Herts &amp; Beds

GBBO stars in town! 



The Bake Off fans among you will no doubt know that the C4 was filmed at our very own <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Down Hall Hotel and Spa (opens in a new tab)" href="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/little-black-book/directory/down-hall-hotel-herts/" target="_blank">Down Hall Hotel and Spa</a>, near Bishop&#8217;s Stortford, last year. And we&#8217;ve got it on good authority that it&#8217;s returning again this year&#8230; in fact the judges and hosts have already moved in (lucky them!) 



Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith, Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas are all isolating at the grand hotel until filming starts in July so they&#8217;ll be in their own little bubble and fighting fit, ready to eat all that cake (it&#8217;s a hard life, eh?!). 



So, if you happen to be hanging out &#8211; walking or picnicking &#8211; on the estate (the hotel&#8217;s closed until 9 July), you might just catch a socially distanced glimpse of Paul, Prue and the big tent (sounds a bit more like a kids&#8217; book, when you say it like that!)



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="693" src="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/Down-Hall.png" alt="Down Hall Hotel" class="wp-image-64903" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/Down-Hall.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/Down-Hall-300x208.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/Down-Hall-720x500.png 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/Down-Hall-758x525.png 758w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



New foodie openings



Don&#8217;t know about you but we&#8217;ve definitely noticed a post-lockdown buzz in the air with fresh new hospitality businesses popping up in place of Covid-closures, and it feels gooood! 



In Tring, Herts, we&#8217;ve welcomed a permanent home to Italian deli, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Nonna's Supper Club (opens in a new tab)" href="https://nonnassupperclub.com" target="_blank">Nonna&#8217;s Supper Club</a>, a grandmother-and-granddaughter partnership, which Georgina was running as a bi-monthly event in her home pre-Covid. On the Italian theme, a new family-run Italian restaurant, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Storia (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.storiarestaurants.co.uk/" target="_blank">Storia</a>, has opened in the gorgeous old Post Office building in Tring and it&#8217;s coming to Radlett in July, too. The owners are old hands as they used to occupy the building years ago so were pretty chuffed to be taking it back under their wing again. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="512" src="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/Storia.png" alt="Storia Tring" class="wp-image-64905" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/Storia.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/Storia-300x154.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/Storia-720x369.png 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/Storia-900x461.png 900w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption>The stylish new Storia interior</figcaption></figure>



Meanwhile, we were sad to say goodbye to <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.lussmanns.com" target="_blank">Lussmans</a> Tring, but the fish and grill restaurant is still alive and kicking in St Albans, Harpenden and Hitchin AND they have a new Hertford Home on Fore Street, too. 



Back in business



As fans of The Woburn Hotel, we were sad to see it close during peak Covid, but the good news is that, over a year later, it&#8217;s back with new owners, a brand new look and even a new name. The Woburn, as it&#8217;s now known, has been taken on by The Oakman Group (known for The White Hart, Ampthill, The Beech House, St Albans and The Akeman, Tring, to name a few). The 48-room hotel (with an additional seven cottages) now has outdoor seating for up to 100 people, including a weather-proof awning, as well as revamped and more informal bar and dining room areas, with the feel of an luxe English country pub (check out that Magic Eye wallpaper below &#8211; *love*). And don&#8217;t panic, the famous Afternoon Tea (which Woburn is renowned for) will still be on the menu! Phew. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/Guests-in-The-Woburns-Peacock-Champagne-Cocktail-Lounge-credit-Oakman-Group-1.jpg" alt="The Woburn" class="wp-image-64909" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/Guests-in-The-Woburns-Peacock-Champagne-Cocktail-Lounge-credit-Oakman-Group-1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/Guests-in-The-Woburns-Peacock-Champagne-Cocktail-Lounge-credit-Oakman-Group-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/Guests-in-The-Woburns-Peacock-Champagne-Cocktail-Lounge-credit-Oakman-Group-1-720x480.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/Guests-in-The-Woburns-Peacock-Champagne-Cocktail-Lounge-credit-Oakman-Group-1-787x525.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Cafe culture



Now, if you&#8217;re a fan of <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Carluccio's restaurants (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.carluccios.com/" target="_blank">Carluccio&#8217;s restaurants</a> you&#8217;ll be delighted to hear that you can now get a taste of your favourite Italian with your weekly food shop (and no, you don&#8217;t have to take it home and cook it yourself!) The well-known chef&#8217;s chain has been reivented as a café and the very first Caffè Carluccio is opening this week in Sainsbury&#8217;s superstore St Albans. It&#8217;ll be an all-day destination for coffee and light bites from bacon ciabatta rolls to cakes and canoli. Hmm&#8230; that&#8217;s one way to put off the shopping for an hour or two! 



Get your ninja on!



Who&#8217;s got what it takes to be a Ninja Warrior? Nope? Us neither, but the kids (and bigger kids!) will love the news that a brand new <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Ninja Warrior Adventure Park (opens in a new tab)" href="https://ninjawarrioruk.co.uk/watford/" target="_blank">Ninja Warrior Adventure Park</a> is opening in Watford on 17 June (bookings are already open though, so get in quick!). Based on the hit TV series, it&#8217;s suitable for ages 5+ (and they offer group bookings and parties too &#8211; that&#8217;s little Jimmy&#8217;s birthday sorted then!) as well as adults who are keen to get fit and have a bit of fun while they&#8217;re at it. Imagine a giant obstacle course featuring jumps, swings, climbing walls, and you&#8217;ve just about got the jist. Could be a laugh with the girls, too, non?!



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="721" src="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/Watford-Opening-Woodside-021_Fotor.png" alt="Ninja Warrior" class="wp-image-64919" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/Watford-Opening-Woodside-021_Fotor.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/Watford-Opening-Woodside-021_Fotor-300x216.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/Watford-Opening-Woodside-021_Fotor-693x500.png 693w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/Watford-Opening-Woodside-021_Fotor-728x525.png 728w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



And finally&#8230;



Lazy lockdown lifestyle catching up with you? yup, me too! But, we&#8217;ve heard on the grapevine that <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Park Runs (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.parkrun.org.uk" target="_blank">Parkrun</a> is coming back this month. All being well it&#8217;ll be up an running (pun intended!) again by 26 June. Parkruns take place all over the country and are a fab way to get fit with friends and have a bit of fun (yes, really!). You don&#8217;t need any experience to take part and they&#8217;re only an easy breezy 5k (which you can walk if you want to), so dust off those trainers and set a reminder to register! 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="562" src="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/kristian-egelund-wmdcUQ0CJ4c-unsplash.jpg" alt="trainers in field" class="wp-image-64911" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/kristian-egelund-wmdcUQ0CJ4c-unsplash.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/kristian-egelund-wmdcUQ0CJ4c-unsplash-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/kristian-egelund-wmdcUQ0CJ4c-unsplash-720x405.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/kristian-egelund-wmdcUQ0CJ4c-unsplash-900x506.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>

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