It's time for Tea. Check out our suggestions for a fabulous Afternoon tea in the Waveney Valley Earsham Street Cafe Nestling in the premier shopping street in the centre of the historic market town of Bungay and surrounded by many individual and specialist shops, some of which have been established for generations, Earsham Street Café is a 17th Century building bursting with character and enjoying a colourful past, having seen service as an inn with a cock fighting pit, a bookmakers, a bazaar and a traditional tearoom. Earsham Street Cream Tea- A pot of tea or cup of coffee along with a Freshly Baked Fruit Scone, butter, Jeannie’s Jam and Cream £5.60 Open seven days a week - 10am to 4pm. For more info visit www.earshamstreetcafe.co.uk Rosy Lee's Teashop, Loddon A quirky little tea shop with the warmest of welcome's right in the heart of Loddon, opposite the river. Caroline and her team offer a daily specials menu including local fish dishes, with reduced prices for pensioners. Soups range from red pepper and lime to garlic and potato, puddings include lemon meringue pie and they sell cakes from the local Women\’s Institute. Ingredients are sourced from local suppliers and Rosy Lee's really is part of the community. Afternoon High Tea for two includes scones, sandwiches and four different varieties of homemade cakes as well a tea or coffee and costs £26.00 Pre-Booking is essential. Open from 8am to 5pm Closed Tuesdays and Sundays. For more info visit www.facebook.com/rosyleesloddon/ Twyfords Cafe, Beccles Occupying one of Beccles historic buildings with many original features preserved, creating Twyfords unique atmosphere reminiscent of a grand cafe. Twyfords have been serving home made food for 2 decades. Twyfords Afternoon Tea - Mini cake selection, cocktail sandwiches, freshly baked savoury pastries accompanied with a regular pot of tea or coffee . £9.50 (MIN. 2 PERSONS) - SERVED FOR 1 PERSON £10.50 Further info visit twyfordscafe.co.uk Farmers Kitchen, Harleston Enjoy a civilised afternoon tea with family or friends. Norfolk cordial fizz on arrival (or prosecco if you prefer a bottle) finger sandwiches, warm scones with ‘jam and cream’ and a selection of cakes and macarons. Afternoon Tea is £15pp and includes Homemade fruit scones, cheese straws, mini sausage rolls, a selection of cakes and mouse. For further info visit www.farmers-kitchen.co.uk The Pennoyer Centre, Pulham St Mary The relaxed, smart ambience of the cafe makes it a fine place to meet friends for an informal meal or pot of coffee or tea. In the summer there is a continental café setting where you can sit overlooking the pleasant centre of the village. If you are passing by but don’t have time for a stop off they will even provide you with a take away. Vintage Afternoon Tea is £15 per person and includes a selection of sandwiches, cheese and fruit scones, and a wonderful selection of cakes and desserts. All served on a fabulous collection of vintage, mismatched china with a vintage tablecloth and as much tea and coffee as you can drink! Morning and afternoon you can choose from scones, biscuits and cakes (citrus poppy seed cake , carrot cake with aubergine butter icing are recent favourites ). At lunch time you can choose from fresh soups, salads and the creative specials of the day perhaps finishing with an ice cream made in our next door village. For more information about The Pennoyer Centre CLICK HERE

The exhibition, A Stitch in Time, offers the visitor the opportunity to explore Bungay through the textiles that have been left as legacies of its past and enjoy admiring textiles that it is hoped will become heirlooms for future generations. Many of the older items on show owe their origins to the churches and Benedictine Priory, which was founded in the 12th Century. The nuns, apart from prayer and charitable work, became accomplished needle-women, and adorned their own chapel and St Mary’s church with decorative wallhangings, altar cloths, and other textiles. Fine embroidered vestments for the clergy were probably also made by the Bungay nuns. Following the Reformation in 1536, the Priory closed, along with all other monastic establishments. Parish accounts and local wills record that some of the church embroideries and vestments were cut up and made into elaborate theatrical costumes for the plays forming part of the annual Ale-Games in the churchyards during the Whitsun period! In these early periods when middle-class women’s place was firmly ‘in the home’, they were not expected to become educated, or engage in paid employment. Instead they learned ladylike accomplishments, chiefly music, drawing, and most importantly, needlework. This could range from the mundane darning of socks, or the sewing on of buttons, to practising a variety of embroidery stitches to form samplers, until they were proficient enough to create embroidered waistcoats and gowns, fire-screens, and framed pictures to adorn the walls of their homes. Early samplers dating from the late 17th c. made by the female ancestors of the wealthy local gentleman, philanthropist and Town Reeve, John Barber Scott (1792 – 1862) will be on display in the Stitch in Time exhibition. One of the highlights of the exhibition a display from All Hallows Embroidery School. The Community of All Hallows was founded in 1855. They quickly established a needlework Centre at the Convent (now Emmaus Norwich) and embroidered vestments and altar frontals which were sent all over the world. 'White work' was also undertaken in the form of purificators, corporals and cottas. In recent years, the Friends of St. Mary’s, who organise annual events and activities in the church, decided to commemorate the Priory’s connection with fine needlework by creating regular displays of textiles and embroidery. An Awards For All Lottery grant enabled local textiles artist Mary Walker to organise a team of embroiderers to create a wall-hanging depicting significant events in the church’s history. This is now permanently on display in the south aisle. Since then, a group of embroiderers, the “Sew on Sunday" group, meets monthly in the church, and has produced embroideries based on the 17th Century carved boss designs in the roof. Members also arrange regular displays of their work. Embroidery and textiles have become a regular attraction for visitors, including exhibitions such as the latest “A Stitch in Time” exhibition. The exhibition, which will also showcase crafters working on their textile projects, will run from Saturday, 29th April to Wednesday, 3rd May and is open from 10am until 4pm. Entrance is free, but donations to enable future exhibitions to be funded, are welcome. There is also a Preview Evening on Friday, 28th April at 7.30 pm, when Jane Rowton-Lee, a lace expert, exhibitor and international judge, will give an illustrated talk entitled “Nature’s Inspirations.” The talk will detail how she integrates flowers in her own interpretative work for exhibitions and competitions and will be followed by the opportunity to view the exhibition. The cost of the evening is £10 to include wine and finger food. Tickets can be reserved in advance from Keith Parker 01 986 893 133 or John Warnes 01 986 892855. Where: St. Mary’s Priory Church, St. Mary's Street, Bungay, Suffolk NR35 1AX When: Saturday 29th April – Wednesday 3rd May 2017 Save

Antiques in Beccles this April The centre of the market town of Beccles will be buzzing on Sunday, 30th April from 8am - 4pm as an Antiques Street Market takes place on the Bank Holiday weekend. There will be many treasures on offer with around 100 dealers selling a range of antiques and collectables which will include furniture, silver, china, linen, jewellery, books, clocks, and other decorative items. Many of the local shops and restaurants in the town will be open and there will be street food available too, including a hog roast. Entry to the market is free and the event will be well signposted, or visitors can use SAT NAV NR34 9HA The next antiques market after this will be on 13th August 2017. For further information and updates, do visit the Facebook page for the Beccles Antiques Market . Save Save Save Save

There are lots of lovely things to see and do in the market town of Loddon, the most northerly of the Waveney Valley Towns. Loddon is a traditional Norfolk market town, based on the River Chet which is part of the Norfolk Broads. It has some lovely Georgian buildings and a rather magnificent church in the vibrant town centre. There are several pubs with live music in Loddon and Chedgrave and an Indian restaurant, two Chinese takeaways, two fish and chip shops, a pizza and kebab shop, two tearoom/cafes and some great shops and services. Visitors will not go hungry! There is also plenty to entertain them with live stand up comedy in the Loddon Mill Arts , with comedians coming from all over the world to perform. If arriving by boat along the River Chet, there are 24 hour mooring spaces both on Loddon Staithe and at Pyes Mill, which visitors are welcome to use free of charge. Every Tuesday morning, Country Market take place at Loddon Hollies in Loddon High Street. Homemade cakes and pies, fresh eggs, local raw milk, and gifts are on sale from 9.15-10.30am. Every second and fourth Saturday of the month Loddon Farmers' Market takes place in the Jubilee Hall in George Lane. The Loddon Tourist Information Centre is in the library which is open on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. For more information, please see the Loddon town website and keep an eye on our events listings for events in Loddon and the rest of the Waveney Valley. Save

About superzero