Lisa Horner Writer & Artist

Pete White took over the management of what was Hall + Co and then Jemm's Coffee Shop in Ramsden Heath in December 2019.  He approached it with great dedication and enthusiasm and has good plans for the place. Through word of mouth and social media people have noticed!  It was crazily busy over the Christmas period and is still busy now.  When you walk into the coffee shop, that does an excellent range of cold and cooked food, it is alive with chatter and happy customers.  It is a multi-cuisine café and serves breakfast, lunch, drinks and coffee.  Bookings and walk-ins are welcome, it is very child-friendly and welcomes group bookings and parties.  It does a takeaway service and as Pete used to be a private chef catering is definitely his forte.  But it's not all about Pete, the rest of the staff are excellent too, Aimée, Louise, Mandy, Keeley, Susan and Violeta to name a few.  You usually get a friendly welcome when you enter the café and there are many regular custo

It was really nice to meet Sylvia and have a chat with her about her long career in writing, as a journalist and author.  She also had a very interesting former career at Westminster.  Being the kind lady she is she gave me lots of tips on journalism and writing, telling me about websites to look at etc. I first came across Sylvia when she wrote me an email inviting me to go on her Book Club on Michelle Ward's show 'Eat My Brunch' on Phoenix FM after my second book had come out (Lost Basildon).  I've met her since at the Society of Women Writers and Journalists Christmas Tea and the Brentwood Writers Circle and think she is an all round good egg, a goodun'.  Someone who has done well in life and likes to help others achieve success. Read one of Sylvia's historic articles on the website of 'Enjoy Brentwood More' here . https://lisajanehorner.wixsite.com/lisahornerauthor

YARDLEY London, that legendary purveyor of perfumes, soaps and toiletries will celebrate its 250 th anniversary this year.    The company which was once called Yardley of London is one of the oldest brands in the history of perfume, toiletries and cosmetics.   It has been awarded ‘Royal Warrant of Appointment’ six times, starting with Edward, Prince of Wales in 1921 then including the Queen and the late Queen Mother and most recently, in 1995, Charles, Prince of Wales. At the end of January 2020 it will be 21 years since Yardley of London closed its doors at its site in Basildon.   The last man to leave was security guard Roy Davis.   He locked everything up and put the key through the door in January 1999.   Unfortunately the company had got into financial problems in the mid-1990s and it went into receivership in 1998 after a year of marketing attempts to try and turn around its then old-fashioned image even though it had swapped Helena Bonham Carter for supermod