October 2025
LEWIS AT NO.10 MP AND COUNCIL LEADER TAKE PROTEST TO THE PM IT’S A SCREAM THREE PAGES OF EVENTS TO MARK HALLOWEEN
AN ARTISTIC LIFE THE WORK OF KEITH CHURCH REMEMBERED
WORD ON THE STREET RAJDHANI BRINGS INDIAN STREET FOOD TO TOWN
HEART OF GLASS THE GLASS LOUNGE OPENS IN HODDESDON
By Laura-Jane Hughes Communications Manager, B&M Care
Dementia is a progressive and complex condition, and no two people experience it in quite the same way. For some, symptoms remain mild for many years; for others, particularly those living with types such as Lewy Body or Frontotemporal dementia, changes can be more rapid and challenging. When dementia reaches these advanced stages, enhanced dementia care becomes essential to support wellbeing and quality of life.
Specialist care begins with the right setting. Enhanced dementia care spaces in specialist care homes are intentionally smaller and more homely, helping residents feel safe and comfortable rather than overwhelmed by larger or more clinical environments. Colour and design are carefully considered. Soft, contrasting tones aid recognition, while black flooring or bold geometric patterns (which can cause visual confusion) are avoided. Instead of standard signage, familiar pictures, symbols or nostalgic objects guide residents and create a sense of reassurance. Natural elements such as plants and daylight add to the soothing atmosphere, while sudden noise is kept to a minimum. Many of these simple design principles, such as using warm, contrasting colours, displaying familiar photographs and keeping spaces uncluttered, can also be applied at home to help a loved one with dementia feel safe and more at ease.
Enhanced dementia care also provides areas where residents can retreat for quiet moments. This can be a cosy lounge, an activity room or a balcony with comfortable seating. These homely spaces encourage relaxation and help minimise overstimulation.
The heart of enhanced dementia care lies in the people who deliver it. Highly trained staff take time to understand each resident’s unique needs and create engagement that both comforts and gives a sense of purpose.
One way stress can be eased is by encouraging familiar domestic tasks or maintaining a consistent daily routine, simple measures that provide reassurance and help residents feel grounded. These same ideas can be used at home when caring for a loved one with dementia to bring familiarity and calm to everyday life. High staff-to-resident ratios ensure personalised attention at all times, allowing teams to respond quickly and sensitively to any change in mood or behaviour.
Rather than simply managing symptoms, staff focus on the reasons behind them and provide respectful, compassionate care that supports wellbeing and preserves dignity.
At B&M Care we have spent five decades developing dementia care that is both innovative and deeply personal. Our Rose Model of Dementia Care underpins every home, ensuring residents live with dignity, comfort and a sense of purpose.
Central to this is our Wellbeing by Design guide, researched and created by our expert dementia care team. This framework shapes every aspect of our homes, from colour palettes and wayfinding to the layout of quiet spaces, and ensures each B&M Care home is thoughtfully designed to support people living with dementia while promoting a sense of calm, comfort and belonging.
Enhanced dementia care is about much more than meeting physical needs. It nurtures emotional wellbeing, encourages engagement and helps each person live a fulfilling life in the later stages of dementia.
To learn more about B&M Care’s specialist dementia care, please contact us or drop into your local B&M Care home to experience our spaces first-hand.
05-13 y Briefing
Political leaders take Cheshunt asylum hotel protest to Number 10
19-29 y What’s on
What will you be doing to mark Halloween this year?
14-17 y Shopping & business news
The latest news from shops and businesses across the Axis area
30-35 y Food & drink
Rajdhani brings Indian street food to Bishop’s Stortford
12 & 13 y FROM PARLIAMENT: Our MPs write exclusive columns for you 34 & 35 y FOOD & DRINK GUIDE: Support your local restaurants
Front cover images (clockwise from top)
Artwork
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The area around Hoddesdon’s clocktower was in the spotlight once again in September – this time as the St George’s flags painted the month before on the junction markings and zebra crossing were cleaned off – ahead of film crews rolling into town.
Roads including Amwell Street, Bell Lane and Pauls Lane were closed with part closures of others including the High Street, Brewery Road and Burford Street and onstreet parking also suspended. What the streets lacked in cars they made up in pedestrians eager to catch a glimpse of the filming taking place on Tuesday 23rd September. By the time that it began, alterations to many of the shopfronts in the area, begun the previous evening, appeared to confirm rumours that the scenes were for HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series. These included the transformation
of Garnier jewellers in the High Street into an estate agents offering properties for sale in Little Whinging, along with The Nail Bar on the corner of the High Street and Brewery Road (renamed Forge Street for the day) becoming Wedding Belles of Little Whinging.
Little Whinging is the name of the muggle town that was home to Harry’s Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and cousin Dudley with whom Harry lived at 4 Privet Drive after the death of his parents and prior to his time at Hogwarts.
In the books it was said to be in Surrey – and a fares board outside Waffles Desserts (transformed for filming into Radcliff Radio Cars), showed the price of journeys to Guildford, Woking and Kingston among others.
Glimpses of actor Daniel Rigby, iced finger bun in hand, walking past The Butcher’s Corner in its
new guise as a greengrocers having just left a bakery (transformed from Attitudes Hair and Beauty), echoed scenes that readers of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone would recognise.
Other shop windows transported our local businesses back to the 1980s when the first book was set, with the frontage of a film processing shop at Mega Tan Lounge, a photographic studio at Tollgate Insurance, travel agent offering holidays from Lunn Poly and flights from Laker Airways at Specsavers and carpet shop at Savers. Despite it
being likely that JK Rowling chose the names Privet Drive and Little Whinging to depict an ordinary Muggle neighbourhood, the good folk of Hoddesdon were delighted to see their town chosen for filming. What would truly be magic, commented many, would be returning to the days in the early 1980s when you could pop into the newsagent for a box of Silk Cut for 95p, to the greengrocers for a bunch of carrots for 25p, or pick up a four-bed period home for just £48,750!
HBO’s Harry Potter series is set to air in 2027.
TK Maxx’s much anticipated new store in Bishop’s Stortford will not now open this autumn but in “early 2026” according to an announcement by the management of Jackson Square Shopping Centre. Plans for a large scale redevelopment of the shopping centre to
make way for the designer discount store, and add additional shops to attract other brands, were first announced back in 2020 with work beginning in 2023.
It was expected that the new unit would be handed over to the retailer for fit-out this summer with an
opening ahead of this Christmas. But centre manager Michael Smith said that “unexpected elements and delays” meant the store would now not open until early 2026. In the meantime, women’s fashion retailer Almamia Collection will open at Jackson Square later this year.
Around 1,600 local homes were still waiting to receive new caddies and bins that they needed at the time East Herts Council rolled out its new waste and recycling service on 4th August.
This, along with reports of damaged or broken bins and of missed collections, led to a surge of calls that month, peaking at 1,000 a day, that overwhelmed the council’s customer service centre where daily call numbers are usually between 300 and 400. It also led to complaints to local councillors as well as residents taking to social media to vent their frustrations.
The new waste and recycling service, operated on behalf of both East and North Herts councils by Veolia, was introduced to meet new Government recycling requirements. With a new weekly food waste collection introduced, plus other waste divided into three ‘streams’ each collected in a three-week cycle, the roll-out was a substantial operation that was well publicised in advance. The problems arose when it became evident that not all households had received one or more of the new items they would need – a brown caddy, under-sink food waste caddy and a purple lidded bin – in time for the first collections.
In reality 97% of the items that should have been delivered had been – but with 200,000 bins and caddies going out, the three per cent not achieved left a significant number of households not knowing how to get their waste collected.
Later, there were reported missed collections including at communal properties and sheltered housing which, it later transpired, had been put on incorrect collection frequency schedules.
The good news is that by mid-September when East Herts Council’s executive member for environmental sustainability, Cllr Tim Hoskin, gave an informal but frank verbal update to its overview and scrutiny
and recycling service pre-launch
committee, 99.92 per cent of the required containers had been delivered with just 50-60 households still awaiting items (most being brown food caddies of which there were stock shortages).
A formal report about the roll-out –that will contain more detail about the teething problems and what might be learned from them, along with the important positives to result from the new system (recycling rates are already up and will bring both financial and environmental benefits) – will be brought to the same committee on 4th November.
Reeves opens Google’s new A10 data centre
Google’s first UK data centre, just off the A10 at Waltham Cross, was officially opened by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in September.
More than 250 companies worked on building the facility, the majority of them local.
Action taken
In the meantime, at the meeting on Tuesday 16th September, Cllr Hoskin provided councillors with details of the actions taken to date to get the service running smoothly. From 18th August, daily reviews involving Cllr Hoskin, council leader Ben Crystall, chief executive Helen Standen, the council’s waste team and the contractor had taken place. A new online form was introduced allowing residents to directly report issues.
And changes to the way crews operate will see dedicated staff completing collections on a three-weekly cycle, enabling them to build local knowledge.
Overall Cllr Hoskin said he felt the council had “got a good partner in Veolia,” saying where they had been responsible for any issues they had accepted it and sought to resolve problems quickly, drafting in additional staff, including at weekends, and all at their own expense.
He said: “Our thanks to residents who have been a mixture of patient and exasperated with our efforts but have been keen to work the new system.”
He said initial investigations were already showing a reduction in non-recyclable waste while food waste collected was far in excess of what had been anticipated and other recyclable volumes were also up.
The company said the centre, which was opened on Tuesday 16th September, would help it meet growing demand for its AI-powered services like Google Cloud, Workspace, Search and Maps that people, businesses and public organisations across the country use every day.
Some flags in Hertford set to be removed
Hertford Town Council says that it will be removing any flags put up on lampposts in the town that are at risk of obstructing CCTV or damaging its Christmas lights. Union flags and flags of St George have appeared across the area as well as the rest of the country. But the council said that it was vital that flags did not obstruct CCTV used by police, nor damage Christmas lights which are costly to repair or replace, and that in such circumstances it would be funding their removal. It said other flags would be removed in due course by Hertfordshire County Council when related works were taking place in the area.
Broxbourne’s MP and council leader have visited Downing Street to present a letter to the Prime Minister demanding the end of the use of the Delta Marriott Hotel in Cheshunt to house asylum seekers. The hotel has been closed to the public since the end of 2022 and those opposed to the housing of asylum seekers there have regularly demonstrated outside the building in Halfhide Lane.
Lewis Cocking MP and council leader Corina Gander have consistently opposed the use of the hotel for this purpose and took their message right to the top, accompanied by two other senior Conservative councillors, Jim Clune and Paul Mason, on Thursday 25th September.
Mr Cocking, who has also called in Parliament for the Government to honour its manifesto commitment to close the so-called “asylum hotels”, said: “The people of Broxbourne are fed-up with their concerns about the level of immigration being ignored. The Government needs to start listening, get a grip on the situation and deliver what they promised: the closure of every asylum hotel, starting with the Marriott in Cheshunt.”
Cllr Gander said: “Since I became Leader of Broxbourne Council in May, I have made the closure of this hotel my top priority. I’ve written to
the Home Secretary numerous times to make clear the impact this is having on our area, but their responses haven’t been good enough. That’s why I’ve now taken the fight right to the top of Government, and I will not rest until the hotel is returned to our community.”
Meanwhile, earlier in the month Broxbourne Council confirmed that it remained committed to taking enforcement action to stop the hotel being used to house asylum seekers.
Following the initial High Court judgment in favour of Epping Forest Council’s attempt to stop asylum seekers being housed at The Bell Hotel in Epping (a temporary injunction was granted by the High
Court but later set aside by the Court of Appeal), Broxbourne became the first local council to announce its intention to explore enforcement action.
The council doubled down on that stance last month.
It issued a statement on Tuesday 16th September following a public demonstration outside the borough offices in Churchgate on Friday 12th.
Broxbourne said it wanted to make clear to the public that it did not give permission for the Delta Marriott to be used to house asylum seekers.
The statement read: “The current use of the hotel was put in place by the Home Office which made the arrangements directly with the owners of the Delta Marriot Hotel, despite the council’s opposition at the time.
“The council has made its views on asylum seekers being housed at the Delta Marriott clear, maintaining that it should not be used for this purpose as this is not in accordance with the original planning permission and puts significant strain on local services.
“The council recognises the impact that this is having on the local community and remains committed to taking enforcement action to bring the current use of the hotel to an end as soon as possible.”
Local government reorganisation: Harlow chooses its path while in Hertfordshire the talking and consultation continues as deadline for final proposals approaches
A public consultation phase has been taking place on the proposals for the reorganisation of local government that will affect our councils. The Government intends to abolish the existing two-tier structure of county and district councils in favour of a system of unitary authorities, with one authority providing all the same services that the two tiers currently provide between them. Local councils oppose the plan but are having to come up with the best possible solutions to make the policy work for their residents.
In Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire
county, East Herts district and Broxbourne borough councils have been holding public consultation events to ask for the public’s feedback on the new structure which could involve the county being split into two, three or four unitary councils. Across the border, things are moving a bit faster.
Harlow Council has already nailed its colours to the mast on the planned reorganisation in Essex. It has backed a solution of five councils across the whole of Essex, including a new West Essex Council which would merge the existing
Harlow, Epping Forest and Uttlesford councils into one.
Harlow leader Cllr Dan Swords said: “We are clear that the wider reorganisation is not without its flaws, and we don’t fully endorse it; but, if it goes ahead, we must ensure Harlow is in the strongest possible position.”
Formal proposals for the new structure must be submitted to the Government by the end of November after which a decision is expected before Parliament’s summer recess. Elections are scheduled to take place on 6th May 2027.
STEVENAGE • 01438 316623
HITCHIN • 01462 438422
KNEBWORTH • 01438 812365
BUNTINGFORD • 01763 274111
WELWYN GARDEN CITY • 01707 390018
WELWYN • 01438 714686
HERTFORD • 01992 582052
WARE • 01920 468551
LETCHWORTH • 01462 684292
HODDESDON • 01992 471709
HARWOOD PARK • 01438 812515
HARPENDEN • 01582 762570
Ware Shares, the town council’s “Library of Things” that the public can borrow for just a few pounds a day goes live on Tuesday 14th October.
Those interested in using it will need to sign up for membership – with the £5 lifetime cost of doing so reduced to just £1 for anyone who signs up before 11.59pm on the 14th.
The community initiative aims to help households save money by borrowing useful items for the home, hobbies and garden projects rather than having to buy them.
Once you have joined, you simply go online, find the item you’d like to borrow and reserve it for the date of your choice. It will then be waiting for you in the purpose-built, self-serve Ware Shares lockers at Wodson Park Sports and Leisure Centre in Wadesmill Road. Once you’re done, you just return it there afterwards.
As well as saving you money and
space, the initiative will also help the environment, reducing waste and emissions from the manufacture and often disposal of tools that could be borrowed.
Work is set to begin this year to deliver the long-mooted plans for 10,000 new homes in the Gilston area after a judge refused an application for a judicial review into East Herts Council’s decision to grant planning permission.
East Herts approved two separate planning applications for the site in February and March 2023 subject to conditions, and issued formal planning permission in January this year.
However, a claim was submitted for a judicial review (a form of legal challenge) earlier this year.
On Thursday 18th September, Justice Lang refused the application, to the delight of both East Herts and Places for People, the developer set to build 8,500 of the new homes and associated infrastructure.
The Places for People homes will be built across six villages with a seventh of 1,500 homes to be built by Taylor Wimpey.
The development, which is to the north of Harlow, falls within the current East Herts Council boundary, and forms part of a wider Harlow and Gilston Garden Town development, which also includes three further areas around the south and east of Harlow which are due to provide even more new homes in due course.
Places for People’s CEO Greg Reed welcomed the news by saying it marked “a pivotal milestone for a landmark project that has been many years in the making”. He added: “The court’s refusal of the challenge on all grounds brings welcome clarity and enables us to
You don’t need to live in Ware to use the facility, just able to collect and return at Wodson Park. It’s likely to be popular though so signing up early is advised (you’re
not charged until you make your first reservation).
You can find out more information and sign up for membership at wareshares.co.uk.
move forward with confidence –beginning delivery of 8,500 new homes and over £1billion of infrastructure, starting this year.”
Cllr Vicky Glover-Ward, executive member for planning and growth at East Herts Council, said she hoped the decision would “draw a line under a process that only delays the delivery of much-needed new housing, including 2,300 homes for people currently struggling to get on
the property ladder”.
She added: “Alongside new homes, the plans will provide vital infrastructure, jobs, leisure and community facilities such as healthcare. In total, the development is expected to bring over £1.3billion of investment into the region, benefitting both existing and future communities for generations to come.”
To find out more about the proposed development visit hggt.co.uk.
YOUR MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR HERTFORD & STORTFORD WRITES FOR AXIS MAGAZINE EVERY MONTH
As Parliament returns and autumn gets underway, I’ve been spending time across our community, meeting with local organisations, residents and schools to hear your stories and celebrate the brilliant work happening in our towns.
These visits are always a highlight, and they offer a chance to connect directly with the community, learn from your experiences and see firsthand the impact of local initiatives. From school assemblies to inclusive employment projects, these engagements continue to shape the work I do in Westminster and remind me why local representation matters.
Democracy in action at Hollybush Primary
It was a real pleasure to visit Hollybush Primary School in Hertford to speak with pupils about democracy and the importance of every vote, just ahead of their school council elections!
We talked about how voting works in the constituency, why it was important to me to represent our community and how young voices can help shape their school community. It was great to see their engagement and interest in getting involved in the school council.
Wishing all the candidates the very
best of luck and I’m looking forward to returning for election day!
Inclusive employment at Mudlarks Café
It was a pleasure to sit down with Ricky Kaplan, CEO of the Mudlarks Community, at the garden café in Hertford town centre recently. We discussed the Government’s forthcoming Schools White Paper and the urgent need for reform of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system – the subject of my SEND roundtables over the summer – and the fantastic work that Mudlarks does providing work experience and employment for people with learning disabilities. Mudlarks offers a real example of inclusivity and opportunity and I’m very grateful to Ricky for taking the time to meet with me to discuss their work.
Since being diagnosed with ADHD earlier this year, I’ve been reflecting on how neurodivergence shapes not only our day-to-day experiences, but also how we engage with education, employment and wider society. For many neurodivergent young people, accessing a timely diagnosis and
appropriate support can be a long and frustrating journey. That’s why I recently raised a question with Ministers, urging the Government to take a joined-up approach across departments to improve support for neurodivergent individuals. We need better coordination between health, education and employment services to ensure that young people aren’t left behind
Josh holds in-person surgeries twice a month. The next are in Ware on Friday 10th October and Sawbridgeworth on Saturday 25th October. To book an appointment, please email josh.dean.mp@parliament.uk with your full name, postal address including postcode, a contact number and details of your case.
due to delays in diagnosis or gaps in provision.
Improving pathways into employment is especially important, no one should be disadvantaged simply because their needs aren’t fully understood or accommodated. I’ll continue to push for greater awareness, better training and more inclusive policies that reflect the diversity of our community.
When my constituents in Broxbourne think about public transport in their area, it is often compared to what’s available for people just over the border in London, particularly the bus service.
Just down the road in Enfield, residents can expect a bus to arrive every couple of minutes, from the early hours right through to midnight.
But the best service we have in Broxbourne, the 310 running from Waltham Cross to Hertford, at its peak comes along every 15 minutes – double the usual time for a bus route in Enfield, and the service ends earlier in the evening too.
And in rural areas of my constituency, like the village of Brickendon, the best you can hope for is as little as two buses a day.
That’s the service that should be available, but since my election last year, I’ve had countless residents complain to me that the buses in Broxbourne simply cannot be relied on. Over the summer, I decided to launch a survey to gather more views and experiences on exactly this problem.
More than 150 people responded, sharing stories of being late for appointments, work and school. Older residents told me about long waits in the cold, and a disabled constituent said that she was forced to walk to important doctor’s appointments, because she couldn’t trust the bus that had made her late
for appointments too many times. And of course, bus users in Broxbourne have been hit hard by Labour’s decision to raise the fare cap, from £2 under the Conservatives to £3 now. That really eats into a family budget, and for people used to a poor service, does not represent good value for money.
There are some positives. Nearly every single person who completed my survey said if they had more confidence in the bus service they would use it more.
That’s the message I’ll be sending to the bus operators and to Government Ministers, as I continue to fight for genuine change on important local issues like this.
I continue to hold regular in-person surgeries to discuss issues and concerns with constituents. If you have a problem you’d like to raise with me, please contact my office at lewis.cocking.mp@parliament.uk or on 01992 845335 In addition, if you own a business or are involved in a local organisation and you would like me to come and visit, then please let me know!
Don’t squeeze it, scan it! How to avo quick check at Tesco...
It might say on the shelf that they’re ripe and ready to eat – but who has ever bought an avocado without first giving it a quick squeeze to make sure?
And ripe for what? In the past it would have most likely been for slicing into a salad – but with a current trend for serving the ripe fruit ‘smashed’ on sourdough or toasted bread we might be looking for a softer avocado.
A ground-breaking new scanner being trialled at Tesco’s Brookfield Centre store in Cheshunt, lets customers find the perfect fruit without the need to squeeze!
The OneThird Avocado Scanner – named after the Dutch company that invented it – can measure the ripeness of an avocado in seconds. It works by using infrared technology to read exactly what the fruit looks like inside.
Simply hold the avocado in front of the scanner and it will reveal one of two results – that the avocado is best suited to being sliced in a salad
or is ready for ‘smashing’.
Tesco avocado buyer Lisa Lawrence said: “The scanner will enable shoppers to choose the avocado that is right for them and which therefore can help them plan their usage and desired shelf life, thereby cutting down on waste.
“It encourages shoppers to check ripeness without squeezing, helping protect avocados on the shelf from damage, reducing waste, and keeping produce fresher in store.”
Other stores currently trialling scanners are Tesco’s Colchester Superstore in Essex, Stratford Upon Avon Superstore in Warwickshire, Wokingham Superstore in Berkshire and Salisbury Extra in Wiltshire.
Cavavin The Wine Shop in Hertford has a new manager at the helm and is planning a series of wine tasting events in the run-up to Christmas. The move follows its launch of a second store at Baldock, which offers wine by the glass in a tasting room and on an outdoor terrace.
The new manager at Hertford is William Bailey, who joins having previously managed Cambridge Wine’s Cherry Hinton Road branch and been assistant manager at Majestic’s Shepherds Bush, Notting Hill and Ealing branches.
William said: “One of the things I find most rewarding in what I do is encouraging people’s enthusiasm to learn more, and hearing appreciation when a recommendation I have made has hit the mark. As such, I
always have a great time running wine tastings.”
Cavavin’s owner, Chris Stokes, said their popular wine events will be held in store again on the first Friday of every month from 7th November, and these can be pre-booked in store or via a link on Cavavin’s regular email newsletter for its subscribers. In 2026, Chris added, he and William will be introducing wine pairing events such as cheese and chocolate, as well as tasting events and talks organised alongside their vineyard producer partners.
Cavavin The Wine Shop 22 Maidenhead Street, Hertford SG14 1DR 01992 558311 hertford.cavavin.co.uk
Donna Reeves, who runs the shop and community art hub & by Donna Reeves in Ware, is hosting a series of Meet the Makers live demonstrations and talks in her shop this month.
These will run alongside Donna’s already popular series of Artist in the Window events, which see a local artist sit and work, literally, in the shop window for a day as an attraction for passing shoppers in the town’s Baldock Street.
The events planned this month are as follows:
Saturday 4th October, 9.30am-5pm: Julie Swan in the Window, plus meet and demo 11am-1pm; Friday 10th October, 7.30-9.30pm: Meet & demo – Keeda Crowley; Saturday 11th October, 2-5pm: Meet & demo – Donna Reeves;
St Clare Hospice has opened its latest charity shop at Thorley Neighbourhood Centre in Bishop’s Stortford.
The hospice’s 13th outlet, the shop offers a wide selection of high quality pre-loved fashion, accessories, children’s toys and homeware. St Clare Hospice relies on its community to help raise 74% of the funds it needs each year and every purchase made at the Thorley Shop helps it continue to provide compassionate, expert care across West Essex and East Hertfordshire.
Tracy Pearse, manager of the Thorley shop, said the response from the local community since opening on Saturday 30th August had been fantastic, with positive feedback and lots of donations. She said: “If anyone’s interested in
volunteering just pop in for a chat and pick up a form – it’s a great way to support the hospice and get involved.”
The shop is at Unit 6, Thorley Neighbourhood Centre, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 4EG. Visit stclarehospice.org.uk or call 01279 773700.
Friday 24th October 7.30-9.30pm: Meet & demo – Jade Richardson; Saturday 25th October, 10am-5pm: Ohn Mar Win in the Window.
Donna has also arranged a series of workshops this month, as part of East Herts Council’s ongoing Arts in East Herts campaign. These include lampshade painting and adults’ painting courses in different mediums such as watercolours, acrylic and ink. There are also seasonal workshops for Halloween crafts on Saturday 11th and Thursday 16th October (from 7-9.30pm) and a Pumpkin Paint Pour on Friday 17th October from 7-8.30pm. For full details, or to book, visit andbydonnareeves.com or pop into the shop at 27b Baldock Street, Ware SG12 9DH.
Growing marketing agency opens new office and launches free training for local businesses
Hertford’s business community is set to benefit from a new initiative this autumn, as local web design and marketing agency Link Digital moves into a larger office on Mead Lane.
The new space represents a significant investment in the company’s future and underlines its longterm commitment to Hertford. The premises provide double the space of its previous base and include a purpose-built training and events facility. The fit-out is nearing completion, and the team will mark the official opening with a special event in October, with the Mayor of Hertford due to attend.
Free training for businesses
From November, Link Digital will run a rolling programme of free workshops covering the essentials of digital marketing. Sessions will include practical advice on how to improve your Google Business Profile, make social media work harder, understand Google Ads and get better results from your website. The programme will also explore wider areas such as email marketing, content planning and the growing role of AI in digital marketing. Each workshop is designed to be interactive, with plenty of opportunities to ask questions relevant to your business.
Managing Director Mark Smith explains: “We’ve helped hundreds of businesses over the past 12 years, and this next chapter
Workshops will host up to 12 local businesses at a time, keeping sessions hands-on, practical and relevant
gives us the opportunity to support even more.
“These workshops are designed to be hands-on and practical, while also giving local businesses the chance to network. We’re looking forward to welcoming more people through our doors and helping the local business community to thrive online.”
Register your interest
Spaces are limited and registration is now open at linkdigital.co.uk/register/
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Halloween starts here: Three pages of spooktacular ideas for all the family...
The historic grounds of the National Trust’s Wimpole Estate at Royston are set to be transformed into a glowing, ghostly wonderland as a brand-new illuminated Halloween trail makes its spine-tingling debut this autumn. Halloween at Wimpole is organised by creative project and production management company Culture Creative who work closely with RG Live, a division of Sony Music, to create stunning illuminated trails in venues across the UK and overseas. The trail at Wimpole runs from
dusk each day between Thursday 23rd October and Sunday 2nd November and promises an evening of spooky spectacles and supernatural encounters. Guests are greeted by two fearsome headless horsemen marking the beginning of a haunting journey through the estate’s darkened paths that features immersive installations at every turn. There’s an abandoned pumpkin farm where, watched silently by a giant possessed pumpkin, a monstrous scarecrow lurches suddenly to life.
And in the depths of the trail a cackling witch, with her black cat for company, brews potions amid glowing vials of mysterious liquids.
Other features include a shadowy cemetery, haunting gothic funeral scene, spider tunnel tangled with webs and home to glowing neon spiders, and an eerie collection of gallows standing silently underneath the trees.
Fire spheres will illuminate the journey with real flames while 50 glowing pumpkins will be scattered across the estate.
Tickets are also on sale and already selling fast for another Culture Creative and RG Live experience – Neverland at Kenwood. Running from 21st November until 3rd January, the grounds of Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath will be transformed into a breathtaking immersive outdoor light trail inspired by JM Barrie’s Peter Pan.
Neverland at Kenwood invites visitors to follow Tinkerbell’s fairy dust path from the rooftops of London to the heart of Neverland. The author gifted the rights to Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital in 1929 and £1 from every ticket sold will go to the hospital charity. Find out more and book your tickets at neverlandatkenwood.co.uk.
Children are invited to dress up in spooky costume for the event which takes place across the autumn half term break. There’s also a menu of “fiendish” food and drink on offer that includes pizza, burgers and fries, hot toddies and hot chocolate. Timed entry tickets are available priced from £15 to £18 at halloweenatwimpole.co.uk. Parking is limited and needs to be booked alongside trail entry tickets. Wimpole Estate is at Arrington, Royston, Cambridgeshire SG8 0BW.
At Hertfordshire Zoo
24th, 25th, 26 th & 31st October
1st & 2 nd November
NEW Baby Dinos • UV Drummers
UV Puppet Show • Inflatable Dinos
Face Painting • LED Performers
Silent Disco • Dino Meet & Greets
The ever popular Dinos After Dark evenings are back at Hertfordshire Zoo for the October half term offering fun, adventure and education for the whole family.
Between 5.30pm and 8.30pm on the weekend of Friday 24th to Sunday 26th October, and again from Friday 31st October to Sunday 2nd November, the zoo will be transformed into a prehistoric world where over 40 life-size animatronic dinosaurs come to life!
There will be a wide variety of entertainment including a lively silent disco, magical UV puppet show, performances from the UV Halloween drummers, dino meet and greets, facepainting and more.
Dinos After Dark is separate to the zoo’s usual day ticket entry and does not include access to the animal park.
Hertfordshire Zoo is in White Stubbs Lane, Broxbourne EN10 7QA. Find out more at hertfordshirezoo.com.
There’s a programme of suitably ‘spooky’ film screenings for Halloween at BEAM in Hertford featuring everything from family friendly animated tales to cult horror classics.
It kicks off at 6pm on Friday October 24th with a screening of Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, which is being ‘resurrected’ in cinemas nationwide to mark its 20th anniversary.
When shy groom Victor practises his wedding vows in the inadvertent presence of a deceased young woman, she rises from the grave assuming he has married her in a film that offers fun and scares for all the family.
Other showings are:
Saturday 25th October, 8.30pm: Candyman (1992)
Wednesday 29th October, 8.30pm: Halloween (1978)
Friday 31st October, 9pm: The Rocky Horror Picture Show Friday 31st October, 8.30pm: Midsommar.
For those that prefer their ghosts to be of the more friendly variety, BEAM’s Saturday morning Children’s Corner strand for youngsters and their adults will be screening Casper on Saturday 25th October at 11am. Find out more about these and all the films on at BEAM in October at beamhertford.co.uk.
BEAM is in The Wash, Hertford SG14 1PS.
Sink your fangs into a Halloween tea
Down Hall Hotel at Hatfield
Heath is inviting you to sink your fangs into a Halloween afternoon tea.
Between Fridays 24th and 31st October you can enjoy a selection of finger sandwiches, brie and fig relish quiche, scones with jam and cream and Halloween-themed sweet treats for £45 (children £22.50). Booking is essential at downhall.co.uk.
l Fanhams Hall in Ware is also offering a Halloween tea from Monday 27th October to Sunday 2nd November, with delicious sandwiches, homemade scones and Halloween cakes at £45 per person, £22.50 for under-10s. Book at exclusive.co.uk/ fanhams-hall.
The last open Sunday of the season at The Gardens of Easton Lodge in Little Easton close to Great Dunmow will take on a Halloween feel on 19th October with lots of fun for families including a spooky trail and games. There will also be local produce and craft stalls, and a special display focusing on the trees in the gardens, while the archive building with its collection of historical photographs and stories from Easton Lodge and its people will be open to browse.
Bacon, cheese or hummus rolls, homemade cakes and hot and cold drinks will be on sale.
Tickets for the event which runs from 11am to 5pm are £6 in advance for adults (£7 on the door). Children under 16 go free. Dogs on leads welcome.
For more information visit eastonlodge.co.uk.
If you can’t find it here, you won’t find your perfect pumpkin anywhere!
Hatter’s Farm at Takeley has been cultivating pumpkin and squash since 2015. It first opened its doors to the public for pumpkin picking in 2020, and now its Halloween patch features 100,000 home grown pumpkins in more than 75 varieties!
The farm offers pumpkin picking daytime experiences (£4-6 per person plus booking fee) on a range of dates between Saturday
4th and Friday 31st October. Grab a wheelbarrow and head off in search of your perfect pumpkin to buy.
Other attractions included within your entry ticket include Hatter’s Haunted Mad House – a clown themed maze, live roaming actors, a hay bale maze and bale mountain, indoor farm play area and a wealth of fun photo opportunities.
Other activities for which small additional charges apply include a maize maze, the farm’s famed
pumpkin cannon and face-painting. A food court offers a range of food and drink including giant marshmallows for toasting on open firepits.
If you’d prefer to pick your pumpkin at night book for Pumpkin Nights on selected evenings that will see the courtyard area lit with more than 1,000 festoon lights.
Hatter’s Farm is in Takeley, near Bishop’s Stortford CM22 6NP. Visit hattersfarmpumpkins.co.uk to book or for more information.
Knebworth House is hosting morning and afternoon
Halloween Adventure sessions for little pumpkins aged between three and ten between Tuesday 28th and Thursday 30th October. The event will see fun Halloween activities taking place throughout the gardens.
For every game they complete that include Hungry Ghosts, Hook a Pumpkin and Pumpkin Putting, children, who are invited to wear fancy dress for the day, will receive a stamp on their Pumpkin Passport. Once full it can be redeemed for a prize. The Garden Terrace Tea Room will be open offering autumnal soups and sandwiches and Halloween sweet treats along with children’s Halloween lunchboxes
that can be pre-ordered or purchased on the day.
Visitors are also invited to bring along pre-carved pumpkins to enter in the Halloween Carving Competition. Tickets are £10 for children,
£4.50 for adults and under-twos (unless they’d like a prize to take home) go free.
Find out more and book at knebworthhouse.com.
Knebworth House is at Knebworth Park SG1 2AX.
No one does Halloween quite like Cammas Hall in Hatfield Broad Oak where the team spend a month preparing for the opening of the Pumpkin Patch to visitors. This year the patch opens on selected days from Saturday 4th October until Friday 31st and features over 50 varieties of pumpkin and squash – pick your favourite and purchase by weight.
Your daytime ticket (from £6.95) also offers a variety of entertainment including the chance to see the world’s only (they admit as far as they know!) erupting Pumpcano, meet Halloween characters, explore attractions including the Wicked Walkway and the Terror Tunnel and purchase seasonal food and drink.
If you prefer to pick your pumpkin at night, from 6pm Pumpkin Patch Nights Resurrected includes moon- (or torch-!) lit pumpkin picking, plus the chance to visit the Wicked Walkway and Terror Tunnel attractions. There are food and drink outlets open and entertainment from dead legends including Tina Turner, Elvis Presley, Meatloaf and Amy Winehouse.
Tickets are £9.95 for under 16s, £14.95 for adults. For more details visit cammashall.co.uk.
Join ghost walk around haunted spots of Bishop’s Stortford
Join guide Steve Mustill on a ghost walk around the haunted spots of Bishop’s Stortford on Sunday 26th October.
The event, organised by Bishop’s Stortford Museum, starts at 11am when participants meet outside St Michael’s Church in Windhill. Tickets at £5 each can be booked at southmillarts.co.uk.
An incredible 70s, 80s and 90s disco party!
Saturday 11 October Times vary - please check the website
Twist and Shout
A musical journey through the swinging 60s
Tuesday 21 October, 7.30pm
Strange, But True Crime
Join ex-forensics lecturer Jennifer Rees exploring the world’s most unbelievable cases!
Monday 27 October, 7.30pm
The Legends of American Country Show
A fabulous night of toe-tapping Country nostalgia!
Thursday 30 October, 7.30pm
Tony Stockwell – Psychic Medium
The star of TV’s Street Psychic, Psychic Private Eyes and Psychic Academy!
Tuesday 4 November, 7.30pm
Natural History Museum presents Dinosaur Live!
A pre-historic journey, watch the life-like dinosaurs come alive right on stage!
Saturday 25 October, 11am and 2pm
Ministry of Science
Sunday 26 October, 12noon
How science shapes the modern world!
Herbert the Hedgehog
Tuesday 28 October and Wednesday 29 October
Learn fascinating facts in this fun packed puppet musical Times vary - please check the website
Why not enjoy a relaxing pre-show drink and a slice of our delicious...
thespotlightvenue.com 01992 441946 (Monday-Friday 10am-2pm)
Pizza Doors and bar open 1.5 hour prior to event start.
On the evening of 9th July 1982, gifted local artist Keith Church was cycling home from his girlfriend’s mother’s house when he was stabbed to death opposite Hoddesdon police station. He was just 27 years old. His murder, to this day, remains unsolved.
This year, Keith would have turned 70 and to mark this milestone his brother Robert has organised an exhibition of Keith’s striking and vibrant artwork at Lowewood Museum in Hoddesdon.
The exhibition celebrates Keith’s art but also serves as part of a broader campaign to raise awareness of knife crime and its continuing impact – a message, sadly, that is more relevant than ever today.
On the website keithchurch.com, Robert says of his brother’s work:
“Some self-portraits shimmer with vulnerability, others burn with intensity. Many paintings burst with surrealist energy.
“Beyond the visual world, Keith was already reaching into the unseen – the spiritual, emotional and psychological dimensions of life that society is only now learning to value. His work explored the fragility and resilience of the human spirit, the inner worlds of vulnerability, pain, hope and connection – long before today’s wider focus on mental health and emotional wellbeing.”
The exhibition is showing until Saturday 25th October at Lowewood Museum in High Street, Hoddesdon EN11 8BH. The museum is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 10am to 4.30pm. Admission is free.
Visit lowewoodmuseum.com for further information.
Five artists present Faces and Places at The Gallery at Parndon Mill
Five artists present their own individual visions of the topic Faces and Places in a new exhibition at The Gallery at Parndon Mill in Harlow.
The artists are Dan Whiteson, a figurative artist working from north London; Natalia Yakushev, whose paintings and calligraphy are inspired by the cultural traditions of Japan, China and Islamic lands; Herts-based John Durham who paints geological landscapes; digital artist JAG Gillan and David Beanland, an Essex-based sculptor working in wood, stone and metal.
The exhibition is showing until Sunday 2nd November and the gallery is in Parndon Mill Lane, Harlow CM20 2HP. Visit parndonmill.co.uk for more details.
Untold stories from Hertfordshire’s black communities revealed through art and zine
A remarkable exhibition is opening this month uncovering untold stories from Hertfordshire’s black communities.
Our Stories: Tracing Black Histories in Hertfordshire is being launched to mark Black History Month. The tales are brought to life in an immersive exhibition featuring powerful artworks and an imaginative life-size zine installation. Alongside the display, a special one-off publication of the zine has been developed into a lasting resource for the community, ensuring the stories can continue to be shared long after the exhibition closes. Zines were historically created by marginalised groups to share
counter-narratives and self-expression through articles, poems, plays and illustrations. This zine reflects four years of work by 30 local volunteers, shining light on overlooked aspects of black history in St Albans and across Hertfordshire.
The free exhibition can be viewed in the Assembly Room of St Albans Museum + Gallery in St Peter’s Street, St Albans AL1 3DH. It runs from Thursday 2nd October to Sunday 2nd November.
Admission is free and the zine will be available to buy for £6 from the museum’s shop. Visit stalbansmuseums.org.uk for more details.
Science Museum – The Live Stage Show
Saturday 25th October, 11am & 2pm
Tickets:£18.50, £17.50 child, £68 family of 4
Flowers & Friendship Bracelets – The Ultimate Pop Concert
Tuesday 28th October, 3pm
Tickets: £23.50
Diana and Lionel –Endless Love The Show
Saturday 1st November, 7.30pm
Tickets £30
Wyllyotts Box Office: 01707 645005
Wyllyotts Theatre, Wyllyotts Place, Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 2HZ wyllyottstheatre.co.uk
The annual Ware’s The Film Festival returns this month.
Organised by Ware Town Council, it’s a week-long programme of free film screenings at various venues across the town from Sunday 26th October to Sunday 2nd November.
The venues showing films include the Southern Maltings arts centre, Ware Priory, The Tap Bar, Ware Drill Hall, Leaside Church, Ware Priory Lido (the very appropriate Jaws!), Allenburys Sports and Social Club and Place House Hall. The films include The Wild Robot, The World’s End, Anora, A Complete Unknown and Musafa. Tickets are free but must be booked through Ticketsource and for the full list of times and dates visit waretowncouncil.gov.uk.
You can support the preservation of Sawbridgeworth’s Rivers Orchard by helping pick the apple crop on Saturday 4th October. Apple Day sees volunteers from the local community and beyond pick apples that are later juiced to be sold to raise funds.
Pickers can taste the many apple varieties and take some home while anyone who attends without taking part in picking can purchase apples on the day. The event, which runs from 10am to 3pm, will also feature apple
pressing demonstrations, history displays about the Rivers Nursery, apple tasting, refreshments, and local honey sales. It’s suitable for all the family including young children and you’re welcome to take a picnic!
If you have your own apple trees at home and would like to know their variety, take along five good fruit to show the team from fruitID who will be in attendance. For more information and directions to the nursery which is near Rivers Hospital, visit rhso.co.uk.
A life drawing class with a spectacular twist is coming to Ware.
Circus Life Drawing is inviting artists, beginners and the simply curious to sketch live circus performers as they strike dynamic and colourful poses.
Organised by Generation Circus, the over-50s circus performance group, it takes place on Sunday 5th October at Ware Drill Hall in Amwell End SH12 9HP. The event will feature professional aerialist Ania Giannattasio per-
forming high above the audience, with some of the group’s remarkable over-50s circus performers in seated poses.
Local artist and educator Julie Arnall will be on hand to guide participants with tips and encouragement and basic drawing materials are provided or you can bring your own.
No experience is needed and it’s suitable for all ages and abilities. Tickets are £8 from generationcircus.co.uk.
The Littlest Yak is coming to BEAM
BEAM Hertford is hosting performances of The Littlest Yak on Sunday 2nd November with two 45-minute shows, at 11am and 2pm. Nominated for four OffWestEnd Awards at this year’s Offies, this musical adaptation of an award-winning children’s book features beautiful puppets, catchy tunes and an uplifting tale of self-acceptance for all the family. It is recommended for anyone aged 3+. Tickets are £15 from beamhertford.co.uk.
If you have ever fancied taking part in choral singing, Ware Choral Society is holding an open rehearsal at Riverside Hall in Priory Street, Ware on Saturday 25th October from 10am. No experience or skill is required, just a willingness to try it. It’s an informal event, with singing interspersed with refreshments and cake – and it’s all free. For more details visit warechoral.org.uk.
Hertford Museum is hosting a drop-in activity from Tuesday 28th to Thursday 30th October from 10am to 1pm. During those times families can take part in arts and crafts sessions at a cost of £4 per child. The theme is ‘pots’. The museum is at 18 Bull Plain, Hertford SG14 1DT. For more details call 01992 582686 or visit hertfordmuseum.org.
The Smashing Machine (12A)
Out on Friday 3rd October
MMA, or mixed-martial arts, has become a hugely popular sport in recent years and this new biopic sports drama stars Dwayne Johnson as MMA and UFC champion Mark Kerr. Emily Blunt co-stars as Kerr’s then-wife while world undisputed heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk also makes an appearance in a supporting role.
Roofman (12A)
Out on Friday 3rd October
A dark comedy which sees a charismatic criminal on the run from the police decide to hide on the roof of a toy store. As you would. From there, he adopts a new identity and becomes involved with one of the store’s employees, beginning a relationship as unlikely as it is risky. Channing Tatum, Peter Dinklage and Kirsten Dunst star.
Ares takes a frightening glimpse into the future
Good Boy (15)
Out on Friday 10th October
This new horror film focuses on a loyal dog who moves to a rural
family home with his owner, only to discover supernatural forces lurking in the shadows. As dark entities threaten his human com-
panion, the dog must protect the one he loves most.
Tron: Ares (12A)
Out on Friday 10th October
As if the possibilities of AI aren’t already frightening you enough, the third Tron outing focuses on a highly sophisticated programme, Ares, which is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission. You’ll be pleased to know the film does feature actual humans, including Evan Peters and Jeff Bridges.
Good Fortune (15)
Out on Friday 17th October
A well-meaning but rather inept angel by the name of Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) meddles in the lives of a struggling gig worker and a wealthy venture capitalist. What could possibly go wrong? Seth Rogen plays the wealthy fellow and Aziz Ansari the rather poorer one.
27th October to 2nd November
Join us for a spook-tacular afternoon tea between 12.30pm and 4pm at Fanhams Hall. Tuck into delicious sandwiches, home-made scones, and hauntingly good Halloween cakes!
Oh, and we have an extra special treat too... After tummies are full, challenge each other to pumpkin bowling, creep along the spooky nature trail, and enjoy fang-tastic family fun.
£45 per adult, £22.50 under 10 years
A new Indian restaurant has opened in Bishop’s Stortford, serving authentic street food and promising to bring local diners ‘a celebration of India’s culinary soul’.
Rajdhani, which has opened in the heart of the town centre in Market Square, is the first restaurant for owner Aditi Kulkarni, who has built her business from the ground up.
Aditi came to England with little more than a suitcase, ambition and a deep love for the food she grew up with in Satara in her home Indian state of Maharashtra.
Once here, she began by delivering home-cooked tiffins across London to fellow Indians craving a taste of home. The success of her homemade meals led to her starting a catering business that has served celebrity weddings, birthday parties, baby showers and corporate events.
Now, seven years on, it has brought her to Bishop’s Stortford.
‘Cooking is my passion,’ says Aditi, who grew up seeing her father at work in his pickles and spice business, something he has run for the last 40 years.
And that passion can be seen in the menu at Rajdhani, which features a number of authentic street food dishes alongside some of the better-known meals traditionally
favoured here in the UK.
Dishes range from Pani Puri, hollow puris filled with spiced potatoes, white peas and chilled tangy-minty water, which Aditi describes as ‘sweet, sour, spicy and addictive in one bite’; to Chicken Kolhapuri, chicken in a bold, spicy, coconut-based
gravy with authentic Kolhapuri masalas. This, says Aditi, is ‘fiery, rustic and full of attitude’.
Diners can choose from selections of vegetarian and non-vegetarian specials, while there is also a lunch menu and a children’s menu, so that Rajdhani is truly offering something for everyone.
Rajdhani is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11am to 2pm and from 5pm to 10pm.
Rajdhani
5 & 7 Market Square, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 3UP 01279 801257 rajdhanilondon.com
PizzaExpress opened its third PizzaExpress Pod, a grab and go food outlet outside Tesco’s Brookfield Centre store in Cheshunt in September.
It follows openings over the past year of two other Pods – in Southampton and Swansea – that offer core menu items including dough balls, sides and starters, pasta and pizza from an open kitchen and collection window.
The Cheshunt Pod also offers a Bite Sized Lunch menu of smaller 8-inch pizzettas priced between £4.35 and £4.75 each, or £5.95 with a cold drink.
The Pod opens at 11.30am daily and closes at 9pm Sunday to Wednesday, and at 10pm from Thursday through to Saturday. As Axis went to press PizzaExpress was promoting a dough ball giveaway offer running until
Thursday 30th October with customers offered a free portion of dough balls with every collection order over £5.
PizzaExpress Pod is at Tesco, Brookfield Centre, Cheshunt, Waltham Cross EN8 0TA.
It also offers delivery via its own delivery service, Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat.
You can find out more about the Pod at pizzaexpress.com.
The Glass Lounge is a new all-day venue in Hoddesdon offering everything from morning coffee to evening cocktails – and lots in between.
It opened in early September at Elsie House, which many readers may know as the former Spinning Wheel building at the southern end of the High Street (if travelling from Hoddesdon towards Broxbourne, you will find it on the left-hand side just past The Spotlight).
The Glass Lounge’s Day Bites menu offers a combination of breakfast, brunch and lunch items. These include porridge pots, power bowls, toast and preserves and paninis as well as a great selection of cakes and pastries. The menu is served from opening until 4.30pm. By night, the space transforms into a chic cocktail lounge offering signature cocktails, a
selection of wines, sharing plates and modern tapas on an Evening Bites menu that features focaccia flatbreads, stone-baked pizza, sharing boards (both charcuterie and cheese) as well as hummus and hot pitta.
The Evening Bites menu is served from 7pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings and the kitchen closes at 9.30pm.
The full opening times are:
Monday to Wednesday 8.30am to 5pm; Thursday and Friday 8.30am to 10pm; Saturday 9am to 11pm and Sunday 9am to 1pm, with Sunday afternoons reserved for private events, which The Glass Lounge is happy to accommodate, whether it be a birthday party, corporate event or a get-together with friends.
The Glass Lounge Elsie House, 30 High Street, Hoddesdon EN11 8BP 07836 394085 theglasslounge.co.uk
New festive menu offers three exceptional courses plus a glass of Prosecco for a great set price
Modern day Christmas is a special time, a time for family and friends, a time for looking after ourselves and those we love –and Roni’s is certainly one special restaurant that is made for the festive season.
Roni’s is a locally-owned independent fine dining restaurant in the heart of Bishop’s Stortford’s North Street, established for five years. This year it was voted Best Restaurant in Herts and Beds in the Muddy Stilettos Awards too. Its success is showing how the concept of fine dining can be adapted to our current times. The food here is excellent. The surroundings are stylish without trying too hard to be overly opulent, the service is attentive and informed whilst still friendly, and the layout of the restaurant has been carefully thought through.
Roni’s unashamedly sets out to offer a memorable fine dining experience, one in which you will feel looked after and unrushed, yet one that is far from stuffy. The menu, of modern European fare, is large enough to have something for everyone, with all dishes freshly cooked using local ingredients where possible.
While the à la carte menu remains available through the run-up to Christmas, diners can also choose from a special
Christmas menu offering three courses with a glass of Prosecco for £69.99.
Starters include butterfly king prawns; Parma ham halloumi; duck and orange pork liver paté and seared scallops.
Christmas main courses feature roast turkey and all the trimmings if you fancy a traditional option, as well as slow roast pork belly; Moroccan stew; chef’s special lobster linguine and a 30-day matured 10oz sirloin steak.
Christmas pudding with brandy butter heads the festive menu’s dessert list, but if you’re saving that one for Christmas Day itself you can still feast on other options including sticky toffee pudding, an ice cream selection or San Sebastian Cheesecake.
The restaurant also has three private dining rooms upstairs – perfect for a private dinner party or small function, including one seating 20 and the stunning 12-seater Blue Room.
All in all, if you are looking for a restaurant that has the wow factor to make your festive get-together with friends, family or work colleagues even more memorable, book Roni’s now.
Roni’s 16 North Street, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 2LQ 01279 508856 ronisrestaurant.co.uk
This dog-friendly country pub is surrounded by countryside and offers fresh, home-cooked fare using seasonal ingredients and local suppliers wherever possible. A selection of staple pub classics and changing seasonal dishes keep the menu fresh and inviting all year round. The beers at this free house are well-kept and refreshing and the wines varied and affordable. The Grandison is open for lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday from 12noon to 3pm and then all day from 12noon to 11pm Thursday to Saturday and from noon to 7pm on Sunday.
18 Bury Lane, Bramfield SG14 2QL 01992 554077 grandisonpub.com
Nolaki is a high quality Turkish restaurant that has taken over the former Cock pub in Stansted Mountfitchet and transformed it into a stunning contemporary restaurant with an elegant interior and inventive dishes. Open seven days from 12noon until late, Nolaki offers lunch, dinner, fabulous wines and stunning cocktails. The restaurant is also available for private hire. From Monday to Friday 12-4pm it has a superb value two-course lunch menu for just £14.95 and a three-course lunch menu for £17.95. On Sunday, roasts are served from 12-5pm.
30 Silver Street, Stansted Mountfitchet CM24 8HD 01279 812964
nolaki.co.uk
Pircio is a family-run independent restaurant in Bishop’s Stortford that offers two different menus of Italian and Turkish cuisine. Both menus are cooked by teams of specialist chefs and diners can choose from pizza, pasta and other Italian classics or dishes such as halloumi, falafel, moussaka and lamb tagine. The historic Drill Hall building has been smartly refurbished and can seat 200 people downstairs whilst there is also a mezzanine for private dining. Pircio is open seven days a week, all day.
Drill Hall, Market Square Bishop’s Stortford CM23 3UU 01279 898181 pirciorestaurant.com
The award-winning Veyso’s has long been one of Hertford’s most talked-about restaurants. Its chefs use the finest ingredients and traditional skills to produce innovative signature dishes and desirable cocktails in a bold and stunning environment. Behind the doors of Veyso’s lies an interior as well crafted as the food, with hand-carved wall art, mother of pearl-embedded wall beams – and the iconic Veyso’s staircase that leads to the basement. Open 7 days a week, Veyso’s has a menu for every occasion, from a light lunch to a great celebration.
97-101 Fore Street, Hertford SG14 1AS 01992 550055 veysos.co.uk
Baan Thitiya, Bishop’s Stortford’s premier Thai restaurant, is perfect for relaxed dining. Close to Bishop’s Stortford town centre, it also has its own parking. The restaurant is decorated in a contemporary Thai style and the extensive menu features high quality food prepared by Thai chefs with an emphasis on fresh, healthy ingredients and authentic, natural flavours. The restaurant has just launched a new lunch menu and also has an excellent wine list. A warm welcome and great service await you. Baan Thitiya is open seven days for lunch and dinner.
102 London Road, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 3DS 01279 658575 baan-thitiya.com
Rapidly aproaching its first anniversary, Sabrosa Del Fuego is a Mexican-Spanish tapas restaurant that is based in the historic Boar’s Head pub building in Bishop’s Stortford High Street. With warm, ochre-painted walls the restaurant offers a wide range of tapas dishes together with regional specialities within four different dining areas, two on the ground floor, one each side of the entrance and bar area with its huge walk-in fireplace that radiates warmth the moment you enter. Sabrosa Del Fuego is open Tuesday to Sunday from 12noon.
30 High Street, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 2LX 01279 801468 sabrosadelfuego.com
The George IV offers exceptional restaurant cuisine within a warm, friendly and relaxed atmosphere. The team serve fresh and seasonal dishes, on both an à la carte and small plate menu, which can be enjoyed on the sun-drenched terrace over the summer months. Dart Club, located in the rear courtyard, is an interactive dart game that’s ideal for birthdays, team-building or just a friendly competition! The George IV can also be the perfect venue for your next event, such as an intimate wedding, baby shower, birthday or a special anniversary.
Cautherly Lane, Great Amwell SG12 9SW 01920 870039
info@georgeivpub.co.uk georgeivpub.co.uk
Thai takeaway & delivery
Ruay Rôt means ‘rich in flavour’ in Thai and that is precisely what the food you can order for takeaway or delivery from Hertford’s newest eatery is. Just down the road from its previous and hugely popular Baan Thitiya restaurant, this new takeaway outlet offers authentic Thai food for you to enjoy at home, continuing Baan Thitiya’s story after 20 years in Hertford. You can order by phone or through the GoGetters and Deliveroo apps for delivery to Hertford, Ware and Hoddesdon. The menu includes many vegan specials. Outside tables are also available on warmer days.
6 Old Cross, Hertford SG14 1RB 01992 587706
ruayrôt.co.uk
Asian Fusion
No.14, in the heart of Bishop’s Stortford, is taking Asian Fusion dining and luxury to new heights in the town. No expense has been spared on the interior decor at this three-storey venue. An updated range of menus has been launched, with new à la carte, sushi and Sunday roast menus all available. On Tuesday, you can enjoy limitless sushi, and on Sunday both brunch and roasts are served. There is now also a DJ every Friday, Saturday and Sunday with live jazz every Thursday. Book the Chef’s Table for the best seats in the house.
14 North Street, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 2LQ 01279 597548 no-14.com
Meze Bar & Grill
If you are looking to book a Christmas party or get-together, speak to Manto’s. Based in the former Old Star pub in Wormley, Broxbourne, Manto’s restaurant offers authentic Turkish cuisine with a modern twist, using only the finest ingredients for its dishes. Taking inspiration from Turkey’s heritage, Manto’s aims to celebrate regional flavours and give a true flavour of the Mediterranean. The restaurant is open seven days a week 12noon to midnight, offering lunch, food throughout the afternoon and dinner. There is also free parking for customers.
32 High Road, Wormley EN10 6LE 01992 414301 mantosrestaurant.com
The Golden Fleece is an old English pub with a modern twist. Set in the pretty village of Braughing, Jess and Peter Tatlow’s pub has been a favourite for over 15 years. The menu is updated bi-monthly, allowing for fresh, seasonal and delicious locally-sourced food, and a specials board also offers changing dishes. The Fleece has an exceptional reputation, with plenty of choice for diners with gluten or dairy allergies and vegans/vegetarians, allowing everyone to enjoy a visit. A large, secluded garden with play area is perfect on warmer days or enjoy log burners on cooler ones.
20 Green End, Braughing SG11 2PG 01920 823555 goldenfleecebraughing.co.uk
Roni’s, set in the heart of Bishop’s Stortford, is a fine dining restaurant where both the quality of food and the service combine to offer guests a memorable experience. Roni’s offers a wide range of traditional dishes, passionately crafted, including a vegan menu. There is a set lunch menu (Tuesday-Saturday) and a set evening menu (Tuesday-Thursday) while superb roasts are served on Sundays. You can also book the private dining room for your group or family. Roni’s is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 12noon, and closed on Monday.
16 North Street, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 2LQ 01279 508856 ronisrestaurant.co.uk
