Thursday | Milford on Sea Food Week Diary

My wife awoke startled this morning as I shouted ‘I’ve done it!’ at the top of my voice. What have you done she asked blearily. ‘It’s sunny, my shorts have worked, I’ve done it!’ I repeated. She took a swing, but with the restriction from her nightie she missed. Mum & friends are going home today, so we have a treat in store for lunchtime, but before that my wife thought a walk along the beachfront was in order. I joined in, but as they got halfway through their marathon trek I made a weak excuse & disappeared to ‘learn how to taste wine’ at Braxton Gardens. Shorefield also had another fun day running. Now peckish, I returned to collect the family & we made our way to Verveine Fishmarket Restaurant. The restaurant was full and the food exquisite. We all had the full three courses with all the special extra touches the team took so much care over. The world felt a great place to be, & it got even better when Gary insisted on paying, which I think was his way of trying to repay me for causing my morning headache.

Over the road the RNLI were having a very well attended Cheese & Wine Lunch with a Quiz. Late afternoon Mum & friends were off on their way home & I suggested to my wife an afternoon tea at Polly’s Pantry. Although she didn’t reply I could tell by her snoring that she was a bit too tired to go out just yet.

The evening was a bit of relay to take photo’s at various venues. First stop was Westover Hall Hotel where we were greeted by trees decked in Spanish Flags & bunting around the door. As we entered the Spanish guitarists were in full swing & champagne was flowing. The dining guests looked very smart & were already creating a party atmosphere. I tried to discreetly take some photo’s, but that is quite difficult when you are six foot two & of portly build. (Portly?, porky more like.) Next stop was the Folk Club & Chilli Night at South Lawn Hotel. When we arrived the chilli had already been served and a floor singer was up on stage. I got quite confused as to what he was singing about, but the sixty or so folk music aficionado’s seemed to understand. My wife reckoned it was about his dead dog & cider. I am not sure she was right, but before we could find out we were off to our next venue. Our final stop of the night was at Bon Appétit where we fortunately got a table to enjoy the late night Sweet & Savoury Crepes Evening. We decided to have one of each kind, and there are no prizes for guessing that I had the sweet one. By now it was getting a bit too late to make Verveine’s Tasting Banquet, so we called it a night with a swift night cap in The Smugglers.

Today’s weight: 19 stone 12 lbs | See the photo’s & stories from each day at:

www.milfordonseafoodweek.org/2010-diary

Wednesday | Milford on Sea Food Week Diary

Had a bit of hangover this morning, why are all of my friends such a bad influence? My wife’s singing is quite painful at the best of times, but this morning she was hitting notes which I am sure would have permanently deafened passing seagulls. I’m not sure why she was singing, but I think my delicate state was enough cause for her solo celebration. Around 10 o’clock our friends waddled in having had another full breakfast after their stay at Westover Hall. This morning was the Family Food Fun at Shorefield and Horrid Henry’s Lunchbox at the library, however as I have yet to perfect the art of being in two places at once I was already committed to the Church Hall Food Day, so resplendent in my shorts, I headed off bright and early to let everyone in.

As the various stalls set up, there was an air of anticipation as to what would happen when the doors opened at ten o’clock. There turned out to be no need for concern, as the hall immediately filled up as soon as we opened. The first point of call for the families was David Rogers pottery wheel, where the kids could ‘throw their own pot’. Little did he know that he was going to be welded to his chair without any sort of break until closing time! The visitors also made a beeline directly to the WI stall, where the girls had their home baked cakes & marmalade. Their stock lasted less than an hour in the constantly full hall. As people wandered around the stalls Jenny was explaining the concept of Raw Food For Health, Amanda had full audiences at her canapé demonstrations and Claire had to find some more stock for her Spice N’ Easy stall as people just kept buying. By now I had only eaten a few canapés & some crackers with dips, so it must be time for lunch. The WI girls having anticipated they would sell out quickly, had volunteered to do tea & coffee for our visitors, & also to serve a lunch of potato & leek soup with French bread, and amazing chicken liver or smoked salmon pate, all homemade of course. We were all struggling to decide what to have, so I ensured that I did not choose the wrong one by ordering both courses. My mum, ladened with bags from the day was happily chatting to the friendly locals as I tucked into some cake for pudding.

Whilst all this was happening Nicola from Yum was holding her second Kids Cookery Course in the front meeting room, with her mum at hand she had them baking & decorating cakes. For the sake of research it was necessary for me to test the icing, & I can confirm that it was just as icing should be. As Nicola is pregnant, it was fortunate that she could have the evening off. Oh no she couldn’t, as she was also doing the cakes & tea for the Choirs interval tonight. Ah well, that’s life in cakes.

In the afternoon more new faces kept arriving & the hall remained full all day with over 500 estimated visitors. A number of the people had come straight from the Fish Filleting Demonstration & Lunch at Verveine, & they were full of praise for the experience. Our speakers for the afternoon kicked off with Richard Barnett, who gave a talk about the New Forest Transition Group. He explained how the world’s natural fuel resources were declining, & how everyone can help by shopping locally, buying local produce & growing a small amount of produce for themselves. I have to say I found the argument compelling, unlike the scepticism I have for global warming. Ironically, Richard’s statement would be happily accepted by many, & if taken up by the masses would solve the global warming issues at the same time. Perhaps the world’s governments are making the wrong argument. (Sorry, not sure what happened there, I seem to have got a bit unexpectedly political.) Later on I was chatting to my wife & mentioned my surprise that Richard had normal ears. ‘Why wouldn’t he?’ she asked, ‘well, I know that he is a vegan’ I made the mistake of replying. Her heel caught me square in the shin & I went down like a sack of potatoes. She then bent down, and growled in my ear ‘Vulcans, its Vulcans that have pointed ears’. As I got up, & trying not to limp, I calmly walked away muttering to those that could hear, ‘Anyone got a mop? Someone seems to have spilt a drink making the floor slippery’.

Our next speaker, Charles Dowding was just as interesting. Being a renowned author on growing vegetables, he explained how he had proved that better vegetables can be grown without digging. It was a process that takes a few seasons to implement but for the keen gardener it must have been music to their ears. As someone who is not a gardener I was a bit disappointed to find out that chocolate is not a vegetable & his method would not help me grow some.

In the evening The White Horse had their curry & bottle of wine offer, and the WineShak were holding wine tastings, but I was already back for duty at the Choir & Cake Night in the Church Hall. We had no idea how many people would arrive, but when we had all of the seats full & a queue still going out of the door I anticipated we may have a problem. I went to the front of the hall to ask if any of the seated audience would be happy to stand at the back to allow our older friends to use the chairs. Without exaggeration about half of the hall immediately stood & it was a warm moment to see such instant gallantry. After a bit of shuffling & squeezing, we had over 150 in the hall & lined up the hallway to watch the 40 strong Total Voice Choir come onto the stage. The village choir was only started in January by our local resident Christine Mulgrew, and we were soon to discover the great job she had done in preparing them for their first public performance. The choir burst into song, giving us all the amazing sound of voices in harmony. With each number their confidence grew & the end of each song was greeted with rapturous rounds of applause. More than a few of the audience had lumps in their throat during some songs. The night was a complete triumph & everyone returned home on a high.

Chance for an early night I thought, chance for a drink & a late night Mum, Gary & Joy thought. Guess who won.

Today’s weight: 19 stone 9 lbs | See the photo’s & stories from each day at:

www.milfordonseafoodweek.org/2010-diary

Tuesday | Milford on Sea Food Week Diary

The early morning was dry & bright with a hint of a ‘blue moon’, so I started the day with a stroll on the beach with the ‘hound dog’ & ‘old Shep’. On my return I was surprised to find my wife making us bacon sandwiches in her dressing gown. Well, she was not actually making them in her dressing gown, she was making them in the frying pan. That’s ‘The wonder of you’ I exclaimed, & then went on to tell her how I had met ‘The girl of my best friend on the beach’, who had told me that she had received someone else’s post. She was worried that the letter may contain something nasty, but I just told her ‘Don’t have such a ‘suspicious mind’, just ‘return to sender’. My wife walked over, & I thought; ahh, she’s going to give me a ‘whole lotta love’, but instead she caught me just below the ear with her hot spatula. Ouch, ‘burning love’ I thought to myself. In a quietly aggressive tone she told me ‘Elvis is not until tonight & if I hear anymore of your stupid comments, this spatula will go up the trouser leg of your ridiculous shorts’. ‘Don’t be cruel’, I shouted as I quickly escaped into another room.

My ear still smarting I went for a chat with Keith Metcalf and discovered that about 50 people went on the Monday morning ‘Feed the Birds Walk’ around Sturt Pond & into the bird hide. The kids were thrilled to feed the birds with the bags of bird feed available. Unfortunately there was nothing to eat in the Parish Office other than bird seed, so I moved on to the Church Hall to see Nicola & the kids at the Cookery Class. Hands, elbows & chins in bowls of chocolate ensured a room full of happy faces. Giving them a quick hand by sampling some of the ingredients felt a good start to the days eating marathon.

At lunchtime it was time to visit the Britannia Thai to watch Sineenart demonstrate her skills in decorative vegetable carving. It was standing room only & the audience were enthralled by the various designs she created with simple flicks of the wrist. (& with a knife of course.) Pictures taken, I then moved on as vegetables are something I only eat when forced.

Around two o’clock my Mum arrived to stay for couple of days along with my old friends Gary & Joy. We wasted no time in heading for the ‘Taste of France’ event at Bon Appétit, but disaster!, they were full. Plan B was a trip to Inger-Lise’s where we enjoyed some Scandinavian open sandwiches & a hot chocolate. Next was a flying visit to Braxton Gardens to taste a glass of wine & some very fine cheeses. Mum being a fine cook didn’t object when the next stop was at The Gun Inn to visit ‘Morwenna’s Bakery’, it was worth the visit as we sampled a number of her delicious cakes & nice cup of tea in the garden. As I was on my way back for a third cake, I was swiftly tripped & my arm was forced up my back in a split second. My wife tenderly told me that it might not be a good idea to have another one. Being a big & strong man, I said ‘I will if I want to’, luckily she didn’t hear me, so I just agreed with her. It was now time to return to the Church Hall where Judith from New Forest Marque was in full flow with her ‘Quick & Easy’ cookery demonstration. Fortunately the food samples from the demonstration were just going around, so I sat down & tucked in. A selection of savoury treats, was followed by Eton Mess. Having eaten a little bit more than usual today I was finding it difficult to eat it all, but in the name of Food Week I carried on.

In the evening we returned to the village, where we were soon in Zaika ready for Indian Elvis, Gary & I of course started with some Indian beer & the ladies with some white wine. No sooner had we ordered our meals, Elvis arrived under a fanfare. Well, he didn’t actually, it was Roy Orbison who arrived, explaining that Indian Elvis was on his way, but had been delayed in New Delhi airport. The first half of the show was great fun, with ‘Roy’ blasting out old classics. Following our meal the speakers blared once again as we heard Elvis was now in the building. He appeared in a white rhinestone studded suit & within moments had the restaurant rocking and singing along with napkins waving, - it was all happening & even the waiters were spotted dancing to? the tables. When the show was over, Elvis was forced back by the audience to do a couple more numbers & he was obviously enjoying it as much as us. What a great night, hearing Elvis singing Bhangra was great fun, I doubt Milford on Sea has seen anything quite like this before!

On the way home we had a quick pint in The Smugglers, (did not eat any food this time, as I’m watching my weight), then a quick stop at Piccolo Mondo to see how the Italian Opera evening was going, & it was great to see the restaurant full of smiling faces. When we eventually got home we all sat talking until the early hours, & Gary kept refilling my bottomless glass despite my weak protests. I am sure I will pay for this later in the week.

Today’s weight: 19 stone 7 lbs | See the photo’s & stories from each day at:
www.milfordonseafoodweek.org/2010-diary

Monday: Milford on Sea Food Week Diary

Having spent the last week listening to various conflicting weather reports it was still unclear whether we were going to have a heat wave or monsoon rains today. Waking at 6am I thought it might be best to just look out of the window. Clear sky, gentle wind and calm sea – this could be our lucky day! I turned to inform my wife, but her side of the bed was empty – what a time to choose to leave me. Ah well, I will have to make my own breakfast. On arriving at the kitchen, I was quite relieved to find that my wife had actually got up just before me, which was great news, as it now meant that I did not have to make my own breakfast after all. Getting set for the eleven o’clock start I decided wearing shorts would be appropriate. My wife quickly disagreed. Ignoring her ladyships advice I set off for the Needles Eye Cafe, legs in glorious view. By now the wind had decided that it would whip off the sea with an icy chill. It was not long before the wind claimed two victims for the day. The Charity Candy Stall soon found out that their gazebo would not survive the wind, they were soon followed by The Plonkers who could not play in the now semi arctic conditions. Disappointed, but undeterred we set up the BBQ, the Recipe Book Swap Stall and Feed Your Brain Stall, whilst our Raffle Ticket & Programme sellers stocked up & disappeared on their mission like an SAS platoon.

At eleven o’clock the seafront was full of hoards of people, (in warm coats!, no one else had shorts on?) within minutes the stalls were crowded, and queues forming for burgers & sausages, which had been homemade with the compliments of our village butchers Dave Gates of The Butchers Shop & Dave Gregory of DJ Gregory Butchers. Simultaneously, the Children’s Egg Hunt & Face Painting at the Pre-School kicked off. We were to hear later that the attendance was busier than previous years, with many holidaying campers braving the weather. Many were impressed with our vibrant village, and were already planning to visit other events in Food Week. The funds raised by the Pre-School will be spent on plants and wheelbarrows etc for the ‘Children’s Growing Garden’. At The Marine the new building was resplendent in white, & the hog roast was well underway with over 250 servings made in the first hour.

Back at the Needles Eye Cafe 100 of the village butchers sausages & burgers had been sold by twelve thirty & the cafe had sent out search parties to find more BBQ food & buns. By one o’clock The Marine was rocking with the music of ‘Saxuality’, a girl saxophone duo. Due to the weather Richard had decided to open the unfinished downstairs bar in addition to his outside terraces. The replenished stocks & constant queues at the Needles Eye Cafe lasted until three o’clock with many hungry people fed. (Yes, Jon & I did have one!) Recipe books were flying off the table, & the strategically placed raffle girls were not letting anyone pass without an approach to part with some cash, although I don’t think any of them actually helped themselves from anyone’s pockets.

By the time I arrived The Marine, the bar was awash with happy revellers enjoying the special offer bar prices & more than one bottle of champagne could be seen on the tables. By two thirty it was standing room only, & it was quite an amazing atmosphere, particularly as the walls were still un-plastered breeze blocks & the floor bare concrete. It soon became clear that all people from Milford on Sea need for a party is a bar, band & friends. It was not long before ‘Saxuality’ had dozens of people up dancing & a full party was underway.

Whilst all of this was happening The Smugglers had started their Pirates of the Caribbean day, the team were all resplendently dressed as pirates & the pub decked out in pirates themes. It wasn’t long before the bar was three deep, every inside table taken, & the garden full with friends & families partying to the quite amazing Caribbean Steel Band. The dancing was not restricted to The Marine, as the Smugglers customers also showed that they could move with the best. As the late afternoon arrived, we saw the sun appear just as the wind dropped & the Smugglers garden was a great place to be.

As the afternoon events drew to a close we had met or seen hundreds of people, consisting of many locals, day-tripper’s & holiday makers from far afield. Many had been well fed, & after the food had run out several made their way to the village to find sustenance, so we hope all of our village eateries benefited. I had also discovered that having extremely attractive legs does not protect you from cold winds!

No sooner had we arrived home for a quick sit down & check of the e-mails, we discovered reports had been received from friends that had been on food (pub) crawls & we heard that Belle Époque had been really busy in the afternoon with a fabulous atmosphere. Soon it was then time to pop into the Britannia Thai Restaurant to watch & photograph the Thai dancing. The two dancers were charming & looked beautiful in their traditional Thai costumes. The intricacies of their dancing was much appreciated by the evening diners. Over at the Smugglers the night band was underway with a full bar in good spirits.

On returning home my wife & I realised we had forgotten something, we hadn’t eaten! It was too late to go back to the village, so there was only one thing for it – cheese on toast with Worcester sauce! We won’t make the same mistake throughout the rest of the week.

Milford on Sea is always a special place to be, but today it became just a little bit more special.

Today’s weight: 19 stone 4 lbs

See the photo’s & stories from each day at: www.milfordonseafoodweek.org/2010-diary

Only a few days to go!

It all starts next Monday down on the beach front, so I hope everyone is ready for a week of non stop eating! In the final preparations I can report that I have been doing my duty over the last week or so, by judging the Best Breakfast Competition. I know, it is a tough job, but someone has to do it! As I have visited our local hotels & B&B’s it has been great to discover how many of our village hostelries use local produce from our village butchers. All of the Food Week PR is now done & we estimate that over half a million people will have read about Milford on Sea Food Week before we kick off. We have advertised in numerous publications from Bournemouth, up to Fordingbridge, across to Southampton & everywhere in between! We have also had editorial articles in many newspapers & magazines, including Hampshire Life, Lymington Times, Daily Echo, Christchurch Advertiser, New Forest Post & the New Forest Today, - which goes to 77,000 homes across the New Forest. We are also appearing in around 80 different food & event related websites, and you may have also noticed a few advertising signs around the village!

Hopefully you now have a programme, which is available in many of the village shops. All of the events are of course also on the website. So far there are no last minute panics & it certainly seems that we have a lot of people looking forward to the week. If you are planning to attend any of the Themed Evening’s in the restaurants, be quick in booking, as I hear a number of them are already selling out.

When the concept of Food Week was created our aim was to boost trade for every trader in the village, to help ensure we kept a vibrant village for us all. We are also looking to put Milford on Sea on the map for food. But, perhaps most importantly, we hope that everybody has a great time!

PS: Just planning another event that we may all soon need: Milford on Sea Crash Diet Week!

PPS: More good news, my wife is still here, which is a result, as I wouldn’t want to go hungry before Food Week.

Milford on Sea Food Week Website:
http://www.milfordonseafoodweek.org/

Fancy a pint?

I recently heard more about Menmeet, which is an informal local gathering for the men of the village. I had heard of Menmeet before, but knew nothing about what it actually was. Not sure if I am disappointed, but it is not the secret meeting of Ex-MI6 Spy’s that I had imagined. In fact it is a regular monthly get together open to all local men, where they meet to chat & for a bit of local entertainment. Menmeet was set up by a group of guys from All Saints and Everton churches. Now, don’t be scared, it is not a religious group, but it is simply designed to get the men in village together, indeed non church goers are particularly welcomed. Our local church simply want to enable the men in the village to get together, whether they attend church or not. In fact, you will be pleased to hear how most events involve beer! Menmeet sounds like a great way to get to know more local people in an informal way.

Menmeet hold a variety of activities, in the winter most meetings are held in a room at the White Horse pub, where they invite locally based speakers to do illustrated talks. Other activities include evening walks, finishing at a local pub, outside games evenings. (probably near a pub), and a BBQ on Hordle cliff beach, where they have access to a beach hut (presumably with beer?!) The only cost is the price of a pint, and the occasional meal together. They also have an evening meal around Christmas at the Needles Eye Cafe on Milford on Sea seafront. The groups numbers are constantly increasing, & at a recent meeting at the pub they had some 23 people. There is no formal set up, just a 'secretary' to keep a note of things. (& I guess extra bar staff wherever they visit!)

In the next week or so, we plan to have a full list of Menmeet events in out What’s On Diary, so please keep an eye out for the events & join in if you are interested.

Just a thought: It would be good if they could get one of our local butchers to do a talk, then I could write an article with a title: The men at the Menmeet meeting meet the men who sell meat!

Jamie at Home joins Food Week

A team from a Jamie Oliver company have joined Milford on Sea Food Week at the last minute. They will be offering a selection of ‘Jamie at Home’ kitchen items for you to buy at South Lawn Hotel between 11am & 3pm on Saturday 10th April. There is also an opportunity to find out how you can hold a ‘Jamie At Home’ Party in your own home if you want to. The Jamie Oliver team can tell you more if you pop down to see them on Food Week Saturday.

Jamie At Home Website:
http://www.jamieathome.com/

Danes ‘Stream' or 'River’?

You may recall that a few months ago I had a debate on these pages (mainly with myself), as to which was correct ‘Danes Stream’, Danestream’, or even ‘Dane Stream’.

That research was inconclusive & as you may recall that I put several ridiculous arguments to ensure the confusion continued. Anyway, my friend Dan (who ludicrously claimed the stream was named after him!), wanted to know whether it was a stream, or as he suspected, was it actually a river? Naturally, I had no idea, & Dan is normally wrong about most things, but I felt that it was another excuse to do some more inane research. I thought it might be best to start with a definition of a river. "A river is a natural stream of water, usually freshwater, flowing toward the ocean, a lake, or another stream. Usually larger streams are called rivers while smaller streams are called creeks, brooks, rivulets, rills, and many other terms, but there is no general rule that defines what can be called a river.” Blimey, we may have a ‘Creek’?! I had been hoping that my research would have ended with the definition & I could then go down to the The Smugglers, but a statement like ‘no general rule that defines what can be called a river’ really doesn’t help.

To steel myself for the next phase of this challenge I did what all self respecting sudo-geographers do, I asked my wife to get me a beer from the fridge. A couple of minutes later I was back, having been to the fridge myself as my darling had gently suggested this was a better option.

Back to work, my next discovery was a New Forest District Council planning application which contained ‘an advisory comment from the Environment Agency, that no development should take place within 8 metres of the Danestream River.’ River?, it’s a river!

Next, I found on the web the Parish Council News from October 2003, which referred to the ‘Footpath & Danes Stream River Revetment Work’. Oh no, Why is my life so complicated? I now have to find out what ‘Revetment’ means. Hang on a second. Ah, right, Revetment means ‘a facing of stones, sandbags, etc., to protect a wall, embankment, or earthworks’ or ‘A barricade against explosives’. My guess is that they were referring to the first definition.

The Department of Geography at the University of Portsmouth, have a record of the ‘Hampshire Olim Pars Belgarum County Map’ by John Norden in 1595, on this our little waterway is indexed as Danes Stream & it also shows two tributaries that flow into it upstream. (Just like a river?)

By now I was getting bored reading maps with silly names, & my wife’s legs still had no intention of going anywhere near the fridge, so I used my own to pop down to The Smugglers. A couple of pints later I was on my way home when my quest returned to haunt me. Walking down Sea Road & over Danes Stream, I spotted a road name sign saying ‘River Gardens’, now even more fuel was added to the fire. My final investigation found that our very own Parish Vision 2020 refers to the ‘Danestream River.’ So there you have it, our stream may well be a river.

Unfortunately, Eastenders had now finished & my wife had decided to take an interest in what I was up to, rather than Pete Beale or whoever else shouts in that daft soap. I suddenly wished that it had been an hour long episode when she said “I'd say that any water that flows could be considered a stream, but a large stream is a river, & boats go on rivers not streams” Great, just when I thought that I had sorted it for all mankind.

Only one answer to solve it then. If you see a large man in shorts, with a canoe on his back heading towards the river/stream’s mouth at Sturt Pond, don’t stop me, I will be on a mission to see if I can get from one end to the other!

15 Days to Go!

In just about two weeks time Milford on Sea Food Week will be well underway, starting on the seafront on Bank Holiday Monday. All of the participants running events are eagerly awaiting the start, & hopefully there will be lots of empty stomachs to feed! As of next Wednesday, Programme’s will be on sale for one pound in a number of the village shops, & with a bit of luck you will bump into a 'Scrummy Food Raffle Ticket' seller soon, - & feel a need to be generous! We are really hoping that you will attend as many events as you can & that we can put Milford on Sea on the map for fun & food!  |  http://www.milfordonseafoodweek.org/

Gordon Ramsay’s coming to our village

Michelin starred chef & TV culinary star Gordon Ramsay is coming to our village, well, actually he’s not, at least not yet. To explain, I have been contacted by the company representing the producers of Gordon Ramsay’s TV hit show, The F Word. They are now looking for nominations for ‘Ramsay’s Best Restaurant’ for the next series. The nominations are now underway & it would be great if you could nominate one or more of our local establishments. We are blessed with great places to eat like Westover Hall, Zaika, Britannia Thai, & now, Verveine, and it would be great fun to see them on national TV. If we could get any selected, it would also be great publicity for Milford on Sea as a village & of course well deserved recognition for our restaurants. I have already made my nominations online, so why not vote for your favourite local restaurants, & join me in getting Gordon Ramsay to our village – he would love it!

‘Ramsay’s Best Restaurant’ website: www.fword.tv/nominate.aspx

Milford on Sea Food Week Volunteer Appeal

Just thought I would keep you up to date with the progress of Milford on Sea Food Week. The great news is; my wife hasn’t left me yet. I have also been thrilled with the genuine support we have been getting from local traders & lots of village residents. Over 100 events are now planned & you can of course view these all on the Milford on Sea Food Week website. We have now ordered 1000 printed programmes for the Food Week, and have also now had the Raffle Tickets delivered. We have a first prize of a Spa Day & Lunch for 2 at Chewton Glen, second is a Gourmet Dining Meal for 2 at the Westover Hall Hotel, plus another 19 great prizes from Food Hampers to Dining Vouchers.

As you probably know this is not a fund raising event, however, we to do need to raise funds to cover venue hire, printing & advertising etc. Any cash left over will be donated to the Community Centre. We are now looking for volunteers to help us to sell raffle tickets & programmes! If you can spare a few hours to come along to any of the selected events any help would be gratefully received. If you would like to be involved please just drop me an e-mail with the rough times & days you could be free from Saturday 3rd to Sunday 11th April. It could be a good way to have a bit of fun, meet some new people & to help out a man that is feeling older by the day!

*Please E-Mail david@milfordonsea.org if you would like to volunteer to help.

Milford on Sea Food Week Website: http://www.milfordonseafoodweek.org/

Milford Gardeners Club goes Online

The Milford on Sea Gardeners Club has launched a new website to keep their membership of over 200 local people fully informed of what is happening in the world of green fingers. The club regularly meet at The Milford on Sea Primary School, from 7pm to 9pm on the third Wednesday of every month. So why not go along & see how you can keep plants alive in our salt soaked turbulent air! If you are interested in joining, please call Jenny Spenser on 01590 644489.

Milford Gardeners Club New Website:
http://www.milfordgardenersclub.co.uk/

Milford on Sea Food Week Events Underway

Although Food Week doesn’t start for another 23 days, some events are already underway. Lesley at Sullivan Mitchell has a large selection of recipe books which have been donated by generous residents, and she can still accept anymore you may have. You can also call into her estate agent shop from now on to swap or buy any of the recipe books she has. Still on the recipe theme, our online ‘Village Recipe Book’ is growing. You can get involved by simply sending me any recipes you have. We then add them to the website, & hopefully we will be able to print our own ‘Village Recipe Book’ next year. In addition to this the Food Week Auction is now underway for ‘A tour of the Palace of Westminster & lunch for Two hosted by Desmond Swayne MP’. You could take the opportunity to ask him about the forthcoming election! Your own political persuasion is irrelevant, as Desmond says that his mission is to represent all of his constituents irrespective of how they voted or intend to vote. The current highest bid stands at £105, so why not go online & beat it!

You may have noticed that Food Week signs are now appearing around the village, these are soon to be followed by Programmes & Raffle Tickets in the village shops, and hopefully also in the hands of enthusiastic sellers at Food Week events! Food Week is on its way, so please come & enjoy it!

Milford on Sea Food Week Website:
http://www.milfordonseafoodweek.org/

David Danby heads up South East Tourism Group

Long time Milford on Sea resident David Danby, has recently been elected as the Chair person for the New Forest Tourist Association Self Catering Group. The self catering group meet four times a year and share information on best practices, marketing ideas, web site development, public relations activities and other related issues. They also hear at these meetings tourism initiatives being undertaken by the NFDC and South East Tourism. David then represents the self caterers at the NFDC marketing steering committee.

David retired from the hotel industry five years ago where he held senior marketing positions for international companies. He has now built up a small self catering holiday business with two places in Milford on Sea and a third in Everton.

For anyone interested in joining the New Forest Tourist Association Self Catering Group please contact David Danby on 01590 64218  |  Old Walls website: http://www.oldwalls.com/

New B&B for the village

Milford on Sea now has a new addition to its options of places for visitors to stay. Jenny Spenser has launched Little Brook B&B at her charming home in Lymore, Milford on Sea. She will also soon be opening a cosy Self Catering cottage in the grounds of the garden. So if your usual favourites are full when you have visitors, this newly available accommodation could be a nice option for you.

Valley Cottage Holiday website:
http://www.valleycottagemilford.co.uk/

Carrington Farmhouse: We also spotted on our travels that Carrington Farmhouse B&B Is now under new management. We welcome Nici & family to the village, & wish them good luck in their new venture. They also have a new website that can be found at: http://www.carringtonfarmhouse.co.uk/

Light it up

We recently came across a local man with an interesting business. Peter Reid sells one the world's best garden lighting brands online from here in Milford on Sea. It is strange how so much can be going on around us, which we can’t even see! If you were thinking about getting some exciting lighting for your garden, I have found a man down the road that can help!

Engineering with Light website:
http://www.engineeringwithlight.com/

Our MP joins in Food Week!

Desmond Swayne, our local MP has generously donated ‘A Tour of the Palace of Westminster & Lunch for Two - hosted by Desmond Swayne MP’ to Milford on Sea Food Week. Anyone over 18 can place a bid, so why not bid to experience a visit inside the Houses of Parliament & enjoy a meal as a guest of Desmond Swayne, our local MP. You can also take the opportunity to ask him about the forthcoming election! Your own political persuasion is irrelevant, as Desmond says that his mission is to represent all my constituents irrespective of how they voted or intend to vote. Online Bidding Closes: 6pm Friday 9th April 2010. Final Bids: 8pm at Five Course Gourmet Evening at Westover Hall, Non diners can come along to place bids if they wish. Thanks go to: Desmond Swayne for the generous donation to support Milford on Sea Food Week & also to Tricia, for having the gumption to ask him! Auction Web Page: www.milfordonseafoodweek.org/auction

Farmers Market at Braxton’s Next Saturday

The New Forest Produce Farmers Market is coming to Braxton Gardens in Lymore Lane, Milford on Sea. The first farmers market will be next Saturday 3rd March from 9am to 3pm. The market will then run monthly thoughout the year on the first Saturday of every month. In addition to this, Braxton Gardens will also be holding additional farmers markets on Tuesday’s from 3pm to 7pm from May to August. This sounds a great chance to buy some tasty local produce, & a good warm up to our own village Food Market on Sunday 11th April. Neil & Emma have really revitalised Braxton Gardens since taking over last year. If you haven’t been up there recently it is certainly worth a visit. The gardens have had a substantial makeover and the tea rooms are really inviting. In additional to this they now sell an interesting selection of wines for you to take away, or you can simply enjoy a glass on the terrace. During Milford on Sea Food Week they are also putting on a number of events, including ‘An Introduction to Wine Tasting’, a ‘ Choir & Cocktail Evening’ and a ‘Teddy Bear Picnic’ for the kids. Looks like Braxton’s is certainly worth a visit if you haven’t been there for a while!

You can see all of Braxton Gardens Farmers Market dates at: www.milfordonsea.org/farmers-market-calendar

Milford Tennis & Squash Club rises from ashes

Following the devastating fire at Milford Tennis & Squash Club on Boxing Day, rebuilding work is now underway. The damaged building and asbestos roof are now being removed & reconnection of the electricity is being scheduled. The planned new layout for the building will be on display at the club very soon. The club is a great part of the Milford on Sea Community, and they cater for a lot more than the energetic amongst us. In addition to lawn tennis, squash & table tennis, (all games where people choose to run about for some reason), they also host more sedate activities, such as Bridge, Mahjong and even an Art Club & an active social scene. I suspect that a lot of people can’t wait for the club to be back in full flow. Milford Tennis & Squash Club website http://www.milfordtennisandsquash.net/

New Flood Defences at Danes Stream

Milford on Sea is to get New Flood Defences at the Danes Stream. The Environment Agency is investing in excess of £700,000 into three New Forest Flood Zones. Our own sheet pile flood defences will be replaced at a cost of £60,000 sometime during this year.

Need any odd jobs done?

Time are pretty tough out there for many trying to make a living, but thankfully things still need to be done around the home. If you are looking for a local service of any kind it is worth taking a look at the ‘Village Business & Home Services’ page on the ‘Our Village’ tab. We have information on some good local handymen & other trades that could come in useful. Local services: www.milfordonsea.org/village-businesshome-services

More Awards for David’s Sausages & Bacon!

Our local butcher, David Gates from The Butchers Shop in Milford on Sea has won more awards for his already substantial trophy cabinet. Impressively, David has been awarded the title of ‘Hampshire Home Cured Bacon Champion’ at ‘The Great Hampshire Sausage, Pie & Ready Meal Competition’. David was also awarded with six gold awards for his village made sausages, plus he also won another two gold awards for his bacon. Sounds like these could be worth a try!

The Great Hampshire Sausage, Pie & Ready Meal Competition is organised by Hampshire Fare, and was held at Sparsholt Agricultural College near Winchester. The event is the biggest county competition of its kind, with the competition attracting around 200 individual entries from 30 Hampshire butchers and livestock farmers.

David is also celebrating 25 years of trading in Milford on Sea during Food Week. To mark the occasion he is planning to offer ‘One pound of Sausages at the 1985 price’ during his anniversary. Congratulations David, it great to have the ‘Hampshire Sausage & Bacon King’ in our village!

Verveine Restaurant opens to rave reviews

Our new local fine dining fish restaurant has now opened to rave reviews in Milford on Sea. Already people who have dined there are saying it is even better than Pebble Beach at Barton on Sea, & that is quite an accolade. Now of course you should not take my word for it, particularly as Stacey & David are friends of mine. Having visited the build on numerous occasions the transformation is extraordinary, Stacey’s eye for design is very impressive. However, as with most projects of this kind there was blind panic in the run up to opening. I would have course lent a hand personally, but I am more of the cerebral & arty kind. My wife however is the practical one in our family, so I sent her along to do a few hours of painting alongside Uncle John & several others. The end result was staggering as you will find when you visit. (Particularly the painting of the ‘arched window’ I have been instructed to tell you.)

I do have one complaint though. ‘My friends’ had sold out on the night we wanted to go, friends eh! Anyway, to keep myself happy I decided to gate crash their ‘opening reception’ for local hoteliers & B&B’s on Tuesday night. Free drinks & canapés is my kind of evening. (My wife couldn’t make it as she was still trying to get the smell of white spirit out of her hair.) As I had no formal invitation I told the guy on the door that I owned Chewton Glen, & he happily let me in. The amassed gathering were having a great time, so I just blended into the background & tucked into the canapés. Did you think that smoked salmon & granny smiths apples would go?, what about chocolate truffles with peanut butter? No, I didn’t either but they were amazing & the hot smoked salmon & mackerel pate was fantastic. (Yes, I did eat them in that order.) It will come as no surprise that everyone else was equally impressed & the bookings taken proved this. It was also great to have a chat with Chris Monk who had run the original Monks Fishmongers on the site for many years. Chris was thrilled with the transformation, & he was more than pleased that not only have we retained a great wet fish shop in the village, but we have also gained a great restaurant.

Last Saturday my son Matthew, took his girlfriend Kayleigh to Verveine’s for an early Valentine's treat. You would think that I would be pleased when he confidently told me that they both felt it was the best meal they had ever had. However, when I considered all of the expensive restaurants I have taken him to over the years, I was slightly annoyed that Verveine hadn’t opened sooner. Dave is without doubt an amazing chef & Stacey is passionate about ensuring everyone has a great experience. One day we will get to dine there, - that is if ‘my friends’ can fit us in, & my wife can eradicate the white spirit from her hair! http://www.verveine.co.uk/

Milford Croft goes gold!

Milford Croft Self Catering bungalow, just off the seafront in Hurst Road, Milford on Sea, has recently undergone its annual assessment by VisitBritain and has now been awarded their five star status for the accommodation being ‘exceptional with a degree of luxury’. To add to this Colin & Tricia have also received the Quality Assessment Scheme Gold Award. This award only became available for self catering establishments during 2009 and is used sparingly. There’s only one other self catering cottage in Milford on Sea that has been assessed to this level and just a handful in the New Forest area. The owners, Tricia and Colin are understandably delighted. http://www.milfordcroft.co.uk/

A lunchtime surprise at Zaika

Anyone who reads the nonsense I report on these pages will be well aware that I am partial to a great curry. Fortunately, I know a lot of you are as well.

As part of my research for the Milford on Sea Food Week I decided that it would be good to get a picture, and a bit of background on all of the chefs, or owners of the eateries in the village. To find out about the chef at Zaika I called Kalam & arranged an appointment to call.

On arriving I had no idea that I was about to enter my own personal heaven. I soon met Souel Bodrul, who I was to discover was trained at the Dhaka Sheraton Hotel in his home country of Bangladesh, and that in the UK, Souel has been a specialist tandoori chef at the Bombay Brassiere, & Chutney Mary in London. He now loves creating unique dishes at our own local Zaika restaurant. After taking some photos to accompany the pen pictures on the website, Kalam asked if I would like to see the dishes from the new menu he will be launching in a couple of weeks. Would I?!!

In no time the kitchen was in full flow & one incredible dish followed another, & each was art on a plate. You of course know what I was now thinking. Four exquisite dishes on the table that had only been touched by the flash from my camera, - they looked lovely, but very lonely! Right on cue, Kalam asked if I would like to taste them. Now, my desired answer was of course a foregone conclusion, but like most things in my life, situations are not simple.

To explain, just before coming to Zaika my wife had said ‘don’t be too long, I am doing tomato soup with homemade bread for lunch’. You can see my dilemma, I was now faced with the wrath of my wife, or a fantastic meal.

I decided that I have survived most misdemeanours in the past, all that I needed was a good story for getting home late. Again looking at the table ladened with glorious food, I decided my excuse would wait.

So, not wanting to eat alone I said to Kalam, ‘only if you join me’. I know, a risky strategy, but luckily it worked. Kalam & I then sat down & tucked our way through a new starter of Kurkure Stuffed Mushrooms, a breadcrumb coated ball containing mushroom, potato, sweetcorn & cottage cheese, served on a bed of vegetable curry. Then we tucked into the first new main course, which was a Cinnamon Tossed Grilled Chicken Breast, made with free range corn fed chicken stuffed with spinach & flavoured with spices & garlic, served on a sweet & sour sweet corn sauce, still going, we then had Chicken Chameli, tandoori free range corn fed chicken breasts stuffed with spiced peas & carrots, served on a black lentil & homemade mango sauce. Finally we reached the Dipped Chocolate Strawberries & mango pulp! As we ate, Souel & his team watched us intently, & we could see their satisfied smiles as we savoured each different taste.

Hard to believe that things could get even better, but Kalam then told me the dishes will be on his menu in a couple of weeks, & that they were starting an ‘All You Can Eat Sunday Buffet’ at the same time. I just love living in Milford on Sea!

On leaving, and having said my thanks, I remembered I had to explain why I had been out for two hours. So walking back I bought some mints, & then rolled in the muddy grass by the Danes Stream.

As I arrived home there was no welcoming kiss for me, just a slightly uncomfortable feeling, as my wife look up & down at my muddy clothes. Things were not going so well now. I endeavoured to explain how I had been mugged in Sea Road by a gang of four old ladies on motorised scooters, but she was having none of it. Worse still, she recalled the time I had been mugged by a gang of particularly large girl guides, & a few months later by a troup of vertically challenged guys from the local circus. It then occurred to me that it was probably time that I now thought of a more creative line of excuses.

Looks like I will be getting my own tea tonight, but I’m a bit nervous to ask if there is any tomato soup left.

Duncan is back!

A familiar face has returned to the Milford on Sea estate agent scene. Duncan Broomfield is now managing Sullivan Mitchell having returned to work in the village. Previously Duncan has worked at Murray Hayward for 7 years & before this he spent 7 years in the RAF Police serving on overseas detachments and UK based. Duncan is married to Charlie who runs Purple Paperclips IT services and they have two children Holly 15 and Archie 5. When not working around the village, you will find Duncan indulging in his favourite pastime of enjoying his 1969 mk2 Mini Cooper. Following Duncan’s arrival the Sullivan Mitchell office will be open 7 days a week from 1st March 2010. http://www.sullivanmitchell.net/

Join in Food Week with ‘Come Dine with Me!

Come Dine with Me! is an opportunity to have a bit of culinary fun with friends, family or neighbours, or even to get to know someone new, - & at the same time enjoy your own home entertaining skills!

Milford on Sea has an exciting & fun addition to the Food Week events calendar, and you can easily join in. Come dine with Me is a fun competition amongst the keen amateur cooks & hosts in the village. This one really is ‘not about the winning’, taking part is the bit that counts. Come Dine with Me! is an opportunity to have a bit of culinary fun with friends, neighbours, or to get to know someone new, - & at the same time enjoy your own home entertaining skills! Entering is simple, we need one 'Head Chef' to find 3 other people to be in their 'Come Dine with Me! Group. Each member of the group takes a turn to entertain the other 3 at home with a three course meal which is made from produce purchased in the village shops. The group can be made up of 'individuals', or 'couples'. All couples must cook individually on 'their own hosting night'. At the end of all dining evenings each invited guest scores each evening out of ten & gives their scores to the 'Head Chef'. The winner will be the host with the highest final score, & the winners of each group will get to be featured on this website! The scoring is just a bit of fun, the real idea is to have some great nights dining with friends!

How to Enter Come Dine with Me!

1. The 'Head Chef' to e-mail names & e-mail addresses of themselves & the 3 other people to be in their 'Come Dine with Me! Group' to david@milfordonseafoodweek.org

2. The 'Head Chef' then arranges the dates for each of the dining evenings, which must be completed between 1st March & 11th April.

3. Each cook in the 'Come dine with Me! Group', must send a copy of their nights menu to the rest of the group no later than one week before your entertaining date.

4. For all meals the produce should be purchased from the Milford on Sea village shops.

5. At the end of the dining evenings the 'Head Chef' sends the groups results to David for the winners to be featured on this website.

david@milfordonseafoodweek.org

6. Closing date for entries: End of February

7. Any groups that do not enjoy themselves will be disqualified! Come Dine with Me! is fun - Come on, join in now!

Why not join in now? |  www.milfordonseafoodweek.org/come-dine-with-me

Live Bomb Detonated on Hurst Spit

At around 3.30 pm Sunday afternoon the flashing blue lights from a Bomb Disposal Unit truck was spotted driving though Milford on Sea village. Your intrepid reporter was enjoying a afternoon relaxation after a particularly spectacular Sunday lunch with friends at Westover Hall. (Surely the pastry chef, is one of the finest masters of his craft in the country. His sweets are so amazing that we ordered five between the four of us.) I digress, so back to the bomb disposal.

I now had a duty to find out what’s going on, but couldn’t really be bothered. I then decided to wake my sleeping wife to tell her of the excitement. Not sure why, but she wasn’t greatly impressed. Her speech is quite incoherent when unexpectedly woken, but I guessed she was trying to tell me how much she adored being with me. I quickly asked ‘Do you fancy a walk to Hurst Spit?’, ‘Yes, why not’ she said as clearly as she could under the circumstances.

For some inexplicable reason, her eye’s became glazed with that ‘mass murder look’ when I replied: ‘Great, can you find out what’s going on & tell me when you get back’. I was a bit worried for my life for a few seconds, but mustered the courage to explain that I had just got comfortable & was watching the rugby.

Without her saying anything I got the impression that my wife was not the least concerned about my afternoon pleasure.

Anyway, my wife soon trotted off with our two sniffer dogs, both of whom would be willing to help out if the bomb disposal guys needed a hand. Around 4pm I heard an loud explosion. Dutifully, my wife later reported back that the Bomb Disposal guys had detonated a device on the beach just along the Spit after the bridge. My wife had failed to investigate what type of bomb it was, but I thought it best not to mention her error to her, as I hear ‘strange accidents’ can happen to husbands when a wife is annoyed!

www.milfordonsea.org/news

TV fame for our local boat boy!

At the end of October you may recall a story in these pages entitled ‘War Boats Ahoy’, which was about how Milford on Sea’s own Phil Clabburn had restored two historical war boats, which were subsequently purchased by Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Well, Phil is on BBC Breakfast on Tuesday morning. The news clip will be repeated throughout the day. The BBC came down to Portsmouth and interviewed him on how he had restored the boats & then filmed him driving them on the water. For anyone who gets National Geographic on Sky, there will be an hour long programme on Phil and the boats he restored called 'Great British Machines' at 9pm on 15th February. Phil has one last remaining boat RAF 206, which was originally Lawrence of Arabia's boat and the first boat Phil ever restored, this has now been purchased by Hendon RAF museum in London. It will make its last voyage by sea around the south coast and up through the Thames in stages, taking in Newhaven, Dover and St. Catherine’s Dock before being placed under the wing of a flying boat in the Museum. A true and fitting end has been achieved for all Phil’s hard work over the years.

On a more sombre note, Phil’s faithful black Labrador ‘Guinness’, who stayed by his side whilst he worked on the boats all those years, died aged 12 on Wednesday. He'll be sadly missed by Phil, and anyone who met him on his regular trips to the Red Lion in the village. When you see his picture you can imagine it was a fun 12 years. Rest in peace old friend.

Mole Men claim more territory

No sooner do I reveal the truth about the mole men living in their hole in Lymington Road, that they test my patience by now appearing with a new hole in Cliff Road! Their efforts to conceal their real activity by installing temporary traffic lights and a spurious Southern Gas Networks sign, doesn’t fool me for one minute. I suppose that these could be independent burrowing structures by different tribes of mole men, but my theory is that our resident family has tunnelled from one side of the village to the other. Considering the length that the tunnel must be, it is not inconceivable that they are building an underground town, bringing their in reinforcements in by the dark of night. Not that I am really that bothered, as even mole men need to live somewhere. Indeed I am sure if we were asked nicely I guess most of us would not object strongly. (Wouldn’t fancy their chances of getting permission from the Parish Council though). The likelihood is that they are under your house right now. Anyway, I hope I have not alarmed you with my revelation, as I am sure that they are quite friendly, although that may give a nasty nip if approached unexpectedly. (A bit like my wife really).

Footnote: Driving home tonight I spotted a sign saying that Sea Road is going to be closed for a few days from the 10th to 13th February. It seems the mole men are wasting no time in colonising the entire Milford on Sea sub terrain. I wonder if we asked them nicely whether they would put in an underground railway? Do you know anyone in the Milford on Sea Wildlife Group who speaks ‘mole’? Looks like we may need someone to negotiate on behalf of us surface dwellers.

On a related but separate note, I have to say that some readers of these news pages don’t always seem to take my stories seriously. After my story last week on the road mole works in Lymington Road, I then speculated that the holes are dug by mole men, who then disappear down the hole to live. My challenge to send in some photo’s showing any men actually working on the site was met with a response, but not quite as expected. Not being an expert on manual labour, I cannot be 100% sure, but I have to say, I do not think the photo’s sent in are genuine. On reflection, I am not sure it is a good idea to ask readers to send in pictures. If you would like to see the nonsense photos sent in, here you go...

click image to enlarge

The Germans are coming!

When we started out on creating Milford on Sea Food Week we never quite expected that it would draw in visitors from Germany! To explain, Rex Harrod is a former resident of Milford on Sea, and was at Milford school from 1959 to 1965, he now lives in Calle, near Meschede in Germany. (No idea why!) Well, Rex has been a reader of our News Bulletins for some time now, & on hearing about Milford on Sea Food Week he decided that this was just the excuse he needed to return to his old village. It has been several years since Rex was last here, so he will love our new custard road surface in the High Street. Unfortunately the Salad Bowl hasn’t been changed one bit. Taking full advantage of his trip to fill his stomach, he is also hoping to meet up with some ‘old faces’ he once knew. Rex has made the ‘schoolboy error’ of sending me some old photographs: one as he is now, one as a smoking milkman with a mullet from the seventies, and one of Milford football team from 1964. However, he then revealed that he wasn’t actually in the football team in 1964! I felt it would be unfair to embarrass him by publishing these pictures. But I then changed my mind, & you can see the pictures on the link at the bottom of this page. Not content with embarrassing himself, Rex has also given me a picture from 1964 which includes Chris Barrass, Ian Sims, Binksy Setchel, Geoff Woodford, John Cox, Bob Briad, Beefy Strong, Donald Reed, Spud Taylor, Digger Hodgson & Stuart Davies. Rex also recalls, Chris Hobby, Mervyn Cousins and David Gates, so watch out lads he knows where you live!

Strangely, Rex is now known as Rick. (I wonder if he changed it because Rex is a rude word in German?) Rex’s Rick’s family used to live in Orchard Cottage, right next to All Saint’s Church. If you knew Rex & would like to get in touch now let me know. Rex will be in the Smugglers Inn at 1pm on 11th April - Food Market Sunday, (he thinks he is going to The Crown & has no idea the name changed years ago), so put it in your diary to pop in & say hello. (I was going to ask him if he would wear a daft German moustache & lederhosen, so we all know who he is – However, from his photo I see he already has the daft moustache, so only the lederhosen to find.) Alternatively, if you did know him, but would never like to meet him again, might be best to hide during Food Week. Although I have never met Rex, (or Rick), I am going to go to the Smugglers & pretend we were at school together. Then I will claim that my heart is still broken after he stole my girlfriend & that my life has been ruined since that day. Can’t wait to see how he reacts when I break down sobbing in a packed bar, - and then ask him if he will take me back to live with him in Germany! Rex has promised to bring my wife a German beer when he comes over, and I wonder if Rick will bring a bottle as well? - Roll on Food Week!

Note: For anyone who cares: Calle and is near Meschede in the 'county' of Hochsauerlandkreis which is East of Dortmund, West of Kassel and North of Frankfurt. No wonder no one bothers to visit him with an address like that!

PS: Rick, Rex, or whatever he calls himself today, has said John Cox who now runs his own Radiology business in Australia may also be making his way back to Milford on Sea for Food Week. I am reliably informed that John was actually in the football team in 1964, unlike my new mate Rolf, as I now call him.

If you would like to see Rex’s old photos please visit: www.milfordonsea.org/news-rex

Newcomers get a warm welcome

On Saturday night anyone new to the village in the past year was invited to a free supper at the All Saints Church Hall. Prior to eating, the guests were able to attend a ‘mini exhibition’ of the clubs, associations & services in the village. Over 40 representatives met & greeted the newcomers, explaining the offerings they had for them. Not being new to the village I had wangled an invitation on the basis of being an organiser of Food Week. It wasn’t long before I was back into the patter I had once used at Petticoat Lane & the Ideal Home Exhibition many years ago. No one was going to get past without hearing about the special event the village will be enjoying in April. It was fun jumping out & scaring people, before explaining about this website, & our new village event just after Easter. It was enjoyable to hear how everyone I met was so delighted to be now living in the village & they were astounded at all that was available to participate in. Most places I know are wary of newcomers, but our special little place goes out of its way to welcome them with a warm heart. The ‘mini exhibition’ was followed with a sit down meal for the newcomers. Now at this stage I should have gone home, but I decided to put on an apron to pretend I was working with the girls in the kitchen. This enabled me to see what happened next. All of the guests were the welcomed by various notaries from the village, each giving a little speech. My favourite was Rev Barbara Jefferies, she had a warm smile & excellent sense of humour. As the meals were about to leave the kitchen, I disrobed from my apron (just in case I had to do any work) & left for home to check if my wife had noticed if I had gone out. This evening will leave a special memory for many who attended.  Thanks must go to the girls & guys in & around the kitchen who did a sterling job looking after everyone.  The event was predominately organised by one lady, - Ruth Bufton stand up & take a bow, you deserve it!

David Gates to Celebrate 25 years at The Butchers Shop

I am sure it only feels like yesterday to him, but David Gates is approaching twenty five years running a butchers shop in Milford on Sea. David opened ‘The Butchers Shop’ in Church Hill on the 5th April 1985 and has been trading from there ever since. Coincidentally, his anniversary falls within Milford on Sea Food Week. To share his celebration with his customers, and as a way to say thank you for all the years of trade, David will have a Food Week Offer of: ‘One pound of Sausages at 1985 price with every purchase of £15 or more.’ Over the years David has won many awards for his sausages, so his offer sounds good to me! Happy anniversary David.

Milford to Celebrate the Guiding Centenary

Anne Briad has been in touch, to let us know that 2010 is the Centenary year of the Girl Guide movement. In Milford on Sea the event is being marked with a reunion party for all present and former members of Milford's Guide, Brownie and Rainbow units. Anne would like to contact as many former members as she can, as soon as possible. To mark the Centenary year of Guiding there will be a reunion party on Saturday evening 16th October 2010 for anyone who has been associated with Guiding in Milford since the first company was formed in 1918, that is to say current and former Leaders, Young Leaders, Guides, Brownies, Rainbows, Trefoil Guild members and helpers. The organisers are also hoping to mount a display of photographs of Milford Guides and Guiding activities across the years, so as well as meeting up again with old friends there will be plenty to reminisce over during the evening. Anyone who would like to join in the occasion, or who has pictures of Milford Guides or Milford Guiding occasions which they would be prepared to lend should contact Janet Reed (nee Knight) on 01425 615522 (answer phone) or e-mail janlesreed@btinternet.com

Milford on Sea Food Week Keeps Growing!

Milford on Sea Food Week is a community event celebrating all that is great about food. The village will be alive with a wide variety of activities for everyone in the family. The website contains a full programme of daily events with a main family attraction being the Sunday Food Market. The Milford on Sea Food Market is an exciting event which spans the length of the High Street, & also covers the village green. The event runs from 10am to 3pm on Sunday 11th April 2010, and is the finale to the 70 events & activities that will be taking place on a daily basis throughout Milford on Sea Food Week. The Food Market has around thirty five different stalls, & is a great celebration of all that is great about local food. The stalls feature a tremendous variety of local produce, including chutneys & cooking sauces made in the village, jams, English cheeses, New Forest goats cheese, venison, smoked fish, pies, pasties, savoury treats, olives, and English wine. For the sweet toothed there are handmade chocolates from New Milton, double baked biscuits from Lymington, bags of sweets, candy floss, handmade fudge, exotic desserts & delicious cakes from Yum of Milford on Sea. No one visiting will go hungry, as the market offers hot snacks like chicken tikka, paella, hog roast, and sweet or savoury hot crepes. The market even has a Children’s Pottery Experience, food related ceramic pottery, & contemporary local paintings.

For the ‘green visitors’, The New Forest Transition Group have a seedling exchange, and the New Forest Park Authority will have a stand discussing Food Miles & the New Forest Marque. There will also be presentations for the local schools ‘Kids Egg Painting Competition’, the village ‘Best Breakfast Competition’ & the prize winner’s draw for the ‘Scrummy Food Raffle’. To keep everyone entertained there is also a Recipe Book Swap for everyone to join in with, and The New Forest Plonkers will be providing live music in their unique ‘agricultural’ style.

We will also have lots of our village shops opening especially for the day, providing fresh fruit & vegetables, fresh flowers, delicatessen counter, a Food in Art Exhibition, gifts for the home, local art and beauty treatments, you can even go back to your childhood in the Milford Models Shop! Plus of course, the village’s tea shops & pubs offer full English breakfasts, Sunday roast dinners, snacks, Danish pastries, cakes, afternoon teas and continental coffee’s. With so much happening this really is a day not to miss!

Milford on Sea Food Week itself runs from the Bank Holiday Monday 5th April until Sunday 11th April 2010 and has daily dining offers & themed events in all restaurants & cafes, cookery experiences & demonstrations, educational events & talks, children’s fun cooking competitions, & the chance to buy local produce at our very own Food Market on the closing Sunday. Over 70 individual events are already planned throughout the week which runs every day from Easter Bank Holiday Monday through to the following Sunday every year. Don’t miss a thing, mark it out in your diary now!

Please visit the Milford on Sea Food Week website to find out more: www.milfordonseafoodweek.org/food-market

Lymington Road Slalom

It appears the invisible mole men from 'Southern Gas Networks' have appeared in the village. Their hobby is to dig holes that cut roads in half, & then to disappear. Having passed through several times, I have yet to see any mole men working. Some may assume that they have left the site, I however have another theory, - they live down the hole. I suspect they only come out at night only to replace the batteries in the temporary traffic lights, or to pop down to The Smugglers. The regular traffic queues remind me of my birthplace in London, but without the muggers. If anyone see’s the mole men working in Lymington Road, please send in a pictures, as I won’t believe you otherwise!

Some great images of Milford on Sea

Surfing the web recently I came across a nice collection of creative photographs of Milford on Sea. The photographer is Steve Elson, & having introduced ourselves he has kindly given us permission to add some of his shots to our website. Whilst we have Milford on Sea Food Week to sort out first, I thought you might like to take a look at some of his work now. To view Steve’s Milford on Sea picture gallery please click this link: www.picturesofengland.com/user/fotoboy/pictures/1//England/Hampshire/Milford_on_Sea