One was on the strange find of wartime Hethersett blackout panels which turned up over 250 miles away in a Welsh charity shop. Another was on a £50,000 plan to improve facilities on Hethersett Memorial Playing Field for Hethersett Hawks Cycle Speedway Club and the third was a feature on the gin distillery at Home Farm in Ketteringham Lane.
Today I would like to blog about the last of these. On many occasions in the past I have come across inspiring people who I just know will make a success of the venture they are involved in. Such is the case with Nev Leverett and Paul Dunnett at Home Farm.
They have been distilling their artisan and top quality gin for just over a year and are now keen to bring their product to a wider audience. At present they are distilling from a very small outbuilding but they have exciting plans to expand.
Nev and Paul are essentially enthusiasts who met almost by accident when Nev was behind a bar and Paul was a customer. They got talking and a little further down the road decided to try their hand a producing gin - something they both has a passion for.
So while Nev carries out the task of turning alcohol and other ingredients into gin, Paul takes care of the business and business at the moment is going pretty well despite lockdown. Home Farm Gin has found its way into farm shops and delis as far away as North Norfolk and Hertfordshire.
I wanted particularly to find out about their plans for the future development of the site. At present the gin still is in a very small room but there are big plans to turn an old barn into an area for two stills, a bar, tables and other facilities that will allow them to hold tasting evenings for small groups. Nev has studied cocktail making in Las Vegas and will also be using his skills to teach small groups on how to make the perfect cocktail.
I will be writing much more about the process of creating gin in the April edition of Hethersett Herald.