Clubs, Classes & Sports

What's On

Thursday 26 July 2012

La Perle Go Gold

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Since opening in April last year, Milford on Sea has been enjoying the culinary delights of our own village boutique French bistro.

On a daily basis, Leo conjures up French classics and rustic masterpieces on a plate.  The £10 fixed price menu is proving very popular, and trying to getting a table at a weekend takes planning, and a bit of luck.

Recently, the La Perle team had a visit from the ‘Ladies Who Lunch in Hampshire’.  For several years, the Ladies have been reviewing restaurants across the depth and breadth of Hampshire. During this time, they have sampled many a great meal and numerous quality wines.

Recently, their path found its way to La Perle, where they enjoyed a cross section of the menu accompanied by a selection from the drinks list.  Reading the review there is no doubt they enjoyed their dining experience, which was reflected in both their highly prized Gold Score of 22 out of 25, and the quote; “With this standard of food it is not surprising that they were very busy so booking is highly recommended. It is obviously a very popular venue for the locals, always a good sign!”

You can read the full review by clicking here.

La Perle is now open six days a week, Monday to Saturday for lunch from 11.30am, and dinner from 6.30pm.

If you haven’t been, you are missing a treat!

www.laperlemilford.co.uk

Fun for Kids at Library

Our local Milford on Sea library must surely be one of the most proactive in the country.  Led by Chris Minifie, Assistant Manager, our little library holds regular events for children, the older members of our community and also work to help the partially sighted.

In a time when we regularly hear of library closures, I would expect our local library is constantly under threat, and should it ever be lost it would affect so many in our village.

With the summer holidays now upon us, the team are working hard to give mums some free fun for little ones.

Toddlertime is taking place on the 3rd August (9.30 to 10am) where toddlers can enjoy action rhymes and fun!  Big brothers and sisters are welcome too - there will be colouring and, of course, books available for them to read if they don't want to join in.

A Family Workshop by Creation Station is on Thursday 16th August (2 to 3pm),  this is for ages 18 months to 7 years, and based on "Sharing a Shell" by Julia Donaldson. The activities will explore children's imaginative and creative play ideas, by using books as inspiration.  The afternoon will also include a Treasure Box discovery, an opportunity to create a framed 'sand-art' picture and shell character for a lolly stick book mark.

There is also a Story Making Workshop run by local author Cate Sweeney on Wednesday 22nd August (2 to 4pm). All children ages 7 tp 11 years can just go along and enjoy making stuff up and playing with words.

Local author Cate Sweeney said; “The aim is to get kids realising there is a lot of fun to be had in making up stories as well as reading them,” Cate is the author of children’s play Cloud Cuckoo Land as well as grown up novels. “I would never have written the stories I have without my local library. As a child I would always be borrowing books, reading plays, then later revising for exams. Libraries have always been places of wonder and escape for me. We should celebrate them as something that is living and breathing still.” The workshops will be drama based and show children the building blocks of storytelling as well as releasing the power of the imagination.

Both workshops have limited places, so please collect your FREE ticket, in advance, from the library.

For all of these activities parents/carers will need to remain in the library.

This year's ‘Story Lab’ Summer Reading Challenge is a celebration of story and imagination.  Read six books between 16th July and 14th September to collect stickers (be warned some of them stink!), a certificate and a medal.  When you have completed the challenge you name will be entered into a free prize draw for a set of children's classic books.

Each year the Challenge is based around an exciting theme which seeks to inject fun and creativity into reading to motivate primary school children aged four to 11 to read for pleasure. This year’s theme “Storylab”, takes them on an imaginative adventure based on the power of stories.

Milford on Sea Library is open:  Mon 2.30 - 5.30pm; Tue 2.30 - 4.30pm; Wed & Fri 10am - 12.30pm.

Tel: 01425 627013 | christine.minifie@hants.gov.uk

Flood scheme starting in Milford


We have been informed that Southern Water is investing £1.6 million to reduce the risk of flooding and pollution in Milford on Sea.

Some locals will know that during heavy rain, the sewers can become overloaded with storm water which can cause them to overflow and flood roads including Island View Gardens, Sea Road, Keyhaven Road and, on occasions, Danes Stream.

Southern Water plans to install a new sewer from the footpath at the back of Grebe Close to a large storage tank in the field alongside Keyhaven Road, via Swallow Drive and Plover Drive.

During storms, this storage facility will hold excess water until the rain passes. It will be able to hold up to one million litres of water, which will be pumped back into the sewer in Keyhaven Road when the rain stops. A second pumping station will be built underground, part-way along the route on some green land in Swallow Drive.

Planning permission has been granted for the scheme and construction is due to start in August and complete in spring 2013. The site team from contractor 4Delivery will liaise with the parish council and residents as the scheme progresses.

Project Manager Julie Anne Stokes said: “After looking at all options and consulting widely with the stakeholders involved, we’re confident we’ve come up with the best solution for both the environment and our customers.  Our priority now is to complete the scheme as quickly as possible, while causing as little disruption as possible."

There will be some traffic management, including partial road closures. These will be agreed with the county council and residents will be kept updated.

If you would like to find out more, please contact:
Leilah Nicola, Leilah.Nicola@southernwater.co.uk - 01903 272624


Friday 20 July 2012

Art Season Kicks Off

If you have any interest in art of local artists, or just like exploring, the coming weeks will be for you.

Fast approaching is the Hampshire Open Studios, and if you haven’t been before it is a great way to find nice pieces to decorate your home directly from artists’ studios, and at the same time explore some local lanes and off the beat tracks. (Please see all of the events and venues on website link at bottom of page.)

Milford on Sea is blessed with many talented people, and a surprising number of local artists are inspired by our fantastic surroundings.   Keep an eye out for the signs to various studios and exhibitions in the coming weeks.

Milford Art Group are starting early, with an Exhibition of Paintings in All Saints Church Hall in Milford on Sea.  This runs from Monday 23rd July to Saturday 4th August, and is Open Daily from 10am to 5.30pm (Sunday: 11am to 5.30pm).  Please pop along and take a look.



FoHC Thread The Needle

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The Friends’ Summer BBQ, held on the afternoon of Sunday 8th July, had a different format from previous years as it was preceded by a cruise on Hurst Ferries’ ‘Solent Rose’ to try and thread the needle before sailing along the beautiful north western coast of the Isle of Wight and back to the Castle to be fed and watered.

The cruise had been arranged for last summer but had to be cancelled due to – what else? - bad weather, no rain but near gale force winds. The pouring rain on Saturday did not inspire much confidence and there were a few enquires about a Plan B or was it to be another cancellation.

Sunday was by far a better day and 65 people boarded the boat. Threading the needle would be a last minute decision by Captain Sean but we set off in a choppy sea towards the lighthouse. A few got very wet from the spray coming over the bow but many of the passengers were sailing people and had come well prepared. Up close to the lighthouse it could be seen how hard it must have been, especially in rough seas, for crew and supplies to land and how isolated the keepers must have felt in bad weather with no way of leaving. Our Captain decided we could sail between the rocks but warned us it would need his utmost attention. An anticipatory hush descended and then we were through. Mission accomplished. The return journey was in much calmer waters, the sun was shining and Alum Bay with its multicoloured vertical layers looked stunning.

Waiting for the hardy crew back at Hurst Castle were barbequed lamb steaks with salads and a selection of calorie laden deserts, strawberries and cream and fine wine, all tackled al fresco as the pleasant weather continued. The ferry trip returned slightly earlier than planned because of the low tide conditions – or was it the combined weight of all those puddings Sean was worried about!

www.hurstcastle.co.uk



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Green Box turns to cash

During April, Waitrose very kindly agreed to name a Green Box after the Milford Conservation Volunteers.  You know the scheme - the one where you are given a green token to put in the box on your way out.

Last Friday the village organisation was able to collect a cheque for £210 from the Lymington Waitrose branch.   The money is very welcome and will help the volunteers to pay for information boards to be placed at the entrances to our Nature Reserve, i.e. The Pleasure Grounds and Studland Common.

Anne Jenks, Chairman of Milford Conservation Volunteers sends her thanks to all those who kindly supported them with their green tokens..


Wednesday 11 July 2012

Chamber Choir Open Rehearsal

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The Total Voice Chamber Choir, which is part of the village's very own Total Voice Choir, was formed in January of this year and has enjoyed a fantastic first season.

The new Chamber Choir has enjoyed successful performances at both Westover Hall during Milford on Sea Food Week and at Milford's (slightly damp) Open Gardens weekend.

The Chamber Choir is part of the highly successful Total Voice Choir, founded by Christine Mulgrew, and which consists of many Milford on Sea residents, who enjoy having a bit of fun, a sing, and meeting new people.


Victoria, the leader of the new Chamber Choir, is now looking for some some new members, and she will be holding an Open Rehearsal on 31 July at 7.30pm at the Guide Hut, Milford on Sea.

You are welcome to just go along, have a sing, and see if the choir's something you might be interested in joining.  The rehearsal will be followed by some drinks and nibbles.

Please feel free to take your friends with you - the more the merrier!

If you fancy attending please contact: Victoria Hopkins




Housing Objections Hit Brick Wall

The objections of numerous local Milford on Sea residents, and the Parish Council, against the proposed green belt new housing development (Known as MoS1) near Milford on Sea Primary School have met with no success.

One of the objectors has shared their objection letter and the subsequent reply with us. (see below)  They also inform us that their letter went to all the Councillors, and below that is the only response they have received to date. 
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Dear Councillor

We write to inform you of our objection to the proposed construction of twenty affordable houses on the land adjacent to School Lane in Milford-on-Sea. 

We recognise the need for affordable housing, however we strongly object to the proposed location.  The proposed location is at the gateway to the village which currently affords far reaching views across fields to the Isle of Wight beyond.  This encourages visitors to the village which is essential to the suvival of the shops and businesses in the village.  In the past the alternative entry to the village (from Barton-on-sea) was blighted by the development of unsightly flats which we are now stuck with, it would be a travesty to repeat this mistake by locating the affordable housing in the proposed location.

Importantly, the proposal is in contravention of the Council's own strategy for the development of affordable housing, which stresses that no more than five affordable properties will be constructed in a single location.  Milford-on-sea Parish Council have submitted alternative options to this proposal and we are concerned that proper consideration has not been given to these as to date no response has been received.

We appeal to you to please object to the current proposal which is being considered next week by New Forest District Council. and to protect this special village which is important to local residents, businesses, the wider community and tourists to our area.

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Subject: MoS 1
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2012 23:00

Dear Milford Resident,

Thank you for your recent email urging me to vote against the District Council’s Sites and Development Plan. I could not support your request for the reasons set out below. Neither could a majority of my colleagues and the Plan was approved.

This Plan is the result of 30 months work in which several Towns and Parishes have had to accept some potential development where they would rather not have it. If we had decided to reduce the housing provision allocated to Milford-on-Sea at this late stage it could have put the whole Plan in jeopardy, as it would have become out of conformity with the Core Strategy. The Parish Council will have an opportunity to put their concerns at the Public Examination stage before a Government Planning Inspector later in the year. Alternatively, under the Localism Act (2012), it would be possible for the Parish Council to prepare a Neighbourhood Development Plan promoting alternative sites. The District Council have proposed that if clear arrangements are in place for this to happen by the time of the Examination, then they would agree to this way forward and ask for site MoS 1 to be removed from the Plan. Such a Plan would need to be ratified by a Parish Referendum, which has a cost.

I am sorry I cannot be of more help, but democracy means difficult decisions have to be made.  Finally remember this is only a plan; it will only happen if a developer can get a planning application passed by the Council. Nothing is certain to happen.

Regards,

Cllr Derek Tipp


Monday 9 July 2012

Festival On, Rain or Shine!

The eleventh annual Milford on Sea Arts & Music Festival will this start Thursday 12th July and run through to Sunday 15th July with a range of music, arts and activities to cater for all.

Come rain or sunshine, the event will continue, so please do not hesitate to go along.

For full information on the acts and activities you can pick up a programme (£2.50) from most local traders and/or visit the festival website:

Also, it is still not too late to lend a hand.  If you would like to get involved whether it be s a ‘Friend of The Festival’, help on the bar or even stewarding then please contact Sean at:


Friday 6 July 2012

Banks Fail Westover Hall

I am sure we have all heard this past week of the latest outrageous behaviour by our banking industry relating to Libor.

The following day, the FSA then announced more abuses, this time relating to the mis-selling of ‘interest rate swaps’.  Sadly, with the Libor scandal in the headlines this other bankers outrage has received much less publicity than it deserves.

I suspect most of us do not really understand the finer details of Libor or ‘interest rate swaps’, yet I am confident that all of us are disgusted at the blatant greed demonstrated by certain bankers.

I have been informed about a story on Sky News that has bought the real effect close to home.

Until recently, Westover Hall Hotel in Milford on Sea was owned and run by a charming professional couple, David& amp; Christine Smith. Just as the business was approaching the summer season, and its most profitable time of year, the establishment unexpectantly closed its doors.

Amidst significant local disappointment, I think most people guessed that this was the result of the business simply, and sadly, failing. It now transpires that there may have been more to the case.


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Below are some excerpts from the article by Jason Farrell, news correspondent of Sky News, which feature the experience of David & Christine:

The City watchdog has confirmed that thousands of small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) have been victims of a mis-selling scandal by Britain's high street banks. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) said that it has found "serious failings" in the sale of complex interest rate hedging products to some SMEs and has reached agreement with Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and RBS to provide appropriate compensation where mis-selling occurred.

Interest Rate Swaps were marketed as protection for businesses against upward trends in interest rates, but claimants say they were not made aware of significant costs attached if rates fell. While the banks profited from these agreements, thousands of companies have found themselves facing huge fees associated with the swaps and enormous breakage costs if they want to get out of the deals.

Last August, a former swaps seller James Ducker told Sky News: "The way it was described once by one of my managers was, 'We give the customer an umbrella and when it starts raining we take it away.' Perfect, if rates go up, bank wins, if rates go down, bank wins."

Martin Wheatley from the FSA said: "For many small businesses this has been a difficult and distressing experience with many people’s livelihoods affected. Our work has focused on ensuring a swift outcome for these businesses that form such an important part of the economy.

There are still many questions over what happens now, especially for customers who lost their businesses due to swap agreements.

David Smith had been in the hotel business for over 35 years and believes he would still own the Grade II listed Westover Hall Hotel on the south coast, if his bank had not managed to get his signature on a piece of paper.

Mr Smith told Sky News: "The emphasis was on the fact that it was free anyway. Why should I worry about a free product that's going to protect me?"

His wife Christine added: "There were several phone calls to ask why we hadn't returned the paperwork and David didn't really want to sign it, but we decided that we had no option. We had a loan with the bank and we would do what the bank was advising us to do. I trusted the bank, I trusted them."

A report by a hedging expert shows the bank made thousands from the deal while David and Christine Smith ultimately lost their business.

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The FSA says some businesses could be in line for partial or full refunds, and I certainly hope this includes recompense from Barclays for all David & Christine have lost.

I remember the days when bankers were respected. It was even OK in the 1980’s when the ‘City Boys’ were making ‘loads of money’, they were lucky to have highly-paid jobs, and good luck to them for being bright, or well connected enough, to benfit from the opportunities. These were the now gone days when we believed our financial sector was doing good for our pensions, investments and the economy.

Today the casino banking sector seem to have lost all sense of morality, they wrecklessly gamble with the hard earned money of hard working honest people, and have now been exposed for selling us products that are not in our interest. Personal greed appears their sole motivation.

Sad, very sad.

Click here to read full Sky News Story

Tuesday 3 July 2012

40 B4 40-The Hand and Flowers

No. 17: The Hand and Flowers, Marlow

As my wife’s birthday celebrations moved into Day 3, our friends Jon & Stacey arrived for our expedition to The Hand & Flowers in Marlow, Buckinghamshire.  A burst up the M3, around the M25 and we were soon heading across the River Thames into Marlow.

The whole car were enthralled about my Marlow Bridge story, they hung on my every word as I explained about how we had crossed the chain bridge in Budapest, which had been built in the same style and by Englishman William Clark.

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The Hand and Flowers is the first and only pub dining rooms to be awarded the coveted Two Michelin Stars, they are also the current AA Restaurant of the Year 2011-12.  The restaurants head chef and owner is Tom Kerridge, a former winner and judge on BBC’s ‘Great British Menu’, and of course he was the headline show at Milford on Sea Food Week 2012.

Arriving at The Hand and Flowers, the quaint old Tudor style pub building was teeming with staff and full of content diners. The interior décor was not the traditional ‘Michelin star’ dining room with crisp white table cloths and fancy furnishings, this was very much a pub, with wooden tables and chairs, a bar at the centre and a buzzing atmosphere.  We soon recovered from our long journey with a couple of pints of Czech beer, and of course white wine for the ladies.

As we made our way to our table, the low ceilings proved a bit of a challenge for my tall friend.  Although he had been warned of the low beams on a couple of occasions, he simply lost control of his gangly body, and thumped his head solidly on one of the beams.  Fortunately, we did not laugh ….too much.

On most occasions when booking restaurants, I tell the restaurant that it is my wife’s birthday.  I just love it when she gets a surprise treat, and has no idea why.  For once, the birthday booking information I had given was true, and at the table my wife was given a birthday card from the Hand and Flowers team.  A nice touch to start our afternoon experience.

Being good friends, it was only right and proper that dining should be a communal affair, and before we had even ordered we all entered into a pact to taste each other’s courses.  Not one of us wanted to miss out on this culinary extravaganza.

As soon as we looked at the menu we knew we were in for a pretty special experience.  The only difficulty was going to be able to choose what not to have.  Our waitress helped us through all of the menu options, and throughout the afternoon it was clear that all of the waiting team who looked after us were very knowledgeable about all of the dishes and happy to help with whatever anyone wanted.

At this stage it is worth mentioning that Stacey & Jon are successful restauranteurs, and Jon is a bit of a wine expert.  Indeed, he has this weird ability that the more wine he drinks, the more he can’t stop talking about grape varieties and regions.

Jon had been reading the wine list since we arrived and was contently murmuring to himself occasionally.  In the meantime, more beers were ordered.  Eventually he suggested the Pinot Noir, and went into a long explanation of where it came from and the grapes therein, we just wanted another drink, so we all agreed.

Having ordered and awaiting our starters, a complimentary dish of crispy whitebait arrived at the table served in a newspaper cone, alongside was a basket of soda white bread, wholemeal bread, butter and two pinch pots of salt & pepper.  Having not seen salt & pepper served with bread before, it was explained that the butter was unsalted, and we were invited to add our own personal taste for seasoning to the bread.  We did, and it was a new delicious way to eat the staff of life.  The Hand and Flowers has built its reputation on serving the finest rustic ingredients, with a twist and imaginative flair.  We were beginning to see why this restaurant is so highly acclaimed.

The starters arrived, and soon the table was laden with Blowtorched Scottish Scallop with Warm Beef Bouillon, Salt Cod Scotch Egg with Chorizo and Red Pepper Sauce, Glazed Omelette of Smoked Haddock and Parmesan, and Moules Marinière with Warm Stout and Brown Bread.  A quiet air of complete satisfaction covered the table as we all tucked in.  Unusually, the moules were served out of their shells in the beer sauce, and the tiny ‘Hovis’ style loaf looked as good as it tasted.  Indeed each dish received top marks, and the haddock omelette contained heaven in every spoonful.

Between the courses the girls were still yapping about shoes, handbags and bracelets etc.  Having started their conversation on leaving home, we were still waiting to see if either of them was ready to take a breath yet.

Jon and I were enjoying our wine and chatting using regular breathing and pauses, I was also ignoring his explanation about the origins of the Pinot Noir grape.

The main courses arrived next.  Somehow two of us had mistakenly chosen the same lamb dish, so one valuable tasting opportunity had disappeared.  Included in our feast was one of Tom’s signature dishes; Slow Cooked Duck Breast with Peas, Duck Fat Chips & Gravy.  We also enjoyed the Essex Line Caught Cod with Pastrami, Morels Herb Crust & English Asparagus, and Essex Lamb “Bun” with Sweetbreads & Salsa Verde.

To ensure we did not go hungry we had also ordered some side dishes of Salt Baked Potatoes with Garlic and Parsley Butter, and Hand & Flowers Chips.  As we ate we were in gourmet heaven, the duck was amazing, and the accompanying gravy was more like an elixir from the gods, the ‘Lamb bun’ looked like a work of art and we could not fathom out how the ‘pear shaped’ bread containing the meat had been created.  The salt baked potatoes were cooked and served inside a rope tied pastry loaf.  Apparently, this was an age old recipe, but we had ever seen or tasted anything like it.

As you may imagine by this time we were pretty full and well oiled.

Soon another charming waitress arrived with the sweet menu.  Now, if you have seen Tom, you will know he is a big bloke, and it is great to find a chef who not only loves great food, but is also passionate about creating fabulous puddings.  Our waitress also loved Tom’s sweets, and took us through a magical descriptive journey of everything that was available.  I simply sat in a trance like state, tasting each plate in my head, and then I spontaneously broke into a ‘pudding dance’, gyrating in my chairing, arms waving, and singing repeated choruses of ‘I love puddings, I love puddings ….’

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Choosing a single sweet was traumatic, but knowing we had a ‘sharing pact’ relieved some of the anxiety.  Thankfully, my wife had still not taken breath in her nonsensical conversation with Stacey, so I ordered another pudding on her behalf.

Choices made, Jon was once again engrossed in the wine list, mumbling to himself several times before choosing and ordering Sauternes sweet wine from Château de Malle Sainte-Hélène to accompany our puddings.

A short while after ordering the maitre d’ appeared, and it was really nice when we found out that Tom had arranged a complimentary glass of Italian Moscato to accompany our sweets.

A trail of waiters then appeared with our glorious puddings; Tonka Bean Panna Cotta, with Poached Strawberries, Liquorice Meringue and Strawberry Ice Cream, a cooked to order Raspberry Soufflé with Kaffir Lime Ice Cream and Warm Toffee, and two portions of Hand & Flowers Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel and Muscovado Ice Cream.

My wife gave me one of ‘her looks’ as a pudding was placed in front of her.  Awaiting the ritual chastising I get on these occasions, she amazed the whole table by saying; ‘Ooo, that looks nice’.  As the spoon reached her mouth, there was a short delay, and she smiled, sat back, and then started an impromptu ‘pudding dance’.  The sight was surreal, but seconds later our entire party were dancing in the chairs and much to the disdain of some other diners, singing; ‘We love puddings, we love puddings ….’.  I can’t even begin to explain the explosion of delicious sweet loveliness on each plate, and the masterful combination of the combined flavours as we ate.

A quick show of hands, and the Panna Cotta was voted the best pudding in the world, closely followed by the Chocolate Cake!

We were all full and extremely satisfied, we had experienced a master at work and a demonstration of classic flavours and unique combinations throughout each of the courses.  Surely lunch cannot get better than this… but I had a plan.

I had (through a slightly alcoholic haze) come to the conclusion that we could not leave without having tried every sweet on the menu.  This desire was driven by no sense whatsoever, other than it felt like something that just had to be done.  My wife of course protested, Stacey was still singing and Jon had the wine list back again.

As one, of what was going to be a total of seven sweets, had to be cooked to order, we were happy to have twenty minutes of so to let our digestive systems attempt to create some room, and of course have another drink.  Amazingly, on her trip to the ladies, Stacey did not fall over, which is her normal course of action when we all go out together.

Our final challenge arrived; Glazed Cox’s Apple Tart with Meadowsweet Ice Cream, Warm Pistachio Sponge Cake with Melon Sorbet & Marzipan and Vanilla Crème Brulée served with a mini tankard of whisky barrel aged beer.  Surely beer and crème brulee does not go together, but it did!  Challenge complete, we were satisfied that any choice of sweet from the menu would get anyone’s taste buds buzzing.  Our only remaining challenge was how we could lift our bodies to get to the car.

Tom Kerridge can be found in the kitchen on most days, however we had picked one of his few days off.  This had no effect on the food or service, (the kitchen had 14 chefs!) and every dish was served exactly as we would have expected had he been behind the stove.

On the journey home the girls continued to gabble on, whilst the two boys took a well-deserved power nap, only interrupted by the occasional poke in the ribs and scream ‘to stop snoring!’.

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The Hand and Flowers
126 West Street, Marlow, SL7 2BP


If you are wondering what the 40 B4 40 Dining Challenge is all about, please click here and all will be explained.


Hurst Castle Ferries on TV

Hurst Castle Ferries vessels, Charlotte Rose and Wightwater Rose (the RIB), have again been working with popular BBC TV programme ‘Coast’.

Last week’s filming will be part of Series 8 which will be shown next year.

The only shame is that all of the filming has taken place on the Isle of Wight side of the water, …..in spite of Sean’s best efforts to get them to film in Milford on Sea!

Another of the Hurst Castle fleet, Solent Rose, is off to Hythe next Tuesday to do a series of dock cruises from Hythe Pier for the 175th P&O anniversary. P&O are bringing all of their seven Cruise liners together in Southampton for the first time, should be quite a sight.

The sailing racing season is now in full swing, with an eventful ‘Round the Island Race’ last weekend.  In two weeks’ time (21st July) the spectacular J Class Racing takes place, and as always Hurst Castle & Spit will provide excellent viewing positions to watch these historic and sleek sailing machines.

To find out more about the J Class Racing, please take a look in the online Milford on Sea Calendar on the link below.

www.hurstcastle.co.uk

www.milfordonseacalendar.org

Tinnitus Support Group

We have been advised about the New Forest Tinnitus Support Group.  They hold meetings on the 2nd Thursday of each month from 2.30pm to 4pm at the Lyndhurst Community Centre, Lyndhurst, Hants, SO43 7NY.

The support group was formed in 2008 when it was recognised that there was a need in the New Forest area.  Their aims are to provide information and peer support to Tinnitus sufferers, with presentations and discussions on Tinnitus related topics, and often invited speakers.

There is also a qualified hearing therapist on the team, and all members of the committee have personal experience of tinnitus.

It does not matter what age you are, as all ages are welcome at the meetings.

If you would like more information, please contact Jean Wright at:



Monday 2 July 2012

Midnight Ramble Back On

After two postponed attempts, the Hurst Castle Midnight Ramble in aid of Oakhaven Hospice, is back on this Friday night. (6th July 2012)

More than 750 people have donned their walking boots to take part in previous years’ rambles along Hurst Spit, raising value funds for the hospice.  Groups of friends, families, indeed anyone, is welcome to come along.

Anyone fancying a meal or drink before setting out can enjoy a special menu at the Marine.

For more information, or an entry form please contact Gemma Sinden on 01590 613038 or email:
gemma@oakhavenhospice.co.uk

www.oakhavenhospice.co.uk