Choice Magazine for Gosport & Lee on the Solent - December 2025
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I hope you like the new look? We’re hitting 20 years young in February so it felt like the right time for a change.
This month it’s all about food! It’s the annual Mince Pie Taste Test results! The Team and their taste buds were summoned once again to work their way through these festive pies! Did the fancy Harrods one come out on top or did the more modest Lidl lead the way? Find out which came out top on page 28.
Did you know singing is good for you? It regulates your nervous system, it can reduce stress and anxiety and lower blood pressure. Fancy a good old sing song that’s doing you good? If so, head to Alverstoke Village this month, 6pm on 5th December for Carols in the Village organised by Gosport Rotary. A charity event supporting lots of local charities. You could tie it in with a visit to the Christmas Tree Festival at St Mary’s Church. Details of both events can be found inside.
There’s plenty more happening this month, you’ll find the lists of events dotted throughout the pages. If you have an event or group you’d like advertised let us know. Simply submit your event details at gosportchoice.com
This months recipe is something you can make
Hello LOVELY READER
and enjoy yourself or make and give as a gift. It’s for Chocolate Amaretti Cookies. I’ve tweaked a much loved and frequently used recipe to make it chocolatey! May I advise making twice the amount as these are delicious and very moreish!
If, like me, you still have gifts to buy then may I suggest a little head out to the shops on our doorstep. We’ve got a great array of shops in Lee High Street that you’ll find inside. The great Boutique By the Sea is full of gifts, clothing, accessories and delights. Finishing Touches is a wonderful gift shop you’ll find jewellery to candles, cards to decorations, you can also drop off your dry cleaning and have keys cut too! Hidden Treasures is full of just that, treasure! Beautiful jewellery sits alongside vintage watches, art, antiques and furniture. All unique and with a history. Check out their ads inside.
If you’d like to advertise your business get in touch! You’ll love our prices!
Thank you for another supportive year! Have a good December. I wish you a lovely Christmas time. Enjoy the perfectly, imperfect moments!
HIDDEN TREASURES HIDDEN TREASURES
51-53 HIGH STREET LEE ON THE SOLENT
We urgently require your broken and unwanted gold, jewellery and antiques. Any amount, any condition- top CASH prices paid!
PRE 1947 COINS (SILVER) WANTED
WANTED gold - silver - jewellery of all kinds medals (any militaria) - cuff links - studs - tie pins pocket watches - wrist watches antiques - moorcroft - clarice cliff - old postcards
WANTED - rolex, breitling, omega etc
Please call in to see us. Monday - Saturday 10am-6pm. Alternatively, call to arrange a home appointment
TELEPHONE: 023 9255 3428 MOBILE: 07767 304495
These cookies are everything you want them to be and more. Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside and chocolatey.
Makes 22
You’ll need:
• 300g ground almonds
• 175g caster sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• 120ml aquafaba, from 1 x 400g tin chickpeas
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 50g icing sugar, for rolling
Method
In a large bowl, whisk the almonds, sugar, cocoa powder and salt. In a second bowl, and using an electric whisk, whip the aquafaba for eight to 10 minutes, until it forms semi-stiff peaks.
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6 and line two oven trays with baking paper (mine’s reusable). Gently fold the aquafaba, lemon zest and vanilla into the almond mix.
Recipe CHOCOLATE AMARETTI COOKIES
Now set up a biscuit rolling station: shake the icing sugar into a shallow bowl or lipped plate, and put the dough to one side of it and the trays to the other.
Pinch off a walnut-sized, 25-30g piece of the biscuit mixture, gently roll it into a ball, then put in the icing sugar and repeat until you have about six in the bowl. Keeping the bowl on the countertop, gently shuffle it around in a circular motion so the amaretti roll around and get covered in a thick coat of icing sugar. Carefully place them 10cm apart on one baking tray, and repeat until you’ve used up all the dough.
Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the amaretti are golden on top, then remove and set aside to cool.
The biscuits will keep for at least a week in an airtight container. To wrap, put them in a gift box/bag of your choice and tie with ribbon.
GOSPORT CHOICE ADVERT
At the Eastern end of Crescent Garden is a large, spreading coniferous tree; it is the blue cedar, Cedrus atlantica Glauca. What’s in a name? The name Cedrus is derived from the Greek word for resinous (which most conifers are); atlantica tells you from where the tree comes. It is native to the Atlas Mountains in Algiers and Morocco, facing the Atlantic; and Glauca is derived from the word ‘glaucous’, which means ‘having a dull bluish/grey colour due to a waxy covering’, which exactly describes the needles on this tree. They are short and arranged in clumps of about 45 at intervals along the branches which have upturned ends. The waxy covering is waterproof and enables the tree to retain its needles throughout the year as, indeed, do most other conifers.
The blue cedar arose as a mutation in the early 19th century, was first introduced into UK in 1840 and was planted out extensively by 1845. It has since been planted in parks and gardens all over the world. Not only does it make a lovely sight in these places, but once established where the conditions suit it, the tree grows well. It is best planted in warm areas, though it is hardy to -20*. It is unsuited to areas of high rainfall, but is very tolerant of drought and is not fussy about the soil in which it is planted. So ideal for southern England and does well in Crescent Garden
Unfortunately it is listed as endangered in its natural habitat due to over use for its timber and the extraction of essential oils from its resinous branches. The tree produces very fragrant and durable wood and is much used in furniture making, especially that for storing
Crescent Garden
DECEMBER
clothes as its fragrance repels moths and makes the clothes smell good. Cedarwood oil is used in perfumes and medicinally as an antiseptic and a fungicide. Numerous other uses are claimed for it including cures for ulcers, chest infections and dandruff!
In October the tree produces male cones which are small finger shapes sitting upright on the branches and produce copious pollen which, with the slightest breeze, drifts in clouds across the garden and coats the cars parked along Crescent Road in a fine yellow dust. The remains of these male cones can be seen on the ground beneath the tree. The female cones are very small, but when fertilised produce barrel shaped cones which take 2 or 3 years to develop and then disintegrate to let loose their winged seeds.
If you have enjoyed reading this article and have even enjoyed a stroll through Crescent Garden, how about finding out more about the garden by joining ‘Friends of Crescent Garden’.
You can do this by visiting our website alverstokecrescentgarden.co.uk or by contacting our membership secretary, Guy Sitwell, at membership@alverstokecrescentgarden.co.uk There is a small membership fee which helps with the cost of running the garden such as buying plants, paying water and electricity bills, but also gives you the opportunity to join in various activities and receive a newsletter about the garden.
As we approach our 46th year in business, all of us at the gallery would like to thank our many clients, near and far, for their continued support. We wish you all a happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year!
December 6th until Christmas Eve
The gallery is happy to offer its expertise, free of charge and without obligation, to appraise paintings, etchings and antiquarian books brought in for framing, restoration, valuation or potential purchase.
Thomas Bush Hardy (1842-1897) - Indian Troop Ship HMS Jumna in Portsmouth Harbour. Watercolour. Signed and dated 1894. Overall measurement with original frame: 66 x 126 cm
ALVERSTOKE’S BEST KEPT CULTURAL SECRET
Looking for something different to do in the evenings? Something entertaining, thought-provoking and just plain enjoyable?
At Spithead Arts, we think we’ve got one of Alverstoke’s best-kept secrets: a warm, friendly group exploring arts and culture that meets once a month to enjoy fascinating talks by some of the country’s leading experts.
Our talks cover an amazing range of topics. Over the years we’ve gone from Bach to Banksy, Frida Kahlo to the Black Death, and plenty more in between!
It’s not just about the talks, though. It’s about the people — a welcoming crowd who share a love of art, culture and good conversation. Groups like this are becoming rare these days, and we think that makes ours even more special.
Membership is £50 for the year, or you can just drop in as a guest for £7, and we’ll even refund that if you decide to join. Or a year’s membership might make a great Christmas gift for someone?
We meet early evenings at Bay House School, once a month. You’ll find all the details, including our current programme, on our website: www.spitheadarts.co.uk
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SPITHEAD ARTS
So why not give it a try? You’ve got nothing to lose, and ten brilliant evenings to look forward to!
A look at the year ahead…
January 27th
Poets, painters & private lives of c19th Venice
February 24th
Masterpieces of 20th century photography
March 24th
The Men who made Menswear
April 28th
Capt. Fitzroy, Darwin and the voyage of HMS Beagle
May 26th
The Empty Chair in contemporary art
June 23rd
A Tale of Two Cities, London and New York musicals
July 28th
Gold of the Gods - treasures of Southsea America
September 22nd
The Baroque Country House
October 27th
Clarice Cliff: The doyenne of Art Deco
November 24th
We are amused - Victorian
If you’ve got all the bulbs in, congratulations! It’s well worth the effort come springtime. If you haven’t planted your tulip bulbs yet, there’s still time! If like me, you’re desperate to sow seeds you can sow sweet peas now if you didn’t manage to in autumn just keep the seedlings frost free. Mine will be on a sunny windowsill.
Here’s a few suggestions of what you can be doing to keep the garden in check throughout the winter and everything just ticking over.
Around the garden
• Hang bird feeders near roses to attract hungry birds that will also pick off any overwintering pests
• Continue collecting leaves from borders, paths and lawns. I’m aware this is boring & neverending! but it will stop the snails and slugs hiding under them.
• Raise potted plants off the ground to prevent them becoming waterlogged.
• Regularly wash and disinfect bird baths and feeders.
• Winter prune large fruit trees, such as apples and pears, to control their shape and size, and to increase their productivity
In the Garden
DURING DECEMBER
In the greenhouse
• Check that greenhouse heaters are working. Remove leaves from greenhouse gutters.
• Wash greenhouses, cold frames and cloches to let in more light.
• Water overwintering plants sparingly to avoid the risk of rot. Try not to wet the leaves when watering to avoid fungal diseases.
• Pinch out the tips of autumn-sown sweet peas to encourage bushier growth
On the vegetable patch
• Sow broad beans and onion seeds
• Plant out garlic sets
• Keep kale, winter cabbages and other brassicas covered with netting to protect them from hungry pigeons
House plants
• Give houseplants extra humidity to combat the drying effects of central heating
• Water house plants less frequently and move them off particularly cold windowsills at night.
• Repot moth orchids after flowering
Darren Harris is a skilled, reliable and professional carpenter and joiner based in Gosport offering a wide range of carpentry services for your home or business. The options are pretty endless but to give you an idea of the most popular services a list is below:
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Do you have important legal documents in place to protect your interests and make life easier for you and your family, whatever the future brings?
If you have received a diagnosis of dementia, or are concerned about becoming ill and unable to cope with paying your bills, wouldn’t it be helpful for a family member to be able to step in and deal with your finances? If your family member needed to make decisions for you, instead of just acting on your instructions, they would need your formal written authority to do this.
Formal authority can be given by creating a Lasting Power of Attorney. This document will allow your family member to take over managing your money, either temporarily or long term.
You can also create a Lasting Power of Attorney which allows your family member to make decisions for you about medical treatment, if you are unable for any reason to make your own decisions. This is not the same as an Advance Decision, which is a document which sets out your decision to refuse medical treatment in the future, under specific conditions.
If you are caring for an elderly relative, or are likely to be doing so in the future, a Lasting Power of Attorney will mean that you can provide the support your relative needs and access services on their behalf, without the difficulties, stress and resistance you would otherwise encounter.
Having a Will gives you peace of mind that your money, property and personal possessions will be going to the people you have chosen to benefit. An out of date Will can cause problems within the family or mean that a chosen beneficiary receives nothing.
If you have any unanswered questions about Wills or Lasting Powers of Attorney, Christine will be pleased to help, so do please get in touch for a free, no obligation, chat.
Call Christine Davies Solicitor on 07860 772274 or email: christine@winterbornelegal.co.uk
Christine is a Fully Accredited Member of Solicitors for the Elderly and a Dementia Friend. Christine will visit you in your own home and aims to provide a warm personal touch to every meeting.
Christine Davies Solicitor
We supply and fit all aspects of domestic and commercial flooring. We provide a free estimate service with a full range of sampling available.
Christmas cannot commence until the Mince Pie Taste Test has been completed! In November all the pies were packaged up and sent off to our very experienced Taste Testers once again. Did the fancy Harrods one come out on top or did the more cheap Tesco ones lead the way?
Tesco looked good, lovely decoration, as you’d expect a mince pie to look. But the pastry was far too thick. Some found the taste to be ok and fruity, others found them to be very bland and claggy!
Lidl’s looked ok but very pale! The overall comment was the pastry was far too thick. Too much pastry and not enough filling. Very sugary and lacking in taste compared to the others.
Harrods came fourth last year and are at the same position this year. People are put off by them not looking like a mince pie, they always look more like a fairy cake. Some testers would have liked a little bit more filling. But the pastry
Mince Pie
TASTE TEST
was once again lovely and flaky with the perfect amount of sugar on top.
Waitrose looked homemade in a good way. But the overall thoughts were they weren’t very tasty, described as ‘uninspiring’ and ‘claggy’.
You can always rely on Marks’s. With a generous and tasty filling, good pastry and a very festive look, they are deserved of their 2nd place. Only 1% away from joint first.
Asda was the overall winner! Festive and traditional looking with lots of fruit. A great taste and lovely crumbly pastry.
If you’re watching the pennies then get yourself a clubcard and head to Tesco otherwise get yourself to Asda or M&S .
We hope this helps! The Team are all mince pied out! As always, any mince pie warmed up and with lashings of cream will taste good!
Until the next Taste Test.
ST FAITH’S CHURCH LEE CHRISTMAS FAYRE
13th December. 10am-2pm.
Victoria Square, Lee on the Solent PO13 9NF
Something for all the family. Featuring a Giant Nativity Stable with Carol singing, fun and photo opportunities dressing in Nativity costumes.
A variety of Christmas themed Stalls including Craft, Children's Toys, Games and Jigsaws. Cakes, books, jewellery, Spin the Wheel and a Raffle with great prizes. Feast on festive food and refreshments or mulled wine & mince pies from our Bar whilst being entertained by live music, Carols and dance displays.
GOSPORT JAZZ CLUB - DECEMBER
Gosport RFC, Dolphin Crescent, Gosport
3rd Dec 8-10.30pm Andy Woon’s New All Stars
17th Dec 7.45-10.30pm - Xmas Party - Sarah Spencer’s TAB
G£12 book early gosportjazz.org.uk NM £12
GOSPORT SOLENT BRASS CHRISTMAS CONCERT
Saturday 13th December 7-9pm
Holy Trinity Church, Trinity Green, PO12 1HL
Adults £10; Concessions/Children £8.50
Our traditional Christmas offering of Christmas music from a variety of sources, traditional, popular and from musicals etc to get our audience in the festive mood. www.gosportsolentbrass.com
Local Events & News
NEWS FROM THE FRIENDS OF ST MARK’S CHURCHYARD
St Mark’s Road, Alverstoke
South & Southeast in Bloom and Gosport in Bloom Awards 2025
I am delighted to report that The Friends of St Mark’s Churchyard have won Siver Gilt in the ‘Churchyards’ category of this year’s S&SE in Bloom awards’, a great achievement. We also featured well in the Gosport in Bloom awards, winning Silver Gilt in both ‘Best Wildlife Garden’ category and ‘Best Public Attraction’ category. We also came second in the ‘Mayor’s Community and Neighbourhood Group Awards’ category, achieving a very well-deserved Silver. It is very satisfying to know that all our hard work and commitment over the year is appropriately recognised and makes us all the more determined to keep up the good work.
We hope you will find time to visit the churchyard during the next few weeks to enjoy the glorious autumn colours, as it still remains a haven of tranquillity and a place for quite reflection. You will always be most welcome. And don’t forget we are always looking for more volunteers to join us on Thursday mornings between 10 am and 12 noon, to carry on the work that Roy Harris and Toby Streatfeild-James started 22 years ago.
CHRISTMAS PUD 5K! 7th December. 10.15am
Stokes Bay. This fun-filled run is open to all ages and abilities. Many participants embrace the Christmas spirit by donning Santa hats, tinsel, and fancy dress. Every finisher will receive a well-earned Christmas pudding, with chocolate treats for the children. Check out gosportrotary.co.uk
CHRISTMAS CAROLS IN ALVERTOKE VILLAGE 5th December. 6pm.
Music led by Paul Pilott, Louise Helyer & Friends with St Mary’s Church Junior Choir. Collection in aid of of the Rotary Club of Gosport, Rowans Hospice, Hampshire Air Ambulance & Stubbington Parkinson’s Support.
ALVERSTOKE CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL
4-7th December
St Mary’s Church, Green Road, Alverstoke. 4th 6.15-7.30pm Opening ceremony & lighting of trees.
5th 3.30-7pm, 6th December 11am-6pm, Sunday 7th December 12.30-6pm Entry £3 adult, Children free.
CATS PROTECTION
13th December 8am-3.30pm Gosport High St Market.
19th December 9.30am-4pm Asda, Gosport. Items for sale. Volunteers on hand to give cat-care advice.
A monthly Repair Cafe Residents of Gosport bring their broken items to fix them on the spot with the help of voluntary repair experts. The cafe is non-commercial and entirely voluntary. The service is free but we do encourage donations. Item Categories:Electronics - Computing - Fabrics - FurnitureToys - Bicycles. Book in advance. mail@repaircafegosport.co.uk message on FB, or leave message 023 9298 3802.
LIVE MUSIC AT THE VINE, STOKE RD, GOSPORT 11th Dec 6.30-9.30pm. Range of performers & genres. Bar 6.30-9.30pm. Food 6.30-9pm.
POWDER MONKEY BREWING CO CHRISTMAS MARKETS Priddy’s Hard, Heritage Way, Gosport. Fri 5th 4-9pm. Sat 6th & Sun 7th 10am-4pm
A weekend packed with local stalls, live music, great food and plenty of drinks to go around. Expect local makers and traders with quality crafts and festive treats, live music on Saturday, delicious food, drinks and plenty of Christmas cheer all weekend.
CHRISTMAS CAROL SERVICE 11th December. 7pm.
St Luke’s Church Haslar, Gosport PO12 2FB Organised by Haslar Heritage Group. All welcome!
Solent Airport MOTs, Unit il1-3, Illustrious Daedalus Park, Daedalus Drive, Lee on the Solent PO13 9FX (Stubbington Motors is now at Solent Airport MOTS) Elkins Motors, 99b Mays Lane, Stubbington PO14 2ED Locks Heath Garage, 212 Hunts Pond Road, Locks Heath PO14 4PG With 3 sites in the local area, all of our Garages are high ranking members of ‘The Good Garage Scheme’ and ‘Checkatrade’. Our Garages provide onsite MOT testing. Mon - Fri: 8.30 - 5.30 Sat: 8.30 - 12.30
HVR CUSTOMS
Specialists in VW’s, we also cover many other makes and models in the full or part conversion of camper vans, kombi vans and caddy’s. We manufacture and design custom built camper interiors for Volkswagens and other makes.
Full & Part Conversions
VW Transporters, Campers, Kombi’s and Caddy’s
0333 3585 999 (Option 3)
HVR Customs, Unit il3-4, Illustrious Daedalus Park, Daedalus Drive, Lee on the Solent PO13 9FX
CARS AND VANS ALWAYS IN STOCK FOR SALE!
Specialising in transporters and small low mileage cars. (The cars are ideal for first time drivers.)
Naomi House & Jacksplace Opens Charity Shop
in Lee-on-the-Solent
Naomi House & Jacksplace, local hospices for children and young adults, have opened their new charity shop in Lee-on-the-Solent on Tuesday, 28 October. The grand opening took place in the morning with a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the occasion.
Among guests was Mayor of Gosport Borough, Cllr Kirsten Bradley, who helped Naomi House & Jacksplace service users to cut the ribbon to officially open the charity shop. The generosity of people coming to support the opening exceeded all expectations. The response from the public was overwhelmingly positive, with many joining in on the day to browse the shop and support the hospices by purchasing from the carefully curated stock on display.
The Naomi House & Jacksplace Lee-on-theSolent charity shop offers high-quality goods from womenswear, menswear, children’s clothes, accessories and more. The shop is located at 130-132 High St, PO13 9DD and is open from Monday to Saturday, 9am - 4:30pm.
Rob Gordon, Head of Retail at Naomi House & Jacksplace, said:
“We were delighted to open our new Naomi House & Jacksplace charity shop in Lee on
Local News
NEW CHARITY SHOP
Solent. It was amazing to see so many people come together from the local community and afar to support us on our first day. Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate the opening of our new shop. We are thrilled at the response we received from everyone. Thank you for helping us make a big difference for families at Naomi House & Jacksplace.”
Naomi House & Jacksplace are hospices providing care for seriously ill children, young adults and their families across Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Isle of Wight, Surrey and West Sussex. The hospices have 21 charity shop locations across the central South of England which help fund specialised palliative care for over 550 families.
Naomi House & Jacksplace Lee-on-the-Solent charity shop is accepting donations of highquality clothing, accessories, children's clothing, bric-a-brac and more.
To find a list of all Naomi House & Jacksplace charity shop locations, opening times and what you can donate, visit www.naomihouse.org.uk/shops
Main image: Naomi House & Jacksplace service user and Mayor of Gosport cut the ribbon to the new Lee-on-Solent charity shop
Cuppas galore help local community group
At our Stokes Bay WI meetings each month we raise money from contributions by members for their refreshments which go into our Community Chest funds. Some of these funds were used recently to support a local community hub at Leesland Federation in Gosport. It provides sessions for babies, toddlers and children for safe play and interaction while giving parents and carers a chance to relax and connect. Stokes Bay WI provided 25 lidded mugs which will help them enormously.
As President Angela MacCallum said “If we can give a little back to our community here in Gosport, from just doing the things we enjoy, it benefits everyone. Members enjoy coffee and conversation and it helps others at the same time. We ask everyone to vote on our choice of charity and they unanimously supported the proposal of helping Leesland Federation in Gosport.”
Becky, from Leesland Hub, wrote to us and said “I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you for your generous donation in support of our community hubs with stay-and-play sessions for
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CUPPAS GALORE
babies and toddlers, where children enjoy messy play and interaction, while parents and carers have the chance to relax and connect. Each session also hosts two to three visiting agencies such as school nurses and mental health support teams among many others. This offers families access to valuable support and guidance.” Becky went on to say “These hubs are open to the entire Gosport community and have become an essential resource at a time when schools are being asked to provide much more than education alone. Thanks to the donation from Stokes Bay WI we can now offer hot drinks and make the space even more welcoming. For some of our parents a warm drink and a friendly chat can be a lifeline.”
Stokes Bay WI holds friendly meetings on the 3rd Tuesday of the month in St Mary’s Parish Centre, Alverstoke 10am-12noon. Our motto is Inspiring Friendship and Fun and weenjoy companionship and laughter in our meetings, outings, special events and interest groups. Our members choose charities to support which, for 2025/26, are Level Up Gosport and Rowans Hospice. Find us on Facebook and our website: www.stokesbaywi.co.uk
£265,000
2 BEDROOM END TERRACE. CLOSE TO VILLAGE & SEAFRONT. GARAGE. NO CHAIN.
