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Foraging In New Hall Valley & Food Fit For A King
Plus a free charity breakfast event you don't want to miss
Jason Mills
June 12, 2025
WEATHER
Thurs: 22°C 🌦️ | Fri: 23°C 🌦️ | Sat: 21°C 🌦️ | Sun: 21°C 🌦️
Good morning Royal Sutton Coldfield,
Welcome back to the only Sutton newsletter that eats like a king and tells you all about it.
That’s right, my efforts to get the Bali beach body in order are being well and truly derailed due to my Sutton Insider commitments and the need to bring you news of what’s going on and where to visit locally.
I’m not complaining though, as this week’s Sutton Spotlight was well worth the extra calorie intake and was so good I’m visiting again tonight!!! So I can’t blame the newsletter on that one - just my lack of self control for utterly amazing food!
As we get ready to officially say hello to Summer, there’s a fantastic free charity event to mark the changing of the seasons of which more details are below.
Let’s get in to it…
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SUTTON SPOTLIGHT
A Treat Fit For A King (and his arms)
Last Thursday I was all excited about wine tasting at Sutton Town Hall when it was postponed at the last minute. Quickly, myself and a couple of friends decided to regroup and figure out what to do instead - so we decided to try Kings Arms.
Having read so many good things sent in from readers of the newsletter about this pub stroke Indian food and grill restaurant, it made perfect sense. The promise of good food and good beer awaited.
And I’m pleased to say it excelled on every level!
First and foremost let’s talk about the food. Think sizzling platters of perfectly marinated meats, curries and some of the nicest naan bread I’ve ever tasted (and I’ve tasted my fair share) and you are getting close to realising how good this place is.
The food is fair value for the portion sizes and quality. We rather gluttonously shared a large mix grill with a couple of curries, rice and naan - and washed it down with Robinsons’ Dizzy Blonde Pale Ale.
The food was exquisite and the Harjari Chicken marinated in fresh coriander, mint, lemon and ginger was a particular highlight for me - and the colour - wow!
The staff were beyond friendly and the fact it was fairly busy on a Thursday evening is, I guess, a testament to how popular they are. They also do takeaway and meals for kids so everyone is catered for.
It’s so good, I’ll be heading there again this evening before whisky tasting at Leviathan 😃
GET INVOLVED
Free Table Tennis Launches Tomorrow
Ping Pong Parlour is coming to Sutton Coldfield Town Centre and this means you can enjoy free table tennis from 9am to 6.30pm daily.
Located between Bert & Gerts and Bodycare, the pop up ping pong officially launches tomorrow at 4pm with what promises to be an exciting exhibition match between two local young talents.
Wajid Wafiq takes on Bishop Vesey’s Zain Hussain in should be a fantastic spectacle to kick off this great initiative.
GET INVOLVED
Summer Charity Breakfast At Sweetfields
After a rather exerting padel match on Sunday morning, I visited Sweetfields in Wylde Green where Robert told me all about a charity breakfast they are holding on June 21st.
The Open Garden Summer Charity Breakfast is their way of officially kicking off summer and takes place at Sweetfields Cafe in Wylde Green from 10am until 1pm.
Expect great food, live music and a wonderful atmosphere as breakfast is served free of charge. Instead of paying for your food, Sweetfields will be asking for donations - all the proceeds of which will go to YMCA Sutton Coldfield - helping disadvantaged children and young people in our community.
It’s no secret that Sweetfields has fast become one of my favourite local cafes and I do hope as many of you as possible can make it on the 21st to support this fantastic initiative.
Hopefully see you there.
LOCAL
Foraging in New Hall Valley
Alvaro Dock is offering one-to-one foraging walks to help you explore the range of wild food that is growing in the area. These walks are perfect for anyone who is curious about nature and wild plants and wants to find out which ones are edible (or inedible).
He describes his walks as “No big groups. No awkward moments. Just a relaxed, hands-on ramble at your pace. Think of it as a walk with a curious friend, not a botany lecture.”
Whether you are a keen chef, wellness practitioner, budding gardener or simply want to get outside and do something different, then his foraging walks could be just the thing for you.
Sessions involve 1 hour of exploring New Hall Valley Country Park where you’ll learn how to ID some seasonal wild edibles, how to forage safely and respectfully, and maybe pick up a bit of random plant trivia if you’re into that. He currently has an introductory offer of £30 per session.
Visit his website here to find out more or book a session
WHAT’S ON
Local Cinema Showings This Weekend
Here’s what’s on this weekend at your local cinema. View times and book here
Film Title | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|
Lilo & Stitch (U) | 14:30, 16:30, 17:45 | 10:40, 13:30, 16:15 | 10:40, 13:15, 15:30 |
Karate Kid: Legends (12A) | 15:30 | 15:00, 18:00 | 15:00, 18:10 |
How To Train Your Dragon (PG) | 11:10, 14:00, 17:00, 20:00 | 11:00, 14:00, 15:20, 17:00, 20:00 | 11:00, 14:00, 17:00, 20:00 |
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (12A) | 10:50, 19:30 | 11:30, 19:00 | 11:30, 16:00, 19:30 |
Ballerina (15) | 20:15 | 20:10 | 20:20 |
The Salt Path (12A) | 11:45, 17:00, 19:00 | 17:15, 19:45 | 17:15, 19:45 |
Peppa Meets The Baby Cinema Experience | 11:30 | 10:00, 10:50 | 10:00, 10:50 |
The Ballad Of Wallis Island (12A) | 13:15, 14:15 | 12:30 | 12:30 |
EMPLOYMENT
Local Jobs Roundup
New local employment opportunities:
Loss Prevention Officer at Next - Details
Part-Time Teacher Of Maths at Sutton Girls - Details
Lunchtime Cover at Banana Moon Day Nursery - Details
LLOP/ VNA Driver Night Shift - Details
Retail Assistant Manager at Majestic Wines - Details
LOCAL DEALS
Senior Cinema Films For June
Don’t forget you can enjoy a movie, hot drink and biscuits for just £5 on Wednesday’s at 11am at the Royal Cinema.
Coming up in June:
18th June: The Alto Knights
25th June: Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy
SUTTON SOLVER
Can you answer this Sutton Solver?
Can you answer the following question? If so, hit reply and give us your answer for the chance to feature next week:
Q: What was the name of the residence built by Bishop Vesey in Sutton Coldfield??
Is it A) Moor Hall B) New Hall C) Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School
The correct answer to last week’s question was A - Sutton Coldfield McDonalds did indeed introduce classical music to deter disruptive behaviour. Congrats to Alison Cupples who answered correctly and said ‘I'm sure I remember thinking it was an odd choice for them to play classical music.’
LIVE MUSIC & OTHER EVENTS THIS WEEKEND
What’s Going On In Sutton This Week…
📅 Thursday, 12th June 2025 (Today)
🎤 Amigos Open Mic at The Rhodehouse
🕖 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM
📍 The Rhodehouse, 123 Parade, Sutton Coldfield
ℹ️ Join Doug Foulger’s house band for an open mic night – come to perform or just enjoy live music (free entry).
🔗 Event Info🍼 Parent & Baby Film: The Salt Path
🕥 10:30 AM
📍 Royal Cinema Sutton Coldfield
ℹ️ Relaxed screening session with lights dimmed and sound lowered—bring babies and toddlers.
🔗 More Info🎭 Stepping Out – Drama by Richard Harris
🕢 7:30 PM
📍 Highbury Theatre Centre
ℹ️ A delightful comedy/drama about an amateur dance class—part of the run from 10–21 June.
🔗 More Info
📅 Friday, 13th June 2025
🎤 Pet Shop Boys Actually
🕖 7:00 PM – 11:45 PM
📍 The Rhodehouse, 123 Parade, Sutton Coldfield
ℹ️ ‘Pet Shop Boys, Actually’ is a lively tribute act delivering iconic hits like Go West, It’s a Sin, and West End Girls with authentic style, vocals, and energy.
🔗 Event Info🎭 Stepping Out – Drama by Richard Harris
🕢 7:30 PM
📍 Highbury Theatre Centre
ℹ️ A delightful comedy/drama about an amateur dance class—part of the run from 10–21 June.
🔗 More Info
📅 Saturday, 14th June 2025
🎸 Madison Avenue UK – Live Band
🕖 From 7:00 PM
📍 The Rhodehouse, 123 Parade, Sutton Coldfield
ℹ️ Live covers band performing indie and pop classics.
🔗 More Info🧺 Picnic in the Park – Millennials Assemble
🕜 1:30 PM
📍 Boldmere Gate, Sutton Park
ℹ️ Bring a blanket and picnic for a relaxed community meetup (family & adults welcome).
🔗 Event Info🎸 Under The Covers – Live Band
🕖 From 7:30 PM
📍 Sutton United Football Club
ℹ️ Under The Covers are a well established Rock'n'Roll band covering classics from U2, Queen and The Beatles, amongst others
🔗 More Info🎭 Stepping Out – Drama by Richard Harris
🕢 7:30 PM
📍 Highbury Theatre Centre
ℹ️ A delightful comedy/drama about an amateur dance class—part of the run from 10–21 June.
🔗 More Info🎸 Tom Jones & Band – Tribute Night
🕘 9:00 PM
📍 The Walmley Club
ℹ️ A high-energy tribute to Tom Jones—smart casual dress code & 18+ only.
🔗 Get Tickets
As always, so much going on and some new openings to try and get to. The Pottery Shed who are going to be stocking my very own Matcha Flow has recently opened at Heart of the Country Village on the A38 and I for one can’t wait to go and check it out (we are heading there on Wednesday next week).
And then we have The Real Pizza Company who also open this week and I’ll be looking to check out soon.
Whatever you are up to this weekend I hope you have a great one.
See you next week.
Sincerely,
PS - Interested in working with us or have news to share? We’ve recently reduced our rates across all sponsored slots and they are getting booked up fast. You can browse our sponsored rates and slots as well as our verified stats here.