Indulge | February 2015

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HERTFORDSHIRE’S COUNTRYHOUSE HOTEL,

THE PERFECT VENUEFOR EVERY OCCASION.

Cottonmill Lane St. Albans Hertfordshire AL1 2HQT +44 (0) 1727 864477 E [email protected]

www.sopwellhouse.co.uk

Discover Hertfordshire.indd 1 17/11/2014 11:42:47

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Colour CruSh

our colour crush this

issue is Scuba Blue

Keep an eye out for

this vibrant colour

filling the shops

with this turquoise

takeover! This shade

takes us away to

an exotic paradise

of beautiful seas

and skies.

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Sunday SpecialatTreat your mum this year to a bubbly breakfast for only £11.95

15thMarch

Or a very special two or three course Sunday lunch from only £17.95Starters- Soup of the Day- Classic Prawn Cocktail- Pâté- Creamy Garlic Mushrooms

Mains- Roast Pork- Roast Rump of Beef- Roast Butternut Squash- Roast Chicken

Desserts- Strawberry Cheesecake- Chocolate Tart- Apple & Rhubarb Crumble

Children’s menu available

Please book in advance to avoid disapointment

FREEflowers and chocolates for all mums

Choose one from:- Full English- Vegetarian Breakfast- Eggs Florentine- Eggs Benedict- Eggs Royale- Smoked Salmon & Scrambled egg- Chorizo Hash and a glass of prosecco

Mothers Day

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‘Rustic chic dining where you just won’t want to leave’

redcoats Farmhouse offers a rustic chic dining experience

with excellent food and service. With an array of dishes,

their beautifully presented food will tantalise your taste buds

leaving you wanting more. As an award-winning restaurant,

hertfordshire’s redcoats has built up a reputation as one of the

best in the area. offering seasonal menus which are regularly

updated, local produce is used where possible to create a fresh

delicious dining experience. The interior is worth a visit alone, with

a cosy bar area, rustic interior and log fire.

If you would like a group catered for then redcoats is able to

take bookings for up to 150 people. redcoats also regularly

host important occasions including weddings, birthday parties,

business events, afternoon tea, anniversary celebrations and

funeral receptions. redcoats have over 30 years experience

in planning and managing weddings and can offer you an

unforgettable day. offering stunning surroundings, a fabulous 3

course wedding breakfast, drinks and beautifully created canapés,

it is no wonder redcoats Farmhouse is a popular wedding venue.

Whether you wish for an intimate dinner or a full day marquee

event with exclusive use of the house and gardens, redcoats

could be the place for you.

Let Redcoats spoil you on Valentine’s Day and book a fabulous

meal for that special someone. #romanceatredcoats

Call us on 01438 729500 Visit www.redcoats.co.uk for more

information on food, weddings and rooms.

FooD & DrINK

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FooD & DrINKCheers to Cocktails

Who doesn’t love a delicious cocktail, helping us to pretend we are laying on a tropical beach with the

waves crashing and the sun beaming on our faces… but enough dreaming! Cocktails ooze class which

makes for a great night out visiting your local cocktail bar, trying out the never ending choice of mixtures

and of course watching the mixologist showing off his or her skills.

‘Treat mum’Mother’s Day is Sunday 15th March so why

not treat your mum to an evening of

cocktail drinking?

Mokoko Cocktail Bar & Grill

26 Verulum road

St Albans

www.mokoko-bar.com

Adhoc Bar & Kitchen

The old Court house, Fish hill

royston

www.adhocbarandkitchen.com

The Snug

hitchin, hertford, St Albans,

high Wycombe, Cambridge

www.thesnugbar.co.uk

Chic Champagne & Cocktail Bar

35 Church Gate

hitchin

www.chicbar.co.uk

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Mother’s day Cocktail recipeBloom Bellini

This cocktail is based on a delicate

floral premium london dry gin,

inspired by English country gardens.

Bloom Bellini is perfect for those

who appreciate a more delicate and

subtle gin-drinking experience.

• 25mlBloomPremium

london Dry Gin

• 10mlpeachjuicemixer

• Prosecco/SparklingWine

to top up

Shake together the gin and peach

juice with ice in cocktail shaker,

pour into open glasses. Top with

theProseccoandserve.Adda

stirrer and fruits of your choice to

decorate.

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For her...

Will you be my valentine?

Jewellery Box1 The Arcade

letchworth Garden City

hertfordshire SG6 3ET

01462 675707

Just For Me30 leys Avenue


hertfordshire SG6 3EW

01462 676688

Wild Roses Lingerie61 Norton Way North


hertfordshire SG6 1Bh

www.wildroseslingerie.co.uk

T: 01462 674956

Annie’s Chocolate Emporium10 The Arcade


hertfordshire SG6 3ES

www.annieschocolateemporium.co.uk

T: 01462 680800

L 4 Leather6 The Arcade


herts SG6 3ES

T: 01462 338816

Valentine’s gifts

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Will you be my valentine?

For him...

Valentine’s Day is the

one time of year where

couples, lovers and friends

can express their feelings,

either anonymously or by

shouting them from the

rooftops. This is the day

where love and romance

is celebrated with cards,

gifts and flowers.

It can be hard to buy

even for someone you

know really well. It doesn’t

have to be a well thought

out gift for Valentine’s;

chocolates, flowers,

light-hearted presents

are all acceptable and

appreciated on this one

day of the year. let us

help you find the perfect

Valentine’s gift for the one

you love.

Mr Bransons11 Central Approach


The Body Shop21 Commerce Way

Garden Square

Shopping Centre


hertfordshire SG6 3DN

Jewellery Box1 The Arcade


hertfordshire SG6 3ET

01462 675707

Framework PhotographicThe Arcade


hertfordshire, SG6 3ET

01462 484363

To find out more about

Shopping and Eating out in the

world’s first Garden City, visit

www.shopletchworth.com

@LoveLetchworth

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Some may say the

most exciting part

of Valentine’s is the

date! There are so

many great places to go in

hertfordshire and we have

found a select few perfect

places to go out in style. From

luxury dinners, to a relaxing day

being pampered, to spending

a day with the big cats having

afternoon tea it’s all here.

Tea with a Tiger in Hertfordshire Broxbourne £59

redletterdays.co.uk

This is a great one for any

animal lovers and goes against

the cliché dinner date. Enjoy a

fabulous afternoon tea spread

for two and get an up close and

personal view of all the big cats

whilst being educated as you

eat.

The Glasshouse restaurant At The Grove, Chandlers Cross,

hertfordshire

If you want fine dining then this

is the place to come and eat. The

Glasshouse is an international

theatre of cooking and a luxury

restaurant. Watch the food

be prepared in front of your

eyes and enjoy these exquisite

dishes which will delight your

tastebuds. You can also book a

room to stay at The Grove if you

fancy making a night of it with a

few drinks.

Thegrove.co.uk

A massage at The Cove Spa hitchin, St Albans, Cheswick

http://www.thecovespa.co.uk/

Dates for Valentine’s

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Dates for Valentine’s

Give yourself a break and come

and have a massage at The

Cove Spa. Awarded ‘The Most

CommendedSpa/Salonat

the prestigious British Beauty

Awards 2013, Cove Spa offers

a wide variety of treatments.

relax and let The Cove Spa take

care of you and your partner.

Jamie’s Italian, St Albanshttp://www.jamieoliver.com/

italian/

Who doesn’t love Jamie oliver’s

gorgeous recipes? If you

fancy an Italian why not give

Jamie’s Italian a visit for fresh,

carefully sourced and seasonal

ingredients. You will be sure

to get a tasty and reasonably

priced meal with a variety of

different foods on offer.

3 course dinner with champagne cocktail for two at Hilton hotel, hertfordshire £49

dreamdays.co.uk

Dine out in a hilton hotel with

a gorgeous three course meal,

chosen by you from the set

menu, followed by a champagne

cocktail. Great for a romantic

meal in a beautiful dining area

with luxury food and drink. The

perfect date to impress. Also

why not book a room to stay to

enjoy your night further?

Wine tasting evening for two £55 hertfordshire

Dreamdays.co.uk

If you would like a more

sophisticated approach how

about an evening of wine

tasting? Try a quality selection

of the finest wines and learn

about the different types of

grapes from key wine producing

regions. Awaken your taste buds

and have a fun and educational

evening.

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Now entering

its 20th year,

Barnabys’

bespoke bouquets

have brought smiles

to their customers’

faces for long enough

that you can be

certain that they know

what they’re talking about.

This is why we’ve asked their

designers, who have amassed in

excess of 100 years of experience

between them, about the origins of and

how best to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

We are now gearing up for Valentine’s Day, the

traditional flower of which is a rose as it signifies

romantic love, but there are many other flowers

that people send to communicate the different

types of love they feel for those

important people in their lives.

The legend of Valentine’s Day

originated during rome’s third

century, when Emperor Claudius

II decided that single men made

better soldiers and outlawed

marriage for young men. A priest

named Valentine defied the

Emperor by performing marriages for young

lovers in secret, but when he was found out was

sentenced to death.

Valentine fell in love with his jailer’s blind

daughter, who visited him in prison. Before he

was put to death, he cured her and then sent

her a letter, signing it “from your Valentine”. In

honour of this, the jailer’s daughter planted a

pink-blossomed almond tree by his grave. This

is the origin of sending a card and flowers to

those you love, the latter of these introduced

in the 18th century when lovers began sending

each other coded messages in custom floral

bouquets. As is still the

case today, each flower

had a specific meaning

attached to it, making

it possible to have an

entire conversation

using only flowers.

Although red roses are

the star attraction, as one

of 250 Vera Wang Wedding

and Floral Collection accredited

florists in the entire uK flower

industry, Barnabys stock a wide and

colourful array of flowers ready for Valentine’s

Day. As well as these, they sell Belgian

chocolates, Champagne truffles, balloons and

soft toys in their historic Stevenage old Town

store, where the friendly staff are ready to help

you with orders large or small.

Barnabys are open six days a

week and you can be found on

Facebook,Twitter,Pinterest,or

www.stevenageflowers.com.

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BlooMING loVElY

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Finishline (UK) Ltd is the one-stop solution to all your vehicle

needs. Our body shop offers customers the complete vehicle

bodywork solution, providing the following services:

• Accident damage repair

• Repairs to small dents and scratches

• Insurance repairs

• Wheel refurbishment

• Motorbike paintwork

• Commercial repairs

• Courtesy vehicles

our purpose built bodyshop is complete with a Spraybake

booth that can hold vehicles up to 12ft high and 3.5 tonnes in

weight and a car-o-liner jig system for structural repair.

MECHANICAL REPAIRIf you vehicle requires mechanical repair, we offer

•Tyre fitting • MoT • Servicing • Mechanical diagnostic

We pride ourselves on our excellent customer service and

high standard of workmanship, meaning that each job is

carried out to the same high quality no matter how big or

small. our fantastic team are all highly qualified with a wealth

of experience and qualifications. Whatever your requirement

we would be delighted to help so please pop along for a free

estimate.

RACE CAR PREPARATION AND REPAIRThe Finishline Motorsport team has over 8 years of saloon car

racing experience, preparing and racing championship winning

cars. We offer race car preparation and repair that is second-

to-none. We supply and fit a range of racing items including

Mintex racing brake pads and GAZ shocks.

Finishline (UK) LtdJacks hill, Great North road, Graveley

hitchin, herts SG4 7EQ

T: 01462 677112 | E: [email protected] W: www.finishlineukltd.co.uk

IN THE Fast lane to success

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IN THE Fast lane to success

If you fancy driving a fully race prepared car around

one of the uKs most exciting race circuits then a

Corporate Track Day events would be the perfect

day for you!

•DrivetwoFinishlineracepreparedvehicles

•Receiveone-to-oneinstructionfromanSgrade

instructor

•DriveateitherBrandsHatchorSnetterton

•Fullcateringprovidedthroughouttheday

As well as being a perfect gift for the car enthusiast

in your life our Corporate Track Days are ideal team

building and networking events. our days are run

with a maximum of 10 participants so you could

book out a few spaces on a day and we will fill the

rest or you could chose to book all 10 spaces and

have the day to yourselves.

We also offer Arrive & Drive race car rental

packages that can be tailored to suit your

requirements please check or website or give us a

call 01462 677112 for more information.

Corporate Track Days and Race Car Rental

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mBM

W M

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BMW M3 Coupe

If you have been looking for a car that combines

practicality and high performance, go no further.

The M3 oozes class, the exterior hinting at, rather

than boasting, its muscle. Features include four tail-

pipes, bulging wheel arches and a power dome in

the bonnet but the subtle centrepiece is the carbon

fibre roof. As well as looking great, this works to

the advantage of the car’s handling, both reducing

its weight and lowering the centre of gravity. With-

in, the car is reserved, with bespoke dials, steering

wheel and sports seats ensuring it is as stylish

inside as it is out.

The real strength of this vehicle is its frightening

power. Its handling and ability to take corners is

exquisite, particularly at high speeds, and once

you’re on a reasonably fast road the M3 comes into

its own. The car is comfortable with accelerating

without let up as far as you can take it while still

maintaining the flexibility to allow an easy ride if

you’re in traffic.

There’s none better at marrying these strengths to

the ability to perform day-to-day than the M3, with

enough space for four adults and a decent sized

boot. To its detriment, it is relatively expensive to

run, but overall is one of the finest ways to spend

your money.

FACTS/SPECfor3.2V8

0-62: 4.60 secs

155mph top speed from 338 bhp

20.1 average mpg

Seat LEon Hatchback

PitchedasanalternativetotheVWGolfthat

will be easy on your budget, the leon is a smart,

reliable car that outdoes its competitor on several

fronts.Perfectforfamilies,itischeaptorunwith

outstanding safety equipment including seven

air bags, a tyre pressure monitoring system and

stability controls. As part of the optional Driver

AssistPack,youcanalsochoosetohaveaLane

Assist feature installed that will detect if you

unintentionally stray out of your lane and gently

countersteer you back on track.

Paceyandcomposedontheroad,theLeonis

nice to handle throughout its price range, its

performance capabilities growing pleasingly at the

high end. Even the three-door model is spacious in

the front and back, with lots of head and leg room,

and the boot has a good capacity of 380 litres.

All leon cars, from entry-level up, get fully kitted

out,featuringair-conandaMP3-compatible,

six-speaker sound system with CD player and

Bluetooth. The heating controllers are simple

and easy to use and a well-positioned integrated

touch screen comes as standard at the top of the

dashboard. This is a nicely styled vehicle that is

effective in every sense of the word.

FACTS/SPECfor1.4TSI125SE5dr

0-60: 9.1 secs

126mph top speed

54.3 average mpg

Seat LEon Hatchback

Vo emI LIKE

T h E

W A Y Y o u

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Seat LEon Hatchback

Full-Flavou

red

Heritage

Redcoats Farmhouse Hotel & RestaurantRedcoats Green, Near Hitchin,Hertfordshire SG4 7JR

T: 01438 [email protected] www.redcoats.co.uk

The full-flavoured heritage of Redcoats Farmhouse makes staying at the family-run hotel & restaurant like being treated to a sumptuous dinner party at a friend’s house. Our head chef is winning plaudits for his creative menu with local produce and foraged ingredients.

Redcoats Farmhouse Hotel & Restaurant is the dream location for a romantic weekend or to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries or family reunions.

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Indulge | February 2015