James Durrant Wins Great British Menu

Little did we know at Milford on Sea Food Week, that one of the impressive chefs doing a free demonstration for us was destined to win the Main Course in the BBC TV Great British Menu!

James beat many impressive chefs from across the country to be selected to serve his main course venison dish to the D-Day Veterans at a spectacular banquet in St. Paul's Cathedral.

Having invited Tom Kerridge before he was a household name, and now James Durrant, we could be forgiven for thinking that Milford on Sea Food Week knows a thing or two about great chefs!

Anyone who was fortunate enough to come along to James Durrant's cookery demonstration during Milford on Sea Food Week will know what a fabulous chef he is. James appeared in the Milford on Sea Food Week Cookery Theatre, as the headline demonstration organised by our friends at Hampshire Fare.

James Durrant
Pic by: Adam Lynk Photography
www.adamlynk.com

His culinary career started in the kitchens of Gordon Ramsey and he went on to become head chef at the Michelin star Maze in Mayfair with Jason Atherton.

Today James runs Durrant Restaurants, providing his expertise as a private chef and operating his own pub and restaurant at The Plough Inn in Longparish near Winchester. 

In March 2012 James took over The Plough Inn, Longparish with his wife Louise. Only six months after opening, The Plough Inn was awarded the UK Pub of the Year Award by the Good Food Guide. It now holds two AA rosettes and has been included in the 2014 Michelin Guide and awarded a BIB Gourmand rating for the second year running.

James’ menu on the Great British Menu Show celebrates the bravery shown during the war and how we have progressed as a nation with what is available to us now. While researching his menu for the competition, he discovered that his wife’s grandfather served in the army during the war and, aged just 17, was one of the first to land on the beaches on D Day.

Well done James, hopefully we will see you again at Food week 2016!

Great British Menu
See on BBC iPlayer: click here

The Plough Inn

Longparish

www.theploughinn.info

Hampshire Fare

www.hampshirefare.co.uk

The Marine Fully Re-Opens

After the devastation and destruction of the Valentine's Night storm, The Marine fully reopens this Friday, 6th June 2014.

This spectacularly located ‘Art Deco’ styled landmark on Milford on Sea seafront will once again be welcoming all of their customers.

Owner, Richard Thompson, is very grateful for all the warm messages of support he received as they worked hard to restore the building to its former glory. He is now looking forward to welcoming customers old and new in the coming days and weeks.

The upstairs 'Valentine's Restaurant' has been re-open a few weeks, and the ground floor Café Bar is now open and serving a new menu.

No doubt many people from Milford on Sea and surrounding areas will be visiting to enjoy the atmoshhere, views and good food, so why not check out the food menus before you go at: www.themarinemos.co.uk

The Marine

01590 644369
enquiries@themarinemos.co.uk
www.themarinemos.co.uk

Tapas, but not as you know it!

I have always thought that fragrant food is just wrong. I see fragrance as something for my wife to put behind her ears, not on the plate.

Then there is lemongrass, which is without doubt the herb of the devil.

Based on this thinking, Thai food was never top of my list for dining. 

As someone who is very used to having to admit they are wrong, it looks like I have to once again accept that I talk nonsense.

This week we were invited to have lunch with friends C&T at the Britannia Thai in sunny Milford on Sea. Over the last couple of years reports had been very hit & miss on dining experiences here. However, they had, like us, heard some very good reports of the new menu and authentic food at Milford on Sea's Thai restaurant since the arrival of a new head chef and new front of house team around April time. 

We had also heard that the Tapas concept have now travelled to Thailand on Sea. When I think of Tapas, I think of Spain, and sitting eating small dishes of food under a blazing sun in my snug fit mankini. 

Not convinced I would like our lunch, I managed to delay my Thai encounter by successfully negotiating that we first went for a pint of Estrella in The Raft. This was in the hope that the beer dulled the taste of fragrant food.

As we arrived in the Thai, we had a warm greeting from the new manager (Kanoksak Siripongswalee), affectionately known as Tae, and his wife Duangjai (known as Orr).

A pint of draft Kingfisher accompanied my study of the menu. Without being able to control it, my taste buds started jumping, and there was also quite a large grin from my wallet.

At this stage it was clear that the new Head Chef, Songkiat Surin, had put a menu together with a wide choice as well as very reasonable prices. His international work CV is impressive, and this was immediately obvious when you saw the choice and type of food he was now offering.

There was also a comprehensive a la Carte Menu, plus lots of individual Tapas Dishes and interesting Sides. We however, were happy to go with the Tapas Set Meals.

We mixed and matched a number of the set meals so we could all get a taste of various things.

As we enjoyed the complimentary crackers with chilli dip, Colin kept us bemused with his obsessive interest and commentary of the dozen or so hard-hatted guys looking down a hole in the roadworks outside. As he went on to explain the purpose of the various pieces heavy machinery, I could hear my wife gently snoring and dribbling on the tablecloth.

Our meals arrived, and we were wowed by the size of the meals, the portions were certainly generous.

Tucking in, the favours were great and it was clear that Songkiat had taken Britannia Thai to a completely new level. The ingredients were no doubt authentic and the freshness shone through.

We enjoyed Sesame Toast that was crisp and crammed with tasty prawns, the Duck spring Rolls were fully packed with a lovely sauce, the Lamb Massaman Curry was subtlety spiced with succulent lean meat, the Sea Bass was a new enjoyable experience in sweet & sour sauce, the Chicken Satay's tasty, and the Thai Green Curry was spicy and without doubt the best one I had ever tasted.

Having discovered that you could have a great Thai meal without encountering the disturbing flavours of lemongrass has now converted me to the Britannia Thai's food.

We will soon be back to try the other lunchtime meal combinations, either eating in the restaurant, or enjoying them at home with the 10% takeaway Discount.

I may even take a foray into the a la carte menu, I have my eye on trying the Weeping Tiger: (Grilled sirloin steak Thai style topped with special mild chilli sauce served on a sizzling platter).

Hopefully when we go back there are no roadworks outside, or either my wife or Tricia may feel the urge to stab Colin in the leg with a fork!

------------------------------------------

Tapas Set Menu 1 - £8.95

Chicken Green Curry, Handmade Juicy Chicken Satay, Mixed Vegetable Stir Fry, Jasmine Rice

Tapas Set Menu 2 - £11.95

Vegetable Spring Roll, Prawns on Toast, Crispy Seabass in Sweet & Sour Sauce, Jasmine Rice

Tapas Set Menu 3 - £9.95

Vegetable Spring Roll, Roast Duck Canapés, Chicken Stir fried with Ginger, Jasmine Rice

Tapas Set Menu 4 - £10.50

Beef Salad, Salt and Pepper Squid, Chicken Massaman Curry, Jasmine Rice

Tapas Set Menu 5 - £10.95

Shredded Duck Spring Rolls, Prawn on Toast, Lamb Massaman Curry, Jasmine Rice.

Tapas Set Menu 6 - £7.95 

Vegetable Green Curry, Stir Fry Vegetables with Ginger, Vegetable Spring Rolls, Jasmine Rice.

Britannia Thai

1 High Street, Milford on Sea, SO41 0QF

Tel: 01590 642226 & 01590 642212

www.thairestaurantnewforest.co.uk

MCV: Milford Springwatch

What have you seen in your garden? 

Spring is a time of high activity in our gardens. Take just a few minutes to sleuth the wildlife, you will soon spot different species of butterflies, moths, bees and other insects all helping to pollinate our flowers, fruit and vegetables.

We are keeping them alive! Bees will soon be landing where we have planted foxgloves, lavender and buddleia. Small pale blue butterflies seen in Milford may be Holly Blues; they particularly like holly trees and bushes. White butterflies with orange tipped wings are called Orange Tips which are partial to garlic mustard. Peacock butterflies, those colourful ones with the big eye-like design on their wings, come for almost any flower. 

Moth species to be seen in the village include Angle Shade, Silver Y and Tiger species. 

And with insects come insect-eating birds such as blackbirds. 

Currently blue tits and great tits are swooping between their nests and food supplies. One small garden near the fish and chip shop has nine nest boxes! Robins are foraging for worms, insects and seeds to fatten their chicks. 

What can you do today to encourage the insects and birds into your garden? If you would like any help please email MCV (Milford Conservation Volunteers) at info@milfordcv.org.

To find out more about Milford Conservation Volunteers, please visit;

www.milfordcv.org

Love Milford Week is coming

Anyone who lives in, or visits, Milford on Sea will know what fabulous place it is to be. So, what better than to spend a week celebrating what makes the village so special!

Love Milford Week will take place from Monday 16th to Sunday 22nd February 2015 and then bi-annually between Food Week years.

The community event has been timed to coincide with School Half Term, to be close to Valentine’s Day and to boost trade for our village shops, artisan makers and home businesses.

For a village of just 5000 people, we are fortunate to have such a wonderful array of things we can buy in the village, and we would love for people to take the time to discover just what they can buy locally ...you may be very pleasantly surprised!

Love Milford Week has 4 clear objectives:

1. To boost trade for village shops, artisans and small businesses

2. To promote all Milford on Sea has to offer to local people

3. To attract visitors to explore and enjoy our village

4. To create a week of fun and discovery for all

So, core to Love Milford Week is the 'Shopping Challenge'. We are challenging everyone to only shop in the village during Love Milford Week. - No visits to large chain stores or supermarkets, no cheating, just spending time showing the shops you love them.

Many of our village shops will be running promotions to entice you throughout the week, giving you another great reason to stay out of your car and to enjoy shopping around the village. Our local artisan makers and home businesses will also be involved in events where you can see and buy their goods.

Love Milford Week will also promote a week of ‘Dining Out’, with the restaurants and cafés putting on something special for you to enjoy each day, so time to leave your kitchen and to savour the pleasure of eating in the village!

The week-end brings an array of events celebrating the variety of interests in the village.

We will have Kids Day for our young people to have a good time, various village events & shows featuring village artisans and home businesses (Covering: Craft Makers, Local Produce, Gardening & Sustainability, and Artists & Authors). To add to the fun, we aim to have village musicians busking on the village green, and a Classic Car Show to draw more people into the village. As the Love Milford Week develops more activities may also follow.

To ensure the week is a true celebration, we will also have a full weekend of evening entertainment shows to let your hair down!

All events can be found at: www.lovemilfordweek.org, please keep visiting as full details of all events will be continually updated.

Love Milford Week will see all areas of the community celebrating the village and all it has to offer - So, get the dates in your diary, and prepare to exclusively shop in the village for a week!

Love Milford Week
www.lovemilfordweek.org

Pop Up Restaurant in Village

Milford on Sea has a Pop Up Restaurant coming soon.

Chef:/proprietor Christian Rivron of The Granary Cookery School at Newlands Manor Farm, will be taking to the kitchen to offer diners a taste of his food and passion for cooking. 

In June, Christian has spent many years working and training in a variety of different establishments including country parks, hotels, and restaurants in Lymington and the surrounding areas along the south coast. He has gained knowledge and experience of using the fresh, local and seasonal produce available in the New Forest, Hampshire and Dorset. Christian is now excited to share his passion, enthusiasm and creativity, to help people increase their confidence in entertaining guests in the comfort of their own homes.

The Pop Up Restaurant will be open on Saturday 28th June (& then Saturday 6th September). Bookings being taken between 6.30pm to 9pm. (click here for more information)

The 4 course set menu is £39.95 pp and you can bring your own drink!

If you fancy the menu below, why got give them a call to book in.

Gazpacho served with Parmesan crisp

***

Brined Duck breast semi dried strawberries, blue cheese pannacotta

-or-

Tuna carpaccio pickled veg, confit tomato & sauce vierge

***

Marinated New Forest Beef fillet fondant potato, buttered greens, bourguignon garnish, port & truffle sauce

-or-

Fillet of Cod stir fry vegetables, Thai spiced coconut & shellfish broth

***

Trio of desserts: Raspberry millefeuille | Salted Chocolate truffle | Lemon Posset

***

Coffee & petit fours

*Vegetarian menu also available if pre-ordered.

The Granary Kitchen Cookery School

Newlands Manor Farm

01590 673040 | cooking@thegranarykitchen.co.uk

www.thegranarykitchen.co.uk

Bollards on the Green

A mild panic swept the village when bollards appeared on the village green, leading people to fear that our community of Mole Men had created a collapse due the construction of their new town under the village.

We are pleased to allay people fears, as the bollards are actually covering some holes for a set of large poles. (The wooden type, not the Nationality.)

To explain, Our local youth led community group, MiCO (Milford Community Organisation) is preparing for a fun community event.

This weekend a number of temporary poles will be erected, which will then take lots of large bunting flags, which have been created to represent various corners of the community.

Then, the MiCO Community Picnic takes place on on Sunday 8th June, 12 noon to 4pm - Everyone invited. 'Bring a dish' community picnic, games, arts and crafts, hot drinks, a bar and of course all those amazing Giant bunting flags!

MiCO (Milford Community Organisation)
www.mico.org.uk

Broadband and Mud

A number of BT Openreach vans have been seen across the village and have been accessing a number of the telephone cabinets dotted about the place. We have been asked if we can expect fibre broadband any time soon? Like most things, we of course don't know, but we did discover below.

When accessing the BT Broadband website to check on fibre availability, it stated that the MoS telephone exchange is now 'Accepting orders. Superfast is in the area. To check whether your property can get it, contact your preferred supplier for your home or business.' (click here to visit website.)

I then used their link to visit our supplier (BT) and searched by our telephone number, it said 'BT Infinity isn't currently available to you.'

Although..., by the van activity it might be on the way... who knows!

So there you have it, as clear as mud!

25 Hours of Pain

Not quite sure how these guys are still standing, as they have just completed the gruelling London to Brighton Challenge last weekend.

The London to Brighton Challenge involves walking, jogging and running the 100km route from the capital to the coast. William Ayling and his Friend Tom Penman completed the challenge in aid of Oakhaven, and in memory of their fathers, Miles and David who both died of cancer.

The mammoth event took them 25 hours of walking, jogging and pain!

Thankfully, their friends family and community got behind them and they reached their target of £5000 for Oakhaven. If you drop anything into the Oakhaven collecting tins around the village at Hayward Fox, Milford Models, Inger Lise's, The Smugglers, The Milford Club, The Red Lion or The Raft it will increase their total even more.

Cliff Top Path Re-Open

Following the Valentine's Day Storm and resulting collapse of sections of the cliff top, the path became dangerous in various places and was closed.

The Hampshire County Council have explained: "The legal line of the footpath has been lost in many sections along this route, including the 2 areas that caused concern. Under right of way legislation the line of the path does not automatically move inland, therefore a land owner is not permitted to move their fence to allow access on to their property. Effectively footpaths can be ‘lost’ as the land is no longer available to cross."

Thankfully, John Cartwright, Senior Countryside Access Ranger at Hampshire County Council was delighted to find support from the landowner who agreed to move the fence to allow the route to be opened once more.

The works were funded by the Hampshire County Council  Access Team and were completed a few day ago. All barriers/closures have now been removed and the route was fully open for the past bank holiday weekend.

Good to see it back, I can now resume my regular jogging!

Happy Times at Wine Week

It is always fun to hear about 'National Weeks'.

My favourite of 'National Curry Week' will come as no surprise, I also support 'National Chocolate Week', and I am also campaigning for a 'National Feed a Big Bloke Week'. (Apparently, we are now in 'National Vegetarian Week' but I've not been celebrating that too much, although I did see an apple the other day.)

I have now heard that 'English Wine Week' is next week, (running from 24th May to 1st June), which sounds a top idea to me.

Jon and the team at The Cave will be holding an English Wine Tasting evening on Thursday 29th May 2014. Having been to a number of their tastings before, I can vouch for the things you learn, and more importantly the generosity of the tastings ensure a good time for all. (Getting home in a straight line cannot be assured.) Tickets are now on sale for the English Wine Tasting event for £15pp, at which you will taste 6 English sparkling wines with some nibbles.

There will also be English wine tastings during the week which you can buy to take home, plus The Cave constantly put on numerous events, so it might be a good plan to keep an eye on their website. (Click here to visit)

Happy Hour at The Cave

A drink for £3.50 is a sure way to make me happy, so I was pretty pleased to see that The Cave now have a Happy Hour every day from 4pm to 6pm.

A house wine, beer or spirit with mixer for £3.50 should cover just about everyone's taste. The thought of two hours after work, Football Focus or Sunday lunch seems a fair time to enjoy a nice drink with friends to me. (Or on my own if no-one will come with me!)

As far as I am aware, there is no limit to how many times you can take advantage of this great deal in the two hour period, but should I overstep the mark at any time I will let you know!

The Cave
Church Hill, Milford on Sea, SO41 0QH
www.thecavemos.co.uk

English Wine Week
www.englishwineweek.co.uk

We are on Saturday Kitchen

Well not actually on, but 'in' Saturday Kitchen.

click image to enlarge

To explain, my wife got a rather nice Christmas present from her husband and we were off for a Saturday Kitchen Experience.

As we arrived in Clapham, the address took us to a residential road just off the High Street. The doorway was tricky to find with houses either side. What we were to discover when entering, was a labyrinth of rooms over 3 floors. In fact we had entered a house connected to an old chapel behind, which was unseen from outside and now contained a Cookery School, TV Studio and lots of other rooms.

We were in a group of 12 and warmly welcomed by the Cactus Studio's team, and Cyrus Todiwala, our host for the day.

Cyrus runs the highly acclaimed Cafe Spice Namaste restaurant in the City of London, and is a regular host chef on Saturday Kitchen. He also starred with Tony Singh in the popular BBC TV series 'The Incredible Spice Men'.

click image to enlarge

Cyrus greeted us warmly and was very amiable, chatting about anything anyone wanted to ask.

His relaxed cookery demonstration, making a fabulous Indian fish croquette with spicy tomato sauce was excellent. As he chatted, his knowledge on spices, food sources and sustainability were undeniable. He also has a deep understanding of the health properties of various foods and a warm personality which made the session a joy. This guy is more than just a chef, and without doubt an expert in food.

We then got to taste his creation, which you will not be surprised to hear was delicious.

We were then led to one of the six kitchen areas in the room for the 'Omelette Challenge'. My wife stepped up first, whisked away and put an acceptable omelette on the plate in a reasonable time. Looking around 'scrambled egg' was more to be seen in the other stations.

click image to enlarge

My moment of glory then arrived. As I positioned my ingredients, the stopwatch was ignited and I was soon cracking eggs one handed in a bowl. Butter hit the pan as I used the other hand to swirl and fully coat the receptacle of my masterpiece.

As I whisked like a whirling dervisher I could see my name at the top of the winners board. As I gently seasoned my mixture, it was then I spotted my butter wasn't melting too well. It transpired that this was because my wife had turned off the hob when she had finished!

My final omelette was of course a triumph, and as everyone had finished before me, the whole group witnessed my equal measures of triumph and complete failure. My wife was struggling to suppress a big smile.

click image to enlarge

Next stop was a visit to the TV Studio. Saturday Kitchen is a live show on Saturday mornings and James Martin and his guest, Henry Winkler had left only a couple of hours earlier. The kitchen was immediately familiar, but in a surprisingly narrow room. The height was substantial due to us being in an old chapel. 

We were free to wander and play as we wanted. I of course took to the kitchen to demonstrate should James not make it one day I would be happy to step in. My wife felt the Cactus Kitchen team would prefer someone from McDonalds first, and then stopped me for mixing up the faces on the 'Omelette Challenge Board'.

Our tour continued as we were shown the technical areas and dressing rooms behind the scenes, and listened to some informative stories about the show and how it gets on air.

We then went upstairs for a wine tasting. At every stage this day was more than expected, and we did not realise the tasting also included a food pairing. The first was a German Gewurztraminer wine served with Cyrus's fish croquette, then an Austrian Grunerveitliner white with scallops, a German pinot noir with duck, a Rioja red with lamb and finally an asti spumante with a full bowl of pavlova.  

Our wine host was colourful and enthusiastic as he took us through the wines and ensured glasses were constantly full. We were instructed that no bottle was to be left empty, and joyfully we all obliged. About 5-7 generous glasses of wine per person are of course a pleasure and guaranteed to put smiles on everyone faces.

Our final trip was the the 'Green Room' where we all chatted before the 'Omelette Challenge' awards were made. My 'wooden spoon' now has pride of place in our kitchen draw.

The whole afternoon was excellently organised and delivered more than expected. As we left the wine was still giving a warm feeling inside, so we decided to have one more experience we don't normally have, so we jumped on bus to the station.  

A Taste of Saturday Kitchen: To find out more click here

click image to enlarge

Cyrus Todiwala's - Cafe Spice Namaste Restaurant: click here.

Floral Club donates to Oakhaven

The Milford Floral Art Club have raised £300 for Oakhaven Hospice.

The club held a fund-raising coffee morning in memory of Mim Palmer, their past Chairman and President, who passed away last November.

At their May meeting they were really pleased to be able to present the £300 cheque to Oakhaven Hospice. The presentation was made by current Chairman Jan Marriott, handing the cheque to Jill West from Oakhaven. 

The club were pleased that Mim's husband David was also able to join them for this presentation.

Have a Butterfly Tea Party

Milford on Sea resident, Ellie Whitehall, runs a small business from home as an Independent Phoenix Trader. She has things like greeting cards, colourful stationery, bookmarks, gift wrapping & tags.

June 2014 is Phoenix Trading's Butterfly Tea Party month, and Ellie is looking to run a number of parties in homes across the village. 

Phoenix Trading will make a donation varying from 20p to £2 from products in the Charity Supplement to Together for Short Lives. In addition to the product donations, Ellie will be donating an extra 10% of all of her sales at Butterfly Tea Parties, to this worthy cause.

Ellie still has a few dates left in her diary for Butterfly Tea Parties, and if you would like to get some friends together for a coffee and a slice of cake, or a glass of wine and a few nibbles, she will happily bring around her cards and stationery.

If you would like to get involved please contact Ellie on 07712 484852 or email: elliewhitehall24@gmail.com

Keeping Lighthouse Heritage Alive

500 years ago, on the 20th May 1514, King Henry VIII granted a charter to a fraternity of London mariners who subsequently became the Corporation of Trinity House and who were charged with improving the safety of navigation, initially on the Thames, but later became responsible for pilotage, buoys, beacons and light vessels around the coasts of England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar.  Since then many, many thousands of lives have been saved around these coasts.

To celebrate this occasion The Association of Lighthouse Keepers has two special visitors coming to Hurst. President, Gerry Douglas-Sherwood, was Principal Keeper at the Needles from 1992 to 1994 and ALK member Pat Gumbrell is the daughter of a lighthouse keeper and also the great niece of Grace Darling.  They have lots of lighthouse related stories to tell and will be happy to answer questions from visitors about this unique way of life.  The Hurst Point lighthouse and historic Acetylene Room will also be open to visitors and it all starts at 1.30pm on Tuesday 20th May 2014 at Hurst Castle.

The event is free of charge but tickets will be needed as we can only cater for limited numbers.  If you would like a ticket please contact Dinah Le May on 01590 674921 or dinahlemay@gmail.com.

Ferries run approximately every 20mins from Keyhaven starting at 10.20am.  Please note that the usual ferry fares and Castle entrance fee are not included. Castle entrance is free to Friends of Hurst Castle and English Heritage members.

Calling Ladies who Lunch

If you fancy a rather special lunch with the girls, why not consider joining the Ladies Only Dining Tour?

The next Ladies Only Dining Tour is on Wednesday Lunchtime 28th May, and will you will stroll for your courses between Verveine, then The Raft, and then The Beach House, Milford on Sea.

This is a unique way to enjoy a 4 course meal, and to experience 3 different Milford on Sea village restaurants. 

The courses include: Canapés, Welcome Drink & Starter at Verveine, Main Course at The Raft, and then your Sweet at The Beach House. *Each course includes a non-alcoholic or paired drink. Other drinks at an additional charge.

Tours start at 1pm: Meet at the first venue of your Dining Tour & then Stroll to each different course.

Menus are decided in the week before the event and all diners are served the same courses. *Should you have special dietary requirements, or wish to know courses, please contact the restaurants.

Tickets are £32pp - To book, please click here.

New Dates have also been launched for all other Great Dining Bus Tours, check them out below.

Great Dining Bus
www.greatdiningbus.co.uk & www.greatdiningbus.ticketsource.co.uk

Ymmm, Moules

Like most married couples planning our time is a regular occurrence. 

On this occasion my wife is having a couple of nights away, so I have been fully briefed on her full itinerary (I think I can remember some of it.) In turn, my wife has ensured that I know all of the DIY jobs that need doing.

Knowing I was going to be self sufficient for two nights soon, it was too late to start a vegetable patch for next week. So, I will need to eat out.

The daytimes are of course sorted, I have a DIY list to conveniently lose, and a good book I want to finish.

Just then, the La Perle Newsletter popped into my inbox.

Discovering that La Perle are now open again on Tuesdays with a Moules & Frites' Night, life has just become sorted. For just £15.95 I can choose Moules served mariniere style, bacon & tomato or mouclade style with french fries and a glass of wine.

The other evening is still in the planning stages, but with a great choice of places to eat in the village, it a challenge I am prepared to take on!

My wife is due back on Wednesday, and as she normally likes to cook when she returns, that will mean missing the weekly Lymington Lobster Night at La Perle. However, there is always a 50/50 chance she has actually left me, ...so I might make it for lobster after all!

La Perle

High Street, Milford on Sea
Tel: 01590 643 557
www.laperlemilford.co.uk

Hetty's Hut

A new children's book written by two local authors has just been published.

The book is an adventure story called Hetty's Hut which is set amongst the beach huts at Hengistbury Head and is for age 8+. 

Hetty's Hut was written by two friends, who met over 20 years ago when their their two eldest children (Ross and Christopher) were in the same class at Milford on Sea School. 

Helen Clarke has taught English and Maths at the Kumon After School Study Centre in New Milton and Lymington for the last 18 years, and Sarah Conacher teaches PE at the Arnewood School.

Helen said; "We have always loved the beauty of Hengistbury Head and the feeling it gives you of being separated from normal everyday life. About three years ago I rented a hut for a week in the summer for my family to use. Sarah popped over one afternoon and over a cup of tea the story of Hetty's Hut evolved. We have thoroughly enjoyed the journey from that afternoon to the finished article being placed in our hands. I'm sure the next book in the series won't be far behind."

The internal illustrations have been done by local Milford artist Hilary Ball who has captured the characters perfectly.

About the story: When Hetty’s Dad agrees that they can live in her grandparents’ beach hut at Hengistbury Head, near Christchurch for the summer, she is so excited. 

The prospect of a fun-filled summer spent exploring and having fun takes an unexpected turn as Hetty and her new friend Charlie desperately try to evade the attentions of a strange man who seems to be watching their every move.

Who is he and what does he want?

The Hetty's Hut book costs £7.99 and will available from 25th May in Jabulani, The Old Smithy and Milford Models, all in Milford on Sea High Street - or it can be ordered online now by clicking here.

Doing It for Someone Else

It is always impressive when people take personal pain to help others.

This week we have two examples:

The first is my wife and me.  To explain, some months ago my wife was motivated to do the Marathon Moonwalk in London. All that she raised is to go towards fighting breast cancer charities. Like many others she knows how this nasty disease affects peoples lives. 

Her rigorous training schedule went perfectly, I particularly enjoyed the 20 mile training stints, which gave me several hours on the sofa unobserved.

Last Saturday night the event arrived. She valiantly started at 11pm and completed the full marathon route in just over 8 hours, and I stayed at home and had a rather good curry, a few drinks, followed by a peaceful nights kip without complaints about the TV being too loud.

Now being over 40, the cold, wet and windy night was not quite as easy as afternoons spent training in the sun along the seafront, so when she returned from her epic adventure she was bedraggled, aching and in need of acute nursing. I of course stepped immediately into the nursing role and spent the next two days waiting on her hand and foot. Sadly she violently refused my repeated offers of a bed bath. However, as she did not have the energy to cook, I did pretty well on the takeaway front.

I myself was not sponsored for my bedside skills, but should you want to give something towards her efforts there is a link at the end of this page. 

London to Brighton Challenge

Some of you will know Joy Ayling, former owner of Milford Model & Hobbies Shop in the High Street.

Still living in the village, joy has told us that her son, William and his Friend Tom Penman are going to do the London to Brighton Challenge in aid of Oakhaven, and in memory of their fathers, Miles and David who both died of cancer.

The event takes place on May Bank Holiday 24th-25th May, where they will cover the 100km walk/jog/run route from the capital to the coast.

A gruelling activity lays ahead for the boys, but their motivation will no doubt get them through. (I only hope they have quality nursing planned for the days after.) You can find out more, or sponsor the guys from the link below.

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To sponsor My Wife: click here.

To sponsor William and Tom: click here. - Oakhaven Donation Envelopes are also available in Haywood Fox’s Milford office, where (William's brother) Richard works.

A New Thai Taste

If you enjoy authentic Thai food, you are going to love the recent changes at Britannia Thai.

The new Head Chef, Songkiat Surin is bringing his passion for traditional Thai food and combining it with fresh organic ingredients Fusion style. 

Songkiat has an impressive CV, having worked in 4 and 5 star hotels in Pattaya and Bangkok before going to work in Israel for three years. He arrived in the UK in 2007 and helped set up the Bann Thai restaurant in Worcester. Due to his passion to work with fresh organic ingredients he then went to work in Daylesford Organic Farm Shop in Gloucestershire, before returning to work in the highly regarded Zen Garden in Carey's Manor Hotel in Brockenhurst.

Songkiat Surin was Born Pattaya in Thailand and is married with a 6 year old daughter.  

Some of Songkiat's signature dishes are the Thai Scallops, Salt and Pepper Squid, Tamarind Duck, Honey Duck with Orange Salad, Lamb Shank and Pepper Beef (which is Sirloin Steak sizzling on a platter.) He also does tasty Thai classics such as the green and red curry. 

In additional to a full Thai menu, Britannia Thai are also now offering a Thai Tapas for lunch where you can choose a set menu or just pick a lot of different dishes to taste. 

To ensure the authenticity of the dishes, he orders fresh Thai ingredients directly from Thailand which are delivered to Bournemouth airport and then straight to the restaurant. The fresh meat and fish are from specialist companies in Bournemouth and the fresh vegetables are from Marjorie's in the village.

The Britannia Thai also has a new front of house team. The Manager is Kanoksak Siripongswalee, affectionately known as Tae, together with his wife Duangjai (known as Orr).

So, a number of exciting changes to try out, and a great excuse to treat yourself to a Thai experience soon!

Britannia Thai
1 High Street, Milford on Sea, SO41 0QF 

Tel: 01590 642226 & 01590 642212

www.thairestaurantnewforest.co.uk