All Saints’ Church Flower Festival

If you found time to visit the All Saints Church Flower Festival in mid-April, I am sure you were, like many others, extremely impressed.

The Flower Festival coincided with Milford on Sea Food Week and contained spectacular displays of works depicting ‘Food from the Bible’. Church goer or not, you could not help but be warmed by the delightful arrangements, which were a testimony to hours of hard work by a small band of dedicated volunteers. To add to the spectacle, our village Norman church provided a spectacular backdrop to the colours of spring.

The few pictures below give a flavour of the many flower displays. (*Click on images to enlarge)



*Click on images to enlarge

Enjoy Food Week Again!

Dates for next year's Milford on Sea Food Week have already been set, so please make sure you are around to join in the fun from Bank Holiday Monday 9th April to Sunday 15th April 2012.

Before we start preparing for next year, why not enjoy this year's event all over again but taking a look at some of our snapshots below. (Just click on the image to view a larger version.)

This year’s Milford on Sea Food Week has been amazing! The whole of the village got enthusiastically involved in organising over one hundred events, including the village eateries, shops, local producers, the Girl Guides, WI, clubs, schools, local charities, church and lots of individual food producers, experts & specialists.

We estimate that around 12,000 to 15,000 people attended the numerous food events, dining experiences, demonstrations, talks, wine tastings, Co-op Cookery Theatre, CakeFest! & celebrity shows during Food Week. The Sunday Food Market also had a carnival feel, with live music and 46 stalls selling delicious local produce.  It felt like the whole village attended the many events, along with holidaymakers and many people from neighbouring towns as far afield as Poole & Southampton.  The whole week has been a joy, particularly when seeing thousands of people being fed and entertained all across the village.

All of the celebrity shows and themed dining events had enthusiastic support & great feedback. The numerous activities throughout Food Week raised over £9000 for local charities and really celebrated the benefits of local food. Best of all, it was great to see the smiling faces on the many kids, family groups, thirtysomethings & our lively older generation all enjoying everything that our special village has to offer.

As our event is truly ‘By the community, for the community’ a huge thank you goes to the massive team of volunteers and raffle sellers who did so much to ensure everything ran so smoothly. Everyone from the organisers to the volunteers gave their time and expertise for free, with no expenses or fees taken. The fun throughout Food Week was sufficient reward for every involved!

Click images to enlarge

*Please feel free to share your Food Week experiences by clicking 'comments' below and then posting your comment.

Parish Council election

The Milford on Sea Parish Council election is to take place on Thursday 5th May from 7am to 10pm.  The Polling Stations are at The Village Hall in Park Road and All Saints' Church Hall in Church Hill.

This year's election has 13 candidates for 12 council positions, so someone will miss out.

The Parish Council election coincides with the referendum for at Alternative Voting (AV) System.

Click image to enlarge

A New Pearl for Milford

Anyone passing the former Piccolo Mondo restaurant in the Milford on Sea High Street will have noticed a major transformation taking place. The complete renovation of the frontage, dining areas and kitchen is being completed by new owner Lionel Sene, Emily his wife, all of the in-laws & kids! New to the village, Lionel & his young family are not only creating an exciting new dining option for us all, but he & his family are also now living near the village centre.

Lionel is to be both the owner & head chef of the soon to be named ‘La Perle’. As some readers will know my wife & I once emigrated to France & the translation to ‘The Pearl’ was not hardship pour votre rédacteur! Yes. Lionel is indeed a Frenchman, and a charming one at that. Originally from Hautvillers, Epernay in the beautiful Champagne area, he is now looking forward to becoming part of our village life. He has been working as a chef for 17 years and is passionate about food. Having completed his apprenticeship in the Royal Champagne Hotel & Le Grand Cerf – both acclaimed 1 Michelin star restaurants in eastern France. Lionel then moved to Paris and worked in the famous 2 Michelin Star Hotel Crillon alongside Dominique Bouchet, then Head Chef.

In the following years Lionel has combined his love of travelling & cooking moving to Switzerland to work in the famous Mandarin Hotel in Geneva, followed by his first experience of England at Chewton Glen and then Pebble Beach. He met Emily, his future English wife in Australia & has now arrived to settle in Milford on Sea.

Le Perle is Lionel’s first venture and combines his idea of fresh, tasty & locally sourced European cuisine. His focus for the restaurant is to create a cosy, friendly environment with fresh, tasty & authentic dishes at a reasonable price. I for one are looking forward to when he opens the door in early June.

www.laperlerestaurant.co.uk

Royal Wedding at Shorefield

If would like to watch the Royal Wedding on a big screen TV why not pop up to Shorefield Country Park. Coverage starts from around 9.30am.

The Cheers Bar will be open from 9am if anyone wants breakfast beforehand. It will also be open throughout the day for refreshments and lunch. In addition they are offering a buffet lunch at £5.00 a head served from 12 noon – 2pm. The fly past is at 1.30pm. Everyone welcome.

May Fayre on Monday 2nd May

Don’t miss this year May Fayre on the village green. This charming family day out on Monday 2nd May starts at 10am until 4pm. The main feature as always will be the crowning of the May Princess, Hannah Cornack and her attendant Emily Duckett at 2.00pm, both are pupils from our village school. That is followed by May Pole dancing by the children from Milford C of E primary school.

The village green will be full of stalls with something for everyone, In addition there will be lots of entertainment with an Assault course, Climbing wall, Coconut shy, Music Food from the BBQ. We also have Punch & Judy shows and a Magic show. Just come along & enjoy yourself!

HSBC dislodge Red Phone Box

Many may be nostalgic about the ‘old fashioned Red Telephone Box’ at the foot of the village green beside The Old Smithy.  Well, if you are one of them, it is possible that the village is at risk of losing it. 

To explain, whilst efforts continue to resolve our village banking issues following the withdrawal of HSBC. Our local MP Desmond Swayne, along with enthusiastic village campaigners are continuing to hold meeting in an attempt to keep a bank in our village, we wish them well, but honest expectation have to be low.

It is looking promising for the retention of an ATM Cash Machine in the village, with the news that the Coop are to have a free service in-store during their lengthy opening hours. The law of ‘unexpected consequences’ has also raised its head, as there is also another new proposal with NFDC Planning Department having received an application from BT Payphones to install a combined ‘Telephone kiosk with ATM’. The new unit is similar in size & shape to the existing Red Phone Box, but in a nice bright silver colour to blend in with our conservation area!  You will never guess the bank brand also emblazed on the pictures with the planning application?  Oh yes, our old friends HSBC.

artists impression
click image to enlarge

This installation will of course make our ‘old Red Phone Box’ obsolete. We have a choice, we can just lose it, or we can work together to keep for the village. Some unofficial discussions have identified that the village could buy it, and it is likely that the Parish Council would support a relocation to a suitable new position. The main issue will be who will be responsible for funding & physically maintaining the phone box, it is doubtful that the Parish Council will take this on.

So, if you would like to retain the Red Phone Box we need ideas on:

Who will take responsibility for maintenance? Perhaps, Milord on Sea Historical Society may be interested?

Who will fund the maintenance? Perhaps we could have a village appeal to cover costs for next five years?

Where could it be relocated? First idea, is in the raised flowerbed outside of HSBC & at top of Park Road? (See picture with the story)

What could it contain, as it would no longer be a phone?

If you have any ideas or thoughts, please feel free to share them by posting a comment below >>>

Lofty's Jive at Milford on Sea

Lofty’s Jive night is back as usual on Bank holiday Monday 2nd of May.

Kieran Loftus was one of the first people in the country to teach what is Known today as Modern Jive. He started dancing in1994, got hooked and soon became a qualified instructor. Kieran is a former UK National Jive Champion. He has appeared on BBC1 on a couple of occasions demonstrating and teaching. Among his pupils were Robson & Jerome!!! (he only taught them to dance, not sing!)

Modern Jives derives from French Jive known as Le Roc. It is one of the easiest dances to learn and is the biggest social dance at the moment. There is at least one dance class in every major city and many in smaller towns and villages. In fact just google "modern Jive" and you will be astonished how popular it is. Dances are held all over the country at weekends where lovers of the dance get together from different parts of the country. There are many "weekenders" dedicated to devotees of the dance.

The dance is for everyone, of all shapes, sizes and ages. You don't have to bring a partner and no experience is necessary. Is a great social night and ideal way to keep fit and lose those pounds. Music is played from Sinatra and Buble to Kylie and Take that. Once you have the basics you are ready to jive at weddings, parties and down the local club or pub. Once you have learnt it, you won’t forget it. In fact I hear it is addictive.

Kieran runs his popular class at Milford on Sea Community centre, every Monday night starting at 8pm. The age group is typically 40 yrs upwards. Feel free to give it a go and soon you will be impressing your friends, and making friends at the same time.

Any queries contact Kieran on 07802 815371

Email: kieran@loftuslaw.co.uk

Wow, What a Food Week!

New House Venison at Food Market

This year’s Milford on Sea Food Week has been amazing! The whole of the village got enthusiastically involved in organising over one hundred events, including the village eateries, shops, local producers, the Girl Guides, WI, clubs, schools, local charities, church and lots of individual food specialists.

We estimate that around 12,000 to 15,000 people attended the numerous food events, dining experiences, demonstrations, talks, cookery theatre, CakeFest! & food market during Food Week. It felt like the whole village attended the many events, along with holidaymakers and many people from neighbouring towns as far afield as Poole & Southampton. The whole week has been a joy, particularly when seeing thousands of people being fed and entertained all across the village.

All of the celebrity shows and themed dining events had enthusiastic support & great feedback. The numerous activities throughout Food Week also raised over £9000 for local charities. Best of all, it was great to see the smiling faces on the many kids, family groups, thirtysomethings & our lively older generation all enjoying everything that our special village has to offer.

A huge thank you goes to the massive team of volunteers and raffle sellers who did so much to ensure everything ran so smoothly. Even those working at Food Week had a great time!

Give us a few days for our legs to recover and lose a bit of weight!, then we will have a few stories of what happened, along with a photo album from Food Week.



The Neary Naked Chef | Hardeep Singh Kohli





An Evening with Dick Strawbridge (& Florence!)



Sunday Food Market



Come & See the Moustache

The fun of Food Week is getting into full swing following a successful Monday full of activities & food!  Just thought I would let you know that we still have tickets available for the ‘big events’. If you turn up at the door, there is a good chance there will still be tickets available. The ‘CakeFest! & Village Food Fair’ is free entry for all in the All Saints’ Church Hall from 10am to 3pm on Wednesday. Wednesday afternoon at 2.30pm is ‘The BIG Cook Off’ at the Cookery Theatre in the Community Centre, tickets will be available on the door, as they will be for ‘An Evening with Dick Strawbridge at 5pm on Thursday. Dick will be cooking & recalling amusing stories from his varied TV career. The ‘famous moustache’ should really be seen in person!

Friday night is party night at South Lawn with live music from local band 'Dorsal Fin', together with Scampi & Chips included in the ticket price. The final Cookery Theatre show is on Saturday night at 7.30pm, The Nearly Naked Chef Show with Hardeep Singh Kohli will be one not to miss! The Cookery Theatre also has many free entry events, and demonstrations, so please come along and take a look. Finally, Sunday will see the Three Tenors with their ‘Food Glorious Food show’.  This spectacular show will be at performed at South Lawn Hotel at 5pm & again at 8pm. Why not find the time to come along and get a ticket on the door.

No time to write anymore just now, I need to get out and eat my way through Food Week!

PS: If you tune into Radio Solent at around 1.30pm today you will hear some big bloke being interviewed about Food Week!

Glimmer of hope for bank

The village continues to be galvanised to resolve the problems resulting from HSBC’s decision to unceremoniously dump us. Many individual and groups in the village have been writing to all and sundry looking for solutions. Jan England has been in touch with the Daily Mail ‘Money Section’ with the result that they visited the village with a photographer yesterday, villagers Nick Martin, Freda Cheyney and others were also interviewed, so hopefully our village story will appear nationally soon. Geoffrey Hinds & several others has also been very active with correspondence. The Co-op have also been contacted, but whilst friendly, they do not see that Milford on Sea would fit into their plans in the near future. Helen White & friends are also speaking to numerous people and had a meeting with our local MP, Desmond Swayne a few weeks ago. He promised to speak to some banks in the city, and he has been true to his word. Whilst he drew a blank with HSBC & Santander, it appears that he has gained sufficient interest from RBS to investigate further.

We also hear that the Co-Op & HSBC are considering installing ATM cash machines within the village.

HSBC is looking a lost cause, but we certainly sense a will in the village to activate a ‘Lets transfer our money’ campaign should any bank show interest in supporting the village.

Whether the light at the end of proves to be good news, or a train coming, we will see.

Food Week Tickets on Door

Box Office: If you haven’t booked tickets for the major Milford on Sea Food Week events yet, there will be a Food Week Box Office selling tickets on this Saturday & Sunday from 9am to 12noon in the Community Centre.

At Door: It is likely you will be also able to buy tickets on the door of the major events.  But, please arrive as early as possible to ensure of getting in.

To see everything that is happening (& there is a lot!) please get your programme in almost any of the village shops.

To be sure of a ticket please pop into Gwen’s or order online by visiting: 

http://www.milfordonseafoodweek.ticketsource.co.uk/