nourish the soul

Norfolk Online is honoured and delighted to be asked to write for nourish.

Like gin & tonic or jelly & ice cream, some things are just meant to go together because they complement one another so perfectly and we happen to think that Norfolk Online and nourish represent just such a partnership.

Norfolk Online is a blog-based website, designed by locals, for locals, to shout about the incredible organisations, businesses and individuals who make Norfolk the fine county we are proud to represent. nourish also does just that – what could be more satisfying than settling down with a magazine that has been written and designed to celebrate all the goodness that this region has to offer.

Quite aside from our respective passions for this fine county, there are other similarities that also inextricably join our two organisations. Norfolk Online is founded by experts in their field – directors Daska and Anna are both professional marketeers and copy writers, while their creative director, Matt, brings their vision to life. So too the founder of nourish, Samantha, has enjoyed a life-long career in magazine editing and publishing and her fellow director, Hanneke, is an expert in design. Samantha also happens to be a columnist for Norfolk Online specialising, would you believe, in Food and Drink and regular visitors to our site love to read her monthly updates on Norfolk’s culinary world and download her tempting recipes.

We hope in this column to do something similar – to share with you what stands out for us and what we would love to highlight for readers of nourish. This month, appropriately, we would like to focus on food and drink events. Norfolk’s burgeoning food and drink industry has long enjoyed a vibrant festival scene and prior to the global pandemic we were spoilt for choice with festivals, farmers’ markets, roadshows and events taking place most weekends. Of course, this all stopped in March 2020 but it is with joy that we are beginning to see these events being dusted off and returning to towns and villages across the county.

In July and August, locals and visitors alike were able to enjoy events such as the Sandringham Food, Craft and Wood Festival; the Reepham Food & Drink Festival; a Sausage and Cider Festival at St Andrew’s Hall in Norwich; the Beccles Food and Drink Festival and an Open-Air Film and Street Food Festival in the award-winning Eaton Park in Norwich.

Now you can enjoy the return of the North Norfolk Food & Drink Festival, always a highlight of the food and drink scene for the county. This popular event will once again take place in the Walled Gardens of Holkham Hall on 4 and 5 September, and will see nourish make its debut there.

Embracing the lifting restrictions, brave organisations are also introducing new events, such as Feastival at the Forum. Organised as part of Heritage Open Days 2021 to mark this year’s nationwide theme of Edible England, Feastival will take place on 18 and 19 September and will showcase Norfolk’s food and drink producers. You can read more about this event on page 75 of our magazine.

The only way these fabulous events will remain in our calendars for years to come is if we support them! So please, grab your shopping bags and get yourself out there to help bring the region back to life!

If you haven’t already done so, please do pop over to norfolkonline.co.uk and take a peek at the many amazing Norfolk people who are part of our community. We look forward to sharing more of their stories in the coming months and maybe even your own if you would like to join us.