Kett Blog

North Norfolk No Longer Out of The Loop?

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Victoria Leggett in the EDP.

Plans for a Norfolk Orbital Railway took a big leap forward recently as campaigners launched a £250,000 fundraising appeal to allow them to buy vital plots of land in Holt.

North Norfolk Railway
North Norfolk Railway

It marks the latest stage of the project which eventually aims to restore mainline rail links around the county and create a circular route taking in Norwich, Cromer, Sheringham, Fakenham, Dereham and Wymondham.

While the Bittern line, North Norfolk Railway and Mid Norfolk Railway have already gone some way to restoring the loop, missing links remain between High Kelling and North Elmham. But in March 2010, plans for the 84-mile orbital railway were given a major boost after 100 yards of track was laid at Sheringham to connect the heritage North Norfolk Railway with the commuter service between Norwich and Cromer.

Norfolk Orbital Railway

Norfolk Orbital Railway

Derek Haynes, chairman of the Holt, Melton Constable and Fakenham Railway, said that had given everyone more hope. He said: “There were loads of doubters who said that would never happen – it was too expensive, not enough support – well now the crossing is back in. That has opened people’s eyes – this can be achieved.”

The next stage in the major plan is to take the line from its current stop a mile outside Holt into the town centre, alongside the A148 bypass and over to Common Hill.

At a meeting called by the Holt, Melton Constable and Fakenham Railway Company on Saturday, rail enthusiasts were at last able to reveal the results of talks about plots of land in Holt vital to the plans.

The group would then begin looking at how to take the line through Melton Constable and along to Fakenham, where it could meet up with the proposed extension of the Mid Norfolk Railway.

Rail enthusiast David Bill said the events of the past week, where motorists began panic-buying fuel, proved the need for a better rail service in Norfolk.

To support the appeal, send donations to The Holt, Melton Constablt and Fakenham Railway Co., The Railway Institute, Melton Constable, Norfolk, NR24 2DA.

Posted in Cottages in Norfolk, Historical, Outdoors, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Love is in the Air….

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Fi Woolcock with thanks to Warden Jack Woodley

If you are staying in one of our holiday cottages over Easter, make sure you take the time to visit Pensthorpe, near Fakenham. There are so many ways to enjoy the beautiful surroundings  - whether you want to explore the great wildlife walks, learn about their conservation projects, indulge in a spot of retail therapy, take lunch in the Courtyard Café, or just enjoy some of the best local gardens and birdlife for miles around, there is something to suit every taste.

Owl amidst the Bluebells

Owl amidst the Bluebells

Lots of developments have gone on at Pensthorpe over the last couple of months, including big makeovers of all the major pens and aviaries, opening up larger areas of water and clearing a lot of land cover to make the birds more visible. As the weather gets milder and spring starts springing this will start to grow back providing nesting sites for birds like Ruff and Redshank.

Assistant gardener Matt and the wardens have also been waging a war on persistent weeds which had come to dominate areas of the stream pen. Visitors will see a big difference here, with much better views as well as their stunning male Smew and Falcated Teal now being more visible.

The stream pen at Pensthorpe

The stream pen at Pensthorpe

In an effort to maximise the breeding potential of some of the more endangered species, there has been a major overhaul of the 100 or more duck boxes around Pensthorpe. Based on data collected from the last three years, there has been much repairing, replacing, adding and subtracting of boxes at all parts of the site from the Pensthorpe Conservation Centre to the Viewing Lake.

Visitors will see the brand new nesting bank in the flamingo pen. At about 6 or 7 years old, the birds are now coming into breeding age and this area should encourage them to breed this year. With some pre-made nests to get them in the mood and a bed of muddy ground to build their own, this should go down a treat. The birds are already responding well, with intense courting and displaying and the first mating spotted in early March!

New Flamingo Nests

New Flamingo Nests

As part of a project to study the genetics of captive Eurasian Cranes, feathers have been taken from Pensthorpe’s 12 birds for DNA testing. This should indicate the relationships of their birds with each other and with wild populations. Speaking of Cranes, their young White-naped has been moved away from his parents. At 9 months old this is about the time he would leave in the wild and it will allow his parents some peace to prepare a nest for this year.

Eurasian Cranes

Eurasian Cranes

Finally, as proof that spring is already here they have their first eggs of the season. Their Hawaiian geese are nesting right on time, just two days before last year and their Black-necked Swans laid their first egg in early March. Fingers crossed for many more eggs to come over the next few months!

Ne-Ne Hawaiian Goose

Ne-Ne Hawaiian Goose

Posted in Cottages in Norfolk, Families, Outdoors, Pensthorpe, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A to Z of Easter Fun

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Fi Woolcock
Easter Fun

Easter Fun

The Easter holidays are upon us and the Norfolk hedgerows are bursting into life. What better way to explore North Norfolk than from one of our fabulous holiday cottages? And if you are bringing the family with you, we have a whole host of activities to keep everyone occupied. Here is an A-Z of places to be (well, A to W actually….)!

Aylsham - Nearby Orchard Cottage still has availability this Easter.

Friday April 6th – April 9th Easter Eggspress Bure Valley Railway

Burnham Market - Mays Way Flat at Burnham Overy Staithe still available this Easter

Thursday 5 April to Saturday 7 April The SPC Burnham Market International Horse Trials

Cromer - Shoemakers Cottage  and Pipistrelle still have some availability

Tuesday 10 April 10.30am & 2pm Spring Flowers Children’s Art Workshop Cromer Museum

Dereham 

Tuesday 3rd April – 15th April Gressenhall Farm & Workhouse

East Runton

Friday 6th April & Saturday 7th April 10am Cadbury’s Easter Trail Felbrigg Hall

Mallard and Ducklings at Pensthorpe

Mallard and Ducklings at Pensthorpe

 

Fakenham - Orwell House has some availability for the last week in Easter

Saturday 31st March to Sunday 15th April Easter Eggs-travaganser Pensthorpe

Easter Monday, 9th April 2pm Fakenham races Fakenham Racecourse

Sunday 8th April 10am – 2pm Local Produce Market Pensthorpe

Saturday 14th April The Potty Porridge Adventure Pensthorpe

Great Bircham

April 1st to end September 10am – 5pm Bircham Windmill

Heacham - Old Barn is still available for a late booking

Easter Monday 9th April Morris dancing Norfolk Lavender

hunstanton watersports

hunstanton watersports

Hunstanton

Friday 6th April 10am – 3pm Kids Watersports Activities Hunstanton Watersports

Sunday 8th April 11:30 -17:30 Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday Houghton Hall and Gardens

Holkham

Wednesday 4th April Holkham’s Hunters Family Walk Holkham National Nature Reserve

Friday 6th to Monday 9th April  Easter Fun Holkham Hall

Saturday 7th April Chocolate Decadence Workshop Holkham Hall

Saturday 7th April Chamber Music in the Marble Hall Holkham Hall

Sunday 8th and Monday 9th April Titanic Tea-time Treats Holkham Hall

Tuesday 10th April Bugs & Butterflies Children’s Workshop Holkham Hall 

Holt

Monday 2nd April 10.30am to 1pm Easter egg trail Holt Country Park

Tuesday 10th April 10.15am to 12.30pm Pond dipping Holt Country Park

Tuesday 10th April 1.30pm to 3.30pm Mini beast hunt Holt Country Park

Hoveton

Monday 2nd April – Sunday 15th April Boggle Bow Tie & Bonnet Bounce Off Bewilderwood

Itteringham

Fly fishing Bure Valley Lakes and River Bure

North Creake

Saturday March 31st – April 6th 10am to 4pm Easter Egg Hunt Creake Abbey

Saturday April 7th 9:30am – 1pm Farmers Market Creake Abbey

 

Trees on Sandringham Estate, Norfolk

Trees on Sandringham Estate, Norfolk

Sandringham

Sunday 1st April The Sandringham Estate and Gardens opens

Sheringham

Until Sunday 15 April Russells International Circus Sheringham

The Broads

Thursday 5th April 1 – 4pm Easter Egg-splorers trail RSPB Strumpshaw Fen Nature Reserve

Friday April 6 Easter Egg Trail Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden

Wells

Wednesday 11th April Gruffalo Day Wells Pinewoods

Posted in Burnham Market, Children, Cottages in Norfolk, Creake Abbey, Easter, Families, Outdoors, Pensthorpe, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Everest 2012 Summit Team Departs For Nepal

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Thanks to Walking With The Wounded Newsletter
Walking With The Wounded Everest Expedition 2012

Walking With The Wounded Everest Expedition 2012

Walking With The Wounded is a charity set up by our good friend in Norfolk, Ed Parker of Edward Parker Wines.

Tuesday 27th March saw the culmination of a year’s preparation for the Everest summit team, as they were waved off to Nepal by their Expedition Patron, Prince Harry.

The Walking With The Wounded Everest 2012 Expedition, Supported by Glenfiddich, now face a gruelling trek to Base Camp before a month of acclimatisation and ultimately an attempt to summit the world’s highest mountain.

Team Depart

Walking With The Wounded Team Depart for Everest

Charity Founders Ed Parker, one of the Directors at Kett Country Cottages and Simon Daglish were at the Qatar Lounge to wish the boys well and to greet Prince Harry, who took time out of his hectic schedule to spend some valuable hours with the boys, and to wish them well on their toughest challenge yet. Prince Harry also sent a message of support to the team.

Excited and emotional wellwishers, friends and family members gathered to wave goodbye to Karl, David, Martin, Francis and Jaco as they set off on their Himalayan challenge. The summit team have been carefully selected for their strength and ability to cope with altitude. They have already achieved impressive feats in training, having successfully summited Manaslu, the worlds’ 8th highest mountain, in October last year – becoming the first disabled people to do so. They are in good spirits and after so much preparation, both mental and physical, they can’t wait to get out there to take on the challenge.

To see Francis Atkinson’s ITV Interview click here

And his BFBS Interview here.

If you would like to read Prince Harry’s message of support to the team, read here.

Posted in Fund Raising, Uncategorized, Walking With The Wounded | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Happy Hunting at Creake Abbey this Easter

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Diana Brocklebank Scott

In the run up to the Easter weekend Creake Abbey will host its annual Easter Egg hunt for children, back by popular demand.  The egg hunt is open from Saturday 31st March to Friday 6th April inclusive (not open Monday 2nd April when Creake Abbey is closed) and entry costs £1.50 per child.  This year’s chocolate prizes for super hunter gatherers are provided by sponsorship from The Chocolate Deli in Wells next the Sea – beautiful AND delicious!  All the boutique shops, artists in residence and the Creakey Café are open for visitors to keep parents busy while their little bunnies are hunting.  Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm.  Free parking.

Then on Easter Saturday come and forage for a huge range of local produce at the Easter Farmers’ Market featuring 45 local stall holders selling everything from gold dusted brownies to Aberdeen Angus beef and fresh local quail.  There will be lots of opportunities to sample the goodies and gain cooking inspiration. Free entry, free parking.

Vanessa Scott

Vanessa Scott at Creake Abbey

Mary Kemp, local food supremo has invited Vanessa Scott of Strattons Hotel in Swaffham and Chris Coubrough of the Flying Kiwi Inns to demonstrate in a specially designed mobile cookery theatre at the Easter Farmers’ Market at Creake Abbey.  Both chefs are key local food heroes….Vanessa organises the Brecks Food Festival and Chris together with Mary and I organise the North Norfolk Food and Drink Festival.

Chris Coubrough

Chris Coubrough at Creake Abbey

 

 

 

 

 

Both events take place annually in September.  As part of this year’s North Norfolk Food and Drink Festival, Mary and I are looking at repeating our challenge for young chefs and the restaurants they work for.  The Local Food Challenge has been designed  to give chefs, below head chef status, the opportunity to show off their skills and knowledge of local produce and ingredients, the seasons, the producers and the tastes and recipes inspired by their surroundings.  The first round heats and the semi-finals take place at the Creake Abbey Farmers Market between May and August, and the final is at Holkham Hall during the festival weekend.  During the heats the ingredients for the Challenge will be chosen by the chefs on the day, from the 45 producers present.  Each chef is given £40 to spend with a shopping basket. Store cupboard ingredients will be provided; four pre-pared items may be used in the heat.  Come and watch these young chefs perform, many for the first time in front of an audience, and help support local restaurants and food!

Look out for next month’s blog when I will let you know what Vanessa and Chris cooked on Easter Saturday plus news of the two young chefs to take part in Heat 1 of the Local Food Challenge on Saturday 5th May.

 

Posted in Creake Abbey, Easter, Families, Food and Drink, Shopping, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pop along for some Italian Street Food!

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Fi Woolcock
owsley-brown-events
A Poptop for a PopUp!

One of ‘Our Friends in Norfolk’, Matthew & Caroline at Owsley Brown are very excited to introduce their first popup of the season at Drove Orchards, Thornham. They’ve now had an authentic wood-fired oven built which they can tow to events on the back of their VW camper.

So – just what is a popup restaurant? It’s a sort of dining club, which opens at a specified location for a strictly limited period and then disappears. This one is going to be an Italian Street Food PopUp. The venue is Drove Orchards, Thornham, North Norfolk in the last week of the Easter holidays from Tuesday 17th April to Saturday 21st April, 6.30-9.30pm.

On the menu will be:

Antipasti
Shared starter selection:
Locally cured meats, caper berries & crostini
Marinated olives with ash smoked sweet peppers & aromatic herbs
Local mackerel with pine nuts, raisins, lemon, olive oil & parsley
Garlic & rosemary dough balls
Norfolk quails cooked in clay & served with tapenade

Authentic oak-fired oven pizzas
Coastal seafood pizza with King’s Lynn brown shrimps, Wells crab, Brancaster lobster, tomato, garlic & basil
Four Norfolk cheeses pizza
Pepperoni pizza (Fruit pig co)
Local sea bass, preserved lemon & oregano calzone

Gelati
Selection of home made ice creams

Three courses £25, BYO £5 corkage

Owsley Brown have established themselves as the premier high-end, but good value for money caterers in Norfolk. Matthew and Caroline Owsley-Brown moved up to Norfolk in 2001 to buy the very well-known and loved seafood restaurant, Fishes in Burnham Market, which they owned for eight years. They have since bought a smallholding from where they operate a purpose built commercial kitchen, run cooking workshops, host the odd pop-up restaurant and on which they intend to grow vegetables and raise some livestock.

Having many years experience in hospitality, they know how fundamentally important it is to have a team of passionate people working hard with them and they themselves are very passionate about fine, seasonal and locally sourced food which they try to source in order to bring their clients the finest ingredients. They are lucky that Norfolk is so rich in regional produce.

For more information or to book:

Telephone 01553 840190 or email: info @owsley-brown.com

Posted in Easter, Families, Food and Drink, Outdoors, Uncategorized, wine | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Blakeney: A late starter.

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Caroline Davison
Blakeney Harbour

Picturesque Blakeney Harbour

With its picturesque flint cottages, cobbled yards, and narrow passageways, Blakeney feels deep-rooted and ancient.  Yet the village wasn’t officially recorded as a place until 1230, long after its neighbours appeared in Domesday Book (1086). Instead, the Norman record keepers found a settlement called Snitterley.

The rise and fall of Blakeney as a port was intertwined with the shifting sands of Blakeney Point. In the early Middle Ages the River Glaven reached the coast in a wide estuary. Looking across to Cley from Wiveton churchyard it’s easy to imagine the sea lapping over the flat fields in-between. The whole stretch of water behind the ever-extending gravel and sand spit of the Point was known as Blakeney Haven, and both villages operated busy quays before the river mouth silted up. But Snitterley had to wait until the Point had grown long enough to protect it from the sea before it could call itself a port. Once it did, the burgeoning development at the water’s edge adopted the name of the wider haven – Blakeney (from ‘black isle’). The original Domesday settlement, near the church, dwindled. No more Snitterley.

Other things have disappeared – if you glance up to your right while walking to Wiveton Farm café you’ll notice a high flint wall, the boundary to a wealthy Carmelite Friary, long gone. And no-one really knows what happened to the grand building which once rose up above the Guildhall undercroft on the Quay.

blakeney graffito

Graffito at Blakeney Church

The sailing fleets of the bustling port have also vanished. But ghostly reminders of the handsome ships that once crowded the quayside can be found in Blakeney Church. Towards the eastern end of the nave’s south aisle, cut into the once-red pillars, are numerous graffiti of medieval vessels. Not the work of bored choir boys, but pictorial offerings to the saints from local seafarers, praying fervently for the safe return of their ships into the haven of Blakeney. Present day sailors will understand – but please resist the urge to scratch.

For more information on Caroline’s conservation work in East anglia, go to www.davisonconservation.co.uk.
Graffito image courtesy of Norfolk Medieval Graffiti Survey, Blakeney image courtesy of Sue Lane.
Posted in Caroline Davison, Historical | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Winning Norfolk Pie!

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Fi Woolcock.

With a wealth of great local suppliers, why not try your hand at this age old Norfolk Pie recipe in honour of British Pie Week?

Granny_Maude's_Rabbit_Pie
A Winning Norfolk Pie

The filming of popular Italian chef Gino D’Acampo’s cookery show, There’s no Taste Like Home came to The Library Bar and Grill at Guildhall Hill, Norwich, last year, when three amatuer cooks from Norfolk competed to win over the paying customers with their favourite family recipe.

Of the three local contestants who took part, Dawn Pollock, of Costessey, was the winner, serving up her Grandma Maude’s Norfolk Rabbit Pie. She said of her recipe – originally cooked during World War Two – “The dish goes right the way back in our family, even my gran’s mother used to cook it. It was my great granddad’s favourite. It’s a great tribute to my gran and to the old ways of Norfolk. Some of the older diners came up to me and said they hadn’t tasted a rabbit pie like that since they were little.”

Unlike much of Europe, rabbit is rarely seen in UK supermarkets, but is available from many butchers and local food markets.

Method: How to make Granny Maude’s Norfolk rabbit pie

1 Heat oil in a large sauté pan and fry the leeks, carrots, mushrooms and bacon until cooked, drain off and transfer into the casserole dish.

2 Put the pan back on the heat and when hot add the rabbit and fry until sealed/browned then add into the casserole dish.

3 Put the pan back on the heat, add the stock and bring to boil to deglaze the pan.

4 Sprinkle on the gravy, salt and add into the casserole dish. (If using stock cubes add bouquet garni now remembering to remove before thickening).

5 Cook in a preheated oven (180C) for one and a half to two hours or until tender.

6 Remove from oven and using a slotted spoon remove the rabbit onto a dish to cool (this should only take a few minutes), when cool remove meat from the bones.

7 Bring the cooking liquor back to the boil and thicken using cornflour and water to coat the back of a spoon consistency.

8 Check and adjust seasoning, stir meat in, then spoon it out with the other main ingredients and drain well.

9 Sieve the gravy to separate any other filling (add to main) and provide a smooth gravy, and add enough to the main mix so that it is not too sloppy. Keep the remaining gravy to pour over later.

10 When the filling has cooled slightly, roll out pastry to cover the pie ensuring that you stick a strip of scrap pastry all the way round the rim of the dish to give to lid something to adhere to. Brush with egg wash.

11 Cook in oven at 180C for about 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with seasonal vegetables.

Posted in Families, Food and Drink, Shopping | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A Song and Dance about Local Pies….

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Fi Woolcock, with thanks to Brays Cottage Pork Pies

This week sees a welcome return to British Pie Week!

One of our very best local producers – Brays Cottage Pork Pies – have introduced their unique spin on British Pie Week, which runs from 5th – 11th March, by way of the Dandy Piewayman.

The Dandy Piewayman at Brays Cottage Pies

The Dandy Piewayman at Brays Cottage Pies

Brays were awarded Best Producer at the North Norfolk Food Festival 2011 at Holkham Hall – voted for by the visitors and organised by North Norfolk Living Magazine. Brays come from rural North Norfolk and make pork pies in a converted flint barn, over looking the sea. They believe in the Slow Food philosophy, that eating should be satisfying and fun and they produce something that has famously been called: The Perfect Pork Pie!

Their Pie stall will be out and about either side of British Pie Week – and they will be attending Creake Abbey Farmer’s Market on Saturday 3rd of March and The Norwich Farmer’s Market at the Forum on Saturday 10th March and you have a chance of a steal:

10p off Pieway robbery offer: If you say -

“I’m the dandy Piewayman who you’re too scared to mention, I spend my cash on looking flash and grabbing your attention”

- you’ll get 10p off a pie.

20p off Pieway robbery offer: If you sing -

“I’m the dandy Piewayman so sick of easy fashion, the clumsy boots, peek-a-boo roots that people think so dashing
so what’s the point of robbery when nothing is worth taking?
it’s kind of tough to tell a scruff the big mistake he’s making. Stand and deliver your money or your life! Try and use a mirror no bullet or a knife!”

- with appropriate Ant dance moves you’ll get 20p off a pie!

Free pie offer: If you go dressed up as a Dandy Pieway man (to the judges satisfaction!) and sing Stand and Deliver (the whole song) with appropriate Ant dance moves - you’ll get yourself a free pie. And their undying admiration!

No one said free pies would be easy…

Posted in Cottages in Norfolk, Food and Drink, Shopping | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Local Leap’ in North Norfolk

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Fi Woolcock

Trust staff get Leap Day off work to volunteer

blickling-hall-Aylsham-North-Norfolk

Blickling Hall near Aylsham

Today the world is enjoying an extra 24 hours as another leap year arrives – and more than 5,000 National Trust employees are being given the Leap Day off work to volunteer for a day in their local communities. With 11 National Trust sites in Norfolk alone, they should be kept busy up here!

Over at Blickling Hall near Aylsham, members of the house team did their volunteering on Monday and went to the parish church to give it an early spring clean and at 11.30 today other members of staff were planning to walk to Aylsham to go litter-picking. They will be clearing the historic Market Place via a footpath connecting it to the estate. A busy day indeed for our ‘Local Leap’ activists!

The ‘Local Leap’ aims to celebrate the importance of volunteering as the National Trust continues to build links with local communities and enjoy the support of more than 62,000 volunteers. It follows a similar initiative four years ago when their employees were given a day off work to make green improvements at home – sparking national debate about who ‘owns’ the extra day in the year.

Fiona Reynolds, Director-General of the National Trust explained: “The Trust knows first-hand how important volunteering is. We simply couldn’t function without our 62,000 volunteers.  As anyone who volunteers knows, it is a hugely rewarding experience, and I hope Local Leap will encourage others to volunteer anywhere in the country.”

Local Leap volunteering activities will cover a huge range: litter picking in town centres, tree planting and scrub clearance, decorating hospices and schools, helping charities complete grant applications, developing local campaigns to save a derelict building, to name just a few.

If you are tempted to visit Blickling Hall, why not consider booking Cart Lodge Cottage? It is just 10 minutes from Blickling and is one of the many Kett Country Cottages in North Norfolk.

Posted in Cottages in Norfolk, National Trust, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment