The Golden Guide

OCT/NOV22

14 Hammond Stratford Estate Agents

18 Elm Hill Craft Shop

20/21 The Goat Shed Farm Shop

23 Review of ‘A Centenary Guide to Heigham Park’

26 Gardening Column Tasks for October

30-31 Home Choosing the right radiators

34 Recipe Pistachio & Orange cake

36 Technology Choosing the best

e readers

42 Travel Lecce, Italy

44 Finance leaving legacies

46 INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

Hello, and welcome to the October/ November 22 issue of the Golden Guide. In this issue we put some questions to Estate Agents Hammond & Stratford, and visited Elm Hill Craft Shop, the family business that Lucy Morris has recently took over from her mother, Christina. We drove out to The Goat Shed Farm Shop in Honingham to look at the goats, stock up on Norfolk produce, and eat in their new restaurant/ kitchen.

Many of us are planning to keep down the heating this winter, and be overall far more energy efficient in our homes. Turn to our pages on radiators on pages 30 31. Carrying on with the theme of warm domestic cosiness, our recipe for heart cheering Orange and Pistachio cake is particularly delicious.

If anyone living in the Rowington Rd/ Victoria St area and wants to do a spot of delivery, we are looking for reliable, efficient deliverers. Likewise, if you live on/ around Cricket Ground Road and would like to deliver, please contact us. Our long time deliverer in these roads has moved to the Lake District, so we need to replace him.

See you in the Christmas/ New Year issue of The Golden Guide!

Distribution

The Golden Guide is a local independent magazine. We aim to think, buy and live local. It is delivered free to 14,000 homes in South Norwich (The Golden Triangle, Eaton, and City Road areas). Full details of our distribution are on our website. How We Work We understand that the needs of the small business are quite different from those of a big company, and our advertising service is very much targeted at independent, local businesses. From advert design, to general advice, we are here to help you grow your business.

Publisher and Editor

01603 629024 074119 43649 sophie@thegoldenguide.net www.thegoldenguide.net

Hammond & Stratford Estate Agent

Q. Background - How long have Hammond Stratford been established? Who are your staff, and how big an agency are you?

A. Hammond & Stratford have been established as an independent agent since 2004. We opened our first branch in the market town of Dereham with little more than a couple of deck chairs and a phone, but have seen success through hard work and perseverance, and built our agency into the 6 branch operation it is today. This consists of 4 sales branches located in the heart of bustling market towns and villages, a lettings agency in Cringleford, and a Head Office in Eaton. We are proud of our Norfolk heritage and employ local people who both live and work in the areas we cover. Not only do they pride themselves on being able to talk passionately about the benefits of your city, town or village, but they also enjoy helping with a variety of local projects within them. Every year we provide sponsorship to charities, events, schools and other community groups to support our local areas.

Q. Where are you based, and what areas do you cover?

A. We cover most of Norfolk through our network of branches which are situated in prominent high street locations in Eaton, Hethersett, Attleborough and Dereham. Being positioned in the centre of these towns and villages means we can advertise properties to the local market 24/7, providing great additional exposure for our sellers.

Q. Have you won any awards that you want to mention?

A. We are proud of our teams for achieving the Feefo Platinum ‘Trusted Service Award’ for the last 3 years running, as well as winning gold in the British Property Awards 2021 and 2022. As an independent company, we rely heavily on word of mouth and local reputation, and we’re fortunate to receive an abundance of wonderful 5 star reviews. These are a true reflection of our team’s ability to deliver and uphold exceptional standards of customer service. We were also recently featured in the EDP as one of the first Norfolk estate agents to fully embrace TikTok, with one of our videos going viral and amassing an incredible 700,000 views and counting!

Q. Why should someone wanting to sell their property come to you?

A. Choosing the right agent should be a positive experience. You are entrusting us with the sale of your property and are willing to invest your confidence and time in us. From the very beginning, we will partner with our clients to deliver the service that they want by taking the time to listen to and understand their needs. We embrace creative and high end marketing methods to showcase the property to the widest audience, whilst keeping sellers informed and involved throughout the process.

We offer a wealth of premium marketing tools including professional photography, video tours, 360 virtual tours, drone photography, bespoke brochures, and extensive online coverage across social media and 3 of the main property websites. We also offer accompanied viewings 7 days a week, and a dedicated sales progression team to assist your transaction through to a successful completion.

074119 43649

The Golden Guide put some questions to Eaton based Estate Agent, Hammond Stratford.

Q. How much do you

Elm Hill Craft Shop

Elm Hill Craft Shop is a Norwich treasure. Christina Morris ran the shop for 45 years, during which time the corner shop on Elm Hill became the place to buy cards, wrapping paper, candles, stocking fillers, calendars, doll’s house furniture, and much more. Christina’s unfailing eye for originality meant the shop was somewhere to rely on for a gift that was a little bit different. This summer, Christina passed the baton to her daughter, Lucy. Luckily for us, Lucy’s taste is an updated version of her Mum’s eclectic, and, well, rather lovely. Many of the products remain from Christina’s time at the helm (the doll’s house furniture; the stocking filler/ party bag section; the Bavarian glass Christmas baubles etc), though there is a little more stationery, with some fabulous papers, pens and notebooks that can’t be found anywhere else in Norwich, and which reflect Lucy’s other job as a children’s book illustrator and writer. There remains a wide choice of greetings’ cards, ribbons and wrapping papers, and half of the shop is still devoted to children, with a beautiful collection of Moulin Roty dolls, dolly’s tea sets, books, games, craft kits etc. Call in and you might well bump into Christina who is still very much a presence. Lucy is there most days, with a third generation of the Morrises represented by Lucy’s daughter who works on Saturdays. Elm Hill Craft Shop remains very much its own self a shop full of tasteful idiosyncrasies. It’s fabulously atmospheric at Christmas, when the shop twinkles with glass baubles and decorations, but it’s also fabulous for gifts and cards at any time of the year!

Little known facts about the shop

• Elm Hill Crafts Shop was opened in 1936 by two friends and was one of the first Arts and Crafts gift shops. At the beginning, spinning, dying and weaving took place on the premises, with products for sale in the shop.

• The shop also stocked ceramics by upcoming names such as Bernard Leach and John Chipperfield.

• Elisabeth the Queen Mother was an early customer, purchasing a hand-woven blanket and rugs (no cash exchanged, of course!).

• In 1971 Christina Morris started work in the shop, and she bought it in 1981. The shop gradually evolved into a gift shop, with a craft/ handmade base.

Elm Hill Craft Shop, 12, Elm Hill, NR3 1HN Tel 01603 621076 Website under construction www.elmhillcraftshop.co.uk.

The Goat Shed Farm Shop and Cafe

What is it about goats? They’re like marmiteMarmite: you either love them or hate them. I personally love them: they always make me laugh. Which was why I was so happy to visit somewhere that’s been on my radar for a long time: Fielding Cottage’s The Goat Shed.

Fielding Cottage have been producing excellent goats’ cheese from their farm just outside Norwich since 2009. The cheese comes in three forms: a hard white cheese called Wensum White; a soft cheese named Mardler; and a creamy curd. The story goes back to 2009, when local farmer Sam Steggles bought 10 goats whilst on holiday (yes, holiday). Returning home, he began making cheese in his kitchen sink. Within a few years, what had begun as a hobby had expanded to become a vibrant business. From an on site, purpose made factory, Fielding Cottage today makes cheese that is sold nationally to supermarkets, airlines, and restaurants. Most recently, the business has started producing a popular range of beauty products, none of which smell of goats, and all of which offer health benefits for those with eczema or psoriasis! Their Geranium & Rose body lotion regularly sells out.

During lockdown, Sam used a pre existing shed on the farm to provide essentials for the community and gave locals an outdoors space to meet, or at least to see other faces. ‘The Goat Shed’, as it became known, took off. It was so popular that eighteen months ago, Sam opened a farm shop and a restaurant. This year the Goat Shed Farm shop won the Muddy Stilettos’ Best Farm Shop and Deli Award, and it is drawing customers from across the county. The best of Norfolk produce can be found on its shelves. All the big local foodie names are here to name a few: Swannington meats, Marsh Pig Charcuterie, Candi’s chutneys, Winbirri Vineyard wines, eggs from Hingham, Crush rapeseed oils, Bon Bakery Biscotti, Cheeky Nibbles Granola, Norfolk Gin, etc. And, of course, the cheese section sells the full range of Fielding Cottage’s goats’ cheeses. In all, it’s a great place to wander, buy and enjoy.

The restaurant is also well worth a visit. Like the shop, it’s huge – with a covered outdoor area as well as an indoors section. The menu contains many ingredients which are sold in the farm shop, and it’s not standard café fare. There are open sandwiches (avocado, smoked salmon & mixed leaf salad; beetroot, parsley & walnut pesto; Wensum White Goat and an all day breakfast, plus a range of salads beetroot, goat curd, parsley & hazelnut, for example. All allergies are catered for.

In the run up to Christmas, the Farm Shop will expand into a Christmas shed with a cabin feel where local producers will have stalls. With easy parking outside, and a journey that averages 18 minutes from the Unthank Road, this is an easy place to stock up on Christmas consumables. Plan to go for a morning, have lunch after your shop, and enjoy seeing the goats as they career around the field outside.

The Goat Shed Farm Shop and Kitchen, Colton Road, Honingham Norwich NR9 5DJ

A Centenary Guide To Heigham Park

Heigham Park was officially opened in 1924, with work having begun a few years’ earlier. The Park is therefore celebrating its centenary. To mark the occasion the Friends Of Heigham Park have produced a history of this ‘place of quiet beauty and hidden charm’ that lies in the middle of the Golden Triangle, and has been much loved, by residents for a century.

Local resident Jonathan Asher dug around in the archives to come up with an attractively produced square volume, full of interesting facts. There is a guided tour of the site, including the bowling green(s), the pond, the pavilion, the flowerbeds, the playground etc – and indicating where, if any, changes have been made. Photographs of then/ now illustrate a ‘then’ that was flat and bare, with low, newly planted trees, and no s leafy, fully matured beauty. There is a chapter on the history of the famous sunflower gates, and a long section on landscape architect Captain Sandys Winsch (also a daffodil specialist). Winsch was the mastermind behind most of Norwich’s parks and public spaces. Current much-loved parkie Paul Drake gets a mention (Paul has a vast knowledge of the Park’s flora and fauna and produces wonderful displays of flowers each year) and there’s an interview with Fred Greengrass, one of Heigham Park’s full time park keepers during the 1950’s. There is also a chapter on the Park’s richly varied wildlife. Did you know, for example, that the park is home to a leucistic (albino) blackbird, and that many other birds such as barn owls, bramblings, nuthatches, redwings and siskins have been recorded? In all, the book really enhances a visit to a much loved urban oasis. You can pick up a copy for £8 from Ian Fox Maps at 105C Portersfield Rd, Norwich NR2 3JX.

What’s On

The Singh Twins: Slaves of Fashion at East Gallery and The Castle. October 2—Jan 22nd. From academic artistsand/or a single identity artist duo, this exciting exhibition ( past- modern not postmodern) from the Liverpudlian twindividuals really will be so worth seeing. It’s hard to describe the work: it comes from a tradition of Indian miniature art; is figurative and unfashionably decorative, and it’s clever. It’s complex, colour saturated work that looks politely at Indian and British cultural history, with a light, enticing tone. Slaves of Fashion recently attracted 105 K visitors when it showed at the Walker Art Gallery. Expect a curious take on Empire, Colonialism, conflict, luxury lifestyle seen through the lens of the textile trade. A total must.

Frederick Sandys: The Greatest Draughtsman at the Castle. Opening October 22nd. As if the Singh Show isn’t enough, The Castle is also mounting an exhibition of exquisite portraits by one of the biggest artistic names in Victorian Britain, and one of its finest draughtsmen. Norwich born, but gravitating to London for his adult life, Sandys was a close friend of Rossetti and part of the Pre Raphaelite clan. The exhibition will include some of his rarely seen chalk and pastel portraits, as well as other work. His portrait subjects were often Victorian literati: Tennyson, Matthew Arnold, Browning. Later, he moved to oil paintings with a much more lavish pre Raphaelite tone, for which he became famous.

Chintz: The Price of Luxury , The Singh Twins 2017

Norfolk Contemporary Craft Society, November 29— December 10th at The Hostry, Celebrating 50 years, Norfolk Contemporary Craft Society mounts an exhibition promoting its members’ work.

Start-Rite—Celebrating 230 years at the Bridewell until October 29. Eight generations of a family, and a Norwich based brand that endures. Dive into Norwich’s once vibrant footwear history at the Bridewell.

The Leaves Of The Trees: A Reflective Covid Memorial. At St Peter’s Mancroft October 30-November 27. Sculptor Peter Walker’s memorial is touring the UK, and visits Norwich for a month. 5000 steel leaves will be scattered across the floor, each one commemorating lives lost.

Wild Children, Wilder Norwich. Talk by writer and Norfolk Wildlife President, Patrick Barkham at The Forum. October 19. 7-8pm.

Work by textile artist Caroline Hyde Brown on show at Norfolk Contemporary Craft Society’s exhibition

Lecce: Florence of The South

Known as the Florence of the South, Lecce is Southern Italy’s sophisticated Baroque jewel. Lying within a stone’s throw of Brindisi Airport, in the heart of the Salento, it’s a perfect city break location.

On warm evenings, the alleyways of the old walled city throb with promenaders (mainly locals and Italian vacazioneri returning to visit family in the south). Everyone is smiling, joking, laughing, talking. Children play until late in the squares. Impromptu dancing breaks out at street corners, triggered by enthusiastic buskers. This is the capital of the south. It’s the mezzogiorno. Everyone has time for everyone.

Retaining its medieval footprint, Lecce’s old walled city (largely pedestrianized) is as easy as Venice to get lost in. Maps help to a certain extent; phone navigation is hit and miss. The joy of visiting somewhere like this is to wander, meander, get lost, and wander some more.

In the early 17th century, the city which served as a key crossroads of the Mediterranean, and a link between the Ionian and Adriatic seas underwent a massive facelift, and its medieval facades were decorated with Baroque flourishes that became known as Lecce Baroque. Working in soft, yielding sandstone, local stonemasons worked fast, furiously, and abundantly. From the portals of the palazzi to the altars and facades of churches and public buildings, you’ll spot countless eagles, dragons, monkeys, flowers, figs, grapes, lemons, dogs, ribbons, and coats-of-arms.

Start in the magnificent Piazzo Duomo, a vast square which houses the Cathedral, a campanile, an episcopal palace, and a seminary. A tourist pass from the Tourist Information Centre, in the corner of the square, gains entry to most of the big sites, and can be used over the course of a week.

The cathedral is like the Basilica di Santa Croce, which is another MUST a riot of intricate stonework. Below, there’s a crypt a sobering memento mori, with much of its contents lying baldly exposed. Climb back up to the square outside, and life carries on jubilantly. The Piazza del Duomo needs to be experienced both in the blinding light of midday sun and at night when it is exquisitely lit and full of families enjoying the cool reprieve. Order a drink in the café/bar and watch the world go by. And then call in at the wonderful stationery/ leather goods shop that backs onto the Piazza for gifts. Then, of course, there are Roman remains. In Piazza San Oronzo (Oronzo is the city’s patron saint, who saved the city from the 1656 plague), there is a partly exposed amphitheatre, and a column imported from Brindisi which once heralded the termination of the Appian

way. Piazza San Oronzo is also home to perhaps the best café in the city, Café Alvino, where you can pick up a pasticiotto, a custard filled pastry that the Leccese eat for breakfast.

The food, in general, is fabulous. Eat in a kerbside trattoria, or in the courtyard of a Palazzo, and chances are, you’ll eat superbly. British diners will perhaps want to swerve the horsemeat (it’s on almost every menu) and enjoy the seafood that the south is known for. If the headiness of the Baroque gets too much, head out over the arid plains of the Salento to the coast. This is olive oil production territory, with vast olive plantations stretching as far as the eye can see. With some olive trees centuries old, it’s sad to see how since 2013, roughly a third of the trees in the region have been lost to a blight imported from Costa Rica. Affected trees have been felled, and in some cases healthy olive trees lying within 100 yards of a sick tree have been uprooted. The toll on the local economy has been tremendous, and the appearance of the landscape irrevocably altered. Away from the olive plantations, on the Ionian coast, Gallipoli is about 45 minutes’ drive away, and the to the north, there are unspoilt beaches galore. On the Adriatic coast, head towards Otranto, another 45 minutes’ drive away. But beware that summer in the south can often mean jam packed lidos and d car parks and beaches. It’s best to visit during ‘the shoulder seasons’, spring or autumn.

Lecce is the ideal place to gaze and graze. It’s just perfect for an autumn break, or perfect for a pre Christmas break. Below are some ideas for where to eat.

Braceria Toro Nero Via Federico d’Aragona 77. Noisy family trattoria Volo Restaurant Via Guglielmo Paladini 9. www.volorestaurant.it Calm, cool, special. For lunch/ drinks La Porceraria, Il Panino Gourmet, Via Tufo 15. A panini palace. Pizza & Co. Via Giuseppe Libertini, 39. Perfect pizzas. Animaterrae, Via Marco Basseo 31. 16th century palace location. Special.

Index OfAdvertisers

Accountancy

David G Willis 9 Stockwell Bales 8 Acupuncture Beverley Dickins 45 Advertising in Norwich Catton Connection 41 The Golden Guide 32 Blinds Victoria Blinds 10 Builders Joyce Property Services 11 Ian Rush 11 Carpentry/ joinery Farrows 16 Carpet/ upholstery cleaning Clean Living 4 Charity Christmas Cards 37 Foodbank 39 Norfolk Greyhound Rescue 45 Chiropodist/ footcare/ podiatry Emma Vincent 9 Tonia Browning 10

Cleaning Andy and Sam’s Cleaning Services 7 Clarick Cleaning 39 Sparkling Homes 16 Cleaning - exteriors such as fascias etc Tas Valley Cleaning Services 23

Curtains/ Blinds Emma Bradley 41 Victoria Blinds 10

Doggy Day Care Tom and Toto 19

Electrician

AJ Electrical 7 Brown and Payne 45 DK Electrical 10 John Coles 45 LJM Electrical 22 Reeve Electrical 37 Electrical & Plumbing JJ Services 37

Estate Agents

Claxton Bird 6 Hammond & Stratford 25

Farm Shop/ Café The Goat Shed 7 Fat Reduction 3D Lipo 29 Firewood Plantscape 5 Floor sanding/ floorcare/ restoration Blitz 38 Floorsanding Co 19

Funeral Directors Shayne Stork 28 Garage Belvoir Garage 5 Gardening/ garden design, landscaping/ maintenance Andy Taylor 10 E Designs 19 Plough 35 Rimmer 39 Gym Fitness Space 24

Handyman

Dave’s Handyman and Gardening Services 37 Mr Handyman 28 NR2 Handyman 10

Heating KCM 8

Home Care Home Instead 47

Humanist Funeral Celebrant Jonathan Cooke 10 Man In A Van Little Red Van 8 Music Tuition (flute, sax, clarinet, piano & SaxWorld) David Fitzgerald 9

Organic Vegetable Box Delivery Riverford 4

Painter/ Decorator/ wallpapering

Allan Ashley 5 Jon Dennis 41 KS Moore 8 Graham Stocker 19 Richard Wyatt 39

Paving Plough Landscaping 35 Norfolk Paving & Builders 4

Personal Trainer Colin Browning 9

Pest Control Kerry Pest Control 7

Plastering RT Plastering 8

Plumbers

Ady Hunter 28 A Kirkham 4 Gary Smith 19 Joszef Szemerei 8 Mark Rush 28 Top Tap 23 Psychotherapy Emotional skills 12

Removals

The Little Red Van 8 Residential Care Blackswan Group 33

Corton House 13

Roofing

RG Leverett 29

Sash windows

Sash Window & Door Company 2 Sash Window Preservation Company 1

Secondary Glazing Secondary Glazing Systems 48

Skin Clinic Pottergate 16

Stained Glass Trinity Stained Glass 16

Surface respraying Ace 17 Surveying Allison Surveying 39

Tree surgery Plantscape 5

UEA Language Courses 7

Waste Collections Load And Go 4 Little Red Van 8

Window cleaners My Window Cleaners Norwich 37 Woodburners Bure Valley Woodburners 9 Zoo BugzUK 45

074119 43649