Places&Faces 52 July 2014

JULY 2014 | ÂŁ2.95 where sold

THE Magazine for

Norfolk & North Suffolk

Here comes the Sun

West End Smash

Norfolk

Miss Saigon reviewed

Three Food

WIN

Strawberries

Reviews

our

guide

Go to great l en gths with o ur ha ir co mpetition

TO four

SEASIDE RESORTS

Scuba diving in the Cayman

Islands

CHRISSIE celebrities | food | travel | fashion | homes & gardens | theatre ISSUE 52 www.placesandfaces.co.uk

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WelcomE to our sunshine issue! Let’s all hope that July and August are filled with glorious days which will, of course, be a real boost to our local tourism, such a vital part of our economy.

We are shining the spotlight on our four favourite summer hot spots (and four more next month) to tempt you to discover or, more likely, rediscover our seaside and all that it offers, from family attractions to gourmet eateries!

The region also comes alive with festivals and this month sees Latitude taking centre stage plus ones in King’s Lynn, Worstead, and Holt – to name but a few. And do look out for all our carnivals where places such as Wells and Cromer go a little bit bonkers!

As ever, we’ve caught up with a few celebrities this month. Ben Elton’s musical about the legendary Rod Stewart sounds just the ticket for a summer night out while Suffolk’s Matilda Ziegler tells us why she is passionate about getting schoolchildren to act.

I very much enjoyed chatting to Gregg Lowe, an aspiring actor from Great Yarmouth who sounds like he has the world at his feet while ever the music fan, our assistant editor Emma Outten was very much taken with Jean Jacques Burnel of The Stranglers – who play Holt Festival later this month.

We have a real emphasis on food again this month with three food reviews and I have to admit that I relished the chance to sample both the Duke’s Head at Somerleyton and the Kings Arms at Fleggburgh where Mark Dixon is developing his own little empire! Greedy old me! And our former editor Tony Mallion trotted along to the Cliff Hotel in Gorleston where fine dining and a few lovely memories were the order of the day.

As you know, I love following Andy Newman on his foodie adventures around the region and this month he visits Wiveton Hall Farm in north Norfolk, famous for its soft fruits, while Simon Wainwright at the Imperial Hotel in Great Yarmouth serves us stir fried squid.

And what about our Lust List – I’ll say no more but you’ll love it!

Congratulations to Susan Sharp of Norwich who won our Imagine Spa competition and do enter this month’s one, with the chance for a real treat at a leading Norwich hairdressing salon.

Happy reading and here’s to big blue skies!

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

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Contents

48 Enjoy summer living by bringing the inside outside – with a little help from Jarrold’s

Celebrities 16 As The Stranglers arrive at Holt Festival, Emma Outten talks to bass guitarist Jean Jacques Burnel 20 From Great Yarmouth to Hollywood, Gregg Lowe is a rising star 23 Norfolk actress Matilda Ziegler talks about her new role where she inspires tomorrow’s generation of wannabes

Fashion & Beauty 24 If you want to update and refresh your

30

10

Enjoy our regular monthly round-up of the best events in the region this month

Tonight’s the Night as Ben Elton’s jukebox musical about Rod Stewart bursts into life in Norwich

Ellen Mary is looking forward to spending a few lazy, hazy days in the garden

wardrobe, we point you in the direction of two style gurus 25 Take the plunge with a new swimming costume for the summer 27 What should be in your summer make up bag?

We supply the essentials

54

What’s On 33 King’s Lynn gets set to welcome world famous names to its 64th Festival 35 It’s a family affair at the Worstead Festival 42 Sarah Hardy reviews the latest West End smash, Miss Saigon

Homes & gardens 44 Our property of the month is a secluded barn

in rural Suffolk

36

Buckets and spades at the ready - it’s our summer seaside guide to help you make the most of sun-filled days

Food & Drink 60 Simon Wainwright is squids in at the Imperial Hotel in Great Yarmouth with his new fiery starter 65 Wine writer Sam Matthews tells us all about his first love 66 Wiveton Hall Farm is home to some of the best strawberries in the country – and Andy Newman has been eating them!

70 Mark Dixon’s debut restaurant, the Kings Arms at Fleggburgh, is a triumph of flavour and presentation 72 The Duke’s Head at Somerleyton is a pub with attitude and very fine chips 74 Tony Mallion gets his just desserts at the Cliff Hotel in Gorleston

Travel 76 Mark Nicholls decides the Cayman Islands are the perfect Caribbean hideaway 78 The Swan at Ingham in north Norfolk has luxury new bedrooms which Colin Huggins tries out

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t h i s mont h ’ s

Editor’s Choice Editor Sarah Hardy picks out the best events and activities this month…

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2

Our French chef Franck Pontais is a bit redfaced this month, with a great tomato dish!

c o m pe t i t i o n

29

Enter this month’s competition to win £250 to spend at leading Norwich hair salon, Philosophy Hair Consultants

Best Family Event The Lord Mayor’s Procession takes places in Norwich on July 6, as part of a three day celebration. Expect fireworks, a food market, an

Business 80 We meet Roger Grosvenor, Executive Officer

for the region’s largest independent retailer, East of England Co-op

Motoring 100 Matt Kimberley test drives the second generation all electric car, the Nissan Leaf 104 Iain Dooley loves the price and the performance of the family favourite, the Dacia Duster

Regulars 56 ‘Now, where did I put my glasses?’ asks

Richard Barr 59 Pamper your pooch with the help of our Lust List 110 Our six pages of High Society kick off with the launch of Holt Festival 116 The Red Arrows are this month’s Caught On Camera!

118 Spend five minutes in the company of bubbly Rebecca Wass, general manager at the Pavilion Theatre in Cromer

art trail, a fun fair and a duck race – and the procession, of course!

Visit www.norwich.gov.uk to find out more.

Best Theatre A four-day Shakespeare Festival takes place at Norwich Cathedral from July 16–19. Shows being performed in the Cloisters, by the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, are Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing. Visit www.cathedral.org.uk for full details. And usually strawberries are on sale as an interval treat!

Best SHOW The Sheringham Little Theatre Summer Rep Season starts on July 25 and runs for six weeks, showing a whopping five productions! The opening show is the farce, Funny About Love, and more details are available on 01263 822347.

Best Opera The Theatre Royal, Norwich, stages the operas of Richard Wagner from July 23 to 28. Parsifal and Tamhauser will be sung in German by the Theater Freiburg, with English subtitles, and each performance will last an impressive five hours! Call 01603 630000.

Best Book British Seaside Piers, written by Anthony Wills and Tim Phillips, takes a long and lingering look at all 61 piers in the country, including the marvellous ones in our area. It explains their history and current function, whilst also looking at their part in our heritage. And there are many wonderful photos. The book is published by English

C O V E R S T O RY 14 The Great Pretender – Chrissie Hynde

rocks up at Latitude

Heritage at £25.

Best Music The BBC Proms takes place in various venues in London, including the Royal Albert Hall, from July 18 to September 13. It is a real feast for music lovers and you can catch much of it on BBC Radio 3.

Highlights this year include the World Orchestra For Peace, Proms in the Park and the War Horse Prom. Visit www.bbc.co.uk for full details.

Best Sport The Commonwealth Games takes place in Glasgow this month, with a lavish opening ceremony planned for July 23. There are 17 sports on offer and it is hoped super stars including Bradley Wiggins, Tom Daley, Mo Farah and Usain Bolt will take part. Visit www.glasgow2014.com to find out and the Beeb is planning really good coverage, too.

1. The Commonwealth Games presenter, Gabby Logan; 2. Wagner, The Theatre Royal, Norwich

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| july 2014

Ben’s Jukebox Musical Theatre critic Matt Wolf talks to comedian, author, playwright, actor and director Ben Elton, writer of Tonight’s the Night, which arrives in Norwich this month 10

Celebrity interview

B

Ben Elton

en Elton is the protean talent whose career has spanned plays, novels, and a feature film, in addition to 30 years as one of the most successful comic writers and performers on the British television and stand-up circuit. But Ben, 54, has always reserved a special place in his heart for musicals, having written three that feature music from such diverse talents as Andrew Lloyd Webber, Queen, and Rod Stewart. The last-named rocker was the inspiration for Tonight’s the Night, the 2003 West End show that launches a new UK tour this year. Here, Ben talks about popular songbooks, his love of the stage, and why jukebox musicals deserve a far better rap than they sometimes receive.

It’s been over a decade now since Tonight’s the Night played the West End. What’s your feeling about the show as you return to it in a fresh production this many years on?

I’ve always loved this show for the same reasons that I have always loved the theatre. It’s wonderful to be a part of this community of artists who dedicate themselves to their art and backstage may be rinsing their socks out in the sink or whatever and then go out and make everybody in the audience feel like champions. What we want to say with this show, in particular, is that there’s nothing wrong with theatre being a fantastic night out that makes you feel great so that you go home feeling better than you did when you arrived – that’s what people are paying for and that’s what the theatre can do.

In fact, you were exposed to the theatre as a youngster before you were ever exposed to Rod Stewart.

Absolutely. I played the Artful Dodger (in Oliver!) twice as a kid and my first real musical theatre experience came when I was about 12 or so and I was taken as the guest of a schoolfriend to see Grease at the Dominion Theatre – where (Ben’s Queen musical) We Will Rock You is playing now! I love musical theatre and always have done, whereas it took some time in my own life before I started going to gigs the way that my own children (14-year-old twins and a 12-year-old) do now. Going to gigs was not as prevalent as it is now; I don’t think I went to any until I got to Manchester University and saw Talking Heads and Dire Straits.

What was the impetus behind a show that tethers an original story by you to the Rod Stewart songbook?

Well, let’s face it, it’s difficult to think of anybody more famous in the world of pop music than Rod Stewart. There may be people as famous, like Bono and Paul McCartney, but there aren’t many out there who can surpass what Rod has achieved. And what’s great is that when you listen to Rod’s music and then look at his life, he always seems so fabulously good-humoured as well, so I thought what would work might be a story that brought to the stage his

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grace and good humour and something of his devilish side while also recognising the fact that he sings about heartache as well as anyone ever has.

Your script for Tonight’s the Night involves Satan and a socalled ‘soul swap’ and a geeky young mechanic from Detroit called Stuart. How did the idea for the story come to you?

I spent a week listening to Rod’s music intensively, which of course was no hardship at all, and as I listened and listened and listened, I tried to identify the overriding spirit of the songs, which were all about love and good times and winning and losing girls and all the things that quite frankly make for good stories! So I sat down and tried to think of something that would do justice to Rod’s own gift for storytelling and came up with a story that reminds us of that thing we’re always being told over and over again in drama – ‘to thine own self be true’.

How does a quote from Hamlet apply to Tonight’s the Night?

Our show is really about a shy kid called Stuart who wishes that he could be like Rod and gets his chance, only then to discover that only Rod can be like Rod but that what Stuart can be is himself. The point is that you’ll do better in life if you try and build on your own strength and personality rather than being jealous and wishing you were somebody else – that’s to say, nobody but Rod can be Rod just as nobody but you can be you and nobody but me can be me: it’s a simple story, which I think is perfect for a musical.

Were you worried about what Rod would think?

I first sent a synopsis of the script to Arnold (Stiefel, Rod’s manager, and a co-producer on the show) and fortunately he loved it and said that he was going to say that to Rod and hope that he would love it too. To this day, I’m not sure whether Rod ever read the synopsis or not but what happened was that he came to our workshop and turned to me at the end and said: ‘Well, you’ve made me a legend, haven’t you?’, which was of course hilarious because he’s been a legend all along!

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JULY

BOX OFFICE: (01603) 63 00 00 Wed 2 July NORWICH SCHOOL An exciting collaboration of young talent £5.50 – £15 Thur 3 July ELO EXPERIENCE All the hits in faultless tribute £5.50 - £20 Fri 4 July FLASH MOB! Street dance champions Flawless star in dazzling dance show £5.50 - £25 Mon 7 – Sat 12 July THRILLER LIVE West End hit musical celebrating the music of Michael Jackson £6.50 - £29.50 Mon 14 – Sat 19 July TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT The Rod Stewart musical £6.50 - £33.50 Wed 23 – Mon 28 July WAGNERFEST 2014 Two epic operas by Richard Wagner, in fully-staged versions with a company of over 200, from one of Germany’s most acclaimed regional companies Theater Freiburg PARSIFAL (Wed 23 & Fri 25)

Thriller Live

TANNHÄUSER (Sun 27 & Mon 28) £6.50 - £95

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

Celebrity interview

Ben Elton

Still, it must have been heartening to have so strong a seal of approval. Did you have an intuitive sense that his music would translate well to the musical theatre stage?

What’s great is that Rod writes songs from the heart, like Maggie May, or he will choose to cover exquisite material like The First Cut is the Deepest, the Cat Stevens song, but they always tell the story of somebody going through some set of emotions, be they pride and joy and heartache or from love to hate or hate to love. They’re all about being a guy, really, I guess – they’re guy songs – but obviously they appeal to women as well because they’re written with such sensitivity and they come with emotions that concern us all, which are love, pride, hope and the dream that tomorrow will be a better day than today.

You’ve had success with the songbooks of Rod Stewart and, of course, Queen, with We Will Rock You roaring into its second decade at the Dominion Theatre in the West End. Are there some popular singer-songwriters who you don’t think would lend themselves to this approach?

There are. I’m busking here as I say this but I don’t think Bob Dylan’s music would necessarily work in this way; his music is too eclectic in that you can’t sit down and say ‘What’s Bob’s vibe?’ It’s just too crazy. And for my part at least, I’m just not that interested in writing the biography of someone set to their music. I was approached to do that as regards the genius of Tina Turner, but what I prefer to do is write an original story embodying the spirit of the artist or the band.

Since Tonight’s The Night, jukebox musicals have continued to proliferate both sides of the Atlantic; a new one drawing on the songbook of Carole King and entitled Beautiful has just opened on Broadway.

I’m not surprised and I will argue to anyone who wants to listen that jukeboxes are not something to be ashamed of! They are filled with memories and dreams and love and laughter and they are good, fun things, and the theatre can be good fun as well. In my view, it’s a perfectly legitimate and honourable thing to seek to entertain the public with music that they love, and the fact that the music is old and the story is new strikes me as no more reprehensible than attaching new music to an old story, as with The Lion King and Billy Elliot.

One last question for now: was Tonight’s the Night always the obvious song title for your show as a whole?

No, and the jury’s still out as to whether this was the right one; Phil McIntyre, our producer, still thinks it should be called Hot Legs!

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Tonight’s the Night arrives at Norwich Theatre Royal on July 14 and runs until July 19. Call 01603 630000 or visit www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk

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| july 2014

THE GREAT PRETENDER All-time legend of rock ‘n’ roll Chrissie Hynde will be gracing the Obelisk Arena at Latitude this month. Emma Outten profiles the one-woman powerhouse

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CELEBRITY INTERVIEW

CHRISSIE HYNDE

F

amously known as the front woman for The Pretenders, Chrissie Hynde helped create the sound of a generation.

The band formed in 1978 and to date they have released 10 studio albums and have had a string of hit singles worldwide including Brass In Pocket, Back On The Chain Gang, I Go To Sleep and I’ll Stand By You. Little surprise, then, that The Pretenders were inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.

After previously playing at Latitude festival with The Pretenders in 2009, Henham Park is thrilled to welcome back Chrissie this year, the only festival show of her 2014 tour.

Chrissie comments: ‘Latitude is turning into one of the great British festivals. The site and the atmosphere really make it a very special weekend, so of course I am particularly looking forward to playing there this year.

When The Pretenders played there in 2009 it was amazing and this year should be even better. I’m very happy to be back!’

In a world where models want to be rock stars, rock stars want to be film stars and most celebrities just want to be anything, Chrissie has never made any attempt or pretence to be anything other than what she is.

She is a champion of animal rights and has been an active supporter of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) for more than 20 years.

A long time vegetarian, in 2007 Chrissie and her business partner opened a vegan restaurant, the VegiTerranean, back home in Ohio, and the award-winning restaurant was voted among the top five vegan restaurants in US Business Week.

Asked about her commitment to animal welfare and environmentalism, Chrissie has said before now: ‘I love justice and life. And truth.’

Now, after 35 years fronting The Pretenders, and six years after the last Pretenders album, Chrissie has released her first ever solo album, Stockholm.

Recorded at Ingrid Studios in (where else, but) Stockholm with co-writer, guitarist and producer Björn Yttling (Peter, Björn and John), the album features cameos from none other than Neil Young and tennis legend John McEnroe. Summing up her aims with the album, Chrissie says: ‘I wanted to make a power pop album you could dance to – Abba meets John Lennon.’

She adds: ‘I think life is serious, and you should take it seriously, but in rock ‘n’ roll either have a laugh or don’t come to the party… so much of rock ‘n’ roll has become what I would call Glory Rock, with family values. It’s the irreverence in rock that was always the turn on.’

So why choose now to release a record under the name Chrissie Hynde? ‘I’ve always said I would never be a solo artist. I never wanted to see my name in lights. I’ve done a variety of Pretenders albums with completely different line-ups and different producers. I’ve even done some

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co-writing now, and obviously the common denominator is yours truly. Then I started doing a re-assessment of everything five years ago. I’d played myself down to the point where it was dangerous, you know. I had to find a way to kind of re-boot my brand.’

The lyrics on Stockholm are mostly about emotional matters, well thought through observations on the dreams and realities of love. Chrissie says: ‘The songs are certainly adult and I’m way past writing my break-up album. I’ve got 30 years of break-ups to call from. The thing is, I’m at a stage where I’m happy. I really enjoy life. I think being happy is a discipline; it’s something that every day you have to work on. I’ve never been very ambitious. I love playing music, and I wanted to make a power pop album that you could dance to. That’s all I cared about.’

Down The Wrong Way features Neil Young on guitar – a fact that is immediately obvious from the opening bar of the song. Chrissie says: ‘I know Neil Young, I’ve toured with him and he’s always been so sweet and friendly to me.

But when you’re talking about one of the Gods, it doesn’t seem like something you’d do to just pick up the ‘phone and call someone like that. But then I thought, I should do, because he’s a friend of mine. And also of course I was trying to impress Björn and freak him out. Neil got back and said, ‘I don’t want to hear this song, but I’ll be in London doing some shows so if you can organize a studio I’ll come and have a go.’ So I sent a message to Björn and he was on the next flight. Neil came down, plugged in and played the song and everyone’s mind was blown. And his manager was there with him and he said to me, ‘you know Neil’s never done an overdub before!’ I don’t know, I’m still amazed that Neil Young is on my album.’

Then, there is the other cameo on the album. The song A Plan Too Far features a guest appearance by tennis legend John McEnroe. Chrissie picks up the story: ‘When I first met Björn, I walked into his studio and noticed a tennis racket in there, he loves tennis, and I told him I knew John McEnroe. I was trying to impress him, and Swedes are very stoic; you can’t get a rise out of them very easily.

But I hit the spot when I told him I knew McEnroe.’

Don’t expect either Young or McEnroe to make a cameo appearance at Latitude but do expect a powerhouse performance from this American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Chrissie Hynde plays Latitude Festival, which takes place between July 17 and 20. Visit www.latitudefestival.co.uk.

Her debut solo album, Stockholm, is out now.

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| JULY 2014

RUBY ROCKERS

Punk veterans The Stranglers will be celebrating their 40th anniversary when they headline Holt Festival later this month. Emma Outten spoke to founder member and bass guitarist, Jean Jacques Burnel, on how the Norfolk coast changed everything

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Celebrity interview

S

ome interviews have Danger! Danger! written all over them, and never more so than one with a founder member of The Stranglers.

Even the press release for the band’s recent Ruby Anniversary Tour acknowledges the ‘notorious spats’: punching a journalist at a public event, leaving another journalist strapped to a wheelchair in an airport while his plane departed and gaffer-taping a third writer to a girder on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower with his trousers round his ankles. Such japes!

And yet, as they are set to celebrate their 40th anniversary, I’m happy to report that bass guitarist Jean Jacques Burnel sounded politeness personified on the phone (and didn’t sound as though he was tearing gaffer-tape in the background).

Nowadays he describes his relationship with the press as ‘fine - all the people with whom I had contentious relations are either dead, or retired.’

A modern music journalist would probably give their right arm to have interviewed one of The Stranglers. ‘The X Factor generation of people just want a career so they play safe - they are not very exciting!’

The original men in black, on the other hand, are variously described as notorious punk rockers and bad boys of rock, to which JJ says: ‘They could’ve added, if they were a bit more generous, ‘one of the best live bands in the world’ but you can do that!’

For his own part, JJ, with his hard-edged bass, is generally considered a guitar legend (‘a lot of people have said I’m one of the best bass players in the world’) and he can even boast: ‘There’s an amplifier after my name; there’s a guitar named after me - that’s pretty good for starters!’

Formed in 1974 as The Guildford Stranglers, the band was initially based in The Jackpot, an off licence run by their drummer Jet Black. Quickly developing a pub-rock following they were soon swooped into the punk movement, and released their first three albums – Rattus Norvegicus, No More Heroes and Black And White – within 13 months of each other, scoring hit singles with Peaches, Something Better Change and title track No More Heroes.

The 80s saw The Stranglers spring to even greater heights of commercial success all around the world with Golden Brown, Strange Little Girl, Always The Sun and European Female, amongst many others.

Then came the 90s, as JJ acknowledges: ‘At one point we were a bit lost, direction wise, and musically, I hadn’t contributed much and suddenly I had this revival of interest.’

The Norfolk coast can be credited with JJ rediscovering his musical joie de vivre. Friends of friends had recommended he stay in a Jacobean cottage, and it proved to be a welcome change of direction.

He explains: ‘We did an album called Norfolk Coast which was based on the fact that at one point, when I

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JEAN JACQUES BURNEL - THE STRANGLERS was pretty down creatively, I just went to Norfolk, to a place called Holme-next-the-Sea.’ The area is known to be a bird breeding sanctuary. So was Norfolk offering some sort of sanctuary? ‘It was, yeah,’ says JJ, ‘my marriage was falling apart and The Stranglers were going round in circles, nothing much was happening and suddenly Norfolk changed everything.’

He continues: ‘I was right on the beach, on the dunes, and a week after I moved there, with all my guitars and equipment and stuff, Seahenge was revealed. That would’ve been 1999, and it was amazing, this thing 200m from where I was living.’

He adds: ‘I think within a week I’d written a couple of album’s worth of stuff - it was a creative frenzy.

‘I was there for just over three months and it just turned everything around for me and The Stranglers. I think our renaissance coincided with the release of Norfolk Coast.’

The album celebrated its 10th anniversary earlier this year and was followed by 17th studio album, Giants, in 2012.

Ironically, these so-called enfants terrible have gone from being the quintessential anti-establishment scourge of the music industry, banned by the BBC, to becoming pillars of said establishment with their performance at the 6Music Proms at the Albert Hall with a full orchestra!

Once figureheads of punk, they have managed to transcend genres to become one of the most revered alternative bands of the last four decades.

Very few bands survive to celebrate their 40th anniversary, and so 2014 certainly marks a remarkable chapter in the life of the new wave icons. They even have more than 180,000 likes on Facebook. JJ comments: ‘we only started it last year.’

The Ruby anniversary is not lost on him: ‘A 40th anniversary is

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Celebrity interview

JEAN JACQUES BURNEL - THE STRANGLERS quite a big deal for a pop group - it’s not that usual for bands to last that long.’

In this landmark year, The Stranglers have already embarked on a major world tour, and this month they come to Holt Festival with the likes of Melvyn Bragg. JJ imagines it will be ‘slightly gentrified, like Islington comes to Norfolk,’ although one imagines the AngloFrench musician, who is classically trained, could feel quite at home at an arts festival.

The set will see The Stranglers attempt to squeeze in tracks from all of their 17 studio albums in a special 40th anniversary set.

One guesses gigging has changed over the decades. ‘It would be pretty pathetic if as a person I was still trying to be my 20 year old self,’ says JJ, who does go on to admit he’s ‘62 going on 30.’

He highlights the main difference between then and now: ‘We’re not getting arrested everywhere and we’re not getting violence brought towards us.’

Musicians may play it safe these days, but some do still excite him: ‘I’ve got a couple of kids, a daughter who’s 24 and a son who’s 25, so they keep me acquainted with what’s happening.’

London-based JJ is well-known as a motorcycle fan, particularly the Triumph Bonneville, and is considering this as his mode of transport to Holt. ‘If I’ve got time to I would ride my motorcycle there but I’m not sure what’s happening before or after.’

Although this is not quite a homecoming gig, he says: ‘It’s the return to the scene of a wonderful moment in my life.’

The Stranglers perform at Holt Festival on July 27.

Visit www.holtfestival.org

HOLT HIGHLIGHTS This year is Holt Festival’s sixth and is shaping up to be another exuberant week of international music, drama, visual art, literature, dance, comedy, free street entertainment, kids shows and workshops.

This month’s Festival has been extended by a day to include five shows at The Theatre In The Woods.

Following the disappointment of his cancellation last year, American comedian, writer and musician Rich Hall has made good his promise to rearrange and will be in Holt with his full band on July 25. Writer, comedian and radio and TV broadcaster Sandi Toksvig takes to the stage on the afternoon of July 26. Born in Copenhagen, and brought up around the world, Sandi began her comedy career at Girton College, Cambridge where she wrote and performed in the first all-woman show at the Footlights. Sandi will be in conversation with Chris Gribble, Chief Executive of Writers’ Centre Norwich.

That evening it’s the turn of The Bad Shepherds, featuring Adrian Edmondson, with their distinctively unique take on punk classics played on unusual and acoustic instruments. Able support comes from the legendary (and former Norwich resident) Wreckless Eric.

On July 27 the Festival hosts a unique discussion on religion and belief between broadcaster and writer Melvyn Bragg and the evolutionary biologist and writer Richard Dawkins, the first time they have agreed to discuss their opposing views in public.

Listings info: July 25 RICH HALL’S HOEDOWN July 26 SANDI TOKSVIG July 26 THE BAD SHEPHERDS featuring Ade Edmondson + Wreckless Eric

July 27 RICHARD DAWKINS and MELVYN BRAGG July 27 THE STRANGLERS

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19

| JULY 2014

20

Celebrity Interview

Gregg Lowe

Norfolk actor Gregg Lowe

is starring in his first Hollywood movie and is about to appear in a new prime time telly series on ITV. Sarah Hardy hears more from the rising star

F

rom his days in amateur dramatics in Great Yarmouth to West End shows to the X-Men movie, Gregg Lowe is really making a name for himself as a highly versatile actor.

Now based between Los Angles, Toronto and London, the 20-something is riding on the crest of a wave. He plays Ink, a mutant, in the hit sci-fi movie X-Men: Days of the Future Past and thoroughly enjoyed his first experience of a Hollywood block buster. ‘I have been in films before, but when I used to see who I was acting with, I could hardly believe it!’ he says.

Indeed, the cast list for this highly successful movie includes Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry and Jennifer Lawrence – quite a who’s who of today’s leading film stars.

Gregg continues: ‘This was my first big scale production and it was amazing. It is hard work – they are long, hot days. As my character was covered in tattoos, I had to be in make up for quite a while each morning! And I had to shave my head.’

He explains that he also learnt several new techniques, such as acting with so called green screens – where actors perform solely against a green backdrop so various weird and wonderful special effects can be added in. ‘That was something new so it was another great experience.’

He is hopeful that he might be asked to be in the next X-Men movie, saying: ‘There are so many stories, they can just go on and on – and the public love them. The films are a real international success story and I am so grateful to be a part of them.’

Gregg returned to Norfolk to take his mum, Janice, to see the movie at the Odeon in Norwich, saying: ‘I went incognito, not that anyone would have recognised me as I had no hair in the film. But I could tell that my mum was really proud and desperate to tell people that I was her son! But it is thanks to her that I am where I am today – she took me to all my classes.’

Gregg started to act when he was about five-years-old, saying: ‘My sister used to go to a drama club and I used to go and watch with my mum at the side but I used to cause a lot of trouble I think. So eventually they said, “why don’t you just join in?”, so I did.

‘I started doing amateur dramatics and I did a few bits of professional stuff when I was younger. It’s just something I’ve always done. There was never a point where I thought this is what I want to do, it’s just the only thing I know how to do.’

He says: ‘I had a drama teacher in Yarmouth called Sheila Pascal who taught me the ropes. She now owns the Stage Door Children’s Theatre. I occasionally go back and do some workshops with them.

I then did all my LAMDA exams and my acting exams. And I did a lot of shows, like I started off at St George’s Theatre where I played in a production of Cinderella. I played “learner” Buttons. I was only six, too young to play actual Buttons, so I just followed big Buttons around with an L plate on my back.’

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When he was just 16, Gregg moved to London where he appeared in several stage plays including Wolfboy and Bird Song, before taking a little time out to travel. ‘I went to Nepal and Thailand where I discovered Buddhism, and also to Canada as my father was Canadian and I had never been,’ he says, adding: ‘I fell in love with it; it is an amazing country and so much going on in its TV and movie worlds.’

Gregg, who attended Cliff Park high school in Gorleston, took advantage of his dual nationality and moved to Toronto for a spell, getting himself an agent and picking up plenty of work in both Canada and America. ‘I guess I work between Canada, America and Britain, now,’ he says. ‘It is quite a nomadic life!’

He appeared in several TV shows including a modern day remake of Beauty and the Beast and a series called Bomb Girls, about four women working in a Canadian munitions factory in 1941, and here in Britain, Spies of Warsaw which also starred David Tennant.

He has just finished filming a new series for ITV called Grantchester. ‘It is the new series for the autumn and is a bit like Morse. It is set in the 1950s and has a vicar as a sleuth. James Norton plays the vicar and I play a soldier called Sandy who is someone from his past. It is based on a book written by James Runcie, the son of Robert Runcie, the former Archbishop of Canterbury.’

As ever, Gregg didn’t want to give too much away about the series which also stars Tessa Peake-Jones and Robson Green but reckons it will be a real winner. ‘It has really high production values and should start on TV in September.’

Gregg is facing a busy summer, reading scripts, attending auditions and has a couple of projects he is hoping will come to fruition. But he always likes to return to Norfolk, to see family and friends. ‘The air is just different, isn’t it? I don’t think you can beat the East coast, it is such a beautiful part of the country. It is green and peaceful. I always feel happy there as I love to be by the sea!’

Away from work, Gregg enjoys keeping fit, and particularly likes to climb, and he also visits the cinema and theatre as much as possible.

‘Miss Saigon is on my list at the moment,’ he says. ‘It sounds amazing.’

You can keep upto-date with Gregg at www.gregglowe.com

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Celebrity interview

Matilda Ziegler

A Big Night Out runs on July 2 at Norwich Theatre Royal. More details on 01603 630000 or visit www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk

Matilda’s Latest Role Norfolk actress Matilda Ziegler tells us about her new role – directing hundreds of schoolchildren for a show in Norwich this month

Norfolk-based stage, screen and radio actress Matilda Ziegler can turn her hand to many types of role.

Her acting career took off playing the tragic character of Donna Ludlow in EastEnders in the late 80s, and has continued apace with Shakespeare and West End theatre successes, and the roles of Pearl Pratt in television’s Lark Rise to Candleford and Princess Theresa in the cult Radio 4 series Cabin Pressure.

Most recently she has been on stage in Arthur Miller’s The Last Yankee.

Now she is looking forward to a completely different casting – that of Director of Drama at Norwich School. Although she officially doesn’t start until September, Matilda has already been settling into school life over the past few years in a part-time capacity with various drama projects.

She is currently working with students on the school’s Shakespeare in the Cloisters (this year they are presenting A Winter’s Tale) and the end of year gala, A Big Night Out, at Norwich Theatre Royal this month which involves 250 students.

The drama element of the Gala includes pieces from Shakespeare - Banquo’s Feast from Macbeth and the ‘Get Thee To A Nunnery’ and Subscribe online at www.placesandfaces.co.uk

‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’ extracts from Hamlet.

Her move into the education sector has happened almost accidentally. ‘All three of my children are at Norwich School and I was asked to take over a production three years ago,’ Matilda says. ‘It was Alice in Wonderland and I loved it. I suddenly discovered that world of working with young people.’

She will now be overseeing all the drama productions in school, helping with the Young Norfolk Arts Festival, fourth and fifth form plays and other events containing theatrical elements such as the Gala.

Her professional experience is central to the value she can bring to her role. ‘I definitely come with that on board. I treat the pupils like actors and I believe that is the way to do it and they are incredibly poised and so ready to work hard.’

She feels one of the school’s strengths is achieving a ‘balance’. ‘It is not just about learning, but also about communication, having fun, working as a team and confidence building. These are life skills and when you are actors there’s a lot of trust involved and you really do need to depend on each other. The joy and the catharsis that comes out of things working well is just irreplaceable. Pupils flower and blossom which is great to see.

‘I hadn’t done any teaching before and one of the big surprises for me is I didn’t realise how amazing it can be working with young people who have no preconceptions, loads of talent and lots of enthusiasm. In some ways, they are more open to trying things than professional actors. They do have some inhibitions because they are in front of their peers, but it’s a revelation just how talented they are and how they can produce amazingly professional work.’

She is already starting to formulate some ideas for productions she would like to work on at the school: ‘I’m going to be doing Chekov and Pinter, and some contemporary, very modern pieces – such as plays by Jez Butterworth - but I expect it will come together very organically. I want to let them shine in their own personalities and chose things that are going to suit them.’

As for her own acting career, she says: ‘‘I have just done Foyle’s War and I am very sad to say I have just done the last Cabin Pressure – which is the most brilliant radio series on earth. I feel so lucky to have been in that.

‘I think the young people here at Norwich School like it that I do work in the professional business. Last autumn when I did The Last Yankee in London, I just wanted to come straight back to the sixth formers and work with them on an Arthur Miller play.’

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Fashion

Claire Bunton

new image

THE TIMEs They Are A-Changin’ Everyone needs a bit of help with their image, whether it’s working out what suits you or buying a new outfit. always think that I am pretty much like other people. I don’t update my look too often and buy clothes that regularly never see the light of day!

I like to be fashionable but not too ‘obvious’ and have to bear in mind that I am not getting any younger - nobody likes mutton dressed as lamb, do they?!

So a bit of help is always welcome and when I was invited to a couple of style clinics, I thought: ‘Why not!’

Imagine Spa at Blofield Heath, near Norwich, is running a series of workshops with Norfolkbased image consultant Claire Bunton, a bubbly woman with 10 years’ experience.

The one I attended was aimed at helping you find your own style personality. ‘You need to realise that it is okay to be you,’ she says reassuringly.

In a clear and straightforward way, she helps you decide your style personality – whether you are a classic, dramatic, natural or sporty type.

Classic women include Joanna Lumley and the Duchess of Cambridge, dramatics include Joan Collins, naturals are Cameron Diaz and romantics are Holly Willoughby.

By filling in a questionnaire and simply chatting with Claire and the other women in the group, you quickly come to realise what styles you like and what you feel reflects you. I was a mixture of classic and natural, favouring unfussy pieces in cool colours.

‘Knowing what you like and what suits your personality will help you save time when shopping – and prevent costly mistakes,’ says Claire.

She is running another workshop at Imagine Spa this month, with the package including time spent in the spa which gives you time to relax

24

Sarah Hardy gets some advice

and think about your wardrobe, and a delicious supper dish from the Kitchen, the spa’s highly recommended on-site bistro.

I also attended the Best Dressed Style Station at Intu Chapelfield in Norwich. With two lovely stylists, Georgina Albel and Claire Wacey, I was encouraged to try on outfits that I might never have considered. The first, a lovely red dress from Monsoon, teamed with a cream blazer from Quiz, was a possibility for a wedding or more formal event, while the second, floral Biba trousers from House of Fraser, worn with a turquoise Monsoon top, was something for a festival. Great stuff!

The pair are very friendly and clearly just loved clothes, so their enthusiasm was catching.

Unlike some stylists, you didn’t feel bullied into trying anything and their real skill came out with accessories as they added necklaces, bracelets and killer heels to complete the picture!

This is a free service and it is hoped it will return later this year so do look out for details.

Style Station at INTU Chaplefield

MORE INFORMATION Claire Bunton, visit www.clairebunton.co.uk The next Style/Spa event with Claire is on July 15 from 5.30-8.30pm and is themed: Colour – What it Can Do For You. It is £25 which includes a light bite supper.

Visit www.imaginespa.co.uk for more.

Intu Chapelfield stages regular fashion events and shows, visit www.intuchapelfield.co.uk

Fashion

No. 02

swimwear

No. 01 No. 03

No. 04

Make A Splash No. 05

Heading off on your hols or staying on the Costa del Norfolk? Either way you are sure to need a new cossie or two. Sarah Hardy suggests some suitably ‘grown up’ ones!

No. 08 No. 07

No. 09

No. 06

1. John Lewis sailor underwired control swimsuit, £39, John Lewis | 2. Marks and Spencer Collection swimsuit, £39.50, Marks and Spencer | 3. Dickens and Jones swimsuit, £45, House of Fraser, Intu Chapelfield | 4. Palm print swimsuit, £35, Marisota, visit www.marisota.co.uk | 5. Print swimsuit, £25, Bank, Intu Chapelfield | 6. Paris stripe bikini top, £25, matching briefs, £15, Boux Avenue, Intu Chapelfield | 7. Jacquard zip bandeau bikini top, £17, matching bottoms, £12, Accessorize, Intu Chapelfield | 8. J by Jasper Conran swimsuit, £42, Debenhams | 9. Floral swimsuit, £49.95, Joules Subscribe online at www.placesandfaces.co.uk

25

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Beauty

summer products

No. 01

No. 02

Summer Essentials

No. 03

So what’s in your holiday make-up bag?

Here are Sarah Hardy’s suggestions for some high summer beauty treats No. 04

No. 05

TREAT of the month Jarrold’s nail bar is a winner for those in a hurry. I sampled an express manicure (£20) and pedicure (£25) with chatty Kirsty using top notch OPI products.

Within just over an hour, I was on my way with much improved fingers and toes! Your cuticles are sorted out, nails are shaped and finally polish applied.

Bingo, job done!

NEW PRODUCT of the month Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask, Origins, £22 If you overdo it in the sun and frankly most of us do, given half the chance, this might help.

Worn overnight, it replenishes lost hydration and helps repair any damage. It is lovely and creamy and makes your skin feel like it has had a long drink of water!

No. 06

No. 07

1. Mac Zoom Waterfast Lash, £14, Jarrold’s | 2. Liz Earle Radiant Glow Bronzer, £19.50, John Lewis | 3. Timebomb Complexion Cocktail, £24, Jarrold’s | 4. Clarins Delicious Self Tanning Cream, £24, John Lewis | 5. Jean Paul Gaultier Classique Summer Edition, £39.50, The Fragrance Shop, Intu Chapelfield | 6. YSL Golden Gloss, £22, John Lewis | 7. No 7 Gel-Look Shine Nail Colour, £7, Boots, Intu Chapelfield

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27

EAST ANGLIA’S LEADER IN LADIES’ WIGS For over 25 years, Chris Chapman has specialised in the treatment of hair loss.

Whether you are prematurely balding or undergoing medical treatment, Chris can help you.

01508 558700 WWW.CHRISCHAPMANHAIR.CO.UK 11 THE STREET, BROOKE, NORWICH, NR15 1JW

4473_ImagineSpa_Afternoondelight_Ad_Layout 1 10/10/2013 15:53 Page 1

Afternoon delights Treat yourself to our ‘Fire & Ice with Afternoon Tea’ Spa Package Leave your cares at the door when you step into the stunning Thermal Suite and then take it easy in the Relaxation Room. A spa robe, towel and slippers, are also yours for the afternoon.

And when you are fully relaxed it’s time for tea!

Start with a glass of sparkling Italian Prosecco followed by a selection of delicate sandwiches, homemade scones, cakes, sweets and fruits, served with a pot of tea of your choice. £33 per person* Available any afternoon, Monday to Thursday

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We look forward to welcoming you soon!

Make it extra special You can combine your Fire & Ice experience with a spa treatment with one of our therapists. When you call, please ask about our Day Spa Packages or our full range of spa day experiences. *The Fire & Ice Spa Package does not include any therapist treatment time.

COMPETITION

Philosophy Hair Consultants

Turning H e a d s Your hair is our crowning glory so make the most of it with a £250 gift voucher to be redeemed at Philosophy Hair Consultants in the heart of Norwich

hilosophy Hair Consultants is a luxurious hair boutique which opened two years ago in Norwich. One of its great strengths is the fact it’s a Wella Professional, Great Lengths Hair Extensions Certified Salon.

The salon offers a specialist team in a haven of relaxation and the ethos is for clients to receive a service that is technically excellent and classically beautiful with an edge.

It is owned by Gillian and Dale Carter and was designed by Alan Cowling from YY Design (London) with the salon furniture made by Pietranera, an Italian designer.

Gillian has been working in the hairdressing industry for 22 years and is a director of Philosophy Hair Consultants alongside husband Dale.

She started her career as an apprentice at a Tigi Support Salon. After progressing to Head Technician and Technical Educator, she moved to Toni and Guy where she was employed as Head Technician and Technical Trainer/Assessor.

Gillian holds a Cert Ed teaching qualification, A1 Assessor and V1 Internal Verifier qualification, and has a wealth of knowledge and a high level of expertise. Her career has involved working on hair shows, seminars, demonstrations and photo shoots.

Not only that, she is passionate about education, forward thinking and motivated to lead the way forward in colour and technical innovations within the salon. She is also a Certified Great Lengths Extensionist.

Philosophy Hair Consultants prides itself on the quality of service offered to clients and, perhaps unsurprisingly, the salon was 2013 Finalists for The British Hairdressing Business Awards, for Independent Salon/Business Newcomer.

Subscribe online at www.placesandfaces.co.uk

Competition: To win £250 worth of Gift Vouchers (to be redeemed against services only), you should answer the following question:

» Who was the Salon Designer of Philosophy Hair Consultants?

Then, all you have to do to win this great prize is like and share our Philosophy Hair Consultants competition on our Facebook page – www.facebook.com/ placesandfaces The winner will be selected at random on July 31.

Normal Places and Faces rules apply – check out website for full details. Entrants must be aged 16 or over. The editor’s decision is final. » Philosophy Hair Consultants, 3 Westlegate, Norwich, Norfolk, NR1 3LT. Tel 01603 305420 or visit www.philosophyhairconsultants.co.uk

29

Kelling Heath

| JULY 2014

With the summer holidays beginning in earnest this month, we have plenty to keep you

Martin Davis

What’s On entertained

CHARITY FESTIVAL East Coast Truckers Charity, in association with UTR Music Promotions, is putting on a three day Music Festival to showcase local talent at The Angel Inn, Larling, from July 18 to 20. Over 60 enthusiastic acts including De’vide will be performing. Visit www.ueaticketbookings.co.uk.

MUSIC The international Britten Music Course, a residential music course based in the picturesque surroundings of Gresham’s School in Holt, takes place from July 8 to 12. The course offers choral and instrumental workshops under the expert tuition of Gresham’s music staff. Visit www.greshams.com.

30

POLO Televised by Sky Sports to an audience of millions, the Norfolk Polo Festival takes place at Norfolk Polo Club at Langley Abbey on July 5 and 6. Arguably the Jewel in the Crown of East Anglian Polo, there will be 10 matches played including Exhibition day, featuring Langley School Polo Academy v Young South America, and Finals day on Sunday. Visit www.norfolkpolo.co.uk.

EXHIBITION A new art exhibition showcasing work by some of the very best East Anglian artists will take place at The Noverre Gallery at The Assembly House in Norwich from July 4 to August 30.

Entitled East, participating artists include Rob Barnes from Norfolk and Mandy Walden from Suffolk. Visit www.assemblyhousenorwich.co.uk.

GARDENS Castle Acre Open Gardens takes place on July 13. Walk around the historic conservation village of Castle Acre and enjoy the rare chance to visit such a variety of charming gardens, and then enjoy delicious homemade teas. Call 01760 755334.

COMEDY Martin Davis is coming back to Loddon Mill Arts for the Summer Comedy and BBQ event on July 25. Martin is one of the most outstanding comics on the circuit and will be joined by Garrett Millerick, Njambi McGrath and Luke Benson. Visit www.loddonmillarts.co.uk or call 01508 521800.

WORLD PREMIERE Sheringham and Cromer Choral Society present the world premiere performance of Patrick Hawes’ Eventide, In Memoriam Edith Cavell on July 12 at Norwich Cathedral. This 45-minute choral work will be performed with the English Chamber Orchestra, and soprano soloist Elin Manahan Thomas plus a semi-chorus of children’s voices. Call 01603 630000 or visit www.cathedral.org.uk.

e

BLUES Heritage Blues Quintet, an inspiring testament to the enduring power, possibilities and boundless beauty of African-American music, comes to Norwich Arts Centre on July 2. Enjoy the grit of low-down country and urban blues with the bold brass of New Orleans. Call 01603 660352 or www.norwichartscentre.co.uk.

THEATRE Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night takes place in the stunning gardens of Glemham Hall, Wickham Market, on July 5. Performed by the Castle Theatre Company on their 15th annual appearance, you can bring your own picnics, seating, rugs etc. Call 01728 746704 or visit www.glemhamhall.co.uk.

East Exhibition, The Assembly Hous

BEER Summer fun continues at Kelling Heath Holiday Park with a Beer Festival and Retro Weekend from July 4 to 7. Now in its fifth year, the festival showcases the very best ales and ciders that Norfolk has to offer, including Woodfordes, Adnams, Grain, Norfolk Brewhouse and Green Jack. Visit www.kellingheath.co.uk.

WHAT’S ON

MONTHLY ROUND UP

Little Lightning comes to Framlingham

Norwich Lanes Summer Fayre on July 6; Plantation Garden, Norwich’s secret garden, will be hosting Singing and Music on July 13; and Whitlingham Country Park – the gateway to the Broads – is hosting a Picnic in the Park as part of National Parks Week on July 27.

CONCERTS Catch Welsh classical duo brothers Richard & Adam Johnson performing songs including The Impossible Dream, Somewhere, Amazing Grace and Bring Him Home at Potters Resort on July 11.

They will be followed by the Bootleg Beatles on July 13 and Björn Again on July 18. Visit www.pottersholidays.com or call 0333 3207 486.

GARDENS It’s the height of summer and the 15 gardens opening in July for the Norfolk NGS are celebrating by featuring exuberantly planted borders full of colour. The month gets off to a flying start on July 5 at Walcott House in Walcott Green which opens for the NGS for the first time. Visit www.ngs.org.uk.

OPEN-AIR SHOW It’s the History of Britain as you’ve never seen it before. Join the critically acclaimed Pantaloons Theatre Company for a breathless race through the centuries in this delightfully inventive open-air show at Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden on July 5. Call 01603 270449 or visit www.fairhavengarden.co.uk.

COMEDY Newly crowned Celebrity Big Brother champion and comedy royalty Jim Davidson is coming to Britannia Pier in Great Yarmouth on July 31. Promoters promise that Jim Davidson Live! will be his most hilarious and outrageous show to date. Call 01493 842914 or visit www.brittania-pier.co.uk.

Subscribe online at www.placesandfaces.co.uk

STEAMPUNK Don’t miss the weird and wonderful world of the Suffolk Steampunk Spectacular coming to Leiston Long Shop Museum on July 12 and 13. Enjoy the blending of the 19th and 21st centuries and soak up the festival atmosphere in this wonderfully historical and industrial setting with lively bands, Thy Last Drop and headline act, Metropolis. Visit www.longshopmuseum.co.uk or call 01728 832189.

CENTENARY Hoveton St John Church has arranged a concert of remembrance to commemorate the centenary of the start of the First World War in Hoveton Village Hall on July 25. Norwich City Concert Band, with director of music Brian Dermott, will play music and songs of the time, plus there will be a roll-call of names of people from HovetonWroxham-Belaugh area who gave their lives. Call 01692 630892.

ANNIVERSARY Did you know that Sutton Hoo celebrates its 75th anniversary this month? There will be a celebratory Lecture Lunch with Dr Sam Newton on July 20, when you can hear about the amazing discovery of Anglo-Saxon kings that were made all those years ago, followed by the very in-keeping with that era Mrs Pretty’s 1930s Garden Party on July 26 and 27. Call 01394 389714.

FLOWER SHOW There will be over 200 trade stands, and display gardens of Chelsea standards, when Sandringham Flower Show takes place on July 30. A full programme of arena events will include The Imps, an extraordinary motorcycle display team, and an aerial display by one of the few working Spitfires still in operation. Visit www.sandringhamflowershow.org.uk.

NORWICH The good folk at Visit Norwich have alerted us to a number of events in and around the city this month: The

Pantaloons Theatre Company

Sandringham Flower Show

CINEMA Soho art-house cinema comes to Framlingham from July 19. For one weekend a month, the Little Lightning is setting up in Framlingham for cosy and chic pop-up cinema events within a traditional Suffolk barn. The season runs to September and kicks off with the Director’s cut of Cinema Paradiso with Italian food and wine. Visit www.littlelightning.net.

FOREST LIVE The Forest Live series of concerts continue at Thetford Forest this month, beginning with Boyzone with very special guest Kian Egan on July 11; Katherine Jenkins, with the National Symphony Orchestra, on July 12; and Deacon Blue with guest Roddy Hart and The Lonesome Fire and support Nell Hudson on July 13. Visit www.forestry.gov.uk.

31

TRY GO KARTING AT ELLOUGH PARK RACE CIRCUIT

Step out of the norm, leave the mundane behind and plunge into a day of thrills, adrenaline and heart-pumping action…

GIFT VOUCHERS NOW AVAILABLE!

Benacre Road, Ellough, Near Beccles, Suffolk, NR34 7XD

Grand Prixs & Team Endurance Children’s Parties (Food Available) Corporate Events

Tel: 01502 717718

www.elloughparkraceway.co.uk

WHAT’S ON

Kit & McConnel

KING’S LYNN FESTIVAL

Nick Crane

when i’m 64

Kit appeared at St George’s Guildhall, Lynn, some years

World-famous names will be heading

ago in his previous guise as Kit and the Widow and is looking forward to returning. ‘It is a great space to play. I

to King’s Lynn this month to take part in

love its intimacy,’ he says. ‘The evening will certainly have a

the town’s 64th feast of music and the

local flavour as we both know the county so well.’

arts. Emma Outten reports

Or else there’s writer and broadcaster Nick Crane, whose first solo expedition was in Norfolk: at the age of 14 he cycled from his home near Norwich to King’s Lynn where he stayed in the youth hostel and next day continued his journey to Sheringham and its youth hostel before

here has been brisk box office business

completing the circuit home.

‘It was the first time I used a map on my own,’ says Nick,

over in west Norfolk as concert-goers have snapped up tickets for this year’s

who learned much about the skills of using a map and

King’s Lynn Festival.

compass from his father, an enthusiastic mountaineer who took him to the North West Highlands of Scotland long

With a line-up including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, pianist John Lill, Clare Teal with the National Youth Jazz

before the days of mobile phones and GPS. Nick’s first long walk was with his mother, also an

Orchestra, the Fairey Band, the Orchestra of St John’s, and

adventurer, who took him hiking in the Peak District

guitarist Craig Ogden with London Tango Quintet, the 64th

for four days when he was 12-years-old. ‘It seemed like

King’s Lynn Festival, from July 13 to 26, certainly has wide

the Himalayas to me then!’ says Nick, who attended

appeal.

Wymondham College. He brings his lecture, Maplines, to the festival on July 16.

Festival chairman, Alison Croose, says: ‘For many the highlight of the festival is to hear and see a major orchestra.

The festival will have a rousing start on July 13 with a

As well as the RPO this year there will also be the Orchestra

brass spectacular staged by the Fairey Band. The concert

of St John’s and The English Concert Orchestra to enjoy.

will include the premiere of a short, specially-commissioned

Lots of people tell us how much they look forward to

piece marking cultural links between Lynn and Amiens

hearing a brass band and this year, for the first time, we

in France.

Pianist John Lill will return to play music by Mozart,

feature the prize-winning Fairey Band.

Schumann, Brahms and Beethoven on July 24 and King’s Lynn

‘John Lill has built up a following at Lynn and we look

Festival Chorus will perform Brahm’s

forward to his return, and we will also welcome back guitarist Craig Ogden and jazz singer Clare Teal who have both given sell-out festival concerts at Lynn in recent years.’

Adding to the variety of entertainment

The King’s Lynn Festival runs from July 13 to 26 Visit www.kingslynnnfestival.org.uk or call 01553 767557.

will be big names with strong Norfolk links.

Norfolk resident and nationally-renowned musical comedy

Requiem on July 20.

Jazz singer Clare Teal will be back as special guest of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra on July 18, and Craig Ogden will appear with London Tango Quintet on July 23.

During the final concert by the Royal Philharmonic

writer Kit Hesketh-Harvey has promised his performance on

Orchestra on July 26 acclaimed Bulgarian cellist Michael

July 25 will have a strong local flavour.

Petrov will perform Elgar’s Cello Concerto. Brian Schembri

Kit and McConnel – the other half being pianist James McConnel – have both had homes in Norfolk for many years

will conduct Brahms’ Second Symphony to bring down the curtain on the 2014 Festival.

so are familiar with current issues in the county and may well add to their vast repertoire of original topical songs.

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33

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WHAT’S ON

Worstead Festival

The W o n d er o f W o rs t e a d The annual Worstead Festival offers much for all ages to enjoy. We preview this month’s extravaganza

t all began back in 1966, when urgent funds

‘Worstead is a community orientated village and

were needed to repair the village church.

therefore the festival has tried to involve all aspects of that

Forty plus years on and Worstead Festival is

community,’ says villager Simon Cole, who has been at the

still going strong.

helm for the past two years. ‘All the trustees live in or have

Worstead is a little village on the edge of

connections with the village and hundreds of volunteers

the Broads. Yet each year the small population

from the area play their part in making the festival a great

swells as thousands visit the famous weaving

success year after year.’

village.

What brings in holidaymakers and locals to the village in

That success has had the knock-on effect of raising hundreds of thousands of pounds over the years for local

their droves is the annual Worstead Festival, now not far of

projects, both large and small scale. Regulars to benefit are

its half century.

the local community choir, which sings at the festival every

It’s a traditional affair which in the last few years has been

year, the village school, the local parish churches as well

gently brought into the 21st century with the addition of

as other community groups. Bigger projects have included

more family-friendly fun and games. It’s a favourite on the

funding for the building of the village hall in the 1980s and

calendar of the Norfolk and Norwich Medieval Association,

this year £10,000 match funding with Sheringham Shoal

whose members set up camp for the weekend, complete

to provide solar panels which make the hall more energy

with open fires for cooking and the obligatory battles and

efficient.

traditional skills.

This sits nicely with one of the new additions, the Best

This year’s festival, on July 26 and 27, will again blend the best of traditional pursuits and crafts with music,

of Norfolk Food marquee, where local chefs show off their

theatre, games and food. And to make sure the event stays

skills with some of the tastiest Norfolk produce, thanks to

affordable for families, ticket prices have been held at £5

a kitchen theatre bought with a grant from the National

for adults with under 12s free.

Lottery three years ago.

A new addition on the field last year which proved a roaring success was a Pimm’s and fizz bar and this will be back again for 2014, alongside ring events, the regular art show, heavy horses, weavers in the church, stars from the Cromer Pier Summer Show, Razz and Aunty Pearl and Radio Norwich’s Rob Chandler, who will be meeting and greeting on July 26.

The Friday evening sees the Worstead 5 road race take place, organised by the North Norfolk Beach Runners. The race sees hundreds turning up in the village square to take part and runners can register via www.nnbr.co.uk.

Visit www.worsteadfestival.org for more details.

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35

| JULY 2014

Beside The Seaside…

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Fancy a day by the sea? Here’s our quick and easy guide to four leading resorts in our region

What’s On

Seaside Resorts

C

ro m e r One of the jewels in north Norfolk’s crown. With its stunning pier, there is a majestic feel to the place which has lovely sands and even the odd beach hut to hire!

A great family resort.

For t h e k i d s ?

Amazona Zoo is just the ticket, and new-for-this-year, can boast a 30ft education yurt, and soft play centre Jungle Tumbles. Home to over 200 animals from tropical South America this is quite simply a ‘Brazililant’ place to go right now, what with the FIFA World Cup reaching its conclusion in Rio this month!

For t h e a d u lts ?

Felbrigg Hall, which belongs to the National Trust, is just a couple of miles away and boasts a fine Jacobean exterior and a Georgian interior. The 520-acre estate has a stunning walled garden plus several walks in the parkland which boasts ancient woodland, a lake and the estate church.

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A P i t- S top ?

Fish and chips from either Galton Blackiston’s No I or the long-established Mary Jane’s is a must, and tuck into them as you look out to sea!

U n m i ss a b l e ?

Cromer Pier is one of Norfolk’s iconic landmarks. Walk out to the end and just look out to sea or turn back and admire the town! The choice is yours. Try to take in the Seaside Special Show at the Pavilion Theatre. With comics, singers, impressionists and dancing girls, it really has to be seen to be believed. Two separate shows run during the high season, each with a different theme.

B e ac h ?

The sand and shingle beach, which has a Blue Flag, is great for families and there are lifeguards on duty in the high season. Rock pools are revealed at low tide and it’s a popular spot for surfing, especially around the pier.

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| JULY 2014

H

uns ta n t o n This Victorian resort is the county’s only west facing resort, looking out over The Wash to Lincolnshire. It has a timeless quality to it and usually lives up to its nickname of Sunny Hunny!

F o r t he k i d s ?

Get them to let their hair down at the town’s funfair, right on the Prom. With scary rides, the dodgems, the Golden Gallopers and more, you’ll soon have tired, contented little ones.

A P i t- S t o p ?

Head to the Norfolk Deli on Greevegate for a lovely selection of nosh, much of which is from local suppliers. They’ll even make up picnics for you to take to the beach!

F o r t he A d u lt s ?

Norfolk Lavender in nearby Heacham is a mecca for lovers of this herb which is grown in profusion in this part of the county. As England’s only lavender farm, there is much to learn – and buy. And look out for the lavender scones in the tea room. Delicious.

U n m iss a b l e ?

Stroll along the cliff tops to Old Hunstanton, a tiny little place with masses of charm, sand dunes and beach huts. Be sure to notice the quirky red and white striped cliffs, and time it right to catch a glowing sunset.

B e ach ?

The beach holds a Blue Flag, guaranteeing a safe and clean environment. It is becoming popular with extreme sports such as kite-surfing although the sands are very good for sandcastle building, too!

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What’s On

Seaside Resorts

L

owes t o f t Britain’s most easterly town is a lively, friendly sort of place, with plenty for all ages to enjoy. With a noble fishing past, it is now very much a modern resort with good shopping and entertainment possibilities.

F o r t he A d u lt s ?

Head to the Marina Theatre for top class shows and movies. The summer line-up includes Jimmy Carr, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and a selection of first class Shakespeare films, including Macbeth.

Bubble, bubble and the rest!

A P i t- S t o p ?

Try Giardino’s, a lovely Italian restaurant at Sparrow’s Nest where you’ll find fresh pastas, pizzas and the all-important Italian beer! The ice cream is pretty good, too.

U n m iss a b l e ?

Power boating racing brings out the competitor in you. Nicholas Everitt Park plays host to some fierce battles which make great viewing. Who needs F1?

F o r t he Ki d s ?

Africa Alive! in nearby Kessingland is perfect for a fun filled day out – with a bit of education, too. Enjoy a walking safari in the 100-acres, looking out for cheetahs, white rhino, Chapman’s zebras and African lions.

And those cheeky lemurs will want to be your friend.

B e ach ?

Lowestoft South Beach, with its Blue Flag, is a lovely family spot, with plenty of facilities and lifeguards during the high season. You can pop into the town, too, when you’ve had enough of the sand for a spot of retail therapy.

A

l d eburgh This upmarket Suffolk resort has a High Street to rival any in the country, with top class fashion and foodie options as well as a great beach, complete with fishing huts where you can buy the freshest produce imaginable. What’s not to love?

U n m iss a b l e ?

Aldeburgh is rightly famous for its fish and chips. The Aldeburgh Fish and Chip Shop, at the end of the High Street, is widely regarded as one of the best in Britain. The queues outside are legendary but oh so worth it – best eaten whilst sitting on the sea wall.

P i t- S t o p ?

The Brudenell Hotel now boasts a Seafood & Grill restaurant and, as always, has a wonderful seafront setting providing panoramic views of the beach. The new menus are the inspiration of Head Chef James Barber, who has a veritable passion for using the very best ingredients that he can find.

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C hec k o u t www.visitnorfolk.co.uk for details of upcoming events and activities

F o r Ki d s ?

Well, there’s the boating lake next to the Moot Hall, that’s always a favourite, or nearby Thorpeness Meare has a somewhat larger boating lake. Covering some 60 acres, with over 40 acres of water, the lake is no more than three feet deep, and is a fantastic allusion to JM Barrie’s Peter Pan. F o r A d u lt s ?

Do visit The Red House, in Golf Lane, the home of the Britten-Pears Foundation.

The latest addition to the site is an awardwinning new Archive, purpose-built to house Britten’s internationally-significant collections – completed in 2013 to mark the centenary of his birth.

B e ach ?

Predominantly shingle, this is pure Suffolk Heritage Coast, with wooden fishing boats on the beach, and fishermen selling their catch outside wooden huts. Further up the beach, towards Thorpeness, you can cast your artistic eye over Maggi Hambling’s steel scallop shell sculpture.

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| July 2014

The Heat Is On It’s the West End’s biggest opening in years and Sarah Hardy was one of the first to see Miss Saigon. What did she think?

hat a buzz there has been about this show – a firm favourite with many musical lovers. The new version took an amazing £4.4m in pre-bookings in a single day and is now booking through until April 2015.

It has the mighty Sir Cameron Mackintosh behind it so you know you’re going to get a show with plenty of spectacle. Never one to down play a production, he is definitely of the opinion that more is more.

The score by Boublil and Schonberg (of Les Misérables fame) is full on, with power ballads aplenty and there’s a heart-tugging storyline to boot.

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Photo by Matthew Murphy

West End Review

Miss Saigon

“ It has the mighty Sir Cameron Mackintosh behind it so you know you’re going to get a show with plenty of spectacle”

Much of the show’s hype surrounds Eva Noblezada who plays the pivotal role of Kim, the young Vietnamese girl who falls for GI Chris, played by British actor Alistair Brammer. They have one night together before he is evacuated from the city as it falls to the communists and Kim is left behind – pregnant.

Eva is just 18 and was ‘discovered’ in America at the High School musical theatre awards finals and yes, what a voice! Pure, with a really impressive range, she possesses an air of gentle fragility which is just right for her role as the girl who loves but loses.

You can feel her raw despair and she absolutely nails her solos such as I’d Give My Life For You and I Still Believe and plenty of the audience were wiping their eyes as the curtain came down.

You know the ending, right? Well, I’m not telling you if you don’t!

The musical is head and shoulders above most as it has a gritty backdrop – the war in Vietnam. Sure there is a love story at its heart but there are the political overtones that are still in evidence today as British troops withdraw from Afghanistan.

Action is split between Saigon (which became Ho Chi Minh), Atlanta, USA, and Bangkok, Thailand, in the 1970s. And the themes of loss, separation, love, hardship and sacrifice are both timeless and universal.

The opening scene, in a seedy Saigon bar called the Dreamland Club, is sensational and really conveys the despair of the Vietnamese women selling themselves for cash. They see their only way out as ‘bagging’ an American serviceman and thus gaining a free passage to the USA. The dancing is such that Miley Cyrus would be proud of it and who would have thought that the ladies of the night would have been quite so stunning? Methinks Sir Cameron used a little poetic licence!

It is here that we meet The Engineer, the fixer and the pimp,

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beautifully played by Jon Jon Briones who captures his devious, self serving nature to perfection. He holds the show together, weaving in and out of the action, usually causing trouble whenever he appears.

He has some of the best lyrics and is the character who conveys the underbelly of the piece: that the Americans were perhaps not the best thing to have ever happened to Vietnam, both the country and its people.

Mention must go to the lighting, by Bruno Poet, who gets across the dark, seedy side of both Saigon and Bangkok, yet gives Kim a gentle glow, emphasising, in a very subtle way, her vulnerability.

The designs, by Totie Driver and Matt Kinley, are enormous and immediately imposing - there is much to look at all the time and you find your eyes constantly flickering around, taking in yet more and more. And, of course, we all look out for the legendary helicopter scene where the American consulate is evacuated, with Chris on board and Kim left behind.

There is one new song, Maybe, given to Chris’s American wife, Ellen, played by Tamsin Carroll. She despairs of her husband and hopes they can work everything out but we, the audience, are left wondering.

Overall this is what I’d call a proper West End show. It is big and bold and operates at 100 miles an hour all the time. Subtle it isn’t. But we don’t always want subtle, do we?

Miss Saigon, Prince Edward Theatre, Old Compton Street, London, tel 0844 482 5155, visit www.miss-saigon.com Sarah Hardy travelled to London with Abellio Greater Anglia, visit www.abelliogreateranglia.co.uk.

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| JULY 2014

Barnstorming In Suffolk We do like a barn conversion here at Places&Faces® and Willow Barn, in the pretty Suffolk hamlet of Ilketshall St Margaret, doesn’t disappoint says Emma Outten

GU IDE PR ICE £62 5,0 00

44

here are character properties and then there are character properties. From its promise of ‘impressive elevations’, this handsome barn conversion in the Waveney district simply oozes character, from the striking black timber cladding, so typical of Suffolk barns, to the vaulted ceilings and beams within. Spacious and stylish, it’s a wonderful family home that sits within generous gardens with spectacular views.

Careful consideration has been given to this conversion.

Willow Barn is thought to date back to the early 1900s, and the current owners came across it when looking for a project that they could make into their dream home. The result is a truly delightful property: ‘We’ve really enjoyed doing the work – it’s such a fabulous barn,’ they explain.

First and foremost, this is a friendly and welcoming home. ‘We were advised to plaster over the beams but we’re so glad that we kept them. It’s lovely to see the beautiful wood and to enjoy the character,’ say the owners. And in summer the garden room really comes into its own, doubling up as a playroom for their grandson who lives nearby and regularly comes to visit.

At Willow Barn, you can really enjoy the outside space: ‘The garden is enclosed so it’s very safe for our grandson,’ say the owners. They have lovingly created the gardens from scratch and the outside space is now well established with many spring bulbs and roses, plus space for bedding plants to add extra colour.

You enter the property through a wooden and glazed doorway into the grand main entrance hall and can immediately appreciate the bespoke solid oak staircase in front of you with a suspended galleried landing sitting below wonderful vaulted ceilings. Light cascades in from the full length windows to the front.

Passing under the galleried landing immediately to the right

PROPERTY OF THE MONTH

Willow Barn, Ilketshall St Margaret

hand side of the oak staircase you enter the sitting room, a beautiful light-filled triple aspect room with exposed timbers which give this room wonderful character. The focal point of this room is an inglenook fireplace and a large inset wood-burning stove.

A Suffolk latched door (expect to find a lot of these lovely latched doors in this particular property!) leads into the study – and a lovely feature of this room are the exposed timbers over a brick built base.

The garden room offers a vaulted ceiling, exposed timbers and large windows either side of glass patio doors into the rear courtyard offering distant views of open fields.

As well as a cloakroom downstairs there’s also an extra cloakroom, or rather ‘gardener’s loo’, off the utility room. You’ve got to love the fact there’s a WC for your green-fingered workman or woman!

In the dining room, exposed timbers are again a beautiful feature of the room and then there’s the open plan kitchen breakfast room: windows to both the front and rear flood this room with light and give a great feeling of space. Centrally there is a large island unit with double thickness granite above, and all-important wine storage and base units below. The base units run in a ‘U’ shape wrapping around the central island but still give plenty of work space to get around. There is also space for a range cooker and an American style fridge freezer.

Upstairs you pass through (yes, you’ve guessed it!) a Suffolk latched doorway into the master bedroom. The exposed timbers within this room are, quite simply, glorious. You then move through to a dressing area before you then pass through into a walk-in wardrobe – quite frankly the stuff dreams are made of if you are fairly fashionconscious!

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FactFilE 4 Bedrooms Finished to a high standard set on a plot of around one acre Sitting room, dining room, family room and study Kitchen breakfast room, utility room, cloakroom Master bedroom with dressing area and en suite bathroom Three further bedrooms all with en suite facilities Ample outside storage facilities and a three-bay cart lodge sit within the grounds Accommodation extends to approximately 3,355sqft EPC Rating C

Estate Agents Fine and Country Diss and Harleston Navire House, Mere Street Diss, Norfolk 01379 646020 www.fineandcountry.com

The en suite bathroom boasts a beautiful roll top claw footed bath, which is a lovely focal point of the room, and the remaining suite comprises a low level WC, his and hers wash hand basin inset into a vanity unit, a large walk in shower with raindrop head and further hand held shower.

Bedroom two also has an en-suite bathroom, and bedrooms three and four both boast ensuite shower rooms.

Outside the property, Willow Barn is approached via a five bar gate over a shingle drive which takes you to a parking and turning area.

The driveway then continues towards the rear outside storage area where an unusual feature of the property is the two former grain silos which have been converted into outside storage areas.

The driveway then turns round immediately to the right giving you access to a three bay cart lodge.

A picket fence gives you access into the courtyard garden. Now, who wouldn’t want to live in a home with a picket fence?

As for the environs, Ilketshall St Margaret is set in the lovely Suffolk countryside amidst quiet rural lanes with footpaths nearby making this a wonderful area for walking and cycling.

The market towns of Bungay and Halesworth are both just five miles away and beyond beckons the very lovely Suffolk Heritage Coast: the popular coastal town of Southwold is some 10 miles away and makes a wonderful day out, with the smaller coastal village of Walberswick nearby, an equally attractive area to explore.

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| JULY 2014

Fatboy garden hammock £349 – Another of Fatboy’s extravagantly large designs, this hammock easily has room for several people. No trees or rope required: it’s safely attached to a secure frame and is made of water and UV resistant fabric – hours of pleasure to be had!

Go Ou t si d e !

This month our homes writer Jennifer Read shows us how to make the most of our outdoor space

The home, as a living space, suddenly expands in the summer months and the garden becomes an extension of our existing rooms.

Why dine and socialise inside when, with the addition of a few carefully chosen items, you can utilise your outdoor space instead?

Why indeed – when carefully planted flowers and shrubs and a well-tended lawn can be admired by family and friends and the extra daylight hours mean more time to relax and unwind outside.

There is certainly something special about eating and simply relaxing outside. Food just seems to taste better when eaten al fresco, doesn’t it? Many of us work inside so the chance to enjoy some fresh air when we return home is a very welcome one.

There are many great lanterns, candles, outdoor heaters, mosquito repellents and all manner of great furniture available to help you create your own little bit of heaven at home as dusk approaches.

Walton & Co Bumble Bee table linen – So pretty and ontrend, this collection will enhance any picnic table. Table cloths from £20; 4 napkin set £15; table runner £15 and seat cushion £15

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Interiors

going al fresco

Old Rectory round table and two standard chairs (all items fold) £199 – A shabby-chic finish to this attractive garden set can be left unadorned or made more comfortable with the addition of seat pads and a pretty tablecloth, depending on the mood.

‘Garden Party’ melamine outdoor party wear – No worries about breakages with this practical but attractive and durable range. Bowls, plates, beakers and placemats, all from £3.50

Old Rectory rose arch £139 – Why not complete the look with this sturdy arch. Perfect for climbing roses, clematis or fragrant jasmine.

Jennifer is the homeware buyer Jarrold’s, 1–11 London Street, Norwich, NR2 1AL www.jarrold.co.uk The Granary, 5 Bedford Street, Norwich, NR2 1AL www.thegranary.co.uk All items listed are available from Jarrold’s

Kilner jar mugs – Cause a stir when you offer your guests their lager or Pimms in these trendy mugs. Bright and cheerful colours make them so much more fun than regular glasses, £4 each

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49

East of England

Electric Bike Show Telephone 01493 844 489 14 Regent St, Gt Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR30 1RN

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A delightful detached Norfolk cottage with 4 beds within grounds of approx 0.60 acres.

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Property

Surveys

Oliver Hurren YOUR MOVE OLIVER JAMES 01493 600005 | www.your-move.co.uk

Master O f All Yo u Su rve y Property expert Oliver Hurren thoroughly recommends that you have any prospective purchase surveyed to avoid possible pitfalls

the property is sufficient for the loan by being at least worth what you are borrowing.

When shopping for mortgages be aware of valuation costs, but do not just go for the cheapest for the sake of saving a couple of hundred pounds. A lower interest rate is normally far more of a saving in the long run.

What we have seen in a difficult property market is mortgage valuations being incredibly more cautious, putting a deliberately low value on the property. This is, of course,

A survey is the inspection of a property’s condition carried

to reduce the risk for the mortgage company, but this has

out before you finalise the purchase and will tell you about

caused problems for homebuyers if the value says the

problems such as structural faults, subsidence, repairs or

property is not worth what they are paying for it, making

alterations and can include everything from the type of wall

them unable to proceed or having to find a larger deposit.

to the type of glazing.

You should always have a survey as it can help you avoid

There are three main types of surveys:

problems such as a need to rewire, and can also give you peace of mind if you have been worrying about a particular crack.

With the information provided by the survey, you might

H o m e C o n d i t i o n S ur v e y This is the most basic survey you can get and is designed

be able to renegotiate the price or ask the seller to fix any

mainly to complement the mortgage valuation. This will

problems. It might also make you think again about buying

include a rebuild cost of the property for insurance purposes

the property.

but not a valuation.

Surveys should be carried out by qualified surveyors. Most are members of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), in which case he or she will have the letters MRICS or

H o m ebu y er ’ s R ep o r t This includes structural problems, including damp and

FRICS after his or her name. They should all carry professional

anything that does meet current building regulations. It

indemnity insurance and I would always recommend a local

provides the property’s value which can take between two

surveyor as they are likely to have better knowledge of local

to four hours to complete. Beware that the surveyor will not

market values. Equally, if you are buying an unusual property,

move furniture to look behind, nor lift up floor boards so the

like a farm or a windmill, get a surveyor with experience in

report will be limited.

that specific field.

Be sure to ask friends and family for recommendations. A

B ui l d ing S ur v e y

good idea is to ask to see a copy of a previous report that the

This is the most expensive but can also be your best

surveyor has carried out. To make the most of your survey you

investment due to the detail and how extensive they are.

can always ask to be present, allowing you to walk through

It is the most thorough and detailed report that you can

the house with them.

commission on the condition of a property. You should

The biggest annoyance with surveys is that they are full

always get a survey, even on a new home. This can be called

of caveats and statements which cover the surveyor’s back.

a snagging survey and specialises in picking up mistakes such

For example, they could tell you that the property may have

as negligent plumbing or poorly finished paintwork. Your

damp, but they cannot say for sure and will recommend that

inspector should also be able to arrange for the developer to

you seek further advice.

sort out any such defects.

Your building society or mortgage provider may

Overall my advice is that a house survey is a must. Make

commission a valuation report. This basic report can be

sure you shop around and approach three or four surveyors

very useful but you must be aware that it is produced for

for quotes as they will vary from company to company and

the lender’s benefit rather than the purchaser and will not

will depend on the size and location of the property.

contain the detail that you require. They will just look at the property and assess how much it is worth, mainly to ensure

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For any professional advice, please feel free to contact Oliver on 01493 600005 or 01502 534998.

51

Kitchen Sense of Harleston For Quality Fitted Kitchens and Appliances

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| JULY 2014

The Results Are In Our gardening writer Ellen Mary reckons July is the month where all your hard work starts to pay off with a bumper harvest of both flowers and vegetables uly is the month where all your hard work starts to prove very productive. You should have plenty of colour in the garden and lots of fruit and vegetables ready for harvest. By the end of the month you will find yourself munching on your home grown vegetables and lots of salads. Kick back a little in July and spend some lazy days in your garden but don’t forget to keep on top of those weeds which will be thriving in the sunshine.

Garden and Flowers July can often be the hottest month of the year which means it won’t just be you in need of a drink! Try to use grey water if possible, or water collected in a water butt from the winter. Your plants will need to retain moisture and a great way to help with this is to water around the base of your plants and add some mulch.

Leaf mould, homemade compost or very well-rotted manure will do just the trick.

You will be enjoying the colours in the garden but to prolong your blooms you will need to keep on top of dead heading. Remove all past-their-best flowers to encourage new growth. This is important in borders, pots and hanging baskets. It’s the best way to keep the colour going.

We always need to be thinking ahead to the next season so now is the time to start planting out some autumn flowering bulbs for that lovely splash of colour after your summer colour is fading. Try crocuses, nerines and colchicum.

Keep an eye out for aphids such as greenfly and blackfly before they get to work on the sap in your plants. Try to avoid chemicals and spray your plants weekly with washing up liquid and water.

Make sure the solution is very weak in order to keep your plants looking healthy.

54

Gardening

Jobs For JULY Fruit and Vegetables Pick your scrumptious vegetables as much as you can and pile your plate high! Some veg such as courgette will produce more as you pick so try to harvest them as often as you can. Try frying your courgette flowers in a little oil or add them into salads for some bright yellow colour.

If you are growing sprouts, purple sprouting broccoli, kale and cauliflower make sure they are settled into their final growing space. Keep them netted over or pick off caterpillars regularly otherwise it won’t just be you thinking your brassicas are tasty!

Your strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, gooseberries, and blueberries will be ready for picking. Ensure that you pick soft fruits regularly as they won’t all ripen at the same time.

Wildlife Gardening Keep an eye on your pond and remove any floating blanket weed or your pond wildlife will suffer. Twirl the weed around a garden cane or stick and make sure that you leave it resting by the side of the pond so insects can crawl back in before you compost it. If you take a moment to watch you will most likely see damselflies and dragonflies laying their eggs around your pond.

Garden birds will be in need of water and you don’t need a big space to give them a helping hand. Feeders and baths can be quite close to your windows or balconies as many birds will get quite used to being so close to us.

You should see plenty of hoverflies this month which are great for pest control.

They may look a little similar to wasps but they won’t sting. Plant out plenty of marigolds to attract them to help you out with controlling the pests you don’t want to see on your patch.

Ellen Mary Gardening provides no jargon, easy to follow gardening advice, along with a range of colourful gardening products at: www.ellenmarygardening.co.uk

Gardening Product of the Month Use this fabulous Organic Plant Food Maker to give your plants a much needed nutrient boost without the need for chemicals. All you need are nettles or comfrey, chopped up with water before leaving to brew. Your plants will definitely thank you for it and it can be used over and over again. £29.95.

Available from Ellen Mary’s website.

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Give it a go

ow this to a garden sh been able to go n’t ve ha er u ow yo If ndringham Fl way over to Sa day lar year, make your cu n specta for your very ow ce on Show on July 30 t bu queues , there are long into out. Be warned are transformed s nd ou gr e s th te ga e th h nd ug Fi thro worth the visit. and more than en av he en rd ga re inspiration. goodies and pu lots of garden ow.org.uk rsh we ringhamflo Visit www.sand

55

| JULY 2014

56

A Look At Life

Richard Barr

E y e Contac t Our Richard has his eye on us as he shares a few tales about trips to the opticians

T

here I was, in my Fair Isle sweater looking

an ornate box of the sort which 50 years earlier might have

like a displaced orphan, with glasses perched

contained snuff. There were: two tiny discs about the size of

on my nose. It was a school photograph and I

my little finger, one with a small dot in it to indicate that it

stood at the end, the only boy wearing glasses.

should go in my right eye (or left – I cannot now remember).

I am told that it was shortly after I had

I had to learn to insert and remove them, requiring the

measles (no vaccinations then – we were made

interesting gymnastic exercise of holding the eye open with

of sterner stuff) that my parents noticed that

one finger from each hand and then popping the lens in when

one of my eyes had a life of its own and peered in the wrong

the eye is not looking (it almost always was, and would turn

direction. Dire predictions were made that I might lose the

away at the last moment).

sight of the eye, so off I was marched to a stout optician.

Before I became used to them, there were many accidents:

From then onwards at school I became a four-year-old

lost lenses, lenses apparently disappearing behind my eyeball

‘four eyes’. Children have a charming habit of homing in on

(I am told this cannot happen, but some never reappeared, so

the slightest deviation from the norm. A cracked and fading

I assume they are parked there waiting for an opportunity to

school photograph shows me (still with Fair Isle sweater)

emerge from my ear or nose).

peering myopically through my NHS glasses. For a spell I was

That first experiment in contact lensmanship was a failure.

even ‘one eye’ when I had a patch over my left eye for several

Despite my hopes, it did not make me more handsome. More

months – apparently to force me to see out of my bad eye.

significantly, my eyes rebelled against the little hard plastic

I endured being four eyes for as long as I could. Then, in

discs. It became agony to go out in the light (a prerequisite of

the dim light, I peered into the mirror. My eyes had become

seeing). Even in the dimmest light I had to wear dark glasses

a vivid green and were staring back at me like those of an

(which with hindsight probably made me look much more of

enraged cat. The stout optician (he saw me through well into

a cool dude than anything that could be achieved by contact

adulthood and is now presumably checking the vision of those

lenses on their own).

who make it to the pearly gates) had put in fluorescent drops

For many years I went back to ordinary glasses, but by then

and was shining the kind of light that brilliantly shows up

I was big enough to sort out anyone who dared to call me

white shirts, teeth and dandruff.

‘four eyes’ (unless they were bigger and stronger than I was).

‘And why do you think you need contact lenses?’ the

I was into my 50s before I tried contacts again. By then

optician asked. ‘Because I will look more handsome without

lenses had become soft and much more comfortable. That did

glasses,’ I answered. ‘Ah, cosmetic reasons,’ he replied

not stop me losing them. I have, no doubt, a few still lurking

knowingly.

behind my eyeballs. This time the journey to the world of

The vision conjured up by this comment (lipstick, face

contact lenses was much smoother (punctuated only by a few

powder and mascara) did not accord entirely with my planned

hiccups, such as the time when I presented at the opticians

new image of myself.

and was unable to read even the top two rows of letters.

After peering a long time into my eyes he concluded that

Solution: I had my lenses in the wrong eyes). One morning

they were irregular in shape (triangular, rhomboid? He did not

when I put the lenses in I became convinced that I was having

say). He started by inserting dummy lenses into my eyes. If he

a stroke because my view of the world had become very

had inserted lumps of coal or gravel it could not have been

strange indeed. That time I had put my wife’s contact lenses

more painful.

in my eyes.

I was soon beginning to think that if this was the price

I have now been wearing contacts for many years and I am

of good looks I would rather remain ugly, but stubbornly I

sold on them. I get much better vision than I ever had when I

persevered.

was four eyes. The only drawback is: I remain as ugly as ever

For the next few weeks I underwent a series of tests,

– so I shall just have to borrow my son’s Ray Ban sun glasses

measurements and trial fittings. Eventually the stout optician

when he is not flying (as to which see P&F November 2012)

pronounced himself satisfied and my first set of contact

and at least temporarily look a cool if elderly dude.

lenses, hewn out of solid plastic, arrived neatly packed in

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57

LUST LIST

No. 01

PET PRODUCTS

No. 02

No. 03

Lust List

PET PRODUCTS Pets need pampering too, you know.

No. 04

Emma Outten has decided every home needs a fish hotel

No. 05

No. 06

No. 08 No. 09

No. 07

1. ‘The Beesnees’ Solitary Bee Houses, £21.95, www.oakroomshop.co.uk | 2. Tigrito cat bowl, £46, www.exitinteriors.co.uk | 3. Kids Crooked House Kennel, prices from £450 plus vat for small to £900 plus vat for large, www.kidscrookedhouseuk.co.uk | 4. Grace - teal and sea green dog collar accessory, £18, www.lovefromlola.net | 5. Umbra Fish Hotel, £40, www.redcandy.co.uk | 6. Mungo & Maud Preppy Lead, 2cm, Beige / Red, £92.50, John Lewis | 7. Hawkins Organic Suffolk Organic Dog Treats, from £4.95, www.hawkinsorganic.com 8. Hug Rug Pet Range Rug, House of Fraser, £39.99, intu Chapelfield | 9. Charley Chau Raised Wooden Dog Bed, £260, www.charleychau.com

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59

| JULY 2014

Squid,

Pro Quo Stir Fried Squid

Method 1. Finely chop the red chilli, garlic and parsley and mix with the honey and oil to make a dressing with a sprinkle of salt.

2. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and reserve.

3. Fry the chorizo cubes in a small frying pan. Reserve, keeping the chorizo and its juices separate.

4. Put the lettuce leaves in a mixing bowl.

5. Put a medium size frying pan on to heat. This needs to be smoking hot. As this heats, sprinkle the squid rings and tentacles liberally with the lemon pepper seasoning. Add 2 tbsp of oil to the smoking hot pan and add the squid, sautĂŠ for 1 minute until tender, stirring occasionally.

6. Add the cherry tomatoes and the chorizo cubes with a spoonful of the chorizo juice, cook for 30 more seconds and add the contents of the pan to the lettuce leaves.

7. Add half the chilli dressing to the leaves and stir to ensure all the contents have been dressed in chilli 8. Serve on 4 plates and enjoy as a light starter, adding more chilli dressing if desired.

60

Recipe

Imperial Hotel Simon Wainwright, executive chef at the Imperial Hotel in Great Yarmouth, offers us a fiery seafood starter for high summer dining SERVES 4

Ingredients

*

Picture by Barkers Photographic, Gorleston, www.barkersphotos.co.uk

4 baby squids - cleaned (the fishmonger will do this for you) and cut into rings with tentacles cut in half Lemon pepper seasoning (available from the supermarket) 8 cherry tomatoes 200g of chorizo sausage (cut in 1 inch cubes)

Wine Choice

1 red chilli

Verdejo, Cuatro Rayas, Rueda, Spain

2 cloves of garlic

Nick Mobbs, director and wine expert at the Imperial Hotel, says:

Handful of parsley (chopped finely) 50ml honey 150ml extra virgin olive oil 100g each of rocket, red chard and endive lettuce (washed and dried)

Cuatro Rayas is located in Rueda which is in the north west of Spain in the region of Castile and Leon. This wine, Cuatro Rayas Old Vines, is described as the ‘whim’ of the winemaker, Angel Calleja.

The wine is made from very old vines, using traditional harvesting and processing methods that provide elegance and balance. It is a limited and exclusive production.

The wine has a golden yellow colour, with greenish undertones. It is clean, powerful and fresh on the nose; also fruity with a hint of fennel coming through.

This is a wonderful wine to enjoy with the squid and, if you occasionally fancy a change from Sauvignon Blanc, I can definitely recommend a glass of Verdejo.

• A team of brilliant chefs • Superb wine list • Laid-back atmosphere The perfect restaurant for dinner or Sunday lunch. At the Imperial Hotel, North Drive, Gt Yarmouth, NR30 1EQ. To book call 01493 842000

www.cafecru.co.uk

Sunday 12.30 - 2pm Monday - Saturday 6.30 - 10pm The Terrace is open daily. For opening times & menu go to imperialhotel.co.uk

Recipe

Franck Pontais

You Say Tomato Our French chef Franck Pontais shows us how to create a traditional Mediterranean favourite, tomate farcie, which translates as stuffed tomatoes!

tomate farcie I n g r e d ient s Serves FOUR 4 beef tomatoes

1 small aubergine 1 courgette 1 /2 a bunch spring onions 1 garlic clove 1 tbsp of chopped chive 1 tbsp of olive oil 1 tsp of tomato concentrate 150ml of vegetable stock 2 pinches of Maldon salt 1 pinch of cracked black pepper

M et h o d Slice the top of the beef tomato and then replace it. Put the tomatoes on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 2200C .

Once cool, scoop out the flesh and put it in a saucepan with the vegetable stock, chopped garlic and tomato concentrate.

Bring to simmer and blitz the mixture with a hand blender. Pass the tomato sauce through a sieve and season to taste.

Wash and cut the aubergine and the courgette into cubes. Drizzle some olive oil in a saucepan and cook the aubergine for a minute or two, add the diced courgette and cook covered for a further 2 minutes. Then add the chopped spring onions and some of the chives. Season to taste.

Fill the tomato with the vegetable mix and reheat in the oven for 15 minutes at 1750C. Sprinkle the rest of the chives on top of each tomato and serve hot with the tomato sauce.

Let our French chef cook for your private dinner parties, and for those who really enjoy cooking, he also offers master classes, for all abilities, in your own home. More information is available at www.franckpontais.com pictures ANDREW FLORIDES,

www.andrewflorides.co.uk

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63

Wine Cellar THE WINE CELLAR is

Barbecue!

Time to light the

Ready for summer We have everything you need for the perfect summer party • Home Produce • Fresh Pork & Free Range Eggs • Gluten Free Sausages • Smoked Bacon & Hams Eggs, Frozen Pork & Sausages available at all times

Call Val on

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a piece of gourmet heaven born from an ethos of gorgeous wine, great food, and generous service.

Tucked away in the heart of Norwich, just a few steps away from the vibrant Market Place, a beautiful courtyard steeped in history is the setting for this charming hidden gem that has so much more to offer than just fantastic fine dining.

Ambient and chilled, The Wine Cellar is the perfect place to mingle and socialise. Ideal for a sophisticated, lazy lunch or a wallet friendly supper.

Email info@orchardfarmshop.com Web www.orchardfarmshop.com

www.winecellarnorwich.co.uk | 01603 886100 Guildhall Hill, 8 Woburn Court, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 1JG

a NOW OPEN

Offering delicacies such as

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01508 518371

Wine

Sauvignon Blanc

Do Yo u have A Favo urite ?

Our wine writer Sam Matthews tries to answer that most tricky of questions – what is your favourite wine?!

E

ver since I was introduced to wine and

wine lists as a spotty adolescent 16-year-old working at The Lavender House in Brundall, near Norwich, Sauvignon Blanc has been my go-to wine. In those early days of my catering career, it was all about the grand French wines made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape. Famous ‘Appellations’ like Sancerre and Pouilly Fume were usually ordered by those in the know to go with fish courses or light starters.

I remember Richard Hughes handing me an icy cold glass of a 2004 Pouilly Fume after a long hot shift one summer evening (a customer must have left a bit in the bottle, as I doubt the boss would have opened it at over £40 on the wine list!). It was like nectar - a moment I try to replicate whenever I can.

The Sauvignon craze had started, and I was itching to find out more about this versatile grape variety. First I got my tongue round some good Chilean versions of the grape variety and then I was asked to help collate the new Lavender House wine list so half a dozen New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignons needed tasting. A difficult job but someone had to do it!

I’m often asked what my favourite wine is and it’s such a difficult question. It rather depends on the situation, the surroundings, the people I’m with, what I’m eating and so on.

But, if you’re asking, I love an off-dry Alsatian Riesling, a Pinot Noir from Oregon, or a crisp Gavi made from the Cortese grape in Northern Italy but ask me again and I’ll certainly find three more favourites. However, if you really push me, a great Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlbourough region of New Zealand probably deserves the ‘my favourite wine’ title. It has an aroma distinguishable from half a mile away and a marvellous taste that lasts for half a mile in the other direction. The long narrow geography of the south island of New Zealand means that no vineyard is further than 80 miles from the coast. This maritime climate delivers a long and steady growing season which allows the fruit to develop maximum flavour before harvesting. The aromas of gooseberry and melon are almost as good as the crisp mineral flavour of the wine.

As far as I’m concerned New Zealand’s main competitor, in the ‘new world’ Sauvignon market, is California. On a trip to the Napa Valley a few years back, the stand-out white wine from the region was ‘Fume Blanc’ - the Californian’s fancy marketing name for Sauvignon Blanc.

I was expecting loads of oaky Chardonnay and some big hitting red Zinfandels to fill my week of wine drinking in one of the most famous wine growing corners of the world so was surprised to see so much effort going into these Fume Blancs by the winemakers I met, and that effort delivered instantly in the glass.

Along with the three friends who came with me to the States, I spent seven hours in Thomas Keller’s French Laundry restaurant, and the stand out wine for me that evening was a Fume Blanc. Why I didn’t write the name of it down at the time frustrates me to this

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day - maybe because we were 14 glasses of wine down during our 24-course tasting menu!

Sauvignon Blancs made in California, particularly the Napa Valley, tend to have more rounded complexity than those made in New Zealand. And those that are shown a bit of oak can have a scent of smoke and vanilla about them.

In the early 90s, Chilean Sauvignons were pushed in our faces by the leading supermarkets and by waiters and waitresses in the big chain restaurants told to up-sell the house wine. This isn’t to do the Chileans down. They could be seen as a lesser quality than other Sauvignons around the world, but they’re most certainly not rubbish. They’re different and different is good. Chilean Sauvignon has a very distinctive nose and taste. If anything, the Chilean varieties are closer to the French appellations than the New Zealand options. They have slightly lower acidity levels but more citrus fruit flavours making them more agreeable to more palates. I have probably been more exposed to Chilean Sauvignon than any other wine.

Due to its price point, it is more often than not my supermarket buy. I’ve also put it on every ‘by the glass’ restaurant wine list I have ever compiled, apart from the most recent Assembly House wine list. The first choice line up this time is a South African Sauvignon Blanc. Thanks to some great bottles coming out of the Stellenbosch and Durbanville areas of the country, South Africa is starting to gain prominence in the wine market.

Sauvignon Blanc has been grown in South Africa for a long time, but now they are making some of the best liquids money can buy.

About a year ago, this was my new wine fascination (although there is a new wine fascination for me on a weekly basis) and I had to try as many as I could get my hands on. For me South African Sauvignons sit in the middle of the aroma and taste spectrum between a New Zealand and Loire Valley variety. Perfect combo flavours of gooseberry, green apple and cut grass with an elegant amount of acidity are in many South African Sauvignons, especially those from the Western Cape and the Coastal Region.

So if I was in the supermarket with £5 in my pocket I would scan the shelves for a Chilean Sauvignon. If I found another £1.50 I’d upgrade to something from South Africa. If I had £8 I would look for a New Zealand Sauvignon from Marlborough or Hawkes Bay and the good news is you’ll almost always find one on offer, especially in the larger supermarkets. Lastly, for that special celebration, or pay day, as I call it, dig down deep into your pocket and reach right up to the top shelf for a Sancerre or Pouilly Fume.

The differences in this most wonderful grape are vast from country to country and region to region, but which ever bottle you go for, you will not be disappointed.

Cheers!

Sam Matthews is Food & Beverage Manager at The Assembly House, Norwich (www.assemblyhousenorwich.co.uk).

65

| JULY 2014

Carthy

Desmond Mac

This month, food writer Andy Newman visits a grower of a quintessentially English fruit, and Roger Hickman creates a complex but delicious dish to show it off

Pictures by ANDY NEWMAN ASSOCIATES, NORWICH

S

tanding in a field full of strawberry plants, laden with green berries waiting to ripen and turn that beguiling and brazen shade of red, I am looking out across the marshes to the North Sea. The scene could not be more idyllic – and yet just six short months ago, nature came within a few yards of destroying this beautiful slice of Norfolk food heaven.

It is early June, and I am at Wiveton Hall between Blakeney and Cley, with Desmond MacCarthy, who has lived here all his life. Our conversation is repeatedly interrupted by phone calls and visitors asking when the picking will begin – for this is possibly the county’s most famous strawberry destination.

66

Happily, ripeness is just a week away, and by the time you read this, the fruit will be at its peak. For the many who come here to pick their own, or to buy punnets laden with superb strawberries from the roadside stall, this is an essential part of summer. And yet last winter almost brought it to an abrupt halt.

Few who live or work in north Norfolk will forget the events of December 5. This was the night that the fragile balance between nature and people shifted, the sea broke through the man-made defences, and homes and livelihoods were swept away.

Farming right on the coast might afford great views, but it also leaves you vulnerable to the elements. Fortunately, the mid17th century builders who put up the farmhouse – a splendid Jacobean manor house – had the foresight to site it on slightly higher ground. This was a decision vindicated when the flood waters of the tidal surge stopped 30 feet short of the property.

For us Norfolk foodies, equally heartening is that Wiveton Hall’s renowned strawberry field is on higher ground still, and so the 2014 crop was saved for our delight.

A relatively small-scale farm at 250 acres, the MacCarthys (Desmond’s mum Chloe is still a welcome presence on the farm at the age of 99) decided that fruit should be a fixture around 25 years ago.

Little could they have predicted how the soft fruit market would change over that time, with strawberries becoming an all-year-round fixture in supermarkets, rather than a seasonal summer treat – something Desmond regrets.

‘It would be marvellous if we went back more to eating things in season,’ he says. ‘We would get more joy and more excitement – when that first fruit comes and you haven’t had it all winter.

We have all become a little spoilt.’

Norfolk Produce

strawberries

RECIPE

“ It would be marvellous if we went back more to eating things in season,’ he says. ‘We would get more joy and more excitement – when that first fruit comes and you haven’t had it all winter. We have all become a little spoilt.”

These are words that will resonate with anyone who cares about food, and it is heartening that this way of thinking has started once again to gain a foothold in consumers’ minds; there is certainly enthusiastic demand for freshly-picked, in-season English strawberries.

‘There has been a revival in pick-your-own over recent years,’ explains Desmond. ‘People are recognising that it is good to get outside and do healthy activity, and people are becoming more aware of where the food they eat comes from.’

That isn’t to say that Wiveton Hall has not embraced innovation. Five different varieties are grown, each with different natural seasons, prolonging the window when strawberries are freshly available. This enables the fruit to be sold very fresh, something which Desmond is passionate about.

‘A supermarket strawberry will be a minimum of three days old, often more, and as with many fruits, the sugars start to break down very quickly once the fruit is picked. When you have tasted a just-picked, fresh strawberry, nothing else will do.’

As if to make the point, he produces a punnet of Elsanta, ripened in polytunnels and picked that morning.

Soft, bright red and beautifully sweet, this is the taste of an English summer. This is what seasonal food is all about.

It won’t be long before that season is over, so if you want a bite of that quintessentially English flavour, get to north Norfolk and get picking!

Wiveton Hall is on the coast road between Blakeney and Cley. Strawberries are for sale at the caravan at the top of the drive, or you can pick your own, and then enjoy a cup of coffee or a meal at the renowned Wiveton Hall Café.

Full details are available at www.wivetonhall.co.uk.

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Roger Hickman’s strawberry fruit, sorbet and purée, with basil granita, macadamia nuts, and elderflower and clotted cream serves FOUR

I N GR E D I E N T S 500g of strawberries, plus 4 large berries, a large bunch of basil, 100g basil dried in an airing cupboard for a couple of days, a vanilla pod, split lengthways (leave in the seeds), 100g macadamia nuts, a small pot of clotted cream, 400g sugar, a lemon, 3g citric acid (or the juice of half a lemon), 300g double cream, 50ml elderflower cordial, 75g fondant (you can buy this in delicatessens), 50g glucose, 5g butter

Make a smear of clotted cream on each plate, and put one each of the large strawberries on the plate. Roast the macadamia nuts with a little salt in the oven at 180°C for about ten minutes. When cool, put these on the plates as well.

To make the purée, put the strawberries, four sprigs of basil, and the split vanilla pod in a casserole dish and put in the oven at 180°C for about 20 minutes, stirring half way through. Allow to cool completely, then add 100g of the sugar. Blitz in a food processor, and then pass through a fine sieve.

You will need half of the purée to make the sorbet. Put 150g of sugar in a pan with 300ml water and the juice and zest of one lemon.

Bring to the boil so that the sugar dissolves, and then cool. Add half of the purée, and then churn in an ice cream maker.

To make the basil granita, blitz the bunch of basil right down. Now put a litre of water in a pan with 150g sugar and the citric acid, and bring to the boil. Cool slightly, and then add to the basil, and blitz the whole lot immediately in a food processor. As soon as you have done that, put the mixture into a shallow container, and put that in a larger container filled with ice and water – you need to cool it rapidly so that you don’t lose the vibrant green colour. Once it is completely cool, put it in the freezer for eight hours, breaking it up with a fork every couple of hours or so. Now put a piece of baking parchment over it and put a lid on the container.

For the basil tuiles, put the fondant and glucose in a pan with just enough water to cover them. Heat to 165°C, and then add the butter.

Pour onto a baking mat to cool. Once it has cooled, blend it together with the dried basil, pass through a sieve, and then sprinkle it through a clean sieve onto another baking mat. Bake in the oven at 180°C for seven minutes.

Finally, whip the cream into soft peaks, then fold in the elderflower cordial bit by bit until, tasting it, you think it has enough flavour.

Roger Hickman is chef-proprietor at Roger Hickman's Restaurant in Upper St Giles, Norwich. More details at www.rogerhickmansrestaurant.com

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Table D’Hote Menu

3 courses £15.50 | 2 courses £13.00

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| JULY 2014

Natasha Rooke and Mark Dixon

birthday treat So what’s a girl to do on her birthday? Go out for dinner, of course! Sarah Hardy and her family head to the Kings Arms in a small east Norfolk village to celebrate

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’ve got to the stage in my life when I don’t want too much fuss around my birthday.

The years are rolling past far too quickly and I need to lose rather than accumulate the years.

But the chance to visit Mark Dixon’s newish restaurant in the pretty village of Fleggburgh, near Acle, was just too good an opportunity to miss.

Mark was a columnist for us here at Places and Faces for several years when he worked at the Imperial Hotel in Great Yarmouth. With his partner, Natasha Rooke, he decided to strike out on his own and now runs the Kings Arms, a substantial place right in the heart of the village.

Helped by Kane Atkins in the kitchen, he continues to create mouth-watering dishes using ingredients from the area – my strawberries, for example, were ‘from the field behind us,’ Mark explains. Natasha looks after the front of house, ensuring a tight ship all round.

Mark’s reputation for superlative cooking – and he really does have a great touch – does not need too much explaining as he won the coveted Norfolk chef of the year title last year.

The 30-year-old has the knack of creating an interesting menu, with plenty of dishes that appeal but are not over fussy or pretentious. Much use is indeed made of local produce and producers and portions are just right. So many places pile your plate up and it really can be a bit off-putting.

The Kings Arms has been renovated with plenty of panache, to appeal to locals and those travelling from further afield for Mark’s cooking. Norfolk-based TV

Restaurant review

The Kings Arms

personality Jake Humphrey called by for lunch a couple of days after me and was very enthusiastic about his food on Twitter!

Inside is a bar area, complete with sofas, a big TV and open fire, and also two dining areas, with the option of closing off one for private parties and the like. As the village church is next door, it is an ideal spot for intimate wedding receptions.

At this time of year, much use can be made of the outside areas and the terrace at the rear is a particularly lovely spot in the evening, especially if you have a chilled glass of wine in your hand!

It being my birthday and all, I had already been out for lunch and had a slice or two of cake but, don’t worry, that didn’t affect my reviewing skills. I was ready for my challenge.

I started off with an unusual Cromer crab dish; it was warm and topped with melted cheese and cream, and was very tasty.

At £7.50, I thought it was a great twist on such a summer classic. A good start!

My husband had the grilled mackerel salad at £6.95 which was served with pickled beetroot and a yummy horseradish cream, and was quickly declared a hit. As with all Mark’s dishes, it looked as good as it tasted as a real effort is made with presentation.

Other starter possibilities included steamed asparagus from nearby Rollesby, Loch Duart salmon cakes, and a chicken liver pâté although I have to say that I saw a lot of diners going for the crab, like me!

As a main course, I went for a terrific fillet steak, with garlic butter, mushrooms, tomatoes and hand cut chips. At £19.95, it is at the top end of Mark’s dishes but is certainly well worth each penny. It was cooked to perfection – coming from Yorkshire, I am a definite ‘medium’ sort of girl and Mark got it spot on.

My husband had the veggie option rather than his usual fish favourite. The wild mushroom risotto at £12.95 was well priced and, with roasted walnuts, parmesan, tarragon, crème fraiche and rocket, was much enjoyed.

We could have tried seared fillet of sea bass, rump of new season Norfolk lamb, or grilled wing of North Sea skate, all of which looked great as they whizzed past us – the place is very popular so do book!

The children opted for the prince and princess menu (£6.95 for one course, £9.95 for two) which was definitely a notch or two above the usual kiddie fare. One had home-made chicken nuggets with chips and beans while the other had sausage and mash, with plenty of sprouting broccoli, too. So top marks for giving children good, adventurous veggies!

Three of the four of us managed desserts – I had the ‘special’ – strawberries, honeycomb, jelly, and a tangy coulis at £6.50 which was my meal’s highlight as every spoonful was like a spoonful of summer. It was light, refreshing and really brought a smile to my face.

My husband had the rich chocolate brownie with amaretto ice cream and toasted hazelnuts, also at £6.50, which almost beat him while our daughter had the children’s version and, being a chocoholic like her dad, it was gone in a flash – and enjoyed!

Other puds included a limoncello iced parfait, a warm Caribbean rum pudding or a hot chocolate fondant – all very naughty and nice.

The wine list is solid; I had a couple of glasses of very quaffable Pinot Grigio and several local ales are on tap,

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The Kings Arms, Fleggburgh, tel 01493 368333 or visit www. kingsarmsfleggburgh .co.uk

including Adnams, Grain and Woodfordes.

Despite it being my birthday, we didn’t manage coffees or liqueurs; the children were starting to flag and, it being a school night, we bid the hard working couple and their staff farewell. It is great to see them making their own way, aiming high and attracting plenty of customers.

Independent little gems like this are what make Norfolk such a delight for gourmets. We need to support them.

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| july 2014

Ahe a d o f t he R es t The beautiful 5000-acre Somerleyton Estate offers much for us to enjoy, including two terrific pubs. Sarah Hardy samples lunch at the Duke’s Head

L

ast month Tony Mallion reviewed one of the great eateries on the charming Somerleyton Estate, Fritton Arms, and now I’ve had the pleasure of heading out to the Duke’s Head to complete the picture!

Both pubs are back under the direct management of the estate, with the current Lord Somerleyton, Hugh Crossley, keen to use local suppliers and produce, and create somewhere for the surrounding community to really enjoy.

Both places are now reassuringly pubby, if that makes sense. Generally this means a decent bar with plenty of good beers, a friendly atmosphere, and tasty food!

Certainly the Duke’s Head ticks all these boxes and more. A solid red brick building, surrounded by lovely gardens (and, thankfully plenty of parking), it has been a pub for as long as anyone can remember.

While it has just had a fab facelift – I love the shade of battleship grey paint in the main area - it pays homage to its history and the Great British tradition of pubs and hurrah for that!

There are a couple of main rooms in the bar area and then a lovely garden room and yet more seating on the terrace which has lots of parasols for that vital shade.

Inside look out for an open fire, lovely art work and quirky bits and bobs scattered around for a real homely feel.

I visited with a girlfriend one bustling Friday lunchtime and the place was packed with walkers, those visiting the nearby hall and gardens and people simply wanting a good feast. We fell into the latter category.

First of all I need to say it is such a friendly place, Suzi was full of smiles and chat and found us a lovely table in the garden room, which is bright and sunny in all this glorious weather.

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The Duke’s Head, Somerleyton, tel 01502 730281, visit www.dukesheadsomerleyton.co.uk

Restaurant review

Duke’s Head, Somerleyton

The wine list is interesting, with an irresistible Prosecco at £4.50 per flute, and beers on tap include Adnams and Woodfordes while two guest ales are always available, too.

And there’s a decent menu, devised by executive chef Stuart Pegg who also looks after the Fritton Arms and overseen by head chef James Santillo, plus lots of daily specials. All meat, game and venison comes from the estate, with the hall gardens now supplying herbs, salad leaves and soft fruits. Other ingredients are sourced from suppliers with good provenance; think of Swannington Farm to Fork, near Norwich, for example.

The menu changes regularly, as you’d expect, but also includes some Hot Chip specials. Lord Somerleyton opened Hot Chip in Norwich last year and it offers chips with a twist – how about a garlic and mustard mayo or a special BBQ sauce?!

My eye caught sight of a few little bar nibbles, such as hot Scotch eggs and cheesy twists which are so fashionable these days, but we went straight for the starters proper. I tackled a very well sized crispy Thai chilli beef dish, served on a bed of watercress at £7. It was divine but might have seen off a lesser person than me as the portion was generous. It had just enough bite to interest but not overpower.

My friend had a goat’s cheese dish, served with beetroot and sun blushed tomatoes at £6 which was refreshing and very colourful – a real treat for the eyes.

Other options included Scottish smoked salmon with various additions such as a cauliflower purée and a charcuterie plate with lots of lovely sounding pickles and breads – yummy.

But on to the main event. I went for fish and chips from the specials board at just over £10, and loved the pea puree! The chips were as good as I’d hoped and the cod, from Lowestoft market, was top notch.

My friend opted for poached longshore skate, foaming brown butter, wilted spinach and new potatoes at £14. Wow! She was very much pleased with the dish which disappeared pretty quickly.

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Other possibilities included pan seared sea bass, slow-roast pork belly and southern fried local chicken breast and there are a few steak options that I would have had if I’d been there in the evening – a 22oz rib eye or a porterhouse – plus all those essential trimmings including, wait for it, beef dripping chips. Is your mouth watering yet?

We had a little rest before tackling the desserts which include a cheese board option and a selection of ice creams. I decided upon a lemon posset with lavender shortbread and lemon curd at £4.50 which I thought was great value. It was good and sharp – and creamy and not one for those watching their waistline. I loved it!

My friend had a passion fruit brûlée at £5 which was again very tasty and a fitting end to a great meal. We rounded off the whole very pleasant lunchtime, where we had a really good gossip, and solved a few of the problems of the world, with a latte each.

And then, as you might have guessed, we could have done with a nap…

Overall, this is a first class addition to both the pub and dining out scene in the area and do look out for the monthly quiz which is said to be great fun and pretty competitive!

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| July 2014

GETTING my Just Desserts Tony Mallion finds eating at Gorleston’s Cliff Hotel a top experience

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or almost a century the Cliff Hotel has been a landmark and focal point for the social life of the area. It’s everything a hotel should be, a place to meet, eat, stay, and celebrate births and marriages. Today it does all of that more successfully than ever before.

While the building has evolved over decades, more recent years have seen this accelerate with the total refurbishment of its rooms; the complete redevelopment of the bars into a great location for food and drink and the addition of an extensive covered heated outdoor terrace with an enviable view of the harbour, beach and sea. Extensive landscaping came with it. A full programme of entertainment, including comedy nights, murder mysteries, and jazz is also regularly on offer.

Yet at the very heart – as you might expect – has always been the Cliff Hotel’s restaurant, Mitchell’s. This elegant red plush and gold room with its French windows opening to the garden is warm and welcoming, a perfectly comfortable setting for a meal when you are maybe looking for something just a little bit special. And it was good to return recently to sample not just superb food but the ambience and pleasantly attentive service led by head waiter Hugo – even threatening rain clouds outside couldn’t dampen this.

There’s fixed price three course table d’hôte at a very reasonable £25.95 or you can mix and match from the more extensive restaurant menu. I quickly turned my attention, from a ship on the distant horizon, to the starters where, like the rest of the meal, came the constant reminder that we really do eat with our eyes; presentation is such an important ingredient. Top marks then for my Loch Duart smoked salmon terrine, a creamy delight made all the more delicious by the way it was served on one of those fashionable slates.

My wife’s pressed belly pork was, to her surprise, warmed and complemented with apple velouté and lemon syrup which gave an interesting sweet and sour combination. ‘That was lovely’ was the sufficient praise.

To mains, where my wife greeted the strands of fried leek on the top of the wild sea bass with a ‘that’s nice, very nice’.

Concealed beneath were chargrilled provençale vegetables and a sweet plum tomato sauce. With the fish cooked to perfection, this all received a thumbs up.

Restaurant review

The Cliff Hotel

“ This just about left room for desserts and I’m so glad we succumbed since this was undoubtedly the wow moment of the meal”

I favoured the Norfolk rack of lamb – where possible, ingredients are locally sourced – served on a large square plate, enough to be satisfying without being overwhelming. What a treat! Three delicate, succulent cuts of meat were set off by a red wine jus; and thoughtfully a small jug with extra jus came with it. But the real star was the very acceptable Gruyére cheese, rosemary and garlic croquette potatoes. More-ish or what?

This just about left room for desserts and I’m so glad we succumbed, since this was undoubtedly the wow moment of the meal. My wife’s sticky toffee pudding with its hint of ginger was accompanied by yummy rum and raisin ice-cream and a most spectacular example of spun brown sugar which resembled an exploding indoor firework. My raspberry crème brûlée looked mouth watering and tasted even more so.

Confession time now: when my wife decided she couldn’t finish all of her pud I felt it would be a waste not to help her out (even if it probably did end up ultimately on my waist!).

Truly scrumptious.

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I may not be a drinker but still enjoyed reading the descriptions on what is clearly a well chosen wine list and might have been tempted by the ‘PX’ sherry Fernando de Castillo from the dessert wine selection: ‘This legendary sweet sherry is like liquid raisins and makes a perfect match for sticky toffee, anything chocolatey or just pour it straight on to your ice cream’. Waiter Hugo, who is from Portugal and knows his stuff, told us this one was a real hit for those with a sweet tooth.

A cafetiere of good strong coffee rounded off what was a highly recommendable experience. And, as an aside, it was good to find this restaurant in such cracking form since it has been a small part in the history of Places&Faces®. Five years ago, over breakfast, plans to create the magazine, its title and contents were first discussed in Mitchell’s – plans in which it was envisaged restaurant reviews would one day form a major part!

Eye Witness to History Years ago my late grandfather, Gorleston lifeboat coxswain Bertie Beavers, would recall how, as a youngster in 1915, he was in his family’s small fishing boat just off the coast watching the Cliff Hotel burn down. So vivid was his description I felt I could see it myself.

This grand building had opened 17 years before, the work of Norwich architect George Skipper, the man responsible for Jarrold’s store, Norwich Union’s famous marble hall headquarters, the Norwich Royal Arcade and both the Cliftonville and Hotel De Paris in Cromer – the Cliff at Gorleston resembling the latter with its opulent turrets and similar decorations. Strong winds fanned the flames almost a century ago and firemen were unable to save the building – eventually many years later, in the 1970s flats, were built on that cliff top corner site, to house London overspill.

What survived from the fire was the hotel’s annexe, formerly older houses and stables. These were pressed into service and became – with its dining room – the core of the building we know and love today.

MORE INFORMATION The Cliff Hotel, Cliff Hill, Gorleston, tel 01493 662179, visit www.thecliffhotel.co.uk

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| July 2014

A Little Treasure Mark Nicholls discovers barefoot luxury in the western Caribbean

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Travel

Cayman Islands

nvisage your perfect Caribbean hideaway: long beaches of white sand, clear warm seawater; and pastel-painted chalets on the shoreline.

This is Little Cayman, the smallest of the Cayman Islands, yet the most idyllic.

Couple that with the finest seafood, excellent scuba diving on a magnificent coral reef and sea fishing and then reflect on a beachfront to retreat to, with a good book and a cocktail and you will be in holiday heaven.

From Grand Cayman, it is a 40-minute flight to Cayman Brac and then a mere 10-minute hop to Little Cayman which is barely more than a beach-lined speck in the ocean.

Protected by the offshore reef where the waves crash and break, the beach is of fine white sand and lined with leaning coconut palms.

I settled at the Southern Cross Club (SCC), which features comfortable shoreline bungalows in an array of pastel Caribbean shades of pinks, yellows and greens, a club house, a bar and restaurant and an ambience where time stands still.

There is plenty to do if you so desire, but lazing under a palm on the beach on a sunbed and occasionally cooling off in the sea is more than acceptable and the view across the turquoise blue is mesmerising: Caribbean perfection.

For those who wish to explore the marine world around the island, the SCC has a dive boat which sets off daily to some of the amazing sites beneath the ocean surface around the coast of Little Cayman.

Spots along the Bloody Bay Wall – regarded as one of the world’s top dive sites - with names such as Eagle Ray Roundup or Mixing Bowl offer access to the stunningly beautiful reef life where you will see grouper fish, stingray, giant lobster, clown fish, cow fish and green turtle as well as reef plantation and sea cucumbers. The reef has channels and gullies to swim through and an outer wall to explore which drops 6000 feet into the deep dark blue.

The sites are uncrowded and only a small number of boats visit from the few resorts on this oasis of relaxation, offering a great dive experience. The SCC caters for all levels and will offer refresher courses as well as rent all equipment. Diving is extremely popular, with only small groups on the boats to ensure guests get the best from their dives.

The resort also has boats for offshore fishing and catches, such as Mahi-mahi and Wahoo, can be brought back to the resort and cooked by the chef for your dinner.

There are also snorkelling sites and close to the SCC is Owen Island, where you can take one of the sea kayaks on the beach and paddle across to spend an hour or two of secluded sunbathing.

Open all year round, apart from the two late summer months at the height of the hurricane season, the resort has 14 rooms, ranging from cosy seafront bungalows to more luxurious apartments.

‘With a theme of barefoot luxury, I suppose we are almost like a country club which offers diving and fishing but with a more elegant experience,’ explains Jen Mills, a Brit who has managed the resort for a decade.

‘We are very popular with couples, particularly honeymooners, and especially where the man may want to fish and the wife relax in luxury surroundings. We also welcome children aged 10 and above.’

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One way to explore Little Cayman is by bike. With hardly any traffic on this island, which has a permanent population of only 200, you have the roads to yourself, though there are certain hazards to look out for such as a slow-moving iguana emerging from the verge.

Signs actually proclaim ‘Iguana: Drive Slowly’.

But it is great to cycle around the island to discover hidden stretches of beach along small tracks.

With so much centred on the ocean, seafood is at its finest on the Cayman Islands and anything, from lobster, shrimp, mussels, and sea bass, are among the mouth-watering treats.

A speciality is ackee and cod fish with traditional Caribbean black bean rice.

Just across the water, or a short flight, is Cayman Brac, the larger neighbour of Little Cayman which has a more rugged appeal and fewer beach sites but diving is available and there are great views from the Lighthouse high above the rock wall.

The island, which like its neighbour was discovered by Christopher Columbus in May 1503, has hidden caves which were in the past – and still are today by some – used as emergency hurricane shelters and reminders of how the elements can impact on this Caribbean retreat.

A popular choice is to split a break between Little Cayman and the main island of Grand Cayman, which has a broader range of attractions from the stunning Seven Mile Beach, the popular Stingray City where you can take the catamaran out to a sandbank and swim among the friendly stingrays in waist deep water, or hover above the waves in a helicopter tour for a different perspective.

Grand Cayman, which is a popular port of call for cruise ships, also has an impressive array of dive sites, including the wreck of the Kittiwake, but for those who want to experience the deep without the weight of a scuba tank on their back, there are submarine tours which take you down 100 feet below the surface.

Each island has its own lure, but for me Little Cayman was a truly magical spot, an isle where you can wander in barefoot luxury and be assured of true relaxation in a Caribbean destination you’ll fall in love with.

MORE INFORMATION Accommodation: Mark Nicholls stayed at the Southern Cross Club on Little Cayman where packages include diving and fishing www.southerncrossclub.com.

He also stayed at the Alexander Hotel on Cayman Brac (www.alexanderhotelcayman. com) and The Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach resort & Spa www.westingrandcayman.com.

Flights: British Airways flies to Grand Cayman via The Bahamas but there are also flights to the island and Cayman Brac direct from Miami.

Cayman Island Department of Tourism: www.caymanislands.co.uk

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| July 2014

It’s All Going Swimmingly One of Norfolk’s leading gourmet hot spots now has luxury bedrooms.

Colin Huggins investigates the latest developments at the Ingham Swan

t sounds like heaven, doesn’t it? A glorious restaurant which also offers trendy rooms so you can properly over-indulge! None of that worrying about drinking and driving, for a start.

The Ingham Swan is a great local success story which is going from strength to strength. Chef Patron Daniel Smith has an impeccable pedigree. Norfolk-born, he trained at the Imperial Hotel in Great Yarmouth and worked with Michel Roux at the two Michelin starred Le Gavroche in London, and, as head chef, worked at Morston Hall when it achieved its Michelin Star. And

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he was head chef at the very popular Wildebeest at Stoke Holy Cross, near Norwich, for several years.

Four years ago he set up his own eaterie – surely every chef’s dream – at the charming 14th century Swan in pretty Ingham in north Norfolk. With its thatched roof and position next to the village church, Holy Trinity, it is a picturesque spot and perfect for destination dining.

Daniel, who has two children and one stepson Lewis, who helps front of house, makes no secret of his quest for perfection, insisting on the best ingredients and has great attention to detail. His menu is shortish and seasonal, changing regularly to

Travel

Norfolk

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For the record, he is notching up plenty of awards, both local and national… and has two rosettes from the AA

Daniel Smith

reflect the goodies available from the surrounding fields and coastline.

It is always exciting and innovative and current dishes involve summer favourites such as Cromer crab, lamb and the numerous berries thriving in our fields and hedgerows. Daniel says: ‘I use Howard’s in Norwich for fish and game, and Tacons in Rollesby for vegetables.’

He supports local breweries such as Woodfordes and Grain and even stocks tipples from the English Whisky Company near Attleborough. ‘But I like to supply the best and my wine list has ones from Hungary and Greece.’

For the record, he is notching up plenty of awards, both local and national, and the Swan has retained Michelin Bib Gourmand status for the third year running and has two rosettes from the AA. But what of the new rooms? Well, Daniel has turned the adjacent red brick stable block into four rather swanky bedrooms, two of which are suites. ‘And we’ve had just about 100 per cent occupancy since we reopened them a couple of months ago,’ he says.

They are very contemporary, with a feeling of cool, calm luxury. Colours are muted, with the occasional ‘pop’ of colour for added interest. Original features, including stable doors and beams, remain and there is plenty of exposed brickwork which adds to the rural atmosphere.

Daniel reports that his wife Natalie was in charge of the interiors and she has certainly done him proud!

As you’d expect there are plenty of those vital finishing touches such as flat screen TVs, Nespresso coffee machines and Villeroy and Boch bathroom suites so do indulge in a lovely long soak in sumptuous surroundings.

Back to food and don’t forget about breakfast.

As you’d expect they are rather special. Expect free range Suffolk pork sausages, treacle cured local back bacon, Lowestoft smoked salmon and homemade bread.

Once you’ve been well fed and are also well rested, there’s plenty to explore locally, with both the coastline and the Broads within easy reach.

Head to Sea Palling for a blast of sea air or visit the Elizabethan Great Barn at Waxham and find out a little bit more about the area’s noble agricultural past.

The seals make their appearances at Horsey and Winterton, if you’re planning a winter break, while the Broads are hard to beat at this time of year – hire a boat at Wroxham and simply explore those off-thebeaten-track spots.

But my personal recommendation is the 32-acre garden at the nearby Old Vicarage at East Ruston.

Developed over years by Alan Gray and Graham Robeson, they are among the best, not only in Norfolk but in England. Such is the variety and profusion of planting that you will be simply captivated by the rose garden, exotic garden, Dutch garden and more.

It isn’t as touristy as other parts of our region so you can really kick back and relax. Just enjoy the peace and quiet for a weekend or few days – and Daniel’s fabulous cooking, of course!

MORE INFORMATION The Ingham Swan, tel 01692 581099, visit www.theinghamswan.co.uk.

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| July 2014

The Regional Retailer with Local Heart The East of England Co-operative Society is the region’s largest independent retailer. Emma Outten went to Wherstead Park near Ipswich to meet Executive Officer for retail, Roger Grosvenor

A

nyone who went to the Suffolk Show recently couldn’t have failed to spot giant Goodness Gang characters, Alex Apple and Max Mushroom, meeting and greeting their young fans.

The East of England Co-op’s Goodness Gang soft toy promotion was the brainchild of Executive Officer for Retail, Roger Grosvenor. ‘We budgeted for 69,000 and sold 200,000, and this year we’ve got Goodness Gang 2,’ says Roger (you may want to note that you have until the 20th of this month to redeem your stickers and collect Goodness Gang Friends!).

The promotion, something of a world first, was shortlisted for the Best Short Term Loyalty Programme in The Loyalty Awards 2014, and has so caught the imagination, that when Roger took a box of Ben Bananas to an after school club in Long Stratton the schoolchildren apparently went ‘berserk’!

With more than 200 stores across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex and around 5000 employees, the East of England Co-op is big business.

The Society, which dates back more than 140 years, announced turnover of £342 million and pre-tax profits up 17 per cent, in April.

The figures stack up in a year where the Society has faced tough competition; reduced NHS funding for its pharmacies and negative media coverage of the wider Co-operative movement.

Dare I mention the latter? Roger says: ‘The Co-op movement is having a tough time at national level but regional Co-ops like the EoE remain strong and true to their Co-op roots’.

The East of England Co-op is owned by hundreds of thousands of members across the region. Roger adds: ‘Society members still benefit from true Co-op dividend and this year we have returned more than £3m back to them based on their qualifying purchases.’

Speaking at flagship HQ, Wherstead Park, a Grade II listed mansion which also serves as a business centre, wedding, conference and event venue, Roger continues: ‘People see us as all one name.

You can consider them a cousin to us because at the end of the day we buy our basic groceries through the CRTG (Co-operative Retail Trading Group). If they get influenza we are going to get at least a cold.’

But, as he says: ‘No one said, when I started, it would be easy but it sure is exciting; no two days are the same in retail.’

And he adds: ‘I think people need to understand we are an 80

independent owned and run business and we’ve got our board of directors and our own executive team of which I’m one. Instead of having a chief we’ve got five executives.’ It sounds as though this collegiate executive team works well in practice.

Roger moved to East Anglia, from Worcestershire, in the early 80s, and lives near Stowmarket with wife Jennifer and two dogs Toby and Charlie (the family have long since grown up).

He describes himself as ‘a lifer within the Co-operative Movement’ and adds: ‘I joined the Co-op because it offered more than just a job – Co-op is a way of doing business, not just a brand name over a shop.’ Roger is a product of the famous Co-operative College in Loughborough.

‘My background is in food retail and I remember bailing cardboard and collecting trolleys when I first started.’

Since 2005, following a merger and the formation of the East of England Co-op as it is now known, Roger holds responsibility for all retail, so that includes food, post offices, forecourts, warehousing and distribution, pharmacy, optical, travel, mobility, funeral, masonry and security (it has recently moved into third party supply of security services).

It is more trail-blazing than we may give it credit for. For example, it was announced in the recent Queen’s speech that supermarkets will soon have to charge customers for plastic carrier bags and yet the East of England Co-op took the decision to stop giving away single use carrier bags back in 2008. ‘We were the first to do that,’ Roger points out.

Last year the East of England Co-op, with its Sourced Locally initiative, won a Business in the Community Responsible Business Award at the Royal Albert Hall, and this year it was a finalist in both the Own Label Range of the Year and Independent Retail Chain categories in The Grocer Gold Awards 2014.

Roger says proudly: ‘We are the leading retailer in the UK on local sourcing.’ He explains how he conceived the idea back in 2007. ‘I was driving to Aldeburgh and going past fields of asparagus, arrived at our Aldeburgh store, looked on a fixture and we had Peruvian asparagus! I said ‘what the hell are we doing – there are fields of it out there!’

After sitting down with the farmer (on crates in the middle of a field) the initiative was unearthed. ‘In the first year we sold something like 65,000 bundles.’

Nowadays there are more than 140 suppliers and more than 2400 products overall, including seven varieties of locally sourced tomatoes.

Most of the products are sourced within a 30-miles radius. ‘The nearest supplier is the baker at Long Stratton – the bread travels 240 steps (we don’t do it in miles).’

To a retail man like Roger it made perfect sense. ‘It is fantastic working, and living, in ‘the bread basket’ of England.’

So what of the future? Roger says: ‘The society has a balanced capital plan to grow the services in the form of new branches across East Anglia and reinvest in our existing estate including our investment property portfolio.

‘We are not shy of innovation and we have two pilot branches on test.’ There’s the Darsham Hamper, a locally sourced food store and cafe, and the Village Shop in Lavenham, a hybrid food store with around 40 per cent of the product being local.

The East of England Co-op is certainly a more visible presence in this part of the region, nowadays. It sponsored the volunteer programme at this year’s Norfolk & Norwich Festival (as Roger says: ‘one volunteer is better than 10 pressed men’), and was the main sponsor of the Cromer and Sheringham Crab and Lobster Festival.

He concludes: ‘I’m proud to be part of an organisation that does things differently and is not solely focused on financial goals. My last word on being part of a Co-op is: where have the last 43 years gone?!’

Business Profile

Roger Grosvenor

Almary Green Investments Ltd

Advising clients throughout East Anglia Tel: 01603 706740

www.almarygreen.com

| JULY 2014

a Hopton holiday

home from home How does your own holiday home in Hopton sound? Emma Outten spent the night in a luxury caravan to get an exclusive feel of being an owner

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T

he problem with holidays is that we never want them to end, do we? My daughter and I jumped at the chance of staying in a luxury holiday home at Hopton Holiday Village recently as it was just a hop, skip and a jump away from home, and it was very tempting to know that this could be the reality every weekend.

First impressions first: everyone was very friendly and welcoming and there was a great atmosphere - there is a real family friendly feel to the village and my daughter was made to feel particularly at home on arrival.

We were given a guided tour by John, who has worked at Hopton for a good 20 years, and it soon became apparent that this is a well-landscaped garden village with very distinct areas.

We were taken up to the top of the low-level cliffs, by buggy, and shown the Ocean View area, where there were unobstructed views out to sea. We, however, were to spend the night within the Golf Village – the Wentworth area to be precise - very near to the nine-hole golf course. It had a nice atmosphere, rather like that of a quiet cul-de-sac.

Our three bedroom caravan had double glazing and central heating and was more than enough room for our mother/daughter night away – the only argument was over who was to sleep in the double bed!

As soon as we had unpacked, we were straight down to the FunWorks complex, home to an indoor heated pool with water slide, and much more besides – my daughter couldn’t wait to go on the slide; I, meanwhile, found the pool exceptionally warm.

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HOPTON HOLIDAY VILLAGE

Afterwards we had dinner in the nearby Boardwalk cafe bar – my daughter, a very independent-minded young lady, was very pleased to discover she could build her own wrap and I was very pleased to note that, as an owner for the night, I could receive 15 per cent off food and drink with a privilege card.

There was a good mix of owners and Haven holidaymakers at Hopton when we were there. Parent company Bourne Leisure has been in the business of running holiday parks for more than 50 years so it definitely knows what it’s doing when it comes to holiday home ownership! We had already checked out the Owners Lounge on our guided tour, which has a very exclusive feel and even boasts its own gym.

After a good night’s sleep, we tried the outdoor heated pool, and started to really feel as though we were on holiday as the early summer sun shone down on us! We also hired a kart and noted that holiday home owners only pay half price for sports and leisure facilities. It gave us the chance to have one last look around all the areas of the village: some of the holiday homes stood out as really quite luxurious.

Park life is what you make it, and Hopton Holiday Village is packed with great things to do, including the aforementioned heated indoor pool (we enjoyed making the most of the owners’ exclusive swimming for early birds); the nine-hole golf course or else the adventure golf; a bowling green; tennis courts; archery and fencing coaching. So there’s plenty of opportunity to get active whatever stage you are in life!

After a lovely alfresco lunch on the boardwalk, my daughter rounded off her 24 hours at Hopton with a good bounce on the trampoline in the sunshine and didn’t want to leave!

But then, as I say, that’s the thing about holidays. And that, I imagine, is exactly why ownership is such an appealing prospect to so many.

To find out more about holiday home ownership at Hopton call 0800 371 921 or visit www.hoptonholidayvillage.co.uk.

CA S E S T UDY

D

ennis and Diane Ladd have been travelling from their village home in Cambridgeshire to Hopton Holiday Village nearly every weekend for the past 11 years.

The two hour plus drive is worth it, as soon as they see the brand new Hopton Holiday Village sign.

Diane says: ‘As soon as we drive in, even though we’re retired, we feel the stress draining out of us.’ She adds: ‘We use it when it opens on March 1 to end of November.’

Having enjoyed a number of caravan holidays over the years they took the opportunity to create their very own home from home, whilst their three granddaughters were very young, and they themselves were approaching retirement.

They remember their first ever visit well. Dennis says: ‘We were just looking but it was a beautiful day and we ended up buying,’ before explaining further: ‘This was the only one that had everything for children.’

Their granddaughters, now aged 18, 15 and 13, are still more than happy to come and stay every school holiday.

Diane says: ‘They love it.’ The FunWorks Complex alone has more than enough to keep teenagers amused.

The Ladd’s chose to own their three-bedroom luxury caravan in Waterways, just a five-minute walk away from all the entertainment.

Dennis says: ‘It’s like a community.’ A couple of years ago, for example, fellow caravan owners organised a communal BBQ. And it really has become a home from home for them, as he adds: ‘We know more people here than we do in the village of Whittlesey.

‘We’ve got two lifestyles, we’ve got the one at home and the one here - since we’ve been retired we’ve come on a Thursday and go home on a Monday.’

Dennis and Diane recently enjoyed the half-term holidays with their three granddaughters at Hopton Holiday Village.

Dennis says that they’ve met a nice cross-section of likeminded people over the past decade or so and even adds: ‘I’ve noticed in the past couple of years that the owners seem to be getting younger. Or maybe we are just getting older!’

Diane concludes: ‘We’ve been here 11 years now and it’s great, we are celebrating our 50th anniversary here in September.’

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| JULY 2014

Happy Honeymoons

O

kay, so planning your wedding is hard work but what about that honeymoon? It should be the best bit!

The choice of destination is overwhelming, with something for every taste and pocket. Sarah Gooderham, travel consultant at Travel Norwich Airport, says that helping couples plan their honeymoon is one of the best parts of her job. ‘It is lovely to be a part of it. You really get to know the couple and work out what is best for them.’

She says: ‘Some couples go away by themselves, get married and have their honeymoon, while others take a big party of friends and family with them.

‘Some get married in Britain and take a honeymoon a couple of months later while others combine the honeymoon with getting married abroad!’

Sarah organised her own wedding in Las Vegas, tying the knot in the Graceland Wedding Chapel, followed by a honeymoon in the Maldives. ‘It was lovely, just my husband

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Your honeymoon should be the most wonderful occasion, whether it is relaxing or action-packed.

Sarah Hardy reports

and I. I didn’t go quite as far as having an Elvis impersonator marrying us but it was very laid back and fun.’

She reports that the Caribbean remains the top choice for local honeymooners, with Italy, Cyprus and Greece also popular choices. ‘People love the Maldives and Mauritius; they love the idea of golden sands, beautiful seas and gorgeous weather – and a rest, of course!

‘But we had one couple book a Disneyland, Florida, honeymoon – they wanted something really different.’

Sarah reports that honeymoons in Britain are also popular.

‘Think of a really cosy country cottage or a lodge in a forest,’ says Sarah. ‘And if people are looking to take their family for a big celebration, they might select a holiday park.’

She says: ‘We have lots of advisors here with first-hand experience, one colleague honeymooned in Thailand which she loved, another married and honeymooned in the Dominican Republic and, over the years, we have helped lots and lots of couples. So pop and get some inspiration!’

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Where to Go For… R es t a n d R e l a x at i o n How about the tiny sun-soaked island of Bora Bora in French Polynesia? You and your new hubbie and not much else apart from blue skies.

Thri l l s Try white water rafting on the Zambezi River in Zambia. You’ll be bobbing around the Victoria Falls for kicks and the weather will be good!

A dv en t ure Take a safari in the Kruger Park, South Africa, which is a first class spot for watching big game.

H is t o r y India offers so much – start with the Taj Mahal in Agra and move on to Delhi and Jaipur. Expect the unexpected, marvellous food and amazing memories.

A H o t C i t y N igh t It has to be New York, with iconic sights such as Central Park, the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty.

And that’s before we mention the nightlife, entertainment and food. What a crazy mix.

R ur a l B l iss The Outer Hebrides off the north coast of Scotland are beautiful beyond compare. Look out for sea eagles, dolphins and whales along the windswept coastline. And you’ll enjoy a wee dram or two.

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S o m e t hing C o m p l e t e ly Di f f eren t The Arctic Circle has 24 hours of daylight in the summer which is something to behold as you explore the remoteness and splendour of Norway and Sweden. Wide open spaces, domineering mountains and eerie seascapes. So romantic and wild!

O l d Fa shi o ne d S t y l e Venice is the place for Bellinis, fantastic works of art and high culture. And yes, gondoliers!

S a r a h ’ s C h o ice I’d go for Santorini, a little Greek island. Rugged and mountainous, it has the most glorious sunsets and is so romantic. It is accessible and with all the rustic charm of a traditional Greek island so who needs more?

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Our exciting new deluxe Marquee on the farmhouse lawns that can accommodate up to 250 seated guests for the wedding breakfast and evening functions, with a full bar.

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S329 Almary Green Faces and Places Monthly Ad ARTWORK.pdf

1

06/11/2013

12:38

Caring For

Your Finances • Choose the right investments • Plan ahead for retirement • Provide disaster protection for your family • Secure your inheritance for your loved ones • Save tax on savings and gifts • Fund care fees, if and when needed

Almary Green Investments Ltd, Greenfields House,10 Meridian Way, Meridian Business Park, Norwich NR7 0TA Tel: 01603 706740 Email: enquiries@almarygreen.com

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obtaining advice

Carl Lamb Almary Green Independent Financial Advisers 01603 706740 | www.almarygreen.com

Wh er e to tu r n fo r advic e Carl Lamb looks at different types of financial advisEr

An independent financial adviser (IFA) will offer advice on the full range of investment options from all providers in the marketplace, without any influence or bias and without limiting their advice to a specific product area. An IFA is duty bound to give the most suitable advice from all possible solutions available so will give you the widest possible choice.

Many banks and building societies have taken the decision

A restricted adviser will have self-imposed limitations on

to limit or withdraw their independent advice services,

the products he or she will recommend. In practice, this will

leaving large numbers of individuals without their traditional

mean that the restricted adviser will either only recommend

sources of advice. There are many advice firms out there, but

products from a limited number of providers, or will not

choosing one to suit your needs can be confusing.

consider certain products, or that he or she specialises in

New rules came into force in January last year that

a particular area of the industry (eg pensions). A restricted

imposed minimum qualifications on financial advisers.

adviser is required to explain these limitations to the client

They also changed the way that you pay for advice: gone

when giving advice.

are the commission payments that used to be paid to the

Some advice firms hold the Chartered Firm designation

adviser by the companies that provided the pension funds,

from the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). This title is

investments and other policies. These have been replaced

considered the industry’s gold standard and is only awarded

by fees charged by the adviser direct to the client. Fees are

to firms committed to developing and maintaining the

normally based on the time that the adviser needs to spend

knowledge and capability of their people so they can deliver

advising you and putting your plans into action, separating

the highest quality advice.

the product sale from the advice process and removing any suggestion of adviser bias.

Many advice firms will offer a free initial discussion –

You can find details of independent and restricted whole of market firms in the area at www.unbiased.co.uk.

Financial advisers themselves must hold a Statement of

sometimes face-to-face, sometimes over the phone – to allow

Professional Standing which confirms that they have reached

you to explain your circumstances and your aims and to give

the minimum qualification levels and requires them to have

the adviser a chance to explain their services and charges.

completed a minimum of 35 hours of professional training

Your first step in selecting an adviser should be to look

each year. It also means that they have signed up to a code

for a firm or individual that is authorised and regulated by

of ethics. Advisers can also be individually Chartered if they

the Financial Conduct Authority. Advisers in these firms will

have reached the required qualification and experience

have achieved the required minimum qualifications and their

standards.

advice processes are carefully regulated to ensure fairness, transparency and professionalism. Regulated advisers will have strict procedures to follow, including explaining their charging structures at the outset and asking you to sign a formal client agreement.

The next thing to know is that advice firms fall into one of two categories: independent and restricted. Both types of adviser will analyse the client’s needs, objectives and attitude to risk, make recommendations for suitable courses of action, and will charge you a fee for their advice service.

For independent advice, contact Almary Green on 01603 706740 or email carl.lamb@almarygreen.com.

Please remember that the advice here is generic and we recommend that you get individual personalised advice.

The difference between the two lies in what products or strategies the adviser will take into consideration.

The value of an investment and the income from it could go down as well as up. The return at the end of the investment period is not guaranteed and you may get back less than you originally invested. The tax treatment of investments depends on individual circumstances and is subject to change.

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91

What is a pre-nuptial agreement?

A pre-nuptial agreement is a document which can be drawn up prior to marriage and can regulate a couple’s financial affairs during the marriage and determine the division of their assets in the event of divorce/dissolution of civil partnership.

Do I need a pre-nuptial agreement?

A pre-nuptial agreement should be considered by anyone who wishes to protect their assets entering into a marriage or civil partnership for the first time, or indeed on a second marriage, particularly if their assets are significantly higher than the assets of the other party.

They are not just for the rich and famous!

Will a pre-nuptial agreement stand up in Court?

The Court can uphold a pre-nuptial agreement and give what is called decisive weight to it provided that it is fair and that certain conditions are met.

For further advice, Amanda Owens

Emma Alfieri

01603 598000 aowens@steeleslaw.co.uk

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2 The Norwich Business Park Whiting Rd. Norwich NR4 6DJ

2 Mount Street Diss IP22 4QE

Steeles Law Solicitors Limited is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority no. 592311.

01603 598000 www.steeleslaw.co.uk

Your local legal experts For you • • • • •

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• • • • •

Criminal matters Personal injury claims Civil matters Notarial services Care home fees

• Equity release and lifetime mortgages • NHS continuing healthcare • Trusts and deceased estates

For your business • Commercial property • Employment matters

• Partnerships and licensing • Company formations

• Agricultural law • Planning and regulatory issues

For more information contact your local office: Lowestoft 148 London Rd North

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T: 01502 718700

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T: 01493 652204

E: enquire@nortonpeskett.co.uk

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Access All Areas This month Julian Gibbons raises concerns about access to personal details

As we are continually reminded, we live in a global age. Travel, movement of capital and ease of communication have all shrunk the planet. Nowhere is this clearer than with the use of the internet, which finds its way into every aspect of life, having changed our shopping habits for everything from houses to holidays. The first port of call for most of us is the search engine, which puts us a mouse-click away from volumes of information which our parents would only have dreamt of.

Yet, the all pervading nature of the internet occasionally runs up against the laws of the nation state, something which in the 21st century struggles sometimes to assert itself against the porous nature of borders and ideas.

The march of the digital age and the exchange of data electronically have been followed by concerns about our privacy and rights to preserve our personal, confidential information from exploitation by those who see that information as a tool for marketing or sometimes for things more sinister.

Controlling the use and abuse of information is a challenge. The diminishing number of authoritarian or just plain corrupt states in the world know that preventing the spread of ideas is hugely difficult. China and more recently Turkey have tried with limited success to switch off access to whole sections of the internet or to social media such as Twitter. Despite this, countries, and in our case the European Union, have endeavoured to impose rules on the way data is dealt with, so as to try and strike a balance between freedom to exchange information and personal privacy.

Most recently, European data protection regulation and the Data Protection Act have squared up to the US way of doing things, in the shape of Google.

We all know what Google is and probably all of us have used it. Most recently, however, the High Court was faced with a case alleging that Google, by the use of cookies (tiny programs which download automatically to your computer), was harvesting personal data and using the information to target advertising to users who were unaware that their information was being gathered.

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In the case in question the English based claimants were suing the US Google, which trades from California.

Interestingly, for a company which never misses an opportunity to advance the case for minimal or no regulation of the internet, its first salvo in the litigation was to appeal a decision to allow the company to be served with proceedings: to serve a US based company generally requires the permission of the Court. Their arguments were various, but suffice it to say that the Court allowed the service of the claim, on the basis that there was loss suffered in the UK, the alleged misuse of confidential information having occurred in England. This was an initial skirmish, but it seems that, unless settled, the case will proceed to trial.

In a separate case, Google suffered a second defeat when the European Court decided that it was a ‘data controller’ under the European data protection directive. This meant, the court decided, that ‘data subjects’, you and me, have the right, in appropriate cases, to have links to old data removed if the data is irrelevant or excessive in relation to the purpose for which it was gathered. Bearing in mind that Google merely points the way to other web sites rather than hosts them itself, such a ruling is potentially hugely onerous on search engines and is likely to change the internet landscape.

Every request will require a subjective assessment by Google or other search engine company as to whether the criteria have been met. The original European Court claim was by a Spanish man who wished to remove links to sites recording earlier claims against him for social security debts.

Since the decision, Google has been flooded with requests: 12,000 in a 24 hour period. A substantial proportion were from people convicted of serious offences, including offences against children.

It is not surprising that some commentators already see this as a serious threat to the internet as a means of preventing censorship by government and those who have a vested interest in concealing behaviour which is dishonest or plain criminal. It is seen as the death knell for free exchange of information and ideas as we have known it. Every freedom can prejudice someone, somewhere. The trick is to strike the right balance between competing interests. Many feel the European court has failed to achieve that balance.

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Financial

Family firms

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Fam i ly Valu es This month Kevin Bunting sings the praises of family-run companies

For family businesses, especially those with their

Like a healthy family, a successful family business

‘name above the door’, their heritage and values are

is direct, honest and clear in its communications to

among their biggest assets. It’s what sets them apart

staff, suppliers and customers. There’s an atmosphere

from the competition and creates a unique brand that

of openness and trust, whether it’s good times or bad

makes customers and suppliers want to do business

times, and that helps to maintain loyalty.

with them.

So it’s important for family businesses to

Innovation and adaptability are values that matter just as much to a family business as to every business.

communicate their values in ways that are clear to

New ideas or new products were the inspiration for

employees and the outside world. This is how JCB

the original business and a strong family business

does it: founded in 1945 by Joe Bamford, the company

doesn’t stand still. There’s continuity, but it’s kept up

now has 11,000 employees on four continents and sells

to date. This keeps existing customers coming back

its products in 150 countries. They say: ‘A truly world

and attracts new ones.

class and still family owned company’.

What are the values found in all successful family

And there’s a natural focus on corporate social responsibility, because family businesses see

businesses and why are they worth shouting about?

themselves as a key part of the community in which

They include a long term perspective; aspiring

they operate. This is one of the most powerful values

to excellence in products and services; strong

of a family business, because it creates goodwill, trust

relationships; clear and honest communications;

and respect.

willingness to innovate and adapt; and a natural focus on corporate social responsibility.

Family businesses plan for the long term. They’re

The Lovewell Blake Family Business Club holds informal events throughout the year.

concentrating on developing the company that’s been handed down to them, so that it’s in good shape for future generations. So there’s continuity and stability, things that make employees and customers loyal.

They focus on exceptional quality in their products and services, because their company’s reputation depends on excellence. It’s the family’s reputation as well, if their name is their brand.

For more information call Kevin Bunting on 01493 335100.

Disclaimer: Please note that this article is provided for your information only. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy, information contained herein may not be comprehensive and you should not act upon it without seeking professional advice.

Strong personal relationships with customers and suppliers are hallmarks of a family owned company’s ethos, whether they’re selling a product or a service.

Customers feel valued; they’re important to the business.

Subscribe online at www.placesandfaces.co.uk

95

A very civil service froM

GET INTO A BRAND NEW MINI FOR LESS THAN YOU THINK.

The MINI One Hatch with gob-smacking low monthly payments.

MINI Select finance representative example: MINI One Hatch 1.2 with optional PEPPER Pack and MINI tlc†.

Term of Agreement

48 Months

Optional Final Payment **

£5,953.50

47 Monthly Payments of

£189.00

Total Amount of Credit

£12,380.38

On the Road Cash Price

£14,679.38

Total Amount Payable

£17,145.50

£2,299.00

Rate of Interest

6.8% Fixed

*

Total Deposit Option to Purchase Fee

**

£10.00

Representative 6.8% APR

CONTACT US TO FIND OUT MORE AND TO BOOK YOUR TEST DRIVE^ TODAY. COOPER NORWICH

Forest Way, Dereham Road, Costessey, Norwich, Norfolk NR5 0JH www.coopernorwichmini.co.uk 01603 294 930

Official Fuel Economy Figures for the MINI Hatch Range: Urban 36.7-72.4 mpg (7.7-3.9 l/100km). Extra Urban 58.9-91.1 mpg (4.8-3.1 l/100km). Combined 48.7-83.1 mpg (5.8-3.4 l/100km). CO2 Emissions 136-89 g/km. Figures may vary depending on driving style and conditions.

Finance example is for a MINI Select agreement for a new MINI One Hatch 1.2 with optional PEPPER Pack and MINI tlc, with a contract mileage of 40,000 miles and excess mileage charge of 3.60p per mile. Applies to vehicles ordered between 1 April and 30 June 2014 and registered by 30 September 2014, (subject to availability) ordered at participating MINI dealers. Retail customers only. *On the road cash price is based on manufacturer’s recommended retail price and includes 3 year MINI Dealer Warranty, MINI Emergency Service, 12 months’ road fund licence, vehicle first registration fee, delivery, number plates and VAT. **Optional final payment and option to purchase fee not payable if you opt to return the vehicle at the end of the agreement (vehicle condition, excess mileage and other charges may be payable). Finance available subject to credit acceptance to UK residents aged 18 or over. Guarantees and indemnities may be required. Terms and conditions apply. Offer may be varied, withdrawn or extended at any time. ‘MINI Select’ is a form of hire-purchase agreement provided by MINI Financial Services, a trading name of BMW Financial Services (GB) Limited, Bartley Way, Hook, Hampshire RG27 9UF. We commonly introduce customers to MINI Financial Services, for which we may receive payment if you enter into an agreement with them. This introduction does not amount to independent financial advice. MINIstry of Finance is not connected to or endorsed by any government department. †MINI tlc provides scheduled service cover for the length of your agreement, or 5 years or 50,000 miles (whichever comes first) at MINI Workshops; maintenance items (e.g. tyres, brake pads and 2nd brake fluid change) not covered; not transferable to another vehicle. See www.mini. co.uk for full MINI tlc terms. ^Test drive subject to applicant status and availability. Inchcape Retail is not an independent financial advisor. We work with a panel of selected lenders when arranging funding for your purchase and these lenders may pay us for introducing you to them.

Advertising Feature

New Cars

E ssential G ui d e To B u ying A N ew Car Here’s our hassle-free guide to help you when buying a new car

S

etting your budget

Before you think about which car to buy, you’ll need to work out how much you have to spend.

• Work out how much your current car is worth, and whether you’ll sell it privately or part-exchange it with a dealer • Decide on whether you need to take out finance • Calculate your likely fuel, insurance and road tax costs Choosing the right car

There’s an almost bewildering choice of cars on the market, so the first step in the process is to decide what sort of car you want.

Ask yourself all the fundamental questions, such as how many seats you need, how much space you want inside, and whether you’ll need the car to do anything specific, like towing a trailer or fitting the car into a small garage.

Just as importantly, you’ll need to work out how much you can afford to pay – but don’t forget that there’s more to it than just buying the car. You’ll also need to factor in the costs of fuel, insurance, Vehicle Excise Duty and servicing/maintenance.

Test driving a new car

Dealers expect any prospective buyer to take a new car for a test drive before they buy, and it’s vital that you use this time well.

However, remember that, unlike when you’re buying a used car, you don’t require a mechanical mind to check out a new model.

Test the car over as wide a range of roads as you can, but concentrate on the kind of situations you’re most likely to encounter in day-to-day driving. If you’ll be using the car as a long-distance cruiser, for instance, head for a stretch of motorway or dual carriageway; and, if you’re confined to the urban jungle, spend most of your drive in town.

Above all, get as long as possible behind the wheel, and try to stick to familiar roads. That way, you can concentrate on what the car’s like rather than where you’re going.

Think about how comfortable the car is, how refined it is, and whether it’s quick enough; is it easy to reach the controls, do you get a good view out and, how good is the radio?

Remember, too, that a road test isn’t just about driving. To check the car is big enough, try filling it with your usual cargo: squeeze the children into anything you’re considering as a family car or take your cricket gear along, if that’s your thing.

Doing the paperwork

Once you and the dealer have come to an agreement on the price, specification and delivery time for your new car, it’s time to sort out the paperwork. The dealer will supply you with forms and invoices much like any other retailer, but make sure you get all the details in writing. Keep all the paperwork safe because you’ll need it not only when you come to sell.

New Ford EcoSport Titanium From £14995! Now in stock and available to test drive

Pertwee & Back Limited

Gapton Hall Road, Gapton Hall Industrial Estate, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR31 0NJ 01493 664151

www.pertwee-and-back.co.uk

£392

The New Peugeot 308, Car of the Year is in our showroom now. It’s a car where every design choice has been made to bring your senses alive and comes with Just Add Fuel®: the only package to include comprehensive insurance, servicing, car tax, roadside assistance and warranty. Pretty much everything then. For a test drive, give us a call.

SIDEGATE MOTORS Gapton Hall Road, GREAT YARMOUTH, NR31 0NL 01493 419704 www.sidegatemotors.co.uk Official Fuel Consumption in mpg (l/100km) and CO2 emissions (g/km) for the 308 range are: Urban 35.7 – 80.7 (7.9 – 3.5), Extra Urban 61.4 – 97.4 (4.6 – 2.9), Combined 48.7 – 91.1 (5.8 - 3.1) and CO2 134 – 82 (g/km).

AWARD-WINNING SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY WITH OUTSTANDING FIGURES TO WIN YOU OVER AT WRIGHTS MAZDA

ALL-NEW MAZDA3

MAZDA6

MAZDA CX-5

150ps Sport Diesel

120ps Sport Nav Up to 72.4mpg combined Up to 72.4mpg combined CO2 emissions from just 104g/km CO2 emissions from just 104g/km Available with

0% APR

†

Representative

Available on Mazda Conditional Sale with a 50% minimum deposit

150ps 2WD SE-L Diesel Up to 61.4mpg combined CO2 emissions from just 119g/km From

Zero Deposit

0% APR*

£279

£1,000 Mazda Finance Contribution Available on Mazda Personal Contract Purchase

per month^ Available on Mazda Personal Contract Hire

For more information about SKYACTIV Technology or to book a test drive° call 01502 713885

Wrights Mazda, Beccles Common Lane North, Beccles, Suffolk NR34 9BL 01502 713885

www.wrights-mazda.co.uk

Wrights Mazda

The mpg figures quoted are sourced from official EU-regulated test results obtained through laboratory testing. These are provided for comparability purposes only and may not reflect your actual driving results.

Retail sales only, subject to vehicle availability for vehicles registered between 01.04.14 and 30.06.14 at participating dealers. T&C apply. †0% finance available on all all-new Mazda3 models with a minimum 50% deposit required. *0% finance available on all Mazda6 models with no minimum deposit on Mazda Personal Contract Purchase. At the end of the agreement there are 3 options: (i) Renew: Part exchange the vehicle, where equity is available, (ii) Retain: Pay the Optional Final Payment to own the vehicle or (iii) Return the vehicle. Further charges may be made subject to the condition of the vehicle. Finance subject to status. 18s or over. Guarantee/indemnity may be required. Mazda Financial Services RH1 1SR. We can introduce you to a limited number of carefully selected finance providers.

We may receive a commission from them for the introduction. ^Offer available to individuals for orders received between 01.04.14 and 30.06.14. Figures based on Mazda Personal Contract Hire on a non-maintenance contract hire package over 42 months and 9,000 miles per year (max). Monthly payment examples: An advance rental of £2,511 is payable, equal to 9 monthly payments, then 41 monthly rentals of £279 for a Mazda CX-5 150ps 2WD SE-L Diesel. Rentals and excess charges are based on the current VAT rate. An excess charge of up to 11.87ppm (exc VAT) will be applied for mileage in excess of 9,000 mile p.a. Excess charges also apply if the car is not serviced and maintained in accordance with manufacturer guidelines and returned to Mazda Contract Hire in a condition commensurate with the BVRLA Fair Wear & Tear guidelines for its age and mileage. Package includes R.F.L. and Mazda Roadside Assistance. Offer subject to availability and status. UK supplied vehicles only. For full specification, details, terms and conditions contact your local retailer. Personal contract hire by ALD Automotive Ltd., trading as Mazda Contract Hire, Oakwood Park, Lodge Causeway, Fishponds, Bristol BS16 3JA. Models shown: all-new Mazda3 120ps Sport Nav, OTR from £19,895.

Mazda6 150ps Saloon Sport Diesel, OTR £25,195 and Mazda CX-5 150ps 2WD SE-L Diesel, OTR £23,295. Models shown feature optional Soul Red Metallic paint, Mazda6 (£660), and optional Pearlescent paint, Mazda CX-5 and all-new Mazda3 (£540). OTR price includes VAT, number plates, delivery, 12 months’ road fund licence, first registration fee, 3 year or 60,000 mile warranty and 3 years’ European Roadside Assistance. °Test drives subject to applicant status and availability.

Not available in conjunction with any other offer unless specified. Details correct at time of publication and may vary, e.g. if list price changes.

DEFY CONVENTION

The official fuel consumption figures in mpg (l/100km) for the Mazda range: Urban 25.4 (11.1) – 60.1 (4.7). Extra Urban 45.6 (6.2) – 83.1 (3.4). Combined 35.3 (8.0) – 72.4 (3.9). CO2 emissions (g/km) 188 – 104.

MPG figures are achieved under official EU test conditions, intended as a guide for comparative purposes only, and may not reflect actual on-the-road driving conditions. Terms and conditions apply, participating dealers only or visit www.peugeot.co.uk +The first year Road Fund Licence (RFL) is included in the on the road price. The Dealer will provide customers with a cheque equivalent to twice the current RFL cost. The customer must apply for years 2 and 3 RFL. Just Add Fuel (JAF) is subject to status. *Minimum age 25 or 30 on selected models, maximum age 75. Policyholder must have a minimum of 2 years NCD to use on the vehicle. All drivers must meet eligibility criteria including minimum 2 years’ full UK licence, driving convictions/claims limits. Excesses apply. 3 years motor insurance is provided and underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. A guarantee may be required. Written quotations available from Peugeot Financial Services, Quadrant House, Princess Way, Redhill, RH1 1QA. JAF is incorporated into a Personal Lease contract. 308 Feline 2.0 Blue HDi, including metallic paint, customer initial payment £3000, £650 Peugeot initial payment contribution, optional final payment £10007. 35 monthly payments payable. If you choose to pay the optional final payment, you can pay an annual payment equivalent to one of your monthly payments but will not own the car. Ownership is possible with JAF Passport, ask us for details. Rentals quoted for a typical customer and will vary according to age, postcode, initial rental and annual mileage. Excess mileage charges may apply. Routine servicing included only. Excludes wear parts. This offer is not available in Northern Ireland. Offer available on cars ordered by 30th June 2014. Calls may be recorded for training purposes. Information correct at time of going to press.

Thurlow Nunn, we are not just the dealer for 0% APR on every new Vauxhall, we are also the name that has a history of excellence and trust for over 130 years. 95% of our customers were completely satisfied with their Thurlow Nunn experience. Why not take a look at the big dealer that’s local to you?

TheVauxhall Range

atThurlow Nunn BOOK YOUR TEST DRIVE TODAY www.thurlownunn.co.uk

UP TO

5 YEARS

SAVE UP TO

0%APR &NILDEPOSIT

£8360

*

AGAINST COST WHEN NEW ON A SELECTION OF EX DEMONSTRATORS

ON THE BRAND NEW VAUXHALL RANGE

Thurlow Nunn THE BIG DEALER THAT'S LOCAL TO YOU

www.thurlownunn.co.uk

GREAT YARMOUTH

Station Road, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR31 0HB

Tel: 0844 770 0522 Find us on Facebook

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Station Road, Beccles, NR34 9QQ

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Proud to Sponsor

Thurlow Nunn League EASTERN COUNTIES FOOTBALL LEAGUE

All calls to Thurlow Nunn are charged at 5p per minute from a BT landline.

Official Government Test Environmental Data. Fuel consumption figures mpg (litres/100km) and CO2 emissions (g/km). Vauxhall range (excl. Ampera): Urban: 14.4 (19.6) - 76.3 (3.7), Extra-urban: 27.4 (10.3) - 91.1 (3.1), Combined: 18.0 (15.7) - 85.6 (3.3). CO2 emissions: 373 - 88g/km.# Finance subject to status. Terms and Conditions apply. Applicants must be 18 or over. Finance supplied by Vauxhall Finance, PO Box 6666, Cardiff, CF15 7YT. Offer will apply to private individuals, Vauxhall Partners and small businesses 1- 24 (purchase only, excluding B2B supported units). All other customers are excluded. #Official EU-regulated test data are provided for comparison purposes and actual performance will depend on driving style, road conditions and other non-technical factors. *Saving based on 14 Reg Vauxhall Zafira 1.8 Exclusiv 120PS. List Price £19,855 Thurlow Nunn Price £11,495. ^The Closing Date for the Prize Draw will be 23:59 hours on 13th July 2014.

| July 2014

Fully Charged Matt Kimberley test drives the second generation Nissan Leaf and is impressed by this all electric, zero emission car

FACTS AT A GLANCE Model: Nissan Leaf Tekna, ÂŁ25,490 incl. batteries or ÂŁ20,490 plus battery lease.

Transmission: Single-speed reducer type automatic transmission with selectable modes.

Performance: 0-62mph in 11.5 seconds.

Range: 124 miles.

Charge time/cost: 80 per cent in 30 minutes.

100

issan is on a bit of a roll. While some manufacturers are still working on their first electric cars, Nissan is rolling out the second generation Leaf, with less weight, more range and a design more closely tailored to real-world demands.

The biggest input into the new car has come from existing customers, which explains why it looks so similar to the old one. Nissan says the Leaf gets the highest customer satisfaction scores of any car it makes - as much as 93 per cent - and the people who own ageing models apparently want to stay loyal to it.

But there were some obvious things wrong with the old car. The pale interior came in for a lot of criticism, and although the Japanese love their beige upholstery, European versions of the Leaf II have switched to black, which includes black leather on the top-spec model.

The single old trim option has expanded to the triumvirate of Visia, Acenta and Tekna, making the Leaf more affordable at one end and better equipped at the other. Combined with the choice of whether to buy the entire car outright or to save ÂŁ5000 and lease the batteries,

Motoring

Nissan Leaf the headline price now starts from under £16,000 after the £5000 government grant. Suddenly the Leaf seems a lot more affordable.

The boot is now bigger; at 370 litres it’s technically just 10 litres short of those of the new Volkswagen Golf and Seat Leon, although it’s not so conveniently shaped. The curved corners and relatively intrusive wheel arches make an irregularly shaped load space. Still, a 40-litre boost over the old model thanks to some relocated technology means space for one extra suitcase.

This time Nissan has given the European car its own suspension tune. The overly soft, sometimes wobbly, ride of the old car was a cause for complaint. The new setup is not firmer per se, but is damped with greater conviction to reduce pitch and bounce. It works, too, controlling the Leaf’s body movement better than before while retaining

the price is very reasonable when compared to other top-spec cars. You’re getting a very advanced thing the surprisingly good ride quality that defined the first Leaf.

It absorbs bumps and potholes with confidence, composure and impressively quietly. Uncommonly so, in fact, compared to almost any rival.

The drivetrain is as quiet and vibration-free as you might expect, and the lack of vibration vastly reduces driver fatigue and irritation behind the wheel. Driving the new Leaf is thoroughly relaxing, with thoughtfully shaped seats that support your spine well. The padding offers a good balance of soft comfort and measured support and the variable-ratio steering is pleasant at all speeds, but it does give something away in terms of initial turn-in response and there’s no reach adjustment for the wheel.

The batteries now offer a potential 120 miles or more in ideal conditions from a full charge. A real-world 100 miles should be normal in the summer months. Part of this increase comes from a weight reduction of 32kg, chopped mainly out of two key drivetrain components.

That drivetrain has been modified with new torque mapping and an extra driving mode, labelled B. It increases the ‘engine braking’ effect to closer replicate being in a low gear in an internal combustion engined car, increasing the amount of energy the car recuperates in the process. It’s brilliant for hilly routes, where the energy recuperated can be almost as much as the energy you use.

The top-spec Tekna model driven here really feels like a luxurious car, with heated seats even in the back, leather upholstery, climate control, an extensive in-car systems readout and sat-nav. The only notable flaws are the shiny plastic surrounds for the switches on the door panel, which are likely to scratch very easily underneath rings, watches or keys.

And yet the price is very reasonable when compared to other top-spec cars. You’re getting a very advanced thing, with the capacity to recoup 80 per cent of its full charge in 30 minutes and to cost you less than £2 for every 100 miles you drive. While niggles like the thick, awkwardly positioned A-pillars do merit caution, the overall impression is hugely positive. At this price, maybe now’s the time to consider the Leaf.

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D e a l er D eta i l s HAMMOND NISSAN Norwich Road, Suffolk IP19 8HX 01986 244 086 | www.hammondgroup.co.uk Prices correct at time of going to press

101

THE ALL-NEW SX4

S-CROSS FROM ONLY

£14,995*

You name it, the SX4 S-Cross has it. A spacious cabin and bag-gobbling boot. The reassuring safety of ALLGRIP 4-wheel Drive¹. Even class-leading fuel economy. Once you see it, you’ll have to have it all.

Request a Test Drive today: suzuki.co.uk/mrking

M R King & Sons

Horn Hill Lowestoft Suffolk NR33 0PX 01502 525425

Official Fuel Consumption Figures for the Suzuki SX4 S-Cross range mpg (litres/100km) and CO 2 emissions (g/km): Urban 39.7-55.3 (7.1-5.1), Extra Urban 55.3-76.3 (5.1-3.7), Combined 47.8-67.2 (5.9-4.2), CO 2 emissions 135-110 g/km.

The above fuel consumption figures are based on an EU test for comparative purposes only and may not reflect real driving results. *Model shown: SX4 S-Cross 1.6 SZ5 available from £19,749. SX4 S-Cross range - SX4 S-Cross 1.6 SZ3 Manual available at £14,999 to SX4 S-Cross 1.6 DDiS SZ5 ALLGRIP Manual available at £23,549. The features referred to in this advertisement and all specifications and equipment may vary depending on engine, transmission and model grade. All prices and specifications correct at time of going to print. On the road price valid from 1st September 2013 to 31st December 2013. Model shown - SX4 S-Cross 1.6 SZ5 Manual (metallic paint £430). ¹ALL GRIP 4-wheel Drive only available on 1.6 petrol SZ5 and DDiS SZ-T & SZ5 models.

FUEL COSTS FROM JUST 2P A MILE THE ELECTRIC SIDE OF DRIVING

The 100% electric Nissan LEAF | Recommended by 95% of owners† | From £199 a month

PERSONAL CONTRACT PURCHASE REPRESENTATIVE EXAMPLE MODEL 48 MONTHLY ON THE ROAD CUSTOMER PAYMENTS CASH PRICE DEPOSIT LEAF VISIA £199 £21,490 £3,066

NISSAN DEPOSIT CONTRIBUTION £3,250

TOTAL AMOUNT OF CREDIT £15,174

DURATION OF AGREEMENT 13 MONTHS

OPTIONAL FINAL PAYMENT £7,877.39

TOTAL AMOUNT PAYABLE £23,750

RATE OF INTEREST 4.9% APR P.A. (FIXED) REPRESENTATIVE 4.86%

HAMMOND NISSAN Norwich Road, Suffolk IP19 8HX 01986 244 086 | www.hammondgroup.co.uk THE NISSAN DEPOSIT CONTRIBUTION IS ONLY AVAILABLE TO CUSTOMERS TAKING NISSAN FINANCE ON A NEW LEAF REGISTERED BETWEEN 01/04/2014 AND 30/06/2014 AT PARTICIPATING DEALERS ONLY. The offer is based on 6,000 miles pa, excess mileage 10p per mile and is not available in conjunction with any schemes or offers. Finance provided by RCI Financial Services Limited, PO Box 149, Watford WD17 1FJ. Subject to status. Guarantees and indemnities may be required. You must be at least 18 and a UK resident (excluding the Isle of Man and Channel Islands). Terms and conditions apply, please visit www.nissan-offers.co.uk or your local dealer for full details. All prices include first registration fee and 12 months’ road fund licence. Information correct at time of going to print. Model shots shown are for illustration purposes only and are subject to availability. LEAF Visia shown has metallic paint at £525 inc. VAT. Our dealership introduce customers to a limited number of finance providers including RCI Financial Services Ltd. Finance providers pay us for introducing you to them. CO2 while driving 0. MPG N/A. From 2p per mile is based on (i) overnight electricity costs (British Gas Standard Tariff unit rates for a customer paying by direct debit as at 1 May 2014, assuming seven hours of charging at the night rate and one hour on the day rate), and (ii) a range of up to 124 miles per full charge (assuming 95% efficiency). Actual consumption and range may vary due to driving style, road condition, air conditioning and other factors outside our control. Daily standing charge of 26p also applies. LEAF 24-hour test drive is subject to availability and eligibility criteria, and from participating Nissan dealers only. Restrictions and limitations apply, see nissan.co.uk/leaf24. †Source: December 2013 Nissan Europe Customer Satisfaction survey of 498 LEAF buyers across UK, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway and France, who had owned their car for approximately one month. Model shown is LEAF Visia, 80 kW AC electric motor. Nissan Motor (GB ) Ltd, The Rivers Office Park, Denham Way, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire WD3 9YS.

£169 Style is about having everything in just the right place. And the new Peugeot 208 Style is loaded with smart features to give you a flawless profile and effortless ride. From the Cielo panoramic glass roof, to the tinted rear windows and leather steering wheel, this special edition looks great from every angle. Ask us for a test drive.

M R KING & SONS Horn Hill, LOWESTOFT, NR33 0PX 01502 573955 www.mrking.co.uk

Official Fuel Consumption in MPG (l/100km) and CO2 emissions (g/km) for the 208 Style Range are: Urban 51.4 – 67.3 (5.5 – 4.2), Extra Urban 72.4 – 85.6 (3.9 – 3.3), Combined 62.8 – 78.5 (4.5 – 3.6) and CO2 104 – 95 (g/km).

MPG figures are achieved under official EU test conditions, intended as a guide for comparative purposes only, and may not reflect actual on-the-road driving conditions. Model shown is a 208 Style 1.2 VTi 82 puretech with metallic paint 3 door. Terms and conditions apply, participating dealers only or visit www.peugeot.co.uk. To finance your lease/purchase we may introduce you to a limited number of lenders. #Passport Personal Lease: A guarantee may be required. Over 18’s only. Written quotations available on request from Peugeot Financial Services, Quadrant House, Princess Way, Redhill RH1 1QA. 208 Style 1.2 VTi 82 Puretech with metallic paint 3 door, customer initial payment £ 2,663, £500 Peugeot initial payment contribution, optional final payment £5,092. 46 monthly payments payable. Annual mileage 6,000 miles. If you choose to pay the optional final payment, you can pay an annual payment equivalent to one of your monthly payments but will not own the car. Excess mileage charges may apply. Ownership is possible with Passport - ask us for details. Offer available on cars ordered by 30th June 2014. Calls may be recorded for training purposes. Information correct at time of going to press.

The Dacia Duster Range

Dacia Duster Ambiance 1.5 dCi 4x2 2013 Model was from £13,085

now from £11,995* including FREE metallic paint and protection pack

Dacia Duster Laureate1.5 dCi 4x2 2013 Model was from £14,585

now from £13,495* including FREE metallic paint and protection pack

MITCHELLS DACIA LOWESTOFT 50-58 LONG ROAD, LOWESTOFT, SUFFOLK NR33 9DQ TEL 0844 875 9626 WWW.MITCHELLSDACIA.CO.UK The official fuel consumption figures in mpg (l/100km) for the cars shown are: Urban 49.6 (5.7); Extra Urban 61.4 (4.6); Combined 56.5 (5). The official CO2 emissions are 130g/km. EU Directive and Regulation 692/2008 test environment figures. Fuel consumption and CO2 may vary according to driving styles, road conditions and other factors. *Prices shown include delivery to dealer, number plates, 20% VAT, 12-month Government road fund licence and £55 first registration fee. Previous prices are Manufacturer’s recommended retail prices. Offer only available on MY 13 vehicles and is subject to availability. Free metallic paint worth £495. Offer ends 30 June 2014.

| JULY 2014

Affordability and Durability

Prices correct at time of going to press

Iain Dooley reckons the Dacia Duster has it all – and a very pleasing price tag!

104

Motoring

Dacia Duster f you’ve had cause to travel around Europe lately you might have spotted something sporting a different badge on the roads. Dacia products have become a popular sight in recent years – especially in France – for two very good reasons: affordability and durability.

Low cost motoring is all the rage on the continent. Unlike in the UK, our foreign friends aren’t such hardened badge snobs, meaning cars like Dacia’s Duster have been welcomed with open arms by cost conscious motorists. Simply put, when you can get a compact SUV capable of plugging mud with the best Land Rover can offer for less than the price of a Fiesta, somehow the badge on the bonnet is the least of your worries.

If Dacia is a mystery to you, you’re not alone.

Snapped up by Renault some time ago, critics thought the French firm was taking a huge risk with this budget maker of uninspiring cars. The passing of time has proven the naysayers wrong, as Renault’s input has led to a portfolio of valuedriven, dependable, stylish and capable products from superminis to the aforementioned Duster.

Lifestyle SUVs are two-a-penny these days but few are that cheap anymore. Most are increasingly car-like in their appearance and onroad performance. The Duster retains a chunkylooking, purposeful exterior of a traditional 4x4 but with enough curves to help it slice through the air with relative ease.

The emphasis might be on modest performance and equipment levels, but there’s nothing cheap about the Duster. Low power petrol and diesel engines are offered (1.6-litre, 105bhp petrol and 1.5-litre, 110bhp diesel), plus the choice of front or four-wheel drive. The switchable all-wheel drive system allows a driver to choose between front-drive, an auto-sensing mode and a locked up 4x4 setting.

Factor in three trim levels and there’s little else you might want. Well, apart from air-con, a stereo and alloy wheels. Yes, this is how Dacia can price the Duster so low. If you want these creature comforts you’re going to have to pick the middle specification for some tunes and the highest spec model if you want manual air conditioning and alloys. Still, even if you opt for the flagship Duster you’re not even close to highspec Skoda Yeti money.

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FACTS AT A GLANCE Model Dacia Duster Laureate dCi 110 4x4, from £15,495 on the road. Duster range from £9495.

*

Engine 1.5-litre diesel unit developing 110bhp.

*

Transmission 6-speed manual transmission as standard, driving all four wheels through part time 4x4 system.

*

Performance Maximum speed 104mph, 0-62mph 12.5 seconds.

*

Economy 55.3mpg.

*

CO2 Rating 137g/km.

DEALER MITCHELLS OF LOWESTOFT 50–58 Long Road, Lowestoft NR33 9DQ 0844 875 9626 www.mitchellsdacia.co.uk

Despite the popularity of Skoda’s compact lifestyle SUV, not everyone wants plush upholstery and highly polished cabin trim in a car that’s destined to be a rough and tumble family holdall or workhorse utility vehicle.

And in this respect the Duster trumps its wellestablished rivals.

The car’s interior looks and feels tough thanks to sensible trim and material choices, although it retains an easy on the eye appearance. Familiar Renault switchgear rounds off the driver-centric side of things, while the Duster’s cabin is a good size and easily capable of accommodating a growing family. Move rearwards and the car’s boot is equally capacious and the ability to fold the rear seats for extra load capacity is a detail that won’t be lost on active families.

By now only someone spoilt by sat-nav and climate control could find fault with the Duster.

In Dacia’s defence it’s all about knowing your audience and, so far, the firm has pretty much nailed it. On the move there’s a similar feeling of accomplishment. While neither engine is bursting with excess horsepower, brisk progress is possible.

The petrol engine might be a little quieter than the diesel alternative but it’s the latter that scores the highest in terms of flexibility and economy. Those attributes alone should have anyone considering using the Duster as a family workhorse to plump for the oil burner.

Predictably all-wheel drive variants grip and go with ease on a variety of surfaces, but if the Duster is scheduled for only light duties there’s no shame in opting for a two-wheel drive variant. In the real world it steers and stops just as well, and with the age of the high-rise hatchback truly upon us there’s much to be said for a lofty driving position and speed bumpskimming ground clearance. Furthermore, compliant suspension and accurate steering put to rest any notion that low cost equals lack of talent.

By taking a common sense, low frills approach to motoring Dacia has won many friends and satisfied owners in mainland Europe. The firm’s Duster is proof that, even in the fashionled world of lifestyle SUVs, you can succeed if all the elements - looks, ability, affordability, practicality - add up.

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Norfolk’s Premier Accident Repair Centre P R O U D LY W O R K I N G W I T H L O C A L M A N U FA C T U R E R S

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DUFF MORGAN KING’S LYNN 01553 770144

49 BERGEN WAY, KING’S LYNN, NORFOLK, PE30 2JG www.duffmorgankingslynn.citroen.co.uk

¹No VAT offer is a reduction in the OTR price equivalent to the 20% VAT. °Prices & offers apply to retail sales of qualifying Citroën models ordered & delivered 01/04-30/06/14 & include VAT, delivery to dealer & number plates, Government Registration Fee & 12 months’ graduated vehicle excise duty. Black/metallic/pearlescent paint optional at extra cost. From prices shown: Citroën C3 Picasso HDi 90 manual Selection and New Citroën C4 Picasso HDi 90 manual VTR. Elect 4 Personal Lease requires an advance rental of £5992 followed by 46 monthly rentals & an optional final rental of £7345. Excess mileage charges may apply if the agreed annual mileage is exceeded. Payment of the optional final rental extends the rental term (this does not transfer title of the vehicle) & requires an annual rental equivalent to one months’ rental. ◊Finance offers apply to Citroën C3 Picasso Selection models. Deposit varies by model & term. Finance subject to status. Written quotations available on request from Citroën Financial Services, Quadrant House, Princess Way, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 1QA, UK. Over 18s only. A guarantee may be required. Offers, prices & specification correct at time of going to press from participating Dealers. Terms & conditions apply. Please ask us for details. Subject to stock availability. Finance offers apply to UK only.

Official Government fuel consumption figures (Range): Urban cycle, Extra urban, Combined (litres per 100km/mpg) & CO2 emissions (g/km); Highest:Citroën C3 Picasso VTi 120 manual Exclusive 9/31.4, 4.9/57.6, 6.4/44.1, 149. Lowest:New Citroën C4 Picasso e-HDi 90 Airdream ETG6 VTR+ 4.2/67.3, 3.5/80.7, 3.8/74.3, 98. MPG figures are achieved under official EU test conditions, intended as a guide for comparative purposes only, and may not reflect actual on-the-road driving conditions.

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Advertising Announcement

Lings Motorpark

Lings Motor Park, Riverside Road, Lowestoft NR33 0TQ | 01502 537444 | www.lings.com

B igger a n d B e t t er Th a n E v er Nature caused Lowestoft-based dealership Lings more than a few problems last year

The night of the

flooding

but the company has bounced back with a fantastic refit, a new franchise and much more for customers to enjoy

t is more than six months since the tidal surge tore through homes and businesses on the East Coast. Now, finally, lives are being rebuilt and businesses reopening.

Among those seriously affected in Lowestoft was the Lings Motor Park, on Riverside Road. As well as the

Lings is the first showroom in the country to comply with

high water levels from the surge, overflowing storm drains burst

the latest Honda brand image specifications. The refit has also

through manholes across the forecourt, easily lifting cars away in

substantially benefited the dedicated all-make used car arm of

the current and destroying more than 150 cars – £1 million worth

the business branded ‘MotorLings’, with a new dedicated area

of stock.

of the showroom as well as an expansion of used car stock to a

Almost the entire six-acre site was submerged by at least three feet of water, with the main Lings building worst hit of

minimum of more than 100 cars at all times.

Furthermore, the Motorcycle sales area has been revamped

all. Estimated at over £1.5 million worth of damage, it took just

with sales of new Triumph motorcycles complimenting the wide

a week for staff to completely clear the building of debris and

new range of bikes from Honda as well as a spectrum of various

damaged equipment, and get the building in a safe enough state

brand used bikes available.

for the power to be switched back on.

With the site clear, staff could return to a modicum of normality, albeit with a greatly reduced stock capacity and

And a new high-quality café area with Wi-Fi connectivity via superfast fibre optic Broadband is due to open shortly.

The future holds plenty of promise for Lings, too. For the first

a non-functioning car and motorcycle workshop. New IT

time in more than 20 years, Lings is welcoming a new franchise

equipment was quickly bought in to keep the dealership ticking

into the group, with the announcement of a partnership with

over from the fortunately undamaged second floor while

Mitsubishi. Opening this month, Lings Mitsubishi will sell the full

builders and surveyors took over to examine the full extent of

car and commercial range of new and used Mitsubishi vehicles,

the damage and make a start on repairs where they could.

including the incredible Outlander PHEV crossover vehicle

After exceptional support from the Lings executive shareholders and insurance and legal partners Aviva, Merrick Hill and Barclays, the dealership has remained open throughout, replacing lost stock with new vehicles and installing brand new operational infrastructure.

capable of 138mpg. As well as offering Mitsubishi factory-trained Technicians and the full Aftersales service expected from Lings.

To say it’s been a roller-coaster for Lings might not be doing the story justice; it’s been more white water rafting at times.

The circumstances demanded help from a whole range of

The workshop is now fully functioning - in fact, it has

people, from the staff keeping the day-to-day business working,

benefited from a full refit, with the latest Honda and multi

to the insurers and solicitors working closely with the company

franchise diagnostic equipment and extra vehicle service ramps,

directors, to the contractors physically rebuilding the site.

massively increasing capacity to provide customers with the

Indeed, it has been one of the most stressful times in the

most competitive Honda, Mitsubishi and multibrand servicing in

company’s 100-year history. But Lings has made it through and

the area.

wants to shout: ‘We’re back! Bigger and better than ever!’

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109

SUBSCRIBE 1 2 I S S U E S FO R £ 2 4

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Holt Fest Around 150 people attended the Holt Festival programme launch on June 2 at Back To The Garden, Letheringsett.

Chairman Adney Payne welcomed everyone expressing special thanks to all the sponsors and volunteers who make the Festival possible. Director Delaval Astley talked enthusiastically about the diversity of the programme which ranges from punk pioneers The Stranglers to intellectual heavyweights Melvyn Bragg and Richard Dawkins. Amongst other highlights is John Hurt in a charity performance of the audacious White Rabbit, Red Rabbit. Full details at www.holtfestival.org Photos and words by Steve

Forster PR

Adney Payne, Anwen Rees-Myers and John Hurt

Andrew Chapman, Patricia Chapman and Caro Flower

Isabelle, Duncan and Nina Baker

Wendy and John Roebuck and Viv Cooke

Clare and Roger Dubbins

Cathy Morris and Anne Thornalley

Diana Scargill, Rob Raywood and Chris Scargill

Mike Lane and Fiona Mardi

Jane Valori, Mary Lintott and Lady Fiona Fraser

page sponsored by

high society

Norfolk Community Foundation Reception, Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth Mayor John Burroughs hosted a reception for Norfolk Community Foundation at the town’s Assembly Room. Guests heard about the work of the Foundation, and had the opportunity to meet some of the local organisations which have been supported by grants over recent months. The event was sponsored by Birketts.

Photos and words by Newman

Associates PR

Clare Agnew and Charles Barratt

Frank Eliel, Angus McCrum and Mark Flynn

Lee Brown and Anna Douglas

David White and Graham Tuttle

Great Yarmouth Mayor John Burroughs, Brian Potter and John Fuller

Simon Smith, Anne and Peter Colby and Trevor Wainwright

Helen Tuttle, Jackie Higham and Olive Thompson

Ian Hacon and Matt Crawley

Richard Sunderland and Maria Jollivet

Jo Maddocks and Sue Loads

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The Globe, Wells A stunning launch party was held at The Globe Inn in Wells-next-the-Sea to celebrate the first phase of redevelopment at this 200-year-old inn. Delicious canapés, chilled wines and laughter flowed as people spilled onto the town’s leafy Georgian square during a perfect early summer evening. Journalists, local business folk and regular visitors enjoyed a warm welcome from Antonia and Stephen Bournes and GM Jenna Richards. Troops of guests were given a tour of the seven newlydesigned bedrooms, bar and restaurant, as Norwich-based interior designer Holly Pagani, of Salt Interiors, explained the choice of fabrics and wall coverings.

Photos by Sylvaine

Poitau

Antonia and Stephen Bournes

Tessa Osborne, Janey Burland and Josh Vertigan

Sophie Barrett

Tim Stocker and Sally Maufe

Christine and Patrick Campbell

Lehr Perowne, Jude Oleson and Linda Pattrick

Antonia Bournes, Roger and Deidre Law

Olivia Faire and Jeanette Goodrich

Tim and Carolyn Stocker

Martin Billing, Kate Cleaver and Sarah Billing

page sponsored by

high society

Taverham Hall Preparatory School Summer Ball Almost 300 guests attended Taverham Hall Preparatory School’s May Summer Ball.

They were treated to a drinks reception, with music by The Malthouse String Quartet, on arrival within the school’s beautiful grounds. A delicious dinner was provided

by Running Duck and the dancing kicked off with London’s Dixieland Jazz Masters, The Branflakes, who have also performed at Jade Jagger’s wedding.

Photos by Debby

Besford

Janice Beckett, Victoria Earley and Sarah van Poortvliet

Addie and Bevil Granville

Andrea Kay and Austin Brydon

Miranda Browne, Lucy Wordsworth and Kate Curtis

Karis and Ross Hamilton

Mike and Alexandra Crossley

Julie and Duncan Snelling

Lisa Blake, Caroline Nunn and Paula Cowell

Faye Burrage, Tracey and Andy Grand and Claire Riseborough

Lisa and Ian Green

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Norwich Lower School, New Opening Old pupils joined current and new parents to celebrate the opening of the Norwich Lower School extension. The reception was attended by more than 80 guests, who heard from Dr Stephen Ashworth, Reader in Chemistry at the University of East Anglia. Canapés were served and guests had the opportunity to take tours of the new facilities.

The extension, which was completed in early 2014, has increased the Lower School’s footprint and provided three new classrooms including a dedicated science classroom and three music practice rooms.

Aiden Watts and David Hastings

Ana and Ed Roy and Steph Doylend

Rachel Lightfoot and David Bush

Dr Stephen Ashworth, Paula Farman, Steffan Griffiths and Tony Goff

Kate Copson and Fran Brugger

Steven and Sarah Betts

Kate and David Clover

James Duez and Nick Taylor

Simon Pegge, Charis Grapes and Julia Hewitt

Patrick and Jennie Palgrave-Moore

page sponsored by

high society

The Opening of The Wonder of Birds, Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery Guests arriving at the Castle entrance were greeted by a magnificent weathervane in the shape of a heron by Maggi Hambling. Over 200 guests, including lenders, artists, sponsors and local councillors, enjoyed sparkling wine and canapés.

Dr Dafila Scott, daughter of celebrated naturalist and artist Sir Peter Scott, officially opened the exhibition, speaking movingly about her father’s work and the fascination that birds continue to exert on our imagination. This major loan exhibition, which features over 220 works by artists from Hans Holbein to Pablo Picasso, together with taxidermy, fashion and photography, is sponsored by Brown & Co, with the support of Lyon & Turnbull, The East Anglia Art Fund, Arts Council England, Norwich City Council and Norfolk County Council and the media sponsor, Eastern Daily Press.

Words by Sue

Bond PR Pictures by Ross Burden

James and Suzannah Ray

Nick Curnow, Bill Mankins and Chris Wood

Debbie Harris and Emma Taylor

Susan Palmer and Christopher Leggett

Dafila Scott and Steve Miller

Ian Peter MacDonald, Emily Johnston and Peter Hornor

Susan and Patrick Arnold

Maggi Hambling

Katie Jones and Laura O’Grady

Fi Hitchcock and Paris Agar

| JuLY 2014

116

Photography

Cromer carnival

Caught on Camera Gorleston-based photographer Mark Custance captures the RAF Aerobatic Team, The Red Arrows, high above the skies at Cromer. They return again on August 20.

See more of his work on flickr www.flickr.com/photos/125511829@N08/

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117

| JULY 2014

5

minutes

with

Rebecca Wass Rebecca Wass, General Manager of the Pavilion Theatre at the end of north Norfolk’s iconic and historic Cromer Pier, tells us how much she loves all kinds of theatre, from the Mundesley lifeboat pantomime onwards!

Describe your job to us My role is very varied and, due to the tidal surge last December, I have been involved in insurance meetings, designing kitchens and rebuilding computers and ticket printers. My main role is to ensure all areas of the Pier and the team are working successfully. I was heavily involved in creating new opportunities on the Pier last summer to include walkabout acts and a busking competition and we are continuing that this year with a ‘Best of Norfolk Show’ where I’m currently looking at local talent to perform.

Where were you born and what brought you to Norfolk?

I’m originally from Warwickshire; I grew up near Stratford-upon-Avon where my interest in theatre began. I’ve moved around the UK and abroad with study and work, and I ended up moving to Norwich for a nine-month contract. I fell in love with the area and I’m still here nine years later.

What’s your ideal day out in the area?

It’s a cliché but I actually do love Cromer and the surrounding area. I love taking a trip out on the steam train and walking along the coast to Overstrand and enjoying fish and chips.

Which iconic Norfolk characters do you most admire and why?

I used to work at the Bridewell Museum in Norwich and therefore learnt a lot of the social history of the area. One person that stuck with me was Edith Cavell; I’m slightly obsessed with the history of the First and Second World Wars and therefore was very interested in how she rescued so many soldiers.

What’s your favourite pub in Norfolk and what do you like to drink there?

I live in Norwich and I love The Shed now renamed the Fat Cat Brewery Tap. It’s technically my local, but I also enjoy the live music there and the pies.

Where do you like to eat out in Norfolk and why? And what do you order?

If I could choose anywhere to eat in Norfolk, it would have to be The White Horse in Overstrand. Not only is the food amazing but the service is impeccable.

What do you miss most when you leave the region?

My friends: I’m very lucky that, after moving around so much before arriving here in my mid 20s, I have still managed to build up a great network of people who love the same things as me. I’ve made some of my closest friends here and love nipping into Norwich for a coffee and some cake with one of them. I also love the theatre around the area, from the local amateur groups to the diversity of the Puppet Theatre and Sheringham’s REP and of course our very own End of the Pier Show, the last of its kind in Europe. We should shout more about the variety of theatre in Norfolk.

What are you reading at the moment?

I always have about three books on the go as I love reading but one of them is Some Girls, Some Hats and Hitler by Trudi Kanter. It’s a book about a Jewish lady in the Second World War who is trying to escape to Austria with her husband.

Would you prefer a day on the Broads or a day at Yarmouth’s Pleasure Beach? Why? I’m a keen cyclist so I would much prefer a day on the Broads; I could cycle there and then take a boat trip out. This is the very reason I stayed in Norfolk as there was such diversity in the local landscapes from the Broads to the coast and the nature reserves of Blakeney.

Opera, musical, drama or movie - which would you prefer to watch? And what was the last production/ show you saw?

I love theatre but I also love films. If I have a day off midweek I’m usually found in Cinema City in Norwich hiding in the corner on my own watching a good film. The last show I saw was Humble Boy at the Maddermarket. I try to support all the local groups and have even seen the Mundesley lifeboat pantomime which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Sum up Norfolk in three words Artsy, friends, home Sum up yourself in three words I embrace life (or: stubborn, encouraging, determined!)

F o r m o re d e ta i l s about The Cromer Pier Shows, call 01263 512495 or visit www.cromer-pier.com.

118

ROYS

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