Member News

Marcin ‘Magic’ Pomierny, Head Chef at the Maids Head Hotel in Tombland Norwich and Chef of the Year in the EDP Norfolk Food and Drink Awards 2016, is a semi-finalist in the 2020 Craft Guild of Chefs National Chef of the Year competition for the third year running.

Forty chefs are competing in the semi-finals for a place in the final 10. This year, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the live semi-final cook offs will not take place. Instead Magic has been tasked with submitting a short video presenting a signature dish which sums up his personality and tells his story ‘in a couple of bites’.

Magic, who was a finalist in the 2008 Craft Guild of Chefs Young Chef of the Year competition explains: “My video features an amuse bouche, ‘Summer of the Sourdough Crisp’, inspired by the summers when I was growing up in Poland. My family went to work on my Grandparents’ farm. The work was hard, but my Grandmother produced fabulous meals and I particularly remember the wonderful tomatoes that she grew and we picked from the garden and the sourdough bread that she baked every day. My Sourdough Crisp features avocado and elderflower tatare, Heritage Norfolk tomatoes ,soft white cheese and smoked onion powder.”

“I am very excited to have reached the semi-final of the National Chef of the Year competition for the third year running. I have learned a lot in my two semi-final appearances and will do my very best to secure a place in the final for the Maids Head and Norwich. It is very good to be back in the kitchen following lockdown. I hope that many guests will take the opportunity of the Eat Out to Help Out discount to sample my summer a la carte menu.”

To reach the semi-final, Magic had to submit a menu featuring tapas style starters with Gilt head bream as the key ingredient, a lamb main course, with sourcing and provenance being important and showstopping dessert focusing on strawberries and cream. Magic’s Norfolk Lamb Saddle was sourced from Green Farm Lamb, Little Barningham. His dessert was texture of Norfolk strawberry with elderflower parfait, pistachio and English sparkling wine. As part of the semi-final process, Magic also has to answer a series of questions on his menu choices and the impact of Covid-19 on his kitchen.

The 10 finalists will be announced on 17 August and the final cook off will take place at Le Cordon Bleu in London on 7 September, with the winner being announced on 30 September.

Christine Malcolm, General Manager, Maids Head Hotel said: “Magic has worked very hard over the last eight years to raise the profile of the hotel as a fine dining destination. We achieved a second AA Rosette in 2016 and Magic’s ambition is to raise the bar further and achieve a third AA Rosette. We wish Magic all the best for the National Chef of the Year competition.”

The Maids Head is taking part in the Eat Out to Help Out scheme. Enjoy Magic’s summer seasonal a la carte menu and get £10 discount per person from August 3 to 31.

Marcin ‘Magic’ Pomierny comes from near Krakow in Poland. He trained as a chef in Poland and studied catering for diabetics as an additional subject. Magic moved to Norwich in June 2005; his brother and sister were already in the city.

He spoke little English at the time and his family helped secure him a job as a kitchen porter at Tatlers, where he did washing up and food preparation for one year. Then Magic worked for Pulse and The Library for 18 months, followed by McIntoshes Kitchen for another 18 months.

His next job in 2009 was Sous Chef at Rare Steak House and he moved on to The Mad Moose where he was Sous Chef for two years and Head Chef for one year. Magic arrived at the Maids Head Hotel as Sous Chef in May 2013 and was promoted to Head Chef in September 2013.

For more information about the Maids Head Hotel see www.maidsheadhotel.co.uk. To reserve a table for lunch or dinner in the WinePress Restaurant, the Maids Head Hotel, Norwich, t. 01603 272010.

For more information about the National Chef of the Year competition see www.nationalchefoftheyear.co.uk

The region’s largest annual celebration of crime writing will continue as planned this year – in an online format with a host of free events for everyone to enjoy! Organised by the National Centre for Writing and the University of East Anglia, Noirwich Crime Writing Festival usually takes place in September across some of Norwich’s most treasured venues: the National Centre for Writing at Dragon Hall, Jarrold and the University of East Anglia. This year it moves online between 10 – 13 September with a programme of live Q&As, interactive creative writing workshops, a virtual book group and discussion panels. All events (excluding writing workshops) will be free to watch or join. Henry Sutton, Professor of Creative Writing and Crime Fiction at the University of East Anglia said: ‘Crime writing has always been of the moment – as we adapt to a new virtual world our programme has an added urgency, pertinence and crucially accessibility. These are important voices for a complicated time. We hope Noirwich 2020 will engage new audiences and create the widest possible community of readers and writers.’ One hotly anticipated event will be the Noirwich Lecture, presented by acclaimed US writer and screenwriter Attica Locke. Locke’s writing explores race, prejudice and the anxieties of Trump’s America, and her hard-hitting commission is expected to tackle structural inequalities at an individual and global level; drawing on examples from her own writing including Blackwater Rising, which investigates the enormous power of oil companies. Previous Noirwich Lectures have been delivered by Val McDermid on gender and violence, George Alagiah on environmental destruction and Arne Dahl on crime and class.   Peggy Hughes, Programme Director at the National Centre for Writing said: ‘Crime fiction has never felt so important – for diverting and thrilling readers in huge numbers during these complicated days, but also for exploring the fractures in a society made more divided by this pandemic. We’re really thrilled that Attica Locke will deliver this year’s lecture, and that her words and ideas, and those of many other brilliant participants, will reach an international listenership as we move online. We hope you’ll join us!’ The 2020 line-up also includes: • An event with Oyinkan Braithwaite, the author behind the sensational My Sister the Serial Killer (shortlisted for the 2019 Women’s Prize) • The opportunity to have a go at writing your own page-turner with two informal, fun creative writing workshops led by true crime expert Duncan Campbell and acclaimed historical fiction writer Elizabeth Haynes • A special celebration of 50 years of creative writing at UEA featuring alumni students Jill Dawson (The Crime Writer) and Trevor Wood (The Man on the Street) • An event with Olivier Norek, a serving police officer and writer on the hit French TV series Spiral • A Virtual Book Club focusing on Attica Locke’s celebrated novel Bluebird, Bluebird The programme will also include a showcase of the freshest new voices in crime writing from UEA’s MA programme and a special podcast with New York Times best-selling writer Sophie Hannah. Noirwich Crime Writing Festival will take place on 10 – 13th September 2020. All events (excluding the writing workshops) are free, however booking is essential. For the full programme and ticket information, see noirwich.co.uk and follow @NOIRwichFest on Twitter.  

Norwich-based printing firm BDH Tullford has launched a brand new range of transparent pull-up banners, ideal for use as portable hygiene screens.

Suitable for use in a wide range of environments, including offices, salons and waiting rooms, the company’s online store has both fixed-height and adjustable options available. 

Not only are they lightweight and easy to use, BDH Tullford can also print onto the clear screens, allowing you to add branding, messages and directions to the banner, so you can deliver valuable messaging while keeping staff and customers safe.

Buy online here. 

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Norfolk based, boutique management consultant firm Akcela today welcomed Matt Lawley, who will be joining Akcela as a management consultant. Matt will be the lead consultant for all Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) consultancy projects.

Matt has held many senior positions within the FMCG sector, as well as working with companies from start-up, right through to multinationals on a consultancy basis. Matt has an undergraduate degree from the University of Lincoln in Marketing, as well as an MBA and postgraduate in professional consulting from the UEA.

Akcela director James Adams has worked alongside Matt on previous consultancy engagements, including their work with Tesco CZ. James has expressed his delight in Matt working alongside the business. “Having worked with Matt previously, I am delighted he took us up on the offer to work closer together going forward. Matt embodies what Akcela stands for in the market. He has an excellent history of working at senior management levels, has delivered consultancy projects across a spectrum of businesses and Matt delivers the results. Having Matt work with us doesn’t just help the new clients we will be working with, it also strengthens our offering to existing ones. Matt has a great ability to break complex problems down into their constituent parts, iron out the issues, and put them back together in a way that drives value.”

Speaking of his working relationship with Akcela, Matt outlined his focus and areas he feels he can support clients. “In a post COVID-19 world, now more than ever businesses are looking for external support to ratify their decisions, or define their next moves. Akcela have a great client base of offering support in areas such as segmentation and process redesign. When James and I spoke, and he highlighted the way that Akcela was growing, it was clear that we could build these fundamentals further into the FMCG and food manufacturing arena. It was a great fit.”

You can contact Matt directly via email, using matt@akcela.co.uk.

The Sainsbury Centre is delighted to announce a new East End gallery display of two alabaster stone sculptures by Anish Kapoor: Involute, 2017 (pictured) and Untitled, 2010. This is presented as part of a major exhibition on show across the grounds and historic interiors of Houghton Hall and would not be possible without the support of the Houghton Arts Foundation.

Anish Kapoor is considered one of the most important sculptors working today. Born in 1954, Kapoor started exhibiting his seminal pigment works in the early 80s and rose to prominence as part of the New British Sculpture movement. This generation of sculptors found a renewed interest in traditional materials long associated with sculpture and techniques such as carving in stone.

Kapoor has gone on to work in a diverse range of materials, from wax, PVC and silicone to fibreglass, steel and cement, to create unique and often breath-taking sculptural languages. He has exhibited around the globe and has become internationally recognised for his often large scale works that traverse the boundaries of sculpture and architecture. Works such as Marsyas (2002) exhibited in Tate’s Turbine Hall and Cloud Gate (2004) in Millennium Park Chicago, one of the most iconic pieces of public art created in recent times, iterate Kapoor’s enduring concern with the states of absence and presence, form and non-form.

The two alabaster works that Kapoor has selected to show at the Sainsbury Centre have been created through the carving process of negative space into positive form; they demonstrate Kapoor’s interest in the void, of deep dark space and the interior state of the object.

The sculptures also resonate with works in the Sainsbury Centre Collection, such as vessel forms from the ancient world of Egyptian and Cycladic or the modernist abstractions and biomorphic forms of Eduardo Chillida, Jean Arp and Henry Moore. They will be displayed in the central bay of the East End gallery until 1 November.

Lord Cholmondeley of Houghton Hall says: “We are delighted to be able to support the installation of these beautiful works by Anish Kapoor, continuing the link between the Sainsbury Centre and the Houghton Arts Foundation. We hope that visitors to the Centre including UEA students – may wish to come on to Houghton to see the largest exhibition of Kapoor’s outdoor works ever mounted in the UK.”

Calvin Winner, Head of Collections at the Sainsbury Centre, says: “Kapoor is a world-renowned sculptor and it is a great privilege to present his work at the Sainsbury Centre for the first time. We hope visitors will enjoy seeing these sculptures alongside the accompanying exhibition at Houghton Hall.”

The works are free to view at the Sainsbury Centre. Visit sainsburycentre.ac.uk, email scva@uea.ac.uk or call 01603 593199 Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm for visitor enquiries.

Anish Kapoor at Houghton Hall runs from 12 July to 1 November 2020. 

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In this article, we explore the concept of workplace wellness, the benefits for business and some of the practical steps you can take to support your team’s wellbeing.

Red the full article here

A new collaborative project between Big C, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) and Spire, is delivering special care packages to local cancer patients who face surgery during the pandemic. The new care packs, which are filled with useful items, home comforts and information on support from Big C and the local community, are being delivered to NNUH patients at Spire. These are NHS patients, requiring time-sensitive surgery, having treatment at Spire under agreement due to Covid-19. 20 packages will be delivered per week, half for women and half for men. £10,000 for the project has been funded by the NNUH charity.  Dr Melanie Pascale, Director or Charitable Operations at Big C said, “We know that undergoing treatment can be a difficult time for those diagnosed with cancer, especially given the current situation with Covid-19. The care packages are a way for the NNUH and Big C to remind those affected by cancer that they’re not alone and support is available. We hope they will bring some comfort to those receiving them.” Naomi Reid, Ward Reception Team Leader and Clinical Administrator at Spire Hospital said, “Thank you Big C, the packages are just lovely and what a wonderful thing that you do.” Trudy Garriock, Specialist Nurse at Spire said, “I gave out two of the lovely packs yesterday and both the patients were overwhelmed. Both commented how generous it was and thought the contents were fabulous.” Julie Cooper, Head of Grants for the Norfolk & Norwich Hospitals Charity said, “This is a fantastic opportunity for us to work together with Big C to support NNUH patients, and we are really pleased that we have been able to use part of our NHS Charities Together Covid Grants to do so.”   To learn more about the work Big C does to improve the lives of those affected by cancer in Norfolk and Waveney, please visit www.big-c.co.uk

New recruits have recently joined the Business Development, in-house Payroll and Tax Consultancy and Finance teams, with two Senior Managers taking on new roles in Compliance and International Development.

While the Norwich-based TaxAssist Accountants Support Centre staff may still be working from home, this has not hindered recruitment, with a number of teams recently bolstering support to the franchise network with new additions and promotions.

Karl Sandall, Group Chief Executive Director says: “I am pleased to report that as a result of the exceptional support of our franchisees and their clients, careful financial husbandry and an outstanding technical platform, our business is in a good position, and as such, we can continue to recruit and enhance the support functions within the teams at the Support Centre.

“I would like to congratulate the staff who have been promoted and extend a warm welcome to the new members of the team.”

Kelly Chick, has joined the Business Development Team as Senior Marketing Manager. Kelly has an extensive background, having worked for a brand and marketing agency, and has experience of working with B2B and B2C businesses. Kelly will take responsibility for driving marketing campaigns to increase new business for TaxAssist Accountants franchisees.

The two in-house teams which offer bespoke services for franchisees, continue to go from strength to strength. The Payroll Team has been joined by IPPM-qualified Jo Dye and Marta Dorszewska, a CIPP qualified payroll technician. They join an experienced team of three. Diane Deller, who heads up the Tax Consultancy Team has recently been joined by Claire Ellis. Claire, who is ATT qualified, is an experienced tax practitioner and will further enhance the range of services that the team provides.

The Finance Team has taken on an additional Finance Manager, Erika Torrez Barrientos ACCA who is an experienced management accountant. Erika will focus on management accounting and reporting, as the growth of other Group businesses, including Services, London, USA, and our other growing international operations and UK plans, requires increasingly greater and more complex financial controls and support.

Senior Manager Tim Duffield FCCA has been promoted to Group Senior Compliance Manager. His new role will see him taking on the responsibility for advising and guiding the directors and Senior Management Team with overseas compliance matters and best practice, as the Group continues to develop its international interests. Tim will also continue to support the franchise network with a range of Technical Manager duties.

Richard Chatten-Hague QFP, DipFM has been promoted to Senior Manager, Global Franchise Support & Vice President, Franchise Support. Having held senior roles in both the Franchise Recruitment and Business Development teams, supporting the network in the UK,  Republic of Ireland and Australia, Richard has responsibility for managing global franchise recruitment strategies and providing initial and ongoing training and support to international Master Franchisees,  US Area Representatives and their network of franchisees.

Coronavirus is still with us

Norfolk County Council have released a new campaign around the correct use of face coverings following the latest Government advice.

View poster for shops to encourage people to wear face coverings inside stores.

The Health and Safety Executive have released their latest annual report on workplace fatalities in the UK. Every year the Safepoint team creates an insightful infographic roundup of these statistics to help create a better understanding of these numbers and how they reflect the current safety climate.

See the infographic roundup here