I’m currently mid way through my first show run in 7 years! Is there a better way to get back into the swing of “AM DRAM” than playing the part of a princess in a Panto!
Aladdin is on at Kings Theatre, Newmarket until Saturday 17th January and is a must see.
It’s not too late to pick up a last minute ticket so book now! http://www.nomadskingstheatre.com
I recently read a (sarcastic) article on Buzzfeed called “23 Ways To Make Christmas Magic When You’re A Grown-Up”
The light hearted post definitely put a smile on my face (once the GIF’s had finally loaded) but the subject was one I had often thought of during the run up to Christmas. The festive season definitely changes as the children turn into young, or not so young, adults! Beautiful babies are entering into a few of our friends families now but the youngest member of the Horncastle family is 15 and to be honest sometimes she is the most mature one!
This year there will be nine of us sitting up at my Mum and Dad’s dining table on Christmas day and I’m not sure which one of us is most excited about it. I have siblings that I often mistake as my best friends, the perfect other half, an in-law I adore, parents that are incredible and the most wonderful grandparents… but none of them are likely to squeal with delight at the thought of Santa coming down the chimney nor will they receive endless games and toys that we can spend all day building and playing with.
So why am I not worried about a possible lack of festive giddiness? 
GIN
Not only will my Mum prepare the tastiest Christmas lunch with every trimming possible but each couple will bring a Gin with its relevant condiment.
Spoiler alert: The boy and I plan to bring our favourite gin, Caorunn which is best enjoyed with red apple.
I’m quite confident that this liquid delight will make this a Christmas not to forget but perhaps also one we will struggle to remember!
Another sure-fire way to get into the Christmas spirit this year is to have a PANTO to look forward to and guess what?! I will be playing Princess Jasmine in NOMADS 2015 pantomime, Aladdin. The Saturday matinee is already sold out so be quick to buy your tickets here: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/nomads/events
Earlier I shared the recipe for a Clean Vindaloo Curry that I found on Rebelfit. I’m keen on making dishes as clean as possible so decided to make my own Vindaloo paste!
Note to self: Ease up on the Birdseye Chilli next time.
• Black Peppercorns (1tsp)
• Coriander (2tsp)
•Yellow mustard seeds (1tbsp)
• Dried red chillies (4) – I used Birdseye
•Lazy garlic (2tsp)
•Ginger (2tsp)
•Sea Salt (1/2 tsp)
•Coconut Oil (1tbsp)
•Vinegar (2tbsp)
•Tomato Puree (2tbsp)
•Tamarind Paste (1tbsp)
•Fresh chilli (2) or chilli powder
Simply throw every ingredient together and blend into a paste!
•Vindaloo paste (or make a scorcher of a curry and make a clean Vindaloo paste of your own!)
Heat up the Coconut Oil and fry the beef strips.
Add onions to pan and cook until golden.
Stir in the paste and chicken stock.
Throw in the Sweet potato and cook until soft.
Alternatively, once the beef strips are cooked and the onions are golden, throw the entire mix in a slow cooker and enjoy later on.
Repost: Newmarket Kings Theatre Facebook Page
Saturday 7th June for one night only…
Newmarket Kings Theatre is delighted to announce our first comedy gig of 2014, featuring our very own Eric Lampaert! http://www.ticketsource.co.uk/date/106787
Eric, who grew up in Newmarket and was a regular on the Kings Theatre stage in his younger days, will be performing his latest stand-up comedy in readiness for his show at the Edinburgh Festival.
The show also features two of Eric’s hilarious comedy pals, Rhys James & Dan Schreiber.
NKT is truly fortunate to be hosting such hilarious acts. This is not a night to be missed, so book now to ensure you don’t miss out!
On Eric:
“★★★★ He makes it look so easy. This is a man with very funny bones” – DAILY EXPRESS
“★★★★ Likeable and enjoying, sweeping up the audience in the sheer energy of his performance. The strength of his scatty character rips through the room like a mini-hurricane” – CHORTLE
“★★★★ Superb banter that was clearly improvised. The sign of a good comedian” – THREE WEEKS
“★★★★ Delightfully Weird” – TIME OUT
On Dan:
“…he’s smart on stage, too, with a penchant for quirky true stories, such as the feeble attempts to explain away Kung Fu star David Carradine’s death by auto-erotic asphyxiation… he has funny bones, and an engagingly upbeat delivery in which to package his borderline nerdy concerns” – CHORTLE
On Rhys:
“Sickeningly talented young stand-up. He’s a super-sharp writer, with a ton of smart, intricately-written jokes and stories where you’re never more than a few seconds away from another punchline.” – Time Out
“His hit rate is prodigiously high … A bright future in comedy surely awaits”- FEST
Four keen ‘weekend’ cyclists from Newmarket are taking on the challenge to push themselves beyond their limits to achieve a goal on behalf of Help for Heroes.
The popular Help For Heroes, 100 mile Dawn Raid takes place from Tedworth House to London on Sunday 8th June but the Newmarket team decided to extend this ride even further. Leaving the centre of Newmarket in Suffolk they will head South West to cycle to Tedworth House recovery centre in Tidworth, Wiltshire where they will spend a few hours with some of our soldiers before the official ride starts in the early hours of Sunday morning. The unsupported ride on the Saturday will see them cover circa 170 miles. The total riding experience is a grand total of 270 miles in just 27 hours.
DAVID BAZLINGTON PHOTOGRAPHY
The team, (Lto R) David Buist, Jake Woolf, Gareth Godfrey, Owen Wilson, have currently raised £3,922.46 for Help For Heroes.
Gareth Godfrey, Director of Godfrey and Hicks Builders says:
“We are sure that you will agree that 270 miles in a little over 24hours with no sleep is a small sacrifice to make on behalf of such a fantastic charity that supports some of the strongest and most determined people we have had the opportunity to meet. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure.
All of this means that we are able to support wounded, sick and injured servicemen, women and veterans with the support they need and deserve.”
http://www.justgiving.com/teams/newmarketH4H
DAVID BAZLINGTON PHOTOGRAPHY
Acorn Antiques – The Musical!
Directed by Eric Maguire
Musical Direction by Mark Aldous
Choreography by Andy Thorpe
Limited chances left to see this tickling musical. Book your tickets here: http://nomads.ticketsource.co.uk
Last night I headed to a venue that felt like home between the ages of 13 and 18, The Kings Theatre. NOMADS are currently mid-way through their run of the very funny, Acorn Antiques – the musical by comedian Victoria Wood.
Acorn Antiques developed from a cult sketch in one of comedian, Victoria Wood’s TV series into a full-length musical.
Without sharing any spoilers there is a serious sense of fun throughout the show but it is also, quite simply, a really good musical!
The cast work well to maintain a good pace whilst keeping the audience engaged and laughing. The TV version of the show purposely missed cues and delivered corny gags directly to the audience. The NOMADS cast did exactly this. Slapstick comedy is no easy task but the talent of the actors on stage and even in the wings (the Hartley duo) meant that this purposely cheesy acting was successfully achieved!
The entire cast deserve a huge pat on the back but I must mention the fantastic performances by both Kate Nolan as Mrs O and Tim McCormick as Mr Clifford. The timing and delivery of their lines complimented with their exceptional acting had the audience in absolute stitches. Both Nolan and McCormick showed huge singing talent in their numbers with Mr Clifford moving the audience with his rendition of Find Her and Mrs O making the audience fall off their seats with her hilarious rendition of Macaroons.
The show runs until Saturday 24th May so buy your tickets before it’s too late: http://nomads.ticketsource.co.uk
Have you ever experienced a fabulous day at the races, headed into town and swiftly had your afternoon ruined by the flat or standard atmosphere on Newmarket high street? One disappointing après-racing hour can cause you to end up negatively remembering the entire day. If this sounds disturbingly familiar then you will be delighted to hear about the exclusive After Racing Club, HQ! 
Welcoming and encouraging sophisticated and fashionable race goers, HQ nights will be the perfect way to continue the excitement of the day’s racing late into the evening. Situated in close proximity to the race course, on Cambridge Road, the short 5 minute journey to the ground looks to be the direction that many people will be heading after the QIPCO Guineas Festival, on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th May. Doors are set to open at 5:00pm, just before the last race of the day, and carriages are at 1:00am. Not only will there be Al Fresco dining provided by the principal caterers at Tattersals, Crown Catering there will also be a mix of 80’s and house music played throughout the evening. I doubt you can resist giving HQ Nights a try so the question is which badge will you choose?
Psst: If you are a student you will get a discount of roughly 50% off the standard badge price! 
HQ have already gained the support of many race-goers and well-known racing faces. Will you be joining the “well-heeled” crowd too? It’s also important to add that HQ Nights will be making a charitable donation to the Niamh Henry Fairy Wish Foundation following the events (www.niamhhenryfund.co.uk)
Buy your badges from http://www.hqnights.com
HQ nights, Smallwoods, Cambridge, Newmarket, CB8 0FG
I love stumbling over an absolute gem… somewhere slightly off the beaten track with a welcoming feel and incredible grub. 
I recently visited Star at Lidgate and was so pleased to find that it was much more than “just” a village pub. I’ve heard many a murmur about Star at Lidgate and so have been keen to review the place for a while. My best friend (and vegetarian) Lucinda and I headed over for a mid-week treat! I know many of you spotted the comedian at the weekend but we found out that after visiting the lovely ladies at Bren Pauls, Jack Whitehall and Radio 1 pal, Greg James took the mere 6 mile journey from Newmarket high street to eat at the Star before their guest appearance at Deniro’s! If you are a “larger group” heading to Star at Lidgate then you can enjoy a FREE TAXI there and back! The warmth in temperature from the gorgeous, open, stacked fire is matched by the welcome you receive from Steve Cook. His attentive and friendly nature is consistent throughout your entire dining experience. With a “veggie” in tow, we started with olives, bread and a spanish omelette. The bread, clearly made on the day, was light and incredibly flavoursome! The vegetarian dish, which consisted of mushrooms and chestnuts, was a bourguignon that complimented its own flavours so well Lucinda confidently stated that it was “the best vegetarian meal” she had eaten in the area! Not only were the flavours of my chorizo and sun-dried tomato chicken dish wonderful the textures were unbelievable too! The chicken breast itself was far from dry and mixed really well with the juices and oil from the rich chorizo! The fine layer of skin on the breast was perfectly crispy and a really tasty combination with the rest of the softer meats. (I speak from experience when I recommend their famous paella dish too!) Feeling satisfied and full we opted for a desert to share and were so pleased we did when the huge, homemade toffee pudding arrived on our table with two spoons and a generous “dollop” of vanilla ice cream. This melt-in-your-mouth treat was the perfect end to the perfect evening. Main courses are priced between £12 and £17 with tapas options costing approx £4.75-£4.85 each. Considering that our visit was early on a Wednesday evening, I expected the ambience to be verging on uncomfortably quiet. We were wrong! The atmosphere was great! Now, and on reflection, it does not surprise me that a handful of locals sat at the bar and that we were 1 of 4 lively tables dining that evening. Check out the “What’s on Guide” for events taking place at Star at Lidgate this month. Will we see you at the live music session this Sunday? In the heart of an area with so many pleasant dining options, Star at Lidgate beautifully positions itself as an inviting and indulgent village pub that you will want to return to again and again. http://www.lidgatestar.co.uk 01638 500275 
I have just been told that local Marketing and PR specialists, Brand recruitment are running a competition!
To win a luxurious Hotel Chocolat ‘half and half Ostrich Easter Egg’ worth a whopping £75.00 just follow @brandjobs on Twitter and tweet them with your Easter themed image and the hashtag #BrandEasterComp
Easy! Here’s my effort:
Think you can do better?
The Horses Mouth 