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New Iraqi and Kurdish restaurant to open in Ipswich's Tacket Street

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A new restaurant offering Iraqi and Kurdish cuisine will open "in the next couple of weeks" in Ipswich town centre.

Why it matters: Baghdad, located on Tacket Street in Ipswich's town centre, will bring traditional Middle Eastern flavours to Ipswich, offering local diners the chance to experience cuisines with ancient roots dating back to the fertile crescent.

The big picture: Iraqi cuisine reached its peak during the Islamic Golden Age when Baghdad was the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258 AD), while Kurdish culinary traditions share cultural similarities with neighbouring regions, including Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, and Armenia.

Baghdad, a Kurdish and Iraqi restaurant in Ipswich
Baghdad will open its doors to diners in the next two weeksOliver Rouane-WilliamsIpswich.co.uk

What to expect: While specific menu details have not yet been confirmed, here's what you could expect:

  • Both cuisines are known for extensive use of fresh herbs and spices

  • Iraqi cuisine varies by region, with pomegranate-flavoured dolma in the north and fish dishes common in the south

  • Popular Kurdish dishes include biryani, white rice dishes (with meat or vegetables), and various salads and pastries

  • Traditional beverages include sweetened black tea and strong coffee

Location: The restaurant will occupy the former Salt 'n' Pepper café premises on Tacket Street, which closed in November 2023.

The bottom line: The restaurant is in the final stages of the fitting-out process. When it opens its doors in the next couple of weeks, Baghdad will become the town's first Iraqi and Kurdish restaurant.

Attwells staff outside their Ipswich office

An award-winning local law firm

Rated as "Excellent" on Review Solicitors with an impressive 4.8/5 on Feefo.

Attwells staff outside their Ipswich office

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Farage more trusted than Starmer in East of England, latest poll finds

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Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is more trusted to represent the UK internationally than PM Keir Starmer among East of England voters, new polling reveals.

Why it matters: The findings highlight a significant decline in trust for the main party leaders in the region less than a year after the general election.

The poll, conducted by communications agency PLMR and Electoral Calculus, shows Farage ranked highest among named leaders at 19% in the East of England, ahead of Sir Keir Starmer (13%), Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch (6%) and Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Ed Davey (5%).

Nigel Farage
Nigel FarageAlamy

The bigger picture: One in three voters (33%) in the region responded "none of the above" when asked which political figure they would trust most, suggesting a broader decline in overall trust in UK political leaders.

By the numbers: The same poll indicates Reform UK would become the largest party in the region if an election were held tomorrow:

  • Reform: 21 seats

  • Conservatives: 10 seats

  • Labour: 4 seats

  • Liberal Democrats: 2 seats

  • Greens: 1 seat

In contrast: Nationally, Farage and Starmer are tied at 16% among those who named a preference, highlighting a more polarised national picture, with the Reform UK leader building more trust with voters in the East of England specifically.

What they're saying: "This polling highlights a significant decline in trust for the two main party leaders among East of England voters when it comes to representing the UK on the international stage," said Tim Miller , Managing Director of PLMR Genesis , the East of England branch of PLMR.

Reform and Nigel Farage have seemingly been able to capitalise on this and it's now translating into voting intentions, with the Party set to overtake Labour and the Conservatives in the region with the largest number of seats – a seismic political shift.

Between the lines: The poll suggests Reform would make strong gains across the region, potentially taking seats from both major parties:

  • Suffolk: Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket from Labour

  • Essex: Braintree from the Conservatives and Thurrock from Labour

  • Cambridgeshire: North East from the Conservatives and North West from Labour

  • Norfolk: North West from the Conservatives and South West from Labour

Tim Miller on a backdrop of Ipswich from above and political party colour overlays
Tim Miller of PLMR GenesisOliver Rouane-WilliamsIpswich.co.uk

The national outlook: The survey of 5,180 adults showed Reform securing 25% of the vote share nationally, compared to 23% each for Labour and the Conservatives. This would translate to 227 seats for Reform, 180 for Labour and 130 for the Conservatives.

The bottom line: "If Labour wants to keep Reform at bay, hold onto the gains they made in the East of England and remain in government in four year's time, the Party needs to focus on getting their message across more clearly to voters and instil confidence in their domestic agenda," Miller concluded.

Attwells staff outside their Ipswich office

An award-winning local law firm

Rated as "Excellent" on Review Solicitors with an impressive 4.8/5 on Feefo.

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