The Heart of a Well Loved Workshop Space - An Ode to the Wiveton Parish Rooms.

Weekly Painters painting a still life with Mary Blue

When people search for creative workshops in Norfolk, they are often hoping to find somewhere that feels calm, welcoming and beautifully unpretentious. Wiveton Parish Rooms has become one of the loveliest homes for our craft workshops, art classes and creative gatherings, and it continues to draw visitors who want to make, connect and feel at ease the moment they arrive.

There is something very special about hosting workshops at Wiveton Parish Rooms. It is not grand or modern and that is exactly why it feels so right. The building has a gentle presence that seems to wrap itself around everyone the moment they step inside. The vaulted ceilings bring a sense of light and spaciousness, while the old open fire sits quietly to one side like a reassuring old friend. We rarely need to light it, but its simple presence warms the room. Vintage crockery waits in the small servery, each cup and saucer with its own story and its own patina of use. These small details are part of its charm. The hall feels lived in, loved and carefully tended.

What I often forget to mention is how much of this atmosphere is created by the two wonderful women who look after the hall. Andrea and Bud keep everything organised and quietly welcoming as well as Karen who keeps it all clean. They notice the small things. When we are running low on hand towels or soap. A table that wobbles. A fire that needs setting. They do all of this without fuss, and it is because of them that the space feels so well held and so deeply looked after.

Although it is technically a village hall, Wiveton is much smaller than most. That is one of the things that makes it so perfect for our creative workshops. It never feels cavernous. Instead, it feels intimate in the very best way. New guests are often surprised at just how lovely it is. They settle into the space with ease and often comment on how peaceful it feels. Conversations start more quickly. People relax more readily. It is a space that quietly invites connection.

There is a particular moment I always notice at the start of each workshop. The door opens, someone steps in, and they pause for half a second while they take it all in. The light through the big windows, the soft echo of the vaulted roof, the smell of coffee waiting to be poured. You can see the shift happen. Shoulders drop. Faces soften. The creativity and calm begins.

Spaces hold people. Wiveton Parish Rooms holds ours beautifully and for this I am immensely grateful.

Enjoying a scrumptious lunch at a willow workshop

If you are looking for art and craft workshops in Norfolk, or simply want somewhere peaceful to spend a day making something with your hands, you can explore all our workshops, courses and weekly classes on the website (by clicking the underlined words.) New sessions at Wiveton and our other venues appear regularly at the moment while I am getting it all online so get in quick as each event will only run once.

As you are enjoying them so much, there is another lovely recipe that goes down well at the bottom of the blog Yum!

I will be attending the weekly painters last session of the year on the fifteenth of December. We will paint and then have a small celebration. Anyone who has painted with us this year is warmly invited. Email me and I will send you the booking link.

If you would like first access to new workshops and priority booking, you can sign up to the Reef Make and Do mailing list which is always the best way to hear what is coming next.

That is it from me this week and I am now ready to step fully into the Christmas preparations. Check back next week to see what I have been up to.

Warmest wishes

Rachael xx

CHOCOLATE SALAMI

I love this recipe because not only is it delicious but it will get you in the mood for Christmas. Best of all, there is no real cooking at all.

Ingredients

160g dried cherries or cranberries

2 tbsp dark rum optional

65g salted butter

140g dark chocolate 70 percent cocoa, roughly chopped

75ml double cream

125g amaretti biscuits or cantuccini

20g cocoa powder

40g blanched hazelnuts

40g pistachio kernels or other nuts of your choosing

25g icing sugar

Method

Place the cherries into a small bowl and pour over the rum. Set aside for fifteen minutes.

Combine the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl and melt in short bursts in the microwave or set over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream.

Crush half the amaretti or cantuccini to a rough powder, then add to the melted chocolate along with the cocoa powder and stir well. Crumble the remaining biscuits into chunks, then add to the mixture with the hazelnuts, pistachios, cherries and any remaining rum. Stir to combine.

Lay a sheet of baking parchment on the worktop and scoop the mixture into the centre. Shape into a thick log roughly twenty centimetres long, then wrap in the parchment, twisting the ends to create a tightly packed cylinder. Chill for at least three hours until solid.

Unwrap the salami, sift over the icing sugar and roll to coat it well. Tie with string if you want the authentic salami look, then gift it whole or slice into pieces. It keeps well in the fridge for up to a week.

Enjoy!