Christmas 'switch ons' and events in the local area

Sunday 3rd December - Southwold Christmas Switch on
Stalls will line the street selling Christmas gifts, hot food and drinks...
Father Christmas’ reindeer will be appearing in the town...
A live Nativity scene will be outside the United Reformed Church...
Father Christmas will arrive for the big switch on and then proceed to his grotto...
See www.switchonsouthwold.co.uk

4th December - Halesworth Christmas lights switch-on
Carol singing, pyrotechnic display, the Lee Vasey Band, and well known TV and film actor Bernard Hill will switch-on the Christmas lights. Please see Christmas & New Year in Suffolk.

4th December - Christmas Bazaar at Wenhaston Village Hall, 2:00pm - 4:00pm. Please see Christmas & New Year in Suffolk.

Sunday 5th December - Winter Table Top Sale at Wenhaston Village Hall - 10:00am - 2:00pm
Lots of stalls including Cards, Gifts, Homemade Produce, Books,
Jewellery, Tools, Cakes and Bric-A-Brac.
Monies raised in aid of Wenhaston Village Hall (Registered Charity No.
1001694)
For further information please contact Becky 01502 478842

This post was sponsored by Norway travel - Baltic Travel

Upcoming events at the Star

This month at The Star, don't miss our Music Night featuring “Jay Ducker,” on November 20th at 9.30pm and "The Topless barmaids" playing on 4th December at 9pm.

We also have "Them wired ones" playing on Saturday 19th of December.

On 9th December we have a Shuffle Board evening at 9pm with a light buffet included.

And our regular  “Jazzy Jam Night,” this month it is being held on 7th December at 9pm.

Outside bars and catering can be arranged upon request as well as having marquees erected in the garden and we are able to cater for any Christmas parties.

If you would like to get in touch with us to find out more about our events please contact us - call 01502 478240. See our gallery for images of The Star Inn.

This post is sponsored by Design 911 - Porsche parts. 

Scheduled to play... Jay Ducker

We welcome Jay Ducker to The Wenhaston Star on 20th November at 9.30pm.

He will be playing an acoustic set to us live, so come along and join us.


This post is sponsored by Taylor Herring - PR Agency.

Whats on this month!

Well... to start with lets not forget we have our regular jazz night at The Wenhaston Star - the next one will now be the first Tuesday in November. So don't miss it!

We had a really successful music night featuring “Them Wired Ones,” on Saturday 2nd October at 9pm. Thank you to all who came along and got involved with the event.

If you are interested in performing at The Star then give us a call on 01502 478 240.

To keep up to date with our lastest events see our events page via the website.

Our local football club!

Wenhaston United Football Club fields two mens sides in the Kingsley Healthcare Suffolk and Ipswich League.

The First Team, managed by Trevor Chenery, will again be competing in Division One, after narrowly missing out on promotion to the Senior Division last season.

The Reserves, managed by Trevor Tompkins, will be looking to improve upon last seasons mid-table finish in Intermediate B.


The club was formed in 1898, but it was not until 1929 that the name WENHASTON UNITED FC was settled upon. Prior to that, we were known as Wenhaston Rovers, Wenhaston Old Boys, Wenhaston & Blyford United and Wenhaston Wesley Guild.

Jazz Tuesdays!

Calling all Jazz players!

Jazz is a music genre that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions.

From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th century American popular music.

Its West African pedigree is evident in its use of blue notes, improvisation, polyrhythms, syncopation, and the swung note.

On the first Tuesday evening of each month we host a “Jazzy Jam Night.” Everyone is welcome to come and join in – all your are requires to do is to bring your instrument and play.

September at The Star!

This month we have some special events to tell you about!

We have an upcoming quiz night on Tuesday 7th Septemebr 2010 from 7pm. (Quiz starting at 7.30pm)
It is just £3.00 per person and there is a prize for the winning team.

* All of the proceeds for this event go towards the Wenhaston Community Playscheme.

We also have our special Charity day on September 11th raising money for Multiple Sclerosis. Starting at 11am with music from 1-3pm including 'Omega Jazzmen' and in the evening 'Twisted Routes.'

We look forward in seeing you here!

Woottens Nursery

Woottens Nursery is just down the road from The Wenhaston Star. We highly recommend a visit! 

Woottens is open throughout the year from 9.30am - 5pm seven days a week.

You may like to visit their special Display Garden, which is open every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9.30am - 5pm from the 1st April to the 30th September.

Woottens have two special fields the Bearded Iris Field - over two acres of scent and colour - is open for viewing from the 29th May to the 13th June and the Hemerocallis Field - over an acre of spiders and unusual forms, selfs, and edges - is open for the second and third weekends in July.

Their main specialities are Auriculas, Hemerocallis, Irises and Pelargoniums.
 

So take a visit after your pint! 

Where to Stay in and around Wenhaston

There are all sorts of places to stay in and around Wenhaston (close to Southwold on the Suffolk Coast).

There are self catering cottages and bed and breakfast houses and farms as well as a range of Inns and Hotels in Halesworth, Walberswick and the local area.

So if you are looking for somewhere to stay on the Suffolk Coast check these out!

We recommend a few: 

Cowshed Holidays
Wissett Lodge   
Valley Farm, Holton 
Threshers Hall 
Troy Bed and Breakfast
The Ridge
Sandpit Farm
Poplar Hall
Park Farm Bed & Breakfast
Number 49
North Manor Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast
Newlands
Moat House Farm 
Maypole Barn Bed and Breakfast 
Kelsale Place Bed and Breakfast
Home at 21 North Parade 
Brights Farm Bed & Breakfast


And while you stay don't forget to visit us at the Wenhaston Star! 

The history of Wenhaston, Suffolk

Wenhaston is a village in Suffolk (a sub-district of the Blythe Valley.)

The village stands 2¾ miles South East of Halesworth. The parish includes Mells hamlet, and comprises 2,196 acres. There are around village of 818 people who live in Wenhaston.

Roman coins, pottery and building materials unearthed in local fields indicate the existence of a settlement at Wenhaston from the 1st century AD, and indeed this was probably a market of some importance between 80 and 350 AD.

The first written record of its existence is to be found in the Domesday survey of 1086, when it was noted that the village of Wenadestuna possessed a mill, a church and woodland sufficient to feed 16 hogs.

The village's greatest historical treasure is undoubtedly the Wenhaston Doom, a 16th century (pre-Reformation) panel painting depicting the Last Day of Judgment. This rare work of art was discovered during restoration work in 1892, hidden under whitewash on the wooden tympanum taken down from above the chancel arch.

Today, the local community and economy of Wenhaston continues to benefit from its proximity to the Suffolk Heritage Coast and the flourishing resort town of Southwold. Wenhaston won the Suffolk Coastal Village of the Year 2004 competition and came second in the Suffolk County competition.


The church is good; and there are a Wesleyan chapel.

Top ten things to do in Suffolk

These are our recommended things to do whilst visiting Suffolk:

10/ Bury St Edmunds Abbey Gardens

9/ Framlingham Castle

8/ Helmingham Hall Summer Events

7/ Easton Farm Park

6/ Melford Hall

5/ Latitude

4/ The Swan at Lavenham

3/ Fleet - Art in the Haven Ports

2/ National Horse Racing Museum

1/ Newmarket Nights

The best bar chat up lines... and answers!

Here are some of our favourite chat up lines we have heard in a few food and drink establishments...


10. Line: Are you tired? Because you've been running around my mind all day.

Answer: If I had the choice I wouldn't of been.I don't actually believe that people would use that, I could be wrong though!


9. Line: Is that a ladder in your tights or a stairway to heaven.

Answer: It's a ladder and thanks for pointing it out.Why, why, why?

8. Line: Did it hurt? ["What?"] When you fell from heaven!

Answer: *shakes head and rolls eyes, then walks away*

This is a classic, I think anybody that uses this is just too desperate and trying far to hard. There are lots of variations on this including "Somebody tell God he's missing an angel", "Is it a day off in heaven today" and "What time do you have to be back in heaven". All very poor.

7. Line: So, do you come here often?

Answer: Yes, thanks.I don't actually think this is as bad as some of the others.

I think it's mean to be more of a conversation starter than a chat up line, a bit like "the weather's been nice recently". Despite this I wouldn't even recommend it as a conversation starter, I think it just makes the whole situation awkward.

6. Line: Get your coat love, you've pulled.

Answer: It's a shame you haven't then.

The alternative answer is "I haven't got a coat", but would normally result in a reply of "even better lets go!" Somebody tried to use a variation of this on one of my friends in a club, which was "What's your cloakroom number, you've pulled". As my friend was slightly drunk and didn't have a coat in the cloakroom, she just ended up getting really confused and the line didn't pay off.

5. Line: If I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put U and I together.

Answer: Maybe it's a good job you can't then.I think this is cheesy, but a kind of sweet cheesy, (only kind of though!), I can't say it would wow me.

4. Line: Do you work at Kentucky Fried Chicken? ["No, why?"] Because you're finger lickin' good!

Answer: * stunned silence*Surely people don't use that anymore.

I remember the boys used to use this one on the girls up at primary school, and we weren't impressed by it then, so the odds are we're not going to be now!


3. Line: Do you believe in love at first sight or do I have to walk by you again?"

Answer: How about you just keep walking.

That's pure mature cheddar. I think if anyone ever said that to me I would just be shocked that people actually use it seriously and it's not just a joke.

2. Line: I lost my phone number. Can I have yours?

Answer: No. How is that going to help find yours?

And how can you loose your own phone number anyway?Another classic. The answer I put is an example of a negative response, but I can imagine this actually sometimes works. Just be aware you might get given the wrong number.

1. Line: Is your name Gillette? ...because you're the best a man can get.

Answer: No it's not, and before you ask it's not my middle name either.

This has actually been used on me, I assume the guy was joking, (well I hope he was because I laughed at him!), and if he wasn't I am very worried. This has got to be the cheesiest line I've heard, but it does make me laugh every time I think of this lad saying it!

Our food and drink menu

At The Wenhaston Star we take pride in our food and drink selections, trying our very best to source local produce... as close to home as possible.

A range of food items are available from our bars and restaurant area. This includes local meat, eggs and alcohol selections. 


Here are ten reasons it is good to eat from local sources:

1. It is good for our economy
2. The food is fresh
3. It is better for air quality than eating organic (less pollution)
4. It tastes better
5. Take longer to ripen
6. Keeps us up to season
7. Protects us from bio-terroism
8. Contains a story
9. More variey
10. Protects local land resources.

So these ten reasons should get your tastebuds going! Come and see us and try our locally sourced pub grub!

History of the pub

Alcohol has been drunk and served throughout the British Isles in one form or another since the Bronze Age. However, the origins of what we may now recognise as the pub began to appear during the Roman colonisation of Britain, as places where travellers could obtain rest and refreshment sprang up along the new road networks.

These Roman taverns remained even after the withdrawal of the Romans from Britain. During the Middle Ages the pub sign came into existence – the earliest versions being green bushes set upon poles to indicate the sale of beer, stemming from the earlier Roman tradition of vines being displayed to advertise wine. By the fourteenth century, more abstract names were common, as evidenced by Chaucer’s description of the Tabard Inn in Southwark. The ‘Hostellers of London’ were granted guild status in 1446, showing that these medieval inns and hostelries were important in continuing the practice of offering rest and refreshment to travellers.

During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries these establishments primarily sold beer and ale, until the first half of the eighteenth century when the so-called ‘Gin Craze’ took hold, especially amongst the poorer classes as the production of gin had increased to six times that of beer. The 1751 Gin Act forced gin makers to sell only to licensed premises and put drinking establishments under the control of local magistrates.

During the 19th Century the Wine and Beerhouse Act was introduced to restrict the hours Public Houses could sell alcohol. This was further compounded by the Defence of the Realm Act 1914 which set the 11pm limit on the sale of alcohol throughout the twentieth century. The Licensing Act 2003 repealed the previous licensing laws for England and Wales, taking responsibility away from magistrates and placing it in the hands of local councils.

Beer sales suffer from big freeze

• Total beer sales down 5.1 per cent
• Pub beer sales down 8.8 per cent
• Supermarket and off-licence beer sales increase by 0.5 per cent

January’s big freeze hit beer sales, according to the latest UK Quarterly Beer Barometer. Pub beer sales fell by 8.8 per cent in the quarter and overall beer sales were down by 5.1 per cent on the first quarter of 2009.

The exceptional and severe weather in January, which prevented many from going to the pub, was the major contributor to the fall in sales.

Given the continuing fragility in the beer market the BBPA is asking the Government not to increase pressure on the sector unnecessarily by increasing beer taxes in the Budget on 22 June.

The year-on-year change in beer sales is improving – the rate of decline easing to 3.5 per cent in the year to March 2010 from 4.2 per cent in the year previously – indicating that there are some signs of an underlying improvement in the sector.

The five per cent increase in Beer Duty in the 2010 Budget came into effect as the quarter was ending, with fears that an effective increase of 8 pence per pint is likely to have a further depressive effect on future beer sales. The tax increase put a further cost burden of £161 million on the sector, at a time when many pubs are struggling.

The 8.8 per cent fall in pub beer sales means that 6.9 million fewer pints were drunk each week during January, February and March compared with the same period in 2009 – a loss in volume that leaves many pubs under continued pressure.

Sales of beer in supermarkets and shops increased by 0.5 per cent in the first three months of 2010, compared to a fall of 10.1 per cent in the same period in 2009.

Pub facts

• There are approximately 54,000 pubs in the UK.
• Eight out of ten adults count themselves as pub goers and over 15 million people drink in a pub at least once a week.
• Over 600,000 people rely on pubs for their employment.
• Over 80% of pubs are small businesses run by tenants, lessees and owners.
• The average pub spends over £70,000 per annum on locally sourced goods and services.
• The pub food market continues to thrive. UK pubs now serve over one billion meals per year.

2007 popular pub names

Red Lion	759
Royal Oak	626
White Hart	427
Rose and Crown	326
Kings Head	310
Kings Arms	284
Queens Head	278
The Crown	261

Drop in underage pub drinkers

The number of underage drinkers who consume alcohol in pubs and bars has fallen to less than one in 10, government figures have revealed.

Among 11-15 year-olds who claim to drink alcohol in the on-trade, the proportion fell from 13 per cent in 1996 to seven per cent in 2008, the statistics showed.

However over the same period schoolchildren who drink at home rose from 52 per cent to 64 per cent and at parties with friends from 23 to 33 per cent.

Drinking outside, in places such as parks, among the age group increased from 21 per cent to 27 per cent.
However, the NHS Information Centre report showed that the number of school-age children who admitted to having drunk alcohol in the past week fell from 26 per cent in 2001 to 18 per cent in 2008.

Other findings from the study found that in 2008, 72 per cent of adult men were drinking within government guidelines – 21 units a week. For women, 80 per cent said they drank within safe guidelines – 14 units a week.

The figures showed a slight decrease in overall alcohol consumption, but a steady rise in alcohol related deaths to 6,769 in 2008.

Jeremy Beadles, chief executive of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association said: “While we should be concerned by the rise in alcohol related-deaths, it’s clear government efforts to combat alcohol misuse should continue to be focused on the minority of people who drink excessively, not the vast majority who enjoy a drink in moderation.”

But Chris Sorek, chief executive of charity Drinkaware, said it was “shocking” that alcohol-related deaths are again on the increase.

“And with a rise in prescription items dispensed to treat drink dependency - it’s vital now, more than ever, that we act to educate people on the effects of drinking too much before more people come to harm,” he added.

The Star Beer Festival

The Star Inn, Wenhaston is holding a bank holiday beer festival. The date is Saturday 29th, Sunday 30th& Monday 31st from noon – 11pm

Included over the course of the weekend there will be a Barbecue from 12pm - 8pm with live music and tasting notes on the below beers ...

Everards Tiger 4.2%
Everards Sunchaser 4%
Fullers London Pride 4.1%
Meantime London Pale Ale 4.3%
Nethergate Umbel Magna 5%
Nethergate Three PoINT NINE 3.9%
Nethergate OlD GROWLER 5%
Nethergate Suffolk County4%
PURity UBU 4.5%
Purity PURE GOLD 3.8%
ADNAMS BITTER 3.7%
REGATTA 4.3%

For more information on these beers please see here.

The Music

Saturday 29th

7pm - The Low house blues band

Sunday 30th 

3pm -Bridget & Friends – Folk session

6pm - Mark Anthony

Monday 31st  

3pm - The Night Rollers



The Food

A Barbeque is on offer at only £6

Choose from Organic Red Poll Beef burgers, organic lamb
burgers, clarkes butchery sausages, mushrooms filled with
goats cheese. 

In a Stradbroke bakery Bun

Then help yourself to salads.


Pop along and see us - for more information call us on 01502 478240.

How to... taste beer

Professional beer tasting might be the best job in the world, but it’s also one of your most important responsibilities, there are some pieces of advice that need a lot of hammering home to persuade people that a little chore is worth doing. Then there are some that probably don’t.

The advice that you should taste your beer every morning before opening undoubtedly falls into the second camp.

You should taste your beer before opening to ensure it is up to scratch. This quality control check will avoid people being put off by a dodgy pint and make it more likely that they will come back to your pub. It is especially important with cask beer – as a live product, it continues to evolve and change in nature in its container.

“They need to be, because quality control is so important.”

Next, you should swirl the beer in the glass, and then take a good sniff to check the aroma. The gap left in the glass allows the aromas of the beer to circulate, something that is a big determining factor in taste.

Finally comes the drinking. Take a sip of the beer at first, and then take a bigger slurp over the entire tongue to really assess the taste. Make yourself aware of which parts of the tongue receive different elements of flavour by checking the diagram (right). For most beers, the really important part is found at the back of the tongue, where the bitterness receptors are.

This does not necessarily mean you have to swallow the beer. Even once it reaches this point of the mouth, you can train yourself to spit it out as you would wine in a wine tasting.

If your beer tastes sour or vinegary, this means it is almost certainly off, something that is generally caused by the beer having been on too long.
If your tasting detects either of these problems (and it is much better that you do so, rather than having your customers do it for you!), stop selling it immediately, then determine the cause of the issue.

“It is important to me to taste a sample of the beers every morning, as imperfect taste is the least obvious at the point of dispense and we pride ourselves on delivering the perfect pint every time.”

Election 2010: The Publican's guide to the political parties' pub policy

On Thursday 6th May, millions will vote in one of the most anticipated and hyped general elections of our time.

But, as a publican, which way will you vote? If you’re still undecided, or want to check the main parties’ policies towards pubs, read on…

Alcohol duty

Labour’s regime on alcohol duty has been a massive issue for the trade. In the past two years beer duty alone has been hiked by a whopping 26 per cent. In the last Budget, Alistair Darling announced he would be extending the alcohol duty escalator until 2015. He also slapped a 10 per cent above-inflation rise on cider duty. However this will expire in June and have to go through Parliament again. Labour is planning to change the definition of cider so that higher-strength versions are taxed more.

The Tories have committed to raising taxes on “drinks related to anti-social behaviour”, such as super-strength lagers, ciders and “alcopops”. However shadow home secretary Chris Grayling has said “local traditional products” will not be affected. Labour’s recent 10 per cent cider duty increase would be scrapped.

The Lib Dems promise to review the system around alcohol tax to ensure it tackles “binge-drinking”, without “unfairly penalising responsible drinkers, pubs and important local industries”. They also vow to review the beer duty escalator and “explore the possibility” of a preferential rate of duty for draught beer.

Who wins you decide!

Some History...

The Star Inn is was built in 1839 and has traded continuously since 1841.

It still retains the warm welcome that should be a part of any pub visit, this welcome extends to dogs, children and muddy boots, hence its popularity with walkers, who are keen to enjoy the views from the five heaths of Wenhaston.

What makes our public house so accessable is that The Star is situated on the bus route that connects Southwold, Halesworth and Lowestoft, so it’s possible to take a tour of the countryside and coast, enjoy an interlude at The Star and not have to worry about driving.

You can explore some of the local history in the area, and even take a trip to some local surroundings including the Nursery situated just down the road.

We hope we will continue to make yet more history!

Drinking and driving

We like our visitors to be safe when they leave The Star at Wenhaston, so for your benefit we thought it would be a good idea to post some information about drink driving.

What is the drink driving limit?

In the UK the drink driving limit is:

• 35 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath; or
• 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood; or
• 107 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine.

How many units can I drink before driving?

The legal drink drive limit cannot be safely converted into a certain number of units, as it depends on a number of factors to include gender, body mass and how quickly your body absorbs alcohol into the blood stream.

Can drinking coffee or having a cold shower help to sober me up?

No, drinking coffee or having a cold shower will not sober you up as this does not remove alcohol from your blood stream.
How long do the effects of alcohol take to wear off?

On average it takes one hour for a healthy liver to process one unit of alcohol. However, it does depend on your body mass, gender and how much food you have consumed. Even if you feel fine after drinking heavily in the evening there is still a high possibility that you will be above the legal limit should you drive the following morning.
What constitutes a unit of alcohol?

One unit of alcohol is 10ml (1cl) by volume or 8g by weight, of pure alcohol.

For more information see our recommended drink driving site.

We like to work with local companies...

At The Wenhaston Star we liked to be associated with local companies. One of those companies is Adnams. Running an Adnams pub is a terrific challenge, but equally a wonderfully satisfying opportunity.

We act as partners in our business and believe we are committed to the quality and character of the Adnams brand, serving customers with care and enthusiasm.

Beer has been brewed in Southwold for 600 years.

Adnams say "We’d love to be here for 600 more. To make this happen, every aspect of our company needs to be sustainable: the way we do business; how we work with our communities and our impact on the environment."

It is nice to be associated with a company with this ethos. We also have a list of our own ethics at The Wenhaston Star.

April events at The Star Inn Wenhaston...

At The Star Inn at Wenhaston, we like to hold regular events so always check in to see what we have coming up on our events page.

Coming up within the next week we have:
Thursday 1st April
April Fools Party Night – Live Music from 8pm
until 11.30 – The Night Rollers – Homemade Curries

£5.99.

Saturday 3rd April
Live Music - The Smoking Aces - from 8pm until 11.30.

Easter Sunday
Open from Noon until 11pm

Roast Lamb £7.95 served 12.30 – 3pm.
 
Stay tuned for further events at The Star Inn.

Welcome to The Wenhaston Star blog!

This blog is to keep you up to date with our latest offers, events and news from The Wenhaston Star Inn.

We have officially just launched our new website which can be found at www.wenhastonstar.co.uk.

Here you will find our latest food menus, drinks selection and find out a little more about us and our team.

For more information stay tuned for future posts or contact us via the website.