Celebrate the spirit of Local Small Business’

The Newland Cobbler

Whilst a well known, high street, nationwide retailer has had rather a lot of publicity this week as it’s CEO was appointed the new Prisons Minister, I wanted to shine a HUGE spotlight on one of our very own Lincoln based, born and bred independent businesses.

THE NEWLAND COBBLER, owned & run by Norman Elliot, will have been refurbishing your shoes and bags for 30 years this December, no easy feat! (excuse the pun) Having troublesome pins myself, I’ve always used a cobbler, a skilled craftsman, to tweak my shoes when needed, either using the cobbler in the old indoor market or Mr Rose on Boultham Park Avenue, but these are no more. And then other day I needed some keys cutting, but wanting to avoid the high street chain, I remembered I’d seen The Newland Cobbler when I was on my Lincoln Free Walking tour, looking at Roman remains at the Council offices, so I headed on down to Newland.

Once inside you are greeted by a smorgasbord of shoe laces, insoles, leather waxes and creams in more colours than I have shoes. He’ll repair your boots & shoes, from hand stitched leather brogues to Birkenstocks and steel toe capped biker boots using a fabulous 100year old sewing machine, still propelled by its original cast iron, foot pedal. If your shoes have been savaged by your pet pooch he can patch them up & if child’s rucksack has been flung too far he can sew it back together, or put in a new zip in.

The Newland Cobbler is located to the west of the city, opposite Lucy Tower Street, an area which was once populated by about 7000 officers workers who’d visit him to get their footwear repaired, bags restitched and belts mended, but the pandemic and the ‘work from home’ culture has drastically cut the footfall in this part of town, and has recently been compounded by the current, long term, roadworks all along Newland and closing of parts of the footpaths making it increasingly difficult for passing trade.

I’m sure I’m already preaching to the converted and locally knowledgeable, but in a time where we are encouraged think more about our environment, to reuse, recycle and refurbish, the skills and services like Normans are vital. So I’ve been compelled to shout out about a fellow small business, trying to make a living, not located in the newly developed areas of the city or the historical quarter where I am. We can’t forget about these small business’ who are the heartbeat of your neighbourhood, the spine of your local economy and the spirit of your city, so please go and get your shoes repaired or some new insoles to help stop those bunions forming.

The Newland Cobbler, 31A Newland, Lincoln

tel 07907 335785

Cobble your shoes here

Cooking La Dolce Vita in the Lincolnshire Countryside

Did you, like me, have notions of learning a new skill during those indefinite days of lockdown? Did you start making your own bread, learn to crochet, take up photography or master the downward dog?

For me I wanted to learn how to make pasta and after a quick google & watching a Jamie Oliver youtube of him making pasta dough from scratch, I thought how hard could it be? I don’t possess a food mixer, so attempted the 'kitchen worktop' method. Well my patience lasted one bag of 00 flour and a couple of free range eggs and then back to Tesco wholewheat fusilli I went.

3 years later, and on the hottest day of the year so far, I found myself in the middle of the Lincolnshire countryside, on a pig farm, in a beautifully converted barn at The Lincolnshire Cookery School on their ‘Pasta Mania’ course. The school is the run by Fiona Lucas, located at Hill Farm, in Snelland - and from the moment you enter the building you are swept up in Fiona’s warm, fun and approachable personality. You’re there for the day, not just an hour or so, but with Fiona’s knowledge and passion shining through, the day whizzes by in a flurry of Magimix, a dusting of flour and a generous glug of olive oil. 

Lincolnshire Cookery school

For each stage there was a short demonstration by Fiona, then we simply got stuck in with hands on cooking. First, we learnt how to make fresh pasta dough and use a pasta machine to create tagliatelle, which we used for a Carbonara, my all time favourite pasta recipe and this one was probably best I’ve ever tasted. Next was filled pasta, I stuck to Ravioli with ricotta, garlic, spinach and walnuts, while others got adventurous creating Tortellini. I made some pasta bows with the left over pasta dough (now dried and in my kitchen cupboard waiting to be used) and we even snuck in some gnocchi (not technically pasta, but who cares they were fun to make and bloomin’ delicious)

Fiona is so patient, which is a good job because I wasn’t the fastest pasta maker *, but her charisma also creates an atmosphere where no one feels they are going too slowly or too quickly for that matter, and because the class sizes are limited, it's more like you are having a one-to-one lesson. (* i was also taking the photos, although not of the Carbonara, I was too busy sampling that!) Fiona is also a member of Ladies in Pigs, a group who support the pig industry by working to increase the awareness of Red Tractor Pork, bacon, ham, gammon and pork products, particularly in local schools.

As well as all the ingredients being provided we were given a delicious lunch and refreshments were plentiful throughout the day, in fact the only thing you need to bring with you are some containers to take your pasta creations home and a tray for your pasta bows to finish drying out on, which I didn't have, so cobbled together some tinfoil laid on a car mat.

The Lincolnshire Cookery School won the Destination Lincolnshire's Experience of the Year 2023 Award, and for good reason! There’s a course for all tastes and skills; from baking bread to patisserie, pies, pasties & puddings to Indian, Asian, Spanish & Italian. I haven’t covered even a third of the courses available, but as the tagline says ‘Nothing beats the taste of freshly made pasta’ and there are now 3 new pieces of pasta making equipment in my kitchen.