Good Morning, Hertford! 🍂

The clocks have gone back, the kids are still off, and Halloween lands on Saturday. Busy? Just a bit.

Good news first: after a soggy start today, the rest of the week looks dry and bright, so the pumpkin carving, toy swaps and trick-or-treating are all on. Then we roll straight into fireworks week, with Ware's big bonfire night, a 45-stall Christmas market at Southern Maltings and Remembrance Sunday in the town centre.

We’ve got a recipe of the week for those dark, cosy evenings, and a screen-free half-term kit with a local colouring competition and six science podcasts the kids will actually ask for. Plus, the aspirational property of the week is a Bengeo beauty that backs straight onto the Common.

👇 Here’s what we’ve got for you this week:

• What’s On

• Town Talk: A by-election result + Remembrance road closures

• Kiddies Scoop: The half-term grand finale

• Eye Catching Deals: Sunday lunch at Zodiac

• Property Of The Week: Dream big in Bengeo

• Weather: Wet Tuesday, then the sun comes out to play

• Mind, Health & Fitness: Cosy, crowd-pleasing recipe

• Extra Sprinkles: Your screen-free half-term kit

What’s On

🎭 Arts + Entertainment

Pumpkin Paint & Sip
📅 Wed 28 Oct | 19:00-21:00 📍 The Practitioner, Hertford
A glass in one hand, a brush in the other and 3 mini painted pumpkins to take home. The perfect midweek half-term escape for the grown-ups. 🎟 £30 pp - Grab an easel

Hertford Art Society Members’ Show
📅 Fri 30 Oct - Sun 1 Nov | 10:00-18:00 (Sun until 16:00) 📍 Cowbridge Halls, Hertford
One of the town’s best-loved art shows. Browse local members’ work, pick up an original or some artist greetings cards, and stay for tea and cake. 🎟 Have a look

Home for Tea: Halloween Special
📅 Sat 31 Oct | 15:00-22:00 📍 Mad Squirrel, Hertford
Ibiza legend Trevor Fung joins the Home for Tea residents for an afternoon-into-evening of funk, soul, disco and house. Free entry. Costumes optional, dancing compulsory. 🎟 More here

Arctic Monkeyz / Fontaines C.D
📅 Fri 6 Nov | 19:30-23:00 📍 Corn Exchange, Hertford
A tribute double header: Arctic Monkeys anthems, then Fontaines D.C. One ticket, two very sweaty sets. 🎟 £18 pp - Rock up here

Festive Candle Making Workshop
📅 Sat 7 Nov | 13:00-15:00 📍 Tewinbury Farm
Pemberley Candles walks you through pouring two scented soy candles and hand-rolling beeswax dinner candles. Beginner-friendly, and very handy for early Christmas presents. 🎟 £55pp - Book a spot

Legends and Landscapes
📅 Sat 7 Nov | 19:45-22:30 📍 BEAM, Hertford
Hertford Symphony Orchestra brings Wagner’s Flying Dutchman Overture, Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite and Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2 to BEAM. Big, sweeping, goosebump stuff. 🎟 £20 adults, £8 children/students - Book your seat

🎶 Live by the fire at The Stable, Tewinbury: Naz (Fri 30 Oct), Tom Wackett (Sat 31 Oct), Bec Quinn (Fri 6 Nov) and Sami Nathan (Sat 7 Nov). See who’s on

🏰 Community + Family

Makers & Bakers Farmers & Craft Market
📅 Sun 1 Nov | 10:00-15:00 📍 BEAM, Hertford
A hall full of local makers and bakers. Handmade gifts, homemade treats and a head start on the Christmas list. 🎟 Free entry - Pop along

Hertford Food Swap
📅 Sat 7 Nov | 10:30-11:30 📍 BEAM, Hertford
Got a glut of chutney, a cupboard of homebrew or one too many squashes? Swap anything home grown, cooked or preserved for something new. Arrive 10:30, swapping starts 11:15. 🎟 FREE - Info here

Ware Firework Display
📅 Sat 7 Nov | Gates 17:30-20:00 📍 High Oak Road, Ware, SG12 0QJ
The big one. Fireworks, a bonfire, hot food and drinks and children’s entertainment, all run by Round Table and Rotary volunteers for local charities. Early bird tickets end 5pm this Friday (30 Oct). 🎟 Bag your tickets

Christmas Winterfest Market
📅 Sat 7 - Sun 8 Nov | 10:00-15:00 📍 Southern Maltings, Ware
Around 45 stalls across two floors and the Malt Garden, with local art, crafts, decorations, wreaths and produce. Mulled wine, mince pies and a public piano on each floor. 🎟 FREE entry - Start your list

Remembrance Parade and Service
📅 Sun 8 Nov | From 10:30 📍 Hertford War Memorial, then All Saints’ Church
The parade leaves St Andrew Street car park, with the public welcome to gather at the War Memorial from 10:30 and follow the procession to All Saints’ for the 11:30 service. Road closures apply (see Town Talk). 🎟 FREE - Programme here

🌱 Health + Wellbeing

Hertford Runners Fright Night
📅 Tue 27 Oct | 18:50 📍 Hertford Bell Pub, Hertford
Dig out the costume and run if you dare. Hertford Runners are taking over the streets for a spooky Halloween run, with fancy dress, a Halloween playlist, a few scream-worthy exercises and some tricks and treats along the way. Watch out, dog walkers. 🎟 Just turn up - Find out more

Ayurvedic Awakening: The Restorative Ritual
📅 Thu 29 Oct | 18:30-20:00 📍 The Secret Space, 105 Fore Street, Hertford
Kasia guides you through meditation or Yoga Nidra, gentle breathwork and quiet reflection, finished with a warming herbal tea. 🎟 £25 pp - Reserve a place

Connect and Flow: Free Movement Mini Retreat
📅 Sun 1 Nov | 15:00-18:00 📍 The Secret Space, 105 Fore Street, Hertford
Molly Morrisey uses music and free movement to get you out of your head and into your body. Dance-like-nobody’s-watching energy, with a lovely teacher. 🎟 £38 pp - Find your flow

☕ Ongoing: Coffee & Coping, a free cuppa and a chat for men who could do with someone to talk to.

📣 Town Talk

Kingsmead has a new councillor. Conservative Rosemary Bolton won last week's Kingsmead by-election for East Herts Council with 575 votes, ahead of the Green Party's Drew Waller-Downes on 529 and Reform on 253. It leaves the Green and Lib Dem coalition with 25 of the council's 50 seats. Full result

Remembrance Sunday road closures. On Sun 8 Nov, from 10:00 to 13:00, Millbridge, The Wash, part of Fore Street and sections of Gascoyne Way will close for the parade. Plan your route (and your Sunday paper run) around it. A smaller Garden of Remembrance service also takes place in the Castle's Moat Garden on Wed 4 Nov, and all are welcome. Details

Two weeks left: how should Herts get around? The county's Local Transport Plan consultation (buses, trains, cycling, road safety and EV charging up to 2050) closes on Mon 9 Nov. Have your say

Kiddies Scoop

Pumpkin Carving Workshop at Van Hage
📅 Until Fri 30 Oct 📍 Van Hage, Great Amwell
Scoop, carve, create. Every child gets their own pumpkin and tools, a Halloween treat and an LED tea light so their masterpiece glows safely on the doorstep. An adult must stay throughout. Spaces are limited. 🎟 £6.99 per child - Book a slot

Mini Mozart: Room on the Broom
📅 Wed 28 Oct | 09:30 or 10:30 (45 mins) 📍 Tythe Barn, Tewinbury Farm
A live, interactive musical version of the much-loved story, with clarinet, sax, trombone and piano. For babies and toddlers, with older siblings up to 7 welcome. Bring a blanket, and show your ticket for 15% off at The Granary Kitchen afterwards. 🎟 £15 first child, £7.50 siblings - Book now

Fun Inflatable Sessions
📅 Thu 29 Oct | 11:00, 12:00 or 13:00 📍 Hartham Leisure Centre
Forty-five minutes of inflatable thrills and spills in the pool, plus a safety talk and life jacket fitting. Ages 5+; under-8s need a swimming adult. Book via the Everyone Active app or call 01992 584000. 🎟 £7.50 per session - Make a splash

Pinehurst Halloween Toy Swap
📅 Sat 31 Oct | 09:30-10:30 📍 Pinehurst Community Centre
Bring a pre-loved toy, swap it for a new-to-them one, then stay for Halloween crafts, drinks and spooky treats. The perfect free warm-up before trick-or-treating. 🎟 FREE - Info here

Toddler Tuesday: Fireworks
📅 Tue 3 Nov | 10:30-11:45 📍 Hertford Museum, 18 Bull Plain
Crafts, songs and stories with a fireworks theme for ages 2-4, with a drink and snack included. It will get messy, so leave the best clothes at home. Free places for low-income families. 🎟 £5.50 per child - Book your place

🔥 Eye Catching Deals

Sunday Lunch at Zodiac, Hanbury Manor
📅 Every Sunday | 12:30-16:00 📍 Zodiac, Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club.
Fancy a proper Sunday treat now the nights are drawing in? Zodiac, the modern British restaurant inside the 19th-century Hanbury Manor estate, serves a seasonal Sunday lunch that's made for long, lazy afternoons with family and friends. Think crispy-edged roasts, towering Yorkshires and the kind of dessert you'll photograph before you eat. 🎟 2 courses £38 | 3 courses £45 - Book a table

💪 Don't forget: Scoop readers get £10 off every Kim Shipton Method Strength Reformer Pilates class with code SCOOP10 (valid until 31 Dec). Book here

🏡 Property Of The Week

Danesbury Park, Bengeo, SG14

This week, we're dreaming big. Tucked away on a private road in Bengeo, this four-bedroom detached home has something money rarely buys in Hertford: a south-facing garden that backs straight onto the Common, with open views beyond.

Inside, nearly 3,000 sq ft gives you a large living room opening onto the garden, a separate dining room, a kitchen/diner, a second reception and a study. Upstairs there are four generous bedrooms and three bathrooms, including a principal suite with a dressing room and en-suite.

Parts of the house are ready for a refresh, and that's the appeal: a blank canvas on a generous plot in one of town's hardest-to-find spots. Add a carriage driveway, a double garage and an easy stroll to town and both stations. Freehold.

🔗 Take a look inside

🌦 Hertford Weather: 27 Oct - 2 Nov 2026

Today kicks off soggy, with a 73% chance of morning rain, but it clears to a mild 16°C by the afternoon. After that, the week dries right out. Expect partly cloudy skies and highs of 12-15°C, with a couple of foggy starts on Thursday and Saturday. Halloween Saturday begins with morning fog that lifts into afternoon sunshine and a high of 13°C, so trick-or-treating should stay dry. Wrap the little ghouls up warmly, though, as temperatures drop to around 7°C after dark.

Best days: Wednesday and Friday, with a crisp, bright Monday to follow.

✨ Mind, Health + Fitness

One cosy, crowd-pleasing recipe for the darker evenings. Because "what's for tea?" shouldn't be the scariest thing about Halloween week.

Creamy Chicken, Leek & Pancetta Pie 🥧 From @emthenutritionist | Serves 4 | Around 560 kcal and 32g protein per portion

👉 Get the full recipe here

🧁 Extra Sprinkles

Rainy morning, restless kids, tablet calling? Here are two things to try instead.

🖍️ Hertford Cake Co's Half-Term Colouring Competition Pop into Hertford Cake Co's Hertford shop to pick up a FREE colouring sheet, make it spooky and colourful at home, and drop it back by Friday 30 October. One lucky winner gets a box of Vanilla Halloween Cupcakes, ready to collect on Halloween. Open to all ages, so grown-ups can enter too. 🧁 More here

🎧 Six Science Podcasts Kids Actually Love Perfect for car journeys, quiet time or a calm half hour before bed. Rounded up by @the.science.mama:

• Atomic Adventures (ages 5-12): big science questions answered by a real scientist, who also happens to be a mum.

• Brains On! (ages 6-12): kid co-hosts tackle curious questions with experts, games and the odd song.

• But Why (ages 5-10): real questions sent in by kids, answered simply by the experts.

• Tumble (ages 6-12): the true stories behind famous scientific discoveries.

• Moment of Um (ages 4+): one curious question, answered in a few minutes, every weekday.

• Terrestrials (ages 7-12): wild-but-true nature stories with original songs, from the Radiolab team.

Which one did your kids love? Hit reply and tell us. 🎧

You’re now fully up to date, Hertford.

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