50 B4 50-Hartnett Holder & Co

After months of promising ourselves a visit, we at last made it to the Hartnett Holder & Co restaurant at Lime Wood. This restaurant does not qualify for our 50 B4 50 Challenge, but it feels only a matter of time before it obtains a Michelin Star.

 

click image to enlarge

Lime Wood, is a magnificent 5 star boutique country house hotel, just outside of Lyndhurst. The impressive complex started as a classical country house, formerly known as Parkhill, which around five years ago was lovingly renovated and extended with the odd contemporary twist to give a unique & relaxed environment.

 

We have been fortunate to have stayed in the past, and have dined a number of times in what was, The Scullery and The Dining Room Restaurant. When launched, the Director of Cuisine was Alex Aitken, former owner of Michelin starred Le Poussin, and he is now heading up the impressive waterfront restaurant, The Jetty at Mudeford, and Kings Arms in Christchurch.

 

After Alex moved on, Luke took over a Head Chef, quickly building a reputation for creating contemporary fine food with local ingredients at the centre of the dishes. He is also a very nice guy and has been involved with events at Milford on Sea Food Week.

 

Earlier this year the restaurant became Hartnett Holder & Co, when Angela Harnett joined Luke in running the restaurant. 

 

Angela learnt her trade under Gordon Ramsay in his first restaurant ‘Aubergine.’ She then joined another Ramsey protégé Marcus Wareing at Petrus. She won her first Michelin star at ‘Angela Hartnett at the Connaught’ in The Connaught Hotel, London. Today, she is Chef Patron in her own Michelin starred restaurant, Murano, a fine-dining Italian restaurant in Mayfair, London.

 

In 2004 she collected her first Michelin star, and in early 2007, she was awarded an MBE for Services to the Hospitality Industry. A familiar face, Angela appeared with Gordon on Hell’s Kitchen and is regular seen on many TV cookery programmes today.

 

When we entered the grounds there was an immediate impact from the beautiful surroundings and delightful garden sculptures. Entering the building it felt like we were coming for a ‘country weekend’.

 

A number of subtle changes had taken place since our last visit, and made everything feel comfortable, welcoming and oozing quality.

 

The biggest changes had taken place in the Dining Room. A complete refit had taken place, and what had previously been a stylish & formal dining space, we now discovered a relaxed central bar, comfortable red leather furniture and classic wooden tables. The room was unpretentious & gave us an immediate impression of what we imagined a quality shooting lodge may be like.

 

Everything was relaxed and comfortable, and all the tableware reflected the high quality of dining expected. The staff were formally dressed, and everyone friendly and helpful.

 

We hadn’t decided who was driving home, but my wife subtly told me when she ordered a gin & tonic. There were two menus, a two course lunch at £19.50 for two course and the a la carte. We could immediately see from the dishes Luke’s passion for local fresh ingredients and elements of Angela’s Italian heritage added to the best of British food.

 

We mixed it up, for our starters my wife had the enjoyable; Pizzetta, Quail Egg, Taleggio & Spinach. I had the Goats Cheese, Compressed Tomato & Basil. Sounds simple, but the dish was not as expected, and as clever as it was delicious. The explosion of multi-level flavours and unexpected textures made this one of the best starters I had ever tasted.

 

Chatting to our waitress we discovered that Angela Hartnett spent around two day a week in the restaurant, this was great to hear, bearing in mind how incredibly busy she must be.

 

For our main courses, my wife had a fresh pasta dish Agnolotti, Pappa al Pomodoro & Basil, and I enjoyed the Milanese Risotto, a rich tasty dish infused with saffron and three year old Parmesan cheese. Friends had told us that portions were not as big as they might have liked, if that was the case previously, it certainly is not the case today, as each portion was significant and more than ample.

 

Full and satisfied, my wife passed on sweet as usual, and as usual I didn’t. I went for the Amalfi Lemon Tart with nectarines, amaretto & almonds. At first glance it looked a lonely, albeit generous, slice of tart on a plate. Proving that first impressions are not always right, when I tucked in, the masterfully made pastry was perfect, and the tart filling wonderful. It was impossible not to pull a contorted face (& accusations of being an embarrassment), as the zingy lemon hit my taste buds, this was then followed by several layers of other delicate flavours. The plate certainly did not need any form of sweet cream or custard accompaniment.

 

There is no doubt we had enjoyed our visit, and will be back!

 

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50 B4 50-DINING CHALLENGE

Michelin Stars So Far: 21

3 Michelin Star

London | Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester - www.alainducasse-dorchester.com

2 Michelin Star

London | Hibiscus - www.hibiscusrestaurant.co.uk

London | Pied a Terre - www.pied-a-terre.co.uk
Buckinghamshire-Marlow | Hand & Flowers - www.thehandandflowers.co.uk (Twice)

France | Georges V Hotel, Paris - www.fourseasons.com/paris

1 Michelin Star

London | L’Autre Pied - www.lautrepied.co.uk

London | L’Escargot - www.lescargotrestaurant.co.uk

London | The Savoy Grill - www.gordonramsay.com/thesavoygrillLondon

London | Veeraswamy - www.veeraswamy.com

London | Quilon - www.quilon.co.uk
Hampshire | Terrace Restaurant (Montague Arms) - www.montaguarmshotel.co.uk

Hampshire | Vetiver (Chewton Glen Hotel) - www.chewtonglen.com/restaurant

*To read the review on any of the above restaurants, put 'restaurant name' in this blog's search box.

 

50 B4 50 Challenged explained: click here

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No Michelin Stars, but restaurants visited since July 2013 that are worth a mention:

 

Yarmouth, IoW | The George - www.thegeorge.co.uk

Nice fresh menu, excellent crevettes & lobster dishes. Delightful beachside dining on sunny summer days.

 

London | Dishoom - www.dishoom.co.uk

Described as a 'Bombay Café in Convent Garden. Completely different Indian dining, unexpected menu serving tasty spicy tapas style dishes.

 

London | J Sheeky Oyster Bar - www.jsheekeyoysterbar.co.uk

Excellent fish & seafood restaurant. Voted 3rd in Zagat ' Best Seafood Restaurants in London' after Wiltons & Scott's.

click here

 

Jam Tastes Better Naked

Jennifer Williams of Naked Jam in Barton-on-Sea is celebrating the news that its Raspberry Jam 1 Star and Lemon Curd 2 Stars has wowed judges in Great Taste Awards 2013.

 

They have been awarded the star ratings in the world’s largest and most rigorous food awards scheme, involving over 400 judges and thousands of hours of blind tasting.

 

Great Taste is simply about taste, not clever branding or smart packaging. Judges are presented with, for example, a piece of cheese, a pie or a little dish of chutney, with no wrappings, jars or marks – and they taste, confer and re-taste before making the decision on whether a product should be a 1-, 2- or 3-star winner. In total more than 12 judges will have tasted and commented on each product.

 

Jennifer said; "I never entered before and was advised by my colleagues and piers to do so. So I send off 2 products and I am overwhelmed that on my first turn out I managed to get a couple of stars. It reinforces the fact that I use local produce and it wins out thank you to my local farms and Fluffets Farm’s eggs for providing the best freshest eggs out!

 

Local Naked Jam Stockists are Setley Ridge Farm Shop and Hartizans Deli Christchurch.

 

Out of almost 10,000 products entered into Great Taste 2013 just 125 have been awarded 3-star. All 3-star products have been re-judged by a panel including Masterchef judge and restaurant critic Charles Champion, food buyers from Harrods, Fortnum & Mason, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Whole Food Markets, plus Michelin Star chef Russell Brown. Together they have  decided on the 2013 Top 50 Foods, the Golden Fork Trophy winners, as well as the new 2013 Supreme Champion.

 

Finally on Monday, 9 September, at a nail-biting Awards’ Dinner at the Royal Gardens Hotel, London, the great and the good from the world of fine food will gather to hear who has won the Golden Fork Awards and the final applause will be reserved for the Great Taste Supreme Champion 2013.

Naked Jam

Jennifer Williams
07870 373795
www.naked-jam.co.uk

nakedjam@gmail.com

Rex, Richard Carver & Monty

The stories on Richard (Dick) Carver continue to reveal themselves. (Richard was a stepson of Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery of Alamein.) Only last week we heard from Christopher Beeton telling us that he had served with Dick's stepson, Brigadier Rex Stephenson CBE (Retired) at HQ BAOR (British Army of the Rhine). After a little research we were able to contact Rex at his home near Salisbury.

Rex recalled the following memory of Monty, (Bernard Montgomery 1st Viscount of Alamein), who led the 'Desert Rats' and all allied ground forces during Operation Overlord in WW2.)

Rex said; "Dick and Audrey Carver, together with my brother Chris, sister Kate and myself were going to Sunday lunch with the Field Marshall at Islington Mill (Alton, Hampshire.) It was just after Monty had his gold Field Marshall baton stolen by burglars.He tightened up security at the Mill by not allowing anyone in unless they knew the daily changing password. En route for this Sunday lunch my mother asked Dick whether it was Apple Blossom or Apple Tree. There was a long somewhat heated discussion over the password.We arrived at the gate to the Mill and Monty’s lovely Swiss housekeeper asked for the password. Of course Mum and Dad got it wrong and we were not allowed in and we had to drive back home even though we could hear Monty the other side of the gate and he knew full well who we were."

 

Other Connected Stories

Col Richard Carver OBE Update: click here to read story

Monty, Richard & Milford!: click here to read story

 

 

Major Beeton to Mrs Beeton

Following our recent stories on Richard Carver, we have been given another piece of interesting information by Christopher Beeton.

 

He recalls that Dick Carver also had a stepson, Rex Stephenson, with whom Christopher served at HQ BAOR (British Army of the Rhine). Brigadier Rex Stephenson CBE (Retired) now lives near Salisbury. 

 

Christopher himself has a colourful past, or to give him his correct full title: Major Christopher Beeton MBE (Retired). After a bit of continued pressing, we are pleased to be able to recall elements of Christopher's life and career.

 

Major Christopher Beeton MBE (Retired)
2013 -Photo by Barbara Rousseau

Christopher was born in 1929, on his retirement in 1984, he moved with his family to Milford on Sea . His 'in-laws' lived in Boldre; so close by, but not too near!

Christopher was a NFDC Councillor for Milford on Sea from 1991 to 1999 (Deafness prevented him standing again.) He also was a member of the Parish Council for a few years, for much of the time the 'Civil Emergencies Adviser' at a time when Milford suffered from floods and flood risks. (His daughter-in-law, Sophie is a current NFDC Councillor for Milford as well as a Parish Councillor.).

He was a director of the Milford Millennium Hall and Community Centre, is a Trustee of Milford United Charities, and has been an enthusiastic volunteer during Milford on Sea Food Week.

His Milford links actually go back a bit further than 1984. In 1948/49, when a cadet at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS), Christopher was Secretary of the RMAS Sailing Club, which had three bell tents in which they frequently week-ended at Normandy Farm in Lymington. The cadets were temporary members of the Royal Lymington Yacht Club for a £5 annual subscription, and also the Lymington Town Sailing Club for 2/6!  They also regularly crewed on cross channel yacht races for local skippers including some living in Milford on Sea.

Military Career: Christopher's time in the army certainly enabled him to see the world. His career started in 1948 with 'Other Rank' service, serving ten months at Oswestry and Larkhill, after which he attended officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) until December 1949.

 'Snowdon 'Knife Edge' 1955
Christopher & Gunner (mostly
National Service) Signals Trainees
Christopher is wearing the rope.
*Click image to enlarge

From 1950 to 1953 he was posted to Malta for three years, which also included a couple of months training at Garian in Libya each Summer.  This was followed by stints in:  Rhyl in North Wales, teaching Gunner Signallers and enjoying himself in Snowdonia, Larkhill in the Medium Regiment firing for Royal School of Artillery (RSA) courses, London as Adjutant of a TA Regiment, Larkhill again for an 18 month on a Counter Bombardment (CB) Staff Course, Instructor in Artillery Intelligence at the Royal School of Artillery, then to Germany as a Corps Artillery Intelligence Officer at HQ 1 (British) Corps.

In 1965/66 Christopher was posted to Borneo for a year. For first six months he was the Battery Captain in a Light Regiment, followed by Battery Commander (BC) of a hastily formed 'ad hoc' Locating Battery in Borneo when the Indonesians reinforced their artillery.


Borneo 1965
Christopher examining a shell crater to find
out where the (Indonesian) gun was deployed
....."This sort of task was really my forte."
*Click image to enlarge

1967 saw him back in Germany again as a Battery Commander of a gun locating battery.  1969 to 1972 he spent the first year as Second-in-Command and then two years as Commandant of the (British) Army Outward Bound Centre in Norway. (Christopher says that his main raison d’etre was "To take the can if anything went wrong!")  



Borneo 1965

Setting up a roving gun position

 (Christopher is one wearing a hat.)

*Click image to enlarge

In 1973, again in Germany, he ran the artillery intelligence desk at HQ BAOR (British Army of the Rhine). Rex Stephenson was also in the same branch. Christopher recalls; "Rex and I were both in Intelligence Branch when at HQ BAOR and, because it was during the "Cold War" that posting was particularly interesting. Intelligence staff desk work requires little more than common sense, a little background experience, perseverance and not taking ANY other agency’s reports at face value. Rex was younger than me and a ‘high flyer’ so deserved to get where he did."


Borneo 1965
Setting up a roving gun position
 *Click image to enlarge

He returned to the UK in 1975 to join HQ UK Land Forces (UKLF) at Wilton in Wiltshire (Future Developments). In 1977  he joined the HQ of an Armoured Division shortly before it moved from UK to near the Mohnesee Dam (of 'Dambusters' fame) in Germany. Christopher remained there until returning to the UK on retirement in 1984.

Sheila Beeton - 1958

MBE Awarded: Christopher's MBE was awarded in 1981. He modestly explains; "The MBE was for a number of minor reasons, in my case these included setting up Divisional Ski Championships from scratch in East Bavaria and later also in Austria as well as helping revive the initially failing NATO Sailing Club on the Mohnesee. But the award was also largely because of the fantastic job my late wife, Sheila, did with the British Services youth in BAOR. She had been appointed Commissioner for the Guides in the Armoured Division's area when it moved out to Germany in 1977 because she had once assisted with a Brownie pack in Wilton! But she really threw herself into the task which she found both rewarding and enjoyable. Later she was appointed Assistant Commissioner for (all the) British Guides in Germany (BGIG) as well as still running her own Division's. She was also appointed a sort of Magistrate for any British service families' youth who had committed some misdemeanour. When not engaged in these activities she taught other wives dinghy sailing and brought up our four children."

MBE Medal

Sheila Beeton, Christopher's wife, passed away in Oakhaven Hospice in 1995, only a few hours after chairing, as Centre Organizer, a meeting of the British Red Cross staff in Lymington.

Early Life: During WW2, Christopher's Prep School (Abinger Hill School near Dorking, Surrey) was taken over as a Canadian Brigade HQ and he and the other pupils were sent to a school at Ashbury College in Ottawa, Canada.

Abinger Hill School
*click image to enlarge

Christopher recalls that whilst at Abinger Hill School, parents' visits always welcome as meant lunch and Stone Ginger Beer at Abinger Hammer!

As his father had died in 1942, Christopher returned early from Canada (with one other boy) via the USA, Azores, Portugal and Eire.

Immediately after the War he and his nine year older brother did a fair amount of mountain walking in France and Austria. Having caught the ‘travel bug’ he joined the (Regular) Army primarily to do just that. In those days National Service was in full swing and one had to serve two years anyway, plus the Army offered one of the few opportunities to get abroad for any reasonable length of time. Moreover the Army also had an advantage over the other services in that it usually had two or three year postings which enabled him, when abroad, to get to know the inhabitants as well as being able to visit other nearby countries when on leave.

Fairy Godmother: Christopher recalls a couple of close shaves, and thanks a Fairy Godmother that has kindly looked after him well!

"In mid Atlantic while on our way to Canada in 1940 the ship ahead of us, carrying German and Italian POWs, was torpedoed instead of us. When this happened our engines were stopped and we wallowed in a most uncomfortable manner. I was on the lowest deck, below the waterline, and began to feel sick. Having struggled up to the open deck I made for the side where one of the crew stopped me, asking “What’s wrong with you, Boy?” After my reply he said “You can’t be sick, only little girls are seasick!”. To a ten year old boy that did the trick. In spite of many opportunities since, I have never been seasick and nor have any of my men while serving under me!"

"When we reached Lisbon on our return voyage we were told that we would be flying to Eire the following night. But when they realised that we were two twelve year old boys travelling on our own, the authorities changed their minds and decided to get rid of us that night. The following night’s flight, on which we should have flown, included Leslie Howard (Steiner) a famous actor of the time. The airplane was shot down with no survivors."

Poole-Cherbourg 1950
*Click image to  enlarge 

Cross Channel Racing: Attached is a menu for one of the cross channel races that Christopher participated in, Poole to Cherbourg in 1950. From the look of the menu there was no hardship on land! The document on the right contains signatures of skippers and crews taking part, some of these or their relatives are still understood to be in the area. 

Christopher & The Beetons: Christopher is a distant descendant of the iconic Victorian cookbook writer, Mrs Beeton. The link is from a cousin and down. Mrs Beeton's husband, Samuel Orchart Beeton (S.O. Beeton), was prolific both as an author and publisher, and his publications covered almost every subject. Some are quite fascinating and really bring the 1850s to life.

There is no complete collection, and Christopher is accumulating what he can in the hope that one day his family will find a Library that will take an interest in them.

 

Mrs Beeton's Cookbook

Isabella Mary Beeton (Isabella Mary Mayson), was universally known as Mrs Beeton, and the author of the famous 'Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management'. The book was first published in 1861. Prior to this, it had been published in twenty four monthly parts from November 1859 to October 1861. (Another popular name for the volume is Mrs Beeton's Cookbook).

 

The book had 1,112 pages, with over 900 pages of recipes, passages on cooking advice, servants pay and children's health. By 1868 nearly two million copies had been sold.

 

Surprisingly, she only lived 29 years, from 12 March 1836 to 6 February 1865.

 

Sam & Isabella Beeton
*click image to enlarge

A book on Isabella Beeton entitled; 'The Short Life and Long Times of Mrs. Beeton: The First Domestic Goddess', was written by Kathryn Hughes, who thanked Christopher for being an exemplary host and for his encyclopaedic knowledge of S.O. Beeton’s publications.

 

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Other Connected Stories:
 

Col Richard Carver OBE Update: click here to read story

Monty, Richard & Milford!: click here to read story

BAOR (British Army of the Rhine): click here
 

Boys & Their Toys!

click image to enlarge

Any of us big boys, who like playing with toys, are going to love this one!

The next best thing to playing around with big toys; like fast cars, boats and gadgets, is of course playing with models of them.

I think most of us have to admit to a grudging envy of Jeremy Clarkson and the Top Gear boys each time they have a race, stupid adventure or a thrash around the track.

Well, not quite Top Gear, but The Solent Radio Control Model Boat Club are bringing their toys models to Milford on Sea for their Annual Charity Model Boat Exhibition.

The event is in aid of the RNLI and Hampshire Air Ambulance, and entry is a simple donation.

The exhibition takes place in the All Saints' Church Hall on Saturday 7th September from 10am until 4pm and comprises of a large exhibition of model boats including Warships, Fishing Boats, Tugs and Clipper ships to mention but a few. There will also be refreshments available and an RNLI Souvenir stall.

I am sure plenty of us will be there, with some technical guys looking at the mechanics, and me looking at the fast ones, and any that can blow other ships up!

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Solent Radio Control Model Boat Club has its sailing waters at Setley Pond located in the New Forest just south of Brockenhurst. The pond is co-located with a Picnic Area and model boaters can park directly adjacent to the water.

Model Yacht sailing at Setley Pond dates back to 1972. The Sailing Section of the present Club was founded in 1978 with the primary purpose of model yacht racing. The Scale Section was established in 1980 with an interest in all scale model boats, both motor and sail. Nowadays the two sections of the Club are run separately but in close collaboration.

www.srcmbc.org.uk

Grave Milford Tales

click image to enlarge

After mentioning a number of notable graves in All Saints' Churchyard in a recent story, I have been contacted by Brian Mawer, who has revealed another interesting, indeed infamous, inhabitant under one of the Milford on Sea tombstones.

 

Brian wrote: "I was interested in your list of other notable graves at All Saints' Church. I know of one that wasn't on the list that you had been given.

 

It is one of a suspected murderer, William Saville Kent, whose grave is beside the footpath in front of the church here in Milford on Sea. His elder sister, Constance Emily Kent took the rap for the murder of the younger 4 year old brother, Francis Saville on the 30th June 1860 at their parents' house; 'Road Hill House', in Road Hill (now spelt Rode), on the Somerset/Wiltshire border near Trowbridge. Saville was found all covered in blood stuck down an outside privy. Seemingly the older children had been very jealous of the children of their father's 2nd wife.

click image to enlarge

It is all a very long story involving a detective, Mr Whicher, and was turned into a very well read crime story. The upshot was that, as mentioned in the book; William fell ill in 1908, whilst he was visiting Constance, who by then was out of prison and was living in Australia. He came home and died on the 11th October of that year. Seemingly William had previously carried out a lot of research into the artificial cultivation of pearls, and his widow seemingly covered his tombstone at the church of All Saint's in Milford on Sea with coral skeletons. Some of those coral skeletons are still there today."

 

A book retelling the story was written by Kate Summerscale entitled: The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: The Murder at Road Hill House. A film of the same name has also been made which starred Peter Capaldi as Samuel Kent.

www.mrwhicher.com

By coincidence, Peter Capaldi, made famous for his role as political spindoctor Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It, was this evening revealed as the new Doctor Who on BBC TV.

I wonder what else there is still to be discovered about who lies in our local cemetery!

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Other notable Graves at All Saints' Church: Identified by Jim Butterworth (MoS Historical Society)

• Sir Stephen Hope Carhill
• Charles Dickens Granddaughter
• Charles Augustus Lord, Officer of the Chinese Imperial Maritime Service
• Two brothers who drowned at Hurst Castle
• Revd Willis, Bishop Of Honolulu 1872-1902

 

New Ring at Community Care

The Milford on Sea Community Care Group do great work looking after local people with transport to medical & dental appointments. 

 

Not only is the help pracitical, it also provides a friendly face on what can be a stressful day.

 

The Community Care Group is run entirely by volunteers, and is based in the front office at the Community Centre in Sea Road. Recently a number of changes have taken place, and they now have:

 

New Phone No: 01590 641700 and .......
New Office Hours: Monday to Friday - 9am to 11am and 2pm to 4pm.

  

The group has also launched a new logo (above) to go along with the changes.

As ever, they are on the look-out for willing volunteers to drive, or to operate the office phone, even for a few hours a month.

You know the number to ring, if you can lend a hand! 01590 641700

Sound & Dance at Hurst Castle

Hurst Castle is to have a resident sound artist, Nimmi Naidoo, from 2nd to 14th September, and a resident dance artist Espirito Santo Mauricio from 15th to 30th September 2013. The studio will be open everyday 2pm – 4.30pm.

Espirito Santo Mauricio is a dance artist and will be arriving from Vancouver, Canada, and she is interested in connecting to local musicians who improvise, and for dancers who would like to get involved.

 

Espirito will be working on Project Unity, which is an artistic human experience, aiming at bringing people together through the art of contact dance improvisation, voice and music.

 

Over a 2 week period experienced contact dancers, musicians, voice artists and audience members will develop an ongoing relationship based on shared movement.

 

The object is to find or invent a form of ongoing interactive art that continues within a community, playing a different role that performance alone can play. Espirito is looking to undercut the increasingly mediated nature of this culture – the way it grows more electronically connected but, at the same time more physiologically disconnected. Her approach is to bring audience into re-opening their interactive Kinetic and tactile senses as a group.

 

If you would like to contact Espirito, her details are: Espirito Santo Mauricio at espiritosm@gmail.com

 

Espirito Santo Mauricio started performance at age 5, acting, singing dancing. Trained in folk dance, ballet, voice, theatre, gymnastics, improvisation, modern, Flamenco, Labban Barttenief, Body Mind Centering. Contact Improvisation, yoga, Ayurveda, hip hop. Her work is dedicated at generating peace within and out, through the meditative nature of contact dance improvisation.

 

www.espiritosantodance.com

Sound Artist in Residence at Hurst Castle

Sound Artist, Nimmi Naidoo will be creating a low-tech sound studio next to the Café in Hurst Castle from 2nd to 14th September.

“We chose a sound artist to be our first artist-in-residence because we wanted to offer visitors new way of experiencing the Castle,” said a spokesperson at the Fleetwood Initiative, the charity who are curating the Residency.

“Sound Art invites us to listen closely to where we are.” Nimmi said. “I will be rambling across the shingle and through the Castle in search of hidden sounds. I like to find the detail, small corners that are resonant with the character of a place.”

As well as recording sounds, this Sound Artist will be searching the ground for anything that will make a noise. Nimmi explained, “Found instruments are exciting to work with, you never know what you will hear from them.”

Visitors can join Nimmi on a free Listening Walk. At 4.30pm on Wed. 4th Sept, Sat. 7th Sept, Sun. 8th Sept, and Wed. 11th Sept. (You can book at the studio on the day)

Nimmi graduated with an MA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Oxford Brookes University in 2011.

Nimmi Naidoo
www.nimminaidoo.com

Hurst Castle is currently open daily 10.30am to 5.30pm.
www.hurstcastle.co.uk

Coffee, Cake & £520

The Homegrange Coffee and Cake was well attended on the morning on Friday 26th July 2013.

 

Held in the garden at Homegrange in Shinglebank Drive, homemade cakes made by the residents of Homegrange were enjoyed by a good turnout, as was the live piano music from Roger Boothroyd. There was also a well supported Bric-a-Brac stall and a grand raffle.

 

The event raised £520 for the Oakhaven Hospice fund ...all in all, a great team effort. 

Breakfast with Gold Stars

The Bay Trees
click image to enlarge

Mark & Sarah at The Bay Trees in Milford on Sea High Street, had a unannounced visit from the Hotel Inspector from Visit England recently. After he had spent the night and had breakfast, he announced himself and told them that they had again been awarded a Four Star status with a Gold Award for a very high standard. This is the third successive year since the arrival of Mark & Sarah as owners in 2011 that the prestigious award has been received.

 

Sarah was particularly happy that, although the Bay Trees scored very highly in all sections of the assessment, she achieved a perfect 100% for the New Forest Breakfast and was awarded the Kellogg's Breakfast Award as well. This is especially welcome as they also have the New Forest Marque - awarded for serving locally sourced and produced products on the breakfast menu and other local products in the rooms. Who can resist a great breakfast!

 

In awarding the 4 Stars and Gold Award the Inspector wrote of the exemplary standards of cleanliness and housekeeping in all areas of the property and the warm friendliness of the welcome and hospitality from Mark & Sarah, and said 'breakfast in the Conservatory on a summer morning was a very jolly affair!'

The Bay Trees Garden
click image to enlarge

 

To see photographs of the Bay Trees luxury bed & breakfast bedrooms and beautiful garden, please visit their web site:

 

The Bay Trees

www.baytreebedandbreakfast.co.uk

50 B4 50-A New Dining Quest!

Having finished our 40 B4 40 Dining Challenge we were in need of a new challenge to keep us amused. We considered a number of options, but fortunately my wife's ideas of basing it on exercise, shopping, or going to the South Pole fell on deaf ears.

I suppose to decide we needed to know our main criteria. We soon agreed that it needed to be enjoyable, amusing, and not to involve sweating. Eating of course fit this criteria very well, unless of course you are eating a fierce curry.

Ultimately I guess, the whole point of our challenge is that it needs to be pointless. Collecting points, seems pointless, ...so that is what we are going to do.

50 B4 50-Dining Challenge: Our new challenge is to collect 50 points before my wife is 50. In this instance one Michelin Star will equal one point. So, we need to dine in various Michelin Star restaurants that have a collective total of 50 Michelin Stars.

Michelin Inspectors anonymously visit restaurants throughout the year using an inspection process that has been refined since 1926. The inspectors concentrate on the quality, flavours, mastery of technique, personality and consistency of the food. Earning One, Two of Three Michelin Stars is seen as one of the highest honours in the restaurant industry. In 2013 only 3 restaurants held three Michelin Star across the UK.

This may all sound pretentious, stuffy and expensive, but in reality it makes dining an experience and event, as much as you would get at the theatre or a concert.

Top Tip: A Saturday evening on the a la carte menu will certainly be felt in the pocket, but we have a 'Top Tip' to share; most, if not all, of these restaurant will do special lunch menus, or in London, pre-theatre menus, which are extensive and great value. Each restaurant has a reputation to protect, and the kitchen team preparing the food is the same, the only difference is you pay a fraction of what you may pay at other times.With my wife now being 40, we have ten years to collect 50 points (Stars) before her 50th birthday.To make things a bit easier, we have decided to include the Michelin Star restaurants that we have already dined in. This may appear cheating, but the good thing about setting the rules for a pointless points challenge, is that we can do what we like!

So, here we go, it is August 2013, we have 18 Michelin Star so far, the knife & forks are ready, and the race is on!

WI Scoop NF Show Awards

On Tuesday morning, despite the heavy rain, spirits were high as the spies from Milford on Sea WI entered the tent at the New Forest Show to view the results of Monday’s judging.

 

The Womens' Institute ladies were delighted to find their exhibits scattered with gold and silver stars.
 

1st on Produce Co-operative
'A packed lunch for a day’s walk in the New Forest'
Pat Brooks (Left) who made the fruit cake
and Suzie Watson
click image to enlarge.

The Produce Co-operative team found a red First on their exhibit 'A packed lunch for a day’s walk in the New Forest' and our accomplished artists gained a First and a Second in the Art category 'The Traveller'.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Art Exhibit 1st: Gillian Key
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Gillian Key also won the accolade of 'Best in Show' in Craft. Margaret Gibson came second in the 'Italian Bread'. Mayve Larke second in the fresh flower exhibit 'Flight' and Eileen Maycock, out of 193 entries, came third in the Novice Class 'T-shaped jumpers for Zimbabwe'.

 

What a creative bunch!



'A packed lunch for a day’s walk in the New Forest'
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3rd in the Jumpers: Eileen Maycock
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Art Exhibit 1st: Gillian Key
2nd: Maureen Tate
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Lady at The Fat Duck

A good friend of this blog and local lady, is Carol. Carol is also one of the key members of 'Ladies Who Lunch in Hampshire.'

 

Over several years 'The Ladies' have eaten just about everywhere across Hampshire, often pulling in willing or unwilling partners to join them.  The reviews show their pure enjoyment for fun and food.

 

Their website is now a definative guide to wherever you may want to eat in Hampshire.

 

So, why the mention here?  Well, Carol recently had a special occasion, and visited The Fat Duck in Bray. This particular restaurant is Heston Blumental's flagship and  one of only 4 restaurants in the UK that holds 3 Michelin Stars, and it was voted Best Restaurant in the World in 2005. It is also one I would love to visit one of these days. 

 

As you may expect, it is expensive, but so is getting the best tickets for a top concert or a West End theatre.  Whilst not every can indulge in such an experience, we hope people can enjoy someone else's luck in being able to go. (Not sure I want to sail around the world, but love hearing about people that have!)

 

We know there are plenty of foodies in Milford on Sea, so we just wanted to share Carol's review with you.

 

You can read Carol's Fat Duck Review by clicking here.

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Ladies Who Lunch in Hampshire
www.ladieswholunch-in-hampshire.co.uk

Col Richard Carver OBE Update

Since running an article about Colonel Richard Carver OBE RE last week, (view here), we have discovered more about his time in Milford on Sea. Below are some memories of his house, Arnwood, his involvement with All Saints' Church, Milford Art Group and MoS Historical Records Society, and also his final resting place.

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Colonel Richard Carver OBE RE, locally known as Dick Carver, was born on 26th May 1914. He lived in Milford on Sea for 28 years of his later life and died in the village on the 24th July 2007 at the age of 93.

Richard was a stepson of Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery of Alamein. Fighting with Montgomery as a forward liaison officer in the 8th Army (Commonly known as The Desert Rats), Richard was captured  in the Western Desert in 1942, and an extraordinary adventure ensued.


Richard Carver's House:

Carol Bartlett recalls; "I remember Dick Carver living next door to us in Lymington Road, Milford on Sea SO41 0QN. His house was named Arnwood, and was in between our property known as The Garden House, and The Vicarage. Arnwood was demolished about 4 years ago and replaced by Langtry House. Dick was a wonderful neighbour and a lovely man. My husband John and Dick were good friends and spent many happy evenings reminiscing and putting the world to rights!"

Christina Young remembers Richard's house: "Dick's house was called Arnwood. It was an attractive whitewashed house, with a slate roof, nearly opposite The Old House in Lymington Road. The house was demolished following his death and has now been Replaced." Today, Langtry House an imposing property built around 2010, sits in the ample grounds of Richard's former home.

Richard Carver & All Saints' Church

Alastair Dunn, Vicar at All Saints’ Church from 1990 to 2004 remembers Richard well. Alastair said; “Dick, as he was known to me, was a a regular worshipper at All Saints’ Church, and he was also a Housegroup leader and Churchwarden. I recall he became a Churchwarden just before I arrived in 1990 and he remained so until 1997.”

Richard Carver & Milford on Sea Historical Records Society

Brian Giles, Chairman of Milford on Sea Historical Records Society recalls; “Dick was a grand character. In all the times I went to his house with AGM papers when he was a member of MOSHRS, he never mentioned his connection with ‘Monty’.” From this, it is fair to assume that Richard was a modest and old school gentleman.

Richard Carver & Milford Art Group
 

It is believed that Dick was a member of Milford on Sea Art Group, although current members of the group have been unable to confirm this. His love of art may well have come from his mother, Betty Carver. Betty had been a student at The Slade School of Art in London, having always been interested in art and sculpture, she excelled in oil and watercolour painting. (Betty's brother was Col. Sir Percy Cleghorn Stanley Hobart MC DSO OBE KBE which confirms the family had fine military connections.)  

Richard Carvers Resting Place: Richard is buried in All Saints' Churchyard in Milford on Sea, alongside his wife, Audrey.

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The grave for Mr Carver is in area 3, behind the church. Walk towards the shed at the back, about 3 rows up from the “cross roads”, and about 6 graves in.

All Saints' Church Yard Map

 

The Book:

Richard’s son, Tom Carver has written an excellent book about Dick's life and war exploits called 'Where the hell have you been?’ View or buy book here.

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We would like to hear anything about Richard Carver's life and particularly his time in Milford on Sea, ...what can you tell us?

Reply to: david@milfordonsea.org or post a comment below.

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Other notable Graves at All Saints' Church: Identified by Jim Butterworth (MoS Historical Society)

• Sir Stephen Hope Carhill
• Charles Dickens Granddaughter
• Charles Augustus Lord, Officer of the Chinese Imperial Maritime Service
• Two brothers who drowned at Hurst Castle
• Revd Willis, Bishop Of Honolulu 1872-1902

Stay at The Marine

The Marine, perfectly situated on Milford on Sea Seafront, is now offering rooms for diners wishing to stay over night, or holiday makers wishing a longer stay to enjoy all that our delightful seaside village has to offer.

The spectacularly located ‘Art Deco’ styled landmark building, occupies a dramatic position with stunning views to The Needles, Christchurch Bay & Sturt Pond Nature Reserve.

There is now the opportunity to stay, in one of the three comfortable executive bed & breakfast bedrooms or the luxury self-catering Hurst Penthouse Suite, all with excellent facilities and panoramic sea views.

Having had a sneak peek, it is clear that no expense has been spared in the quality of the furnishing and fixtures in any of the rooms.

The Marine | B&B Bedroom

Comfort will be ensured for anyone staying, with every B&B bedroom featuring a contemporary design and benefiting from glorious views of this wonderful coastline.

The Hurst Penthouse Suite is open plan and spacious, with a kitchen that most people would love to have in their own homes, added to this, there is a balcony where you can enjoy a glass of wine and arguably one of the best panoramic views in the country.

The Marine | Hurst Penthouse Suite

Guests will have little need to stray far to eat, thanks to the ground floor contemporary, fully licensed, Café Bar during the daytime or evening, which serves coffee, snack, a delicious informal lunch, afternoon tea, or evening meal. There is also and elegant first floor Restaurant, providing a more formal dining experience, serving the very best modern British cuisine, and enjoying captivating panoramic sea & coast views.

Milford on Sea offers so many attractions for visitors, and anyone staying a few days can also take advantage of the wide variety of shops and places to eat in the village centre. There is a very good reason that Milford on Sea is becoming known as the 'South Coast's Foodie Heaven'!

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The Marine
Hurst Road, Milford on Sea, SO41 0PY | Tel: 01590 644369
www.themarinemos.co.uk
info@themarinemos.co.uk

Events: *The Marine is also available for private parties and corporate hire. They can accommodate individual parties of between 10 & 100+ for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, wakes etc, - so get in touch if you're looking for a special venue for an occasion you are celebrating.

Visiting Milford on Sea?

Check out what do, where to stay, local news and more: www.milfordonsea.org



WI in the South Seas

MoS WI President, Penny Ramus
& Kath Brookes 

The girls at Milford on Sea WI went a bit tropical recently.

 

As members arrived for the July 'Garden Meeting', they had a bit of a surprise when they were greeted with a scene from the exotic South Seas, complete with parrots in palm trees!

 

Knowing the fun loving girls in our local Women's Institute I was not the least bit surprised that they were dressing up again!  Some of you may remember a variety of humorous and daring costumes in the Milford on Sea Carnival over the years!, ... I rest my case.

 

The tables were gaily decorated with vine leaves, pineapples and fresh fruits and background music playing. President, Penny Ramus, complete with grass skirt and garlands of flowers, greeted members old and new with “Aloha”.

 

As things got underway, Barbara Pidgeon showed the certificate and her prize winning quilt (runner-up in the national Makeover competition) which is currently touring various county shows and will be at Denman College by Christmas.

The meetings business was kept to a minimum, after all there was a party to enjoy!


click image to enlarge

The choir performed a selection of hit songs from the musical, South Pacific to enthusiastic applause. The Committee, all dressed in similar polenysian style with multi-coloured grass skirts and bedecked with flowers, then served a sumptuous afternoon tea to approximately eighty appreciative ladies. Fortified with tea, the brain-teasing quiz was tackled with renewed vigour.

To close, Shirley Headley was thanked for her delightful flower arrangement, and the committee earned a huge round of applause for excellent catering and a fun afternoon.

The Next meeting is on 17 September in All Saints' Church Hall.

If you fancy joining the WI please contact: Maureen Askin on 01590 641420 or see website by clicking here.
 

Ross, David and Heston

A face that was familiar around Milford on Sea not so long ago has made his way to the pages of OK! Magazine.

Ross Clarke, is a locally born chef who initially learnt his craft under the guidance of David Wykes, owner/head chef at Verveine Fishmarket Restaurant in the village.

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From Verveine, ambitious Ross went to join Heston Blumenthal at The Fat Duck experimental kitchen in Bray. The Fat Duck is one of the world's most famous restaurants, which been awarded three Michelin stars and was voted Best Restaurant in the world in 2005.

Surprisingly, Heston Blumenthal is a totally self-taught chef, whose route to the top has been an unconventional one, involving rule-breaking, unusual experiments and totally amazing food creations.

Ross's career continues to develop, and today he has his own food consultancy & training business which operates in both the UK and Dubai in the UAE. His company now provides services which can further a restaurants menu, atmosphere, standard, efficiency and overall level of performance.

The OK! Magazine interview, (picture shown above) was conducted at one of Ross's Multi Sensory Dining course's in Dubai. The course covered topics such as; the effects that playing with senses can have on the perception of the food, the use of modern dining equipment to increase dining experience and the atmosphere of the restaurant from start to end.  Also covered was the safe and effective way to use dry ice and liquid nitrogen to increase dining experience instead of just making clouds!

The magazine article covers Ross's thoughts on cooking, and he quotes that the best ever meal he has had was at Verveine.  Obviously an excellent judge!

Ross also runs food events to fit a clients needs, which could be anything from a product launch to 500 people through to a private dinner on a super yacht for two people, in addition he also runs a selection of training courses in the UK and the UAE. The courses can follow a set subject or they can be tailor made towards any aspect of modern dining.

To add to his recent experiences Ross has also become involved in filming, from consulting on creative concepts to presenting for culinary programmes. His previous filming experience includes; Heston's Fantastical Food, BBC Good Food  and Platinum Fusion Awards.

Ross Clarke

www.rossclarke.co.uk
ross@rossclarke.co.uk | 07712 449775

Verveine Fishmarket Restaurant
98 High Street, Milford on Sea, SO41 0QE
01590 642176
www.verveine.co.uk

The Fat Duck
High Street, Bray, Berkshire, SL6 2AQ
www.thefatduck.co.uk

Old Walls, ...New Website!

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David & Kate Danby has been providing excellent holidays in their quality self catering properties for several years, and have now decided to bring their holiday collection 'under one roof' on a new website.

 

The new website has been given a light sea side breezy feel that gives visitors a great deal of local information from the best local beaches, to great days out, top children attractions and details of where to eat whether it is pubs or restaurants either in Milford village or further afield in the forest. It even allows visitors to check on the state of the tides!

This has been combined with a booking platform that enables clients to immediately look at the availability for their preferred dates, check prices and then book on-line.

 

The three New Forest Coastal properties are Mulberry Barn, which has the Visit England highest 5 Star Gold rating, Old Walls Apartment which is Visit England 4 Star, and Lime Grove Bungalow in Everton which is NFTA Quality Assessed.

To check out the website for yourself please visit: www.newforestcoastalcottages.co.uk

 

New Forest Coastal Cottages
David & Kate Danby
www.newforestcoastalcottages.co.uk
info@newforestcoastalcottages.co.uk
 

Sun Shines on The Needles Trophy

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Milford on Sea Bowls Club held their annual Needles Trophy Competition on Wednesday 24th July.

 

Blessed with great weather, 16 pairs battled it out in a "Round Robin" format leading to an exciting final between Janice & Rob Perkins and Carole Tearle & Tim Capron.

Janice & Rob were the eventual winners and were presented with the engraved glass Needles Trophy and original John Bird water colour paintings of the Needles as keepsakes.

 

This annual Competition is sponsored by local estate agents Murray & Hayward and the presentation was made by Martin Scott and Club President Ron West.

 

The Milford-on-Sea Bowls Club was founded in 1933 and "exists for the happiness of its members" and it is this ethic, which makes membership an enjoyable experience both for the playing of bowls and its social events.

If you fancy getting involved, playing bowls, enjoy a BBQ or like to sing out in a rousing chorus of 'Land & Hope & Glory' at a party night, the contact details are on the weblink below.

 

Milford on Sea Bowls Club
www.milfordbowls.co.uk

Murray & Hayward
www.murrayandhayward.com