Culture Wednesday and The Wednesday Poem #54 - Cheddar Cheese and Celery

CHEDDAR CHEESE AND CELERY

Cheddar Cheese and Celery
Live together in perfect harmony
Side by side on my dinner Cheese board
Oh Lord, Pass the brie?

We all know
That cheese boards aren't the same wherever you go
There is good and bad on every one
When we learn to live, we learn to give each other
Apple, Walnut and Endive
to bring Roquefort alive

Cheddar Cheese and Celery
Live together in perfect harmony
Side by side on my my dinner Cheese board
Oh Lord, Pass the brie?

We all know
That cheese boards aren't the same wherever you go
There is good and bad on every one
We learn to live when we learn to give each other
Apple, Walnut and Endive
to bring Jarlesberg alive

Cheddar Cheese and Celery
Live together in perfect harmony
Side by side on my dinner Cheese board
Oh Lord, pass the Brie?

Side by side on my dinner Cheese board
Oh Lord, pass the Brie?

Apologies to Paul McCartney

Union Street Cheese in Barnet

Cheese is a hot topic in Mill Hill. Our local MP Matthew Offord promised us a cheese shop if he was elected in 2010. We are still waiting.  Matthew's colleague Theresa Villiers MP has succeeded where Matthew has failed. Barnet residents are lucky to have the Marvelous and recently opened Union Street Cheese in Barnet High Street. We highly recommend them and wish them every success.

Please note that no cheese has been supplied to the Barnet Eye in exchange for this plug! Although we are happy to get some if you are feeling kind!

It is great to see that High Barnet has set up a brilliant site that is promoting its High Street. A model of a great community website. 

Culture Wednesday

27 Feb - Val's Jazz Jam - MHJC filled to the brim with Jazz singers, players and listening aficionados who flock to the club to give of their best for the sheer joy of all. Professionals and gifted amateurs all raise their game to provide their very best performances - Plz RT.

— Mill Hill Jazz Club (@millhilljazz) February 24, 2019

Please join me for a BRAND *New* Tuesday night Karaoke @ChandosArmsPub #Colindale #Karaoke #KaraokeDJ #LondonKaraoke @karaokeagency @sedgeley1982 @KaraokeSinging @danielskaraoke @karaokesinginguk @karaokesevenuk @WembleyCivicUni @LonEnts @TimeOutLondon @KaraokeVenuesLn pic.twitter.com/kjwTTiuawW

— The Chandos Arms (@ChandosArmsPub) February 9, 2019

It's our 100th gig @chandosarmsjazz on 3 March feat. ZoeFrancis + @jimmullenjazz RossStanley @philipscragg @rick_finlay Jeremy Shoham Tickets going fast, prebook for 10% off food and a good seat! https://t.co/Vi88WvtKdV pic.twitter.com/PEEWkCrnss

— Chandos Arms Jazz (@chandosarmsjazz) February 20, 2019

Looking forward to my gig in March! Adding a lot of brand new sets for the show! 🎩🏓 #excited #show #barnet catch me in June too! pic.twitter.com/5BSd5ciXR5

— LEON the magician ❓ (@LEONmagician) February 27, 2019

The False Dots Live with friends at The Midland Hotel Hendon on Friday March 15th, free admission to celebrate the saving of the pub from demolition.

Be there or be uncircular!

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Why Mill Hill Broadway needs a good cheese shop

Just what Mill Hill Broadway needs

 What makes a good High Street? This is a question all of us who live in the London Borough of Barnet should care about. High Streets are on our doorstep and a good High Street can massively improve our quality of life.

If we have a decent High Street, then we develop a sense of civic pride in our surroundings. If there is litter blowing around, piles of rubbish, discarded takeaway food containers and ugly shopfronts, it is an eyesore and makes us feel bad. If our high street is clean, shopfronts are tasterful and waste is out of sight, we feel far more comfortable.

Back in 2010, Dr Matthew Offord MP told one resident who asked him what he'd like to see in Mill Hill, if he was elected, he said he'd like to see Mill Hill Broadway become the type of place where small traders open cheese shops. This is just about the only thing he promised us in Mill Hill and he's still to deliver. Whilst for many this has become a standing joke, for me it is a matter of true regret. Dr Offord was 100% right, that for Mill Hill Broadway to become a successful Town centre, it needs small independent retails such as cheese shops. These give a town personality and bring far more to the area than just cheese. I always judge the health of high street by the fact that there is a fishmonger. Mill Hill lost Nat Jacobs many years ago, and with it went much of the personality of the High Street.

Back in 2010, we featured a guest blog from Audrey Shaw, detailing how the Broadway had changed from 1958 to 2009. It is interesting to see the changes since 2009. Interestingly, quite a few restaurants have changed hands, including what was Hee's, Olive and Sapori Deli. Some of the shops which have gone are for services that have been overtaken by technology, such as Blockbuster video and  Sarastem travel agents. We've lost a few independent niche shops such as Goodwood Pine and Norman James Hardware.

We've also lost the Bell pub. I was quite disappointed to see this go. Not because The Bell was great, it wasn't but it certainly could have been. Sadly like many outlets that are part of chains, it was catering more for what the chain perceived a pub to be rather than for what would have suited Mill Hill.

We have had some interesting and positive new shops. Many Mill Hill residents seem to like the new Tesco's Express. There is also the new gym where Mebe's garage used to be, I daresay any resident transported from 1958 when Audrey's list began would find Mill Hill Broadway totally alien now. Then there was no M1. The Sacred Heart Catholic chuch and the Union Church have both been rebuilt. The litter and overflowing bins is something that would have been totally alien. I am also sure that the sheer number of cars would be a shock.

The cafe culture in the Broadway is also something which a vistor from 1958 would be surprised by. Although a cup of coffeenow costs a weeks wages then, I am sure they'd be impressed. The Broadway is a far more relaxed place.

As I review the changes, I must conclude that I agree with the plans that the Mill Hill Neighbourhood forum are pushing. The idea of a Mill Hill Town square at the junction of Brockenhurst Gardens would be great. Some street furniture and plants to hide the shops bins and rubbish would be great. We have a decent butchers in Cooksleys. I'd like to see a fishmongers and an organic greengrocers. A deli would be great as well. As Audrey noted, Athene House used to be a cinema and a boutique cinema would be fantastic. I'd also love to see another pub, one which is more in character with the demographics of Mill Hill. With Iceland, M&S, Tescos and the independent convience stores, we are well catered for in the general retail dept. I'd love to see an independent record store. As Mill Hill has internationally famous music studios, it would be a great addition. And finally, yes, despite having a good snigger at Matthew Offords suggestion, it would be fantastic to see a good cheese shop.

The Mill Hill Neighbourhood forum have worked to improve Mill Hill Broadway. The French market is back in May (click on the banner at the top of the sidebar for details). Maybe there will be some tasty cheese on sale there. If there is, I may make Dr Offord a cheese sandwich.

Hendon Constituency Special - Meet your local MP Matthew Offord

Are you a resident of the Hendon Constituency? If you are, your local MP Matthew Offord would love to meet you. He wants to hear your concerns. He has organised a meeting on Friday and the Barnet Eye is keen to ensure that he gets a full house. Please come down if you have not made other arrangements.

Topics which I'd suggest people may want to discuss with Matthew.

1. Gay marriage. Mr Offord is a staunch opponent. I'm sure that if you support his opposition he'd love to hear from you. Then again, if you don't agree with Matthew, I am sure he'd be interested to hear from you.

2. One Barnet. Matthew was the deputy leader of the council when One Barnet was dreamed up.  As your MP and a senior member of the Conservative Party, I am sure he'd love to hear your views.

3.  Human rights for dogs. Matthew has been on National TV proposing a human rights charter for dogs, following a ban on his faithful friend Maximus the Jack Russell. We hope Max will be joining him on Friday. The Barnet Eye is a keen fan of doggies.

4. Cheese shops. The one pledge Matthew Offord made to residents prior to his election was that he'd love to see Mill Hill Broadway become the type of place where ambitious businessmen would open cheese shops. Three years after his election, we still have no cheese shops. If you like cheese, come along and ask Matthew where his cheese shop is.

5. First Capital Connect. Matthew is chair of the Parliamentary Transport committee responsible for First Capital Connect. Do you think FCC are providing a good service? Tell Matthew what you think.

6. Soup recommendations. Matthew was famously mistaken for a soup waiter at the House of Commons by David Cameron shortly after he arrived. Matthew was so proud of this that he tweeted it! Come along and ask him which soup he'd recommend.

7. Responsible Drinking. Matthew is a big advocate of responsible drinking. Drunks can be a public hazard and we are keen to hear what Matthew is doing to address this problem in Hendon.

8. Assaults on women. One of Matthews former party colleagues and mentor was convicted earlier this year for assualting a woman in North Finchley. We'd be keen to hear from Matthew what he plans to do to help eradicate such awful behaviour.

Of course, we are sure that Hendon residents have a whole range of issues that they may want to discuss with Matthew. He doesn't come out to play very often (except when there is an election in the offing) so don't waste the chance.

Where is the cheese shop promised by Matthew Offord

Perhaps the oddest moment I had canvassing in the 2010 election, was when I was standing in Mill Hill Broadway, handing out leaflets, when a little old lady strutted up to me and told me that the Tory candidate, Matthew Offord had promised her that if he won, a cheese shop would open in Mill Hill.

Two years on, those of us who are partial to a little bit of Fromage are still wondering when Matthew Offords cheese shop will open. Unlike many people, I would actually forgive many of Offords sins if he actually kept this promise. Small independent cheese sellers are signs of a healthy high street. What was the latest shop to open in Mill Hill Broadway? Another nail salon.

Offord stated that the Tories would "make Mill Hill a vibrant town centre, the sort of place someone would want to open a cheese shop". I was reminded of this tonight as I saw the lady in question in Marks and Spencers. Rather oddly she met at the cheese counter. She asked "What has happened to Offord, no one has seen him for months". I had to reply "don't know, he's keeping a low profile". She said "He never opened that cheese shop did he?". Sadly I had to agree.

I checked Matthews website to see what he's been up to. You will be pleased to know that on our behalf, he's had a holiday in Sri Lanka - http://www.matthewofford.co.uk/newsshow.aspx?id=4&ref=184 - I wonder if he managed to open a cheese shop in Columbo?

There is plenty of other news as to what Matthew has been up to here - http://www.matthewofford.co.uk/news.aspx?id=4 -  Sadly little of his activities seems to have anything to do with the people who voted for him.

Cheese shops hit by Barnet Parking changes !

In the 2010 elections, Tory candidate Matthew Offord (now MP) said he wanted Barnet to be the type of place where it was good to start a small business. He told one resident that he looked forward to the day when the policies of the local Conservatives would lead to the opening of a cheese shop in Mill Hill Broadway. The implication was that the Conservatives cared about the shopkeepers in the local high streets.

All local trade organisations are in uproar at the parking changes. Some traders report a 35% drop in trade. Shoppers have deserted the High Street in droves. Have we heard a peep from Mr Offord? Has he stuck up for local traders against the Council? Has he delivered on his promise?

One small trader told me that he'd never vote Tory again yesterday. He said that if he sold a product in the way Offord sold his campaign, he'd be prosecuted under the trades descriptions act.  He said Offord told him that his door was always open, if there was any problems. Since the election, he's seen nothing and heard nothing,despite repeated attempts to get in touch. Sadly with politicians, there is a no money back guarantee. We are lumbered with Offord and his Tory Councillor cronies until the next election. Whilst Offord promised cheese shops galore, all him and his mates have done is landed us in the soup.

Just to show how committed the Hendon Conservatives are to the local shops and businesses, here is a link to their own on line shop

http://www.spendandraise.com/hendonconservatives/shop/

It is bad enough that they are seeking to shaft the local shop owners with parking charges, without actually trying to undercut them and nick their trade. Oddly Offord hasn't got a cheese portal on his shop

Car thefts in Mill Hill - Is it an epidemic

On Thursday evening I had my usual couple of pints of shandy after our five a side kickabout at the Three Hammers pub. As ever there was a hot topic of conversation. To my surprise, it wasn't the behaviour of Carlos Tevez in Munich on Tuesday. It seems that two members of our squad had their cars damaged by thiefs, seemingly working to order. One of my friends had the four wheels stolen from his BMW, in the drive of his house in Mill Hill. The house is on a reasonably busy road, which is a bus route. The insurance company sent a lorry to take the car away. Cost of new wheels £4,000. The team who retrieved his car  said that there are gangs doing this all the time. They know exactly what they want. They will check the location several times before striking. It seems they can remove the wheel at Ferrari F1 speed. Apparently they ship them out to the far east in containers to sell. The £4,000 set of wheels will earn them £500 max.

Several hints from the man who rescued the car, to bear in mind.

1) They only take full sets of wheels. The safest way to park is with one side of the car tight up against a wall, so they can't get in to steal them. He said that if the gang is disturbed they will simply run away as they are only interested in earning quick cash.

2) Use Halfords lock nuts rather than BMW ones. There are only a few types of BMW lock nuts, with Halfords there are 50 or 60, so there is less chance that they'll have the tools. They generally check this before they come to steal the wheels.

3) Often the gangs will knobble security lighting prior to the visit. If you notice that your security lighting has been interfered with in any way, this could indicate that you are being cased for a visit. A typical symptom is when an inaccessable security light gets broken or turned away from the area where the car is.

The other theft was even stranger. Another friend had all of the seats stolen out of their Ford galaxy. It was suggested that these were probably stolen to order, although how someone would lose the first set seems rather odd.

In both cases, it isn't the financial aspect which the victims found to be bad. It was the hassle. Days missed off work, children not taken to school, endless phone calls. In short a complete pain in the backside. If you see anyone behaving strangely, looking closely at your car or its wheels (or your neighbours) let the police know. If you happen to see any vans with people in at odd hours of the night checking out you or your neighbours property, let the police know. If you can get a make of vehicle and registration number, even better. I doubt we'll ever see this type of annoying petty crime ever go away, but the more difficult we make it for the perpetrators the less of it we'll see in our neighbourhoods.

Mill Hill Traffic accident - SLOW DOWN

Many people in and around Mill Hill and Edgware will have been inconvenienced by the accident in Hale Lane yesterday. The Hendon Times reports that

AN 81-year-old Mill Hill man is being treated for suspected fractures of the leg and hip after a traffic incident on Hale Lane yesterday.

The full Times story is available here. Having just returned from a parish council meeting at the Sacred Heart, I am sorry to report that there is a little bit more to the story and it's rather sad. The 81 year old man is a well known and loved member of the local community. He was walking to the bank to pay in proceeds from a charity collection, for a charity which he works. It appears that the car driver lost control and mounted the pavement, breaking his hip. When the news was broken to us, my thoughts went back to one of my mothers more bitter sayings "No good deed ever goes unpunished".

And why do accidents like this happen? Generally because people drive too fast. The location of the accident is approximately 50 yards from Matilda Marks School. I am just thankful that the accident didn't happen as the children were being let out.

The man responsible for roads and highways in Barnet is Councillor Brian Coleman. He has a policy of positively encouraging drivers to "get from a to b as quickly as possible". Traffic calming measures all over Barnet have been ripped out. I'm an advocate of 20 mph zones around schools, which if strictly enforced, may well have prevented this horrible accident. Do we have to wait until some maniac mows down a whole bunch of school children before we see sense. Does Coleman never learn?

Are the local Council Blind or do they just do ugly?

Am I the only person who thinks the London Borough of Barnet is becoming a Shithole and an Eyesore.

I came across some old pictures of Mill Hill Broadway today in a  family album. A few observations :-

The flowerbeds contained beautiful flowers not advertising boards
The Streets were swept clean
They weren't clogged with rubbish and wheelie bins
Bus stops were bus stops, not mini advertising hoardings

We pay far more tax, the council must earn a fortune for advertising and wheelie bins are meant to be far cheaper than old style dustbings, yet we pay more tax and we've transformed the street scene into something resembling an overspill area from a dump. Does anyone at Barnet Council care?

Matthew Offord MP's Cheese Shop goes viral !

Wow, Matthew Offord MP is a viral sensation hit ! My blog about his proposal for a cheese shop in Mill Hill Broadway received a staggering 335 hits in less than 24 hours. These are visits specifically for that entry, not the general blog hits. It seems that the Twitter community are rather partial to Matthew and his Cheesy ramblings !

The time has come for Matthew to get off the fence and get his cheesy masterplan to revitalise Mill Hill Broadway with some chunky cheddars, some rounded Roqueforts and some stinky Stilton rolling.

Read the original post here !

http://barneteye.blogspot.com/2011/07/where-is-cheese-shop-matthew-offord.html

Where is the cheese shop Matthew Offord promised us?

Perhaps the oddest election pledge from any MP anywhere was the one Matthew Offord made to the people of Mill Hill if elected. he promised us a "high quality cheese shop". One year on and it seems that whilst he's happy to campaign for human rights for Jack Russell terriers (at least I think that's what he was on about), he's conveniently forgotten the pledge to open a cheese shop in Mill Hill Broadway.

I must confess that I am partial to a nice bit of Roqueforte and a mature cheddar so I was hoping that Offord would actually deliver on his pledge.

Whilst Matthew's pledge has caused much myrth, many people have asked exactly what he said. I was told this by a voter I was convassing who asked Mathew what difference he'd make. He replied "Only the Conservatives are business friendly. Only the Conservatives create the environment where businesses thrive. I'd make sure that our town centres get the support they need to thrive. I'd make sure that places like Mill Hill Broadway are the type of place where someone would think "That's a great place to run a cheese shop, a thriving High Street".

I wrote the quote down. The Tories have been in charge of Barnet Council for nine years now. Is anyone aware of any new cheese shops anywhere in the Borough? We got a branch of Iceland to replace Woolworths, we've got several new bookies, including Paddy Power and Corals, We've seen plans for the Garden Centre to become a school. We've seen the Dizar gift shop come and go. Have we seen any of the small shops, which Matthew Offord was saying are vital to a vibrant High Street. No.

So what small businesses have done well in Barnet under the Tories? Well it may surprise you to know that there are plenty who've made a mint. Matthew Offord said that he'd "like to make it easier for people to run businesses without getting bogged down in red tape and bureacracy". He has lived up to his word on this. a small firm named Metpro Rapid Response was able to get £1.4 million worth of business from Barnet Council without any red tape or bureaucracy whatsoever. No contract was ever signed. Invoices were paid before purchase orders were raised. No checks were done to see whether CRB forms or licenses were in place. Sadly Matthew hasn't yet informed us whether he thinks that a bit more bureaucracy may have been a good thing. There are also stacks of small  businessmen operating as consultants getting paid a fortune by Barnet Council. One of these is the consultancy firm operated by Mr Andrew Travers. He works as Barnet Council's Deputy CEO  and his company gets paid around £14K  a month for his services. There are apparently 9,700 vendors who supply services to Barnet Council. I wonder how many of these have official contracts? I wonder how many of these get invoices paid before purchase orders are raised?

I run a small business. I am a member of the Federation of Small Business and I'd love to see Cheese Shops and other small businesses regenerating the High Streets of Barnet. Sadly, it seems to me that if you are in the business of setting up Cheese shops in Barnet, or any other sort of small business which is not council subsidised, you will get no help whatsoever. Here's an example. A friend of mine who runs a landscape gardening firm had to bid for some work with the Council. He had to fill in a document with over 60 pages of procurement documentation and 13 pages of legal documents. All of this for a contract worth £50K. He simply couldn't believe that Metpro could operate with nothing, having been forced to jump through so many hoops.

Let me tell you another thing. Several years ago, before I was a blogger or politically active, I discussed the issue of Business rates appeals with Tory Councillor John Hart. He said "They are a waste of time. The council always wins. I was on the rates appeal board for 13 years". I informed him I'd won several appeals and got thousands of pounds back. His response "We'll I find that rather hard to believe" (this was a bloke who'd knocked on my door, trying to win my vote). I've subsequently advised at least a dozen other small businesses in the process and all have achieved a reduction and a rebate.

Anyway I have this message to Matthew Offord MP. It is time to start living up to your promises to REAL small businesses. It is time to start "creating an atmosphere where someone would think Mill Hill Broadway is a great place to start a cheese shop". You may want to see just how much interest Matthew Offord MP has taken in small business - Here's his recent appearences - http://www.theyworkforyou.com/search/?pid=24955&pop=1#n4