Alice does cooking...

Last weekend, 20 members of my family met for the traditional annual get together. This year the location for the occasion was Norwich, and plans were afoot for a lovely time for those who had traveled from across the UK and Europe. The weekend was a great success and it wouldn't have been nearly so good without a special evening hosted by Alice does Cooking in the wonderful setting of Olive's.

You may have seen my previous blogs about Olive's Supper Club. The popular Supper Club now takes place monthly, and Alys who runs it is diversifying following growing demand for her wonderful food. For this rather special event I therefore turned to the new and exciting venture that is Alice Does Cooking. A specially created best of Norfolk Supper Club was the order of the evening for my dear family at the beautiful, intimate venue of Olives. After a few discussions about requirements in advance, this menu was promptly suggested and was just right - supporting local food and business and showing some of the best Norwich and Norfolk has to offer.

On the menu to start -
Norfolk Tapas (Sharing platters for the table) consisting of
*Marsh Pig chorizo with chickpeas and Banham cider
*Norfolk Black Turkey empanadas
*Celeriac and brown butter purée
*Beetroot and walnut hummus
*Home-made focaccia

Main dishes –
*Confit gressingham duck leg and venison sausage cassoulet served with creamy mashed potato and braised chard
*Thai style Cromer crab cakes served with an Asian style seafood, watercress and rice noodle chowder
*Mr's Temple's cheese and Colman's mustard rarebit tart served with a warm salad of pickled red cabbage and roasted squash

Puddings –
*Norfolk treacle tart with Lakenham creamery ice cream
*Honey and lemon posset with lavender shortbread
*Apple and Norfolk dumpling cobbler with proper custard

Everyone loved the food and the atmosphere on the night, and if I'm putting on an event again where I need something a little special, then I'll be heading straight over to Alice Does Cooking... a welcoming, friendly response leading to tasty food, tailored menus AND all at an affordable budget.

To find out more visit http://www.alicesworldfoods.co.uk/

North Norfolk Coast: Heacham

Last week I was fortunate enough to spend a couple of glorious days on the beautiful North Norfolk coast. I haven't been on a beach in 18 months, and the beach at Heacham was just perfect. The skies were a bold blue, the sea breeze exuberant, the sea itself warm and very pleasant. A lovely time away from the bustle of the city.

Here are some landscapes I took whilst away.

Cars of the past - the Reliant Robin

There are some beautiful villages in Norfolk, and the Buckenhams New and Old are two of them. New Buckenham boasts not only the remains of a castle, but also was home to the wonderful Castle Hill garage.

This garage was special not only because it had an amazing font on the sign, but also for an amazing collection of Reliant Robins and Rialtos. Castle Hill garage is a specialist dealer of used parts for these little beasts, made famous by Del Boy in Only Fools and Horses. So I've found out, the garage has now moved south of the border in to Suffolk.

It stopped me dead in my tracks a good while back, and when I was in the area I often took a little detour to see what was on the forecourt.

 

To see the full set on Flickr click here.

To visit the Castle Hill Garage website, selling parts and the like, visit here.

An allotment friend...

Over the last few weeks, there has been a constant companion on the allotment. A little blackbird - hunting all sorts of bugs and beasts to feed to a clearly growing family. I've enjoyed the company, as I turn the soil and evacuate the creatures from their burrows and holes, this little chap stands by and flits in and out to get all the nutritious bits for the brood. Moult has started, and some thin patches of feather are now evident. What a fantastic example to us all though, forever on the go and doing the best it can.

A retro exploration of Norfolk

I'm not ashamed to admit it, I'm a little bit of a camera geek. So in my gear bag is normally one of THE best cameras ever made, the point and shoot Olympus Trip 35 as championed by David Bailey. It's a little camera and is a brilliant and fun to use. I have two of these little gems, and normally keep one loaded with colour film and the other with black and white. It has a fixed focus lens, so it means to focus you move either closer or further away from your subject matter.

My Olympus Trip 35 has accompanied me on many trips around Norwich and Norfolk. Here are a few of my favourites, with a lovely retro effect that only comes with using out of date film.

Enjoy!

Fishermen's Rest, Winterton on Sea

Mid Norfolk Railway, East Dereham

East Somerton church

Maltings, East Dereham

Potter Heigham

Huts, Winterton on Sea

Cromer beach

Cromer

Pill Box, Happisburgh beach

Church Rooms, Swaffham

The Guildhall, Norwich

Anglia Square, Norwich

41 All Saints Green

At 41 All Saints Green, Norwich, stands a grand grade II listed, late 18th Century Merchant's House. Three storeys tall, it is actually the little side building that caught my attention. With blue doors, and looking very weathered of late, it is strikingly different to nearby neighbour John Lewis,. It has also clearly taken a beating at some time, with substantial brick repairs evident. The yoga room behind is now closed, and taking a look at Norwich City Council's website, planning permission has been granted to convert the building into 2 commercial units and 7 residential dwellings.

Interested to find out more of the history of this place.

 

The Railway Mission

Prince of Wales Road, Norwich.

A place that tends to have rather a reputation for bars and clubs of all kinds, excessive drinking, fighting, and a heavy police presence and the SOS bus at the weekend.

But amongst the nightspots, taxi ranks and takeaways at the Riverside end of the road stands a fantastic little Grade II listed building. I am ashamed to confess I didn't notice it for years, mainly because I normally rush down this road as quickly as possible, concentrating entirely on my destination rather than the surroundings. It is a fantastic little building, and apparently quite easy to miss if you're not paying attention. Opposite Mercy and Rocco's, it is now occupied by the Norwich  Evangelical Free Church.

The brick colours are fantastic, and the detail on the Railway Mission sign very pleasing. The building is also in very good condition but for a small bit of graffiti. A total treasure of a place.

The Railway Mission itself is a British Mission and charity devoted to those in the railway industry and was founded in 1881. This building is apparently one of the best examples of a Railway Mission hall left standing. See http://www.railwaymission.org for more details.

These photos were taken over the course of two days, as there is a time restricted parking bay in front of the building. I love the colour of the building in the sunlight. It makes all the different building materials really noticeable, with the bricks at the bottom of the building having a shiny finish.