NNL Spring 2011 Issue

• HOME & GARDEN • FOOD & DRINK • PEOPLE & PLACES •

NORTH

NORFOLK Living Don’t Panic

Sarah Morgan’s advice on looking good as a wedding guest

It’s not too early

Trish le Gal starts digging on the North Norfolk Veg plot

Steering through stormy waters

Raymond Monbiot meets Wells lifeboat cox’n Allen Frary

Home sweet home

Amanda Loose gets to grips with our very special housing market

FREE IN NORTH NORFOLK £1.50 where sold Spring 2011

www.northnorfolkliving.co.uk

NNLCOVER SPRING.indd 1

Helping you to get the most out of living, working and playing locally 31/3/11 12:10:57

The Courtyard Cafe, boutique shops and therapies set in tranquil surroundings

Farmers’ Market Creake Abbey

WINNER Best Farmers Market

Come and experience the buzzy atmosphere of our very special Farmers’ Markets with an abundance of locally produced meat, produce, cheeses, cakes, bread, preserves, ales, juices and plants.

Next Farmers Market: Saturday 7th May 9.30am to 1pm (1st Saturday of each month) Check our website for special events throughout the year www.creakeabbey.co.uk - Tel: 07801 418907

Open 10 - 4pm

Tuesday - Sunday and Bank Holidays Creake Abbey, North Creake, Norfolk, NR21 9LF

www.CReAkeABBey.CO.uk 2 NNL SPRING 2011 ADS.indd 2

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NORTH NORFOLK HELLO

• HOME & GARDE N • FOOD & DRINK • PEOPLE & PLACES •

NORTH

NORFOLK Living

W W W. N O R T H N O R F O L K L I V I N G . C O . U K

Home & Garden, Food & Drink People & Places

Don’t Panic Sarah Morgan ’s advice on looking good as a wedding guest

I nside Spring

It’s not too early

@NNorfolkLiving

Lin Murray

Editor

Steering throu gh stormy water s

Raymond Monbiot meets Wells lifeboat cox’n Allen Frary

Home swee t home

Cover photo: ‘Breakwater footprints’ by Stephen Clark www.pebblesphotography.co.uk

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N

ow then Mr A A Gill, ignorance is no excuse for that appalling diatribe about Norfolk (Sunday Times Style Magazine 27 Feb 2011).

I for one chose to move here having studied and worked in central London for 15 years. I love North Norfolk and am proud to be part of it. You will have received your copy of North Norfolk Living by now and I hope will be inspired to visit us again with a rather more open mind. It would be a pleasure to show you my North Norfolk!

Having got that off my chest I would like to say how delighted I am to have been asked to take over at the helm of North Norfolk Living.

I am following in the formidable footsteps of Sarah Eddison who launched and cleverly steered this great magazine over the last seven years. Thank you for handing over such a vibrant publication Sarah!

I would also like to say a big thank to my current contributors who continue ‘dig under the turf’ of North Norfolk and come up with the most incredible people and places.

There’s also a warm ‘Welcome Aboard’ to several new contributors. Image consultant Sarah Morgan will help guide us along the precarious path of fashion and looking good; Former Times journalist Amanda Loose will enlighten us with her incisive look at the trends and vagaries of the local housing market and mother and dog owner Claire Conway reviews a lovely book on children and dogs.

We are incredibly lucky to have photographer extraordinaire Stephen Clark from Pebbles Photography join us. See the front cover for an example of his wonderful work. Moving into the garden, Trish le Gal kicks off Spring in her column ‘The North Norfolk Veg Patch’ and back into the kitchen and last but by no means least, doyenne and champion of Norfolk produce and cooking Mary Kemp answers your culinary questions in her new column.

Questions for Mary, Trish or news for me to: enquiries@northnorfolkliving.co.uk Be sure also to follow us on Twitter!

We will makes sure you make the most of living, working and visiting locally.

Enjoy!

Trish le Gal starts digging on the North Norfolk Veg plot

7 8

Amanda Loose gets to grips with our very special housing market

FREE IN NORTH NORFOLK £1.50 where

sold Spring www.northnorfolklivin 2011 g.co.uk

Helping you get the most out of living, workingtoand playing locally

Beachcombings

What’s on, What’s good and Where to go!

Beachcombings

What’s on, What’s good and Where to go!

Allen Frary

An interview with the cox’n of Wells lifeboat

10 Beachcombings

What’s on, What’s good and Where to go!

13 Fashion

Image consultant Sarah Morgan takes the panic out of the wedding guest wardrobe

14 Property

13 FASHION WITH SARAH MORGAN

The trends and vagaries of the local property market explained by Amanda Loose

17 LifeStyle

The Good Life – 21st century style. Eroica Mildmay meets the goats.

19 Food & Books

Carla Phillips cooks up a dish with a history.

Claire Conway reviews a book full of good advice on children and dogs.

20 People

‘Is your boss a *****? Gill Carrick asks Holt man and author Richard Maun

22 Books

24 COOKERY WITH MARY KEMP Editor Lin Murray Email: lin@linmurray.co.uk Write to North Norfolk Living Magazine, PO Box 208, Stamford. Lincs. PE9 9FY Advertising Manager Stuart Henman 07711 615032 Email: stuartnnl@btinternet.com Head of Design Steven Handley Email: steve@locallivingdesign.co.uk Assistant Designer Nik Ellis Email: nik@locallivingdesign.co.uk Publisher Nicholas Rudd-Jones 01780 765571 Email: nicholas@bestlocalliving.co.uk Published by Local Living Ltd, PO Box 208, Stamford, Lincs. PE9 9FY www.bestlocalliving.co.uk 01780 765571 Printed by Warner’s of Bourne

Amanda Loose reviews Wells boy and guardian journalist Patrick Barkham’s new book

24 Cookery

Doyenne of Norfolk cookery Mary Kemp talks bones, gravy and kitchen gadgets

25 Beachcombings

What’s on, What’s good and Where to go!

26 Gardening

Trish le Gal kicks off a new season on the North Norfolk Veg patch

27 A life in lamplight

Val Boon meets a leading light in the oil lamp business

28 Outdoors

Nature and Iron Age history combine on Phil Walker’s latest wander to Warham Camp

30 Eating Out

Lin Murray is put under pressure to recommend a lunch venue for her new boss!

The faces behind this issue

Raymond Monbiot

Sarah Morgan

Amanda Loose

Eroica Mildmay

SUBSCRIBE TO North Norfolk Living

Claire Conway

Carla Phillips

Gill Carrick Cowlin

Trish le Gal

Mary Kemp

Valerie Boon

Phil Walker

Stephen Clark

Stuart Henman

If you would like to subscribe to North Norfolk Living Magazine (5 copies per year), please write to Local Living Ltd. PO Box 208, Stamford, PE9 9FY. Annual rate £15 in UK, £20 overseas (surface mail), both including postage. Please enclose cheque made payable to Local Living Ltd. NORTH NORFOLK LIVING Spring 2011

NNLCONTENTS.indd 1

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LOCAL NEWS

Beachcombin gs What’s on , What’s good and Where to go!

“To the Sea” Beautiful images of a very special place. An exhibition of photographs by Stephen Clark One of the highlights of the North Norfolk exhibition calendar. A must see!

“I have always found that first light and early evening offer the best light conditions for coastal photography, during the summer months it’s too bright during the day.

In winter, a clear, cold, sunny day gives crispness to the colours, the sun stays low over the landscape creating shadows and reflections in the sea. A spring tide will cover areas of marshland not normally covered by the sea. Equally a full moon over the marshes with clear skies offers a chance to capture light and shadows” Stephen Clark (Photographer)

Summer Clouds

• Pebbles Photography Exhibition Norfolk Landscapes - Seascapes & Natural History Brancaster Staithe Village Hall Friday 29th April - Monday 2nd May Open 10am - 6pm Everyone Welcome www.pebblesphotography.co.uk Stephen also offers one to one digital photography workshops, further details can be found on his website.

Out Alone

Natural treats for our furry companions Pooch’s home baked and handmade dog biscuits are a “labour of love’ made by Liz and Sara and developed after their own dogs suffered with upset tummies.

Available from: Big Blue Sky - Wells Next the Sea, Wiveton Hall Farm & Café, Back To The Garden,-Letheringsett, Groveland Farm Shop – Roughton, Country Pets - North Walsham, Wagtails – Alysham, Diane’s Pantry – Reepham, Bintree Farm Shop – Bintree, Corners Farm Shop - Hoe, Dereham 01362 668 264 www.poochs.co.uk

Plant lovers’ pilgrimage to North Norfolk’s annual gardening extravaganza

Perfect for a lazy day…

First introduced into Red Dot gallery last April ‘Sit’ ‘Chocolate lab’ and ‘Black lab’ have proved so popular that they have become a permanent addition to the collection. These wonderful Heirloom Cushions crafted from New Zealand Wool and backed in cotton velvet, are really adorable. The range also includes ‘Cockerels and Cows’ and later in the Spring a maritime selection will be introduced - Boats, Buoys and Anchors! Perfect…I can see my Springer Spaniel loving these…

• The Red Dot Gallery, 2 Lyles Court, Lees Yard, Holt Norfolk NR25 6HS 01263 710287 www.thereddotgallery.com

More than twenty specialist nurseries will assemble for ‘Plant Lovers’ Day’ in the historic surroundings of Creake Abbey, North Creake on Saturday 28h May. Now in its fourth year, Plant Lovers’ Day is the largest exclusively ‘plant only’ sale in Norfolk and is fast becoming an important date in the county’s gardening calendar.

Gardening enthusiasts will have the opportunity to meet the specialist nurserymen and women, ask questions and purchase from a huge variety of plants at favourable prices. For the first time this year there will also be the opportunity to attend lectures on horticultural subjects and issues.

Visitors will find plants from National Collection holders’, a huge range of hardy garden perennials, roses, bamboos, ferns, grasses, alpines, vegetable plants and herbs (culinary, medicinal and aromatic). Norfolk Plant Heritage (NCCPG) will be in attendance.

Creake Abbey garden and ruins, courtyard shops & studios and the Creaky Cafe will be open together with a scrumptious array of homemade goodies for sale in the main barn.

• Admission from 10am-4pm. £3 for adults, children free, dogs welcome on leads. Free parking. Horticultural lectures will cost an additional sum, details on website. Plant Lovers’ Day will raise funds for Wells Community Hospital. www.creakeabbeystudios.co.uk NORTH NORFOLK LIVING Spring 2011

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31/3/11 14:37:39

THE WROUGHT IRON & BRASS BED CO.

Handmade in Norfolk

… fantastic new showroom …

2 Ravens Yard, Nethergate Street Harpley, Norfolk PE31 6TN Opening hours:

Tuesday–Friday 10-4pm and Saturday 10-3pm

01485 542800

www.wroughtironandbrassbed.co.uk

Plant Lovers’ Day Plant Lovers’ Day

Saturday 28 May 10am –4pm More than 20 specialist nurseries gather to display and sell magnificent plants. Meet the nurserymen, ask questions and buy plants at favourable prices.

Lectures – see website for details

Creake Abbey Gardens open Proceeds to Wells Community Hospital Registered charity no: 1115979 Admission £3, children free Creakey Café open 10am –4pm Tues to Sun

Courtyard shops and studios open:

Antiques, children’s clothing, Provençal goodies and Tidal Therapies.

Creake Abbey North Creake, Norfolk NR21 9LF T: 07801 418907

check our website for special events throughout the year:

www.creakeabbey.co.uk

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LOCAL NEWS

Beachcombin gs What’s on , What’s good and Where to go!

Let’s make some whoopee!!

And so to bed…

The Wrought Iron and Brass Bed Company has moved to a lovely new showroom in Harpley. The company started 2004 and has gone from strength to strength producing handmade bedsteads to order that are guaranteed for the owner’s lifetime.

Made from brass spun in Norfolk the bedsteads are standard size or bespoke to the clients requirements. The new spacious showroom allows for all bedsteads to be on display including the original Victorian collection.

To compliment the bedsteads Amanda is now offering fine bed linen also. There is also a display of handmade garden furniture in the walled garden.

Elsa the labrador and George the boxer go to work with Amanda and the kettle is always on.

• Wrought Iron & Brass Bed Co. Ltd 6 Ravens Yard, Nethergate Street Harpley, Norfolk PE31 6TN 01485 521823 www.wroughtironandbrassbed.co.uk

One of West Norfolk’s best culinary secrets is Bonallack Home Cooked. Starting life as a service for holiday cottages and weekenders, orders to Sara Bonallack’s Ringstead kitchen are growing fast, both from Norfolk visitors, and more discretely from hard-pressed hosts and hostesses across the County.

The quality of the food is excellent with the current menu including: Stilton souffle galettes; royal lamb; and a sumptuous chocolate silk torte. All retain an unusual depth of flavour. Given that dishes are mostly frozen prior to delivery says much about Sara’s culinary skill. As she says, “mostly our orders come through the website, and we deliver when required; but increasingly our regular customers meet us at Creake Abbey Farmers Market on the first Saturday of each month. They pick up their order, have a chat and sample some of our latest menu ideas”.

In April Sara will feature her Norfolk Whoopee pies (pictured). A perfect Easter treat!

• www.bonallackhomecooked.com Tel: 07786 316610

Beautiful words said in a beautiful place

Owen Sheers

The 14th Poetry-Next-the-Sea, Wells Festival, ‘Myth and Magic’ Friday 6 May – Sunday 8 May 2011.

This year’s theme of ‘Myth and Magic’ sets the scene for a line-up of superb poets and for the writer Professor Marina Warner CBE, doyenne of mythography.

The Wells poetry festival has surprises. Amongst the poets there is a wrestler, an international storyteller, a translator, a biographer, an artist working with the moving image, a novelist, and a professor of film and theatre studies specialising in Myth. |International storyteller, songwriter and singer Nick Hennessey, will open the main festival with poems he has selected from visits in March to six local Primary Schools and Alderman Peel Secondary. There will be an Open Floor event and the Saturday will offer a Free Family Fun Day upstairs in the Maltings on Staithe Street.

Veteran poet and biographer Anne Stevenson will share the floor with the renowned Scottish poet, Robin Robertson, shortlisted for this year’s TS Eliot Prize.

Welsh Poet Owen Sheers, play-write, novelist, screenwriter and TV personality, will introduce his remarkable BBC4 film, in the Granary Theatre, on Keith Douglas, World War 2 poet, who died so tragically young. Owen will also wind up the Festival with a reading of his superb poetry, joined by prolific poet, playwright and TV presenter Clare Pollard.

Mary McCarthy is the Festival artist.

• For full programme information and On line ticket booking facilities: www.poetry-next-the-sea.com.

Alternatively write to: 95 Queens Road, Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 8BU or phone: Tel: 01328 853905 between 10.30am – 11.30am NORTH NORFOLK LIVING Spring 2011

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PEOPLE

Aye Aye Capt’n!

Raymond Monbiot meets a very modest modern day hero in shape of Allen Frary, cox’n of the Wells Lifeboat Distinguished family Allen Frary, cox’n of the Wells lifeboat, Chairman of the Wells Town Council, former bait digger and Harbour Commissioner, comes from a distinguished family which has rendered service to Wells for generations.

His maternal great grandfather, Captain William Bell, was one of only two survivors of the lifeboat Eliza Adams disaster when 11 out of 13 crewmen were drowned on October 29 1880. 28 children became fatherless in this great loss of life. Lifeboats had to be rowed or sailed in all weathers and launched by horses until in 1936 Wells received its first motorised boat and tractor.

Allen says, “I was born in 1953 into a large family who earned their living from the sea fishing for flat fish and eels in Wells harbour, collecting crabs from Sheringham, picking samphire. These were delivered ‘Alive Alive O’ to the neighbourhood by bike cart, a good way to discover that Norfolk has hills. I recall helping my grandfather rake the sand and fill bags of cockles all day Saturday for 3d. Then we wheeled sacks full of cockles on a bike to the quay.

Days in the merchant navy “I never liked school and left at 15 to join the Merchant Navy to see the world. I was advised that this was best done on a full stomach so I sought to be assigned to the galley. My first ship was a car transporter out of Felixstowe carrying Ford cars from Dagenham. I joined Cunard’s Port Line on the New Zealand run via Curacao and Panama. This was in the early 70s when it took 2 weeks to cross the Atlantic and 3 weeks from Panama to New Zealand. There were 50 crew on this 25,000 tonne ship and we would spend 5-6 weeks in New Zealand, returning with frozen lamb and general cargo. The 1972/3 dock strike caused major disruption and ships discharged their cargo on the Continent. Registered seamen such as myself stuck in Wells could sign on for weekly for strike pay only at Prescott Street, London and as the strike went on we had to sign on twice a week, paying our own travel costs for the second journey. So I

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spent the summer on a whelk boat out of Wells and took whatever jobs were available, working in a flour mill, and as a builders labourer. In 1976 I managed to return to sea and worked my own whelk boat until 1997 when I took the job of Cox’n and Mechanic of the Wells lifeboat.

Wells Life Boat The Wells station covers the area from the Wash to Blakeney. We respond to messages from the coastguard and can operate up to 50 miles from Wells. The Cromer lifeboat is based 17 miles and the Skegness boat 23 miles away but we overlap if there is a problem. We have our rubber inshore boat and the main lifeboat with a total of 45 volunteers including the crew, shore helpers/launchers and tractor drivers. Coastguards can request a launch but we have to decide which boat to send out. There are 5 or 6 launching authority pagers that can receive a request for a launch. I am in contact at all times unless I go out of town when I notify the Lifeboat Operations Manager and ensure that a cox’n and a mechanic are notified to take over. We have 3 second cox’ns. My son Mark aged 29 is one of them. The regular crew includes a policeman, a mechanic and computer software expert. Employers are very understanding when the boats are called out. It takes 10 minutes to get the kit on, the boat out of the shed and into the water.

“We had 36 launches last year with peak activity in the holiday period when leisure yachts, up to 35ft, are our most frequent emergencies with navigation or engine problems. We would normally place a member of our crew on board or tow it to safety. GPS and more safety conscious education are making for fewer emergencies.”

The Frary family is prolific but Allen maintains it is really three families – the Wells Frarys which is Allen, his sister and brother, their mother and Allen’s son and daughter. Then there are two families of ‘foreign’ Frarys – from Wighton and Walsingham. It gets complicated because of the wide use of the first name Mark.

NORTH NORFOLK LIVING Spring 2011

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Advertisment Feature

GALLERY

RED DOT SPRING SELECTION

3.

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1. Malevolent Moi? – well indeed yes, ‘Bill Bailey’ by Edinburgh based artist Kate Leiper is one of two recent silkscreen limited editions with a feline theme.

See more of Kate’s work in The Red Dot Gallery 2. A magical moonlit setting for an imagined event ‘The Angels of Salthouse’ a celebration of a very special place. Artist Alan Page’s 1990 oil on panel has just been published, by Red Dot Gallery, as a limited

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edition silkscreen – just 50 signed copies.

3. Nature, particularly that of our county, is Georgina Warne’s passion. ‘A Hares Eye View’ is the latest addition to her selection of original hand coloured etchings. Call Red Dot Gallery for a complimentary folio which shows the range ‘In Celebration of Nature’ 4. Seeing Fairies - ‘Peasblossom, Cobweb, Moth & Mustardseed’ captured by Rosalind Lyons Hudson and now to be viewed at The Red Gallery in Holt.

The artist is currently working, by invitation, at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.

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31/3/11 15:54:13

LOCAL NEWS

Beachcombin gs What’s on , What’s good and Where to go!

The Finelines Frames 5th Birthday exhibition

Cromer and Sheringham Crab and lobster Festival 20-22 May 2011 Cromer and Sheringham’s crab and lobster fishing industries have supplied England with a rich abundance of crustacea since the early 19th Century, and in May 2010 North Norfolk saw the first ever celebration of these most local and delicious delicacies. Three wonderful days and nights united the two rival fishing towns for a fabulous fun-filled series of events, competitions and entertainment. Visitors flocked in, joined in and wanted more. . .

North Norfolk’s bespoke picture framers, Fineline Frames, based in Melton Constable, will be exhibiting some of their most talented artists and photographers who have been using their framing service since the business began back in 2006.

Owner Wayne Dodds says: “this will be an ideal opportunity to see many different mediums of work and the many different ways in which they can be framed all in one exhibition”.

Twenty-four artists and photographers will be taking part ensuring there will be something for all tastes. Names such as Shirley Carnt, with her stunning Norfolk landscape oils and Steven Brooks with his coastal photography. Other artists include Jeremy Barlow, Sam Pointer and Naomi Wright Clements to name but a few. The exhibition will also include ceramic works by John Hannyngton.

The exhibiton will be held at the Nicholson Gallery, Gresham’s School, Cromer Road, Holt NR25 6EA Previews Weds 4 May – 6pm – 8pm.

Then Thurs 5 May 9am – 4pm until Sat 7 May 10am – 4pm • For more information and a full list of exhibitors visit www.finelineframes.co.uk or contact Wayne Dodds 01263 860440

• So 20-22 May 2011 Sheringham and Cromer will host a feast of fun, food, art, music and entertainment. For more information go to www.crabandlobsterfestival.co.uk

The Hoste Beauty and Wellness Spa

Newly opened to residents and non-residents, the Hoste Beauty and Wellness Spa allows guests to indulge in a spot of pampering and escape from the stresses of everyday life.

Located in the Zulu Wing a few yards from the main hotel, the Hoste Beauty and Wellness Spa features Clarins and Mary Cohr products in intimate and luxurious surroundings for guests to relax, rejuvenate and enjoy a range of specialist treatments and progressive techniques.

• www.hostearms.co.uk/Hoste/Beauty.asp To book an appointment simply call 01328 737 022.

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NORTH NORFOLK LIVING Spring 2011

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BEACHCOMBER

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Wiveton Church, Martin Mitchell, mezzotint Through the Hedge, Dan Cole swla, oils on panel

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FASHION

‘I’m going to a wedding and I have nothing to wear!’

You’d think a wedding invitation would elicit such joy. But for most women, their first thought is ‘Oh God, what can I wear?’

Image Consultant Sarah Morgan has some calming advice

L

adies, don’t panic. Yes I know your ex-husband is going to be there with his new squeeze and you’ve gained a stone since you last saw him, but this is not the moment to lose faith.

It’s time to think differently, so you can be comfortable and look fabulous in clothes you will wear again. Here are my top tips for looking good at any wedding… ● Don’t wear anything that hurts – it’s a long day and the pain of killer shoes will show in your face. ● Don’t dress down for fear of outshining the bride. You won’t. ● Show off your best feature. Great legs? Go for a knee-length dress. Hate your tummy but have good boobs? Wear a V-neck dress that skims your middle, and then draw attention up with a stunning necklace and a funky new haircut. ● If you don’t have the figure for it, think outside the trusty-dress-and-littlejacket combo. ● Trousers are allowed. Smart trousers with a floaty top are up-to-date and you’ll wear them again. Add heels and great accessories for extra glamour. ● Expensive accessories will make a cheap dress look a million dollars. It doesn’t work the other way round. ● Can’t run to a new outfit? Team your taupe or cream linen trousers with a top the same colour. Add a beautiful floaty, sequined scarf, a big floppy hat, high heels and a fab cuff. Trust me, you’ll look amazing. ● A maxi dress is on trend - and hides white hairy legs. Add wedges, lots of bling and a pretty bag for wedding glamour (then wear with flip-flops on holiday!) ● Find a colour that suits YOU. If the bride wants a lilac theme but it makes you look like frozen cod, be firm. You are an individual, not an extension of the cake ribbon. ● Avoid head-to-toe white at a conventional wedding. The bride WILL be offended. (Though pale grey or cream can be very flattering). ● All black. Tread carefully if you really do think the bride is marrying an unworthy cad (though a LBD is fine if you’re just going to the evening do). ● One colour head-to-toe is chic and slimming - more than two colours are messy. ● Avoid wintry accessories with a light summer outfit. No, you can’t wear those black courts with absolutely everything. ● Dress appropriately. Sure you want to look feminine and alluring, but save overtly sexy for another time. A wedding is not the moment to release your inner ‘Cher’. ● Hate hats? Don’t wear one. But be sure your hair looks great. Remember fascinators suit soft, ‘pretty’ women – they look daft atop large, angular faces. ● If you find an outfit you like, ask someone to take a photo of you before you buy. Re-assess later at home. ● Wedding outfits can cost a fortune. The best are those that can be worn again in another guise. For example, a smart dress-and-coat suit: The coat can be worn again with jeans and t-shirt, the dress with a cardi and sandals. ● If a jacket feels too formal, find a beautiful shrug instead – there are some great lace or faux fur ones around. ● Wear make-up. A posh outfit with a nude face looks WRONG. ● Practice your photo stance - one foot in front of the other in a five-to-one arrangement, with one shoulder slightly towards the camera. If you plant your feet side-by-side and stand square on, you’ll look like a Teletubby. ● Smile, dammit, and you’ll carry off anything. ● Finally, if you haven’t a clue where to start, give me a call. A colour and style consultation will set you back far less than an expensive mistake. I’ll even help you choose that hat.

Trousers are allowed!

Team with a floaty top and you’ll be comfortable, bang on trend - and you’ll wear them again.

Accessorise wisely.

A gorgeous bag and beautifully groomed hair will elevate a simple dress to the pinnacle of chic.

Long and lean. A maxi dress is easy to wear, feminine and comfortable.

And perfect if you hate your legs!

• Sarah Morgan, Image Consultant.

For professional colour and style advice call 01263 721207 / 07919 608692 www.sarah-morgan.co.uk

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31/3/11 14:40:51

PROPERTY

North Norfolk Property Amanda Loose takes a close look at North Norfolk’s very special property market

W

e are a nation of amateur property pundits. If you are a home owner or an aspiring first time buyer, the latest reports on the housing market always make for compelling reading. Whether we are in the middle of a boom or more uncertain times, the value of our biggest asset is often crucial, and always fascinating.

Most of us would have to confess to making a beeline for an estate agent at a drinks party, collaring them at the buffet with the opener “I’ve got/ seen this house...” Well this issue we’ve done the work for you and put some of our local agents through their paces. We’ve also asked them to take a punt on what they think the future holds for the housing market in North Norfolk.

Henrietta Bruce at Belton Duffey is gearing up for Easter: “Because everyone is so gloomy and there are so many austerity measures, people are sitting on the side lines and waiting for some sort of incentive to cash in so this is keeping prices higher than in many other parts of the country. Demand is about to rise with more applicants as people gear up for Easter so prices will remain stable. Borrowing over the next couple of years will be extremely stringent so rises will be driven by cash buyers, people with significant deposits and city bonuses. Our official outlook for 2011 is one of cautious optimism.”

Andrew Wagstaff at Bedfords gives his take on our “very diverse” local market: “According to most of the national statistics, the average house price fell by 0.1% in January. Our market is different from the mainstream market. It continues to perform as it is predominantly driven by cash buyers – last year over 60% of Bedfords’ sales were mortgage free – and by supply not increasing but demand tending to increase.

“It depends on what the property is and where. We are getting the asking prices or within 1% of it for those in absolute prime locations. For properties further inland we are achieving within 5% of the asking prices.

“I think we are going to buck the national trend particularly in prime locations – the coast and within five miles of it. At the moment we expect that prices here will remain relatively stable although much will depend on what happens to interest rates, the economy and the supply of mortgages.”

Max Sowerby reports a shortage of property on the market, with demand “totally outstripping supply”: “Prices in general have remained very stable with no major increase since the boom of 2007, however we still see properties breaking the trend with sales being negotiated over asking prices when demand is high. I predict a continual stable market with supply not keeping up with demand. If interest rates go up the majority of our buyers are cash buyers or are only looking for small mortgages. If rates remain low it will continue to encourage confidence in the whole market in general.”

Peter Sargeant, at Brown & Co believes “there’s a very positive message for North Norfolk for the future”: “Nationally the figures look very gloomy indeed and the market is extremely slow. But generally we are bucking the trend. Because this is a great place for example for second homes, birdwatchers and retired people we still have a reasonable number of applicants and London buyers are still registering.

“Across the board there is a shortage of property for sale which is keeping the sales and rental markets buoyant with rents increasing 5-10% in the last year. When the right sort of thing comes on to the market we are several people deep and when they see the right house they go for it. We had 30 calls in two days about a Georgian rectory in Edgefield.

“Prices are pretty much back to 2007 when the market was at its height. In some cases its better, in some its worse. It depends on what and where it is. “

Finally, we caught up with Pete Ward at William H Brown “I believe we will continue to see a stable housing market in north Norfolk this year. We did experience a slight dip in prices at the end of last summer but this has since recovered.

There is still an appetite to move and as long as homes are realistically priced, they will sell in a reasonable time.”

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NORTH NORFOLK LIVING Spring 2011

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31/3/11 15:56:02

LIFESTYLE

Eroica Mildmay gets to grips with...

GOATS!

Hairy pygmy goats

Whether you want to put food on the table, or have an affectionate and interactive pet, goats seem to have stood the test of time.

T

he thing about goats is that they are completely different from sheep although they both form part of the Bovidae species.

Goats are lively, curious and sociable, a veritable ‘cheeky chappie’ compared with the sheep’s natural passivity and reticence. And that is perhaps why the goat has morphed from being one of the oldest domesticated animals into pet status in the Twentieth century. Goats as pets are essentially a cultural preference, but goats have been used for thousands of years for dung (fuel, house-building material) skins (for clothing, parchment and water containers) meat, milk and cheese. In places like Africa, the Middle East and India a goat really is worth its weight in gold, in terms of usefulness. In Britain today it is only the meat, milk and cheese that are used.

North Norfolk goat owner Diane Parker gets both meat and milk from her goats and her goat’s cheese was startlingly fresh and tasty!

She started rearing goats after a bad fall from a horse in 1983 after which horse riding was no longer an option, but the stables were empty and in need of an animal presence. ‘Swiss Heidi’ her first goat who produced up to two gallons of milk a day still remains a bit of a legend and a benchmark goat for all of Diane’s other milkers.

Incidentally, it pays to be a female if you are a goat, for if you’re born a male you’re not long for this world, as your main value is as a carcass whilst females produce milk and kids until their natural demise – and they can live for thirteen years or so. Diane thinks there is a resurgent interest in practical goat-keeping as people

increasingly prioritise their food provenance, which might run to an allotment and a shed full of chickens as well. And yes, they do eat almost anything, (including my jacket which I had to free repeatedly from goaty tonsils) so they will keep your land under control weed and bramble-wise if needed.

Meanwhile, the pet goat choice is the Pygmy Goat and Bob, Barbara & Jenny Chapman have a smallholding housing a number of these compact creatures, with a delightful dedicated stable block, so cosy I almost felt like curling up in there myself. The Pygmy Goat (caused by hereditary dwarfism) is popular because of its inherent playfulness, the clue being in the name ‘kid’; but to see youngsters pushing each other off tree trunks or queuing up for something, jostling and shoving all the while, does remind you of children. They will make direct eye contact with you with those curious slit-shaped pupils they have, follow you, be affectionate and interact on many levels, which is pretty much the criteria for a pet.

Goats need to be bought in pairs as they get lonely (although I did once see a very happy best mates donkey-and-goat combination).

Goats don’t like the rain and get saturated

quickly so they will always need a good shelter.

And, apparently goats mean prizes, and competitive in both categories is stiff. Much rosette booty is on show as showing is a serious business and when you step into ‘goat-world’ you quickly realise this. But show time is not for everyone. But, having said that, there is a lot of helpful support and advice out there for the new goat owner and the goat ‘establishment’ will not stand by and see a new owner struggling as the goat may suffer, and this cannot be allowed to happen. So, rest assured, you are never alone with a goat!

• To purchase a goat contact Mrs Diane Parker on 01263 710245 – or call to book for her ‘Learning About Goats’ Open Day at 10am-3pm Sunday 24th April at 85 Lower Bodham, Norfolk NR25 6RW. To join The Norwich and District Goat Club call Club Secretary, Mrs Lynn Jeremy, Half Moon, The Street, Bintree, Dereham NR20 5AH 01362 68356.

• To purchase a Pygmy Goat contact Bob, Barbara & Jenny Chapman at Windyridge, Daffy Green, Shipdham, Norfolk, IP25 7QQ Tel: 01362 821382 or email windyridge2@ hotmail.com To join The Pygmy Goat Club at www.pygmygoatclub.org NORTH NORFOLK LIVING Spring 2011

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FOOD

Chicken Mary Tempest Carla Phillips gives us a cookery and history lesson Who was Marie Tempest?

Answer: Singer and actress, famous up to 1930’s. This recipe dates from the time when grand chefs named sumptuous dishes after celebrities, Peach Melba or Omelette Arnold Bennett.

The silky richness of this dish was particularly popular with diners in our restaurant; mostly because of the egg yolk addition rather than the cream and cheese. The ingredients are simple but there are several stages to the dish, none difficult or requiring much fiddling about, and it can be made well in advance.

Ingredients (for 4): 2 Large cooked chicken breasts; 250g small button mushrooms; 1/2 litre of milk; 250g chopped onions; 70g flour; 4 egg yolks; 100g butter; 1 tablespoon double cream; 50g grated gruyere or parmesan (or a mixture);2 teaspoons of sherry; salt; pepper; cayenne; nutmeg; paprika; a little more grated cheese for topping.

Method: • Heat the chopped onion gradually in the milk. Bring it just to a simmer, then turn off the heat and let it steep until the liquid is cool.

Meanwhile, remove the skin and bones from the chicken and chop it into smallish chunks.

Chop the mushrooms very, very finely. Without using any fat, cook them in a frying pan, stirring, until all their moisture has evaporated. This will take from 7 to 10 minutes.

• Now make the first part of the sauce. Strain the milk, discarding the onions. Make a cream sauce with this liquid, half the butter and all the flour. Stir until it’s thickened, just starting to bubble, then season with the sherry, salt and pepper.

Now, whisk the egg yolks. Divide into two bowls. Add some of the cream sauce to one of these bowls, and stir this back into the whole sauce. Add a dash of cayenne and some grated nutmeg, and finally, the cream.

• Add a third of this sauce to the chopped mushrooms and mix well.

As to the remaining sauces, add the rest of the egg yolks, most of the remaining butter and the grated cheese.

• Coat the chicken chunks with the mushroom mixture and place these in a buttered gratin dish. Coat the whole with the remaining cheese sauce, then cover with the little bit of grated

cheese, some paprika and the few dots of the remaining butter.

• Bake this in a very hot oven for 12-15 minutes.

Serve with plain but colourful vegetables. Very more-ish!

BOOKS

Understand your pooch Claire Conway reviews a marvellous guide to helping you and your children understand mans’ best friend

I

f, like me, you have a dog or two and children, then I highly recommend you read The Canine Commandments, a delightful, well constructed and beautifully illustrated book on how to appreciate your pooches. However, this book isn’t just about how to make your dog sit and stay it gives us invaluable advice on how to understand them.

Canine Commandments is written by Kendal Shepherd who is one the UK’s leading authorities on dogs and an acute observer of their relationship with human families. The book guides us through the behaviour of dogs and encourages us to get the most out of them. It specifically explains how to teach young children how to behave around their own dogs but it also highlights how to treat dogs they have never met before. This was particularly interesting for me because our son is used to animals and therefore is quite carefree when meeting new dogs.

However, the advice given is quite plain and simple, not all dogs are happy to greet us.

The more I read this book the more I realised where I have gone wrong in the past sometimes. We shower our dogs with so much emotion (well, I do), spoil them, smother them with kisses and cuddles,

that we can forget there are boundaries and our dogs can lose respect for us.

Of course most of it is common sense, but I think sometimes we forget that dogs need rules just as much as our children do.

I think we all take for granted that once we have a new dog in the home and we give it a few commands, feed it well, give them daily walks, then that should be enough. But any pet needs nurturing, showing them right from wrong and laying down boundaries. Kendal Shepherd teaches us in a gentle manner how to treat dogs, and I only wished I read this years ago to save myself from a few bites!

Now, all I need is a book on ‘How to Stop your Little Dog Running Away’, then I’d be laughing. But that’s another story!

• Copies of the Canine Commandments are available from: Kendal Shepherd, 6 Church Street, Finedon, Wellingborough Northants NN9 5NA (kendal@lindenarts.co.uk) NORTH NORFOLK LIVING Spring 2011

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NORTH NORFOLK PEOPLE

Richard Maun Gill Carrick Cowlin meets author, business guru and enthusiastic Holt resident Richard Maun and his family

‘N

ew York, New York, so good they named it twice’, as the song goes. To stretch a point just a little, you could say Richard and Rebecca Maun love Holt so much they named their children after the town. “Actually, it wasn’t quite planned like that; just a happy coincidence,” Richard explained; introducing me to three-year old twins Harvey and Oscar; who with eleven year old Lucy and Theodore, who’s nine, complete the Maun clan.

Holt has become a firm favourite with the whole family. “It’s so friendly and so much nicer than the more faceless south-east”, said Rebecca, referring to where the family used to live - High Wycombe.

They made the move to north Norfolk around 14 years ago when Richard began a year’s placement as part of his post-graduate course at Cranfield University. He was then offered a full-time post in the area as a general manager, and jumped at the chance to stay. “We love the butchers, fishmongers; the lights; the carnival – pretty much everything here in Holt”, he says.

“And we can choose the beach we want to visit – pebbles or sand”, added Rebecca. “ I take the boys to Sheringham after school (penning them between the groynes!); or we go to Wells for a walk. And I love doing courses at Salthouse. The one we did last summer involved a bit of scavenging along the beach and then making something creative from what I’d found, which was fun. We’ve taken the kids to late-night feeding at Pensthorpe and gathered samphire. There are so many options around here, while the kids are young especially.”

When they’re not exploring all the area has to offer Rebecca, a graphic designer, and Richard, now a visiting fellow at Cranfield who also lectures post-graduates in leadership and

20

management skills, risk the potential minefield for couples – working together.

“Occasionally I’ve done some copy writing for Becky and she’s done some designer work for me. It’s a good arrangement and we work well together.”

Richard also works as a business coach, and teaches coaching and team development through his company Primary People Ltd. “It’s so rewarding to work with post-grads and management; it’s a nice variety. I’m currently coaching senior managers in hospitals and in businesses, helping them to save money, develop new processes and make efficiencies.”

He’s written three books (translated into 3 languages) and is onto his fourth – aptly entitled, in this tricky economic climate – ‘How To Keep Your Job.’ I’ve really just stumbled on the themes of my books, and realise I’m writing career books effectively”, he says.

Part of Richard’s job is to encourage people to discard the usual British reserve and sing their own praises. “Not in an over-blown, ‘I’m great, you-just-have-to-believe-it’, sort of way but with examples to back up your talents. You need substance and numbers to tell the story.

Just as importantly, make sure you do your homework and check your cv. I interviewed

someone recently who wanted a bursary at Cranfield and I asked them how they would describe themselves. This guy said he was a detail person, yet his cv was riddled with spelling mistakes.

“On another occasion, someone turned up wearing jeans and a tee-shirt that didn’t even cover his rather bulging stomach. Another took calls to make arrangements for a job interview while he was in the middle of one! Simple; unbelievable mistakes, that could have been easily avoided.”

So does Richard ever make boo-boos?

“Several years ago I hired someone once who said they were good with computers and I took them at their word. Turned out they weren’t.

So when they’d said yes, they really meant no.

I give everyone a test now and often advise people that if they’re going for an interview it’s important to practise key skills before hand, in case you get asked to demonstrate them on the day.”

Succeeding at interviews is about knowing your key strengths and having confidence, Richard believes. “We have a culture of being modest here in the UK, yet we should have confidence in our skills. “Although not everyone has to live up to stereotypes like the people featured in Dragons’ Den!” • Further information: www.richardmaun. com; or on Twitter: @RichardMaun

NORTH NORFOLK LIVING Spring 2011

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Advertisement Feature

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E mail enquires@derricksdelicacies.co.uk 21

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BOOKS Dark Green Fritillary

© BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION

Amanda Loose follows Guardian journalist and ‘butterfly geek’ Patrick Barkham around the British Isles in search of butterflies, visiting North Norfolk ‘en route’

© BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION

The Butterfly Isles The Butterfly Isles A Summer in Search of Our Emperors and Admirals

By Patrick Barkham

I

© MARTIN GODWIN

t started on the dunes at Holm next the Sea over twenty years ago when an eight-year-old Patrick Barkham and his father were searching for a little brown butterfly. The Brown Argus appeared and Patrick’s ‘butterfly brain cell fluttered into life’. Later they set themselves the task of seeing all the species of British butterflies but didn’t quite manage it and university then work took over.

But ‘Like lost loves, Patrick Barkham butterflies still flew through my dreams’ and eventually Patrick decided to ‘complete this unfinished business’ to see all 59 species of British butterflies in one summer before it was too late as several species are on the edge of extinction! This took him from Wells-next-the-Sea, where he lives when not working in London, all over the British Isles.

The Butterfly Isles is about far more than simply ticking off butterfly after butterfly. It’s filled with lyrical descriptions of butterflies and celebrates the beauty of the British countryside.

His account of a butterfly spotted on our own

22

Swallowtail coast tells of the sheer tenacity of a seemingly world weary Painted Lady: “As grey and ragged as a Victorian vagabond, its wings had almost wasted away... but then it startled me by roaring off with great vim.”

Patrick’s writing is similarly filled with “great vim”, telling us about “butterfly burnout”, breaking up then making up with his girlfriend, tales of lepidopterists past and present, including his father and butterflies in literature.

Accounts of conservation work such as the reintroduction of the Large Blue to Britain sit beside Patrick’s reluctance to get his binoculars out in London, partly for fear of “being outed as a butterfly geek”

After chasing butterflies with Patrick for over 300 pages I may become an amateur butterfly geek. His favourite butterfly spots in North Norfolk are Holkham woods and dunes, Foxley Wood and Warham Camp. You might spot me there consulting my new butterfly book.

• Currently available from Granta in hardback at £20, they will be publishing a paperback edition in May. Whitehouse Books will be stocking it.

Market Green Burnham Market Norfolk, PE31 8HD Tel: 01328 730270 E-mail: info@ whitehousebooks.co.uk

NORTH NORFOLK LIVING Spring 2011

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COOKING

COOKING WITH MARY KEMP

Culinary Conundrums Champion of local food and cookery Mary Kemp shares her ‘top tips’ with us in the first of her regular column. Send in your culinary questions to Mary at enquiries@northnorfolkliving.co.uk

The Best Sunday Lunch

Kitchen Gadgets There are so many gadgets and kitchen products on the market, some extremely useful and others not so! One I have and use regularly when cooking a roast is a “fat separator,” its basically a funny shaped jug with a spout that comes from the base, and if you are cooking a fatty joint or roast duck, you tip all the juices in the jug and the design means you can pour the wonderful meat juices back in the pan to make your gravy without the fat. But don’t forget to save the fat especially if its from a duck or goose to cook your roast potatoes in next time. I prefer the glass separators but you can equally find plastic ones.

Write lists, leave notes against recipes and enjoy preparing that Sunday lunch.

Anything you can do ahead will make life easier.

I

n our house when everyone is home Sunday lunch has to be a roast! With Yorkshire puddings, lots of fresh vegetables, roast potatoes and an endless supply of gravy; and I mean “proper” gravy as my grown up children still call it.

I am often asked at cookery demonstrations for hints and tips to make cooking that Sunday roast less stressful, and here are a few thoughts that might help you enjoy time with your family and friend’s rather than feel tied to the kitchen sink.

Make your Yorkshire puddings the day before then keep them somewhere cool; (the best Yorkshires are made with fresh eggs; it’s the fresh protein in the egg that will help them keep their shape). Then heat them through in a hot oven as you call everyone to the table.

You can equally cook your roast potatoes a day ahead. Cook them as you always do but remove them just as they turn golden, keep them in on the baking tray but pour off any excess oil or fat. Stand them somewhere cool not in the fridge, they will turn grey in the fridge. Then finish cooking them on the baking tray in a hot oven 200*C Gas mark 6 for 15 to 20 minutes. They don’t need any more oil.

If your family is like mine and loves lots of gravy, it helps if you have a good stock. I keep empty cream tubs of all different sizes to freeze it in, giving you all different quantities to match whatever you are cooking.

A dark chicken stock is a brilliant base for most gravies, sauces or soups. It’s not expensive or difficult to make, but definitely worth the effort: • 1 kg chicken wings, 1 large onion roughly chopped, 1 garlic clove crushed, a desert spoon tomato puree, a bay leaf, a couple of sprigs of thyme, 6 crushed peppercorns, and 1 good litre water.

• Dry roast the chicken wings until they are a rich golden brown, drain them in a colander and pour off any excess fat from the roasting tin. Then deglaze the tin with a little water and the tomato puree. Put the roasted wings, pan juices and the rest of the ingredients in a large stock pot, bring them to the boil and gently simmer for a good hour, skimming away any impurities. Strain through a fine sieve and cool overnight before freezing.

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• Mary writes on cookery and food and runs Aga Workshops and Cookery Days in her kitchen in South Norfolk. She also gives private demonstrations in Aga lovers homes teaching the Aga technique using her hassle free recipes. Mary runs the cookery theatre for the North Norfolk Food and Drink Festival, the Cromer Crab and Lobster Festival and the Norfolk Show.

To find out more www.marykemp.net e-mail kemp@fast-mail.net tel 01953717670

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LOCAL NEWS

Beachcombin gs What’s on , What’s good and Where to go!

New shoots for Potter and Dibble Potter & Dibble are delighted to announce the opening of a new store at 61 Manor Road, Dersingham (PE31 6LH just at the foot of the hill from Sandringham). Inside the bright and airy shop you will find a wide range of fabulous products for the home and garden, as well as gifts and accessories. A further exciting development is the inclusion of a gallery area with a selection of original artworks in a variety of media available for purchase.

With much of the stock being made in-house or to order from small producers, there will always be something new to discover inside, be it vintage fabrics for the picnic table, slate labels for the garden or gorgeous pictures for the home. “Searching out quirky but useful things for the home and garden is something I love to do”, says Angela Meakin the owner of Potter & Dibble, “The theme will always be ‘pretty and practical’. There will be some familiar names on the shelves, but also some truly original pieces and some wonderful gift ideas for all the family. I want everyone to feel that there’s something at Potter & Dibble for them.”

• Throughout the coming months there will be various exhibitions and activities planned - so look out in local publications and the website www.potteranddibble.com for further information.

Great Catesby’s Catesby’s is a collection of beautiful, useful and original items for the home and garden. Sourced from around the world, discoveries include decorative antiques, timeless furniture, stylish accessories and a range of useful necessities.

Owners Neil Honor and Jonathon Pegg are delighted with the results of the ‘rewarding slog’ that has been their last few months. Neil has left behind his international PR career to pursue the dream of setting up a lifestyle shop and has plans for a tea garden and luxury bed and breakfast rooms in the future.

The attractive items that they have sourced are housed in the effortlessly elegant and uniquely Georgian setting of Catesby Court.

It is wonderful that part of this beautiful building in the heart of Wells is once again open for us to appreciate and with the additional advantage of a stylish new business.

Happy shopping!

The shop will be open from Saturday 16 April 2011 • Catesbys, Staithe Street, Wells-Next-The-Sea (opposite the Maltings). 01328 711591 catesbys@hotmail.com NORTH NORFOLK LIVING Spring 2011

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GARDENING

In the first of a regular gardening column Trish le Gal gives inspiring advice to get us ‘growing our own’!

The North Norfolk Veg Patch

Lettuce seedlings

Yellowchard

Mizunared mustard

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t’s OK to go a bit ‘spring-mad’ in April. It’s the busiest planting month of the year - not too early and not too late. Choose your favourites from the list below.

• Tomatoes, celeriac, peppers and aubergines are started on heat in February. If you missed the moment, buy plants to pot on and plant out.

• For frost-sensitive French beans, courgettes, squash, and sweet corn, delay planting out till the end of May. There is just time to get those wonderful perennials such as asparagus, rhubarb, globe artichokes and seakale in too.

Sow or plant: Aubergines (P/C), broad beans (S+/O), French beans (S mid-May/C), runner beans (Sp/C), beetroot (S/O), Brussels sprouts (S/C), cabbagessummer (S/C), calabrese (S/C), carrots (S under fleece/O), cauliflowerssummer (S/C), chard (S – can start earlier/O), courgettes (H), cucumber (H), kale (S/C), kohlrabi (S/O), leeks (S/C), lettuce (S+/C and P/O), onions (P sets/O), parsnips (S/O), peas and mangetout (S+/O, both can start in February), peppers (P/C or O), potatoes (P/O), shallots (P sets/O, but really should be in by now), spinach, early harvest (S/O), spring onions (S/O), sprouting broccoli (S/C), squash (H), sweetcorn (H), tomatoes (P/C), turnips (S/O) Harvest: • April and May are the middle-to-end of the so-called ‘hungry gap’.

There are, however, at least 30 vegetables and 20 herbs that you can use fresh or stored during this time. Many don’t require cover.

• Stars are salad leaves, pea shoots and herbs (lovage is fantastic at this time of year), treats such as asparagus, seakale, sprouting broccoli and forced rhubarb, and old favourites such as carrots, parsnips, spring cabbages and leeks.

• Edible flowers from the ‘Veg Patch’ will feature in the canapés at the Plant Lovers Day Lecture at Creake Abbey Studios, Friday 27th May, 6-8 pm. www.creakeabbeystudios.co.uk for more details .

Key: H = heat, S = sow seeds, S+ = sow seeds for successional cropping, Sp = sow in pots, P = pot on or plant out, C = cover in an unheated greenhouse/polytunnel, O = outdoors.

• Trish welcomes visitors to her allotment in Wells-next-the-Sea (east end) or email her through her website: www.growyourownbooks.co.uk

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Poppyseed

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PEOPLE

A Life in Lamplight Valerie Boon meets David Denny, a leading light in the world of oil lamps

O

il lamps are as old as the inhabited world – it’s difficult to determine when or even where the first one was used. Certainly the first models came from natural objects – seashells, eggshells or coconuts and some believe that the first proper lamps were carved from stones. Handmade lamps evolved through the millennia from bowl-shaped to saucer-shaped then from saucer with a nozzle to a closed bowl with a spout. Fast forward 1000s of years; different materials, different structure, design and imagery evolved in different parts of the world with lamps specific for symbolic, religious or domestic purposes. Wicks as diverse as linen, flax, papyrus or ordinary rush cut thin or thick. And fuels as multifarious as olive, castor or rapeseed oil to ghee. Then in Europe, around 1780, the Argand lamp incorporated the invention of a ‘round’ wick ensuring a more constant and brighter light and quickly replaced almost all other designs. The next significant event was the introduction of paraffin as lamp fuel in about 1850 and having done my research I’m off to meet a man who is is the North Norfolk expert on oil lamps, Honorary President of the Historic Lighting Club, member of several international clubs for lamp collectors and a regular contributor to the quarterly publication ‘The Midnight Oil’. And he’s been on TV…..

I imagined interviewing an octogenarian would be comparatively easy to arrange – all armchairs, teacups and oodles of time to fill.

David Denny managed to juggle my phone calls between important supplier negotiations on his various mobile phones. At 83 he is still a busy man. He shrugs off any hint of compliment – not an expert, he says, he simply knows more than the average person. Not surprising since oil lamps have always been part of his life.

His boyhood home was in Thorpe St Andrew in a house with a garden which ran down to the river and he had to look after the oil lamps for the boats, plus, he adds, the gardener used one to go night-time hunting for snails and, during WW2, lamps were essential when the power went off. So being able to clean and repair lamps soon became more than an essential activity – it became a fascinating hobby. After Norwich Grammar School he worked within an auctioneers and then National Service in the RAF followed by a couple of decades with Raleigh bicycles including a 5-year stint in central and east Africa. After this he set up his own business, Yeoman Cycles, in Maplethorpe – importing and exporting bikes and parts and travelling all over eastern Europe, India and the USA until he retired at 65 so that he could concentrate on his first love – oil lamps.

He’s quick to point out the link between the two which he refers to as ‘simple engineering’ but he was easily smitten by “the ingenuity of early lighting engineers and how they used to overcome problems”.

We meet up in his unit in the Mews Antique

Emporium in Holt, the town that has been his permanent home over the past 18 years. He spends Mondays here and Thursdays each week in the Fakenham Antique Centre. From what he says it appears that he operates the equivalent of a lamp-doctor’s surgery from both places. I wonder what kind of people are oil lamp enthusiasts and he smiles and says simply ‘sensible people’ and didn’t I realise that there are still some houses without mains electricity – like Coastguards’ cottages?

Looking around his display I wonder does he have a favourite period? “The most interesting are the mechanical lamps, 1700 to1850”, is his immediate answer. “It was difficult to get colza [rapeseed] oil up the wick by capillary action so they designed clockwork lamps to urge the thickened oil upwards. And then came paraffin and just feel the heat from these”. Almost instantly David’s little lamp room is illuminated by the really warming glow from lamps he has lovingly restored. In fact it is the renovation and replacement of a faulty part that he enjoys the most and this often means making it himself as parts are difficult to obtain. Then he confesses to having actual ‘shed-loads’ of spares. Sufficient, he adds, to last him until his next retirement.

• Mews Antique Emporium 5/6 Manor Mews, Holt NR25 6NB 01263 713224 Open 6 days 10am – 5pm & 11am – 4pm Sunday • Fakenham Antique Centre 14 Norwich Road NR21 8AZ 01328 862941 Open Mon – Sat 10am – 4.30pm NORTH NORFOLK LIVING Spring 2011

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OUTDOORS

O U T A N D A B O U T W I T H P H I L WA L K E R

Walker’s Wanders Longer than a stroll, shorter than a route march our wanders with Phil Walker will help you discover the heartland of North Norfolk and its lovely coast

Let’s go: To a magical place near Wells where skylarks sing the secrets of our ancestors.

Iron Age warriors built a fortress here called Warham Camp more than two thousand years ago. Now it’s ours to share with just the birds, bees and butterflies.

Chalkhill Blue Butterfly

You’ll walk: Less than three miles up, around and down on road and meadow. Take the family and your time, there’s a lot to appreciate.

Find it: Ordnance Survey Explorer 251 Grid: 947417 Route: Start from the car park opposite The Three Horseshoes pub at Warham, three miles off the A149 coast road. Walk inland and uphill for half-a-mile on the road signposted Wighton, cross the humpbacked bridge then look for a metal gate decked with signs on your right.

Take the ivy-hedged lane to the small wooden gate. The fort rears up from the farmland in front of you. Explore the ditches and inner circle of 1.5 hectares, walk along the river then wend your way back.

Kingfisher

Map by Dave Brice Pause at: The medieval church of All Saints has lost its tower but still has a memorial to a towering sportsman. The rector, Henry Cattell, captained England at Rugby in 1900.

The river: From the humpback bridge admire a lovely chalk stretch of the 18-mile long Stiffkey, home to brown trout, heron, kingfisher and otter. Barn owls hunt along its banks, too.

The fort: Most striking, best preserved and evocative of the five Iron Age Norfolk settlements of the warlike Iceni and the only one with a double ditch. Stand on the 30ft high chalk walls, and imagine what a formidable fortress it was when Boudicca’s forebears built it about 150BC when a wooden stockade on top would have made it impregnable. A partial excavation in 1959 has told us little other than it may have sheltered about 1,000 inhabitants with livestock and precious horses whereas today only 200 people live in sleepy Warham below. Pieces of pottery and tiles reveal the

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Romans used it too. More precious tribal gold torcs and bracelets have been found in Norfolk than the whole of Britain, but none have turned up here. Don’t be tempted to try your luck: metal detectors are banned.

Flora & fauna: Home to all the farmland birds: Lapwing, Linnet, Goldfinch, Yellowhammer.

Water mint and wild thyme perfume the air, yellow rock rose and purple pyramidal orchid attract a host of butterflies, but watch especially for the dainty Brown Argus, Common Blue and rarer Chalk-hill Blue. Take flower and butterfly field guides and go in warmer part of the day.

Best time: Dawn or dusk especially around midsummer. Then it’s truly lonely and mystical and the ghosts are friendly now.

Meditate under the gnarled, lightning-shattered evergreen oak. Are those Boudicca’s initials carved in the bark?

Walkies: Cattle sometimes graze around here otherwise well-trained dogs can run free.

Last orders: The Three Horseshoes is a genuine Norfolk pub so deliciously oldfashioned it doesn’t do chips or credit cards.

Between here and the church fortify yourself with a prayer, a home-cooked pie and a pint.

Heavenly.

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Catherine Carter P h o t o g r a p h y

“The touch of perfection”

Tel 01406 425628 Mob 07799 481565 www.catherinecarterphotography.co.uk

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Keeping you informed and in the loop!

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EATING OUT

A warm and delicious welcome awaits you…

Lin Murray puts on her walking boots, clips the lead on the dog, breaks out her binoculars and heads for…. her local fine dining restaurant, bar and ‘Eating Rooms’ at Titchwell Manor! Proving that ‘fine dining’ establishments are not necessarily the culinary ‘ivory towers’ that we may perceive them to be

Eating Rooms

Some treats from the Eating Room menu

Start

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irtually the first email to me from my new boss and publisher of North Norfolk Living was a request for a lunch venue recommendation as he was bringing friends down to the coast for the day. Terror! Nicholas Rudd Jones, consummate foodie, admirer of the finer things in life and bon viveur. There was a definite risk of me ‘falling at the first’ if I got this one wrong!

However, have no fear! Enjoy your walk along the beautiful North Norfolk coast Nicholas and friends and then head for the little coastal village of Titchwell, tucked in between its bigger cousins Brancaster and Thornham. Here you will find the very grand sounding Titchwell Manor.

Although grand sounding, beautifully decorated and maintained and with stunning gardens you couldn’t ask for a warmer welcome whether you purr up in your Porsche or clump down the road in your muddy boots, especially if you take them off at the door!

Owned by Margaret and Ian Snaithe since 1988 and with their son Eric, who is the Head Chef, Titchwell Manor has been transformed from a Victorian farmhouse into a luxurious yet relaxed place to sleep, eat and drink.

I think the secret to Titchwell Manor’s popularity is that they continually strive to appeal to everybody whilst maintaining exceptionally high standards throughout. I recently met two of the Manor’s reception staff at a meeting entitled ‘Encouraging Cyclists and Walkers to your Business’. My point entirely, breaking that exclusive and slightly sniffy label that tends to attach itself to establishments like this.

The Manor has just won East of England’s Award for Excellence ‘Small Hotel of the Year’ and Eric has achieved the much-coveted two AA rosettes for the Conservatory Restaurant, a wonderfully relaxed fine dining experience.

A hard working chef, Eric puts huge effort into sourcing local ingredients and keeping on top of the latest developments in fine dining. I must say that I have never seen Sea Purslane

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Conservatory Restaurant

French Onion Soup Variations of Smoked Salmon – Orange, Vodka, Chicory Diver Scallops with oxtail, lentils and red wine Fois Gras Terrine with fig puree, spiced bread and cranberry Rosary Ash Goats cheese with beetroot and spiced bread 6 Brancaster Oysters with Tabasco and shallot vinegar jellies Mussel Chowder with smoked haddock and sea purslane

£5 £9 £9 £10 £8 £10 £7/12

Main Bedroom Luxury on a menu before and can’t wait to try it!

In keeping with their wide appeal they have recently opened their eclectically decorated Eating Rooms that are perfect for a casual lunch or supper date. Here you can enjoy the same attention to detail and carefully selected menu including one of my absolute favourite beef herds, the Sandringham Estate Red Poll, Houghton Hall venison and a whole section dedicated to Brancaster shellfish.

I think much of the relaxed atmosphere stems from the ever efficient Manager Mark Dobby and his team, many who have worked at the Manor for several years now, achieving that delicate and elusive balance of informality yet top-notch service.

Your pooch is welcomed too in the main lounge and the bar, where you can choose from the ‘Eating Rooms’ menu. Several of the bedrooms are available to those travelling with ‘rover’ and there is a comfortable kennel and run outside if you want to nip out alone.

Take off your jacket and tie, remove that pashmina, slip into something a little more casual and put the Gold card away, you won’t need it!

Houghton Venison pudding with juniper and shallots Dexter Beef pie with beer and brown sugar Parsnip Risotto with honey Parmesan and hazelnut Fish and chips with mushy peas Sausage and smoked mash with onion gravy Confit Duck Leg with Gratin, red cabbage and orange jus

£8 £11 £11 £12 £12 £13

• Sides are separate at £3. They range from mushy peas and proper chips to smoked mash, sticky red cabbage and buttered greens.

Dessert

Sticky toffee pudding Artic Roll Cheese plate Lemon Meringue with lemon sorbet and popcorn Stem Ginger parfait with pear and almond Chocolate Sundae

£7 £5 £9 £8 £7 £5

For reservations call 01485 210221 or visit www.titchwellmanor.com

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THE TANNERY

FINE L

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GI VE A

Teva • The Bridge Orla Kiely Roncato Church’s

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Longchamp

Texier

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Tusting

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Crockett & Jones www.thetannery.co.uk

4-6 Bull Street | Holt | Norfolk | NR25 6HP | T: 01263 713642/711500 32

6 Royal Arcade | Norwich | Norfolk | NR2 1NQ | T: 01603 661600

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