Northamptonshire food week shows 'so much talent in the county'
Across Northamptonshire, restaurants, hotels and food producers are getting a chance to show off what they can do during this year's food week.One of the highlights will be a two-day festival at Delapre Abbey in Northampton, featuring no less than 80 producers.Amanda Nichols from Delapre said: "Northampton has so much to offer, there's so many different producers coming out, so much talent in the county. It'll be a great showcase of everything Northamptonshire has to shout about."
At Chester House near Wellingborough, food from several different local suppliers is being brought together in a "ploughman's platter".The venue is hoping plenty of hungry hounds turn up during the festival.Lisa Hust, general manager, said: "We're very dog-friendly - we even have a dog-friendly room in our farmhouse and a dog menu. "The favourite is the sausages - everybody loves the sausages."
The Kettering Park Hotel is using the week to launch a new dining experience called Curious Kitchen.The hotel's general manager, Andrew Hollett, said the concept was "a slightly more modern, relaxed style of dining. "This makes it a bit broader in terms of taste and ingredients being used, and probably it'll appeal to a broader range of customer, particularly the younger diners."
The festival will be a busy time for Johnny Howes at Phipps Brewery in Northampton, as he prepares to replace the long-standing managing director, Alaric Neville. He has a specific goal in mind: "It's hard to go into a pub that serves real ale and not see Phipps [beers]. My remit now is to add on keg beer - the craft beer - to that."Cask is sticking around - I just think cask is just a bit harder to look after for the bar staff - it's a dying trade." The brewery is launching a new ale called From The Ashes to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of Northampton. It is described as a porter which is very dark, thick and - inevitably - smoky.
Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
9 hours ago
- BBC News
Northamptonshire's club and bar safety scanners to be extended
Identity technology used at a county's pubs and nightclubs since 2023 is to be extended for a further three Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) Danielle Stone has agreed to provide funding to keep the scheme at 25 venues that open beyond 01: ID scanning machines are used by door staff, and a virtual network enables bar owners to share pictures and information about those who cause disruption or have been to the crime commissioner, one late-night venue using the ID scan machines said they were "the best thing that has happened" to help keep people safe on nights out in many years. After a review of the impact of the technology, the PFCC is providing £63,000 to allow premises across Northamptonshire to use the machines until at least Stone said: "The feedback we have had from bars and clubs is that they have been a really effective addition and are actively helping them to keep people safe in their establishments."It is also proving to be an additional tool for the police to use when they are investigating any crime that has occurred."One of the venues using the ID scan technology is Bar Rumba, in Northampton's Abington manager Hamid Delbari said the scanners were "one of the best things to happen in Northampton". "They are helping to reduce the number of trouble-makers we have coming into our venue."No-one wants to come to a place they feel might be dangerous, so these machines are making the environment much safer for the people who visit us, and the reaction from people has been positive once we've explained how the machines are helping to keep them safe." Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
15 hours ago
- BBC News
Call for cut in the number of West Northamptonshire licensed HMOs
A council is being urged to introduce tighter restrictions on houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) to prevent "constant complaints" from Labour group on West Northamptonshire Council has recommended slashing the permitted density of HMOs from a concentration of 10% within a 50-mile radius to 5%.It also called for more obligations on landlords to ensure adequate facilities for tenants including parking, more frequent inspections, and tough action against unauthorised HMOs."The council will continue to take firm enforcement action against unlicensed HMOs and those that fail to meet required management standards," said a spokesperson for the Reform UK-run authority. There were 1,006 licensed HMOs in Northampton as of June 2024, according to the Local Democracy Reporting council said there were also currently about 400 properties under investigation as suspected authority has been seeking people's opinions to help shape its new policy on HMOs, which will form part of the authority's Local Plan to guide development in the area until Keeble, Labour group leader on the council, said HMOs were a "constant complaint" from said: "People see family homes being sold off, turned into HMOs, and then a constant churn of people moving in and out of their street with a big impact on the local environment and community."Everyone deserves a decent home in a good community. But, at present, the HMO rules are working in the favour of the landlords and their HMOs and against the local residents who have an enduring stake in their homes and communities."Charlie Hastie, the council's cabinet member for housing, said: "My view is that well-run HMOs can provide a very useful part of the housing sector, if we are rooting out the bad and encouraging the good."Unlicensed and illegal HMOs have no place in WNC or society in general." Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
15 hours ago
- BBC News
Northampton bus depot demolition now 70% complete, says council
The demolition of a bus depot where 70 homes will be built is more than 70% complete, according to the local regeneration of the former St James bus depot in Northampton began last a progress update, West Northamptonshire Council said as well the demolition works, 70% of the internal strip-out of buildings and asbestos sheet roof removal had been carried removal of notifiable asbestos, "a critical and carefully managed process which takes considerable time", was 30% complete, the authority said. The site was last used as a transport hub in 2013, before it was sold to a shoe firm by a former council and then bought back by West Northamptonshire Council for double the council received £1.3m from the government's Brownfield Land Release Fund, to enable remediation and site preparation, the council local authority said the regeneration would retain and restore the Grade II-listed transport office, preserving key elements of Northampton's transport heritage. Where feasible, original facades of the early 1900s tram depot will also be retained, maintaining a strong link to the town's Petter, Reform UK cabinet member for local economy, culture and leisure, said: "The regeneration of St James Depot is progressing well and remains a key part of our vision to create high-quality homes while recognising Northampton's unique heritage."The council added it would soon begin the process of selecting a development partner for the full scheme, to include supporting infrastructure such as schools and healthcare services. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
