40 B4 40-The Filly Inn

No. 30: The Filly Inn, Setley, Hampshire

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An excuse for a lunch is a good thing. But, we didn’t have one but decided to go anyway, along with our friends C&T, and C, our neighbour, who was happy to have an excuse to get away from finish her PHD Thesis.

We decide to go to The Filly Inn, on the Lymington to Brockenhurst Road.  We have visited the New Forest pub a couple of times before, but this is our first visit since the premises has had a refit.

 

The first thing we noticed was a new 'Garden room' which looked bright and airy and a large decked area with table, which seemed ideal for a sunny day, which this wasn't!

 

The old pub had lost none of it character, the wooden beams still abounded and the old fire was alive and crackling.  the refit looked successful, as the pub was still warm & inviting, with a crisp clean feel. 

 

Surprisingly busy for a midweek lunchtime, and after the boys first pints of cider, we were tucking into our selections from the menu, which it was pleasing to see included a good selection of local New Forest produce. (The restaurant is a member of New Forest Marque and Hampshire Fare)

 

Our starters consisted of Homemade Ham Hock Terrine with Crusty Bread, Country Pate with Red Onion Marmalade, and some particularly tasty Garlic King Prawns.

 

Our Main courses ranged from a very meaty Oxtail special, to Steak & Ale Pie, New Forest Sausages with Mash & Onion Gravy, a light Chicken Casserole, and a massive Beef Burger with Cheese, Bacon and Skin-on Chips.

 

The ciders had continued to go down well, and my wife again weirdly found a sweet 'not necessary!?'  However, the rest of us felt that it would have been rude not to have tried some.  So, we soon demolished portions of freshly made Lemon Tart, a Apple & Cinnamon Crumble, and Chocolate Brownie with Vanilla Ice Cream. 

 

Whilst chatting, someone mention how they had heard of Balsamic Vinegar being served with Strawberries and Ice Cream.  No chance of strawberries in early February, but we did have ice cream.  The waiter was pretty bemused when I asked for the vinegar, particularly when he heard what I intended to do with it.  With a wry smile a little pot was soon on our table, and then onto to the ice cream.  Everyone had a taste, and the consensus was it was not bad at all. Strange thing food!

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The Filly Inn
Lymington Road, Setley, Brockenhurst, SO42 7UF | Tel: 01590 623449
www.thefillyinn.co.uk

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

Glorious Milford Sunset

Local photographer, Steve Hood has sent us a couple of photographs he took last Saturday afternoon (2nd Feb 2013) The images capture the spectacular Sunset from Milford Beach, cross Christchurch Bay looking towards the Purbeck Hills.

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If your are interested, the technical details are as follows: Photos taken with Nikon D3000 DSLR @ 10mm 100 ISO / Shutter approx 240 seconds long exposure using a 10 stop ND filter.

We are very lucky to have such beauty on our doorstep.

Hartnett Holder & Co at Limewood

Limewood Hotel, the prestigious hotel in the centre of the New Forest, are to open a brand new restaurant on 11th February. Rebranded, and with an impressive addition to the team, Hartnett Holder & Co, is a new partnership between Angela Hartnett and Head Chef, Luke Holder. Luke is of course known to many in Milford on Sea, as he is a friend of Milford on Sea Food Week and appeared in The Big Cook Off. 

Luke has worked in some of London's busiest and most exclusive restaurants including Orrery, The Sloane Club, and the Oxo Tower on the South Bank. Luke then spent a year cooking in the Italian kitchen of Enoteca Pinchiorri, 3 Michelin stars, in the heart of Tuscany, Florence - this experience ultimately changed his philosophy on food forever and firmly placed his focus on cooking locally and seasonally, at the highest level. 

Joining Luke in a kitchen partnership is Angela Hartnett, one of the most high-profile female chefs in the restaurant world. She worked under Gordon Ramsay at Aubergine, and then under Marcus Wareing, where she soon became Head Chef at Pétrus. In 2004 she gained her first Michelin star. In 2008 she launched Muranos in Mayfair. 

Limewood describes Hartnett Holder & Co as a relaxed, stylish and comfortable upscale restaurant which is full of character, yet unpretentious. Angela Hartnett and Lime Wood’s Luke Holder, with their team, will be creating locally sourced English dishes with a respectful nod to the seasons and to Italian culinary ideologies. This collaboration will be reflected in their fresh, confident approach ensuring that this is "fun dining, not fine dining". 

Harnett and Holder’s food is out-and-out British yet comes with the much loved Italian approach to eating - where sharing and provenance is everything. The style will be chefs’ home-cooked food not chefs’ food cooked for restaurants. Both Angela and Luke are famed for their informal, grounded style of cooking and their respect for local produce. 

Expect a menu of Italian influenced forest dishes with English classics, pulling together both Chefs much admired signature styles, which will remain constant and other dishes on the menu will change daily with forest and seasonality being the driver.

We are looking forward to trying out the Hartnett Holder & Co restaurant in the next month or so, and of course we will let you know how we get on.

www.limewoodhotel.co.uk

Use it, Love it, Join it!

Our local village Milford on Sea library have once again put together a super programme of entertainment for adults and children alike.

Super Heroes Trail prize draw (children up to age 9) - Collect your answer sheet from the library (or you may have been given one at school),. Find the super heroes hiding around the village, hand your answer sheet in to the library by 11am on Love Libraries Day.

Love Libraries Day: Saturday 9th February 10am to 12 noon.  

Special opening to celebrate our friendly neighbourhood library 

Free cakes, Free feltmaking, James Bond Quiz prize draw (adults and older children), Launch of Magazines for loan and Talking Newspapers/Magazines 

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Come along and join in the fun. 

NEW Knit and Natter Group: Starting Monday 4th February 2.30 - 4.30 pm 

Now meeting fortnightly in the library on Monday afternoons. Bring your own knitting or knit for charity (pattern provided). A group for new and experienced knitters of all ages. All are very welcome. Refreshments available 50p. 

Old MacDonald Had a Farm: Thursday 21st February 2 - 4 pm 

Free Crafts for 3 - 8 years year (parents/carers to remain in library) 

& Even More!...... The library also has regular Learning in Libraries workshops; Library Club for those who find it difficult to get to the library on their own and Toddlertime - stories and rhymes for the under 5s and their parents/carers. 

The library team work hard to provide things to keep the village entertained at all ages, why not pop in and show them your support, their can't be many villages our size still with their own library.

For further information on the above events and other activities please pop in to the library. 

Milford on Sea Library: Normal opening times: 

Monday 2.30 - 5.30 pm
Tuesday 2.30 - 4.30 pm
Wednesday & Friday 10 am - 12.30 pm

Make Music with Coda

Although based in Christchurch, the Coda Music Trust has several links with people in Milford on Sea. 

Coda is a unique resource which provides music tuition, creative music workshops and music for health & well-being for people of all ages and abilities. 

The Music Centre holds many events and activities during school term time for both children and adults, and we have taken the opportunity to provide the list below should you be interested:  

Every Monday: 10.30am to 12pm - Start the Week with a Song - vocal therapy for those suffering with difficulties with voice due to Parkinson's, Stroke, speech problems etc. £3.00 

Every Tuesday: 7.30pm to- 9.30pm - Community Singers - informal unison singing £5.00 per session. 

Every Wednesday: 7.30pm to 9.30pm - Ukelele Band - For complete beginners or masters of the Uke, a fun and sociable chance to develop skills playing all types of music - £3.00 

Every 2nd Thursday of the Month: 11.30am to 1pm - Beautiful Sounds - music workshop for adults with learning disabilities, £5.00. Carers and family free. 

Every Thursday: Folk Orchestra: 7pm to 9pm - for those who enjoy playing traditional music or folk music as part of an ensemble. 

Coda Music Centre, Chewton Farm Road, Christchurch, Dorset, BH23 5QL. Tel: 01425 276161

To find out more please visit: www.coda.org.uk

Changes at The Red Lion

We have heard that Paul & June Lines have retired from The Red Lion in Milford on Sea High Street.  June's home cooked and great value food will be missed by many, and Paul of course kept an excellent pint ready for locals and holiday makes alike. They also had an impressive exterior floral display throughout the spring and summer months for locals and visitors to enjoy.

It is understood Paul & June will continue to live in the village, and we wish them the very best for the future.

The new landlord and landlady took over recently, but we haven't had time to pop in to say hello as yet.  As soon as we find out more about our new village hosts we will let you know.

Shorefields Open to All

Our local holiday park, Shorefields are having an open weekend for leisure membership, and everyone in Milford on Sea village is invited.

If you wanted to pop along on the 9th & 10th February you can have a tour of new gym equipment in the fully equipped leisure and swimming complex.

Membership includes the new gym, includes use of our indoor and outdoor pool, sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi, no time restrictions, free parking, free fitness classes, 1 hour free personal training per week, full use of licensed club with discount & entertainment available in school half terms. Also, anyone who has the energy to do that lot, can join the leisure club that week and get a complimentary back massage. 

Mother Day with the Kids at Shorefields

Shorefields also have a great value for money Mother’s Day Offer. They are offering a 2 or 3 course Sunday Carvery from £16.95, Kids Mini Carvery at £6.50, offering slow cooked belly pork & crackling, rare topside of beef, English leg of lamb, roasted chicken & all the trimmings – reservations essential

There are also have children’s activities & face painting…. & on the day if booked in advance Elemis facial for only £40.00 saving £26.50.

Spa Specials

The Shorefields team also have their luxury Reflections Spa, which is regularly offering special deals, and relaxing days.  To keep up to date, simply keep an eye on their Spa Facebook page for daily offers… with some amazing bargains.

So much is happening at Shorefields, and they would love people from the village to enjoy lots that go on, so why not pop up and take a look.

www.shorefield.co.uk

Centre goes Choral

The village Community Centre resounded to the beautiful harmonies of American composer Eric Whitacre last Saturday when Total Voice held its latest choral workshop.

Twenty-five singers, some local, some from further afield, gathered for a day of music under the direction of local choir leader Victoria Hopkins, accompanied by Sally Abrams. "I couldn't have hoped for a better sound," Victoria told me, "the atmosphere was fantastic and the group sounded like an established choir in only a couple of hours. It was very gratifying.

Total Voice will be running similar workshops in the future, details of which can be found on their website."

Westover Hall on Sky News

The former owners of Westover Hall Hotel, David & Christine Smith, were featured on Sky News last night.

You may recall that the friendly and hospitable couple spent several years and many thousands of pounds building the business and entertaining customers, before ultimately losing the hotel in the height of the recession in 2012, and in no small part due to their doomed investment in the 'Interest rate swaps' scandal.

The impressive Milford on Sea hotel, is now called The Beach House, and has moved from being a boutique hotel & restaurant, to what is now a popular pub with rooms.

Sky's Jason Farrell has investigated the issue of swap mis-selling for nearly two years and in the online article reveals the tactics used by banks.

Whistleblower James Duker, who used to sell interest rate swaps, told Sky News: "It was normal practice to emphasise the rewards of structures and de-emphasise the risk. They were mis-sold on a regular basis."

David & Christine are now involved in legal action in an attempt to gain some redress, and I am pleased to say they told me they are both fine.  

How greedy people can take advantage of honest and honorable people I will never know.  I just hope the money haunts them, and that one day they find a moral conscience. 

Please click here to see video and read full Sky News article.

Sadly, David & Christine are not the only people I know who got hit by this scandal. Below is a link to 'Bully Banks', an impressive campaign group who seem to be making some serious progress in their campaign. If you know anyone who has been affected, please get them to take a look and register their position.

www.bully-banks.co.uk

40 B4 40- L'Escargot

No. 29: L'Escargot, Soho, London 

The previous weeks had been insanely busy, so a Friday night up town was just the remedy.

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As we arrived at Waterloo, along with our good friend Viv, we (they) decide to walk. As we entered Charing Cross I had my usual childish giggle at 'Herman The German's Hot Sausage Shop'. Several yards later I was in need of a drink, so I feigned a temporary paralysis. My wife simply took a big swing, and kicked me in the un-paralysed leg.  

Fortunately, Viv is a lot kinder, so we were soon at the bar of a trendy club near Covent Garden.  As I mused over how the bar girls outfits did not make them catch their death of cold, we were then approached by a bouncy barman who asked if we wanted doubles as it was 'Happy Hour'.  This threw the girls into turmoil, as they had already decided to have singles, trying to pace themselves for the night. Confusion then spread across Mr Bouncy's face, as he realised he had offered his 'Happy Hour' 15 minutes early. Singles it was then.

The walk still had a small way to go, and as we came into Old Compton Street my thirst suddenly returned. I slipped into an old Victorian pub, and the girls had no option other than to follow. As we ordered another round of drinks I noticed the other customers were quite male dominated, and a number of them were obviously 'very close friends'. 

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Time for dinner, so we turned the corner and were soon at L'Escargot in Greek Street, Soho. The greeting was warm as we entered the sixteenth century former townhouse. As we were taken into the dining room all of the staff gave us a smile, and we were feeling pretty good when we arrived at our table in the ground floor restaurant, with mirrored walls and work by artists such as Miro and Chagall.

As we were limited on time before going to our booked West End show, we decided to go for the 'Menu Du Jour'. Three tasty choices for each course, and at £19.50 fabulous value. It really is amazing the great places you can eat for such reasonable prices.

The waiter was soon putting luscious fresh butter on the crisp white table cloth, and offering us hot homemade olive, white or brown rolls. As you may imagine, I tried all of them over the course of the meal.

For our first starters we enjoyed Mussels à la Marinière and Velouté of Beef et Tomatoes, which was a very tasty spiced beef soup. The sauce and juices from the mussels was delicious, and more rolls were of course required for the mopping up, pleasingly our attentive waiter was soon on hand with his bread basket.  It seemed wrong not to experience the Spécialité de la Maison of Escargots cooked & served in their shells, with garlic butter & parsley, so we also all shared a serving of six snails.

Our main course choices were all the same, Pork Loin Steak, Vichy Carrots, Pomme Purée and mushroom jus. The pork was possibly the most tender I have ever had, the portion was pretty large, the mash smooth & creamy and the sauce simply rich and divine. Top dish!

The girls were looking pretty happy as we continued to slurp our bottle of Fleurie. Wine is something you can often get caught on in London restaurant, but these guys had a wine list that was varied and pretty gentle on the wallet.

For sweet I went for Pear Tart Bourdaloue with Cardinal Sauce, my wife & Viv had the Selection of French Cheese.  What a result, as I got to grab half of my wife's cheeses as well.

Time was now running out, so we had no time for coffee. As a really nice touch, a tray of petit fours was still presented with our bill.  Normally if there were only the two of us I would be in heaven, as my wife 'doesn't like' chocolate. (What a weirdo!).  Sadly, Viv is totally the opposite, so I had a challenge on my hands. Finding the balance between being polite, and maneuvering to get the favourite one's is tough. My concern was soon confirmed as Viv took the truffle to her lips.  My helpful comments on how; 'A moment on the lips, is a lifetime on the hips' did not phase her.  We simply stared in to each other eyes like wild west gunfighters as our game of petit four roulette played out. 

The restaurant describes itself as 'Fine dining with affordable glamour', and I have to say they have it spot on. 

As we left, very full and satisfied, the staff again gave us warm smiles, and we all confirmed this is a restaurant for us all to return to.

Next stop was our West End show, Les Miserables. Wow, wow, wow.  We had memories of how good it had been when we saw it around fifteen years ago, but this time it was even more spectacular. The singing, the story, the set, everything was superb. Your insides seem to jump and dance, and your emotions explode to the extent that on leaving you feel fantastic and exhausted!

If you have not seen Les Miserables in the West End, do go, and oh, if you take in a pre-theatre meal at L'Escargot it will make your evening perfect. 

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About L’Escargot

The building dates from 1741 and was once the private residence of the Duke of Portland. L’Escargot was opened in 1927 by George Gaudin who created the first restaurant in the UK serving snails. The snails were farmed in the restaurants basement kitchen!  Following a complete refurbishment in the 1980's, L’Escargot was hailed as the first of London's 'Designer Restaurants', with head chef, Martin Lam making L'Escargot the place to eat. Today the restaurant is owned by Marco Pierre White.

On leaving, we spotted a Blue Plaque, showing that Peter Cook has lived in the flat opposite, a bet those floors having seen some great party's!

L'Escargot 

8 Greek Street, Soho, London W1D 4EF
www.lescargotrestaurant.co.uk

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

Have Your Say!

The Milford on Sea Parish Council is urging residents to visit them at the Community Centre, Sea Road on Friday 1st February (2pm to 9pm) or Saturday 2nd February (9am to 12pm), to give their views on the issues of affordable housing and the provision of public space (new football pitches, etc) within the village.

The event is part of the Parish Council's Neighbourhood Plan, enabling the community to take the lead in producing an alternative plan to the New Forest District Council's current proposal for 30 homes plus open space on land by the school (called MOS1). 

There will be a children's activity area at the events so adults can speak to members of the Parish Council and Neighbourhood Plan Steering Committee while their children are being entertained. The cafe will also be open serving refreshments.

Further information on the Neighbourhood Plan can be found at www.ourplan.org.uk

Love Rugby at The Marine

Europe's biggest rugby tournament kicks off on Saturday 2nd February, and the excitement is gathering.

You can see every match of the international RBS Six Nations Rugby tournament at The Marine on the Big Screen, where you can just call in for drink, or take in a meal. 

Pop along to sees England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France & Italy competing for the prize of best European rugby team. 

Fixtures & Kick Off Times:

Saturday - February 2nd: Wales v Ireland KO 1.30pm | England v Scotland KO 4pm 

Sunday - February 3rd: Italy v France KO 3pm 

Saturday - February 9th: Scotland v Italy KO 2.30pm | France v Wales KO 5pm 

Sunday February 10th: Ireland v England KO 3pm 

Saturday February 23rd: Italy v Wales KO 2.30pm | England v France KO 5pm 

Sunday February 24th: Scotland v Ireland KO 2pm 

Saturday March 9th: Scotland v Wales KO 2.30pm | Ireland v France KO 5pm 

Sunday March 10th: England v Italy KO 3pm 

Saturday March 16th: Italy v Ireland KO 2.30pm | Wales v England KO 5pm | France v Scotland KO 8pm

Check out the menus and offers at: www.themarinerestaurant.co.uk