In a guest post for the Harborne Mile, Prospective parliamentary candidate for the Conservative Party Deirdre Alden (pictured)  predicts the General Election will bring national attention to the village for her fight for the Edgbaston seat with incumbent Labour MP Gisela Stuart.

On Tuesday, Gisela contributed this to the debate on the Yemeni situation:

• The Foreign Secretary mentioned radicalisation; will he undertake also to have close talks with the Saudi Government? They have some programmes that may seem unorthodox to some western eyes, but that nevertheless seem to be working in the Saudi and Arab context. I think that we should learn from that.

See the Foreign Secretary’s reply and the debate in full here

Now thankfully, following somewhat of a foodie revolution in Brum, Harborne has its fair share of places to eat. I’ve tried a few but there’s one I keep going back too – Buonissimo the Italian restaurant in Albany Road.

It’s pretty well known, I’ve even said hello to Dalziel and Pascoe actor Colin Buchanan in there, but despite its popularity it has kept the things that make me and others want to go back.

The food is good and very consistent – it won’t win any Michelin stars but it’s the kind of place that is still quite rare in the UK, a neighbourhood restaurant where everything comes together and where you can go whatever the occasion.

I’ve eaten there with my partner, with friends, in a big group after a day at the Ashes and most recently for our agency Christmas lunch. Every time it has been spot on.

Providing a welcoming and friendly atmosphere may or may not be in Italian genes but it certainly is in Matteo Aiello’s. He started out working at Valentino’s when it was run by his uncle and with Buonissimo he has topped that.

He doesn’t go in for cliché’s so you won’t find a ceiling full of Chianti bottles, checked tablecloths or a menu stuffed with the usual suspects. What you will find is a seasonally changing menu with fresh and often organic ingredients including meat sourced from another Harborne stalwart Roger Brown the butchers.

On my last visit I had the Fettina steak, the meat is flattened into wafer thin pieces and char grilled, followed by a Panettone pudding with crème anglaise. Both were great and given I’ve tried Panettone in many guises and it usually leaves me cold but the dessert was a pleasant surprise. Think bread and butter pudding but lighter and richer.

There’s a good wine list at reasonable prices but there is one choice that has me breaking all the rules about what wine you should drink with what food. I usually end up with the Pino Grigio – a rather special copper coloured version of this wine from the Veneto near Venice.

Prices are mid-range and in my view good value for money.

It’s always fun to eat at Buonissimo and none more so than when they’ve got the next menu in proof form. There’s been plenty of banter while I’ve tried to point out minor literals – I’ve even attempted to spot errors in the Italian much to Matteo’s disgust.

If there’s a problem at Buonissimo it’s the parking – but then that’s a Harborne wide problem these days and something to come back to another time in another post.

Brian Homer

Buonissimo

1 Albany Road

Harborne

0121 426 2444

www.buonissimouk.com

I was at school at Emerson Road before it merged with Station Road, High Street before it closed and became the Clock Tower and Five Ways from just before it moved to Bartley Green. But none of these events were due in any way to me…

So my roots in Harborne run deep. My family rented a house on the Moorpool Estate from 1920 until my mum died in 2004. My great-uncle Harry lived in High Street opposite St John’s Church.

But my interest in Harborne is not just in its past – it is in its people and the community. Harborne remains for me “the Village” – one of Birmingham’s most complete suburbs with a distinct, though changing, identity. And I’m interested in hyperlocal (whatever that really means) blogging having been involved in local publishing in various ways.

I’m also intrigued to be contributing to a blog set up by an ex-editor of the Birmingham Post as my first experience in journalism and photography was through W E Hall, my friend’s dad and resident of Park Hill Road, who was a journalist and deputy editor on the same rag. Later on I learned a lot from Derek Bishton, a Features Editor on the Post, when he moonlighted on Grapevine Magazine.

Anyway it would be interesting to see if Harborne is still called “the Village” – I feel a poll coming on.

Brian Homer

As a theatre worker and general arts enthusiast, I’m always keen to engage in the cultural life of the area I live in. Trouble is, where on earth do you start? There’s the Harborne Orchestra which performs three times a year, and amateur theatre group The Moorpool Players, but what else? Is there a whole gamut of activity that I’m missing out on? If there is I’d love to know about it.

So, we come to the challenge I’m laying out. I want to sample more of Harborne’s cultural life, seek out what makes it special, even unique, and blog about what I find. Accepting that ‘culture’ and ‘events’ are broad categories I’ll try not to limit it only to music and theatre, though I’ll certainly look at those too.  To aid me in my quest, if you know of, or are running, any events, groups or upcoming performances that you’d like to recommend – and this can include local book clubs, knitting groups, quiz nights, acoustic sessions and so on- let us know and I’ll do my best to get along and check it out. To make this work these really need to be events or groups which are open to the public or are available for new members to join.

I hope by giving this a go to get a better sense of existing activity and perhaps reveal a few gaps in the cultural cloth of Harborne. Who knows, perhaps someone reading this blog wants to set up a contemporary art class? A music appreciation society? Macaroni animal sculpture anyone?

Claire Procter

Quick update: After some digging around online I’ve come across the local strategic partnership. Given that part of their remit is culture and events I’m hoping that they can shed some light on upcoming and ongoing activity in the area. Will make contact and keep you posted…

Today – by my counting – there are 11 pubs along Harborne high street and within walking distance. So rather than just post a few reviews of my favourites I thought it could be fun to invite a few interested folk to join me in the Harborne Run, and we can do some live reviewing as we go along. Granted, our critique might not be as sharp towards the end of the day, but that’s the chance we’ll take!

Suggested route as follows, if I’ve missed any obvious places please add them in the comments. I am missing out some further field, like The Old House at Home and The Scarlet Pimpernel.

• The White Swan
• The Green Man
• The Plough
• The Sportsman
• The White Horse
• The Harborne Stores
• The Varsity
• The Junction
• The New Inn
• The Vine
• The Bell Inn

For those interested in coming along, either for a swift half or the long haul, suggested date is Saturday 20 February starting at 12 midday. That should hopefully mean we can refuel with lunch on the way, and maybe even grab a kebab at the finish…. More details closer to the time!

Ruth Ward

I’m looking forward to sharing some of my favourite things about the place, as well as hopefully hearing about a few new ones!

Absolutely agree, but I simply haven’t had time to go out with my box brownie and get some great new pictures.

Which is where you come in – if you want to help.

We’ve set up a new group on Flickr called The Harborne Mile, and if you’d like any of your pictures to be considered for the ‘masthead’ image at the top of the blog – or to be showcased elsewhere in the site, please join the group ad submit your pictures there.

Happy snapping!

This week: