Citylife in Lichfield April 2021

Lichfield Chef Appears in
BBC TV Show
..............................
Liam Dillon, chef and owner of
award-winning local restaurant,
The Boat Inn, is making his mark on
the BBC TV Show – The Great British
Menu 2021.
The Lichfield chef is starring in the new
series of the television show The Great
British Menu which started on Wednesday
24th March on BBC TV 2 at 8pm.
Born and raised in Lichfield, Liam has cut
his teeth in several notable kitchens in the
UK, such as Marcus Wareing at The
Berkeley, Five Fields in Chelsea, and Story
by Tom Sellers in Bermondsey, London.
Travelling further afield, he’s also had stints
at Quay in Sydney, Noma in Copenhagen and other experience at Eleven
Maddison Park, New York.
Returning to his hometown, Liam opened The Boat Inn, based in
Lichfield, in 2017 and transformed this tired road-side pub into a Michelin
School’s Out – in Nature!
By Nicola Lynes & Kathryn Kavanagh
..............................
Throughout the pandemic, Transforming
the Trent Valley have been providing lots
of opportunities for people to continue
to connect with their local nature. Our Trent
Talks, Wildchild videos, downloadable
resources from our website have all been
available for families and adults to help them
explore the outdoors in their daily exercise or
home schooling.
Now that pupils are back in school, we are excited to announce new
resources to continue supporting teachers and community groups in exploring
and learning about nature. As children have returned to schools, it is recognised
that ensuring the wellbeing of children is just as important as catching up on
curriculum they have missed – with our mini school packs you can do both!
There are three mini school packs that will be available to download from
the Transforming the Trent Valley website; ‘Recreation and Relaxation’,
‘Landscape Evolution’ and ‘Role of the River’. Each pack consists of a master
teacher booklet and a children’s activity booklet, and can be completed in and
around your school grounds or home. These packs are aimed at KS1 and 2.
For older school years or community groups who would like to find out
more about the wildlife in the Trent Valley area, we have developed our ‘Wildlife
Monitoring Survey pack’ and ‘Wildlife Identification Guide’. These two printed
resources are designed to be used to contribute towards the monitoring and
reporting of key wildlife species in the Trent Valley, and contain instructions on
where to spot and how to report your wildlife sightings. You can request
printed packs, or download your own copy from our website. This pack will be
launched on Monday 19th April.
All the resources will be added to our website during April and will be free
to download thanks to our funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
You can find the links to register here:
www.thetrentvalley.org.uk/downloads.php
26
recommended, three AA rosettes restaurant (the only place in
Staffordshire to hold this accolade).
Drawing on his experiences from across the globe, Liam’s menu at The
Boat Inn is modern, honest, and focuses on British flavours with locality
at its heart. Known for quality-driven dishes, coupled with his
progressive approach to cooking, Liam's menus shine a spotlight on the
Midlands dining scene.
Liam said: “I grew up watching the programme, dreaming of being a
chef so it's a bit surreal, but also an honour, that here I am, years later, a
professional on the show.
“I enjoyed every single second. It was exciting, stressful... I was
surrounded by some amazing fellow chefs...it was actually a privilege to
be part of the programme.
"I am also extremely proud to be flying the flag for Staffordshire, and
representing my home town of Lichfield.
"It's been a tough year for everyone, especially those working in the
hospitality industry. Here at The Boat Inn, we've made many changes both
to the decor and the menu. We've also invested heavily in outdoor dining
and I and the team can't wait to
open the doors again and welcome
people back."
Liam’s menu for the Great British
Menu is creative, innovative and pays
homage to local pioneers such as
Lichfield born Samuel Johnson, who
wrote the early Dictionary of the
English language.
Bestselling Author’s Collection
Comes Home to Auction
...........................
The life’s work of a local
man and international
bestselling author,
credited as creating the technothriller,
is coming to auction in
Lichfield.
Craig Thomas’ 1977 landmark
Firefox was made into the 1982
Hollywood blockbuster of the
same name directed by and
starring Clint Eastwood.
Copyright to the book and the
former English teacher’s 17 other
Craig and Jill Thomas with Clint
Eastwood (courtesy of the Estate
of Jill Thomas)
novels – including two published under the pseudonym David
Grant – will be sold together as one collection by Richard
Winterton Auctioneers on Monday 12th April. A notice of
copyright assignment will be provided to the new owner.
Mr Thomas lived in Whittington with his wife Jill for many years.
He taught at Lichfield’s King Edward VI School and Shire Oak
School in Walsall Wood before the success of his debut novel Rat
Trap allowed him to move to writing full-time.
Fans regard Mr Thomas as the true inventor of the technothriller,
with his run of meticulously researched novels revolving
around cutting-edge technology.
Appropriately, the sale will be hosted online with live
international bidding through the internet.
Copyright to the 18 novels will go under the hammer at 9.30am
on Monday, April 12, as Lot 1 in Richard Winterton Auctioneers’
Antiques & Home Sale from The Lichfield Auction Centre.
For bidding and other enquiries, email
office@richardwinterton.co.uk or telephone 01543 251081.