aboutfram issue 28 - Spring issue

about fram

Issue Twenty Sixteen Eight Look no further than aboutfram, the local magazine that packs a Suffolk punch!

up me e k c Pi d tak ! an ome h me

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contents who’s about out & about 4

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about style about you

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36

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4 Breaking glass

36 Drawn to distraction

Looking through the chapel window with Arabella Marshall

Two Suffolk abstract artists play with our sense of scale and perspective

6 Out and about

42 Get growing!

A round up of local events

Now is the time to make your (vegetable) bed

10 Fashion fix Putting a spring in your step with pretty dresses and floral blouses

12 Fresh start New treatments, spas and beauty products for those pamper days

14 about owt Calling all aboutfram readers!

18 Wellbeing barn

48 Shaken and stirred Why Henry Chevallier Guild’s shrubs mean you can enjoy being a softy

54 about taste Two top dog delis make their mark at new sites

56 Cleavers, mint & cucumber cooler

Breathing light and space into a majestic old barn

A refreshing spring tonic to cleanse and detoxify

24 Get the look

58 Competition time

Beautiful interiors to refresh and restyle your home

Win a Half Day Spa for two at the fabulous Spa Kesgrave Hall

28 about town

62 Walking the gorse

We bring you the latest news about town

A circular walk at Dunwich is full of Eastern promise

about interiors

about town about the land

about design about gardens

about food about taste round & about

30 The plot thickens We dig the dirt with organic grower, Anna Greenland

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just the three of us... about us

This issue of aboutfram finds us exploring a 16th century barn, enjoying the delights of growing your own, taking in the view at Minsmere and admiring the most amazing abstract art, all whilst sipping cocktails – non-alcoholic of course! We also bring you a fabulous new competition, a wardrobe update with pretty spring styles and new interior ideas for your home. So, sit back, relax and enjoy.

Editorial Kathy Churchill Sales Sarah Clarke

aboutmedia info@aboutmedia.co.uk 01728 666352 www.aboutmedia.co.uk

Design Ferrar Design kerry@ferrar.co.uk

07884 433385 www.ferrar.co.uk

a bit about them...

Sadie Windscheffel-Clarke A talented wedding and commercial photographer and owner of Big Fish Photography. about interiors pg 18 about design pg 36 (Tassie Russell images) bigfishphotography.com M: 07950 208887

Our thanks also go to Jason Ingram for his images for about the land and to Tim Curtis, Deborah McCarthy and Stephen Wolfenden for their images for who’s about.

If you would like to sign up to the weekly aboutfram e-newsletter, please subscribe at www.aboutmedia/aboutfram 2

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who’s about

Breaking glass In a small, ruined chapel, tucked away where the wetlands at Minsmere merge with the ever-encroaching shingle beach, glass artist Arabella Marshall has installed a stunning fused glass window that thrusts its way skyward, punctuating the landscape with its vibrancy and broken beauty.

Arabella first had the idea for the piece nearly six years ago when she came across the chapel whilst walking from the village of Eastbridge out towards the coast. “I was fascinated by its location and also its sense of abandonment and wanted to create something that would both surprise and touch passers-by.” Although familiar with private commissions for her glass work, this was Arabella’s first public project, but she was delighted to have her initial 4

idea accepted and then supported by the RSPB, Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB, Historic England and Arts Council England for the five years of detailed planning and design that followed.

The installation, called ‘A Wing And A Prayer’, was erected towards the end of 2020 and is a bold visual statement that Arabella hopes will encourage visitors to engage with their immediate environment.

who’s about

“There is undeniable beauty and peace to be found here but also contradictions, as it sits within the shadow of Sizewell Power Station and is surrounded by the scattered evidence of World War II manoeuvres, so from the very beginning I knew the piece needed to be broken in order to reflect its surroundings.” The soaring glass sculpture is cut through with space, echoing the waterways that run through the marshes, its emerald greens and flashes of scarlet in contrast to the subtler hues of gold, ochre and soft mauves that decorate the landscape.

Created in her workshop at Bridge Farm, Brandeston, it wasn’t until the sculpture was in place that Arabella felt it finally came alive, the ever-changing light catching the brightly coloured glass, whose hundreds of fragments float

upwards like a flock of migrating birds.

This is only phase one of the project and with restrictions lifting, there is hope of future collaborations with other Suffolk artists, the Rural Coffee Caravan and dance companies, as well as a series of workshops with local primary schools.

Although Arabella did not design the piece with any religious connotations, standing in the ruins of this neglected chapel looking up at the window you cannot help but feel a certain sense of spirituality. Arabella found inspiration here and has created a sculpture that is a joyous celebration of life.

It invites conversation and contemplation and has restored this ancient ruin as a place of pilgrimage once again.

Head to www.awingandaprayer.org.uk to watch a beautiful video that brings it all to life or better still, visit in person.

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out & about

May 1st-30th Blue Sky A dazzling collection of art, ceramics and sculpture hosted online

by Art for Cure and raising funds for breast cancer www.artforcure.org.uk

8th Artisan & Producers Market A fantastic new festival on the beach at Felixstowe

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June 20th-2nd June A Walk around Woodbridge Exhibition of work by local artist Michael Coulter. Art Space Gallery, Woodbridge

28th-6th June Sudbourne Printmakers Exhibition A delightful exhibition of prints held at The Printroom Studio, Sweffling

1st Suffolk Open Studios Artists and makers across the county open their studios throughout the weekends of June.

23rd Aldeburgh Yacht Club Open Day Come and try your hand at sailing. Please book your slot online

30th-31st Spring Plant Fair & Artisan Market Two days packed with beautiful blooms and fabulous ideas for the garden.

Helmingham Hall

6th Garden Celebration Day A glorious celebration of floral demonstrations, flowers, plants and pots. 10.30am-4pm at Wingfield Barns

www.aldeburghyc.org.uk

Family Crafts in the Woods Bow and arrows, wooden jewellery making, gift stalls and refreshments.

White House Farm Nature Reserve Please book via sinfieldtrust.eventbrite.com

www.suffolkopenstudios.org

Flora Explorer Event Have fun identifying the flora of our wildflower meadow. Small group sessions. White House Farm Nature Reserve.

Please book via sinfieldtrust.eventbrite.com

out & about

July 10th-16th Beyond the curve An exhibition from three talented printmakers emerging from lockdown.

Snape Maltings 11th New Exhibition New paintings, prints and works on paper from Amanda Edgcombe and Tassie Russell.

The Printroom Studio 26th Beach of Dreams An epic 500 mile art installation from Lowestoft to Tilbury from First Light and Kinetika

4th The Canterbury Tales A fast, furious and occasionally filthy outdoor performance that brings Chaucer’s characters to life.

Wingfield Barns From 9th On a Knife Edge Nature in Peril A visual call to arms from The Lettering Arts Trust, Snape Maltings

22nd-25th Latitude Suffolk’s family-friendly musical festival.

Henham Park 24th-25th Great British Food Festival A foodie day out for the family – artisan producers, real ale and wine bars, craft and gift stalls, children’s entertainment, foraging walks & top chef demos.

Helmingham Hall

31st-5th Sept International Miniprint Exhibition An amazing collection of mini prints from across the world.

Weds-Sun Wingfield Barns

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LOCAL INDEPENDENT TRAVEL AGENCY 01728 748209 www.travelwithjules.co.uk

A magnificent Grade II listed timber-framed 16th century barn in the heart of the Waveney Valley

Upcoming events include: • A Garden Celebration | 6th June • The Tempest | 25th June • The Canterbury Tales | 4th July

Unique Wedding Venue | Private Hire for courses and classes from just £30

Call us on 01379 384505 or visit our website www.wingfieldbarns.com

photo by Marcus Harpur

programme of events including: 30th & 31st May 17th & 23rd June 27th June

Spring Plant Fair & Artisan Market Midsummer Nights – open until 9.00pm Music in the Garden – Jax & Co

8th & 15th July 24th & 25 July

Midsummer Nights – open until 900pm Great British Food Festival

1st August 26th – 29th August

Festival of Classic Sports Cars Outdoor Cinema

Printroom studio showcases the best of international contemporary printmaking and we do beautiful, simple and inexpensive custom framing Find us on www.printroom.studio

photo by TriggerAir

Helmingham is famous for its Grade 1 listed gardens, redesigned by Lady Tollemache (a Chelsea Gold Medallist) set within a 400 acre deer park surrounding the moated Tudor Hall. Visitors are enchanted by the herbaceous boarders within the walled kitchen garden, the rose & knot, herb and wild gardens. A delicious range of local food is served in the range of local produce, plants and garden accessories.

Winner of the HHA/Christie’s Garden of the Year 2017 Helmingham Hall Gardens, E events@helmingham.com T 01473 890799 www.helmingham.com

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about style 1

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Put a spring in your step 1. Pink cardigan White Stuff @ Fleur £36 2. Calvin Klein sunglasses Country Vision From £120

3. Cotton summer dress Part Two @ Phoebe & Flo £99.95 4. Basket bags Odile @ Matisa Market From £95 5. Lola sandal Barbour @ Out & About Country Fashion £64.95

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about style 8

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6. Seaglass necklaces Drift Jewellery From £108 7. Butterfly dresses Ruby Tyger £39 8. May dress Only @ Out & About Country Fashion £18 9. Floral print dress Luisa Cerano @ Darcy B £65.55 10. Pretty blouses POM @O&C Butcher

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11.Spring style Ruby & the Angel 12. Cashmere & silk jumper Jean & Temple @ Joli £135

Stockists on page 64

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about you

Fresh start Power plant

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Tune in

The Retreat Beauty Salon is excited to be offering Radio Frequency Facials. This amazing new treatment promises to reduce fine lines, improve skin tone, lift jawline, neck and cheeks, and promote collagen production. Sounds incredible – book us in! www.theretreatfram.co.uk

Relax in style

Bringing together an abundance of natural light streaming through the large glass windows, beautifully designed interiors and wooden features, the new Spa at Kesgrave Hall is a haven of relaxation and rejuvenation.

Offering a wide choice of spa packages, this sounds like just the place to unwind with friends. www.milsomshotels.com

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Onwards & upwards

The all new eco-range at Ruby and the Angel in Debenham includes the fabulous Eco Upcircle beauty products.

Choose from deliciously scented face toner with chamomile and tangerine, eye cream with maple and coffee, or the ultra-gentle cleansing face balm. All are 100% vegan, cruelty-free and UK made. www.rubyandtheangel.co.uk

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Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri: 9.00-1.00 & 2.00-5.00 Sat: Open for Eye Appointments

with Elie Classes on Kettleburgh Village Green (moving to a local hall when restrictions allow) • • • • • • • • •

Relaxed & friendly group No pressure!

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The sessions will be gentle and laid back with an emphasis on how to hoop safely. But it’s not all about hula hooping!

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Please contact me to book your place and find out more 07976 299297 | eliewri24@hotmail.co.uk | FB/PowerhoopElie 13

Calling all aboutfram magazine readers!!

Do you fit ANY of the following criteria: • New to the area • Enjoy a good read • Looking for local trade recommendations • A lover of the Arts, Music, Festivals and Theatre • Interested in the local Food, Drink & Retail scene If so, it’s time you signed up to our FREE aboutfram newsletter!!

Out every Friday afternoon, this little gem has been winging its way into 1000’s of inboxes since 2012, promoting local businesses, events, good news stories and supporting local charities and community initiatives.

So, what are you waiting for?

Just visit www.aboutmedia.co.uk/aboutfram and subscribe!

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Art Of Lighting Angel Rooms, The Street, Peasenhall Suffolk IP17 2HJ Saturdays: 10am–5pm Sundays: 10am–4pm At other times by appointment

www.georgejuniper.co.uk 01728 660 797

• Antiques • 21st Century Decorations • Garden Furniture • Cosmic Ephemera • Paintings • Lighting • Textiles Interior Decoration Consultation Buying, appraisals and house calls gladly undertaken Open Mon, Weds – Sat: 10.30 – 5pm (closed Tues) Sun: 11 – 4pm T: 07960 038280 E: danielleswan@mac.com / swanmaisonetjardin 21 High St, Debenham, Stowmarket IP14 6QL

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about interiors

18

Wellbeing barn

about interiors

Sally Rundell has lived in her converted barn on the outskirts of Earl Soham for over twenty-five years. Set within three acres of wooded gardens, this wonderful family home has played host to countless children’s parties, celebrations and even a wedding, but is now being reinvented as a retreat for wellbeing.

As I pull into the shingle drive, I spot Sally enjoying the morning sun in the cart lodge to the side of the barn, which has been converted into a comfortable seating area with wicker sofas, pretty floral cushions and strings of fairy lights. Like for so many of us, living spaces have been redefined over the last 12 months, however there is something rather lovely about having coffee al fresco on a fresh spring day. We take a tour of the garden and Sally points out an orchard of apple, pear and quince trees planted when the children were small and a wooden boardwalk leading to a circular deck that

was used for her son’s wedding last year.

Purposefully positioned benches sit in the shade of weeping willows or overlooking the pond, and a newly planted woodland of a thousand saplings invites investigation.

Turning back towards the barn you are greeted by an attractive oak-framed garden room, reflections of nodding daffodils glinting in the bi-folding doors that open out to a south-facing patio. Sally and Chris, her husband, only added this new extension in 2019, but already it has become central to life here.

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about interiors

A beautifully calm space that has been decorated with a subtle palette of creams and golds, it is their favourite place to sit and enjoy the view or for days spent working from home. We step up and into the light-filled entrance hall, where an enormous story-telling chair is a reminder of Sally’s forty years in education, and then through another set of glass doors that were once the original entrance to the barn.

There is a quite a contrast from the open plan feel of the garden room to the interior of this 450 year old barn, but it is wonderfully atmospheric, with a huge vaulted ceiling and magnificent fireplace that is home to a wood-burning stove.

On the main wall, sections of the original barn doors make for dramatic artwork and a central wrought iron chandelier, forged

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at Easton Farm Park, adds a touch of medieval grandeur. Staircases rise on both sides, and to the left, a quarter-turn allows you to stand looking out across the dining hall as if to address a congregation, and Sally admits to ‘the pulpit’ being used theatrically at various parties over the years.

This takes you to what were originally the boys’ bedrooms, but these have recently been knocked through to create a lovely double guest room with private bathroom.

On the other side, stairs lead to a galleried landing, perfect for childhood games of hideand-seek, and off here is the charmingly elegant master bedroom.

There is a very welcoming feel to the barn, and I love the raspberry sitting room, the light bouncing off its walls to cast a rosy glow over the comfy looking sofas. Some

about interiors

of the doors are inlaid with unusual stained-glass panels, the colours being complemented by the striking contemporary artwork, and small mullion windows add interest and detail. As we explore, Sally reminisces, and it is obvious that this has been an incredibly happy home that has effortlessly adapted to the needs of the family over the years. We complete our circuit by returning to the cart lodge via a sheltered courtyard garden to the rear.

Inspired by the gardens at Sissinghurst, the planting follows a white theme and being tucked away just off the kitchen, it offers a peaceful place to enjoy breakfast before the start of a busy day.

With so much to offer, Sally, who is an experienced wellbeing and leadership coach, has decided to use her home as the

hub for a series of retreat days. Called ‘Rise up Restart’’ these days will allow guests an opportunity to stand back from their lives in order to find a way forward, and she will be offering both corporate wellbeing days, supporting teams as we move out of the pandemic, and women only days, focusing on common themes such as searching for a better life/work balance and planning for retirement as a fulfilling new stage of life.

Sally is a generous host, and her beautiful home makes for the perfect backdrop, offering space for private reflection as well as a nurturing environment where you can learn the skills needed to take back control.

It has been an uplifting morning and I leave feeling both inspired and empowered by our time spent chatting. www.riseuprestart.com

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about interiors

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Get the look 1. Blue mug East of Eden £19 2. Antique treasures Dix-Sept 3. Handwoven baskets Vanil £20-45

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4. Flowery water bottle Woodbridge Kitchen Co. £18.95 5. Think Pink cushions

by F.ROZE from £70 6. Festoon lights Barretts £59 (10m)

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about interiors

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7. Cotton rug A Swedish Home £38

8. ECO Solar lanterns Ruby and the Angel £32.99 9. Blue glass light Snape Maltings £100

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10.Wooden houses Narwhal Interiors from £10 11.Pretty bud vases collated £9 12.Weber’s BBQ book Fram Cook Shop £14

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13.Beautiful velvet chair Narwhal Interiors £495

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14. Jungle power @ Ruby Tyger 15. Beautiful tiling Just Tiles

16 Stockists on page 64

16. Industrial chic from Tings amazing things 25

Contador

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Art at the heart of the community

Anna Mac

Fiona Grady

about town

The Art Station continues to make amazing progress with its refurbishment of the old telephone exchange on Saxmundham High Street – now with brightly painted doors so you can’t miss it! The refurbishment has been made possible thanks to a popular crowdfunding campaign and funding from New Anglia LEP, East Suffolk Council and Magnox Ltd, and local trusts.

With six studios now occupied and ‘The Waiting Place’, an exhibition of work that responds to the year of waiting, opening virtually in April and face-to-face in May, this fabulous creative hub is already making its mark on the local community.

Although in its infancy, The Art Station has it within its sight to unlock much more potential and effect real change, enabling people to come together and form communities around the creative industries and tech, in the months to come.

To get in touch regarding available workspace, becoming a volunteer or a donation to help with the refurbishment, email info@theartstation.uk www.theartstation.uk

Moving with the times Eastwood Property Consulting is a new and exciting independent property advisory service based near Framlingham. Owner, Carl Eastwood, is a residential property expert with over 25 years’ experience selling and buying prime property and has been a partner and director for several East Anglian based leading property companies. Carl’s local knowledge is outstanding, and he approaches each client’s personal situation objectively, with complete discretion, confidentiality and impartiality at all times.

For owners, his services include advice on improving and adding value to their property assets, adapting property for later life, and ongoing maintenance. For buyers, he provides an in-depth property search service as well as negotiating the best purchase price and terms. Carl’s carefully considered advice is sympathetic to each client’s personal position so if you feel now is the time to start exploring your options, please get in touch. www.eastwoodpropertyconsulting.com 28

A plucky couple ‘Journey Through The Roke’ is a mighty record. Lucy Hart is a stunningly good singer with one the most powerful voices around & Honey And The Bear are high on my “to see” list when we’re allowed out again.’ folking.com

about about interiors town

After five years touring the folk circuit, Blaxhall based multi-instrumental songwriters Honey & The Bear (Lucy and Jon Hart) found themselves grounded by COVID, but out of adversity their latest album ‘Journey Through the Roke’ was born. A genre-hopping, smorgasbord mix of songs rooted in folk but branching into Americana, country, rock, and mainstream-nudging numbers, which all co-exist seamlessly.

Already having received airplay on the BBC Radio 2 Folk Show amongst others, the album is now out! To celebrate its launch, they are performing at Snape Maltings on Sunday 30th May with a full band line-up.

Tickets are now on sale from the Snape Maltings box office. www.honeyandthebear.co.ukwww.

The sky’s the limit Award-winning artist, Stephen Watkins has a new studio and exhibition space at Stonham Barns where you can see his fabulous city, and now Framlingham Castle, skylines up close.

Specialising mainly in city skylines in various styles that blend his experience as an architect with his passion as an artist, he has been commissioned and sold over 200 paintings around the world.

Originally approaching art as a hobby, he got his start as a local artist in Doha when some early paintings of his were taken to a local gallery and immediately sold. “I just want people to get lost in my paintings, to get sucked into the detail, and to sink into the memories of important places they have been to.”

So, if you fancy gazing up at the London, Manchester or New York skyline without leaving Suffolk, pop on over and take in the views. You might find yourself taking one home too! www.sjwatkins.com 29

about the land

The plot thickens

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about the land

For the past decade, Anna Greenland has tended the vegetable gardens of some of the UK’s top restaurants but having fallen in love with a beautiful old Suffolk barn in need of restoration, she has now decided it’s finally time to start digging her own plot.

Anna’s real passion for growing was first piqued in Cornwall, where she supplied mixed salad leaves and edible flowers to Jamie Oliver’s newly opened Fifteen Cornwall, and worked at The Lost Gardens of Heligan. Wanting to explore the organic gardening route further, in 2010 she enrolled at the University of California, Santa Cruz to study Ecological Horticulture.

“At the time, California was seen as the mecca for organic growers, and I had six blissful months living a very rural life on the university farm.” The course led to Anna becoming involved in a setting up a sustainable urban food programme at the renowned Huntington Botanical Gardens

in Los Angeles – the US equivalent of Kew. On her return to the UK, Anna was delighted to land a job as the head vegetable gardener at Raymond Blanc’s Michelin starred Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. “It was an amazing experience. At the time, Raymond was at the forefront of redefining our concepts of what to expect from restaurant menus and we would grow experimental vegetables and new varieties of edible flowers and perennials, always pushing the boundary in terms of taste.” After three years, Anna was asked by Soho Farmhouse to create the fruit, herb, and vegetable gardens for their new boutique hotel in the Cotswolds. This brought new challenges as 31

about the land

the garden was nothing but a muddy patch of land that needed transforming into a productive organic vegetable garden in less than six months. “It was exciting and terrifying at the same time, but such a privilege to bring to fruition all that I had learnt. After three fun, vibrant and slightly mad years, I was proud of the mature, bountiful and established garden I left behind.”

Looking for the next chapter, in 2018 Anna and her husband Hugo viewed a derelict barn overlooking the Deben Valley and instantly fell in love - both with the location, and the possibilities it promised. Luckily, they were able to rent the neighbouring farmhouse whilst they set about transforming the barn into a family home and creating their own potager garden.

Anna shows me around and soon I am lost 32

in her vison of the sheltered courtyard garden, the wildflower meadow and orchards, and the promise of the teaching classroom where she plans to run courses and host supper clubs. It is indeed a magical spot, with sweeping views out across the planned kitchen garden to the Suffolk countryside beyond, and I love the mix of materials, from the original timber cladding of the main barn to the wonderful patina of the Corten steel sheets on the extension.

It is a three-year project, but they have comfortably settled into life at the farmhouse, and the family now includes their 18-month-old daughter Bonnie and dog Fig. Hugo is project managing the build and Anna spent lockdown writing a book for first time gardeners called ‘Grow Easy’, which will be out this September. We sit

about the land

chatting in the sunshine outside the farmhouse kitchen whilst little Bonnie explores the garden, bucket in hand, and Fig repeatedly drops a ball into my lap with a look of hopeful expectancy! Anna comes from a long line of gardeners and has fond memories of watching her father working on his allotment or visiting her grandmother’s beautiful flower garden.

“Although I love growing, for me it is all about how I will be able to use the ingredients in the kitchen. I love picking summer salad leaves, rocket and French sorrel to mix with edible flowers such as colourful nasturtiums and calendula, and nothing beats digging the first row of new potatoes and plunging them straight into a tub of salted boiling water to be served with fresh parsley and butter.”

Anna has certainly made good use of the farmhouse garden. The lawn is now a patchwork of vegetable beds, metal tubs brim with the brightly coloured stems of last year’s flamingo chard, terracotta pots nurture a mix of fragrant herbs, and a chipped teapot is growing a jaunty hat of chive spikes.

Suffolk has always welcomed those who love the land and with Anna’s appetite for growing, I cannot wait to see how her new kitchen garden flourishes and what rich pickings it will provide for future suppers. www.annagreenland.co.uk

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BLUE SKY

30th April - 30th May 2021

A dazzling collection of art, ceramics and sculpture raising money for the cure and care of breast cancer.

Registered Charity No. 1175161 ONLINE EXHIBITION www.artforcure.org.uk

34

‘Diving Into The Ocean of Life’ (series II) by Dawn Conn

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about design

Drawn to abstraction

36

about design

Amanda Edgcombe and Tassie Russell are both abstract painters whose work draws on the architectural, urban and rural influences that surround us. This June they are combining their talents at an exciting new exhibition, so I take a sneak preview at what they have been up to over lockdown.

Amanda and Tassie met life drawing in Suffolk, where they quickly struck up a friendship sparked by their intuitive mark making and similar way of working. Both are very at ease working on a large scale and their pieces share the same sense of being reconstructed from the inside out and playing with our sense of perspective and dimension. The exhibition, which has been carefully curated by Monica Petzal of The Printroom Studio in Sweffling, is a culmination of work produced both prior too, and during lockdown as it was originally planned for spring 2020, and I

am interested to see what the last twelve months has meant to them both.

Tassie is based over at Snape, where she lives in charming cottage that started life in the 17th century as a music room. Over the years it has been extended to become a wonderful fusion of flint, brick, glass and timber, with the interior decor effortlessly combining antique sofas and vintage collectibles with streamlined contemporary shapes and surfaces. Tassie is a professional artist who studied at The Slade School of Fine Art in London, and has exhibited widely as a painter, photographer 37

about design

and printmaker. She takes me out to her studio in the garden, a wonderfully creative space where half-finished canvases line the walls four deep, old tins are jammed with paint brushes and tubes of paint, and her desk is surrounded by photos and small sketches taped to the wall, allowing her to sit and absorb the tone and structure of her next piece.

Tassie’s paintings are bold; strong blues and greys add depth, the asymmetrical blocks of colour giving them a fragile solidity, where dimensions are warped, and your depth of field challenged. There is an architectural beauty to her work, her inspiration coming from looking at ordinary objects, spaces, buildings, and random traces of human activity and expressing how these leave their mark on the environment. “I have always been 38

interested in creating imaginary architectural spaces as subject matter for my paintings and often work on a large scale, laying the canvas on the floor in order to get an aerial perspective and then building the picture up, layer after layer, using mixed media to add texture and form.”

This layering is also be found throughout Amanda’s beautiful abstracts. Using a softer palette of pinks, creams and earthy browns, her work has a great sense of storytelling, with every painting inviting you to invent your own rhetoric. Amanda’s studio overlooks the gardens and newly landscaped grounds of the moated hall she and her husband Chris are currently renovating. It is a beautiful spot and together they are breathing life back into the place, carefully revealing the layers

about design

of time and reinventing the living spaces.

“My recent work has been influenced by the constant discovery and reinvention that restoring an old property brings, not just within the house but also out in the barns and on the land, as it is important not to make decisions that will dilute its intrinsic beauty.”

Amanda, who also studied at The Slade, has completed commissions for public funded bodies, architects, corporate and private clients and completed various fine art installations of print work, paintings, and architectural glass. As a multidiscipline artist, she enjoys using a mix of different mediums and textures, and is happy working quickly, often switching between paintings and drawings, allowing the creative process to happen naturally and with spontaneity. “I have become obsessed with imagining aerial views of our

property, the circular moat, the geometrical shapes and lines of the surrounding fields and hedges, and the criss-crossing paths scored by hare and deer.” This is reflected in her recent work, whose textured surfaces and gouged lines allow you to imagine outlines of ancient settlements and the footprint of the rural landscape.

Abstract art is fluid in nature, often referencing the unseen spaces and messages woven within the layers, and both Amanda and Tassie are masters at this. Individually their work is relevant and compelling, but with their shared sense of scale and perspective, this joint exhibition is definitely one to visit. tassierussell.co.uk & amandaedgcombe.com The exhibition takes place at The Printroom Studio, Sweffling from the 11th June. www.printroom.studio 39

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about gardens

Get growing!

Last year saw a nation attempt self-sufficiency with results that ranged from the incredulous delight of harvesting one single ripe tomato to trugs over-flowing with freshly picked runner beans or buckets of newly dug potatoes.

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about gardens

Being in the first camp, this year I have invested in three shiny new raised beds and armed with trowel, fork and bags and bags of well-rotted manure am ready to get growing.

Being a veggie patch virgin, I aim to keep it simple and so far have trays of sprouting broccoli and red beet purchased from Framlingham Market in anticipation of planting once the frosts have passed, and potatoes quietly chitting in egg boxes.

However, growing from seed is a true test of gardening prowess (not that difficult says Sarah!), but nevertheless in May I will be sowing peas, runner beans and lettuce.

Lettuce seeds are sown thinly in rows, ideally in small batches every 2 weeks to ensure a summer-long supply. Peas should be planted in parallel trenches at a depth of 3cm and about 10cm apart. Runner beans, which always remind me of a bag of oldfashioned sweets, are best grown in pots

– one bean per pot – and placed in a sheltered position until the seedlings reach 8cm, before planting out in June/July.

Google has provided some great ideas for supporting my precious seedlings, from foraging for hazels twigs to building bamboo wigwams for the beans, and for my peas, A-frames with mesh or twine that the allows the tendrils to grow laterally – who knew!

As we head into summer and hopefully fete season, I am looking forward to picking up trays of tomato plants that have being lovingly nurtured in someone else’s greenhouse, plus a few courgette and pumpkin plants. The beds will brim over with rows of lettuce and maybe, I will become one of those people who nonchalantly wanders out to their vegetable garden with a special harvesting knife to rustle up a salad – I’m keeping my green fingers crossed.

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about gardens

It’s showtime!

Who doesn’t love May? Fresh new growth paints the garden with splashes of delicate green, sweet-smelling lilac fills the air, and pots of pansies still bring a smile every time you step outside. Borders are dotted with ever eager aquilegias, bee-friendly geraniums, elegant delphiniums and, if you are lucky, the joyous blooms of peonies which bring such fleeting beauty. The garden is alive with the freshness of spring, and as the smell of freshly cut grass carries on the breeze, we are filled with optimism for what lies ahead.

As we move into June, all the hard work earlier in the year starts to pay off and carefully planned planting schemes put on a summer show. Boldly coloured lupins look great mixed in with drifts of heleniums and

Tales from the potting shed 44

May Harden off annuals Divide clumps of hostas Prune penstemons

echinaceas, whose daisy-like flowers add vibrancy, especially against a back planting of lime-green euphorbias, and I am especially fond of Astrantia (also known as Hattie’s pincushions) for their charming little flowerheads that pop with pretty pinks.

July, and the heat is on! As the sun sees us enjoying our gardens with friends and family, we can enjoy the razzle dazzle of dahlias, the hot pinks of phlox and the dancing stems of ruby gauras, the deep orange hues of crocosmia and rows of cheerful marigolds. Jugs, vases, and vintage teacups can be filled with deliciously scented sweet peas and fragrant roses, and what better way to end the day than taking a stroll around your garden and soaking up all it has to offer.

June Deadhead roses Tie in climbers Thin out hardy annuals

July Water at dusk Cut back hardy geraniums Prune wisteria

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about food

Shaken & stirred

48

about food

Henry Chevallier Guild, an eighth generation cyder and vinegar maker who has been instrumental in making Aspall an internationally renowned brand, is now turning his attention to range of alcohol-free botanical syrups. We find out if setting up Nonsuch Shrubs has turned him into a softy.

For the past two decades, Henry and his brother Barry have been synonymous with the brand Aspall and are responsible for creating a range of products that are now recognised around the world. A chilled bottle of Aspall Cyder is indeed a thing of delectation, especially on a hot summer’s day after a few hours in the garden, and their organic vinegars are a store cupboard staple in many a Suffolk household.

However, in 2018, after realising that in order for the brand to continue to grow and develop they needed serious investment, they sold it to the multinational drinks company, Morson Coors. The family still

own the apple orchards just outside Debenham, continuing to supply Aspall with the juice, and Henry and Barry have been retained on the Board to make sure the transition runs smoothly.

Throughout his time at Aspall, Henry was always interested in the technical and chemical processes, especially making vinegar from cyder, and his new venture, Nonsuch Shrubs, was born out of this curiosity. During a particularly lack lustre ‘dry October’, when he and his wife Lizzie were bored with the alternatives on offer, Henry decided to make a drink that would 49

about food

satisfy their need for something a little different. “We wanted something that had body and behaved like an alcohol-based drink – it needed to be sipped, poured over ice and have layers of flavour.” Knowing that the Victorians were partial to summer refreshers or ‘temperance tonics’, Henry started experimenting with his own vinegar-based drinks, balanced with fruit sugars and botanicals.

“Once I started looking into this in more detail, I discovered that fruit vinegars, or shrubs as they were known, have been around for centuries and were particularly popular with members of court during the Ottoman Empire.” The word shrub is derived from the Arabic word ‘sharab’, which was a drink originally made from the vinegar used to preserve the precious date harvests, and even further back, the 50

legionnaires of Ancient Rome drank posca, a medicinal mixture of vinegar, herbs and water. It seems they knew what they were doing, as Henry’s own concoctions went down a treat with friends who were at the wheel or off the drink, and so in 2018, with newfound time on his hands, he founded Nonsuch Shrubs.

From his workshop over at Bentwaters, Henry has tried and tested a variety of flavours and combinations, and there are currently six shrub syrups and sodas to enjoy. These include such fabulous combinations as Wild Hedgerow & Rose; Blackcurrant and Juniper; Blood Orange & Bitter Lemon; and Caramelised Pineapple & Ginger. All share the same organic vinegar base - supplied by Aspall - and Henry sources the fruits and botanicals from the hedgerows of Suffolk to the

about food

far-flung shores of Spain and Sicily. The cyder vinegar gives them an acidity which is perfectly balanced by the fruit sugars, whilst the botanicals give the drinks a slight bitterness, adding body and a depth of flavour that makes them behave more like their alcoholic counterparts.

Henry’s aim is to reinvent shrubs for the 21st century, making them relevant, modern, and fashionable. The shrubs syrups are brilliantly versatile as they can be mixed with soda or sparkling water to make a long refreshing summer drink or used as the base for an alcohol-free cocktail. Interestingly, during lockdown, Henry also discovered that they are the perfect mixer for nearly any type of alcohol.

“The four shrub syrups work in such harmony with spirits that we are now looking at working with bars and

restaurants to create our own specialised cocktail lists. We have used them for everything from a Harvey Wallbanger, where the Blood Orange & Bitter Lemon is shaken over ice with vodka and Galliano, to our take on the classic Cosmopolitan, which swaps out the cranberry and Cointreau for Wild Hedgerow & Rose.”

Nonsuch is a suffix for different apple varieties, the word meaning ‘without compare’, and I must agree that there is nothing on the soft drinks market that comes anywhere close to Henry’s botanical shrubs. I am also rather curious to have a little cocktail shake-up and have my eye on a Mexican Breakfast Margarita followed by a Pink Grapefruit & Pineapple Spritz – well, I’m not driving! www.nonsuchshrubs.com 51

Hidden treasure for all to enjoy Ufford Park Woodbridge Hotel, Golf and Spa

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THE BELL AT CRETINGHAM Situated in the picturesque village of Cretingham, The Bell is the perfect country pub.

With a large rose garden to the front, and decking under the shady pergola where you can enjoy an al fresco supper or just meet friends for a few drinks, please come and visit us soon!

Try a real ale or glass of wine, as you relax in the bar with a light bite to eat.

If you prefer something more substantial, take a seat in the restaurant. Fish Platters, Ploughman’s and Sandwiches. Steaks, Pies and Daily Specials.

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Come and see us soon!

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OPEN FROM WEDNESDAY, 19TH MAY FOR LUNCH AND DINNER closed Sunday dinner, Monday and Tuesday

A neighbourhood restaurant serving authentic Italian food with favourites such as frittura of brown shrimps, wood-roasted lamb shoulder with salsa verde, linguine with crab and violet artichokes – and our famously good tiramisu Please book online at www.watsonandwalpole.com 3 Church Street Framlingham IP13 9BQ 53

Weaving culinary magic about taste

in da cottage on Crown & Anchor Lane in Framlingham is now taking Saturday deliveries of a wonderful range of organic bread baked by Ben Mackinnon, founder of the amazing E5 Bakehouse in London (who we wrote about in issue 26), and organic savoury and sweet tarts cooked by Nicola Hordern, formerly of Darsham Nurseries.

Order online to be sure of delivery – from midday onwards – at www.fellowsfarm.co.uk where you’ll also find details on a couple of courses in June and July on making sourdough bread and weaving your own proving basket, amongst other things!

Oh, to be so creative…

That’s the spirit!

Fishers Gin in Aldeburgh has launched the UK’s first London Dry Smoked Gin. This is the latest addition to a growing portfolio of coastal gins from this much heralded and relative newcomer to the UK gin market. To create Smoked Fishers, owner Andrew Heald wanted to capture not only the Suffolk coast, but the very specific East Anglian smokehouse flavour for which the region is famous. He got in touch with his friends up the road at Pinney’s of Orford, who’ve been smoking fish for three generations. The Fishers recipe is hung in hessian sacks and left at Pinney’s smokehouse for five days, to allow enough of their signature smoke flavour to penetrate the botanicals without losing their unique characteristics.

Andrew comments, “I’ve always wanted to create a Smoked Gin using the London dry method, and I think I’m as excited about this release as I was our first Fishers Original. The flavour is fantastic. If you like smoked whiskies, you’ll love this.”

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about taste

Two Top Dog Delis making their mark with new sites The Black Dog Deli has opened a second deli and fully licensed bistro with Chef Damien Riseley and his wife Gemma at the helm. Set on the high street in Halesworth, Black Dog Deli’s range majors on homemade savories, sweets, freshly baked breads and freshly roasted coffee, the aroma of which wafts out tantalizingly into the thoroughfare. Damien’s Cypriot heritage has brought the locals a taste of the Mediterranean and his bistro has a menu featuring small plates - many showcasing fabulous fresh local fish – all priced under £10. Damien says ‘I am very proud to be part of the Black Dog family and equally a part of Halesworth and the local community. We hope to be able to support the local economy and bring something new, fresh and exciting to this wonderful town.’

Husband and wife team, Charles & Eilir, own and run The Dog, the much-loved pub in Grundisburgh. During lockdown, Eilir decided to open up Grundisburgh Dog Deli within the pub and such was its success that she is now expanding into a fully blown gourmet food store and micro café in what was the village Post Office, selling over 50 types of cheese, giant sausage rolls, scotch eggs, indulgent brownies, continental pastries and plenty more besides; much of which will have been prepared just across the road in the pub kitchen.

With a wonderful array of premium local produce and ingredients from further afield sitting alongside delicious home-baked delights on the counter, the only potential problem we foresee may just be resisting all the tempting treats!

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about taste

Cleavers, mint and cucumber cooler A refreshing spring tonic to cleanse and detoxify.

Ingredients Freshly picked young cleaver shoots Sliced cucumber Fresh mint Water

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Method Cleavers (Galium aparine), aka Sticky Willy or Goosegrass, is easily found at this time of year, its sticky leaves creeping through the garden and curling up towards the light. Great fun can always be had from secretly sticking it to the back of some poor unsuspecting victim, but did you know you can also use it to make a refreshing drink that is perfect for this time of the year?

A member of the coffee family, cleaver shoots contain diuretic properties that can help cleanse the lymphatic system after a long, sluggish winter. Our lymph system removes waste from our body and is bound up with our

immune system, and cleavers works by clearing toxins and reducing heat as it is a cooling herb.

Grab a few handfuls of young shoots from your garden (don’t pull up the root) and wash carefully to remove any bugs.

Bash the shoots with a wooden spoon or rolling pin to release more of the juices and then add them to a 1 Litre jug or jar. Pop in some sprigs of mint and slices of cucumber and top with water.

Leave in the fridge to infuse overnight and enjoy the next day as a refreshing cold infusion.

PS. The infusion also makes a fantastic face wash as it helps tighten the skin, so you get two for the price of one.

(Recipe courtesy of Anna Greenland – as always with foraging, make sure you are certain you have identified the plant properly)

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Competition!

Win a Half Day Spa for two at Spa Kesgrave Hall with a fabulous pampering treatment and lunch.

We are delighted to have teamed up with Milsoms Kesgrave Hall to offer you the chance to win a Half Day Spa for two worth £125 per person. You can choose to either spend the morning (9am-1pm) or afternoon (1.30pm-5.30pm) relaxing in the newly opened Spa Kesgrave Hall, and will have full use of the facilities, tea or coffee on arrival, a £30 voucher for lunch at Milsoms Kesgrave Hall, and one of the following luxurious treatments: • Elemis 55 Minute Touch Facial • Peaceful Pregnancy • Luxury Manicure or Luxury Pedicure • Elemis Full Body Massage A wonderful treat to look forward to with someone special. www.milsomhotels.com/spa-kesgrave-hall 58

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By entering this competition, you give your consent for your email address to be added to our aboutfram database. Your email address will not be shared with any other companies apart from Milsoms. Please indicate in your email if you do not wish to give your consent to be contacted by either aboutfram or Milsoms and we will delete your email address from our records. The winner will be randomly selected from all entries submitted.

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BUTCHERS SHOP

DEBENHAM HIGH STREET

Range of treatments include: Nail Care, Corns and Callus, Verrucae, Diabetic Assessment, Biomechanical Assessment.

To book YOUR appointment call

07925826655

zoe.hyde.uk@gmail.com1 19/09/2019 16:13:00 URN15_aboutfram_issue23_FramPhysio_EP.ai www.zoehydepodiatry.com

10 HIGH STREET DEBENHAM SUFFOLK IP14 6QJ

01728 861113

JB_Advert_July2020.ai 1 14/07/2020 13:17:32

FRAMLINGHAM PHYSIOTHERAPY PRACTICE Best of Health, Close to Home

Full Range of Physiotherapy Treatments – Home Visits if necessary We also offer:  Sports Massage  Homeopathy  Podiatry/Chiropody  Nutritional Therapy  Food Intolerance Testing  Acupuncture  Kinesiology  Phlebotomy  Clinical Psychology T 01728 723295 or 07770 923873 E framphysio22@gmail.com Catherine House, 22a Well Close Square, Framlingham IP13 9DS www.framlinghamphysio.co.uk

Retail

Meet, Relax, Eat, Drink, Shop A little gem in the beautiful Alde Valley Breakfast, lunch, tea, shopping and take-away snacks

Open Tues - Sat 9.00am - 4.00pm Outside & Indoor Seating Wheelchair friendly Parking Cyclists, children & dogs welcome Booking recommended

2 miles off the A12 on the B1119 between Saxmundham and Framlingham Juniper Barn, Rendham, Saxmundham Suffolk IP17 2AZ www.juniperbarnsuffolk.co.uk 01728 663773

Accommodation

Trulock & Harris A wide range of quality clothing, boots and accessories by AIGLE, BARBOUR, HOGGS, MUSTO, LE CHAMEAU, SEELAND & others

WELL-STOCKED GUN ROOM, CARTRIDGES, ACCESSORIES AND MORE.

ORE TRADING ESTATE • FRAMLINGHAM • SUFFOLK IP13 9LL

Tel: 01728 724 776 www.trulockandharris.co.uk

Book Now The Perfect Suffolk Escape 4 Star Luxury Cottages & Studios and Caravan & Motorhome Club CL

Mollett’s Farm, Main Road, Benhall, Saxmundham, Suffolk IP17 1JY Tel: +44 1728 604547 Mobile: +44 7590 985137

bookings@molletts.com www.molletts.com 61

round & about

Walking the gorse I think the circular walk at Dunwich should always be walked in a clockwise direction – woods first, beach second – so that the trudge back along the shingle beach can be rewarded with a bag of chips and a pint, guilt free!

It is a new squad out today, all equally excited to be allowed out again. We park at the large carpark down by the beach drag our heels reluctantly past The Ship, which already has a few golden pints lined up for some rosy-faced walkers, and down the daffodil-lined lane towards the church.

At the Dingle Hill Tearooms, another lovely watering hole if you are more in the mood for tea and a slice of cake, we turn right along a wide sandy track which skirts the 62

back of the low-lying water meadows, drawing a line in the sand between woodland and marsh.

It is late April and the expression, “Ne’er cast a clout ‘til May be out” couldn’t be truer as coats and hats come on and off more times than my daughter’s outfit changes! Winter still clings to the woods, where new buds have not quite opened to release that wonderful first flush of vibrant greens, but the blackthorn is putting on a magnificent show, its tiny white blossom catching the wind and cascading down like confetti. Beneath the trees, carpets of wild narcissi have just gone over, and passing several holiday cottages, we make a note to book one next spring so we can enjoy the spectacle – a lovely idea that will only

round & about

resurface when we walk this way again, probably this time next year!

An impressive property comes into view and we can’t help but admire its extraordinary location, looking out across the marshes, and imagine breakfast on the terrace as the sun rises to the east. With a sigh we carry on and soon the pathway offers views of Westwood Marshes to the left. We can just make out a mix of wading birds at the water’s edge, and either a swan or a great white egret on the far bank - shame the binoculars have been left idly sitting on the kitchen table. Further on we spot nesting boxes in a small copse, which on closer inspection reveal themselves to be bat boxes – hats on!

Out on the open heathland we head right, past a thicket of gorse in full bloom, its coconut and almond fragrance taking us

oldies back to the heady summers of our youth and liberal spritzings of Hawaiian Tropic - coats come off. We weave through the marshes where Django the black lab takes enjoys a muddy bath, and then come to a T-junction. If you go left you can extend the walk and enjoy an ice-cream at Walberswick, but we head right and top the ridge of shingle to see the beach laid out before us. The thrill of seeing the sea, that first taste of sea air, the sudden drop in temperature – coats back on – and the joy of dodging the waves, is one that will hopefully never fade.

It is a blustery walk back along the shingle towards Dunwich, the dogs bounding in and out of the waves in pursuit of the skimming stones, and all of us, heads down, already looking forward to that promised bowl of chips and a cold pint.

63

Stockists

about you Carley Hill Hair 29 Market Hill Framlingham IP13 9AN T: 01728 621068 www.carleyhill.co.uk The Retreat Beauty Salon 12-14 Well Cl Square, Framlingham IP13 9DU T: 01728 723445 www.theretreatfram.co.uk Ruby and the Angel 66A High Street Debenham IP14 6QP T: 01728 861969 www.rubyandtheangel.co.uk Spa Kesgrave Hall Hall Road, Kesgrave Ipswich IP5 2PU T: 01473 855105 www.milsomhotels.com

uk

Photography credits Sadie Windscheffel-Clarke www.bigfishphotography.com

64

about interiors Dix-Sept Antiques A Swedish Home T: 01728 746045 www.aswedishhome.co.uk Barretts of Woodbridge 40 Thoroughfare Woodbridge IP12 1AL www.barretts.co.uk collated The Guildhall Market Hill Framlingham IP13 9BD www.collatedonline.com Dix-Sept 17 Station Rd Framlingham IP13 9EA T: 01728 621505 East of Eden The Old Barn Fromus Square Saxmundham IP17 1DG www.east-of-eden.co.uk Freya Roze Richmond T: 07738 185729 E: freyarichmond@outlook.com www.freyarozeworld.com @freyarozeworld Just Tiles Smithfield Melton IP12 1NH T: 01394 382067 www.justtileswoodbridge.co.uk KR Cookshop 3 Well Close Square Framlingham IP13 9DT T: 01728 723757 www.krcookshop.com Narwhal Interiors 23 Market Hill Framlingham IP13 9AN Ruby and the Angel 66A High Street Debenham IP14 6QP T: 01728 861969 www.rubyandtheangel.co.uk Ruby Tyger 1 The Mews Market Hill Framlingham IP13 9AN T: 01728 724470 www.rubytyger.co.uk Snape Maltings www.snapemaltings.co.uk

tings amazing things Insta @tings_amazing_things Vanil 17 Church St Woodbridge IP12 1DS T: 07702 877081 www.vanil.co.uk

about style Dix-Sept Antiques Country Vision 11a Market Hill Framlingham IP13 9AN T: 01728 621250 Darcy B Hill House 13 Market Hill Framlingham IP13 9AN Drift Jewellery www.driftjewellery.com Fleur 166 High Street Aldeburgh IP15 5AQ www.fleuraldeburgh.co.uk Joli 158 High Street Aldeburgh IP15 5AQ www.jolisuffolk.com Matisa Market The Studio, Hill House Grundisburgh IP13 6UF www.matisamarket.com O&C Butcher 129 High Street Aldeburgh IP15 5AS www.ocbutcher.co.uk Out and About Clothing 4b Market Hill, Framlingham T: 07387 109113 www.outandaboutclothing.co.uk Phoebe and Flo 22a Well Close Square Framlingham IP13 9DS Ruby and the Angel 66A High Street Debenham IP14 6QP T: 01728 861969 www.rubyandtheangel.co.uk Ruby Tyger 1 The Mews Market Hill Framlingham IP13 9AN www.rubytyger.co.uk

ExpErts in Moving Excellence Reassured

Having been established for 25 years we understand the need to offer an efficient and cost effective service whilst maintaining a personal touch. Hamiltons tailor make each and every move down to the finest of details. We understand that, in order to give you the best service possible, we need to have completely discussed and understood your requirements from the very beginning to ensure that your move runs smoothly from beginning to end.

National & International Removals Conventional and Self-Storage Services Antiques & Fine Art packing and moving services Cleaning & Concierge Services A member of the British Association of Removers

“Contact a member of our team to arrange a Pre-Move Survey on 01379 790013” Tony Smith

SALES DIRECTOR

HAMILTONS N AT I O N A L & I N T E R N AT I O N A L R E M OVA L S

Hamilton House, Speedwell Way, Harleston Industrial Estate, Harleston, Norfolk IP20 9EH info@hamiltonsremovals.co.uk Tel: 01379 790013

www.hamiltonsremovals.co.uk 65

Enjoy national reach and expertise with our local, personal service

Leveretts Ref: LEV

114% increase in bookings*

*July 2020 to October 2020 versus the same period during 2019 66

Homeowners, make yourself at home with our holiday property experts Let your holiday property today at www.suffolk-secrets.co.uk 0800 3689358