Left to right: Ruth Sanders, Cavell Nurses' Trust Ambassador and Genevieve Plunkett, Conference & Beverage Manager, Maids Head Hotel.
The Maids Head Hotel in Tombland is supporting the Cavell Nurses’ Trust’s #HereforNurses fundraising campaign during the Norwich City of Ale festival.
The hotel will donate 10p to the Cavell Nurses’ Trust for every pint of draught Maids Head Ale and Woodforde’s Wherry served in the Maids Head Bar during the City of Ale festival, which runs from Friday, May 21 to Sunday, May 31.
The Maids Head has important links with the Edith Cavell story. Part of the hotel, acquired in 1956, was the former Cavell Home for District Nurses, opened by Queen Alexandra in 1918, at the same time as the unveiling of the Edith Cavell memorial. The main meeting room in this part of the hotel was renamed the Edith Cavell Room last December, when the Cavell Nurses’ Trust launched their centenary appeal at the Maids Head.
Christine Malcolm, General Manager, the Maids Head Hotel said: “We are looking forward to a busy City of Ale festival and are pleased to support the Cavell Nurses’ Trust’s #HereforNurses fundraising campaign.”
Sephen Charlton Chief Executive, Cavell Nurses’ Trust said: "In the last year Cavell Nurses’ Trust helped over 1,100 people with more than 7,100 years combined service to the public. However we want to double the number of nurses we are able to support.”
“It is fantastic the Maids Head is supporting our ‘#HereforNurses campaign by donating 10p from pints of draught beer sold during the City of Ale festival. I would encourage customers of the Maids Head to drink responsibly and to ‘top up’ their support with an additional donation at the bar.”
For more information about Cavell Nurses’ Trust see www.cavellnursestrust.org.
For more information about the Maids Head Hotel see www.maidsheadhotel.co.uk,
t. 01603 209955.
Marcin ‘Magic’ Pomierny (age 35), 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 one of the top 10 chefs in the country, following his appearance in this year's final of the Craft Guild of Chefs National Chef of the Year competition.
Ten chefs competed in the final cook off at Le Cordon Bleu cookery school in London on Monday, September 7, and the winner, Nick Smith, Head Chef at Vacherin, London was revealed on Wednesday, September 30 during Hospitality Week.
“Commenting on the competition Magic said: “It was amazing to be in the final top 10 in the UK. The judging panel was great, featuring some of the best chefs in the country – the Chairman of Judges was Paul Ainsworth. I enjoyed the final a lot and was 100% happy with my dishes.”
Marcin ‘Magic’ Pomierny (age 35), 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.”
The Maids Head Hotel in Tombland, Norwich, one of the oldest hotels in the UK, will emerge from lockdown on Saturday, July 4. It is believed that this is the first time that the hotel has been closed since it started trading as the Murtel Fish Inn during the 13th century.
Christine Malcolm, General Manager said: “We are all looking forward to welcoming guests to the hotel after this three month closure. It will also be very good to see our staff return from furlough. They have been keeping their spirits up with a whole range of activities from a baking competition, to a Zoom lunch and a virtual run between the Maids Head and our sister hotels, The Gonville in Cambridge and The Ship at Brancaster.
We recently delivered a lockdown gift of Norfolk strawberries, clotted cream and chilled rose wine to our 90 staff who live across the county, from Norwich to Wymondham, Reepham and Gorleston. This resulted in some great feedback, Dawn said: 'Lovely surpirise today, thank you Christine and the team, miss you all...' ”
Throughout 2019, Break was the Maids Head Hotel's local charity. During the year staff and guests raised £1,184.06. We invited Danielle Gravestock from Break to receive the cheque and celebrate the fundraising success with our staff.
The money was raised through collection buckets, a Christmas raffle and donations at special events including resident tour guide Paul Dickson's Shardlake's Norwich tours during English Tourism Week and Norfolk Day and Rob Knee from the Paston Heritage Society who gave talks about the Pastons and the Paston Letters on Norfolk Day and on 22 November. The second talk was on the anniversary of the Maids Head getting it's first official written mention in a Paston letter. A team from the Maids Head – Jonathan Brasnett, Andrew Shorthose and Rose Taylor - also completed the City of Norwich half marathon in aid of Break.
Following last autumn's refurbishment of the Maids Head Hotel's Wine Press Restaurant, Head Chef Marcin 'Magic' Pomierny, semi-finalist in the National Chef of the Year competition 2018 and 2019, has created a new A La Carte Menu to complement the contemporary look of the AA Two Rosette restaurant, featuring the finest of local seasonal produce.
The three-course menu, which will change with the seasons, also features an amuse bouche and a pre-dessert as part of the offer. Diners can opt for three or two course meals.
“I have been inspired by our new look Wine Press Restaurant to design a menu which will complement the diners' surroundings,” said Magic. “Local produce includes cod, halibut and game, Cromer crab, Eleveden Estate venison and Norfolk mussels, all given a contemporary twist. We have fully tested the menu in house and look forward to getting feedback from our guests.”