Christmas_New Year 08

Town & About 2008To advertise call 01328 851211 Christmas/New Year EditionEREHAMD& BRECKS Issue 18 MOTORING • HOMES & GARDENS • FOOD & DRINK ENTERTAINMENT• HEALTH & BEAUTY • COMPETITIONS www.townandaboutmagazine.co.uk your free community lifestyle magazineTown & About

mail@townandaboutmagazine.co.ukTo advertise call 01328 851211 Fantastic New Ranges of LED Lights Plus Indoor & Outdoor Lights & Fibre Optics Wall or Free-standing Light Sculptures Gifts for Gardeners, Pets & Pet Owners From End of Nov LOCALLY GROWN, FRESH CHRISTMAS TREES Norway Spruce, Blue Spruce & Nordman Fir MYHILL’S PET & GARDEN CHRISTMAS LIGHTS & GIFTS Branches at 7, Church Street, Dereham 01362 692975 12, London Street, Swaffham 01760 721272 35, High Street, Watton 01953 881552 Also at Attleborough, Wymondham & Diss www.myhillspetandgarden.co.uk **Great Gifts for Fishermen at Dereham**

Town & About 2008To advertise call 01328 851211

mail@townandaboutmagazine.co.ukTo advertise call 01328 851211 004

Town & About 2008To advertise call 01328 851211 © Town & About. All rights reserved. Reproduction is forbidden except by the express permission of Town & About. The content is believed to be correct but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed and does not form any part of any offer or contract. Town & About cannot accept responsibility for any omissions or errors. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the editors or the owners. Welcome Community news from around the area Home-made Christmas pud TV’s nutritionist Glen Matten asks : tea - friend or foe? This issue - keeping warm this winter, electrical safety and garden design Up to date legal news from Hood Vores & Allwood Liza Goddard in Panto Advice from solicitors Kenneth Bush Being Positive - business advice from Larking Gowen A motor for five grand Pause for thought Find the ball Topical discussion Your questions answered Vicky seeks help for a ‘pain in the neck’! Andy Turner Vicky Turner Phil Scott 07734 307435 Starre Corner Cottage Dereham Road Colkirk Fakenham NR21 7NQ Tel 01328 851211 Mob 07859 931673 office@norfolkonmymind.co.uk www.norfolkonmymind.co.uk Andy Turner Mob: 07859 931673 Mike Pemberton, Glen Matten, Gill Gorringe, Mark D’Apice. Louise Thomas-Minnsouise Thomas-Minns This issue glen mikegill Promotions Manager Phil louise Contributors Dear Readers Welcome to the 3rd Anniversary edition of Town & About. How time flies when you’re having fun! Fun it has been but also lots of hard work. In the three years we have been going, we are proud to have met with many local businesses and spoken to hundreds of readers, as well as given away prizes worth thousands of pounds. We hope we have now established ourselves as the No.1 free magazine for the Dereham and Brecks area. The positive feedback from the local community has been fantastic and we will continue to make improvements for our advertisers and readers alike. To celebrate our anniversary we are introducing a Readers Corner where you, the reader, can contribute with your letters and emails on subjects close to your heart. Also we have re-launched our website to include a local business directory. Many of us are lucky enough to spend the holidays with our family and friends. With this in mind we would like to give a special mention to all our troops who will be serving overseas this festive season - we are sure you will join with us in wishing them a safe one and a speedy return home for the New Year. May we thank all our readers and customers for their support over the past three years and wish them all a very merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year. Andy FREE ONLINE DIRECTORY You can now register your business for free visit www.townandaboutmagazine.co.uk and click on the directory link. “We give more to local business because we are a local business!” 005 Front cover pic - courtesy of David Morris www.davidmorrisphotographer.com Find the Ball -£25 Mrs Annison, Swaffham - £15 Mrs S Lawes, Little Fransham - £10 K Gulliver, Swaffham ‘Winners Never Lose’-Mrs D Copeman, High Kelling Imagine Evening Spa Experience -Winner - L Stevens, Watton - Runners Up - R Hall, North Wootton - L Bamforth, North Elmham - L Hobbs, Little Snoring, - T Gwynne, Dereham - D Buttifant, Drayton Pet Idol -Winner - Mrs D Pelling, North Tuddenham (No 10) Runners Up - Mrs K Hendry, Dereham (No13) - A Mays, Dereham (No 7)

mail@townandaboutmagazine.co.ukTo advertise call 01328 851211 006 Sunday 21st Dec. 10.30am ‘Christmas Family Special’ Wellspring Family Church 35 Neatherd Rd Dereham. NR19 2AE www.wellspringfamilychurch.org Tel 01362 854581 office@wfcdereham.org Go Orgasmic with XFactorDating.com! XFactor are expanding their popular Speed Dating evenings to excit- ing new venues in Norwich from 7th October. In addition to Henry’s Bar, which has served XFactor well over the past 3 years, there will be regular Speed Dating events at Orgas- mic Cafe in the heart of Norwich’s nightlife district plus guest appearances at Green’s Health and Fitness and more…. Speed Dating is a fun way of meeting other single people in a relaxed environment, as well as being a good night out; and there is a whole new team of local hosts and icebreakers to make the dating experience run smoothly. Each venue has fantastic offers for all Speed Dating guests making the evening even better value for money. For full details see www.XfactorDates.com or call 0870 871 7777. The Iceni Choir are very privileged to have as their musical director and conductor, James Lilwall. They gave their inaugural concert in July 2007 in Salle Church to a packed audience. Since then they have received invitations to sing in various venues and festivals. Iceni’s repertoire ranges from early Church and sacred music to Broadway and popular song. There are exciting plans to possibly twin the choir with a similar choir in France during 2009. The choir’s aim is to sing, perform and entertain at the highest possible level, whilst still making enjoyment a priority. The Choir has a great President in the form of Hannah Francis, soprano. Hannah was invited by James to hear the choir and has helped by dedicating her time and experience to lessons and workshops. Hannah was principal soprano with the English National Opera performing widely on the international operatic concert platform, As a recitalist, Hannah sings regularly in London. She is delighted to have been invited to be President of the Iceni Choir. The Iceni Choir rehearse on Wednesday evenings at All Saints Church, Bawdeswell at 7.30pm, New members encouraged and always welcome. The Choir will be giving three Christmas concerts with the first in St. Mary's Church, Reepham at 3.00pm on Sunday 30th November. The second at St. Peter and St. Paul Church, Swaffham on Friday 5th December at 7.30pm. And finally, Sunday 7th December, at All Saints Church, Bawdeswell at 4.00 p.m. There are three workshops for voice, taken by Hannah Francis being held Saturday 25th October, Saturday 15th November and Saturday 29th November in All Saints Church, Bawdeswell, These take place from10.30am and everyone is welcome, A further master class with Hannah is planned for January - date to be confirmed. For more details please contact James Lilwall on 01362 688499 or pjlilwall@hotmail.com The Iceni ChoirWellspring Family Church At St. Mary's Church, North Elmham CHRISTMAS CONCERT by TAVERHAM BAND ADULTS £6 (Children under 14 Free) Enquiries 01362 668435/668530 Christmas Postal Dates 2008 Dec-2nd Class Dec-1st Class Dec - Special Delivery with Saturday Guarantee Dec - Special Delivery Dec - South & Central America, Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, Far East, Asia, New Zealand and Australia Dec - Japan, USA, Canada and Eastern Europe Dec - Western Europe

Town & About 2008To advertise call 01328 851211 Makes 2 x 2 pint puddings Initial cooking time 6 – 8 hours Re-Steaming – 2 – 4 hours Ingredients 8oz self raising flour 1 tsp mixed spice Pinch salt 0.5 tsp ground nutmeg 10oz suet 8oz fresh white bread crumbs 4 oz ground almonds 8oz Demerara sugar 8oz raisins 8oz sultanas 8oz currants 6oz chopped, mixed peel 2oz whole almonds, skinned and roughly chopped Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon 3 eggs, beaten 8fl oz brown ale 3 tblspns of brandy Method Sieve together flour, spices, nutmeg and salt. Add suet, breadcrumbs, almonds, sugar, fruit and lemon rind and mix thoroughly. Combine dry ingredients with lemon juice, eggs, ale and brandy to make a stiff dropping consistency. Press into two greased 2 pint pudding basins. Cover securely with greased foil or double thickness greaseproof paper and steam. Re-steam on the day! Serve with lashings of double cream or brandy sauce! NB For a darker pudding, add I tablspn of black treacle. These puddings will keep for up to a year if stored in a cool, dry place. Christmas pud, it seems, has very ancient roots which are two fold. Both of its ancestral links can be traced back to as early as the 1400’s when it was, in fact, originally a savoury food. All surplus animals were traditionally slaughtered in the Autumn and the first ‘Mince Pies’ were actually pieces of meat, mixed with dried fruits which acted as preservatives, encased in pastry and hung for lengthy periods, ready for consumption at large feast times such as the festive season. Its other, closer family member was perhaps the ‘Pottage’. This was a mixture of meats and and vegetables first introduced in Roman times. This concoction was prepared in a large cauldron; the ingredients were slowly cooked with the addition of sugar, dried fruit and spices. Sounds good?? There’s more…. The first records of this ‘Standing Pottage’ show that around 1420, the recipe was further adapted with the addition of bread, currants and sandalwood! It was during the reign of Elizabeth I, however, that the all-important ingredient,, was added to the dish; from this link we see the gradual change to what was to be later known as the plum pudding. As the 1700’s relinquished more advanced techniques for preserving meat, the Pottage and the Mince Pie both saw a decline in their meat components whilst their sweet contents increased. The Mince Pie has kept its name to this day but ‘Plum Pudding’ which was more usually consumed to celebrate the harvest, eventually took on its pinnacle role as Christmas Pudding in the 1830’s – this coincided with the traditional ball shape, was mixed containing fruits, suet, flour, sugar and spice, and topped-off with the trademark holly sprig. These fantastic desserts can be made well in advance of the festive season and keep very well, as long as they are stored in a cool, dark environment. They will last easily into the New Year and beyond which means you can even enjoy one with Easter Day dinner. If you haven’t made yours yet, there’s still time; they do improve with standing but I still think they are much better than any of their shop-bought counterparts, even made at the last minute! If you do find time to knock the following recipe together before the big day, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed! Bring us some figgy pudding 007

mail@townandaboutmagazine.co.ukTo advertise call 01328 851211 John Carrick, a farmer from Swanton Morley, decided that there was an opportunity to breathe new life into two derelict cottages that stood on his land – there was a need for a local pub where people of all ages could relax and enjoy fine ale and good food. From this innovative plan, was born into the village. Since the freehouse first opened its doors over 20 years ago, staff have made it their mission to ensure that a great choice of real ales is always available, along with a seasonal food menu to accompany that choice. Some of the ales on offer include Adnam’s Best, Adnam’s Broadside, Woodforde's Wherry and Fuller's whilst other favourites such as Kronenburg, Miller and Foster’s lagers, Aspall cider and draught Guinness are also on tap. For those that prefer wine, there is a great selection of wines from around the world to please any taste. All dishes from the menu are home-cooked on site, with all ingredients sourced locally. also holds regular ‘Theme nights’ throughout the week where specific types of cuisine can be celebrated and enjoyed. The interior is rustic, warm and comfortable as befits its surroundings and has a unique atmosphere all of its own. Game machines and pool tables are off the menu with good old-fashioned conversation the only other accompaniment to the great food and drink served! For more information visit www.darbysfreehouse.co.uk or contact 01362 637647. Try some home cooking this Christmas • Locally produced Beef Pork & Lamb • Local Game • All Sausages & Burgers made on the premises What is it that more and more customers are discovering at Corners each Christmas? Owner, Isabelle Leader explains. ‘First, it is our great quality fruit and veg - fresh in each day from our neighbouring farms, growers and suppliers. In particular our incredibly popular veg boxes