Broads minded
The north Norfolk coast has survived the foot-and-mouth crisis with relatively few scars. July saw the opening of two new inns, while early September heralded the arrival of a new chef for one local restaurant. Sara Guild reports.
If an area can be called lucky, surely north Norfolk qualifies. The area had no reported cases of foot-and-mouth and although attractions closed, they reopened relatively quickly.
The closures of the North Norfolk Coast Path and four National Trust properties, as well as Holkham Hall in Holkham and the Norfolk Wildlife Trust's bird-watching mecca, Cley Marshes, came early on in the crisis. By the crucial holiday month of July - traditionally the period that makes or breaks the local hospitality trade - most of north Norfolk was open for business.
From Burnham Market inland, out to the coast and east to Blakeney, the area that is sometimes known as Chelsea-by-the-Sea came through the crisis relatively unscathed. Indeed, by July, two existing pubs had been transformed: into a smart inn in the case of the Victoria at Holkham; and into a restaurant with rooms at the Crown in Wells-next-the-Sea.
In Burnham Market, London chef Matthew Owsley-Brown left behind the lights of the capital to buy the Fishes restaurant, with the intention of moving the menu more upmarket (Caterer, 9 August, page 64). All those involved made their decisions to buy, move or refurbish during the foot-and-mouth crisis or just after, showing a confidence in the attraction of the north Norfolk coast.
Long-time Norfolk resident Paul Whittome, proprietor of the 28-bedroom Hoste Arms in Burnham Market, is not surprised. "Norfolk has been trendy for ages and it is great that there are other quality operators moving into the area," he says.
Whittome estimates his revenue is up year-on-year by 12%, although he points out that prices rose by 3%. "It has been the most phenomenal summer. We got hit more by the fuel crisis last autumn - instead of taking £48,000 a week, we took £31,000 in the first week - than by foot-and-mouth," he says.
Business had recovered by the time foot-and-mouth hit, but Whittome is sympathetic towards those who suffered. "My heart goes out to those who had it bad, but we did gain extra business," he says.
Not everyone was so lucky. At the 10-bedroom White Horse hotel in Blakeney, joint owner Sue Catt estimates that takings dropped by about £3,000 in the February/March period. The hotel also has a pub, seating about 100 outside and 50 inside. "We were particularly aware of a slowdown in those first few weeks [of foot-and-mouth]," she says. "We had a few cancellations, but they were all from people who couldn't leave where they were because of the restrictions.
"Certainly, it had some effect - all the National Trust houses were closed, and no one could walk on the marshes, so it did affect the area," she adds. By April, however, normality had for the most part resumed, footpaths were open and Easter proved to be a sellout, according to Catt.
In Morston, to the west of Blakeney, the six-bedroom Morston Hall holds a Michelin star for its 30-seat restaurant. Co-proprietor Tracy Blackiston believes guests come for the eating experience and a night's stay, rather than for their main holiday, and so foot-and-mouth and the subsequent closure of tourist attractions had little effect.
"What we did notice was that in July and August the phone went mad - it was like everyone had been let out. We've been more or less full all summer," she says.
Morston Hall, like the Hoste Arms, is a well-established venue, and perhaps for this reason neither suffered. Whittome has been at the Hoste for 10 years and has certainly helped make Burnham Market a destination in its own right. Be it jealousy or Norfolk humour, it is known locally as Burnham Mark-up, but its few boutiques, antique shops and delicatessens lend it an attractive village feel.
The Hoste Arms, with 120 seats in three restaurants, will turn over more than £2m this year, and Whittome has plans to expand further. He has bought the barns of the property next door to convert into a further eight bedrooms, two conference rooms and three offices. The £750,000 expansion will start in September and complete next June.
Next door to the Hoste Arms is the 42-seat Fishes restaurant, recently bought by chef Owsley-Brown and his wife Caroline. The restaurant was listed on the market at £400,000, but Owsley-Brown is coy about what he paid. He admits, however, that the decision to leave London, where he had been head chef-manager at the 60-seat Noble Rot in Soho for the past two years, was a lifestyle choice. "We have two small boys and I used to work with Rick Stein, so I see north Norfolk as very similar to Padstow - only closer to London," he explains.
The Owsley-Browns were due to start trading on 9 September after just a week's closure. The intention is to continue running the business until the couple can shut in January for three weeks' refurbishment.
Along the coast to the east, the 11-bedroom Victoria at Holkham opened at the beginning of July. The inn, which has a public bar and 60-seat restaurant, has been on the Holkham Estate (home to the Earl of Leicester) for years.
It had been let to a tenant until the present earl, Lord Tom Coke, decided it was time to run it himself, bringing in Christophe Brooke as operations director. Brooke, who once owned Christophe's in London before selling it to the Restaurant Partnership, had worked in hospitality for several years, knew Norfolk and wanted to leave London.
Although the property was already owned by the estate, commercial rent is still paid to it, Brooke explains. The investment in refurbishing the building is thought to be about £250,000-£500,000, and turnover in year one is expected to reach £400,000. Room rates range from £90 B&B off-season to £130 B&B in peak season, with an expected average room rate of £105. Occupancy in year one is forecast at 60%, while the average spend in the restaurant so far is £12 at lunch and £25 at dinner.
One part of the original pub has been left intact, while a huge open lounge has been redecorated in the style of colonial India. As the pub opened after the main foot-and-mouth restrictions had been lifted, the hotel was unaffected by foot-and-mouth, although the opening of Holkham Hall in July helped (see below).
In Wells-next-the-Sea, the 11-bedroom Crown pub has been given a new lease of life by Nick Anderson, who received a Michelin star for his Rococo restaurant in King's Lynn earlier this year. The decision to buy the Crown was made in April. The Crown wasn't actually on the market, but the Andersons persuaded the owners to sell, and the sale completed on 5 June. Rococo closed in King's Lynn on 23 June and opened one week later at the Crown.
Anderson says foot-and-mouth played no role in the move. "This was really the next stage for us - it is hard to make just a restaurant pay," he explains. "King's Lynn was probably not the right location for us. The local people supported it, but it was not really a regular dining place, more a special-occasion venue."
Anderson and his interior designer wife, Anne, have refurbished the pub and created minimalist-style white bedrooms featuring authentic Lloyd Loom furniture. In addition, there's a 44-seat brasserie with conservatory, 36 seats outside on the deck and 36 seats in Rococo, a separate dining room with its own lounge. There's also a private function room that can seat 24.
The total investment, including purchase price, was £800,000 and Anderson estimates turnover in year one will be £800,000. Two businessmen have put up the funding for the investment, while bank borrowings have covered the necessary refurbishment costs.
Room rates start at £55 B&B per room, and occupancy is expected to reach 70% in the high season and 25% in winter.
"We will try to market ourselves as a restaurant with rooms," explains Anderson. In the brasserie, simpler-style food is served and average spend is about £15, while in Rococo it is £40.
"I think Norfolk has become very trendy and is a desirable place to live," he says. Speaking about Wells-next-the-Sea, he adds: "There's a slower pace of life here. It's very family-oriented as a town and we're keen to attract the local market."
The local market will certainly be key to surviving the winter, when the summer crowds with their buckets, spades and crab-fishing gear have long gone.
The Hoste Arms
The Green, Burnham Market
Tel: 01328 738777
Owners: Paul and Jeanne Whittome
Bedrooms: 28
Restaurants: three, with 120 covers
Turnover: £2m (2001)
The Crown
Wells-next-the-Sea
Tel: 01328 710209
Owners: Nick and Anne Anderson
Bedrooms: 11
Restaurants: 44-seat brasserie with conservatory; 36 seats outside; 36-seat, one-Michelin-starred Rococo
Turnover: £800,000 (forecast 2001-02)
The Victoria
Holkham
Tel: 01328 710469
Owner: Earl of Leicester
Bedrooms: 11
Restaurant: one, 60-seat
Turnover: £400,000 (forecast 2001-02)
The effect of foot-and-mouth on north Norfolk attractions
Holkham Hall
Tel: 01328 710227
Normal opening: seat of the Earl of Leicester, set in 3,000 acres. The grounds are open year-round for walkers, while the house itself and the Bygones Museum are open from the end of May until the end of September, as well as at Easter and for both May bank holidays.
Foot-and-mouth effect: this year the grounds were closed at the first announcement of the outbreak of foot-and-mouth to protect the deer herd living there. The two-day event, Day Out in North Norfolk, held at the end of March, was cancelled. The event showcases the best the area has to offer and attracts an estimated 7,000-8,000 visitors.
The hall and museum reopened on 2 July, but the estate remains closed to walkers and cyclists. All visitors must drive without stopping into the car park area, which is within a double enclosure keeping the deer away from all possible contact.
In a normal summer 30,000 visitors would come to the hall, and promotions manager Maureen Monk estimates this will be down by more than one-third because of the precautions taken.
"Initially, tourism here was badly hit for the first few weeks. As soon as the restrictions lifted, visitors came back. Now we are not doing badly, but we are not getting the coaches we usually do," she says.
Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Cley Marshes
Tel: 01603 625540
Normal opening: the internationally renowned marshes offer some of the best bird-watching in Britain. The Wildlife Trust is open year-round, with the visitor centre open April to October, at a cost of £3.50 for adults.
Foot-and-mouth effect: all 40 of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust nature reserves closed at the onset of foot-and-mouth, because the trust uses ponies, sheep and cattle to graze its land for sustainable management. The visitor centre at Cley Marshes should have opened on 31 March, but did not open until early May. The loss of revenue from this and five other reserves, which all charge admission to their visitor centres, will cost the trust £10,000, estimates marketing manager Tony Polack.
Cley Marshes would normally expect 100,000 visitors a year and, while this will be down, Polack is unsure by how much just yet.
Sandringham House
Tel: 01553 772675
Normal opening: country retreat of the Queen, who opens the museum and grounds from 14 April to 17 July and 1 August to 28 October.
Foot-and-mouth effect: Sandringham House opened as advertised, with no restrictions to visitors. However, the estate estimates there will be a 3% drop in total visitor numbers this year.
Norfolk as a whole
According to a survey published in July 2001 by the University of Cambridge, East of England Development Agency and Cambridge Econometrics, the whole of Norfolk will have experienced a loss in tourism revenue of £152m for 2001 because of foot-and-mouth.
