic costumes and an evening full of tricks and treats. Dress up in your finest freaky outfit and join other ghosts and ghouls in Chapelfield Gardens at 6pm for some gruesome goings-on and the start of the special Hallowe’en parade.

Leaving from Chapelfield Gardens at 6.30pm, The Spooky City parade will snake its way along Theatre Street, crawl along Gentleman’s Walk and creep up Goal Hill along to St Peter’s Street. This will be followed by all sorts of eerie entertainment on St Peter’s Street and in front of The Forum with this year’s Spooky City events set to be out of this world! For more information, follow @NorwichCC on Twitter or Norwich City Council Events on Facebook, or visit: www.norwich.gov.uk/events

EERIE EXTRAVAGANZA

Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden Monday, October 31, 6pm to 8pm At the end of October, Fairhaven will throw one heck of a party with its celebrated annual and extremely popular Hallowe’en extravaganza. One of the best Hallowe’en events in the calendar, it is certainly not for the faint-hearted (or under-threes, pushchairs or dogs). It’s a ticket-only event (adults £8; children £4; call 01603 270449). Expect live trees, live music, a creepy woodland trail, children’s entertainment, a haunted hollow and the finale - a fabulous fireworks display. Dress code is strictly diabolical which says it all! More at: www.fairhavengarden.co.uk

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THE HIPPODROME

ghostly goings-on

BEWILDERWOOD

| OCTOBER 2016

FRIGHTENINGLY GOOD FUN!

Lovers of 70s, 80s and 90s disco, funk and soul should head to The Tower Arena in Great Yarmouth from 8pm on Saturday October 29 for the third of top DJ/promoter Dave Starbucks’ Tiffany’s Re-Union nights. Previous events have sold out and this one is likely to attract another large crowd, and this time Hallowe’en fancy dress is encouraged. The Hallowe’en Fright Night features an impressive line-up of top local DJs including john Rodgers, Gemma B, Graeme Bessey, DJ Sid and Dave himself. Over 18s only, limited number of tickets on the night. More details and tickets on 01493 722982 and at: starbys@hotmail.co.uk

TRICK OR TWEET!

Pensthorpe Natural Park Saturday, October 22 to Tuesday, November 1 Get into the spirit of Hallowe’en at Hootz House and discover the grim and gruesome side of nature! With quizzes, puzzles, riddles, spooky crafts and a creepy crawly trail, your day at Pensthorpe should be truly spooktacular.

With pumpkins galore all decorated to enthral you, Hootz needs your help finding the phantom pumpkins before they cast any Hallowe’en spells.

Don’t forget to make your own creepy crawly to take home and come dressed for the occasion as there will be a prize for the best dressed fancy dress ‘photo booth’ picture. Activities included in standard admission.

Open from 10am to 5pm daily. www.pensthorpe.com

PLEASUREWOOD CHILLS 2016

Spooky fun for all the family!

Saturday, October 22 to Sunday, October 30 Pleasurewood Chills is back this Hallowe’en with spooky fun for all the family at Pleasurewood Hills in Lowestoft. Besides the 35 rides, shows and attractions, there will be plenty of free Hallowe’en activities. Scream and shout with Woody Bear and help him on his travels in a fantastic new show, Woody’s Spooktacular, suitable for all ages. Plus enjoy old favourites such as pumpkin carving, trick or treat, mask making, a find the witch treasure hunt and the popular Woody’s Spooky Hallowe’en Parade. Plus the Pleasurewood Hills’ famous firework spectacular is on Saturday, October 29; definitely not to be missed! Book a dated ticket online for £15 per person (those under 1m free). www.pleasurewoodhills.com

WHATS ON

BEWILDERWOOD

PENSTHORPE NATURAL PARK

happy halloween

HIPPODROME’S HALF TERM HALLOWE’EN SPOOKTACULAR

CREAKE ABBEY

Saturday, October 22 to Monday, October 31 Following their most successful summer season, The Hippodrome Great Yarmouth presents a brand new show this month. Producer Jack Jay said: “The new Hallowe’en show is going to be very special, turning the already magical atmosphere of the 112-year-old Hippodrome building into an unforgettable spooky place.”

The show itself will see Jack Jay and comedy partner Johnny Mac return on a perilous journey and there will be all manner of ghosts, ghouls, monsters and other crazy goings on! Hallowe’en fancy dress encouraged. Box Office: 01493 844172 or book online at www.hippodromecircus.co.uk

WROXHAM BARNS

CREEPY EVENTS AT CREAKE ABBEY CAFÉ

Saturday, October 29, 4pm to 7pm Bring your family to the Creake Abbey Café in North Norfolk for a fantastic evening of spooky thrills. Activities on offer will include apple bobbing, an unlucky dip and gingerbread decorating (£5 per child). Children are encouraged to dress up in all manner of terrifying outfits with a prize for the best dressed ghoul. A face painter will be on site (£3 per child) and at 6pm a storyteller will lead families to the haunted abbey ruins with singing and dancing en-route. On arrival, the children will be tasked with finding the lost Abbot of Creake Abbey. The Café will be open serving children’s meals from 4pm and the Food Hall will be full of goodies to eat in or takeaway. Come along if you dare! www.creakeabbey.co.uk

SPOOOOOKY FUN AT WROXHAM BARNS

Throughout the October half-term Hallowe’en arrives at Wroxham Barns this half-term holiday with some spooky goings-on on Junior Farm. There’ll be face painting, a pumpkin trail and all sorts of arts and crafts activities, too. Meanwhile in the Made

By You studio, why not try out your decopatch skills and create a creepy spider, skull or cat? There will be pumpkins to carve at Scrummy Pig and who knows what you might find going on at Courtyard Confectionery.

Grown-ups can discover some spirits at the Norfolk Cider Shop, some stunning, out of this world artwork at The Norfolk Gallery and, if they dare, the Certain Death ultra-hot chilli sauce at the Scrummy Pig Produce Shop. www.wroxhambarns.co.uk

GLORIOUS GLOWING LANTERN PARADE

BeWILDerwood Adventure Park, Norfolk Broads Saturday, October 15 to Sunday, October 30 Spend the day exploring the woodland decorations at BeWILDerwood and listen to the special edition Bewilderbats’ storytelling. Then wind your way through the woods to build and decorate a truly special lantern for the Glorious Glowing Lantern Parade. The show starts at dusk; set off through the dark to meet Slitherigrubs, witches, naughty Thorneycold Spiders and even Swampy himself! Aimed at all ages – more info on 01692 633033 and at: www.bewilderwood.co.uk

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| OCTOBER 2016

Fabulous

M

usic, poetry, debate and a taste of Shakespeare in the Bard’s 400th anniversary year underpin the innovative line-up for The 2016 Hostry Festival.

The series of performances unfolds in the impressive setting of The Hostry at Norwich Cathedral, offering an inspiring new dimension to Norfolk’s autumnal cultural calendar.

The event is the brainchild of co-founders Stash Kirkbride and Peter Barrow who, over the past six years, have seen it evolve and flourish.

Striking a balance between inclusive cultural and community events, headline acts and bespoke productions, the Festival runs for more than a fortnight from Thursday, October 13 to Sunday, October 30 in a setting where medieval meets modern in one of the city’s landmark buildings.

A highlight this year is a re-working of Melvyn Bragg’s play King Lear in New York, with the writer and renowned presenter playing a pivotal role in the Festival.

“It is the big event and Melvyn Bragg has revised the play he wrote in 1992 for us this year,” said Stash. “I first saw it at the Chichester Festival over two decades ago and was determined to produce it one day, so we are extremely pleased to have it in what is Shakespeare’s special anniversary year.

“It is about an actor offered the chance to play King Lear in New York and we are very excited that Melvyn Bragg has revisited the play and readapted it for us; it is all but a new play – an accessible, moving, and humorous story – and has been turned it into a 90-minute, one-act play.”

Co-produced by Peter Barrow and with the lead played by Louis Hilyer, there is also a strong cast of Norfolk-based actors.

“This is what the Hostry Festival does so well – bringing in actors at the top of their game with Norfolk professionals,” added Stash, who is also the Festival’s artistic director.

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Autumn

FESTiVAl of nORfoLK

Stash Kirkbride previews the 2016 Hostry Festival in conversation with Mark Nicholls Melvyn Bragg will also participate in a Q&A session with the audience and also host Peter Wilson’s deeply personal exploration of TS Eliot’s last great poem, Four Quarters (turn to page 32 for an indepth interview with Peter Wilson).

There are also four key projects the organisers hope will have a creative effect throughout the year.

They include: Paint Out Norwich, a five-day visual art events with artists from all over the country that come to paint iconic views of Norwich in oils, water colours, pastels, inks and other media, followed by a 10-day exhibition at the Norwich Cathedral Hostry; the Norfolk Arts Awards, with 15 categories ranging from the theatre award, new writing award, music award and an outstanding contribution to the arts award; and Never Too Late!, which is a project that follows six people of retirement age who are all trying something they have never done before.

Meanwhile, there are performances by Total Ensemble Theatre, which provides a unique experience in the region for people from a wide range of backgrounds, often with individual challenges, to create inclusive physical theatre every year.

WHAT’S ON

the hostry festival

“It is one of the highlights of the Festival each year because it is such a wonderful performance with real inclusion,” added Stash.

Other events include Lady Macbeth is Dead, a one-woman opera with Lisa Cassidy; Fantasia featuring Simon Smith and Anne Denholm in concert; Women in the Arts; Spread a Little Happiness with Adrian Wright; and a celebration of Norfolk in poetry, prose, music and mardle, with Keith Skipper hosting A Norfolk Home Companion.

The Hostry Festival’s patrons include Peter Wilson, Caroline Jarrold, Olivia Newton-John, Bernard Hill and Rose Tremain and for 2016, the Festival has joined forces with the Norfolk Community Foundation, as well as assembling a team of more than 100 volunteers to work on the not-for-profit project. Norwich Cathedral has been an enthusiastic supporter, too.

The Dean of Norwich Cathedral, the Very Reverend Jane Hedges, said: “The news headlines regularly draw our attention to the ways in which we as human beings damage one another and our environment.

“The Hostry Festival is a wonderful opportunity to display the other side of our humanity – how we can be creative, imaginative, generous, and co-operate with each other to produce what is stimulating and beautiful.”

The Festival’s origins lie in Stash’s return to Norwich after 20 years in London and the philanthropic support of Peter Barrow.

“We wanted to do something along these lines and make use of what we had learned in London to produce worthwhile events in Norwich in a venue that was very different,” said Stash, who trained as an actor with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and then set up a theatre company with Hugh Grant, Susannah York and Susan Hampshire as patrons, staging several projects over 15 years in London.

“I learned how to fundraise, how to engage with theatre angels – philanthropists – and how to put on a show. Peter and I then saw a good chance to put on a festival in Norwich and that is what we have done.”

The Hostry Visitor & Education Centre, completed in 2009 after an 11-year building project, stands on the footprint of the original monastic Hostry and was designed to replicate that role; a building where guests of Norwich Cathedral can be warmly received in the Benedictine spirit of hospitality.

“The Cathedral was very responsive when approached with the idea of staging an autumn cultural festival,” Stash added. “Each year since 2010, they have allowed us to turn it into a theatre and artistic space for two weeks. It is also a celebration of a truly iconic and understanding Norfolk venue, and with the enormous support from Jane Hedges we have been able to create a programme of bespoke work for Norwich.

“A key reason why it works so well is because we connect with local business and charities and artists and that is what we are known for.

“The subtitle for the event is the Autumn Festival of Norfolk – as it sits at the other end of the diary from the Norfolk and Norwich Festival in May, June and July.

“For that, The Hostry Festival supplies a platform for artists to work with in the autumn and with so much to see and enjoy – all under one glorious roof – we are very proud of what we have done.”

“The Festival strikes a balance between inclusive cultural and community events, headline acts and bespoke productions”

FOR MORE DETAILS, dates, times and to book tickets for events visit: www.hostryfestival.org or call the Box Office on 01603 598676

23

| OCTOBER 2016

anD

oVeR OvEr

Benet Catty reviews Groundhog Day which should soon be back on the London stage

24

WEST END REVIEW

Photography by MANUEL HARLAN

groundhog day

The last couple of years have not been good to fans of

big new shows. West End musical offerings have either been notvery-good (Made in Dagenham), or jukeboxes (Beautiful), or revivals (Funny Girl). All had merits; few gave value for money. The only good new musicals that have actually been “new” have both been at the National: Damon Albarn’s wonder.land which was wondrous but too weird to generate a commercial life, and Fat Boy Slim’s Here Lies Love.

Groundhog Day, though, is a terrific new British musical that has heart, class, inteligence, spectacle, comedy, family appeal and commercial prospects. Praise God. Groundhog Day is a Nineties film that spawned a timeless refrain referring to deja vu. In the original, Bill Murray played the self-regarding weatherman Phil Connors who is sent to cover the eponymous event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, but in so-doing finds himself reliving the same day over and over again – seemingly forever.

He bumps into the same people, hears the same conversations, gets hit on the head by the same person. Soon he twigs the benefits of this, and has fun with the time loop he’s trapped in. He can effectively predict the future because he has already experienced it. He has sex he wouldn’t otherwise have by making use of information he wouldn’t otherwise know.

But a life of repetition proves to be less a circle of life and more of a death spiral. When the fun wears off he tries killing himself. Even that doesn’t work. He seems doomed to spend the rest of eternity reliving February 2nd. His motive changes; he wants to live for now. And that’s going to start with the girl he’s been trying to date again and again.

So Groundhog Day is a romantic comedy with an existential motor; an unusual cocktail of qualities for any film, much less a musical.

The team behind it has an amazing pedigree. Director Matthew Warchus – the best director of musicals in the world – reunites with singer-songwriter-comedian Tim Minchin, designer Rob Howell, lighting designer Hugh Vanstone, illusionist Paul Kieve, and others with whom he created the world-beating Matilda and the equally dazzling (though much less successful) Ghost. Each of the dream team has a moment where the dazzle is all their own but the triumph of the production is the seamless blending of their long-honed talents.

Andy Karl, as Phil, is sensational. He was a bold choice for the role as he is completely unknown in this country, although he has more of a reputation on Broadway. Funny, sexy, charming, obnoxious and not at all like Bill Murray, he rarely leaves the stage and you rarely look at anything else when he’s there. A sequence in which he dances in selfsatisfied ecstacy in his dressing gown is one of the great pleasures on the London stage this year.

The show is not yet perfect. While Matilda is full of great tunes, Tim Minchin is stingier with the tunes on Groundhog. With a couple of exceptions – a very funny hoe-down in act one, a song about being a supporting character in act two – the music is serviceable rather than memorable, even though the lyrics have his customary quirky dexterity. One song even features an enema, not something that often makes an appearance in a popular musical. “With enemas like these who needs friends” he sings, as water is flushed up him.

While the score may be a bit of a curate’s egg, the visual flair from Matthew Warchus constitutes a mighty meal. There’s a brilliant scene in which a car chase is shown from an aerial view; there’s a hilarious sequence of illusions while Phil is trying to kill himself (in one case by electrocuting himself in the bath) but then magically reappears in his bed on the other side of the stage. The illusions surpass almost everything in the Harry Potter stage show. Warchus is a king of delivering last minute treats in his productions; here the show’s final tableau is one of its most beautiful and simple.

The production was only running two months as a try-out before planned London and Broadway transfers, but there’s no question about it: Groundhog Day will be coming back. And when it does I’ll be going to see it again.

And, perhaps inevitably, again.

| OCTOBER 2016

Knowing me

26

CELEBRITY PROFILE

alan partridge

knowing you A-ha! As Norfolk’s best-known media personality heads to Norwich to sign copies of his latest book, Mark Nicholls takes a look at the world of Alan Partridge

| OCTOBER 2016

A

lan Partridge has put Norfolk firmly, albeit a little awkwardly, on the cultural map. This is the county famed for the Norfolk Broads, the home of Colman’s Mustard and the birthplace of Admiral Nelson.

But take a wider poll across the UK of what Norfolk – and Norwich – is best known for, and there’s a pretty good chance that you’ll hear the name Alan Partridge.

The caricature radio presenter of Mid-Morning Matters on North Norfolk Digital is famed the world over. He is arguably Norfolk’s best known DJ. Actually, the creation of comedian Steve Coogan is quite possibly more famous than his maker, too.

Steve Coogan, of course, is fantastically funny in an array of guises and is also an acclaimed serious actor – his role in Philomena alongside Dame Judi Dench, for example, shows a deeper side to the man who gave us Alpha Papa.

And it is significant that it is the guise of Alan Partridge – the man himself – who is returning to Norwich this month rather than Coogan to sign his new book Alan Partridge: NOMAD. In the early days of Alan Partridge, there was debate over whether his portrayal may be seen as a negative for Norfolk, a stereotype of this part of rural England. Yet this is a character who has put the county on the map and, in turn, highlighted much of what else Norfolk has to offer.

When asked what Norwich had that London did not, Partridge told the world: “A lot of flat landscape, the Wash, reclaimed land – these are things that London doesn’t have and will never have.”

In fairness, Coogan has repaid Norfolk and Norwich time and again for being the inspiration for Alan Partridge and no more so than when the premiere of the film Alpha Papa was held in the city, rather than in London, in 2013.

The move followed the Twitter campaign “Anglia Square Not Leicester Square”, and the first showing saw the red carpet rolled out in front of the Hollywood Cinema in an ageing Norwich shopping precinct at the unglamorous time of 12.15pm on a Wednesday lunchtime in August.

It was, of course, a gift for the entertainer; totally in keeping with the naffness of the character, and a PR coup of genius proportions.

28

In premiering Alpha Papa in Norfolk, he told his fans: “This film is my love letter to Norwich.”

Chauffered to the premiere in a silver people carrier and dressed in a baby blue safari suit with pink tie and fawn suede loafers, Alan Partridge waved to the crowd and proclaimed the “people have spoken!”

In interviews, Partridge said he had chosen Norwich because he trusted Norfolk Police to protect him from a sniper while on the red carpet.

For those who may not know, or have perhaps forgotten, Alpha Papa centred around a “chain of events which see Alan having to work with the police to defuse a potentially violent siege” after a new media conglomerate takes over his radio station, North Norfolk Digital.

Shot at locations across Norfolk including Cromer, Sheringham and parts of Norwich, the spoof DJ later added: “You can imagine how hurt and litigious I felt when people said I was planning to debut my movie in London instead of Norwich, or that I’d allowed my head to be turned by the prospect of big city fame.

“Any suggestions I’ve hastily cobbled together the lunchtime Norwich screening in response to a local Twitter campaign will be met with the full force of the law.”

The premiere was pure kitsch; as the crowd waited for his arrival, Abba’s Knowing Me, Knowing You – the theme tune for Partridge’s doomed TV chat show – received a warm response with the crowd joining in the with the “A-ha!” refrain.

Firmly in character, Alan Partridge said at the time: “Go to London, I guarantee you’ll either be mugged or not appreciated.”

But, despite soaking up the adulation of the 1,000-strong crowd, many in Partridge-style costumes, the DJ didn’t stay to watch the Norwich screening, but instead reverted to being Steve Coogan and was flown from Norwich by helicopter to Leicester Square for a second showing of the film where he was joined by other members of the cast.

But by that time both Steve Coogan and his alter-ego Alan Partridge had done their bit and forever secured their places in Norfolk folklore… somewhere between Lord Nelson and the Puppet Man. Fast-forward three years – a long time in radioland – and Partridge is back in Norwich, on Saturday, October 29, to sign copies of his new novel in the book department at Jarrolds.

Described a as “deeply personal follow-up” to Alan Partridge’s “deeply personal autobiography”, I, PARTRIDGE, it charts the highs,

CELEBRITY PROFILE

Photos courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

alan partridge

lows and mediums of his one-man walking tour around (certain parts of ) Britain.

NOMAD sees Alan don his boots, windcheater and scarf and embark on an odyssey through a place he once knew – it’s called Britain – intent on completing a journey of immense personal significance.

You get the drift… and can hear Partridge’s voice throughout as he describes this epic in his own particular style.

The press release continues: “Through witty vignettes, heavy essays and nod-inducing pieces of wisdom, Alan shines a light on the nooks of the nation and the crannies of himself, and in doing so challenges us to ask to some pretty profound questions. Who are we?

Why are we here? And, quite simply, how?”

The biographical note is the Partridge we all know: “broadcaster, writer, motivational speaker, sports fan, thought-leader, businessman, and consummate professional.”

On a personal note, we learn that the author enjoys: “bitter shandy, shandied lager, high-end knitwear and personal success.”

He is, so we are told, currently doing “very well.”

There is this area where we now have to separate Partridge and Coogan, but in Norfolk it’s not always that easy, as one is more famous than the other.

Coogan – the actor, stand-up comedian, impressionist, writer, and producer – has proved a man of many talents. Turning 51 this month, he began his career in the 1980s as a voice artist on the Spitting Image puppet show.

It was while working with Armando Iannucci on the Radio 4 comedy On the Hour and The Day Today that Alan Partridge arrived on the scene, first appearing as a sports presenter before hosting his own chat show, Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge.

A socially-awkward and politically incorrect, small-time media personality in the eastern region, the persona evolved rapidly from several television series – which earned him three BAFTA nominations and two wins for Best Comedy Performance – to the film, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa.

Never far away was his long-suffering personal assistant Lynn, admirably played by Felicity Montagu, who coincidentally was in Pride and Prejudice at the Norwich Theatre Royal at the end of September.

While there are suspicions as to which media personality the Partridge character is modelled on (tune in to local radio and TV

for your own guess), the role model’s specific identity has never been revealed.

Born in Middleton, Lancashire, Steve Coogan is the fourth of seven children and later gained a place at the Manchester Metropolitan School of Theatre, where he met collaborator John Thomson. His younger brother, Brendan, is a former Top Gear presenter, and his elder brother, Martin, was the lead singer of the early 1990s band The Mock Turtles.

Steve Coogan won the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1992 for his performance with Thomson, and starred alongside him and the late Caroline Aherne in a one-off Granada TV sketch show The Dead Good Show.

It was during this time that another of his prominent characters developed in the form of Paul Calf, a stereotypical working class Mancunian, and his sister Pauline, played by Coogan in drag. Other Coogan creations include Tommy Saxondale, Duncan Thicket and Portuguese Eurovision Song Contest winner Tony Ferrino.

He starred in The Parole Officer and 24 Hour Party People, and portrayed Phileas Fogg in the 2004 re-make Around the World in 80 Days. Appearing in the Night at the Museum films, he has collaborated with Rob Brydon in The Trip and A Cock and Bull Story and was also a voice actor in the animated comedy films Despicable Me 2 and Minions.

More dramatic films roles followed with What Maisie Knew and, of course, Philomena, which he co-wrote, produced, and starred in and one which earned him a Golden Globe and BAFTA nomination, and two Academy Award nominations (for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture).

He married Caroline Hickman in 2002, and was divorced in 2005, and later dated models China Chow and Elle Basey and, while his autobiography, Easily Distracted, was published in October 2015, he has said that as an individual he “liked to keep himself private”.

Describing fame as a “by-product”, Coogan added: “I have never wanted to be famous, as such,” whereas Alan Partridge – I suspect – may well have a different view.

ALAN PARTRIDGE, will be signing copies of NOMAD on Saturday, October 29, at midday in the book department at Jarrolds, London Street, Norwich. Tickets for a book deposit and a place in the queue for a personalised signing are £5, available from Customer Services, Floor 2 or at: www.jarrold.co.uk/events, with the £15 balance payable on the day. Alan Partridge: NOMAD is published by Trapeze in hardback on October 20, rrp £20.

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| OCTOBER 2016

OH WHAT A VOICE!

TV star Lucy O’Byrne is Maria in The Sound Of Music at the Norwich Theatre Royal this month, as Judy Foster reports

S

he was the classical singing sensation who was working as a theatre usher while waiting for her big break when she took the life-changing decision to audition for the BBC’s singing competition The Voice in 2015.

But while Lucy O’Byrne may not have taken the winner’s crown, coming in as runner-up, she has been a winner in every other way with an amazing start to her musical career which has included appearing on the BBC Proms, performing with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and signing a record deal for her first album, Debut, released in March.

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WHAT’S ON

the sound of music Now she is touring the country as Maria in Bill Kenwright’s stunning new production of The Sound Of Music. The UK tour started in May this year and culminates with a five-day run at the Norwich Theatre Royal from Tuesday, October 18 to Saturday, 22.

Born in Dublin to a father who was a musical theatre performer and is still a singer, and a mother who was a dancer, choreographer and director, and with a sister who is an actress as well, it was pretty much written in the stars that Lucy would end up on the stage. She was singing before she could walk or talk and her home life was heavily influenced by musical theatre.

At 20, she began training classically under Irish soprano Kathryn Smith and what started as a means of learning strong technique to take care of her voice turned into a real passion for singing opera. “My teacher was giving me arias as exercises for the basis of the technique and I just fell in love with singing them,” she said.

She left Ireland for the bright lights of London’s West End where she hoped to pursue a career as a performer, and then in January 2015, came her audition for The Voice. Her rendition of Ebben Ne Andro Lontana from La Wally stunned the crowd and had rival show coaches will.i.am and Rita Ora turning in their chairs to battle for the chance to mentor her.

Lucy chose Team Will and reached the final where she finished as runner-up of the competition, and it wasn’t long before impresario Bill Kenwright was calling to float the idea of The Sound of Music.

Lucy said: “I couldn’t have begun to imagine this would happen to me. I never thought it would get to this level, I didn’t even think I’d get through the first round of The Voice, to be honest. And actually, the reason I went for The Voice in the first place was to get a bit more exposure which would hopefully lead to auditions, and then it just kept on going.”

There was a strenuous audition process

to go through and she was thrilled when she was finally offered the part.

“Oh it was amazing, I’m not going to lie, I did cry a little bit! When I moved in to my current house in London, my housemate had already been living here, and all around the house she has two or three framed pictures of Julie Andrews and one of them was the original Sound of Music poster, so when I got the news we both had a little bit of a moment in the kitchen when I got the phone call. And it was amazing to get to call my family and tell them I’d got it.

Something like that was why I came to London.”

Growing up in a musical theatre family, Lucy was familiar with the 1965 film of The Sound of Music which starred Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. It is packed with a host of unforgettable songs including Edelweiss, My Favorite Things, Do-Re-Mi, Climb Ev’ry Mountain, So Long, Farewell and the title song, The Sound of Music.

“I knew all the songs, although I did have to learn Lonely Goatherd for the auditions because, although I know it, I’d never learned to yodel before, so that was quite tough. My parents owned a stage school that my sister teaches at and I helped out there when I was growing up, so we’re known to our family friends as the von Trapps, which is now rather ironic!”

She said her father is one of her main inspirations, and her singing teacher was another. “My dad was the one who originally got me to sing and taught me to sing, so he was the start of it all really, and my family encouraged me and sang with me.”

But it was her singing teacher who gave her a love of classical music. “She’s an incredible woman and an incredible singer who changed my life; I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the knowledge she gave me and I’m incredibly grateful for that. There

are also the incredible singers that I listen to: Maria Callas, Diana Damrau, Adele and just strong, female voices, the likes of Julie Andrews, Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Shirley Bassey – women who just sang, there were no gimmicks about them, they just had incredible voices and could tell a story perfectly.”

The tour marks Lucy’s professional musical theatre debut. “It’s big and as a debut it’s huge and big pressure because it’s such an important show to so many people and everyone knows it, and so many people have their own idea of who Maria should be, but I just want to make it my own. I feel incredibly lucky. I’ve landed one of the biggest and best roles ever written for a woman in musical theatre as my first show.”

And it is not just the excitement of a blossoming theatrical career that is keeping Lucy busy. She has also signed a record deal with Island Records and released her first album, Debut, with its eclectic mix covering everything from Blur to Handel and Kate Bush, and traditional Irish music to a Spanish aria sung in French.

“While I was still in the audition process for Maria, I started recording the album and straight after The Voice I lined up a lot of gigs quite quickly. I got to do the BBC Proms this year and some lovely gigs with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, so I’ve had some really nice things. And I suppose the massive thing at the moment, apart from Maria, of course, is the album. That will go on hold for a little bit while I’m on tour, but on my days off I’ll no doubt be doing work for the album. I’ve got a very busy year ahead!”

Joining Lucy in The Sound of Music is Coronation Street bad boy Andrew Lancel who plays Captain von Trapp to Lucy’s Maria. He played super-villain Frank Foster in the TV soap, a role that earned him a Villain of the Year award at the British Soap Awards, and was also DI Neil Manson in The Bill. His numerous stage credits include Bill Kenwright’s touring productions of The Small Hand and Twelve Angry Men. The Mother Abbess is played by Jan Hartley whose West End musical credits range from playing Maria in the first national tour of The Sound of Music to Christine in The Phantom of the Opera and Maria in West Side Story, as well as appearances for the RSC. Her extensive concert work includes classical galas with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall, plus private recitals at Kensington Palace, Hampton Court Palace and for The Prince of Wales at Highgrove and St James’s Palace.

Tickets for

The Sound of Music

which runs at the Norwich Theatre Royal from Tuesday, October 18 to Saturday, October 22, are available from the Box Office on 01603 630000 or online at: www.theatreroyalnowich.co.uk

| OCTOBER 2016

An Audience with…

Peter Wilson Peter Wilson’s tenure as CEO of the Norwich Theatre Royal is coming to an end. But with a host of exciting events still to come, he plans to go out with a bang!

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p

AN AUDIENCE WITH

peter wilson

eter Wilson MBE has been the chief executive of the Norwich Theatre Royal for the past 25 years. His tenure has included the theatre’s £10 million refurbishment project in 2007 and the opening of Stage Two, the £3 million purpose-built theatre education centre which was opened by Martin Shaw this year.

An educational charity, the Norwich Theatre Royal has also supported numerous other performing arts organisations including The Garage and The Norwich Playhouse.

Peter Wilson is the founder of PW Productions which is responsible for hugely successful shows such as The Woman In Black and An Inspector Calls, and he is leaving Norfolk to champion the New Arts Theatre project in London’s Leicester Square. Before his time at East Anglia’s leading theatre comes to an end, he will host a special, one-night-only, fundraising comic revue show, May Contain Nuts, in Norwich on Sunday October 16. He talks to Places&Faces®…

For more on the Norwich Theatre Royal, see: www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk – For more on the The Hostry Festival, turn to page 22 or visit: www.hostryfestival.org

Can you tell us a little about your farewell performance, May Contain Nuts?

Yes. It will be me and some friends like Griff Rhys Jones, The Nimmo Twins, some of the Radio Active team, and panto colleagues Richard Gauntlett and Ben Langley having lots of fun. I am also delighted we will have Legacy, the male dance company formed after Matthew Bourne’s Lord of the Flies, joining us, too. We will also be raffling off some valuable prizes and I want to say thank you to Norwich audiences for 25 wonderful years.

The proceeds from the evening will go towards Stage Two; how much are you hoping to raise from the show and why is this such a great cause?

We would like to raise as much as possible. Stage Two is very important because we want to increase the horizons of young people. It will also be a valuable resource for all the community and we have some very exciting things planned.

You became chief executive of the Norwich Theatre Royal in 1992; what will you miss most about your time there?

The friendship. Whether customers, visiting performers, audience members or people using Stage Two, they all say it is a very friendly environment.

What about Norfolk in general – what will you miss most about the region and will you be returning to visit in the future?

There are two things I will particularly miss – the skies and fresh air. Even though I will be working in London, I will be keeping my Norfolk links.

You are also involved in this month’s Hostry Festival at Norwich Cathedral (www.hostryfestival.org) exploring TS Eliot’s Four Quartets (a free ticketed event with a Q&A and interview by Melvyn Bragg on Wednesday, October 26); can you tell us more about this?

Four Quartets were four linked poems published over a six year period which look at man’s relationship with time, the universe and the divine. I will be giving my interpretation of what is Eliot’s last and greatest poem, which I will discuss in depth with Melvyn Bragg.

You are also a patron of The Hostry Festival – why do you think this is such a worthwhile event?

It is independent and it has high ambitions. The connection with Norwich Cathedral is also very important to us at Norwich Theatre Royal.

You must have many very happy memories of your time here in Norfolk – what have been the highlights?

There are many. The Houghton Revisited exhibition at Houghton Hall was a recreation of Sir Robert Walpole’s collection of art at Houghton before it was sold on to Catherine The Great. It was a breath-taking exhibition and attracted people from all over the world. Anything by Matthew Bourne that was staged at the Theatre Royal, and I definitely have to mention the 1997 Ring Cycle presented by the Norwegian National Opera which sold out completely.

I also remember that Glyndebourne had to cancel a performance because one of the company died suddenly. They put together a scratch performance of Faure’s Requiem in St Peter Mancroft which they performed the following day. It was a poignant performance and I had never before experienced the incredible power of music in that way.

Your successor as chief executive of the Norwich Theatre Royal is Stephen Crocker, currently deputy chief executive of The Lowry in Salford; what is your advice to him?

Take things easy. By that, I mean that you are surrounded by extremely good, professional and incredibly dedicated people. Take your time and listen to them.

What do you think the future holds for the performing arts in East Anglia?

I think there are dangers due to the squeezing of local authority funding but I think there are huge advantages, too, thanks to the high quality of people who are running the performing arts in the region. There is also great potential in the quality of the audiences.

33

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The charming market town of Aylsham has always

a BEAutifUl

bOUTIQuE

Aylsham has always had a great deal to offer visitors and with the recent opening of the attractive Amika ladies’ boutique on Red Lion Street, a trip to this lovely market town is now a must…

38

been worth a visit, thanks to its many shops, tea rooms, auction rooms and well-known central pub, the Black Boys. Located just a few miles from historic Blickling Hall – a fascinating stately home owned by the National Trust – many people choose to take a look around Anne Boleyn’s birthplace first before driving on to Aylsham for a spot of shopping and then some lunch or perhaps an indulgent afternoon tea.

And now there’s even more reason to visit this attractive, bustling place, as a new ladies’ boutique – Amika – has opened on Red Lion Street in the heart of this upmarket town.

Owned by Donna Sutch and Laraine Roxby, who have over 10 years’ experience in the fashion industry, Amika (which means “female friend” in Latin) is an attractive, welcoming boutique selling on-trend women’s clothes, shoes and accessories.

The new store opened in early July and has been a big success so far, as Laraine explains: “We’re really happy; it’s going really, really well. Aylsham is really friendly and they’re pleased to have an ontrend boutique.”

These glamorous business women have had a great deal of help and support getting their new venture off the ground (Laraine’s husband, Lee, fitted out the former office space, for instance, transforming it into the bright, inviting boutique that it is today).

ADVERTORIAL

amika aylsham

Not only have family and friends been very supportive, but customers have followed Donna and Laraine from Norwich, too (they both worked in the women’s fashion industry there), while they’ve also seen plenty of new faces through the doors and have already had around 500 “likes” on their new dedicated Amika Facebook page.

Amika’s clothes are current and comfortable and are suitable for all ages, as Donna explains: “We have mothers and daughters coming in together and they both come out with something. We have customers from all the little villages around here and loads coming from Norwich, but the majority have been new faces.”

Their clothes include some sumptuous soft knits, leggings, jumpsuits, bomber jackets and jeans, as well as all sorts of tops, jumpers and some very popular ponchos.

Donna and Laraine do the buying together and the host of popular labels at Amika includes the stylish Danish brand Ichi as well as gorgeous Garcia jeans and fabulous fine knitwear from Suzy D.

There are also some attractive, on-trend ankle boots, a selection of beautiful belts and scarves, and some lovely leather handbags. Plus there’s a jewellery collection from British designer Olia as well as a wide selection of statement necklaces and bangles, and soon there’ll be an assortment of gifts, just in time for Christmas (Amika gift vouchers are already available).

Donna and Laraine have had a warm welcome from the Aylsham community and they’re both looking forward to the run-up to Christmas when they’ll be opening late for the town’s Christmas Lights Switch-On event on Friday, November 25, as well as planning other late-night openings.

The clothes at Amika are sized from eight to 14 (with some tops suiting bigger sizes, too) and new stock arrives every week. Plus, of course, Donna and Laraine are there to help and advise, as Laraine explains: “For us, it’s about personal service; customers want our help and advice. It’s a small shop, but it’s not intimidating.” Donna adds: “It’s something we love and we’re happy to let people browse.”

This season’s colours include lots of checks and pleats, some lovely soft greys, khaki, a warm tobacco colour, some wonderful metallics and plenty of deep berry-coloured clothes, and Amika has all these in abundance. There are also lots of “night sky” touches – such as little stars on clothes and jewellery – which is another hot autumn trend.

Donna adds: “Animal print is also going to be huge – we love animal print!”

The shop is very well laid-out and the two changing rooms at the back are surprisingly light and spacious, with a floor to ceiling mirror opposite them, so that the outfits can be viewed at every angle.

Donna and Laraine are always very happy to help and encourage customers looking for something particular (for a special occasion, such as a Christmas get-together, for example) to ask them for their advice.

If you’re walking down Red Lion Street, Amika is, of course, well worth popping in to, and if you happen to go past in the evening, take a look at the lovely lit-up window display as you’re sure to spot something you fancy!

This beautiful boutique has already established a firm following, with plenty of regulars already, and customers often combine their shopping trip with a spot of lunch or some afternoon tea in one of the cosy cafés such as Biddy’s or The Old Tea Rooms.

Thanks to its rising popularity, Aylsham has been nicknamed the “new Holt” and with plenty of free parking and all sorts of upmarket shops, it’s no wonder that this lovely part of the world is now firmly on everyone’s shopping list.

AMIKA LADIES’ BOUTIQUE, 32 Red Lion Street, Aylsham, Norwich, NR11 6ER Tel: 01263 734548 | amika.aylsham@outlook.com | Facebook: amikaaylsham Opening times: 9.30am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday

39

| OCTOBER 2016

A GEM OF A BUSINESS

Sonkai Retail and Bespoke Jewellers in Norwich offers high quality jewellery for all occasions

40

ADVERTORIAL

sonkai jewellers through the design and, once they are happy, we set about producing a special piece of jewellery for them,” explained Sara.

“Our customers are those who want something different, something unique and not mass produced. It is not just about high quality of design and manufacture, but what we offer our customers is the opportunity to liaise directly with the people who are designing and making their piece of jewellery.”

Sonkai also sells jewellery from other British designers and makers but has recently launched its own range of jewellery, drawing on inspiration from some of the characteristics of the county of Norfolk.

That includes the Pebble range (inspired by cobbles), the Flint range and the Reed range.

Working in silver, gold, platinum, palladium, white or yellow gold, the Sonkai range covers the whole spectrum from rings, earrings, bracelets, cufflinks and necklaces. Sonkai also provides precious stones and jewels to suit.

“Sometimes people will bring us existing stones they want in the design and we can always add more and bring an innovative mix of old All that glitters may not be gold, but Norwich-based and new. For us every job is completely different,” said Sara. bespoke jewellers Sonkai is certainly enjoying a sparkling year.

“Others may have an old piece of jewellery that they want reviving Celebrating its 10th anniversary throughout 2016, and having just or upgrading, or a wedding band of a relative that they want melted launched a fabulous new range of Norfolk-inspired jewellery, Sonkai down and the gold using for their own wedding ring, while there are has also landed the prestigious honour of designing and making a new those who want the gold or silver melted down completely and used chain of office for the Lord Mayor of Norwich. for a new piece.”

Based in the creative environment of The Lanes, Sonkai has carved Overall, Sonkai designs are contemporary with a good weight of a niche for innovative and stunning bespoke jewellery, manufactured metal to create an item of jewellery that will last but the designers also on-site to the highest standards and with exceptional customer work with Craig to create more traditional pieces, as the customer service. requires, such as a signet ring with a family crest on it.

Run by Sara Sweet and her partner Craig Snape, a professionallyA highlight of Sonkai’s anniversary year has been winning the trained goldsmith, the couple are not only creating tailor-made items commission to produce a new chain of office for the Lord Mayor of of jewellery but keeping a dying craft alive.

Norwich to replace the current chains which date from 1757.

Whilst it is a retail shop selling jewellery, Sonkai also designs and “What was required was a new, lighter, chain to suit a man or a makes much of the bespoke jewellery it sells. woman,” said Sara. “The chain we have designed is silver but will be “What is unusual is that we have the workshop on site gold-plated and tells a historical story of Norwich and – our customers can see the jewellery being made and includes angels, Norwich castle, a canary and lion.

SONKAI RETAIL AND actually watch Craig setting the stones,” explained Sara.

“It is very exciting for our designers to be unleashed BESPOKE JEWELLERS The business, based on the corner of Dove Street and on such a big project and one we can be so creative on.

14-16 Dove Street, Norwich, NR2 1DE | Tel: 01603 625533 Pottergate, opened in 2006 while Sara was still studying I was not born in Norwich but have lived here for many www.sonkai.co.uk environmental sciences at the University of East Anglia. years and I am in love with Norwich and Norfolk and its Taking its name from an ancient term for gold, Sonkai history and it is great to become part of that. specialises in working closely with customers to create tailor-made “It is also an amazing honour in our 10th anniversary year and a items. great opportunity for us as a jeweller to show what we can produce “Our customers often come in looking for something unique and and show that these skills are still here and are alive in Norwich today. have their own ideas or designs and we work with them closely on “We bring together the best of the old traditional ways whilst that,” added Sara. working with new modern technology to show what is achievable.

“They may have the stones they want included, have seen “For us at Sonkai, it is an exciting time; we have just turned ten, something similar in a commercial jewellers or on the internet and we launched our own range and are making the Lord Mayor’s chains.” work with them from there. Every single person that comes in wants From civic regalia to discreet and bespoke items of jewellery, something slightly different.”

Sonkai has the imagination, creativity and manufacturing expertise Designers Susan Blacker and Mallory Wilkinson work closely with to produce innovative bespoke jewellery that will catch the eye, Craig to produce a variety of suitable ideas, which are often drawn whatever the occasion. up using computer aided design (CAD) to provide a photographic quality representation to show customers. (This September Susan Blackler won the 2016 Gem Empathy Award for her design entitled Supernova).

“We also find out as much about them and the occasion they want the piece for and anything else they particularly want to reflect

41

CeLEBRatIOn Time!

As Denny of Southwold commemorates its 165th anniversary, we take a look back through the decades at its distinguished past 42

Denny of Southwold has a long and illustrious history and this year this well-respected men’s and ladies’ clothes shop is celebrating 165 years in business.

Founded by William Denny in 1851, the 22-year-old talented tailor started out (after completing a five-year apprenticeship), in a small, rented room above number 11 Market Place in the town, but as word spread and customer demand grew, he moved to new premises, Jersey Lodge on Lorne Road.

When William died, two of his brothers, Frederick and Charles Henry, took over the firm, renaming it Denny & Son and moving it back to its original site at number 11, soon acquiring the adjoining premises numbers 9 and 13, as well as Child’s Yard behind the store.

Fast forward to the 1920s and the ever-expanding Denny business was owned by John Burlong Denny, the son of Frederick’s older brother Albert, who returned to the lovely seaside town of Southwold from Lincolnshire to help manage the rapidly-growing concern. By this time Denny’s really was the place to go for clothes and boasted 26 tailors and three cutters; the forward-thinking fashion firm even had its own football team!

John Burlong Denny was a prominent figure in the community, becoming president of the Federation of Merchant Tailors, as well as the Mayor of Southwold three times.

The company’s enviable reputation grew and Jack Wilkinson Denny, the son of John Burlong Denny and father of the current managing director, Lyn Knights (née Denny), took over the business in the 1960s, with Lyn continuing the family line from the 1980s to the present day.

Lyn says: “It’s a family business and I’m fifth generation. I started when I was at school on a Saturday and somehow got pulled into the business and now I’m part of the fixtures and fittings!”

Located opposite the Town Hall and the Swan Hotel in the heart of the town, Denny’s continues to attract an upmarket clientèle. The company has made clothes for lords and ladies, authors, composers, painters, even royalty, and a series of dusty, hand-written ledgers dating back to the beginning of the business are full of household

ADVERTORIAL

denny of southwold

DENNY OF SOUTHWOLD, 11 Market Place, Southwold, Suffolk, IP18 6EA | Tel: 01502 722372 Email: info@dennyofsouthwold.co.uk

names. These include such eminent customers as Benjamin Britten, Peter Pears, Alfred Munnings, Adrian Bell and Rennie Mackintosh.

“The books read like Debrett’s – it is quite extraordinary!” exclaims Lyn, adding: “We made a pair of shorts for the King when he was on the common in Southwold.”

Full of neat, hand-written entries showing payments in guineas, pounds, shillings and pence, the ledgers pay testament to the changing times, from the days of hand-made dress coats, suits, costumes (skirts and jackets), shooting suits and capes. They conjure up images of another world where tailors used to work through the night by gaslight, if required.

Lyn Knights said: “What is so interesting is that in the 1900s a man’s suit that took 70 hours to hand-sew sold for £1, 17s which equates today to the same price as a loaf of bread, but it was a complete luxury then.”

Today’s beautiful, wood-panelled, Corinthian columned store has plenty of nods to the past. Lyn said: “The beautiful oak downstairs came from a baronial hall in the 1950s and the floor came from the ballroom of the Grand Hotel which was bombed during the war. The screens behind the windows also came from the Grand Hotel.”

Old sewing machines, heavy irons, measuring tapes, set squares and so on have been used to decorate the present premises, which also includes a number of interesting paintings.

Jack Denny, Lyn’s father, was a great painter who studied in Paris and the beautiful, panelled interior also includes a number of his paintings, including a portrait of one of his tailors, Mr Suggers, and another of Rumsey Wells (the famous hatter), who would make hats to match many of the tailors’ hand-sewn outfits.

Denny of Southwold has a fascinating history and plenty of interesting artefacts but it has, of course, also kept up with the times.

Lyn says: “There are plenty of clothes shops in Southwold, but not many independents; we try to source things that are different from everyone else on the High Street.”

In fact, today’s Denny’s sells clothes from all over the world, and Lyn and manager Hazel Saunders do all the buying, going to various shows and other fashion events.

Hazel says: “Pure, Moda, Scoop and IMC – we attend all of these shows. We really enjoy the buying and love finding different things.”

Lyn adds: “We buy what we like, something that suits us both; what Hazel could wear and what I could wear. That way we have something to offer all ages. We source new things all the time.”

Hazel adds: “We’ve had lots of positive feedback and we’ll continue to look for new and exciting brands for Denny’s, for example we have just had our first delivery of beautiful Vivienne Westwood scarves and they are flying out!”

As well as Vivienne Westwood, new menswear brand Shackleton has been very well received in its first season in the shop, complementing long-standing favourites such as Barbour, Saint James and Sebago.

Lyn and Hazel’s choice of high quality, colourful, casual men’s and ladies’ clothes is clearly just right, with this popular place welcoming customers all the time.

Hazel explains: “We’ve got a lovely, hard-working team of eight ‘Denny Girls’; we really pride ourselves here on our customer service.”

The store’s 165th anniversary runs until July next year, and Lyn and Hazel have plenty of things planned.

They are running a competition to win £1,650-worth of prizes (see Facebook and Twitter for details) and are also planning a party towards the end of their anniversary year.

Denny’s will also be open late for Southwold’s Christmas Lights Switch-On on Saturday, November 26; another nod to the past, as Lyn’s father, Jack, was heavily involved in the town’s Christmas lights years ago, with his artistic talents put to good use creating a magical fairy castle and wonderful winter chalet for the town, complete with Father Christmas in a reindeer-drawn sleigh on top!

It’s no surprise to hear that Denny’s has plenty of regular customers, with the smart clothes store having gained a place in the affection of so many locals and out of towners. Lyn says: “We have quite a lot of regulars and lots of people from London; we go across the board really, from 30 to 95!”

Clearly this is a business that will continue to go from strength to strength, with plenty more significant milestones to come.

43

EDP/RESIDENT mag half page l/scape:Layout 1 06/09/2016 10:57 Page 13

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Thanks to hours of slow cooking in the oven, this attractive, seasonal dish is full of flavour. Follow the recipe by our talented French chef Franck Pontais SERVES SIX

INGREDIENTS

3 ox cheeks; 2 large carrots, chopped; 200g cooked garden peas; ½ head of broccoli; Chicory or pak choi (3 leaves each); 1 shallot, chopped; 1 garlic clove; 500ml red wine; 100ml brandy; 750ml beef stock (or chicken stock if you prefer); 2 tbsps tomato purée; 100g plain flour, seasoned with salt; Black pepper

METHOD 1. Trim any excess fat off the ox cheeks. Cut each cheek into six even pieces and dust lightly and evenly with the seasoned flour. 2. Pour a little olive oil into a thick saucepan and then add the ox cheeks. Brown the meat all over until dark and golden. Remove the cheeks from the pan and set aside to cool. 3. Pre-heat the oven to 150°C/Gas Mark 2. 4. Add the chopped shallot, carrots, peas and garlic to the same pan over a moderate to low heat and sweat down in the residual oil until soft and lightly caramelised. 5. Increase the heat and put the meat back in the pan along with the tomato purée. Mix together so that the ox cheeks and vegetables are coated in the purée and then cook out for two to three minutes. 6. Deglaze the pan with the brandy, scraping the base to mix in all the caramelised meat and vegetables. Add the wine and then the stock. 7. Cover the pan with kitchen foil and cook for three hours in the oven (the cheeks should be tender, but not falling apart).

8. Leave the ox cheeks to cool down for at least an hour then fill some moulds/ramekins by layering the meat with the peas and carrots. 9. Re-heat the ramekins in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove each ramekin and serve the ox cheeks with cooked chicory, cooked broccoli and a pinch of cracked black pepper.

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| OCTOBER 2016

WELL worth a visit Get your claws into some delicious dishes at this fabulous seafood restaurant soon, advises Carolyn Atkins

When we arrived in Wells-next-the-Sea to visit The

Wells Crab House, it had been raining all day; proper rain with thunder and lightning, with big pools of water on the surface of the roads as we drove up from Norwich to the North Norfolk seaside.

The tide was in when we got there and the water was a slate grey, rippled by the wind.

It was a dark, foreboding, wintry night, but by contrast the fish restaurant on Freeman Street was bright and beckoning, smartly decorated, freshly painted and nicely lit, with a warm, personal welcome.

The Norfolk hospitality industry is a close-knit community and we recognised co-owner Kelly Dougal straight away, not from her time at The Crown Hotel in Wells, but from some years ago when she, and her husband Scott, worked in front of house upstairs at Mackintosh’s Canteen on Chapelfield Plain in Norwich, which was very much the place to go at the time.

She recognised us, too, and we caught up on old times, but her team’s warm welcome extended to everyone and we saw them chatting to customers at all the tables, lending the place a friendly, convivial atmosphere.

The restaurant (which was the Wells Crab House Café, but which re-opened as a full-on fish restaurant, the Wells Crab House on 28th April), was full, with a mix of ages and one couple, who were busy tucking into a very impressive-looking lobster platter, were there with their very well-behaved baby.

Interest in this new place has been huge and so to widen the net and to avoid turning people away (as well as easing pressure on the kitchen), Kelly and Scott have introduced a clever two-tier sitting system, with the first sitting at 6pm until 7.30pm, and the second one from 8pm onwards.

Everyone is welcome at the first sitting, which has proved popular with families (particularly at the height of the tourist season), while the second sitting, where under-fives are not allowed (although sleeping babies are welcome), has proved incredibly popular, too.

Consequently, during our evening out we saw many tables being turned and more customers arriving, and Scott Dougal, Kelly’s husband who runs the kitchen, said that, despite the restaurant having 30-odd seats, on some evenings they’ve catered for more than 80!

When Kelly was at The Crown, which is located on the Buttlands in Wells and owned by well-known New Zealand chef Chris Coubrough, Scott was at the nearby Ship Hotel in Brancaster, another of Flying Kiwi Inns’ establishments.

Kelly and Scott have had plenty of experience in the industry (they also own the Armeria Luxury B&B on Warham Road, also in Wells) and their knowledge and enthusiasm shine through. Not only in the dishes, which were beautifully presented and truly delicious, but in the whole look of the place, which has a host of thoughtful finishing touches.

56

ADVERTORIAL

wells crab house

The restaurant is pale blue and cream throughout with banquettes that look as if they’ve come from a smart boat. There’s a wooden floor, some quirky wooden tables (Scott told us later that they’re made from reclaimed scaffolding boards) and a welcoming bar area (made from the same boards) which provides an interesting focal point, thanks to the fresh flowers and many sea-themed artefacts, such as fishing nets, an anchor and even an old diving mask.

The bar also has lots of little chalked-up notices telling customers about the B&B and reminding them to follow The Wells Crab House on social media.

A quick glance through Twitter shows just how popular this place has been so far, including a picture of Chris Price from Leicester who, on September 8, was served the restaurant’s 2,000th fresh crab, just a few months after opening.

And when we say fresh, the fish and shellfish here are as fresh as fresh can be, with Scott and his team having the pick of the catch that lands in the port just minutes away from the kitchen door.

Billy provides the lobsters and the other fishermen often text Scott pictures of the back of their boats so that he can see which fish he’d like to order before it’s even reached dry land!

The menu changes monthly and there’s a list of specials for starters and main courses hanging up under a couple of wooden oars on the main wall.

Miles, my husband, chose seared scallops with pork belly and chestnut crumble (£9), followed by whole guilt head bream stuffed with tomatoes, breadcrumbs and lemon (£17), both from the specials board, and not something that you’d find on every restaurant’s menu.

Meanwhile, I had the potted Norfolk crab with fish toasts and pickles (£7), followed by the fish pie with tenderstem broccoli, polenta chips and watercress (£14), as I wanted something warming on that particularly unseasonal September night.

The mistake we made, however, was ordering breads with oil and balsamic first. The bread was lovely (and came with unusual, triangular-shaped plates), but by the time we’d reached the end of our meal, we were really very full, as the bread was quite filling and fish dishes can be more filling than you think.

Our starters were presented on attractive, fish-shaped white plates and there was a little, scallop-edged bowl of rock salt which came with a serving shell, should we have wanted any more seasoning.

The starters were delicious and the main courses extremely tasty, too.

Miles said his bream was: “Fantastic, really good, it’s a meaty fish

and it was incredibly fresh” while my fish pie was piping hot with a golden disk of puff pastry on the top with a creamy, tarragon sauce underneath.

To be honest, we should have left it there, as we were almost full to the brim by then but, having seen the passionfruit pannacotta with mango sauce and coconut crumble (£6) on the next table (and overhearing the customers next to us raving about it), I felt that it was my duty to try it, while Miles was persuaded by the sound of the pecan pie with Sicilian kiss ice cream (£7), although the trio of East Anglian cheeses with crackers, chutney, apple and celery also caught his eye.

The desserts were also well worth having and the pannacotta, which was very prettily presented with fresh strawberries and the mango coulis in the shape of a flower, had an intense passionfruit flavour which was divine.

With its many coastal touches (fish-themed artwork, blue and cream curtains held back with wooden anchors, Sea Spray handwash in the loos etcetera), you can see that the Wells Crab House is a labour of love for Kelly and Scott and, indeed, Scott told us that he and his fellow chefs (there are three of them in the kitchen altogether) often sit up with a glass of wine late at night dreaming up the next day’s specials.

It’s this love of the industry that shines through and the couple’s enthusiasm is infectious – it was also wonderful to see so many customers cracking into their lobsters and crabs with gusto (lobster thermidor is often on the specials board), all clearly enjoying themselves.

The restaurant is open from Tuesday to Sunday until the end of December (with Christmas party nights and New Year’s Eve filling up fast), and will then close during January for a wellearned break before opening again in February.

For those people who aren’t so keen on fish, there are also some “landlubber” dishes, as well as vegetarian options and a children’s menu, together with an extensive wine list, lots of interesting ales and even a gin menu.

With its lovely décor, friendly, smartly-dressed staff and informal atmosphere, The Wells Crab House is a real catch, so if you want to go along, I’d recommend booking for one of its sittings as soon as you can.

The Wells Crab House 38-40 Freeman Street, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk NR23 1BA Tel: 01328 710456 Website: www.wellscrabhouse.co.uk NB. The Wells Crab House is participating in North Norfolk Restaurant Week (for offers see: www.northnorfolkrestaurantweek.co.uk) which runs until Sunday, October 9.

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| OCTOBER 2016

Richard Bainbridge is the chef proprietor of Benedicts Restaurant in Norwich www.restaurantbenedicts.com info@restaurantbenedicts.com or call 01603 926080

58

FOOD & DRINK

richard Bainbridge

TOP flIGhT FooD Award-winning chef

Richard Bainbridge

is back with another seasonal recipe which both looks and tastes delicious!

PigeOn, Puy lentils & ROasted Onions Pigeons are great-tasting birds and

their dark meat is ideal in winter dishes.

They are very tasty when braised, grilled or roasted – as in this attractive dish. As you’ll see, we serve this with sauerkraut, which you can make yourselves, or buy from some of the bigger supermarkets; the zing from the sauerkraut lends a sharpness to this dish

INGREDIENTS

which gives it another dimension.

Unlike some other birds, pigeons are available all year round, but we’re now at the height of the wood pigeon season, when this versatile ingredient is widely available, whether from local butchers, farmers’ markets and, again, even some of the supermarkets.

Alternatively, of course, you can cut out all the hard work by simply popping into Benedicts for some fabulous seasonal fare!

Please remember to call ahead, though, as the run-up to Christmas gets extremely busy and we want to make sure we have a table for you.

FOR THE PUY LENTILS · 200g puy lentils (soaked in water overnight) · 50g salted butter · 1 small shallot, finely chopped · 1 carrot, finely diced · 1 stick of celery, finely diced · 1 bay leaf · Sprig of thyme · 500ml light chicken stock · 10g chopped flat-leaf parsley

FOR THE ROASTED BABY ONIONS · 12 silver skin baby onions · 1 lemon, cut in half · 30g salted butter · Handful of fresh thyme

SERVES FOUR

FOR THE ROASTED PIGEON · 1 local pigeon · Knob of butter · 1 sprig of thyme · 2 bay leaves · 10 crushed juniper berries · Salt & pepper METHOD Place the thyme, bay leaves and juniper berries inside the bird and season with the salt and pepper.

Place a large frying pan on a high heat and, once hot, add a splash of oil and then add the bird slowly to the pan.

Turn the heat down by half, colour the pigeon all over until nicely golden, then place it in a pre-heated oven at 180C for 12 minutes.

Then remove the bird from the oven and place it on a cooling rack to rest for about eight to 10 minutes.

Warm the bird back through again in the oven just before serving.

METHOD Place a heavy-bottomed pan on to a medium heat, add the butter then add the shallot, carrot and celery.

Add the thyme and bay leaf and sweat the vegetables off without colouring them.

Add the puy lentils and stir through.

Pour over the chicken stock and bring the mixture to the boil.

Place a piece of baking parchment on top and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until just tender. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool.

When ready to serve, return to the heat, add a little knob of butter and season with salt and pepper then add the chopped herbs.

METHOD Place the onions into a bowl, pour boiling water over them and leave them for 10 minutes (this will make the skins soft).

Peel the onions and wash them well then place a small pan on a heat and add the butter, thyme and lemon juice.

Let the butter foam and add the onions, then turn down the heat and lightly roast off the onions until soft and golden.

Season with salt and pepper.

TO SERVE Assemble the dish by placing pieces of the hot pigeon on top of the lentils with some of the roasted baby onions on the side then decorate with a few fresh micro herbs. As previously mentioned, this dish also goes very well with sauerkraut.

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full of

| OCTOBER 2016

Flavour This delicious monkfish dish is perfect for a leisurely lunch or a decadent dinner.

Simon Wainwright, executive head chef of The Imperial Hotel in Great Yarmouth, explains how to re-create it at home

Wine Notes NICK MOBBS, director and wine expert at the Imperial Hotel, says:

2011 Carmel Road Chardonnay, Monterey Valley, California Carmel Road is a boutique winery in the heart of Monterey County, a region famed for its fine, cool climate wines and famous mayor, Clint Eastwood. The chardonnay is expressive of the region and shows great complexity.

The wine is made by a Bulgarian winemaker, Ivan Giotenov; he grew up as part of a wine-producing family in his native land before travelling further afield to work in wineries in Australia and California. He joined Carmel Road in 1999.

The wine is made by fermenting the juice which is then matured in a mixture of French oak, American oak and stainless steel tanks to preserve freshness and add complexity. The wine is left on its lees during this period to enhance its rich, creamy texture. After around seven months, the different barrels are blended and the wine is bottled.

I have chosen to put this wine with probably my favourite fish - monkfish. The flavour of the dish is quite powerful and needs a well-balanced wine with structure to complement it. The taste of this wine is Californian Chardonnay with a difference. While the rich, tropical fruit, butterscotch and cream notes that we expect from the region are present, there are also a stony minerality and a citric twist that balance the wine beautifully and keep it fresh and elegant. It is powerful enough to cut through the flavours the fish, refresh the palate and prepare you for another mouthful of that delicious sauce.

• 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

of of

FOOD & DRINK

imperial hotel

SIMON WAINWRIGHT, executive head chef of the Imperial Hotel in Great Yarmouth

PAN-ROASTED MONKFISH

Gremolata Prawn, Cromer Crab Cake, Bisque Sauce METHOD For the sauce, place all the vegetables and the olive oil into a large saucepan and sweat on a low heat for 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetables have softened.

Add the saffron and stir, followed by the prawn shells and star anise, cook for two more minutes and then add the tomato purée.

Turn the pan to full heat, add your brandy and flame the alcohol off.

Add the other liquids to the pan apart from the cream.

Bring to the boil and cook for half an hour on a medium heat.

Add the cream after half an hour and then switch the heat off.

Purée with a stick blender until smooth and pass the liquid through a fine sieve, RVES SE

INGREDIENTS For the bisque sauce · 125g prawn shells · ½ onion, sliced · ½ tomato, sliced · ½ leek, chopped · ½ carrot, chopped · ½ tsp tomato purée · 1 star anise · Sprig parsley

4

being sure to push through with a ladle as much as is possible. Reserve on the side.

Next take the crab meat and place this into a bowl, add the chopped herbs, one teaspoon of lemon juice, the anchovy sauce and the fresh breadcrumbs along with some salt and pepper.

Mix together and check for seasoning.

Shape into a cake, each cake being 2oz in size, place into the flour then into the egg and finally into the breadcrumbs to protect the cake. Repeat the egg and breadcrumb stage with each cake and then place the cakes in the fridge to firm up.

Finely chop the lemon rind and the cloves of garlic for the prawns and reserve.

Next take a large frying pan, place three tablespoons of olive oil into it and heat it up.

Place the monkfish portions into the pan and season with salt and pepper.

· 1 bay leaf · 50ml brandy · 125ml fish stock · ¾ pint water · Pinch of saffron · Salt and pepper · 50ml double cream · 4 tbsps olive oil

Other ingredients · 4 x 6 to 8oz pieces of monkfish fillet · 8 large warm water prawns – peeled, leaving heads on for decoration · 1 lemon · 3 cloves of garlic · 6oz butter · 4 tbsps olive oil

Cook for six minutes.

Once cooked, leave to rest in a warm place for another six minutes. Meanwhile, take your bisque sauce and reduce this by half.

Heat up a frying pan and place one centimetre of vegetable oil into it. Heat the oil to simmering point and then shallow fry each crab cake till golden brown in colour.

Put in the oven for four minutes.

Place the prawns, lemon and garlic into the oven at the same time, with 2oz of butter spread evenly between the prawns.

To finish, once the sauce has reduced by half, stir in the remaining 4oz butter, distribute evenly between four bowls, place the reserved piece of fish and the fish cake into the bowl and garnish with the prawns.

For the crab cakes · 8oz crab meat, free of shell · 2 tbsps fresh mixed chopped herbs (parsley and chives are fine) · Vegetable oil · 100g Panko breadcrumbs

· 2 tbsps flour · 1 egg · Lemon juice · 1 ½ ounces fresh breadcrumbs · 1 tbsp anchovy sauce

61

A FESTIVE TASTE OF NORFOLK 7-Course Christmas Tasting Menu, LUNCH or DINNER Our Farm initiative and the close relationship we have built over the years with our suppliers has been the inspiration for our Festive Menu.

This is our dedication to Norfolk’s finest seasonal produce.

Stoke Holy Cross, near Norwich

|

01508 492497

|

www.t h ew ild e b e e st .co. uk

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Wren Kitchens offers its customers endless possibilities, thanks to the launch of its Infinity Collection which features bespoke, luxury kitchens at a fraction of the usual price

A unique, bespoke kitchen made just for your home

used to be a dream that only a select few could ever realise because of the high price tag. But that’s not the case any more, because the largest kitchen manufacturer and retailer in the UK, Wren Kitchens, is going to make that dream come true for thousands of homeowners with the launch of its Infinity Collection this autumn.

With 50 colours, 20 frontal styles, 1,650 unit sizes, 700 feature units, worktops, profiles, finishes and amazing details, Infinity and Infinity Plus offer the possibility of millions of combinations.

An infinity of choice that lets you create a bespoke kitchen for a fraction of the usual price.

All of Wren’s kitchens are manufactured by Wren in the UK at its state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, ensuring that quality, design, sustainable manufacturing and British values are at the heart of everything it does. And, because Wren owns its entire supply chain – manufacturing in the UK, selling in its own showrooms and delivering in its own fleet – costs can be kept low for customers.

The launch of the Infinity Collection this autumn is a real game changer for the industry - and for homeowners. Wren spent a further £50 million in manufacturing facilities alone to develop the Infinity range, creating a third factory taking its manufacturing footprint to over 1.5 million square feet, and 25,000 hours in research and development.

Mark Pullan, Wren’s managing director, explains: “The company has experienced unprecedented sales growth in 2016 and over the next few years we will be looking to almost triple the number of retail showrooms in the UK from 55 to 150.

The word is spreading about our great quality, excellent service and, above all, our beautiful kitchens. We are so excited to introduce the Infinity Collection and give our customers the most comprehensive collection in the UK to choose from.”

The Infinity Collection offers homeowners a bespoke, luxury kitchen at a price that everyone can afford. Wren’s popular ranges, including favourites like the Shaker and Handleless styles, have been expanded to include new unit sizes, colours, finishes, feature units and custommade worktops, from stunning stealth islands to pull-out larder units, pet beds and dressers. One A bespoke kitchen for everyone, stunning new design, the sleek modern Infinity whatever the budget.

Milano, is normally only found in high-end design To see the full collection, studios - but Wren makes it available at an entry visit your local showroom or see: price of a little over £1,000 for eight units.

www.wrenkitchens.com

63

| OCTOBER 2016

MIXING p u t i Mark Nicholls raises a glass to Norwich Cocktail Week

For more information and details of participating bars and special : Norwich Cocktail Week events visit

www.norwichcocktailweek.co.uk 64

FOOD & DRINK

norwich cocktail week

Whether your favourite is a Manhattan, a Margarita or a Mojito,

there’s always a cocktail for everyone.

Others may prefer a Pina Colada, a Tequila Sunrise or even a Harvey Wallbanger.

Yet this October, for cocktail fans – and those discovering some of the more exotic drinks for the first time – there’s a golden opportunity to be a little more adventurous and try a new concoction during Norwich Cocktail Week.

With 30 bars taking part in the event from Saturday, October 8 to Saturday, October 15, drinkers also get the chance to sample venues they may not have previously visited.

Norwich Cocktail Week, now in its third year and sponsored by Adnams, is the brainchild of blogger and cocktail fan Gemma Seager.

“I came up with the idea after people kept contacting my website and asking me where the best places were in Norwich for cocktails,” she explained.

“I knew London had a cocktail week and so do places such as Leeds, Manchester, Bath and Winchester, so I thought it would be a good idea to organise one for Norwich.

“The idea is to encourage people to try new drinks, and experience new bars, but also to help raise awareness of the great bars that are doing really good cocktails in Norwich.”

For Norwich Cocktail Week people buy a wristband and visit participating bars where they can benefit from special offers such as extended Happy Hours, two-for-one drinks or half-price cocktails.

Offers will vary from bar to bar and during the week some of the bars will be producing special cocktails.

Wristbands can be bought online from the Cocktail Week website for £7, plus 50p postage, or during the week at participating bars such as Frank’s Bar, North, The Cottage, The Plough, The Wallow, Brewdog Norwich, Lust & Liquor and Warwick Street Social as well as from the Adnams Cellar & Kitchen Store on Unthank Road.

Throughout the week a number of special events will take place, including a cocktail-making competition at Gonzo’s Tea Room on London Street.

Gemma is a self-confessed cocktail lover who enjoys making the drinks at home but who sees the week as spreading their popularity to a wider audience.

“I have to say, my interest in cocktails lies mostly in drinking them and I tend to like strong cocktails such as a Manhattan.

“It is my favourite as I like whisky and it’s a short and strong cocktail. I’m the sort of person who likes to taste the alcohol rather than the longer drink style of cocktails, whereas my husband Peter prefers a sweeter, longer drink.

“Personally, I do not like gin that much but I drink it in cocktails because a really good bartender can mix the flavours together so well to make a really great cocktail.

“But what I most like about a cocktail is that there is always a taste and a drink for everyone.”

While some people have their favourite, one cocktail that Gemma suggests people look out for is a Brambles, made from Crème de Mûre (blackberry liqueur), gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup.

“It’s a nice one to try for the autumn,” she said. “But if people are in a bar and thinking about trying something different, it is always worth asking the bartender for a suggestion.

“If you talk about the flavours you like, they will be able to suggest something and may even make one up just for you.”

Margaritas and Manhattans are always popular but often bars have their own speciality cocktail and there will be non-alcoholic cocktails on offer, too.

“I think in general, most people tend to prefer the longer, fruitier drinks, something like a Daiquiri, Pina Colada, but the aim of the week is to encourage people to try new bars and be more adventurous in the cocktails they choose and perhaps go for something they have not tried before,” said Gemma, who is originally from Kent but has lived in Norwich for 15 years.

“October seemed a good month to hold the event as people are not long back from their summer holidays and may have tried a cocktail while they were away.

“It is also when the students are back in Norwich and will be an opportunity for them to find out about the bars and their way around the city.”

Having started with 20 bars, Norwich Cocktail Week has now grown and evolved through social media and word-of-mouth.

And for those who want to enjoy the whole experience, there’s a Norwich Cocktail Week stamp at every bar.

“Anyone collecting them all gets a free wristband next year,” explained Gemma.

65

Serving classic dishes with a modern twist. Bespoke social spaces for your dinner date, catch up drinks or Christmas party.

FESTIVE MENU 3 Courses ÂŁ25 December 1 - 24

2 Warwick St, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 3LD warwickstsocial.co.uk

|

01603 627687

|

info@warwickstsocial.co.uk

T E e w s t A e TR

FOOD & DRINK

cocktail of the month Bubblegum Daiquiri INGREDIENTS

Half fill a cocktail shaker or long glass with ice. Add the following and shake well: 50ml white rum; 50ml Monin bubble gum syrup; dash of lime juice

METHOD

1. Dip the rim of a daiquiri/cocktail glass

in sugar syrup (water and sugar mixed together) and then in sugar to coat the rim.

2. Strain the contents of the shaker or glass into your cocktail glass. 3. Garnish with a fruit of your choice (the mixologists at The Cliff use a physalis). 4. Sit back, sip and enjoy!

ings over and the en ev er m m su ng lo e th With onth’s cocktail is a real nights drawing in, this mWhip it up at home or t. autumnal deliggh beach at The Cliff Hotel enjoy it overlookin the –

The Cliff Hotel

Cliff Hill, Gorleston, NR31 6DH www.thecliffhotel.co.uk

Fayres

In association with

ert dent ace mixologist Rob Mixed by The Cliff’s resi

67

THE FOOD GALLERY: CHRISTMAS FAYRE

Candi’s Chutneys

Dabs ‘n’ Crabs

Humpty Dumpty Brewery

Candi’s Chutneys are hand made in Norfolk, using the finest seasonal ingredients, all grown in East Anglia. Pop along to your farmers’ market or deli to try the award winning Parsnip and Chilli or the highly popular Norfolk Knobbly! The chutneys are perfect with cheese, great in cooking and delicious with cold meats.

Dabs ‘n’ Crabs is a local fishmongers, run by Tracey Wrightson and her family. It is located in Scratby, on the main road, between Caisteron-Sea and Hemsby. The business has been trading for the past seven years and prides itself on the variety and freshness of its locallysourced fish, shellfish and frozen seafood, delivered direct from boat to counter.

Humpty Dumpty has been brewing cracking real ales in the Norfolk Broads since 1998. Try our award winning ales at outlets and events across East Anglia, including the Norwich & Norfolk CAMRA Beer Festival (24th-29th October), or why not visit our on-site shop for a wide range of locally produced goodies.

A: Unit 12, Bayfield Brecks, Cley Road, Holt, NR25 7DZ T: 07867 398517 E: candir1@aol.com

A: Hemsby Road, Scratby, Norfolk, NR29 3PQ T: 01493 731305 Facebook: /DabsNCrabs

A: Church Road, Reedham, Norfolk, NR13 3TZ T: 01493 701818 W: www.humptydumptybrewery.co.uk

10% off

for new customers – Use code PYO2016

Norfolk Veg Box

Sandringham Apple Juice

Throwers of Ludham

At Norfolk Veg Box we deliver boxes of fresh, locally grown and produced food and drink to homes and businesses in Norfolk. Our weekly delivery routes help us reach much of the county. All boxes are excellent value and contain fresh, quality veg, fruits and salad items. We have a range of boxes available but also offer a build your own option.

We produce eight varieties of apple juice in our own traditional Norfolk barn, with apples fresh from the trees. With no additives other than vitamin C to prevent oxidation, it really does taste just like the apples it was made from. It is served at Buckingham Palace garden parties and receptions and is available to buy online.

Stocked with over 50 types of cheese, nine varieties of olives and ham on the bone – why not give Throwers deli a visit? Many other local goodies in store include Letheringsett Watermill flour, local milk, How Hill honey, Lakenham Creamery ice cream, Brays pork pies, paté and much, much more. Throwers of Ludham… more than just a village store!

T: 01953 457393 E: info@norfolkvegbox.com W: www.norfolkvegbox.com

A: Orchards, Off Icknield Way, Flitcham, PE31 6BX T: Contact Andrew on 07810 310757 W: www.sandringhamapplejuice.co.uk

Andover House

Grosvenor Casino

Planet Spice

Book your Christmas party for up to 18 round one candlelit table from £22. Starter: Seared duck breast, beetroot remoulade, orange puree & sea salt caramel. Main: Slow cooked beef cheek, herb mash, leeks, mushrooms and a Madeira sauce. Finish with chocolate truffle, honeycomb & orange sorbet.

Enjoy a Christmas party night at Great Yarmouth’s Grosvenor Casino, including a three-course meal, learn how to play session and free £5 bet. Dates are available between 22nd November and 24th December, from £20 per person… book now so you don't miss out! Live entertainment Fridays and Saturdays.

We are an Indian restaurant in the heart of the countryside, providing exquisite, authentic and imaginative dishes to food lovers in the area. We are dedicated in our approach to healthy eating, using the highest quality, fresh, organic ingredients. Spices are freshly ground to maintain natural flavours and aromas.

A: 27-30 Camperdown, Great Yarmouth, NR30 3JB T: 01493 843490 W: www.andoverhouse.co.uk

A: Marine Parade, Great Yarmouth, NR30 3JG T: 01493 850444 E: sm.gc-yarmouth@rank.co.uk W: www.grosvenorcasinos.co.uk

A: 2 Filby Lane, Ormesby St Margaret, Norfolk, NR29 3JR T: 01493 731111 / 01493 731101 W: www.planetspiceormesby.co.uk

A: High Street, Ludham, Norfolk, NR29 5QQ T: 01692 678248 W: www.throwers.co.uk

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WIN a Caribbean meal for four at

Turtle Bay, Norwich

® this exciting new restaurant to offer Places & Faces has teamed up with for four with cocktails at Turtle Bay. one lucky reader a delicious meal answer the question below: To enter this competition, simply

there at Turtle Bay, Norwich?

QUESTION: How many seats are ils by email to: Send your answer and contact deta or .uk es.co dfac esan competitions@plac tag #TurtleBayCompetition. hash ces ndFa cesa @Pla to er Twitt via post to: Alternatively, send your answer by Ltd, Humberstone House, ia Med ive reat H2C s, Face & es Plac olk, NR31 6BE 47 Englands Lane, Gorleston, Norf ).

2016 ber Octo of end : date ing (clos until April is subject to availability and valid TERMS & CONDITIONS: This prize

The taste of the Caribbean has arrived in Norwich with the opening of the new Turtle Bay restaurant.

The first in East Anglia, Turtle Bay restaurants aim to create a Caribbean vibe with a menu packed with bold, spicy food and drink, set amid a bright and bold, joyful interior.

Each restaurant is designed individually for its location and Turtle Bay Norwich is a 180-seater restaurant set in a two-storey, Grade II-listed, former fabric warehouse on Swan Lane which includes an island hut bar, veranda dining areas and a vibrant, open “street kitchen”.

The bright colours and bespoke wall murals are complemented by the restaurant’s trademark use of reclaimed materials such as repurposed shipping containers, oil drum lampshades, reclaimed wood and even a salvaged VW Campervan which has been reinvented as a unique seating area.

The cheery outlook and laid-back atmosphere are enhanced by the exciting menu which features bold, zesty Caribbean flavours, with plenty to dig into alone or delicious dishes to share.

2017.

The fuss-free soul food includes starters such as island bait or hot pepper roti; lunch ‘n’ lighter snacks such as jerk chicken flatbread or a mango and goats’ cheese salad, while main dishes include curry, shrimp and mango one pots with rice and peas, jerk ribs or West Indian steamed fish as well as side orders such as slaw, fries and mash.

The colourful offerings also include cutters (inspired by Caribbean beach shacks and street hawkers), which are ideal for sharing over cocktails; dishes from the Jerk BBQ Pit – which is as fiery as it sounds; and the popular signature dishes such as jerk chicken and curried goat.

Meanwhile, tempting desserts include Caymans’ rum cake, while a menu of more than 40 Caribbean rums creates a comprehensive cocktail list to bring the complete Caribbean dining experience to the streets of Norfolk.

Turtle Bay is located at: 8 Swan Lane, Norwich, NR2 1HZ. Tel: 01603 305300. Website: www.turtlebay.co.uk/norwich 69

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Chefs Neckerchief choice of design £4.44

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Free Entrance and selected deals on!

Live Music at the Olive Tree Ukulele Simon 7pm until 11pm Ukulele Simon is booked to play in the Olive Tree Restaurant on Friday 16th and Friday 23rd September, then again in October Friday 7th, Friday 14th and Friday 21st October all 7pm until 11pm.

Selected deals we have running are 25% off our large bottles of Prosecco, 10% off the food bill, 2 for the price of 1 off our Woo Woo cocktail and Sex on the Beach from 7pm until 11pm and why not try our new Prosecco cocktail priced at ÂŁ5.50.

10% off

BACTON ROAD | NORTH WALSHAM | NR28 0RA Telephone: 01603 404900

your food bill any day, anytime throughout October and November with this voucher at The Olive Tree Restaurant

Exper ience the lifestyle

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS A n e w h o m e & l i fe sty l e shop, open in Bur nham M a r k e t Barefoot Living, Church House, Overy Road, Bur nham Market, Kings Lynn, PE31 8HH

2 Course Meal & a Cocktail for £17 plus FREE Entertainment

EVERY SATURDAY

Jazmine Banks The new mojos Mullally The Anyones Bethan Marshall

Georgia Falls -

Sat 1st Oct Sat 8th Oct Sat 15th Oct Sat 22nd Oct Sat 29th Oct Sat 5th Nov Sat 12th Nov

The Esplanade, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR33 0QG

www.thehatfieldhotel.co.uk 01502 565337

TRAVEL

the levin hotel

SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP! Mark Nicholls discovers a discreet boutique hotel in the heart of London’s shopping district, just in time for the run-up to Christmas

h

arrods is a hop, skip and a jump from the lobby, Harvey Nichols is just around the corner, and along the neighbouring streets are the shop frontages of all the top fashion brands.

We’re in the heart of Knightsbridge, next to London’s most famous store and in a perfect location for a weekend shopping break, particularly if you are on the hunt for some very special Christmas gifts.

Our abode is The Levin Hotel.

Quiet, tucked away and with rooms adorned in 1930s-style décor, it has charm, character and comfort.

But above all, The Levin has intimacy.

There are only 12 rooms, three on each floor above a fashionable reception, with a range of styles from the compact classic to deluxe rooms through to junior suites.

We had taken a mid-morning Abellio Greater Anglia train from Norwich down to London Liverpool Street, hopped on the Piccadilly line to Knightsbridge and soon found ourselves checking in to the hotel on Basil Street, just off Sloane Street.

The rooms are lovely and bright, with designer fabrics and art-deco lighting, WiFi, a coffee machine, mini-bar, Templespa toiletries and TV, and there’s a varied literary selection of popular books in the lobby and in the rooms, too.

But we were here to explore… and to shop. The location of The Levin Hotel makes that easy with the lure of Harrods, the designer shops of Sloane Street and Beauchamp Place and the occasional pause for coffee and light bites.

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TRAVEL

the levin hotel

If you need to head further afield, Oxford Street is a short tube or bus ride away and if you want a break from retail the V&A and the Natural History Museum are a 10-minute walk away while Hyde Park is also close by.

We spent a rewarding, long afternoon browsing and picking up Christmas gifts for all the family from some of London’s most famous retail outlets, before retreating back to the relaxed environment of our hotel.

The ethos of the Levin is the combination of home comforts with an element of luxury in a perfect location.

With the accent on attentive service and contemporary charm, it is owned and operated by David Levin, with the townhouse-style hotel set next to its five-star sister hotel, The Capital.

The little gem at The Levin is the Metro Restaurant & Bar. Set below street level, it has a simple and tasty menu for lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, in a relaxed, bar-style environment.

A big plus is the selection of wines from the Levin family-owned winery in the Loire Valley.

Flagship wines include the Levin Sauvignon Blanc, Levin Gamay and Madam L Gamay, produced from the 19 vineyards set on the Continental, eastern edge

ACCOMMODATION

Mark Nicholls stayed at The Levin Hotel on Basil Street, Knightsbridge, London, in a classic double room. For more details, rates and special offers including the pre-Christmas shop-until-youdrop one-night stay packages, visit www.thelevinhotel.co.uk Packages must be booked directly with the hotel. For reservations call 0207 589 6286 or e-mail reservations@thelevinhotel.co.uk

GETTING THERE

Abellio Greater Anglia services run every 30 minutes from Norwich to London Liverpool Street with easy onward tube connections to Knightsbridge. For more information, plus special offers, visit www.abelliogreateranglia.co.uk

of the Loire Valley in Loir-et-Cher. We chose Levin Rose VDP (£24 a bottle) which sat so well with my Cornish crab linguini. I’d enjoyed the fish cake to start with, while my wife opted for the hot smoked salmon pâté and followed with the Metro’s sirloin steak and chips.

For dessert, we opted for the bread and butter pudding and the chocolate torte, accompanied by the 2010 Levin Botrytis Nobel Sauvignon Blanc dessert wine.

The Metro has a relaxed and flexible menu, with light bites, traditional favourites, sharing platters and salads, and is very good value within the cosy surroundings of the bar.

If you are looking for something a little more sophisticated, Outlaw’s at the Capital next door offers Michelin star seafood dining.

For guests, The Levin serves a wholesome full English breakfast along with bagels or a Continental option.

Whether opting for a quick overnight break as part of a shopping excursion or staying a little longer and taking in a West End show or exploring some of London’s other worldrenowned attractions, The Levin Hotel offers peace, comfort and style, whilst still at the heart of vibrant Knightsbridge.

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| OCTOBER 2016

e c n e l l e c Ex on the Esplanade There’s no better seaside address anywhere than The Esplanade, and The Hatfield Hotel stands elegantly, and excellently, on Lowestoft’s seafront promenade

I

t’s a welcoming place, enhanced by attentive

staff who really know about caring for guests. And, as a guest, you’re in for a real treat. The location alone is superb. The recently added bi-fold doors open out on to the sea view - it’s like having a drink on a cruise ship!

In fact, as well as the doors, there has been considerable refurbishment at The Hatfield Hotel over the last three years and it’s now at its most stylish.

The rooms, all 33 of them, are fabulously appointed.

They’re en-suite, have carefully chosen décor, and facilities such as TV, hairdryers and tea and coffeemaking facilities. Many have sea views and, if you fancy an extra special stay, the Elizabeth Suite boasts an immaculate décor.

When it comes to wining and dining, The Hatfield Hotel really does excel. The bright and colourful restaurant, with its ocean views, offers a first class menu, wine list and outstanding service.

Morton’s Restaurant serves from breakfast to dinner, and proudly offers local ingredients, including meat from the hotel’s own farm shop in Blofield, Norfolk.

On Sundays the Morton’s Carvery is carving out a reputation of its own. It’s the full Sunday roast with all the trimmings, cooked and served to perfection, available from noon to 8pm.

The hotel’s Terrace Bar is a great place to savour a drink in the sunshine. Or at sunset, of course!

Either way, there’s a fine selection of beers, including traditional ales, wines and spirits to enjoy.

As for functions, the hotel hosts weddings - it’s licensed for civil ceremonies - and corporate events, coping fabulously with parties from 40 to 150 people.

The experienced staff at The Hatfield really do go the extra mile when it comes to planning weddings and conferences. No detail is too small to be checked and double-checked to ensure that guests and delegates have a stress-free and smooth-running occasion.

It’s against the backdrop of its elegant refurbishment that the hotel is gearing up to provide even more service, entertainment and an increased customer engagement and experience. All of which are really making The Hatfield Hotel stand out.

76

ADVERTORIAL

the hatfield hotel

The Hatfield Hotel

The Esplanade, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 0QG Tel: 01502 565337 Website: www.thehatfieldhotel.co.uk

Recently they’ve begun live music nights on Saturdays, in the Terrace Bar, featuring local singers and bands such as Mullally, Mark Anthony and Jazmine Banks to name but a few. Then on Fridays there’s “Cocktail Friday” night. Driven by social media interaction - register you’re coming and you get a free cocktail - these are hugely successful events.

Party nights are a regular attraction at the hotel, too, and excellent value packages are available for those who want to make a night of it and stay overnight.

The move into functions and parties has really taken off. Guest entertainers have included Ray Quinn who, on The X Factor, was pipped at the post by no less than Leona Lewis.

The Hatfield Hotel is very much an all-day, all-week, all-ages hotel. Families are welcome - and you just have to ask for a cot if you need it. In the mornings you’ll find walkers calling in for coffee and cake. By the evening both guests and non-residents are dining or enjoying the bars.

And soon, of course, it will be Christmas. Bookings are already flooding in for the festive season at The Hatfield’s Winter Wonderland and the team has lots of

plans for making it a superb experience for everyone.

There’s festive afternoon tea as well as party nights, held in the Ambassador Suite.

And it doesn’t stop at Christmas! The all-inclusive New Year’s Eve package is set to be an amazing celebration, with entertainment from The New Mojos.

The party will spread out across the whole of the ground floor, and there’ll be a fantastic range of festive fare from different food stations.

Located on The Esplanade, the hotel has its own private car park, and a 24-hour front desk, another of those touches that make The Hatfield a welcoming, engaging place. There’s complimentary Wi-Fi access in the public areas, for instance. And excellent room service that means you can treat yourself to breakfast in bed if you feel like it!

Getting to the hotel is simple. It’s close to Lowestoft Railway Station and easily accessible from the A146 and A12. Which means it’s a great place to use as your base if you want to explore Lowestoft itself, or the region, which, of course, includes other seaside resorts, The Broads and some stunning countryside.

Lowestoft is an increasingly lively town, and it’s no coincidence that the Hatfield Hotel is at the forefront of raising the bar when it comes to local wining and dining.

As a central point for exploring, as somewhere to treat yourselves to some luxury, or perhaps for business travel, The Hatfield Hotel is ideal. It’s a stylish but comfortable hotel that oozes charm and service. The staff are committed to delivering the highest possible levels of service to guests, and the food is excellent.

The development of more parties, functions and entertainment is part of the overall strategy to make the Hatfield Hotel a real experience. All the signs are it’s working. The Hatfield Hotel really is excellence on The Esplanade!

77

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KITCHENS

visit our showroom at: 3 -23 Suffolk Road, Lowestoft NR32 1DZ or call us on: 01502 528599 www.kerrys.uk.com

GREAT

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Reservations

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(WHAT’s The StoRY?)

auTUMn glOry IT’S A GORGEOUS TIME OF YEAR IN THE GARDEN AS THE LEAVES CHANGE COLOUR AND THE FLOWERS BECOME BERRIES. GARDENING EXPERT ELLEN MARY ADVOCATES GETTING OUT THERE AND MAKING THE MOST OF IT!

Always thinking ahead, it’s time to prepare for spring next year, and autumn is the perfect time to plant out some colourful wallflowers such as Erysimum ‘Red Jep’ or ‘Bowles Mauve’ along with pretty pots of pansies and spring bulbs. You’ll be pleased you’ve planned ahead when spring comes around and the first colours start to appear.

I am always asked about dahlias. Should they be left in the ground over winter or not? For safety, I would lift them, remove all soil and any dead, diseased or damages parts. Ideally, store them in dry sand in containers after drying out, in a dark dry space but if that’s not possible, cut them back and cover the ground with a thick mulch to protect them from frosts over the winter period.

If you have rambling or climbing roses, when they have finished flowering, tie in the stems before they can be subjected to wind damage, especially by the coast and unsheltered areas. Clear away any fallen leaves to ensure diseases like black spot don’t remain in the soil over winter. If you do spot any disease, don’t compost the leaves, just make sure they are disposed of properly.

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Fruit & Vegetables

Wildlife Gardening

If you have summer fruiting raspberries, now is the time to cut them back, leaving autumn fruiting raspberries until next year.

Start tying them in to supporting wires or fencing, removing old canes and adding in new raspberry cane varieties to extend the fruiting season next year. Now is the perfect time for a good fruit tidy up in the kitchen garden.

Autumn is a great time to plant new strawberry plants out, too, and to replace plants that are three years or older before they become less productive. Make sure the soil is free from weeds and plant in rows so you can walk in between the plants. If you only have a small space, they can be planted in containers and hanging baskets.

Make sure the crowns are just above the soil to ensure they don’t rot over the winter.

It’s time to harvest one of my favourite vegetables from the allotment. Pumpkin and squash will be ready from now, just in time for Hallowe’en carving and tasty pumpkin pie. Before harvest, to ensure they don’t rot, lift them off the soil and on to a brick or a piece of wood until they are ready but don’t leave them too long or they will rot.

Birds will need to fatten up for the winter months ahead, so providing supplementary food such as seed, suet and fat balls (don’t forget to remove them from the net bags) will give birds an extra boost. You can also make your own bird food by crushing cereals, porridge oats, mild cheese, cooked potatoes and cooked rice.

Whilst ivy is often disliked, it has many advantages for wildlife and shouldn’t be overlooked in the right place with correct management. During autumn the flowers provide valuable nectar when little else is available and is used by many insects such as hover-flies and bumblebees. It also provides desperately-needed food for the admiral butterfly in preparation for hibernation.

As we enjoy the flurry of red, orange and brown leaves falling to the ground, don’t be too quick to rake them all away. Piling leaves up, along with small piles of twigs and pruned woody stems not only creates autumnal interest in the garden but also provides shelter and warmth to many insects such as centipedes and woodlice. If you rake them into a pile it could become home to hibernating mammals and ground feeding birds as well.

GARDENING

ellen mary

RIVAL HE TRUE AR T IS R E B O eep T OC mornings sw ty is m s a n of autum y even s and we ma ld e fi e th ss . It’s acro in the garden s st o fr t rs fi see the tching f year for wa o e m ti ly e v nuts a lo g acorns and in rd a o h ls , cold squirre ugh the long ro th m e th e e to se e to enjoy th m ti o ls a ’s It g for nights. the sky lookin f in ls w o y n taw ues o y. Enjoy the h new territor s full and l garden to it a n m tu u head. a e th ter months a in w e th r fo prepare

Gardening Product of the Month Whilst you are tidying the autumn garden, try Joe’s Gardening Gloves. With a snug fit and washable material they’ll help to keep your hands in good shape on those colder days. Only £5.99 from www.joes-garden.co.uk along with a thorn-proof option.

WHaT’S ON

d Oudolf-designe lour in the Piet is rk Pa l ra tu The autumn co Na pe en at Pensthor rd s Ga se m as iu gr ll nn Mille tober. The ta best during Oc listic ra tu na is ls at its absolute ia renn gst the bright pe the gardens swaying amon a walk around ke Ta t. es fin g drink and in rm planting at its the café for a wa to g in hrees ad he re befo r adults; under-t . Entry: £9.95 fo m .co pe a piece of cake or w.pensth free. More at: ww

Ellen Mary

provides no-jargon gardening advice and a garden design consultancy service at www.ellenmarygardening.co.uk

81

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For much more information visit us at www.loxleyhall.co.uk alternatively call 0845 519 4047 or 07981 396 334

HANDMADE

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Contact us now for a brochure or visit our showroom at: Station Business Park, Horning Road West, Hoveton, Norwich, Norfolk NR12 8QJ, England. T: 01603 781771 E: info@ebsfurniture.co.uk

See more of our beautiful interiors at: www.batesfurniture.co.uk

Safe as HOUSES

ADVERTORIAL

mortgages

For comprehensive mortgage advice, contact Your Mortgage Solutions in Gorleston who have a wealth of experience in the mortgage world

Following the announcement by the Bank of England in

August that it was cutting the Bank Rate to 0.25% and introducing a package of measures to provide additional monetary stimulus, there simply has been no better time to consider a mortgage.

Jonathan Hunn, director of Your Mortgage Solutions on Bells Road in Gorleston, says: “People are looking for a competitive, fixed rate at this time; in fact, mortgages are at an all-time low.”

Your Mortgage Solutions helps all kinds of customers with mortgages, whether those looking for a brand new mortgage, wishing to renegotiate an existing deal or those searching for a better rate now that their current mortgage is coming to an end.

Jonathan explains that Your Mortgage Solutions deals with “Anything from first time buyers to home movers, second properties, buy to let, remortgages – the mortgage rate is currently very, very low and there are savings to be made.

First established in 2001, Your Mortgage Solutions now has a team of nine staff: Jackie, office manager; Ben, trainee mortgage advisor; admin staff, Linsey and Michelle; and five advisors: Roger, Colin, Gordon, Julie and Jonathan.

The company is extremely busy, handling between 30 and 40 mortgage transactions a month and providing the whole mortgage spectrum; everything from those hoping to purchase their first property to those looking for a second charge (an additional mortgage on their existing property) to those buying properties overseas (the company is currently helping a customer with a mortgage on a property in Portugal, for example).

Jonathan and his team are keen to offer a friendly, personal service and consequently have plenty of repeat customers.

He says: “We have clients who have been with us from day one. We know how to look after our clients – not just for this mortgage, but for anything in the future.”

He adds that, when negotiating a mortgage for a client, it’s important to look at the whole picture: “You have to ask people the questions; are they thinking of moving in the future, for example; will they be making any home improvements?”

The company offers mortgages right across the board, working on brand new mortgages as well as on the remortgaging side of things, as well as helping clients with their property portfolios.

Jonathan adds: “We also get exclusive deals, which estate agents don’t always get.”

Another aspect worth considering is renegotiating an existing mortgage once a home has been refurbished, for example.

Jonathan explains: “One of our clients is a builder who bought a house, renovated it, had it revalued and then renegotiated the mortgage to a better term.”

The company also helps landowners who wish to build properties from scratch.

Besides the mortgage products themselves, Your Mortgage Solutions can help with mortgage protection; that is, protecting the mortgage in case of illness, death and redundancy.

So why should customers come to Your Mortgage Solutions?

Jonathan says: “Because we look after them right through their life. Not just looking at the here and now, but also at mortgages in the future, for future investments or for properties for their sons, daughters, grandchildren and so on.”

As the company’s website states: “If you are looking for professional financial and mortgage services in the Norfolk area, Your Mortgage Solutions is a great choice to consider. From mortgage solutions to personal financial advice and insurance planning, we provide an extensive range of related services for you. Our knowledge and experience of the local property market in and around Norwich, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and across East Anglia means that we can find you mortgage solutions quickly and with ease.

Our team can be relied upon to help you make the right investments and put your money to good use. You can rest assured of great returns. Trust our expert advice and your wealth is safe.”

Of course, besides knowledge and experience, first impressions are also very important and at Your Mortgage Solutions, they offer a free initial consultation and you can be sure of a friendly, professional welcome, along with plenty of very helpful advice.

YOUR MORTGAGE SOLUTIONS

Georgian Chambers, 152 Bells Road, Gorleston, Great Yarmouth NR31 6AN Tel: 01493 444119 | www.MortgagesGorleston.co.uk SERVICES & PRODUCTS: • Mortgages • Re-mortgages • First time mortgages • Buy to let mortgages • Buy to let re-mortgages • Changing mortgages • Right to buy mortgages

• Commercial mortgages • Equity release • Life insurance • Home insurance • Life assurance • General insurance

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Our Gorleston Area Sales Department is now open! Nick Burman is our dedicated Sales Manager with over 16 years’ experience. Due to increased sales activity we urgently require more properties – special commission rates apply until the end of October.

Call 01493 664000 for your FREE Market Appraisal now!

01493 664000 arnoldskeys.com TOM AMIS 2 PRINCE OF WALES ROAD, NORWICH 01603 620551

AYLSHAM A four bedroom period , grade II listed house offers many period features. Front entrance hall, sitting room, dining room, cellar, kitchen/breakfast room, side door lobby, wet room and bedroom four, all on the ground floor. The first floor provides 3 bedrooms and a large bathroom, complete with a sauna. Enclosed off road parking for two cars, and additional parking area beyond.

BARTON TURF The idyllic riverside gardens and moorings, superb, contemporary design, one of Broadland Norfolk's most sought after addresses make Herongate a dream home.

There is a stunning sitting room overlooking the gardens, an impressive open-plan kitchen/ breakfast and dining room, a ground floor bedroom suite and five further bedrooms. 1.61 acres include a quay headed frontage and mooring dock with slipway.

CROMER This impressive detached Edwardian property in the style of Edwin Lutyens could

SHERINGHAM Set in magnificent grounds, this property offers beautifully proportioned accommodation recently re-furbished and extended and includes a self-contained annexe. The annexe is successfully used for holidays at present but would be equally suitable as a granny annexe. Properties of this nature do not come to the market often therefore, viewing is highly recommended.

be a real opportunity for a change of lifestyle. Offering four bedrooms in the main house, in addition there are two successful self - catering holiday let flats and a large ground floor suite, currently being utilised as an annexe. Situated in its own private landscaped grounds and within walking distance of the beach and beautiful Norfolk countryside.

PROPERTY

bycroft residential

“Seriously, it’s not just a matter of: ‘Here’s a house, would you like to buy it?’ It’s about a careful pricing strategy”

Firmly Established DANIEL BYCROFT FROM BYCROFT RESIDENTIAL REMINDS HOUSE SELLERS WHY THEY SHOULD USE AN ESTABLISHED LOCAL ESTATE AGENT RATHER THAN AN ONLINE SERVICE IT SEEMS THE WHOLE WORLD is going online these days. The

ease of the internet has made virtually every job easier and, indeed, many obsolete.

As with the rest of the world, we estate agents find ourselves in a market competing with emerging online services who promise cheap agency fees and 24/seven service from a “local” property expert. When offered this type of flashy deal, it would be easy for a vendor to forget exactly what an established, professional and local estate agent provides that an online service does not.

The first obvious point to make is that buying or selling a house is a big transaction - one of the biggest that most people will make in their lifetime. Therefore the process must be handled carefully and professionally as there is often a great deal on the line in terms of cost and need.

I am not convinced that many people really sell their houses on a whim and often there are serious reasons why a house is bought or sold. These include first time buyers who are desperate to get on to the property ladder, families growing larger and thereby resulting in the need for more bedrooms, relocation to different parts of the country due to employment and so on - not to mention death and divorce!

Selling property is a serious business and many vendors simply do not want to get involved with the nitty gritty. The estate agent is your protective barrier; if you use a reputable estate agent you will not have to waste your time with time wasters, you won’t have to hear any negative comments, and the agent can undertake the relevant checks to ensure monies are available. What’s more, they can also help

mitigate underhand tactics such as a sudden change of mind at the last possible minute, trying to force the home owner to take a less than fair, highly reduced offer. And, believe me, this happens often!

From the initial appraisal onwards, our vendors really do get an established, professional and local estate agent. For example, our team of eight estate agents dealing with Great Yarmouth and Gorleston has an average local knowledge base of 26 years each! My father Charles has close to 50 years’ experience and can probably tell you about selling houses during the war… but I warn you not to ask him!

Seriously, it’s not just a matter of: “Here’s a house, would you like to buy it?” It’s about a careful pricing strategy – what is the vendor’s need in terms of timing, what should we ask for this house in this location with this specification when compared to the one over the road? How should we market it? What’s the marketing strategy? Who can we select to buy it and so on and so forth.

A good estate agent will really “sell” your house; they know how and what to draw people’s attention to, they will know how to market it, and they also know their list of waiting buyers and can match buyers to properties. It’s not simply about viewings; it’s about real selling, getting the right people through the door and getting the highest possible price for the house.

Online agents will charge cheap fees for a basic service but these will be non-refundable. Please remember we do not get paid until we sell your house and as such we are totally motivated to do so.

Then, once an offer has been made, the buyer has been checked out and the offer has been accepted, the real work starts by carefully monitoring the sale, proceeding through solicitors’ hands to completion. Unfortunately, we are beginning to see online estate agents appear in long sale chains and we groan at this as we end up carrying out the chasing for them. In our experience there appears to be little or no after sales contact when an online agent is involved which simply must result in aborted sales.

There are many good, established, professional and local estate agents in Norfolk - I have worked for a number of them in the past and now run a firm myself - and I am sure that personal service and contact, combined with real sales talent, will beat a faceless online service any day.

Daniel Bycroft Bycroft Residential www.charlesbycroft.co.uk | 01493 664000

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| OCTOBER 2016

EVER SO VERSATILE This lovely-looking property in Aylsham offers a wealth of flexible accommodation, with plenty of space both inside and out

This substantial period Grade II-listed house is located on Holman Road in Aylsham and benefits from a series of well-proportioned rooms and many attractive original features. The versatile accommodation includes four reception rooms, seven bedrooms and three bathrooms as well as a spacious kitchen/breakfast room extension.

The thriving market town of Aylsham offers a wide variety of facilities including a doctor’s surgery, chemist, local schooling, supermarkets, shops, tea rooms and pubs and is only a few miles from the North Norfolk coast and a short drive from Norwich.

To the front of the property is a sweeping shingle driveway for parking and a turning area. There is a formal front lawn and some large mature trees while a 88

PROPERTY OF THE MONTH

arnolds keys

ESTATE AGENTS

Arnolds Keys, 8 Market Place, Aylsham, Norwich, NR11 6EH Tel: 01263 738444 Email: aylsham@ arnoldskeys.com Website: arnoldskeys.com Viewings strictly by appointment only

IN A NUTSHELL

The Beeches is located at 54 Holman Road in the attractive market town of Aylsham. This impressive Grade II-listed period property boasts four reception rooms, seven bedrooms and three bathrooms and contains many original features including exposed beams, fireplaces and floorboards. It offers wellproportioned and flexible accommodation, mature grounds and plenty of parking.

ASKING PRICE £625,000

single side gate leads to the rear garden which boasts a brick and paved terrace area, a main lawn and some well-established shrub beds together with a wide range of mature trees and hedging. The garden also contains a brick well, a small wooded area, a secret lawned area, the remains of an old brick boundary wall and a pleasant, fully enclosed inner courtyard.

The accommodation is spread over three floors, with the first landing leading to a bathroom and two large bedrooms, one with an en-suite bathroom/dressing room, while the rear landing has a second staircase leading to the third large bedroom, a boiler room and a laundry room.

Beyond this is a second floor attic landing which leads to three further bedrooms, one with a walk-in wardrobe and another with a shower room.

Downstairs the columned entrance porch leads to an attractive entrance hall with a pamment tiled floor, two internal archways and a staircase to the first landing.

The ground floor accommodation also comprises a large (17’5” x 16’6”/5.31m x 5.03m) drawing room which has an impressive marble fireplace with a large, cast-iron, wood-burning stove set on a raised pamment tiled hearth. This lovely, light room also has a triple bay sash window to the front and an archway leading to the dining room.

Again, the dining room is a substantial size (19’9” x 15’3”/6.02m x 3.91m) with a triple bay sash window to the front. Besides opening on to the drawing room, this light and airy room also leads to the snug/music room.

The snug/music room is 14’10” x 9’9” (4.52m x 2.97m) and has an attractive, period fireplace.

Beyond this is the rear hall with a pamment tiled floor, a staircase to the landing and a door to the rear courtyard, as well as a cloakroom, utility room and a 18’8” x 11’7” (5.69m x 3.53m) study/breakfast room.

This room also has a large brick fireplace, double aspect windows and a leaded window overlooking the courtyard.

The kitchen/breakfast room is really the centrepiece of this property, however, with this triple-aspect room offering plenty of space (30’7” x 14’10”/9.32m x 4.52m) and two sets of doors to the garden. The kitchen/ breakfast room is equipped with a range of base and wall units with beech block work surfaces, a two-oven Aga, a large central island with a granite worktop, a one-and-a-half bowl sink, integral fridge/freezer and plenty of cupboard space.

This fabulous family room opens on to the conservatory which is 20’5” x 9’9” (6.22m x 2.97m) in size and which has a terracotta-style ceramic floor and extensive glazing with double doors to the garden.

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Entertaining Kitchens Leaving Others Behind.

01603 731551 www.longwaterliving.com William Frost Way, Longwater Business Park, Costessey, Norwich NR5 0JS Monday - Friday 7.30am - 5.00pm

ESTATE

Saturday 8.00am - 2.00pm

AGENTS

GUIDE PRICE £275,000

•

VALUERS

BURGH ROAD, GORLESTON Stunning 4 bedroom spacious semi-detached house. Impressive south-facing large well-presented garden. Driveway providing ample parking and garage. Sought after nonestate location. Contemporary Kitchen / Dining / Family Room. Downstairs Cloakroom / WC, spacious Sun Lounge / Garden Room, modern family Bathroom.

GUIDE PRICE £399,950

BUXTON AVENUE, GORLESTON Sought after non-estate location.

Contemporary Kitchen / Dining / Family Room. Downstairs Cloakroom / WC, spacious Sun Lounge / Garden Room, modern family Bathroom Situated in a this sought after location close to Cliff Tops Good size Lounge, Second Sitting Room with wood burner, large Dining Room and spacious Conservatory. Benefiting from being offered chain-free.

•

PROPERTY

GUIDE PRICE £525,000

MA NAGEME N T LAUREL FARM, BURGH CASTLE Impressive views to the rear aspect of Breydon Waters.2 x 18ft Reception Rooms, Kitchen / Breakfast Room, Utility. Detached double garage with adjoining games room. Handsome and imposing 4 Bedroom detached family home. Gas heating via LPG and uPVC double glazing.Close to all amenities, Gorleston Beach and Broadland leisure activities

“Owen and all the staff of Darby & Liffen would like to pay tribute to Paula Hodds who tragically died recently. We remember with great fondness; her care, consideration and professionalism whilst always having a smile on her face and in her voice. It was a real privilege to have been one of her customers. We will miss her”

42 Bells Road, Gorleston on Sea, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR31 6AN www.darbyandliffenea.co.uk · 01493 600411 · info@darbyandliffenea.co.uk

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Liv Interiors, quilted velvet cushion £35 Tactile and sleek, this sculpted cushion is delightful, with inner 45 x 45 cm Walton & Co, Angora stripe throw £59 This beautiful throw has the true luxury snuggle factor, 130 x 170 cm PT, Wall clock-on-the-edge £35 Simple, clean but with impact, this timepiece creates the perfect highlight. With chrome hands, 42 cm

sCandi STylE This sophisticated yet pared-back

trend uses natural fabrics, neutral colours and tactile materials to create a mood of stylish calm. Surround yourself with the cosy feel of faux fur, cotton and wool in subtle shades of grey and cream. Pure simplicity is essential in the focus pieces, and natural wood and soft leather make the perfect combination to complete this laid-back look with a touch of the wild.

Ittala, Kastehelmi jars from £25 each Kastehelmi is Finnish for dewdrop and this pretty design with tiny glass bubbles was originally created in 1964 but has been revamped for a modern interior with a hint of retro

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HAYLEY & JENNIFER are homeware buyers

Jarrolds

1-11 London Street, Norwich, NR2 1AL www.jarrold.co.uk

The Granary

5 Bedford Street, Norwich, NR2 1AL www.thegranary.co.uk

Shepherd, Island longhair rug £110 Who will want to sit on your chairs or sofas when they can lounge on this cute rug?

100 x 60 cm

Murmur, Dune bedding double duvet cover £85, pillow case £17 Made in the UK, the slate greys and subtle neutral shades used here combine to create this perfect, understated linen look

Murmur towels from £10 With a lovely soft feel and pretty fringing, these towels will sit beautifully in any bathroom

Parlane, Paros ceramic white vase £20 The epitome of Scandi style, this stunning vase really stands out, 24 cm

INTERIORS

scandinavian style

Liv Interiors, Tulip runner rug £35 Liv is Scandi for life and totally fits this lifestyle brand. Clever use of a repetitive pattern works so well on this attractive yet practical rug for any room in the house, 55 x 120 cm

Shepherd, Lena patchwork beanbag £235 Looking for a touch of the wild indoors? This is the ultimate in beanbag luxury (other colours available)

93

| OCTOBER 2016

A Family Concern For over 35 years,

Read’s of Watton

has been strongly established as one of the most reliable family-run businesses in East Anglia, with a strong ethos of the finest service to each and every customer

L

Photography by WWW.SARAHDARREN.COM

ocated on the site of the

94

former RAF Watton, a station used by both the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces, it was used primarily as a bomber airfield during the Second World War, being the home of RAF Bomber Command squadrons.

Indeed the vast store is just one of five buildings still standing. It is the former dining room for the military personnel, and has a unique setting with a large number of nooks and crannies to explore as you peruse the huge array of stock.

The company was founded in 1980 by Terence Read and his son, André, and whilst Mr Read Senior is now retired, André continues to run the company, along with his two sons Josh and Dan, to ensure the family theme continues.

“We are here to help each customer find what works best for their home and style”, says André. “At Reads we know quality furniture. It’s what we’ve done for over three generations! We have always selected only the best furniture, so our customers can be sure that we have the knowledge they need to help them choose the best suite or flooring for their home”.

Throughout the huge store there are over 50 three-piece suites, 40 beds, sofa-beds, recliners, rugs, bedroom furniture and the largest carpet display in East Anglia, with an array of colours, textures, sizes and prices to suit every pocket.

One new range is iSense from Sensuality, a unique, extremely soft polyamide yarn said to outperform any other carpet yarn when it comes to soothing comfort. With its high number of fine filaments, iSense simply adds another dimension to broadloom carpet; it’s ideal for a bedroom, full of softness, comfort and luxury, and comes in a wonderfully subtle range of colours.

Plus there’s flooring for every room in the house – solid wood, elite engineered wood, laminate and Karndean – again, all in a wide selection of colours and finishes. For those

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read’s of watton with a taste for fine wine there is one range, Lalengo, which has grape varieties as names, such as Pinot Noir, Chablis, Malbec and Merlot.

When you have your carpet fitted, you want to be safe and secure in the knowledge that the fitters are trustworthy and will do the job well. All Read’s of Watton’s fitters have been trained in-house and they don’t use outside contractors, so every customer can be sure that they will do a great job.

Read’s has been fitting carpets for over 35 years and so rest assured that they will do a professional job with as little disruption to each house as possible. Plus, all their fittings are fully guaranteed.

Hanging on the walls and on display, there are rugs from around the globe, including Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, China and Turkey, with both modern and traditional designs to choose from, and they come in all sizes, too.

So with such a great range of beds on offer, what should we look for in a new mattress? “Without doubt, comfort”, says André Read, “we spend a third of our lives in bed, so my advice to our customers is always to lie on the bed and find the mattress that suits you. And whilst price does come into the equation, it’s not the main aspect; it’s definitely comfort.”

It is worth remembering that Read’s offers its customers an unsurpassed service and expertise as well as value for money, and is extremely competitive on price; the company will endeavour to beat any written quotation.

The pocket-spring beds are still the best deal of all the beds that Read’s sells and each one is made in England for that extra good night’s sleep. And the range of both single and double sofa beds offers potential for every budget.

The store is blessed with a large number of windows allowing natural light to pour into the two levels and giving customers a chance to see how each stylish piece might look in their home.

In addition Read’s is happy to offer a complimentary delivery service on selected products; this frequent delivery service covers the whole of East Anglia, and the company’s experienced team will unwrap, assemble and position the furniture, if required, according to each customer’s preferences.

Once you have perused the vast collections that this store offers, and found the items that are going to fit so well inside your home, take time to sit and relax in Read’s new café; after all, shopping for furniture should be an enjoyable experience and at Read’s it definitely will be.

read’s of watton

Read’s of Watton

Norwich Road, Watton IP25 6JU Tel. 01953 883613 Email: info@readsofwatton.co.uk www.readsofwatton.co.uk 95

Find us on

Call us now on 01603 559085 OPENING TIMES Monday & Tuesday 8.30am to 5pm Wednesday closed Thursday & Friday 8.30am to 5pm Saturday 9am to 3pm Sunday closed

Fresh New Stock Available Now! Visit www.norfolkreclamation.co.uk

“WE OFFER A FRIENDLY SERVICE AND GOOD VALUE FOR MONEY. WE SELECT OUR STOCK FOR QUALITY”

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Suppliers and installers of granite, quartz and solid timber worktops FROM DESIGN TO INSTALLATION

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Probably the biggest Anglia Boiler selection of rugs in Maintenance East Anglia… Ltd. Calland in atCommercial our showrooms in Bedford Domestic Gas and Oil Street, Norwich and (behind Jarrolds Dept. Store) Boiler Maintenance Installation

ideal rug – get in touch now!

Bring with you an idea of the size of rug you are looking for or the size of your room Make a choice from our massive selection (over 600 pieces on display) Book a home visit appointment, then sit back and choose in the comfort of your own home!

Why not check out the recent sales section of our website to see a small selection of the people who have

We Specialise in Large Room Sized Rugs Here’s How We Can Help You Find Your Ideal Rug

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See the ‘Home Visits’ page on our website for a selection of people who have benefitted from this free service.

01493 721373 (Behind Jarrolds Dpt. Store)

Tel: 01603 633520 www.anglia-boiler.co.uk www.orientalrugsofnorwich.co.uk

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The Guardian Warm Roof Conversion system has been designed to provide a high performance thermal and structural solution with zero condensation risk over the life of the roof.

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Trinity Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR31 1XJ 01502 516679 • 07725 366847 guyscarpets@live.com • www.guyscarpets.com

norwich Blinds of all kinds and curtains too!

Telephone 01603 334050 norwichsunblinds.co.uk

THE FUTURE IS HERE, AND IT’S BEAUTIFUL

Enjoy sweeping curves with dramatic, high-gloss surfaces.

However wild your imagination, we can design a kitchen that suits you.

Move beyond traditional box-shaped cabinetry and a range cooker. Have a design built around you, not convention.

In the future everyone will have kitchens like this.

Until then, call Anglia Kitchens and Bedrooms.

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Almary Green Investments Ltd Greenfields House, 10 Meridian Way, Meridian Business Park, Norwich NR7 0TA 52 Alexandra Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR32 1PJ

WEALTH MANAGEMENT

almary green

“Lifetime Mortgages usually offer what is known as a drawdown plan. This is a really flexible solution which saves interest and is convenient, so is the most common route we recommend”

UNLOCKING YOUR HOME’S POTENTIAL MANY OF US HAVE A LARGE PROPORTION OF OUR WEALTH TIED UP IN OUR HOME. EQUITY RELEASE IS A WAY OF TURNING BRICKS AND MORTAR INTO USABLE CASH. CARL LAMB EXPLAINS

Equity Release is a term that covers a number of options available to those in later life that allow you to access the money you have invested in your home. It works by providing you with what is, in essence, a loan against your property which is repaid when the home is sold or on your death.

Equity release is often misunderstood. However, provided it is properly and safely set up, it can be a really useful tool in later life financial planning. It can be of great benefit, for example, to those whose entire wealth is tied up in their property and who would like to improve their existing income or fund a specific gift or purchase. Other possible uses might include settling an interest-only mortgage or helping family members while you are there to see the benefits, rather than leaving it to them in your will. Care should be taken if the latter is your objective, however, as it can have Inheritance Tax planning implications and might affect your entitlement to support in the event of you needing long-term care.

This is one of those areas where safe, qualified advice is truly important. It is crucial that the arrangement is set up to meet your specific needs and that you – and your family – understand the implications of the contract you are signing.

There are two main type of Equity Release arrangement: Lifetime Mortgages and Home Reversion Plans. In both cases there will be a number of costs involved for the advice you receive including the setting up of the plan and interest on the money you have borrowed. The interest can either be paid back on a monthly basis or rolled up into the loan, increasing the size of the loan.

With a Lifetime Mortgage, no repayments are required during your lifetime but both the amount borrowed and the accumulated interest become payable when you die. This may mean that your home will need to be sold on your death, so it is important that you discuss this with your family to ensure they understand the implications. Ownership of the property stays in your name and when the property is sold, the proceeds are used to settle the loan, with any additional capital raised returned to you or your estate.

Lifetime Mortgages usually offer what is known as a drawdown plan. This is a really flexible option where you are given an overall “drawdown facility” (say £100,000 on a property worth £250,000) but you only draw money out as and when you require the funds, so you only pay interest on the amount you’ve actually drawn out. You can then go back to the equity release provider when you need more. This solution saves interest and is convenient, so is the most common route we recommend.

A Home Reversion Plan involves the transfer of ownership of all or part of your home to a provider and you receive an agreed percentage of the value of the portion transferred. Plans vary: some involve paying a nominal rent whilst others provide rentfree occupancy. When the property is sold – either during your lifetime or on your death – the provider will receive the value of their share of the property at that time.

Equity release may involve a lifetime mortgage or home reversion plan. To understand the features and risks, please ask for a personalised illustration. Typical equity release advice fees will be £2,000.

Check that this mortgage will meet your needs if you want to move or sell your home or you want your family to inherit it. If you are in any doubt, seek independent advice.

Carl Lamb

Almary Green Chartered Financial Planners www.almarygreen.com | 01603 706740

For financial advice, contact Almary Green on 01603 706740 or email enquiries@almarygreen.com. Please remember that the advice here is generic and we recommend that you get individual personalised advice.

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We are delighted to offer our personal, professional and prompt service… … for all your property transactions, wills, family and other legal matters.

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LEGAL

norton peskett solicitors

“One of the most depressing things is the way in which in the legal profession, probably uniquely amongst professions of all types, lawyer status has been denigrated, criticised and side-lined, largely by the government but even by the courts”

TRYING TO DO OUR BEST THINGS AREN’T WHAT THEY USED TO BE, LAMENTS OUR LEGAL EXPERT JULIAN GIBBONS

That old saying about things not being what they used

to be can all too easily become a reactionary statement by those who are unwilling to embrace change; an expression of a rosetinted view of the past whereby the good is looked back on with affection and the bad simply forgotten.

I find myself more and more in that mode of thought, which is probably a bad thing. It is, however, difficult not to become depressed by things I hear and read about, especially in the legal press. Not only is the landscape very different now from when I qualified 35 years ago, which is only to be expected, but things are very different compared to five or so years ago.

One of the most depressing things is the way in which in the legal profession, probably uniquely amongst professions of all types, lawyer status has been denigrated, criticised and sidelined, largely by government but even by the courts. As regards the last, even something as simple as conducting a claim can become an obstacle course, not just for the claimant but for the lawyer, too. Never do the courts seem to miss an opportunity for penalising lawyers in costs, whether because they have done too much preparation of a case or not enough, often because the amount of work is in a judge’s view “disproportionate” to the value of the case. It is not difficult to see the lawyer’s dilemma.

Do too much and the judge refuses the client all his costs; do too little and the client sues the solicitor for negligence because he has not advanced all possible argument or produced every relevant document to the court and thereby lost the case.

It doesn’t end with the courts. A Gloucestershire firm has recently been fined by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for helping clients avoid stamp duty land tax on property transactions. In that case, the firm produced what it considered to be legitimate schemes in conjunction with a tax expert from a reputable firm of accountants. What would the situation have been if the scheme had worked for another firm, with that firm’s clients losing out? Presumably, another negligence claim to deal with. In yet another case, a firm was threatened

with massive tax penalties for having claimed a tax allowance which the Revenue ultimately rejected in connection with the administration of an estate. One could go on and on with these sorts of examples, but the one thing they have in common seems to me that the lawyer in each case is acting in good faith in advising clients on what can on occasions be legal rules of positively Byzantine complexity, where often the “law” is only settled when a client with deep pockets gets to the Supreme Court. Until that day, lawyers are left trying to do their duty to their client by acting in their best interests in advising on often appallingly drafted legislation passed by MPs who are then often at the forefront of criticism of a legal profession which has to interpret and advise on Parliament’s mess! When I started out, I cannot recall a single instance of lawyers being prosecuted or dragged before the Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal for doing their best by their clients.

The latest body to join the queue to kick lawyers is the National Crime Agency, which in its recent published assessment has accused solicitors of being crucial to moneylaundering. For the NCA, finding a scapegoat is no doubt hugely convenient, as it distracts from its recent lamentable performance which saw a succession of high profile fraud trials collapse. What the Agency forgets is that for every fraudulent transaction there are literally thousands of genuine ones, involving millions of pounds and often crucial to the country’s economy. The danger with this high profile criticism is that governments all too easily seize on it to justify “doing something” about high level crime, which in the end not only penalises the legitimate clients of a law firm by making it more difficult to engage in basic legal transactions, but also increases legal costs and injects delays because the lawyer is forced to practice defensively, complicating the most innocent and straightforward transaction by the imposition of a one-size-fitsall set of rules.

It is difficult to imagine any other profession putting up with this constant sniping and denigration of its members.

No surprise, therefore, that increasing numbers of the older generation, myself included, have lost most of the passion we once had for the job.

Julian Gibbons Norton Peskett Solicitors www.nortonpeskett.co.uk | 01493 849200

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| OCTOBER 2016

OUT for a DRIVE James Fossdyke takes time out from his busy working schedule to get behind the wheel of the

Infiniti QX30 Crossover

facts at a glance QX30 Crossover

from £29,490 Top speed: 134mph (215km/h) Acceleration: 0-100 km/h: 8.5s Fuel consumption: Urban: 47.1mpg (6.0 1/100km), Extra-urban: 65.7mpg (4.3 1/100km), Combined: 57.6 mpg (4.9 1/100 km) CO2 emissions: 128g/km

Photography by JONATHAN FLEETWOOD

dealer details

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Infiniti Centre

Vulcan Road North, Norwich NR6 6AQ Tel: 01603 397015 www.infiniti.co.uk

MOTORING

qx30 crossover

This is a county widely known for being pancake-flat, but there’s enough undulation on the semi-aptly named Coast Road to make it entertaining.

When’s the last time you drove purely for pleasure? Not driving as in sitting in a traffic jam, but cruising around the countryside taking in the view and enjoying the odd empty back road?

Most people can’t remember when they last got behind the wheel with the sole intention of having fun. So I was genuinely excited when the Infiniti Centre Norwich asked me to try.

Of course, there were rules. My reprieve from the shackles of my desk was limited to a measly couple of hours. Also, Norfolk had to be my destination for this mission. That’s no hardship, as you don’t need to go too far to find roads that are free of traffic and offer excellent visibility.

But before long the keys to a British-built QX30 crossover were in my hand, the laptop lid was closed and my chair vacated. So now,

I’m in another chair – and a plush leather one, at that – looking out at the fishing boats that have congregated in the harbour of Wells-next-the-Sea. As I crawl out of town, it’s a strange juxtaposition of the historic sea front and not-so-old housing, but as I turn on to the main Sheringham road, I’m fully immersed back in rural Norfolk.

This is a county widely known for being pancake-flat, but there’s enough undulation on the semi-aptly named Coast Road to make it entertaining. As is ideal when you’re trying to sit back and enjoy the drive, there’s enough challenge in the road to stop you drifting off, but enough respite to let you enjoy the view every so often.

To my right lie farmers’ fields, a patchwork landscape of browns and greens, while to my left lie the marshes – an impassable no-man’s land between the sea and the Norfolk countryside.

A couple of villages are strung out along the road, with names like Stiffkey, Morston and Cley-next-the-Sea. Each is blessed with pretty cottages, picture-postcard churches and an idyllic countryside setting, but the thing that really unifies them is the fact that they were never designed to cope with 21st Century life.

When these towns were first built, a 4x4 was a horse. As a result, the streets – even main roads like this – are more or less single track. Thankfully traffic is light, though, and the compact dimensions of the QX30 make it easy to navigate.

Between the villages the road is far more relaxing, with a pleasant rhythm to the sweeping S-bends and the mild undulations. The QX30 rides higher than a conventional car but the suspension takes care of the bends easily. The only rock and roll is coming via the Hi-Fi, courtesy of a local radio station.

As I pass through the sleepy village of Morston, which was once a sizeable port, the old quay makes for a stunning viewpoint. Almost totally surrounded by marshland, there’s a strangely pleasant sense of desolation.

But stopping to reflect isn’t really on the agenda – I’ve got a whole drive to enjoy. So I plough on, old fishing villages flashing past in a whirlwind of whitewashed buildings, narrow streets and lush greenery.

Soon, the countryside begins to give way to the urban sprawl of Sheringham.

Like most of the towns around here, it looks larger than it is, with a smattering

of well spread-out buildings and a golf club signposting the beginning of the town miles before the centre.

Suitably forewarned of the approaching urban area, I turn away, heading south towards Saxthorpe down the tree-lined A1082. After a quick couple of hundred yards on the fast A148, I’m back on the more involved country roads.

Red Barn Lane is marginally wider than most of the lanes around here, and the visibility is slightly better, too. After a couple of miles and a little weave through a broken crossroads, though, it reverts to type, with a less-than-perfect road surface and cramped dimensions. The Infiniti copes with the crumbling asphalt admirably and its compact dimensions mean it’s less of a handful on the narrow lanes.

Eventually, I find myself sidling into Saxthorpe – a village that’s filled with redbrick cottages covered in foliage. There’s an out-of-place modern roundabout on the edge of the village which brings smooth tarmac and a gentler ride. I swing around that to point the nose towards Norwich.

After following the main road for about three miles, though, I double back on myself, plunging back into the tight lanes and stifling hedgerows of the countryside. It’s a quiet road, but the thought of a stray tractor means you have to stay alert.

Fortunately, I continue unhindered up the Old Reepham Road. I cruise through Briston, the left turn towards Fakenham almost catching me by surprise. I stop with plenty of time to spare and join the more open B1354.

In no time, it had whisked me back westwards towards the A148, which lazily meanders its way to Fakenham.

Signs for Little Snoring and Great Snoring bring a smile to my face but soon Wells-nextthe-Sea, home to both the beginning and the end of my journey, was creeping on to the navigation screen map, and melancholic reflection was more prominent in my mind.

I wasn’t just heading back towards Wells, but also towards a world of pressing deadlines, late nights and early mornings.

They haven’t been on my mind for the past hour and a half at all.

There are many great things about driving, but that you have to concentrate solely on the business at hand is one of them. It’s a great way of escaping from the hustle and bustle of daily life, a ready-made reason to ignore the phone or avoid replying to emails. So, make an excuse. Grab the car keys and just go and explore our beautiful county.

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| OCTOBER 2016

Moving with theTimes The popular Ford Ka continues to evolve, with the new Ford Ka+ Zetec and Studio models offering a wealth of new features

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MOTORING

Prices correct at time of going to press

ford ka

It’s one of the cleverest and

facts at a glance

Ford Ka+ Zetec

Price: £9,995 Top speed: 100mph Economy: Urban 42.8 mpg Extra urban 70.6 mpg Combined 56.5 mpg Emissions: 114 g/km

dealer details

Ludham Garage Ltd

High Street, Ludham, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR29 5QQ – Tel: 01692 678215 www.ludhamgarage.co.uk

most imaginative pieces of branding ever within the automotive industry. When Ford introduced its new baby in 1996 and called it simply Ka (pronounced “car”) it immediately caught on – not only with the name but with its cuddly, rounded shape.

Since then, the Ka has appeared in various forms, including the sporty StreetKa and SportKa, but the launch of a second generation model, launched in 2009, turned out to be rather ordinary by comparison, mainly because it had lost that original humpy shape.

But now, in a major rethink of Ford’s small car strategy, the new Ford Ka+ will not only effectively kill off its smaller, three-door namesake, the Ka City Car, but will also push the long-standing, and highly effective Fiesta model further up the sales ladder.

The Ka+ is based on the current Fiesta model, so something had to give (the new Fiesta is due out next year). But this means that it has a five-door body and great deal more room inside, thanks to a longer wheelbase.

The Ka+ features a simplified powertrain line-up based on an efficient, new, 1.2-litre, Duratec petrol engine. Available with a choice of 70PS and 85PS power outputs, the 1.2-litre engine is derived from the same family as the 1.25-litre engine in the Fiesta, and features twin independent, variable, camshaft timing technology to enhance performance and fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.

Combined with a standard, five-speed, manual transmission, the 1.2-litre engine has been tuned to deliver smooth and responsive performance, with a broad spread of torque that makes the car easy and fun to drive in both city motoring and on longer journeys.

There are significant savings on fuel consumption by using optimised calibration, low-friction engine oil and regenerative charging, which maintains efficient charge levels in the vehicle battery by capturing “free” electrical energy when drivers coast or brake.

Both engine options achieve CO2 emissions of 114g/km, with combined fuel consumption of 56.5mpg.

The Ka+ has been developed to embrace the “fun to drive” tag by featuring a unique chassis specification with specially developed features including the steering system, springs and dampers, front anti-roll bar, rear torsion beam axle and tyres, along with re-engineered front sub-frame and engine mounts.

Customers can select from two KA+ series options – Studio, offered with the 70PS engine, and Zetec, offered with both 70PS and 85PS. All models have a comprehensive standard specification including power front windows and door mirrors, front fog lamps, AM/FM radio with Bluetooth connectivity, remote central double locking with perimeter alarm, safety system with six airbags, Electronic Stability Control with Hill Start Assist, Deflation Detection System, Speed Limiter, and Ford Easy Fuel.

The Zetec series also adds 15in alloy wheels, manual air-conditioning, DAB digital radio/CD with Ford’s SYNC voice-activated communications and entertainment system with AppLink, leather steering wheel and cruise control.

Customers also can specify their KA+ Zetec with a range of optional features including electronic climate control, heated front seats, privacy glass and a City Pack combining rear parking sensors, power rear windows and power folding door mirrors.

In terms of safety, Ford is expecting the Ka+ to perform just as well as the current Fiesta, which points to a four-star Euro NCAP crash-test rating. There’ll be six airbags as standard, as well as further mandatory items such as electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes, tyre-pressure monitoring and at least one ISOFIX childseat mounting point.

The higher-spec Zetec model will go on sale first, priced from £9,995, with deliveries starting in October. By then, the entry-level Studio model will also have gone on sale, priced from £8,995.

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Providing opportunities that make a positive difference to the lives of young people in Norfolk.

OPEN is a multi-purpose venue providing youth activities, live music, conference and secure storage facilities all in the heart of Norwich.

The OPEN Youth Trust is passionate about helping all young people achieve their full potential in life. We do this by offering a diverse range of opportunities for anyone aged 7 – 25 including climbing, dance and performing arts courses as well as the chance for young people to come and relax in our Drop In CafÊ.

Our charity work with young people has made a huge impact on the local community by helping to change their lives for the better. By supporting our work you too can make a difference just text OYTN15 to 70070 to donate.

OPEN 20 Bank Plain Norfolk NR2 4SF UK T + 44 0 1603 763 111 E info@opennorwich.org.uk W www.opennorwich.org.uk Follow us on

twitter.com/OPENNorwich

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OPEN Youth Trust Established 2005 Reg Charity No: 1108712 Company Reg No: 5320333

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HIGH SOCIETY

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KINGSLEY HEALTH CARE PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION PRIVATE VIEW, DOWNHAM GRANGE

Opened by Councillor Marion Ross, the Mayor of Downham Market, the display of landscapes, townscapes and wildlife by members of King’s Lynn Photography Group and Wisbech Camera Club’s was stunning (the theme was Norfolk images which appeal to people with dementia).The £100 top prize, provided

by Feilden+Mawson, went to King’s Lynn Photography Group’s founder, Tracey Robinson, for her view of Bawsey Ruins.

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The judges: David Farrow from architects Feilden+Mawson, Surrey Beddows, Newsmakers, Annabel Banister, Downham Grange manager, and Stephen Pullinger, Kingsley Healthcare 2. Emma Williams, Ricke Williams, Downham Market Mayor, Cllr Marion Ross 3. David Farrow and Tracey Robinson 4. Eric Robinson and Julian Featherby 5. Nigel Graver and David Hodgson 6. Roger Rawson, Pat Atter and Robert Stoppard, Wisbech Camera Club 7. Margaret and Jack Williams 8. Debbie and Neil Mitchell 9. Judy Hodgson collecting for Roger Newark with Downham Market Mayor, Cllr Marion Ross 10. Tracey Robinson, competition winner and Downham Market Mayor, Cllr Marion Ross 11. Ian Drury and Diana Killens 115

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ANGLIA IN BLOOM AWARDS

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OCEAN ROOM, GORLESTON

Around 300 guests attended the 20th Anglia In Bloom Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, September 6. Once again, the beautiful, flower-filled village of Filby was victorious in the Village Category (301 to 2,500 residents). Meanwhile, this year’s Best Overall Entry trophy was awarded to Halstead.

Bob Ollier, Anglia In Bloom chairman, said: “The Anglia In Bloom communities across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk should be justifiably proud of this year’s achievements.” www.angliainbloom.co.uk

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Anglia In Bloom

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1. Ocean Room, Gorleston 2. Hayley Moss, guest singer, street soprano 3. Paddy Hudson, Mervyn Gibson, Percy Hudson, Gwen Thurtle, Stewart Thurtle and Nick Dawes 4. Terry Bane, George Ishmael and Jeff Taylor (Anglia in Bloom) 5. Rita McCluskey, Mike King, Julie Brociek-Coulton, Georgina Postlethwaite and George Ishmael 6. John and Elizabeth Nockolds and Paul Robson 7. Terry Bane, Bob Ollier, Sue Hacon, Judge Dawson and Brian Thornton 8. Chris Durham, Pat Richardson and Carol Bower (Dept Mayor of Borough of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk)

9. Jim Campbell and Mark DarleyUsmar 10. Hayley Moss, guest singer, street soprano 11. Paul Davies, Donna Bird (Madame Mayoress), Malcom Bird (His Worship Mayor of Great Yarmouth), Jany Fitzgerald (committee member) and Michael Pearson 12. Rebecca Barwick, Simon CozensPoll, Bowen Riches, Victoria Reeve and Callum Harris 13. Julia Smith, Fiona Bazley, Linda Defrates, Margaret Eskins and Joan Gibson 14. Martin and Lesley Jones 15. Richard Hackney (operation manager Waveny Norse) and Peter Collecott (vice chair of Lowestoft in Bloom) 16. Judge Dawson, Bob Ollier, Terry Bane, Sue Hacon and Brian Thornton

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CHARITY EVENT

THE CLIFF HOTEL, GORLESTON A fundraising evening was held at The Cliff Hotel in Gorleston on Friday, September 16 in memory of Maureen Allen who sadly passed away last year from Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

The event raised £2,848 to generate awareness of the lung disease and to help fund earlier diagnosis.

Organised by Maureen’s daughter and granddaughter Karen and Gemma Daniels, 180 tickets were sold for this funpacked night with entertainment from DJ Chris Speed and vocalist Michelle Batt.

Photos by SARAHDARREN.COM

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Pulmonary Fibrosis Charity Event

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Gemma and Karen Daniels (charity fundraiser organisers) 2. Michelle Batt (guest singer) and Fiona Lang (respiratory nurse specialist, James Paget) 3. Ida Watson 4. Roy and Rachel Downie 5. Nicola Gormal and Lee Daniels 6. Elizabeth and Mike Bray (trustee secretary and chairman trustee) 7. Martha Grand, Gabby Howe, Pamela and Stephen Marshall 8. Abbie Miller, Rachel Downie and Sammy Ross 9. John and Sonia Bensly, Mandy and Fred Fernandez 10. Stephanie and George Rogers, and Jill King 11. Lesley and Paul Field 12. Shelly and Josh Coles 13. Jill Emmerson and Kat Griffin 14. Sally Mountain and Lisa Cooper 15. Clare Martins, Samantha Tucker and Lyn Par

16. Steve and Christie Fuller, Lorraine and John Caldon 17. Diane and Abby Greaves 18. Joanne and James Palmer and Angela Williams 19. Colleen and Brittany Colby, Louise Houston and Karen Squires 20.Dean Macgregor and Sherri Smith 21. Peter and Norma Weston 22. Millie Blades, Eleanor Britard and Danielle Gallagher 23. Kinza Manship, Karen Leggett, Melissa Wallis-Riches and Sue Gallie 24. Ellie and Felicity Rowan 25. Gilly and Mick Miller 26. Jan Crowley and Karolyn Hubbard 27. Gabby Howe, Pamela Marshall, Martha Grand and Gemma Daniels

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NORFOLK BOWLS ASSOCIATION HANSELLS CUP SEMI-FINAL AND FINAL NORFOLK BOWLING CLUB, NORWICH

Norfolk Bowling Club in Norwich staged the semi-finals and final of Norfolk Bowls Association’s Hansells Cup. Shouldham A defeated Freethorpe B and Shotford overcame Shipdham in the semi-finals. Then in a close fought final, Shotford was victorious over Shouldham A by 13 shots. It is the 13th season that Hansells Solicitors and Financial Advisers have sponsored Norfolk Bowls Association.

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Norfolk Bowls Association

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Dawn Towns, Hansells Solicitors and Financial Advisers and Richard Church, President Norfolk Bowls Association 2. John Galer and David Howman 3. Keith Rickard, Dick Webster and Roger Goodswen 4. Colin Batchelor, Derek Ashfield, Captain Shotford and Stuart Ayers 5. Peter Church and Tony Dunton, League Secretary Norfolk Bowls Association 6. Phil Long and Janet Cullum 7. Chris Brister, Steve Simpson, Captain Freethorpe B and Nick Crow 8. Mike Morgan, Rudolph Oakes and Ted Thacker 9. Ernie Frost and Richard Brinded 10. Tony Smith and John Malinowski 11. Andrew Howlett, Alan Thorley and Mark Hampton 12. Jennifer George, Hansells Solicitors and Financial Advisers

and John George, Competitions Secretary Norfolk Bowls Association 13. Keith Camp, John Savage and Chris Jones 14. Roger Saxon and John Rusted 15. Peter Webster, Maurice ‘Miff’ Stagles, Captain Shipdham and Derek Bower 16. David Naunton, Match Secretary Norfolk Bowls Association and Allan Willer, Junior Vice President Norfolk Bowls Association 17. Janet Burtenshaw, Catering Manager, Brian Holcroft Treasurer and Liz Sabberton Trustee, Norfolk Bowling Club 18. Terry Jones and Peter Setchell, Captain Shouldham A 19. Harold Rudling, Trevor Rudling and Barry Sutton 20.Stella Bedingfield and Sarah Hampton 21. Timmy Beck and Kenny Taylor 22. Dean Rudling, Luke Keeley and Darren White 121

IN LOVING MEMORY OF

paula hodds

a fond farewell

We say goodbye to our wonderful friend and colleague

PAULA HODDS

I

t is with genuine sadness that we

wish to announce the passing of our friend and colleague, Paula Hodds, who Paula (right) pictur died on Monday, August 29, following a ed with her late mo ther and sister, Am anda. tragic horse-riding accident.

Paula, 57, was one of the founders of H2Creative Time Of My Life by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, Media Ltd, the independent publishing company that which was chosen by Paula’s daughter, Kerry. produces Places & Faces® magazine, which she set up There were prayers, readings and a blessing by family with Colin Huggins back in 2010. friend, Vicar and teacher, Albert Cadmore, two moving A celebration of Paula’s life was held at the lovely St tributes by Paula’s brother, Richard, and daughter, Kerry, Andrew’s Church in Gorleston at 1pm on Thursday, and a poem read by her sister Claire, all of which were September 15, which was a particularly hot and sunny beautifully presented. summer’s day. Somewhat fitting perhaps, as so many There was also music for reflection: One Good Love by of us remember Paula as a truly sunny person, full of Neil Diamond, along with the Lord’s Prayer. personality, and always fun to be around.

The family chose a willow basket for Paula, which Unsurprisingly, given her outgoing and generous was decorated with pretty cream, lilac, pink and purple nature, the church was packed with Paula’s family, flowers, and a private family commital at Gorleston friends, colleagues and clients who all came to pay their Crematorium followed the church service. respects.

Thanks to its large stained glass windows, sunflowers At H2Creative Media, we have also received countless and other floral decorations, the church looked lovely, and phone calls, emails and messages from people wishing guests were encouraged to sign two books of condolences to express their sadness and sympathy at Paula’s passing for Paula after the ceremony. and wishing to show their affection for her.

The church service and subsequent close family service Married to Kevin, Paula (née Henwood) was the eldest were followed by a reception at Gorleston Golf Club. of six siblings, and had two children, Kerry and Shaun, Donations were made to the East Anglian Air and three grandchildren, Jack, Amelia and Jasmine.

Ambulance and, as an organ donor, Paula also helped She will be missed as a wife, mother, daughter, others to live on. daughter-in-law, grandmother, sister, friend, colleague Back at Places & Faces® office on Englands Lane, and more, and she gave her utmost to all these different Gorleston, we raised a glass in Paula’s memory and Colin roles.

Huggins said: “I’d like to put on record our thanks to Paula sold her share in H2Creative Media Ltd three Paula for all that she has done for us; she was integral to years ago, choosing to work part-time in order to see the launch of the company and without her, we definitely more of her children and to spend more time with her wouldn’t have produced this magazine. Paula had a great grandchildren, all of whom she loved dearly. She also zest for life and lived her life to the full and she was hardwanted to pursue her other passions, such as painting, working and inspirational, as well as great fun to have cooking and horse-riding, which she also loved. around. We are extremely saddened by Paula’s death and Colin Huggins, MD of H2Creative Media Ltd, said: would like to pass on our good wishes to her family; our “I would like to thank all those who’ve contacted us to thoughts are with you.” express their condolences. Paula and I worked together for many years and her death was a huge shock to all of us; it still doesn’t seem real. She was a lovely, positive Rest In Peace person and we will all miss her a great deal.”

Paula Dawn Hodds The moving ceremony at St Andrew’s Church opened February 16, 1959 to August 29, 2016 with Rule The World by Take That, and closed with The

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                    

 

  

 

 

Sportback

The new Audi A3 range has arrived

Top speed (mph)* 143 PS 184 Doors 5 Boot capacity (l) 340 Seats 5 Virtual Cockpit†

Contact your local Audi Centre to book a test drive

Norwich Audi Meridian Way Norwich NR7 0TA 01603 709200 www.norwich.audi.co.uk Official fuel consumption figures for the new Audi A3 Sportback range in mpg (l/100km) from: Urban 30.7 (9.2) – 65.7 (4.3), Extra Urban 47.9 (5.9) – 80.7 (3.5), Combined 39.8 (7.1) – 74.3 (3.8). CO2 emissions: 163 – 99g/km.

Fuel consumption and CO2 figures are obtained under standardised EU test conditions (Directive 93/116/EEC). This allows a direct comparison between different manufacturer models but may not represent the actual fuel consumption achieved in ‘real world’ driving conditions. Optional wheels may affect emissions and fuel consumption figures. More information is available on the Audi website at www.audi.co.uk and at www.dft.gov.uk/vca *Where the law permits. †Virtual Cockpit (available as part of Technology Pack Advanced) is an optional extra. Statistics stated are relevant to model shown: A3 Sportback 2.0 TDI 184PS quattro S line S tronic. Images are for illustrative purposes only and include optional extras. A3 Sportback shown in Ara blue available to order late 2016.