Banbury Living Apr - May 2020

Contents 

A Note 

from the editor 

Hello Spring – I’ve been waiting for your 

arrival like a lovelorn maiden, excitedly 

hopping out of bed to look out the window 

for signs of new life and sunny skies. I 

know that in recent years April weather has 

been…unpredictable, but nevertheless I’m 

hopeful and cheery. 

A Culinary Easter Journey bites through to take you 

19Perfect through Northern the Ireland whole weekend 

Avid readers might remember reading 

about my new year’s pledge in a past 

issue – to walk, run or cycle 5km every 

day of 2020. Not having a bike, or access 

to a stationary one continues to be slightly 

problematic, but apart from a particularly 

grim night during a storm (I can’t remember 

which given name, we’ve had so many of 

late), I’ve done it! I’m not sure yet if I’m fitter 

or slimmer, but I’ve really enjoyed carving 

little moments out of my usually hectic day 

to go for a head-clearing walk. It’s never 

too late to start! 

We catch up with 

James Martin 

IN THIS ISSUE... 

04 What’s On 

17 

As the weather gets warmer, we share 

our pick of the best family events over 

April and May 

17 James Martin 

We catch up with TV’s favourite chef 

ahead of his appearances at Pub in 

the Park 

19 Easter Eats 

Catering for big occasions needn’t be a 

hassle - we bring together some simple, 

delicious dishes for the weekend 

22 Croatian Glamping 

Camping doesn’t get more lovely than 

on the Adriatic! We check out a luxury 

new glamping site in historic Pula 

25 Luxury Staycations 

If you have put a pause on long-haul 

travel plans, we have some fabulous 

stays closer to home 

28 Renew, Refresh 

A guide to home renovation products 

both big and small, if you are feeling the 

itch for a change this spring 

Spring Home 

Renovations 

28 

34 

Our Flooring 

Guide 

Editor Katie Thomson 

e katie.thomson@minervapublications.co.uk 

Publisher Sally Thomson 

Pre Press Manager Kate O’Connell 

Contributors Rebecca Rose, Matthew Biggs, Kate O’Connell, Lucy Saunders, 

Angela Cave. Front Cover courtesy of Clarence Court Eggs 

Key Account Manager Theresa Corns 

e theresa.corns@minervapublications.co.uk 

d/l 01225 308105 

twitter: @BanburyLiving 

w www.banburyliving.co.uk 

This issue we have really turned the focus 

on Easter, with cracking pressies and some 

egg-cellent recipes – hey, if you’re running 

five kilometres a day, you go ahead and 

enjoy that hot cross bun pudding! There’s 

also lots to look forward to in the calendar, 

with some of our favourite attractions 

opening again. 

Our chef this issue is James Martin, proud 

Yorkshireman and TV legend - we caught 

up with him ahead of his appearances at 

a raft of summer festivals and before the 

release of his new book. 

On the home front we’ve got a big feature 

on refreshing the home for spring, be that 

large-scale changes or little ideas to give 

you and your home a lift! 

We will see you again in June - when we 

will be in full summer mode! 

Katie 

MINERVA PUBLICATIONS 

County Gate, County Way 

Trowbridge, Wiltshire BA14 7FJ 

t 01225 308128 

w www.minervapublications.co.uk 

visit our website www.banburyliving.co.uk 

Disclaimer: The publishers shall not be held liable for any loss occasioned by failure of an 

advertisement to appear, or any damage or inconvenience caused by errors, omissions and 

misprints. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission from the 

publishers. The opinions expressed within are not necessarily those of the publishers. 

www.banburyliving.co.uk | 3

Banbury Farmers 

Market 

Market Place, Banbury OX16 5LG 

01295 221916 

www.cherwell.gov.uk 

Held on the first Friday every month 

8.30am - 1.30pm 

A range of good quality produce can be 

found at this popular monthly market. 

Batsford Arboretum 

Batsford Park, Moreton-in-Marsh GL56 9AB 

01386 701441 

www.batsarb.co.uk 

Saturday 25 April, 4am 

Dawn Chorus Wild Walk 

Join Batsford birding expert Arthur Ball for 

a stroll through the Arboretum to hear the 

beautiful dawn chorus. 

With more than forty years’ experience, 

Arthur will keep you informed and 

entertained about the native and visiting 

birds and help you identify them through 

their song. 

Saturday 25 April 

World Tai Chi Day at Batsford 

Intrigued by the ancient art of Tai Chi, or 

fancy helping us celebrate World Tai Chi 

Day at Batsford? 

Join the experts as they demonstrate this 

fantastic form of exercise for all ages and 

have a go yourself. This free session is a 

great introduction to Tai Chi. 

No booking required - just turn up and 

enjoy! 

Blenheim Palace 

Woodstock OX20 1PP 

01993 810530 

www.blenheimpalace.com 

Friday 10 - Monday 13 April 

Easter Entertainment 

The Pleasure Gardens will transform into an 

Easter wonderland with lots of interactive 

experiences, family-friendly activities, 

Easter trails and shows to enjoy. 

Find a traditional fairground, Dressing Up 

Tent, Princess Meet & Greet plus Punch 

and Judy and Fairy Stilt walkers. 

Sunday 19 April 

Blenheim 7K Fun Run 

The 1-mile Junior race, open to under 15s, 

starts before the main 7k and makes the 

event a great family day out. Race entry 

entitles you to entry to the palace grounds, 

enjoy the surrounding Parkland after the race. 

Saturday 2 - Sunday 3 May 

Jousting Tournament 

A weekend packed with action and 

entertainment, with knights on horseback 

charging in traditional tilt and battling on 

foot with the mighty mace and quarterstaff! 

Saturday 23 - Monday 25 May 

Blenheim Palace Food Festival 

Over 150 regional food and drink exhibitors 

will be on hand to tickle your taste buds, 

from artisan bakers, craft brewers, 

gourmet burgers and international cuisine 

to traditional ice creams and handmade 

sweets. 

Buckinghamshire 

Railway Centre 

Quainton, Aylesbury 7HP22 4BY7 

01296 655720 

www.bucksrailcentre.org 

Sunday 26 April 

Teddy’s Train Ride! 

Back by popular demand! Kids with a 

teddy go free! And Ted gets his own train 

ticket and goes on his very own steam train 

ride - on his own! 

Sunday 10 May 

Peppa Pig is Coming! 

Peppa will be making appearances 

throughout the day - don’t forget your 

cameras! 

Of course, you can also enjoy all the usual 

fun of the railway - take steam train rides, 

and take a trip on the miniature trains. 

Sunday 24 - Monday 25 May 

Spring Steam Gala 2020 

Visiting loco now confirmed as Hudswell 

Clarke no.750 ‘Waleswood’, newly restored 

from Chasewater Railway - our Millom’s 

big sister! Steam train rides all weekend. All 

available locos will be running! 


Diesel Day 

Go and admire the fleet of diesel shunters 

in action at this special day devoted to 

diesel plus ride the diesel engines on the 

miniature railway. 

Canons Ashby House 

Daventry NN11 3SD 

01327 861900 

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/canonsashby 

Friday 10 - Monday 13 April 

Cadbury Easter Egg Hunt 

A delicious Cadbury prize awaits at the end 

of the outdoor Easter trail. Take the family 

to explore the ancient parkland, get in 

touch with nature this spring and earn your 

tasty reward. 

Sunday 3 May, 4.55am 

Dawn Chorus Walk 

Wake up with the feathered friends of 

Canons Ashby at first light. Look and 

listen out for a variety of birds during their 

EVENTS GUIDE 

dawn chorus with an expert guide, before 

enjoying breakfast in the Stables Tearoom. 

Thursdays 7, 14 & 21 May 

Guided visit to Priory Church and 

Medieval Stew Ponds 

Find out more about the medieval history 

of Canons Ashby with a guided visit 

to the church, and then to the recently 

restored medieval stew ponds - an area not 

accessible to the public without a guide. 

Saturday 16 May 

Bach’s Coffee Cantata and works 

by Handel and Telemann 

J.S.Bach’s Coffee Cantata is a comedic 

piece depicting the rise of the coffee 

house and coffee addiction in 18th-century 

Germany. There will also be instrumental 

works by Telemann, and Handel. 

Eboracum Baroque perform on baroque 

instruments including the Harpsichord, 

Baroque Trumpet and Recorder alongside 

professional singers. 

Saturday 23 May - Monday 3 August 

Young Archaeologist Trail 

Use your detective skills! How do 

archaeologists discover what places were 

like in the past? Pick up a trail and get 

exploring, then collect your sticker from 

the shop. 

Friday 29 May, 7pm - 8.30pm 

Evening Nature Walk 

Take a walk with the experienced nature 

guides and see what creatures can be 

found as night starts to fall on Canons 

Ashby. 

Gloucestershire 

Warwickshire Steam 

Railway 

The Railway Station, Toddington, 

Cheltenham, GL54 5DT 

01242 621405 

www.gwsr.com 

Monday 13 April 

Easter Eggspress 

On Easter Monday why not enjoy a day 

out on one of the GWSR Easter Eggspress 

specials? Climb aboard a train at 

Cheltenham Race Course, Toddington or 

Broadway Station for this ‘eggsellent’ event 

which will be taking place at Winchcombe 

Station. 

Make sure you get off the train at 

Winchcombe as all of the free Easter 

activities are based there. Look out for the 

Easter Bunny when you arrive! 


Fish and Chip Specials 

The Gloucestershire Warwickshire 

Railway’s famous Fish and Chip Special 

Spring is finally here - check out what is 

happening in the area and enjoy! 

4 | www.banburyliving.co.uk

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Only use blue and/or white. 

For more details check out our 

Brand Guidelines. 

© National Trust 2019. Registered Charity no. 205846. Photography © National Trust Images 

Join us for our Easter Egg Hunt 

at Chastleton House & Garden 

Join us for a spring themed Easter Hunt at 

Chastleton on Fri 10, Sat 11 & Sun 12 April 

from 1pm to 4pm. Find the clues, solve the 

puzzles and claim your chocolate prize at the 

end. Trails £2.50, normal admisson applies. 

nationaltrust.org.uk/chastleton 

© National Trust 2020. Registered Charity no. 205846. 

Photography © National Trust Images/James Dobson. 

Spring adventures 

made at Canons Ashby 

Enjoy a great day out together: try a family 

trail, enjoy the gardens, or take a look around 

our fascinating house 

nationaltrust.org.uk/canons-ashby 


Train, “The Cheltenham Fryer”, will be 

offering a leisurely evening ride through the 

Cotswold countryside with the addition of 

a scrumptious fish and chips meal brought 

to your table. 

Saturday 25 andSunday 26 April 

Wartime in the Cotswolds 

You are invited to visit the nostalgic 1940s 

weekend for all the family. This year, will 

have an emphasis on the Home Front. 

Transport yourself back to September 1940 

and imagine you are waiting for a train at a 

small station on the Great Western Railway. 

Friday 8 May 

75th Anniversary of VE Day 

In line with the Government moving the 

Early May Bank Holiday to Friday, 8 May 

2020 to coincide with VE Day, which 

marks the 75th anniversary of the formal 

end of World War II, the Gloucestershire 

Warwickshire Steam Railway will be joining 

in with the commemorative events across 

the country. 

Saturday 23 - Monday 25 May 

Cotswold Festival of Steam 2020 

At least eight locomotives in steam! 

The small team behind the Cotswold 

Festival of Steam is planning yet another 

outstanding show with at least three visiting 

locomotives planned along with all of the 

‘home fleet’. 

Oxford Playhouse 

11-12 Beaumont Street OX1 2LW 

01865 305305 

www.oxfordplayhouse.com 

Saturday 4 - Sunday 5 April 

Room on the Broom 

Jump on board the broom with the witch 

and her cat in Tall Stories’ fun-filled 

adaptation of Room on the Broom. 

Tuesday 21 - Saturday 25 April 

The Birthday Party 

Harold Pinter’s most popular and widely 

performed play comes to Oxford. 

Set in a dilapidated seaside boarding 

house, the mysterious Stanley Webber 

receives a visit from two sinister strangers, 

Goldberg and McCann. They arrive on 

Stanley’s birthday - or is it? What do 

they want and why do they want to turn 

Stanley’s quiet world upside down? 

Tuesday 5 - Saturday 9 May 

I Think We Are Alone 

Two sisters are estranged and bicker over 

text. Their brittle and aggressive language 

is pushing them further apart when what 

they really want is to meet, clear the air and 

talk about the events that happened when 

they were young girls and haunt them still. 


Dead Ringers 

Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Lewis MacLeod 

and Duncan Wisbey - cue cards in hand 

- bring their radio studio to life in a stage 

show of acerbic political humour. Expect 

special appearances from Donald Trump, 

Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Jeremy Vine 

and John Humphrys, all given the Dead 

Ringers treatment. 

Friday 29 - Sunday 31 May 

Giraffes Can’t Dance 

A much-loved book for over 20 years, Giles 

Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees’ African 

jungle bursts to life with songs and a 

company of four playing warthogs, lions, 

rhinos, chimps and a very special violinplaying 

cricket. 

The Mill Arts Centre 

Spiceball Park, Banbury OX16 5QE 

01295 279002 

www.themillartscentre.co.uk 

Wednesday 8 April 

Soul Train 

Harking back to the wonderful days when 

the dance floor was king, the show features 

a fun presentation of 60s and 70s soul 

classics. From the early days of Tamla 

Motown, Stax and Atlantic Records though 

to the disco years and beyond (dig out 

those flares!) 


Women in Rock 

Since their fantastic debut in 2018, Women 

In Rock have been busy wowing audiences 

up and down the UK in theatres with their 

sell-out show. 

From Joplin to Quatro, Turner to Cher, 

Blondie to Joan Jett, this is a must-see 

show that will leave you cheering for more. 


Suzi Ruffell - Dance Like Everyone’s 

Watching 

Suzi Ruffell has made a name for herself by 

turning tragedy and anxiety into big laughs. 

This year she is actually happy. This show 

answers the question are all stand-ups at 

their best when they are miserable? Fingers 

crossed no! 


The Girl from Tiger Bay The Dame 

Shirley Bassey Story 

The Girl from Tiger Bay tells the unique 

story of Dame Shirley Bassey’s incredible 

rise to stardom and her magical career 

spanning 65 years. The ultimate ‘rags to 

riches’ tale, you will be dazzled by this epic 

musical show, chronicling this remarkable 

artiste’s journey from the back streets of 

Cardiff’s Tiger Bay, to the glitz and glamour 

of Monte Carlo Bay. 

The Theatre Chipping 

Norton 

Spring Street, Chipping Norton OX7 5NL 

01608 649126 

www.chippingnortontheatre.com 

Friday 3 April 

Clive Anderson - Me, Macbeth and I 

The host of Whose Line Is It Anyway, Loose 

Ends and Talks Back takes to the road with 

his much-anticipated first ever solo tour, in 

a one-man show guaranteed to be funnier 

than Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy. 


Mr. Men and Little Miss on Stage 

Join your favourite Mr. Men and Little Miss 

characters, as they leap off the pages 

of the world famous book series in this 

beautifully crafted live stage production. 

Featuring Mr Bump, Little Miss Splendid, 

Mr Tickle, Little Miss Inventor and many 

more, Happyland bursts to life in a series 

of colourful and timeless stories through 

puppets, music and interactive play. 

Tuesday 28 April 

The Fureys 

The Fureys have been entertaining 

audiences worldwide for 41 years and 

are responsible for some of the most 

stirring music ever to capture the public 

imagination. Their folk based music has 

received standing ovations in some of the 

biggest concert halls of the world 


La Voix 

Global Superstar La Voix’s show has 

become a phenomenon in many towns 

and cities around the world. 2020 sees La 

Voix’s most glamorous show yet taking 

the UK by storm. La Voix is heading 

to Chipping Norton with her incredible 

musicians for an unforgettable evening! 


Alistair McGowan - The Piano Show 

Following the surprise success of his 

Sony album, which reached No 1 in 

the UK Classical Album charts, comes 

Alistair McGowan’s new show, combining 

his talents as master impressionist and 

comedian with his new-found talent as a 

classical pianist! 

Thursday 14 - Saturday 16 May 

Guys and Dolls 

Set in Damon Runyon’s mythical New York 

City, Guys And Dolls is an oddball romantic 

comedy. Gambler Nathan Detroit tries to 

find the cash to set up the biggest craps 

game in town while the authorities breathe 

down his neck meanwhile, his girlfriend, 

nightclub performer Adelaide, laments that 

they’ve been engaged for 14 years. 


I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again... 

Again 

Performed on stage in classic radio 

comedy style with live music and sound 

effects, The Offstage Theatre Group 

recreates the anarchic and deliciously 

surreal cult comedy show that laid waste to 

BBC Radio in the 1960s and 1970s. 


Beach Boyz 

Join a journey in time and space, back to 

the 1960s, across to the sunny shores of 

the Golden state of California where the 

surf sound was conceived. 


One Night at the VE Day Proms 

The ultimate, musical celebration in honour 

of the 75th Anniversary of V.E DAY. This 

incredible concert show takes you on 

a musical journey through World War 

II, providing an insight in to how music 

played a pivotal role throughout the most 

extraordinary period in modern day history. 


Jive Talkin’ 

Renowned as the original and very best 

Bee Gees tribute show, and the only 

Bee Gees tribute show that have actually 

performed with the original Bee Gees! 

In 1997 Gary & Darren from Jive Talkin 

performed live on Heart FM. 

We take great care in compiling the listings, 

however, we recommend that you contact the 

venue in advance as events and activities can be 

subject to change. 


2 FOR 1 Entry - Expires 30th September 2020 

*advert must be brought to Broughton Grange to receive offer 

Lasting memories made at 

Upton House and Gardens 

Discover all there is to discover at Upton House and Gardens this spring 

and summer. 

From school holiday fun to ‘give it a go’ art workshops, colourful seasonal 

gardens, a world-class art collection and outdoor events to while away 

those long summer evenings, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. 

Check our ‘What’s On’ pages online or call 01295 670266 to find out more. 

© National Trust 2020. Registered Charity no. 205846. Photography © National Trust Images/Chris Lacey. 

nationaltrust.org.uk/UptonHouse 


Why it's 

never too 

early to 

put STEAM 

on the 

curriculum 

Dr Katie King, science subject leader at Headington Prep 

School, outlines the importance of studying STEAM at a 

young age - particularly for girls... 

What’s the point in focusing on STEAM 

when children are still mastering the 

basics of learning to read and write? Is 

there really any advantage to spending 

time, energy and resources on concepts 

likely to be alien to Prep or primary-aged 

children? In short, the answer is yes, 

particularly when we’re talking about 

girls’ education. 

Stereotyping is perhaps at its strongest 

at this age group. Girls are surrounded by 

pink princesses and expected to enjoy 

caring and nurturing play while boys are 

encouraged to get stuck into construction 

toys and physical play. Many will already 

confidently say what they want to be 

when they grow up. 

Fast forward a few years and while the 

girls may be out of their pink princess 

dresses, the proportion of girls studying 

Physics to A Level is a fraction of that 

of boys. Minuscule proportions of 

engineers are female and women are 

under-represented at the highest levels in 

challenging STEAM-related careers. 

Does this mean that fewer women have 

the skills and inclination? Highly unlikely 

– far more likely that they perhaps never 

even considered this as a possible career 

path. Thus opening their eyes to the 

world of STEAM at the earliest possible 

opportunity becomes that much more 

appealing. 

At Headington Prep School we have just 

finished our Year of Science, Technology, 

Engineering, Art and Maths. It has 

been thrilling, exciting, challenging and 

genuinely inspiring. It was a celebration of 

all that the subjects offer, from problemsolving 

and teamwork, to the traits of 

perseverance and resilience. Whether 

these girls eventually follow careers in 

these fields or pursue other options, 

these will be invaluable skills both now 

and in the future. 

If you work with role models who are 

passionate about their field of learning 

then you can share their enthusiasm and 

excitement – and an intangible career 

concept becomes a real opportunity 

worth considering. In Oxford we are 

lucky enough to benefit from countless 

professionals working either in the city’s 

two universities, the world-leading 

research hospital the John Radcliffe or 

the nearby Science Park. When we bring 

in people like Oxford University professor 

of molecular genetics and metabolism 

Prof Anna Gloyn to show children as 

young as 7 or 8 how to extract DNA 

from strawberries, or challenge 11 year 

olds to break codes with teams from 

Bletchley Park, or invite researchers from 

the Oxford Vaccine Group to unpack 

the spread of disease and the purpose 

of vaccines with Key Stage 2 children, 

it feels real. It’s no longer a distant and 

incomprehensible thing that ‘somebody 

else does’ but something they have 

actually experienced in action. It also 

shows them that women work in these 

critical industries – so too could they. It’s 

a cliché but if you don’t plant the seeds 

of ideas then they will never germinate 

into fully-fledged realities. 

Children of this age are less likely to 

have already decided they ‘can’t’ do 

something. They have less experience 

of failure and disappointment, of being 

told it’s not for them. It is as they grow 

older and they suffer setbacks or get 

things wrong that it becomes harder to 

take risks in their learning. They become 

less likely to take on something new and 

exciting if it comes, psychologically, with 

a risk of failure. 

If we start at this age and take advantage 

of these enquiring minds, the thirst for 

knowledge and new things which is 

such a wonderful trait in so many young 

children, then they will grow up armed 

with everything they need to make an 

educated decision on what they truly 

want to be – and what they CAN be. 


little conkers 

nursery from 3 years 

ADVERTISING FEATURE 

In our vibrant nursery room and attractive 

outdoor area, we offer flexible sessions with 

an emphasis on learning through play and 

exploration... 

Our Nursery is open for 34 weeks a year, with term-time only 

places available. We accept 15 and 30 hours government 

funding in our Little Conkers Nursery. Unlike in other nurseries, 

families eligible for 30 hours can use their funding flexibly 

across the week; affording working parents more choice with 

their childcare. Limited places are available. 

From the very beginning, children in our Little Conkers Nursery 

are encouraged and nurtured to become independent learners, 

who know their own minds and can follow their dreams. The 

reassurance of high quality wrap around care offers a secure 

and happy atmosphere that our children refer to as ‘the next 

best place to home.’ 

Little Conkers children benefit from learning French and 

Spanish, Music and Drama, all taught by specialist teachers. 

Lessons are interactive and focus on learning through enjoyable 

experiences. As a result, our youngest pupils regularly exceed 

expectations and achieve excellent outcomes. 

“Our children really feel at home at Little 

Conkers. I can say goodbye in the morning 

and relax, knowing that they will be happy 

and safe all day.” - Current Parent 

At Little Conkers Nursery, we understand all children learn 

the same thing in different ways and we cater for children’s 

individual needs through providing as close to a bespoke 

curriculum as possible, the numbers in our Nursery class allow 

the teaching staff one to one time with each child. 

Our children flourish under the personalised care and attention 

of our specialist teachers; enjoying happy playtimes and 

healthy lunches with their friends. In addition to our charming, 

historic building, our children enjoy continuous provision on 

our fabulous lawn, mud kitchen and gardens. 

At Little Conkers Nursery we offer ‘settling in sessions’ and are 

flexible enough to meet the needs of each child as they join our 

Little Conkers Early Years department. 

For a friendly welcome why not come and visit our 

EXCELLENT rated school community. 

OPEN MORNING on Saturday 25th June 10.00am – 12.00pm. 

Private appointments also available upon request 

Tel: 01295 259607 Email: admissions@stjohnspriory.co.uk

“Our children leave as bright, 

articulate and capable children; 

ready to face the next phase of 

their education” 

- Mrs Tracey Wilson, 

Headmistress 

choosing your child's primary 

school 

Have you considered an affordable independent education at 

St John’s Priory School, Banbury? 


Private school can be great value for money; offer a varied 

and exciting program of academic subjects, opportunities and 

after-school activities; and provide flexible wrap around care to 

support working families at the start and end of the school day 

and during the holidays. 

Individual Support 

Private school classes are usually much smaller than your 

average state school classes. However, the real and hidden value 

lies in the teacher to student ratio. Often private schools are able 

to employ more staff, providing your child with more individual, 

personalised attention and enabling better outcomes. 

Specialist Teachers 

Private schools are more likely to enlist educators with specialist 

subject knowledge or who can specifically cater for gifted 

children or students with learning difficulties. 

Curriculum 

Private schools have more flexibility with curriculum and subject 

choices than state schools and are more likely to have a larger 

range of subjects and extra-curricular activities on offer; this 

promotes areas of growth that your child may not have the 

opportunity to explore otherwise. 

Choosing a school 

When researching your child’s education options, know what 

it is you are after from a school and understand what situation 

your child thrives in. Be sure to speak with the schools to fully 

understand what they can offer your child. If you would like to 

discuss your child’s education with us, our Admissions Officer, 

Gemma Osborne, will be happy to receive your call on: 01295 

259607. 

About Us 

St John’s Priory School is an Excellent rated, ISA accredited, prep 

school for children aged 3-11. We employ specialist teaching of 

arts and languages throughout the school and specialist teaching 

of English, Maths and Science from Year three onwards. Despite 

our town centre location, we boast a lovely lawn area in our Early 

Years Department, a comprehensive outdoor learning program 

and full use of the sporting facilities at nearby Bloxham senior 

school. 

01295 259607 

www.stjohnspriory.co.uk 

St John’s Priory, St John’s Rd, Banbury OX16 5HX

Eggs 

Our focus on Easter eggs, without any chocolate in sight! A celebration 

of eggs in their most delicious forms with some seasonal recipes - all 

courtesy of Clarence Court Eggs 

ASPARAGUS 

RISOTTO 

with crispy fried 

soft boiled egg 

Risotto is a brilliant way of show casing 

British asparagus. The slightly woodier 

stems are sliced and used to add body 

to the base of the risotto. The tender 

tips are lightly cooked in a little butter 

to keep al dente and brightly coloured 

to be served on top of the risotto. 

Partnered with a crispy fried soft boiled 

Burford Brown or quail egg makes for an 

indulgent dinner. 

PREP TIME: 20 minutes 

COOK TIME: 30 minutes 

SERVES: 4 

INGREDIENTS: 

5 Clarence Court Burford Brown eggs (or 6 

Clarence Court quail eggs and 1 hens egg) 

2 tbsp plain flour 

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 

50g panko bread crumbs 

Vegetable oil for deep fat frying 

100g unsalted butter 

1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped 

1 stick celery, trimmed and finely 

chopped 

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped 

16 spears of British asparagus, woody ends 

removed, stems sliced and tips kept whole 

220g arborio risotto rice 

150ml dry white wine 

550ml hot vegetable stock 

100g parmesan cheese, finely grated 

Zest of 1 lemon finely grated 

METHOD: 

Place a pan of water on to boil and soft 

boil 4 of the hens eggs or the 6 quails 

eggs to your liking (around 6 minutes for 

a hens egg or 1 minute 30 seconds for a 

quails egg.) 

Once cooked, plunge the eggs into a 

bowl of iced water. Carefully peel the 

eggs and place them back into the bowl 

filled with fresh cold water. 

Place the plain flour on one plate and 

season well with salt and pepper. Whisk 

the remaining hens egg into a bowl and 

place the panko crumbs on to another 

plate. Pat the eggs dry then one at a time 

roll the egg in flour dip in beaten egg and 

roll in the panko crumbs. Place the eggs 

on to another plate and repeat with the 

remaining eggs until they’re all crumbed. 

Place the plate of eggs in the fridge whilst 

you make the risotto. 

Place a 26cm heavy based frying pan 

on a medium to low heat and add 40g 

butter to melt and bubble a little. Then 

add the chopped onion, celery and garlic 

with a pinch of salt. Stir with a wooden 

spoon continuously until the vegetables 

are softened but not coloured (around 10 

minutes). Add the sliced asparagus stems 

and stir for a further 2 minutes. Stir in the 

rice and keep stirring for 2 minutes until 

the rice grains are coated and starting to 

turn translucent. 

Add all the wine to the pan and turn 

up the heat and stir until it is reduced 

by ⅔. Then ladle by ladle stir in the hot 

vegetable stock until it is absorbed before 

adding the next. This will take around 10 

- 15 minutes until the rice is cooked but 

with some bite. 

Meanwhile place the vegetable oil on to 

heat up, have a plate lined with kitchen 

roll and a slotted spoon ready. When the 

risotto is nearly cooked add 40g butter 

and half of the parmesan and most of the 

asparagus tips. Season to taste and turn 

off the heat and place a lid on the pan. 

When the oil is hot enough carefully lower 

the eggs into the hot oil one at a time until 

the breadcrumbs are lightly golden, this 

takes around 2 minutes. Carefully remove 

the eggs with a slotted spoon and place 

on the plate lined with kitchen roll. 

Place a small frying pan on low heat 

and add the remaining 20g butter. Once 

melted add the asparagus tips and gently 

fry for 2 to 3 minutes until soft but still 

crunchy. 

To assemble the dish, spoon the risotto 

into serving dishes, half the deep fried 

eggs distribute over the risottos, top 

with the lightly buttered asparagus tips. 

Sprinkle over the remaining parmesan 

and a grating of lemon zest. 

GREEN VEG 

FRITTATA 

by Eva H umphries 

High in protein with heaps of nutrients, 

this versatile frittata is packed with 

greens. Delicious any time of day, mix up 

your choice of vegetables depending on 

what’s in season. 

PREP TIME: 10 minutes 

COOK TIME: 25 minutes 

SERVES: 8 

INGREDIENTS: 

12 Clarence Court hens eggs, lightly 

beaten 

150g asparagus, roughly chopped, 

woody ends discarded 


Sliced florets from half a head of broccoli 

(150-170g) 

150g frozen peas 

2 large handfuls of spinach (100g approx) 

125g of feta 

2 tsp rapeseed oil or a knob of organic 

butter 

Sea salt and freshly cracked black 

pepper 

Grated zest of half a lemon 

METHOD: 

Preheat a grill to medium. Heat the oil 

or butter in a frying pan over a medium 

heat, add the broccoli, asparagus and 

peas and cook for 5 minutes until the 

vegetables begin to soften. Season well 

with sea salt and freshly cracked black 

pepper. 

Stir in the spinach, season again and 

grate over the zest of half a lemon. Cook 

for another minute until the spinach wilts. 

Pour in the eggs and give the mixture a 

stir to evenly distribute the vegetables. 

Cook on a medium heat until the edges 

are firm (the centre will still be liquid), 

approximately 10-15 minutes. 

Crumble the feta over the top and 

transfer the pan to under the grill. Grill for 

10 minutes until the egg mixture is firm 

and the feta turns light golden around the 

edges. 

Remove from the pan and either eat 

immediately or slice it up, allow it to cool 

and refrigerate.The frittata keeps well in a 

fridge for up to 3 days. 

HOT CROSS 

BUN LOAF 

This orange and cranberry hot cross bun 

loaf is bursting with bright, zesty and 

fruity flavours. Perfect for sharing with 

your family this Easter. 

PREP TIME: 4 hours 

COOK TIME: 30-40 minutes 

SERVES: 8 

INGREDIENTS: 

500g strong bread flour, plus extra for 

dusting 

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

¼ teaspoon mixed spice 

A few gratings of whole nutmeg 

1/4 teaspoon fine salt 

75g caster sugar 

7g sachet dry yeast 

170ml whole milk, warmed to hand heat 

2 large Clarence Court Burford Browns 

eggs, beaten 

80g unsalted butter, softened well, plus 

extra for greasing 

80g sultanas 

60g mixed peel 

80g dried cranberries 

Fine grated zest of 2 oranges 

25g plain flour 

1 tsp sunflower oil 

2-3 tbsp cold water 

Juice of 2 oranges 

2 tbsp marmalade 

METHOD: 

Grease a 2lb (900g) loaf tin with 

softened butter.Sieve the flour, 

cinnamon, mixed spice, nutmeg and salt 

into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar 

and make a well in the centre. Place the 

yeast in a jug with the warm milk, stir 

until dissolved and bubbling. Add the 

milk, eggs and butter to the well and mix 

into a soft dough. 

Lightly dust a clean work surface with 

a little flour or tip into the bowl of a free 

standing mixer with a dough hook and 

knead for 7 minutes until smooth and 

elastic. 

Place into a lightly oiled mixing bowl 

and cover with cling film. Place in a 

warm place to rise for 1-2hours until it’s 

doubled in size. 

When time is up lightly flour a clean work 

surface. Tip the dough on to the surface 

and lightly knead. A few spoonful’s at a 

time sprinkle over the fruit and zest then 

knead and fold into the dough. When it’s 

all incorporated place back in the oiled 

bowl and cover with cling film. Allow to 

rise for a further hour. 

Divide the dough into 8 equal size balls 

(use a weighing scale to make sure 

they’re all the same size). Shape the balls 

into fat sausages. Place the sausages 

side by side in the tin. Place the tin in a 

large sandwich bag and seal it. Allow 

to rise in a warm place for 1 more hour. 

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 

4/ 350°F. 

Meanwhile, mix the plain flour, oil and 

cold water in a bowl to make a smooth 

paste. Spoon in to a small piping bag 

and snip off a small hole. Pipe a little 

cross on top of each of the hot cross 

buns. Place the tin in the oven and 

bake for 30-40 minutes until golden 

and risen. 

Place the juice and marmalade in a 

small pan and allow to bubble and 

thicken on a low heat. When the loaf 

is ready, carefully and quickly turn 

it out of the tin and on to a cooling 

rack. Brush over the glaze and leave 

to cool. 

Serve warm with salted butter. This 

loaf is best eaten on the day it’s made 

but will come back to a lovely soft 

loaf if warmed through in the oven 

the next day. It makes great toast or 

as the base for a bread and butter 

pudding. 


HAPPY 

FRYDAY 

5th JUNE 

Oh My Cod! 

It's National Fish and Chip Day! 

It’s back…and it’s bigger than ever! Friday 5th June will see people 

across the country celebrating their love of fish and chips as they 

come together on National Fish and Chip Day! 

Last year, National Fish and Chip Day was a day like no other, with 

everyone talking about the nation’s favourite dish from first thing in the 

morning until late at night; everyone celebrated their love of fish and 

chips. Shops reported their highest footfall of the year…even higher 

than Good Friday in many cases. 

62 million people would have seen, heard or read about National Fish 

and Chip Day and our #nationalfishandchipday hashtag was #1 on 

Twitter, Instagram and Facebook from 8am until 8pm. Quite simply, 

everyone was talking about fish and chips! 

From fish and chip shops, pub chains, restaurants, retailers and 

hotels, to the fishermen and farmers who provide the sustainable and 

natural ingredients used to create it, the nation will be enjoying this 

iconic family favourite. 

Looking to get away 

from it all this Easter? 

The Feathers Hotel in Woodstock could be 

the be “gin” ning of your perfect break! 

The Feathers is an independent Oxfordshire hotel that is 

bursting with Cotswold charm and Oxfordshire heritage – not 

forgetting unique rooms, delicious food and an enviable 

selection of more than 400 gins in our gin bar. 

Combining the best of Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds, you’ll 

find The Feathers in the heart of the historic market town of 

Woodstock. Close enough to the places that interest you most 

(with Blenheim Palace virtually on our doorstep!), join us and 

you can share in the spoils of our superb location. 

Our live music programme starts in March - join us every 

Friday night for a drink or dinner. 

Sign up to our newsletter on the website and 

WIN A DINNER FOR 2 PEOPLE 

(Prize draw every month). 

01993 812 291 | www.feathers.co.uk | reception@feathers.co.uk 

The Feathers, Market Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1SX 


ICED EASTER BISCUITS 

Makes about 25 biscuits. Recipe 

adapted from Mary Berry. 

FOR THE DOUGH 

200g/8oz softened butter 

150g/6oz caster sugar 

2 large free-range egg yolk 

400g/14oz plain flour, plus extra for 

flouring 

1 level tsp mixed spice 

1 level tsp ground cinnamon 

2-4 tbsp milk 

FOR THE ICED BISCUITS 

1-2 tsp lemon juice 

250g/9oz icing sugar 

about 2 tbsp cold water 

different coloured food colouring 

METHOD 

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. 

Lightly grease two baking trays lined with 

baking parchment. 

Measure the butter and sugar into a bowl 

and beat together until light and fluffy. 

Beat in the egg yolk. Sieve in the flour and 

spices and add enough milk to give a fairly 

soft dough. Bring together, using your 

hands, to make a soft dough. 

Halve the mixture and set half to one side. 

Roll out to a thickness of about 5mm/¼in. 

Cut into rounds using a circular cutter. 

Place on the prepared baking trays. 

Sprinkle with caster sugar. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 

minutes, or until pale golden-brown. Keep 

a careful eye on the biscuits - it doesn’t 

matter if you open the oven door to check. 

Sprinkle with caster sugar and lift onto 

a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight 

container. 

For the iced biscuits, knead the remaining 

half of the biscuit dough mixture lightly on 

a lightly floured work surface. Roll out to 

a thickness of 5mm/¼in. Cut out Easter 

biscuits using an assortment of shaped 

cutters, such as bunnies, Easter eggs, 

chicks, spring flowers. 

Lightly grease two baking trays lined 

with baking parchment. Place the biscuit 

shapes on the prepared baking trays and 

bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 

minutes. Remove from the oven and lift on 

to a wire rack to cool. 

To make the icing, pass one teaspoon 

of lemon juice through a fine sieve, to 

remove any pips or bits. Mix the icing 

sugar with the lemon juice, and then add 

about two tablespoons of water, adding 

it little by little until you have a relatively 

stiff but smooth icing. Add a splash more 

sieved lemon juice if necessary. Add food 

colouring if using. 

Spoon a little icing into a piping bag and 

pipe your decorations onto the biscuits. 

For a smooth finish, you can pipe the 

outline of your design in the firmer icing, 

then slacken it down a bit by mixing in a 

little more water, giving the icing more of 

a runny consistency, and use this to fill in 

the designs. 

Royal British Legion, Lansdowne Road GL54 2AR 

BOURTON ON THE WATER 

FARMERS & PRODUCERS 

MARKET 

HELD 4 TH SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH 

8.30am to 12.30pm 

Expect to find seasonal fruit & vegetables, farm reared 

meat (pork/beef/poultry/lamb), cheese, pies, artisan French 

bread & patisseries, olives, antipasti, oils & nuts, salami & 

chorizo, honey, free-range eggs, preserves & chutney and 

even a little treat for your dogs….. 

Dates for 2020 

22 March 

26 April 

24 May 

A great family event with Le Petit Cafe BBQ 

offering bacon and sausage breakfast rolls with veggie and vegan 

choices available and tea and coffee. 

Or try a delicious pancake from The Cotswold Pancake Company 

For more information or to trade with us contact 07986 085599 

Help support British farming and local producers 


ENGLISH WINE WEEK 

Celebrating our home grown wines by Julia Trustram Eve 

In the world of wine, Great Britain ranks as 

one of the smallest wine regions. Arguably, 

though, it is one of the most dynamic, 

attracting plenty of attention over here and 

making its mark with significant competition 

wins and appraisals by wine experts and 

influencers both here and overseas. 

Great Britain is one of the fastest-growing 

wine regions in the world; area planted with 

grapevines is growing year on year and now 

exceeds over 5,000 acres, having expanded 

by nearly 200% in the last ten years alone. 

Recently the wine industry’s body, Wines of 

Great Britain (WineGB), predicted that in just 

over 20 years’ time, we may be producing 40 

million bottles. 

There are now some 700 vineyards in 

England and Wales, with the majority in 

the south of England and stretching up to 

Yorkshire and in north and south Wales. You’ll 

find large wineries to one-man operations, 

each with a story to tell. Approximately 70% 

of all production is sparkling wine, with the 

remaining 30% delicious still white, red and 

rosé wine. In 2018 the UK produced just over 

13 million bottles. 

Luckily it is easy to discover our homegrown 

wines: English and Welsh wines are 

now readily-available in supermarkets to 

independent retailers; online retailers, as well 

as many restaurants and bars, and of course 

direct from the vineyards themselves, either 

via their websites or by visiting the cellar door. 

The UK wine industry is launching their 

awareness campaign English Wine Week and 

Welsh Wine Week which this year takes place 

from Saturday 23 - Sunday 31 May. Over 

the Week look out for promotions, events 

and activities to shine a light on this exciting 

industry and its wines. 

The end of May kicks off the summer 

season and invites us outside to explore, 

so what better time to visit to the vineyards 

themselves. There are now around 200 

vineyards open to visitors and located in 

some of the most beautiful parts of the 

country. 

Vineyards offer a range of experiences 

from guided and self-guided tours through 

a vineyard to soak up the beautiful 

surroundings, to visiting the cellar door 

for a tasting. Some have a shop, restaurant 

and even accommodation on site. It’s worth 

checking opening times as some smaller 

vineyards are open by appointment or at 

set times. Larger vineyards are open all year 

round. Guided tours are conducted by people 

who are knowledgeable and entertaining and 

in some smaller vineyards you may even get 

the owner or winemaker. Visitors will take 

away a great memory and new experience. 

Some vineyards are now working closely 

together to promote their region and enhance 

other local attractions and amenities. Check 

out Kent’s Wine Garden of England; Sussex 

Wineries; Vineyards of Hampshire; Vineyards 

of the Surrey Hills to name but a few - there 

will soon be a Yorkshire wine trail too. 

So let’s enjoy a summer of English wine 

… in a country that sells one of the widest 

ranges of wines across the globe, the wines 

produced on our doorstep are a noteworthy 

success story and worth celebrating. Now 

surely that is something to raise a glass to - 

cheers! 

For more information on English Wine Week 

and Welsh Wine Week, visit www.winegb. 

co.uk. The website also lists the vineyards 

of Great Britain and provides plenty of 

background information on English and 

Welsh wines. There are now also a number 

of great books and guides for the wine 

enthusiast. 

Wine styles in Great Britain 

Sparkling wines account for about two-thirds 

of the country’s total wine production and 

a style that is leading the UK’s reputation 

for producing high quality wines. Most are 

produced from the same varieties grown in 

Champagne (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and 

Pinot Meunier). Their finesse and longevity 

are proving themselves year upon year 

on the world stage in blind tastings and 

competitions, and even Champagne houses 

are investing in England - proof of the 

confidence in this wine country and its future. 

The UK’s still wines are also worth 

discovering. Grape varieties such as 

Bacchus, Pinot Gris, Pinot and Chardonnay 

are producing styles of wines to delight the 

palate, as well as other aromatic and new 

varieties that thrive in Britain’s cool climate. 

The result is a great range of styles from 

dry to medium dry whites, refreshing rosé, 

luscious dessert wines and fruity reds. 


COOK, SLEEP, 

ROCK, REPEAT 

Katie Thomson caught up with 

chef James Martin ahead of his 

summer festival circuit and 

discussed stellar culinary talents, 

his new book and finding time to 

rock out... 

Katie: We must talk about Pub in the 

Park – we spoke with Tom Kerridge a 

couple of years back, just as he was 

expanding the event out of Marlow 

to include Bath and a couple of other 

areas. In the past few years its really 

become huge, attracting so much 

talent from the food industry but also 

the music industry so it must be quite 

exciting to be involved? 

James: He has roped me into it! He roped 

me into it last year as he had managed to 

double book himself! So now he wants 

me to do it again! He’s probably off on 

holiday! But it’s good fun, and anybody 

who’s been there will know that its unique 

and there’s nothing else like it. 

So you’ll be hosting the Tunbridge 

Wells and Chichester events? 

Yeah that’s right, and I’ll be appearing at 

the Bath one, Tom is hosting that one but 

I’ll be there doing some demonstrations 

and other bits and pieces. It’s a great lineup 

of people that he’s got and I’m very 

pleased to play my part. 

I think it’s really nice that you try 

to reflect the local restaurants in 

each individual area plus there’s 

some serious culinary talent from the 

country as a whole. 

Well the thing about the chefs is you get 

the great and the good from all over the 

place. So for example with Bath, you’ve 

got Paul Ainsworth coming up from 

Cornwall, Atul Kochhar from London, 

Steven Terry from Wales, Angela Hartley 

from London…we’ve got people from all 

over the place! It’s the same with music; 

there’s something for everybody. 

Who are you looking forward to 

seeing if you can steal a little time 

away to enjoy it? 

I’m a wannabe musician, I’ve got a little 

band so I’m looking forward to seeing 

a few of them. I listened to Toploader 

when I was training as a kid working in 

kitchens, so I’m looking forward to seeing 

them. Beverley Knight I’ve known for 

quite a while so it will be nice to say hi to 

her and James Blunt is playing as well! 

So I’m looking forward to chilling out and 

fundamentally seeing my mates! All these 

chefs I speak to on the phone quite a lot 

but I only really ever see them at these 

festivals so three in a year is great for me. 

How does the cookery stage in the 

festival setting compare to live 

TV? I can image you are quite unflappable. 

Well you’ve got a bit more to hand at my 

place when we film at the house, and I 

know where everything is. But they build 

an amazing marquee where we do the 

demos, that almost looks like something 

from outer space. You never know with 

the weather, we might get wet, so the 

marquee is amazing. But the same team 

that work on my show work on Pub in the 

Park, so the industry is big but that group 

is quite small. I’ve known the guys that 

organise Pub in the Park from the twelve 

years of doing Carfest. 

So you are an old hand on the 

festival circuit then? 

I’ve been around it a long time! I do 

certain food festivals, the biggest one 

of its kind is in Bolton and had 400,000 

people last year, and I usually do that 

after Carfest South. I’m Hampshirebased, 

so sort of in between the two 

from Bath to Chichester area. I’m looking 

forward to Chichester because I spend 

a bit of time at Goodwood - so I know 

and love the area. Tunbridge Wells I’m 

interested in going to see because I’ve 

not really been there a lot, and I love 

going to Bath because there’s a great 

guitar shop there that always gets a visit! 

Your show Saturday Morning always 

looks like a lot of fun to film, and in 

particular you and Galton seem to 

have a really great relationship. 

The great thing about the show is the 

chefs that come on I’ve known for years – 

17

a lot of them are turning up to Pub in the 

Park! I’ve known them for years and I’ve 

supported them over the years, and of 

course when I decided to leave Saturday 

Kitchen they supported me since then 

as well. So it’s an accumulation of me 

supporting them and them supporting 

me. So they’re great mates and I think 

that comes across on camera. 

Have you had any guests that have 

been particularly memorable? 

We had Jack Savoretti here recently, 

he was fantastic. He was trying to learn 

from the master baker Richard Bertinet, 

who was attempting to teach him how to 

make bread and he making a right mess 

of it! So he was great fun. You just have 

such a great laugh, and that’s the key to 

doing it here. 

We film it at the house and it’s quite 

chilled out and very similar to this 

festival. Those are the projects I’m 

enjoying these days - and that’s why 

Pub in the Park appeals so much. It’s 

very much a family atmosphere and I 

can just walk around. You go to some 

festivals and you are hidden around the 

back, you aren’t allowed to come out 

and have a wander around. 

Other than a busy schedule of 

summer festivals, have you got any 

books in the pipeline? 

I’ve just finished a book and TV show 

called Islands to Highlands. The TV 

show will be out in April and book is out 

now. We’ve also just taken over a hotel 

at Silverstone so I’m going to be busy 

doing that. Yeah, there’s a few things 

happening and a few more things in the 

pipeline - I should be busy! But not too 

busy to indulge in a bit of music and fun 

this summer! 

Find out more about Pub in the Park here: 

pubintheparkuk.com 

James Martin’s Islands to Highlands is 

published by Quadrille Publishing and is 

available through good bookshops and 

online now. 

“We had Jack Savoretti 

here recently, he was 

fantastic. He was 

trying to learn from the 

master baker Richard 

Bertinet, who was 

attempting to teach 

him how to make bread 

and he making a right 

mess of it!” 

18

EASTEr 

eats 

The next big cooking fest after the festive feast, we think cooking for 

Easter should be easy. So we've gathered some seasonal favourites with 

minimal fuss, all from the fantastic cooking app cookwithmands.com 

GRIDDLED 

ASPARAGUS 

with citrus hollandaise 

The perfect starter, light and delicious - it 

also lets seasonal hero asparagus shine! 

Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 20 mins 

Serves: 4 

INGREDIENTS 

450g asparagus 

1 lemon 

1 dash olive oil 

For the hollandaise: 

2 large egg yolks 

1 tbsp fresh orange juice 

half a lemon 

2 tsp lemon zest 

125g cold butter 

METHOD 

Juice the half lemon, grate the lemon 

zest from the whole lemon, then cut that 

lemon into slices. Dice the cold butter. 

To make the hollandaise, in a medium 

heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg 

yolks, orange and lemon juice, lemon 

zest, and some salt and freshly ground 

black pepper. Sit the bowl over (but not 

touching) a pan of gently simmering 

water and add 2 or 3 pieces of butter, 

whisking continuously until melted. 

Continue adding the remaining butter in 

this way, whisking until the sauce is thick 

and smooth. Remove from the heat. 

Heat a griddle pan until hot. Drizzle the 

asparagus and lemon wedges with a 

little olive oil and griddle for 2-3 minutes 

each side, until just tender. Season with 

salt and pepper, and arrange on a platter. 

Drizzle with the hollandaise to serve. 

CHEDDAR & 

ONION seeded rolls 

Something about Easter makes baking 

feel right. This is great for the main meal or 

as a sandwich with any leftover lamb. 


Makes: 10 

INGREDIENTS 

3 tsp black onion seeds 

375g seeded bread mix (from M&S) 

200g mature Cheddar 

180ml lukewarm water 

flour, for dusting 

olive oil 

METHOD 

Heat a frying pan over a medium-high 

heat and add the onion seeds. Move 

them around the pan for 1 minute, until 

they produce an oniony aroma. Set aside. 

Tip the bread mix into a large bowl. Stir in 

three-quarters of the cheese, two-thirds 

of the onion seeds and the lukewarm 

water. Mix to form a ball of dough. 

Turn out onto a floured surface and 

knead for about 10 minutes until soft and 

elastic. Shape into rolls, then put on oiled 

baking sheets, well apart. 

With a knife, slash the tops of the rolls. 

Loosely cover each sheet with lightly 

oiled cling-film and leave in a warm 

place for 40 minutes, until the dough has 

almost doubled in size. Heat the oven to 

220°C/425°F/gas 7 (200°C for fan ovens). 

Once the rolls have risen, scatter them 

with the reserved cheese and onion 

seeds. Bake for 12-15 minutes until 

golden and hollow-sounding when 

tapped underneath. Delicious served 

warm with butter. 

19

4 (160°C for fan ovens). Transfer the 

potatoes to a roasting tin, drizzle with the 

oil and sprinkle with the seasoning. Roast 

the potatoes for 40 minutes, turning 

occasionally, until tender and crisp. 

SLOW-ROAST 

LAMB 

The Easter centrepiece - this one is meltin-the-mouth 

delicious and just needs 

low, slow cooking. 

Prep: 30 mins | Cook: 4 hours 10 mins 

Serves: 8 

INGREDIENTS 

2kg leg of lamb (bone in) 

400g shallots 

2 whole garlic bulbs 

150ml Madeira/Marsala or other sweet 

fortified wine 

2 tsp plain flour 

2 tsp butter 

Seasoning paste 

2 lemons 

4 sprigs rosemary 

4 garlic cloves 

8 anchovies 

1 tbsp olive oil 

METHOD 

To prep: If large, peel and half the 

shallots. Half crossways the whole garlic 

bulbs. Soften the butter. Zest and half 

the lemons. Finely chop the leaves of the 

rosemary. Finely chop the garlic cloves. 

Chop the anchovies. 

Heat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/gas 3. 

To make the seasoning paste, put the 

lemon zest, rosemary, garlic cloves, 

anchovies and freshly ground black 

pepper in a bowl. Use a fork to mash 

together into a chunky paste. Stir in the oil 

and set aside. 

Heat a roasting tin on the hob and brown 

the lamb for a couple of minutes on each 

side. Remove the lamb from the tin and 

place on a board. 

Cook the shallots in the roasting tin (add 

a little olive oil if necessary) for 5 minutes 

or until golden, stirring occasionally. 

Remove and set aside. 

Meanwhile, use a thin, sharp knife to 

make deep, angled incisions all over the 

lamb. 

Push the seasoning paste into the cuts. 

Return the lamb to the tin. Add the 

shallots, garlic and lemon halves. Pour 

the Madeira and 100ml water around the 

lamb. Cover the roasting tin tightly with 

foil and roast for 3 hours. 

Remove the foil and return to the oven 

for a further hour. Meanwhile, mix the 

flour and butter to form a paste. When 

the lamb is ready, transfer it to a carving 

board or platter, with the garlic, lemons 

and shallots, and loosely cover with foil. 

Strain the juices from the roasting tin into 

a small saucepan and bring to the boil. 

Whisk in the flour and butter paste, then 

simmer until the sauce is thickened and 

glossy. Serve with the lamb. 

ULTIMATE 

ROAST 

POTATOES 

Perfect roast potatoes with a flawless, 

crisp crunch. 


Serves: 6 

INGREDIENTS 

1kg potatoes 

1 tbsp Seasoning for Roast Potatoes 


METHOD 

Peel and cut the potatoes in half, or into 

quarters if large. Boil the potatoes in 

salted water for 5 minutes and drain well. 

Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 

WHOLE SALMON 

with roasted squash and 

tarragon olive mayonnaise 

The perfect celebratory fish dish for 

Good Friday. 

Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 1 hour 5 mins 

Serves: 8 

INGREDIENTS 

1 lemon 

2kg whole Lochmuir salmon, cleaned 


8 sprigs tarragon 

20g unsalted butter 

1 large butternut squash 

8 whole garlic clove 

2 tbsp pumpkin seeds 

200ml mayonnaise 

2 tbsp pitted green olives, chopped 

METHOD 

Heat the oven to 190°/170°C fan/gas 5. 

Halve the lemon, set one half aside and 

slice the other into rounds. To cook the 

salmon, start with two large sheets of 

foil, one on top of the other, in a roasting 

tin large enough to hold the whole fish. 

Brush the foil with 1 tablespoon oil and 

lay the salmon on top. 

Stuff 4 tarragon sprigs, the lemon slices 

and a little salt and pepper in the cavity. 

Dot the butter over the surface of the 

salmon and bring the foil around it in a 

loose parcel, sealing the edges tightly. 

Roast for 1 hour, then set aside to rest for 

15 minutes before opening the foil. 

Meanwhile, slice the squash into wedges, 

skin on, and toss with the remaining olive 

oil and the whole garlic cloves on a large 

baking tray. 

Roast for 45 minutes, until the squash 

is golden then scatter with the pumpkin 

20

seeds and return to the oven for a final 5 

minutes. 

To make the mayonnaise, strip the leaves 

from the remaining tarragon sprigs and 

finely chop. 

Stir into the mayonnaise with a squeeze 

of lemon juice from the remaining lemon 

half and the chopped olives. 

Season with black pepper only. Serve the 

baked salmon with the roast squash, soft 

garlic and tarragon-olive mayonnaise. 

HOT CROSS BUN 

PUDDING 

A great alternative to bread and butter 

pudding - and a way to use up any 

leftover hot cross buns and Easter eggs! 


Serves: 6 

INGREDIENTS 

2 eggs 

8 mini hot cross buns, or four large 

1 pear, peeled, cored and cubed 

4 tbsp hazelnut chocolate spread 

25g dark chocolate, chopped 

150ml double cream 

25ml whole milk 


METHOD 

Cut each bun in half, then sandwich 

together with the chocolate spread. 

Arrange in an ovenproof dish and scatter 

over the pear cubes and chocolate. 

Whisk together the eggs, cream, milk and 

sugar. Pour the mixture over the buns 

and leave for at least 30 minutes to allow 

it to soak in. 

Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 

(160°C for fan ovens) and bake for 35-40 

minutes until golden and just set. Stand 

for 5 minutes before serving. 

RHUBARB AND 

MASCARPONE 

meringue cake 

Another seasonal favourite - rhubarb. 

Meringues can be made ahead, but eat 

on the day you assemble with cream. 

Prep: 1 hour 25 mins | Cook: 2 hours 

Serves: 8 

INGREDIENTS 

For the purée: 

400g rhubarb, cut into 2cm pieces 

2 tbsp caster sugar 

1 vanilla pod, deseeded 

4 tbsp orange juice 

For the meringue: 


4 egg whites 

For the filling and topping: 

50g icing sugar 

350g mascarpone 

30g shelled pistachios, roughly chopped 

METHOD 

Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. 

Toss together the rhubarb, sugar, vanilla 

pod pieces and orange juice. Spread 

out the mixture in a small baking dish 

and roast for 15 minutes, or until tender. 

Remove from the oven and set aside 

to cool. 

Turn the oven down to 110°C/90°C fan/ 

gas ¼. Reserve 10 pieces of rhubarb 

for decoration, and purée the rest in a 

blender. Only add the juices from the 

baking dish if the purée seems too thick. 

Set aside. 

Trace 4 x 18cm circles on baking paper 

as a guide for the meringue discs. Put 

the sugar and 90ml water into a heavybased 

saucepan. Carefully swirl the water 

around to ensure the sugar is covered. 

(Do not stir after swirling as this will 

encourage sugar crystals to form on the 

sides of the pan.) Put the pan over a high 

heat until the mixture bubbles. 

Reduce the heat to medium and allow 

the mixture to bubble away for about 

10 minutes. If using a thermometer the 

syrup is ready when it reaches 116°C. 

Otherwise, test the mixture by dropping 

a small amount into a cup of cold water, 

lift it out and if it can be rolled into a soft 

ball, it’s ready. If it’s still slippery and loose, 

bubble a little longer. 

Meanwhile, in a clean bowl, whisk the 

egg whites to stiff peaks using an electric 

whisk. When the syrup is ready, add it 

to the whisked egg whites, whisking 

continuously until the mixture is glossy 

and the syrup is fully incorporated. 

Pipe or spread the mixture onto the 

prepared baking sheets, filling in the 

circles. Bake for 2 hours, then keep the 

oven door ajar with a wooden spoon and 

bake for another hour to crisp up the 

surface. Turn the oven off and leave the 

meringues to cool in the oven for a further 

hour. 

To make the filling, beat the icing sugar 

into the mascarpone, adding more if you 

prefer a sweeter flavour. Then gently fold 

about two-thirds of the rhubarb purée 

into the mascarpone. 

To assemble the cake, spread a meringue 

disc with a third of the mascarpone and 

top with some of the reserved purée, 

gently rippling it with a table knife. Repeat 

these steps with the other discs and 

decorate the top with the reserved pieces 

of rhubarb and the chopped pistachios. 

21

SUN, SEA 

& the city 

Victoria Purdon travelled to Croatia’s glorious north 

coast to discover its ancient history, unrivalled 

panoramic coastlines and a new luxury glamping site, 

perfect for a summer family holiday 

Nestled on the idyllic 

Croatian peninsula of Istria, 

with sweeping views of the 

glassy waters of the Adriatic 

and its surrounding lush 

greenery, the Arena Grand 

Kažela campsite in Medulin 

immediately overwhelms my 

usual preconceptions of your 

typical camping ground. This 

was certainly not the damp, 

grey, camping I had grown 

accustomed to in the UK, this 

was a new, luxury venture and 

the perfect taste of ocean-side 

living. 

The design of these pods is very clever 

- taking all the best elements of the 

local landscape and architecture - its 

charming woodland setting, its nods to 

the small Croatian seaside villages which 

dot the coastline here, all packaged up 

22

with the very best luxury conveniences 

of staying in a hotel and the additional 

freedom of self-catering. 

Arena Grand Kažela is the perfect 

getaway for those looking to connect 

with a more authentic Croatia, but 

sacrificing non of the comforts of a 

relaxing vacation. Catering to the ecoconscious, 

sun worshippers, culture 

vultures, and families alike, the Medulin 

site offers something for everyone. 

From brand new facilities including two 

pools, a gym, children’s activity areas, 

beachside water sports and so much 

more, there is little reason to leave the 

campsite during your stay. 

Following our check in to their newly 

remodelled reception area, we breeze 

past the traditional camping crowds and 

head into a lush woodland; the canopy 

offering a welcoming haven and for 

some, a relief from the warm Croatian 

sun. The site’s 164 units sit within these 

woodlands but are only a short stroll to 

the beach front through the beautifully 

“The design of these pods is very clever - taking 

all the best elements of the local landscape and 

architecture - its charming woodland setting, 

its nods to the small Croatian seaside villages 

which dot the coastline here, all packaged 

up with the very best luxury conveniences of 

staying in a hotel” 

landscaped garden. I was pleasantly 

surprised by the variety of camping 

villas from Home Next, Home Green and 

Camping Villa options, ensuring that it 

accommodates a breadth of options for 

all ages and requirements. 

These modern eco-friendly and 

spacious plots are lined with fragrant 

Mediterranean plants and include 

a porch with sea views and brandnew 

amenities for self-catering. Their 

thoughtful design means they are both 

amply equipped for family life, but also 

have that all-important feeling of luxury. 

Waking up to the views of the calm 

Adriatic you with a fresh brew from the 

coffee machine supplied in the villa, 

you can’t help but feel a sense of calm. 

The kitchen is supplied with plates and 

crockery, cooking utensils along with an 

inside dining area. But surely the table 

on the patio calls for alfresco dining! 

Also set outside each villa is a space 

with loungers, a hanging nest chair, 

especially good for curling up in with a 

good book. 

While you’re here, you cannot miss the 

spectacular sea and pool view from the 

rooftop Captains Bar. A perfect spot 

to watch the sunset whilst sipping on 

a cocktail of your choice, toes dipped 

in the pool or chatting to friendly locals 

and other travellers at the bar. If you 

are looking for an even more relaxing 

space to unwind, you have the option of 

another impressive hotspot; the Breeze 

bar, complete with endless relaxing 

beds for some relief from the sun. Here 

23

you can take a dip in the country’s longest infinity pool - 

measuring at 80 metres- and if you dare to swim the length 

you surely have earnt their well renowned Mojitos with some 

bar nibbles. 

If you’d prefer a swim in the mild Adriatic sea, the location 

boasts 2km of beach and full complement of water sports, 

from jet skiing, paddle boarding and banana boating for 

those adrenalin junkies. And for a slice of paradise, hop on 

a short boat ride to Levan island. Approaching this island 

is like something out of a movie scene; crystal blue waters, 

beach huts to lounge in while you gaze out at the vast Croatian 

sea, and the Sunshine Medulin Bar serving cocktails that 

themselves look like works of art. The friendly and welcoming 

bar staff are on hand too to give you the best tips for exploring 

the area like a local. 

During your stay, there is no doubt you’ll enjoy the delights of 

Croatia’s gastronomy, specialising in truffle, cheese, wine and 

lamb dishes. Veggies and vegans, don’t be scared - Istria’s 

fields also supply sun ripened veg and fruits to be enjoyed too! 

With 4 Restaurants and a supermarket on site Arena Grand 

Kažela will cater, quite literally, to all your needs. Food is a 

religion in Croatia, meals are set over many courses of many 

hours, meant for sharing platters and stories to laugh over after 

a day in the afternoon sun. 

If you’re a bit of a culture vulture the nearby city of Pula offers 

a rich history set in a timeline of architectural wonders. Pula’s 

gladiatorial arena boasts to be older than Rome’s Colosseum. 

The Arena is the only remaining Roman amphitheatre to have 

four side towers and with all three Roman architectural orders 

entirely preserved. It was constructed in 27 BC – 68 AD and 

is among the world’s six largest surviving Roman arenas. 

Wandering through the town is like looking at a visual timeline 

of Croatian history, a story told through architecture. The tour 

guides are extremely knowledgeable and painted a picture of 

the city through the ages, up to the current state of affairs. The 

stories of chariots and gladiators are sure the enthral. 

If history or architecture doesn’t tickle you, the Pula market 

is a sight to behold. Mingle with the locals, and soak in the 

atmosphere - picturesquely dappled in sunlight through the 

trees you’ll find stalls filled with lavender, truffle and braided 

garlic. Worth a look next to it is the famous fish market, to 

observe not only the fresh catch of the day, but the pavilion it’s 

set in. Be prepared to have your senses accosted by the scent 

of the sea and the glimmering scales of beautiful fresh fish 

caught be local fisherman that morning. 

If you want to leave the site (although there is little reason to do 

so!) and the city isn’t your thing, then a boat trip from the sweet 

seaside village of Fažana to President Tito’s beautifully kept 

island Brijuni may be for you. Take a swim in crystal waters, or 

a train ride around the island to see Tito’s exotic animals. 

Beautifully designed to allow guests to get closer to nature and 

experience serenity of sleeping under the stars in total comfort. 

With poolside bars, restaurants, water sport and children’s 

areas and activities, there is no doubt there is something for 

everyone before even leaving the site. Maybe camping is my 

kind of thing after all… 

“Wandering through the town is 

like looking at a visual timeline 

of Croatian history, a story told 

through architecture...The stories 

of chariots and gladiators are sure 

the enthral. ” 

Arena Grand Kažela has recently launched brand new luxury 

camping homes, located in a secluded spot in Medulin 

and designed to allow guests to get closer to nature and 

experience the serenity of sleeping under the stars in total 

comfort. For those looking to pick up the tempo, there are 

water skiing facilities on-site, whilst explorers can visit the 

nearby secluded beach, only accessible by boat. 

€90 per unit per night, based on a Camping Home Next unit. 

Valid for arrival in April 2020. For more information and to book, 

visit: www.arenacampsites.com 

24

Glorious walks from the Highbullen Hotel, Devon 

STYLISH Staycations 

Whether you want the buzz of the city or a 

complete country retreat, here are our pick of 

UK staycations... 

the best of the city and west end at 

THE STRAND PALACE, LONDON 

Having welcomed guests since 1909, the Strand Palace is surrounded by 

the best London has to offer - located just minutes from Covent Garden. 

Having recently undergone a large-scale multi million pound renovation, 

myself and my partner decided to tie in a spot of winter shopping/ 

sightseeing in with a stay in what is most definitely the heart of London. 

The Strand Palace creates a fabulous impression the minute you meet the 

doorman! The front entrance, lobby and reception are one large, bright, 

open spaced hub, featuring art deco influences that create a very relaxed 

and sophisticated atmosphere. We checked in and made our way up to 

our room, which was a tranquil, comforting retreat from the hussle and 

bustle of the street below. 

It is at this stage that I feel I must confess: I am a bit of a tourist when it 

comes to London. In the past I have found myself booking into hotels that 

seem to be on the other side of the city in location to all the spots I wished 

to visit, and although there’s the tube, it’s still nice to be situated near 

the action. This is what makes The Strand Palace so perfect. Its location 

is brilliant - right in the heart of the West End, and with Covent Garden 

a mere two minutes away you really have got it all on your doorstep. 

I couldn’t believe our luck when a trip to The National Portrait Gallery 

took....seven minutes on foot! 

We made our way back to the hotel after a spot of lunch, opting for the 

pre-theatre menu which is brilliant value for money if you are trying to 

keep costs down. Pre 7pm, you can indulge with 2 courses for £20, so 

we tucked into some crispy lime squid, followed by fish and chips, with a 

lovely light batter. All washed down with a bottle of red. Delightful! 

The city felt like ours for the taking! We took ourselves off for a stroll around 

Covent Garden, closely followed by a visit to a couple of ‘proper’ London 

pubs. If you are after a weekend away in the city and want to make London 

your own, The Strand Palace offers a truly unbeatable location. 

Sam Norris | strandpalacehotel.co.uk, rooms from £175 per night 

escape to the country at 

UPPER TETCHWICK 

HOUSE, NR AYLESBURY 

There is surely no better ointment for the weary 

soul than a weekend in pristine countryside 

with your closest friends. I found that sense of 

reatreat at the beautiful Upper Tetchwick House, 

booked through holidaycottages.co.uk. 

With a whole host of different holiday 

accommodation options to suit couples, families 

and large or small parties, holidaycottages.co.uk 

was the perfect site through which to book our 

little staycation. We settled on Upper Tetchwick 

House, which sleeps 12. 

In a rural location on the outskirts of Aylesbury, 

the property is a home away from home - if your 

home is a resplendent country pad complete 

with six bedrooms, a swimming pool, a billiards 

room and a duck pond, with far reaching views 

across the countryside! It’s a house that would 

cater in any season - with a huge garden and 

pool for the warmer months and a wonderful 

wood burning stove when the chill sets in. 

The whole process was easy as anything - 

meaning we all felt immediately on holiday - that 

was in part thanks to the lovely locally-sourced 

welcome hamper waiting on the counter. 

The house had the added benefit of being dog 

friendly too, meaning my pooches didn’t miss 

out on any of the holiday action. 

Katie Thomson | holidaycottages.co.uk, 

a three night stay costs £1,568 total 

25

take time out at 

DONNINGTON VALLEY 

HOTEL & SPA, BERKSHIRE 

It really does go without saying that a visit to the 

spa is a great way to relax, de-stress and unwind 

from the day-to-day. However we should never 

need an excuse for a little pampering. After all, 

many of our modern-day spas have deep roots, 

dating back thousands of years. Hence my 

lack of guilt in booking myself and Mum in for a 

weekend stay at Donnington Valley Hotel. 

A privately owned hotel, spa and golf club, 

Donnington Valley is located just off the M4. 

Arriving in the surrounding beautiful Berkshire 

countryside, this truly felt like a retreat. 

Sharing an Executive suite, we were graced with 

gorgeously comfy beds and a rather spacious 

bathroom! We quickly put on the robes provided 

and made our way to the spa. There we had 

a luxury 55 minute Sonoma Aromatherapy 

Massage. Melting our tensions away, my 

thoughts drifted to the hustle and bustle of 

life, and what a rarity it is to have 55 minutes 

to yourself to just…be. It occurred to me how 

important it is to take time for yourself. It’s a 

win-win for everyone too surely, as by feeling 

and looking your best, you are better able to take 

care of your loved ones without feeling burnt out. 

We took ourselves off to the capacious pool, 

and made use of the indulgent sauna and 

steam rooms, not to mention a quick lounge 

in the jacuzzi, before quickly freshening up for 

our dinner reservations. On the menu: scallops 

on a bed of pea purée, black pudding and 

smoked pancetta, followed by a juicy sirloin 

steak, all complimented beautifully by some 

well-recommended wine, and last but not least 

followed by a delectable espresso martini. 

Naughty? Yes. But perhaps we all need to take 

a weekend every once in a while to look after 

number one. 

Kate O’Connell | donningtonvalley.co.uk, 

rooms from £135 per night 

find sanctuary in the city at 

PARK PLAZA LONDON RIVERBANK 

As a former Londoner who now resides in the countryside, there is always a 

thrill when returning to the capital. The beauty of being a visitor, instead of a 

resident, is getting to appreciate the wealth of culture, architectural marvels 

and general buzz of this sprawling metropolis. And there is nowhere better 

located to explore it all from than the Park Plaza London Riverbank. 

Located on the south side of the River Thames, it sits near many of 

London’s most legendary tourist attractions. The Houses of Parliament, the 

seat of England’s political authority, are just across Westminster Bridge, and 

the London Eye, the city’s enormous Ferris wheel, is only a 15-minute walk 

away. My room had an uninterrupted view out to Big Ben and the Palace of 

Westminster. Being so central might feel chaotic, but the hotel really does 

feel like a sanctuary away from it all. 

I visited with my small niece and nephew in tow - travelling with children 

is never easy, but the London Riverbank hotel has taken a huge step 

toward making it a breeze - it has just launched the capital’s first hotel 

room designed by families, for families - featuring elements such as chalk 

board walls, neon lights, a bunk bed for the kids, and chic décor and iconic 

London view for the adults, along with bespoke services. The suite is 

available from just £179 per night and can be booked by visiting 

parkplaza.com/ultimatefamily 

Daniel Weston | radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/park-plaza-Londonriverbank 

Rooms from £119 per night 

sleep like a royal at 

HARTWELL HOUSE, NR AYLESBURY 

I would call myself an explorer, but it isn’t often that I can feel as I’m back 

in the 17th century and living as the royals once had. That is exactly how 

this weekend felt, exploring the warmth, romance and delicious cuisine that 

Hartwell House had to offer. 

The hotel makes an impression straight away - the exquisite drive to the 

front entrance, greetings from smiling staff and the aroma of a burning stove 

made us feel we were somewhere very special. 

As we settled in our large room, with far-reaching views across the fields we 

were very pleased by the little touches - the room’s decor transporting you 

to an era of vintage style. History oozes from every pore of this house and 

there is so much to be explored - even the walk to dinner took us past the 

characterful staircase - each spindle of the bannister is hand carved into a 

caricature - we delighted in spotting famous historical figures, including a 

grave-faced Winston Churchill. 

The house has both Jacobean and Georgian features with outstanding 

decorative ceilings and panelling, fine paintings and antique furniture. It has a 

remarkable history too: its most famous resident was Louis XVIII, exiled King 

26

soak in the views at 

THE HIGHBULLEN HOTEL 

& COUNTRY CLUB, NORTH DEVON 

Arriving after nightfall to a hotel destination is always a bit of a treat - 

there is something exciting about waking up to an undiscovered view 

- pulling back the curtains to reveal the surprise. 

This delight surely hits its peak at the Highbullen Hotel, nestled in the 

rolling hills of North Devon. As I ambled, sleepily, from the sumptuous 

seven-foot bed in our suite, I opened the curtains with a cup of tea in 

hand, I was greeted by the most glorious, expansive views - rolling hills, 

a view down the Mole Valley and out towards national parks. From the 

hotel’s high vantage point on a ridge between Dartmoor and Exmoor, on 

a clear day you can see for 18 miles across pristine British countryside - 

it really is something to behold. 

An opportunity to enjoy these views is never missed - as well as a 

lovely reading nook in our own room, the elegant drawing rooms and 

sun terraces offered chances to sit and soak it all in. The hotel’s Devon 

View Restaurant also offers these panoramas, alongside its 2 AA 

rosettes - making for a very special dining experience. With a changing 

daily menu featuring the best local, seasonal produce, the restaurant 

is a foodie destination in its own right. We dined on the house-smoked 

salmon with avocado, a deliciously light leek and cheddar tart and 

perfectly succulent lamb cutlets with a perfect umami punch. The 

portions are perfect, leaving just enough room for a shared dessert of 

treacle tart with clotted cream - simple dessert pastry at its best. This is 

also the restaurant where residents can enjoy breakfast - 

it’s a great spread with lots to choose from. 

If the dishes in the restaurant gets you in the indulgent 

foodie mood (and they will) you can also head down to 

the lovely Laura Ashley Tearoom on site for a classic 

Devon cream tea or a more indulgent offering with fizz. 

As well as the main hotel, guests have accommodation 

options in self catered cottages - meaning the facilities 

of the whole resort are still on their doorstep. An 18-hole 

USGA golf course set within richly wooded parkland, 

tennis courts, a multi-sport simulator, a leisure centre, 

fishing, shooting, snooker - the list is expansive and 

caters for every member of the family, making it a 

wonderful holiday destination. Keen walkers can also 

make the most of miles of local country walks, Exmoor or 

the nearby South West Coast path. 

Katie Thomson | highbullen.co.uk, 

B&B from £110 per night 

of France, for five years from 1809 - no wonder we felt like royalty. 

That evening we shared a decadent three course dinner. The food was 

wonderful and the ambiance pure romance - with a piano playing in the 

background. I would highly recommend a starter of scallops or smoked 

salmon, the cod for a main and a trio of the delicious sorbets to finish it off. 

The majestic tone set the night before continued at breakfast - the 

spread pure elegance - hand polished silverware, white table cloths and 

loose leaf earl grey tea. Then it was out to explore the grounds. Hartwell 

House is a National Trust owned property with Capability Browninspired 

landscapes - we pretended it was all our domain as we strolled 

from one spectacular vista to another. 

Then it was time to relax even further in the beautiful spa - with its 

stylistic echoes of a Roman bathing house. Our treatments were 

sublime - taking away all the strain of a working week. 

From the first sights of history, to the genuine comforts of a homely room 

and stunning food, I arrive back in the big city, relaxed, romanced and so 

full of fond memories. Hartwell House comes highly recommended and I 

can see why - it is the perfect weekend away, only if you wish to get lost 

in time and take a moment to enjoy your surroundings. 

Lucy Elamad | hartwell-house.com, B&B from £250 per night 

27

RENEW 

Refresh 

RENOVATE 

Spring is a time of rebirth and it makes 

sense that it’s a period to think about 

changes we want to make in the home. 

Whether your ambitions are large or small 

in scale, here’s some inspiration to get you 

going on your transformation... 

Ian Snow Dark 

Green Floral 

Velvet Cushion, 

topdrawer.co.uk 

desenio.co.uk 

RENEW your soft furnishings. 

Some strong trends to emerge this 

season are hand-printed monochromes 

and really textural, woven pieces with a 

Scandi-boho vibe. 

Throws and blankets are great to mix 

up the look when seasons change. A 

new rug can really change a space too 

- uniting furniture and making a space 

more cohesive. 

Leopard Velvet Cushion, £50, 

frenchbedroomcompany.co.uk 

Petra Cushion Cover, 

£33 and Floor Cushion 

£109, both with free P&P, 

hauslife.co.uk 

If you don’t want to buy new cushions or 

throws, simply swapping pieces between 

rooms can have a similar renewing effect. 

Clockwise from top left: Electra Block 

Print Cushion, £29.95; Seascape In 

Dusk Rug, 160cm x 230cm, £1288, 

abigailedwards.com; Himmeli Wool Blanket, 

£105,cloudberryliving.co.uk; Herringbone 

Linen Throw, £119.99, truelinen.co.uk 

Lola Burnt Orange Velvet 

Armchair £520; Frau Eule 

Velvet Cushion £65; Chevron 

Sienna Patterned Rug From 

£199; Pink Quartz Side Table 

£262, all audenza.com 

28

Dobbies 

REFRESH your walls with some new 

prints. Never underestimate the transformative 

power of art! Get some favourite posters, 

postcards or even fabrics framed or invest in 

some new, fun eye candy for the walls - it’s cheap 

but effective! 

We love Desenio’s vast range of posters, with 

options for framed, unframed and mounted 

finishes. From £3.95, desenio.co.uk 

RENOVATE by bringing 

the outside in. Try to create connected 

spaces, either by echoing flooring 

choices in the home and the patio, or 

using complementary furniture styles 

as you’ll see in the home. 

Some experts estimate that bi-folding 

doors can add around 5-10% to the 

resale valuation of a property, so 

if you’re thinking about renovation 

changes, glazing is a good investment 

which will also improve the way you 

use the space in the interim. Metal 

Crittall doors also make a fabulous 

statement when paired with other 

black glazing and fixtures. 

Left: Linen Viscose 

Mix Curtains In Denim, 

loomandlast.com and below: 

Plantation Shutters from Just 

Shutters, justshutters.co.uk 

REFRESH your window 

treatments. Whether you add a new 

blind or a new set of curtains, or 

even add new trims to you existing 

dressings, it can make a space feel 

wholly different. If you’re looking 

for a larger-scale change with a 

big impact, shutters are a fabulous 

choice - we love the plantation style 

ones - you can really shut the world 

out come evening! 

29

RENEW your light fixtures 

and room hardware for an instant 

update. Multi-level lighting makes 

a huge impact, as does a new 

pendant light in the centre of the 

room - these are impact points 

and lighting will help guide the 

eye around the room. Matching 

lightswitches and sockets help the 

final feel of the room, making it more 

‘pulled-together’. 

Glass & Velvet 

Lamp, £175, 

coxandcox.co.uk 

Pontoon Picture 

Light, £111, 

darlighting.co.uk 

Juliet Table Light, £69, 

atkinandthyme.co.uk 

Midi 3 Light Bar Pendant 

Black, £84, darlighting.co.uk 

Double Socket, £34.99 and 

Quadruple Toggle Switch, £35.99, 

dowsingandreynolds.com 

Volcano 5 

Light Pendant 

Gold, £594, 

darlighting.co.uk 

MULTI-DIMENSIONAL 

CLEANING 

VAX are market leaders in the cordless cleaning 

industry and their latest releases certainly have 

us excited (and yes, it’s totally ok to get excited 

about vacuums). 

TIP: QUICK WINS 

When you’re feeling overwhelmed 

by mess, try just one of these 

quick wins: 

First up is the Glide ONEPWR Hard Floor 

Cleaner (£249) is a god-send if you have mostly 

hard floors in the home - it vacuums, washes 

and dries at the same time and kills 99.9% of 

bacteria. It’s built-in LED light helps you spot dirt 

and its lightweight design makes it easy to use. 

For carpeted areas and furniture, the new 

ONEPWR Blade 4 (£219.99) is a great choice. 

At only 3.1kg it’s light enough to use all over 

the house and still offers unrivalled suction 

- it outperforms the UK’s top 3 best-selling 

cordless vacuums. 

The main advantage to all of these products 

is the ONEPWR battery that is fully shareable 

across the products, which means you can buy 

two if you like to extend run-time, or you can 

share batteries between ‘bare units’, products 

without batteries - saving money. 

Both available from www.vax.co.uk 

REFRESH with a deep clean. We all 

know how satisfying it is to spring clean and 

being thorough is the name of the game - pull 

out furniture, wipe down all surfaces (including 

skirting boards, light switches, shelves etc), and 

get scrubbing. Brabantia have a great range 

of products to keep you on top of your kitchen 

tidiness game - we love the silcone dish drainer 

which folds away and the food caddy to help you 

keep food waste recylcing tidy and odour free. 

Go through your dresser and 

choose one drawer. Take 

everything out and refold and stack. 

Choose one collection (athletic 

equipment, tools, cleaning supplies, 

etc.) and declutter. Toss or recycle 

anything you no longer use. 

Vacuum your car. 

Install hooks in your garage. 

Use them to hang beach chairs, 

tools, or bikes. 

Declutter the tops drawer of 

your night table. Dust, tidy, and 

purge your night table of anything 

you no longer need. 

Walk around your home and 

gather light bulbs, batteries, 

and stamps. Make sure you store 

these in the same spot so you 

don’t buy more than you need. 

Go through one file drawer and 

declutter. Recycle old papers, 

shred credit card statements, and 

refile anything out of place. 

Store your receipts. Sit at your 

desk, open your wallet, and input 

receipts into your filing system. 

Do a clutter sweep. Sit on the 

couch in your living room and 

notice any distracting piles. 

Declutter. 

Recycle some electronics. Do 

you have an older item (television, 

gaming system, or VCR) that 

you’re not sure how to recycle? 

Find your item, and schedule a 

time to recycle it 

30

TIP: PROJECT SCALER 

Looking to refresh the kitchen or bathroom? 

From simple steps to overhauls, here are 

some ideas: 

RENOVATE the larger spaces - 

these are not small decisions, but transforming 

the bathroom or kitchen will have a dramatic 

impact on the way you feel in your home. 

EASY: 

Repaint the walls. 

Re-tile the backsplashes. 

Change the blinds or window dressings. 

Buy new accessories. 

Replace handles and knobs. 

Hang some art. 

MEDIUM: 

Invest in new flooring. 

Replace door and drawer fronts. 

Replace worktops and surfaces. 

HARD: 

Bathroom or kitchen refurb - new base units 

or sanitaryware. 

Reconfigure space with advice from designer. 

Annie Sloan Paints 

REFRESH with a declutter. 

Streamline your space to 

make an instant improvement and 

thoroughly comb through cupboards 

and drawers, recycling items you 

no longer use and grouping similar 

pieces together so you can find them 

in a hurry. 

Collection from Dunelm 

We love Brabantia’s handy Linn 

Clothes rack (£144). Organize, air and 

dry your clothes in style - perfect in the 

guest room or utility. This free-standing 

clothing rack with solid bamboo rod 

and two adjustable shelves is as 

stylish as it is functional.Combine 

open storage like this with collections 

of decorative baskets and boxes for a 

contemporary take on storage. 

Pom Pom 

Basket, 

rexlondon.com 

REFRESH your walls with a 

change in colour. This is probably the 

quickest way to breathe new life into 

a room - not only could you introduce 

new colour, but even a refresh of 

existing paintwork can eliminate 

scuffs and marks. 

Colour trends this year haven’t taken 

a huge step away from last - expect 

to see vibrant coral and sky blue, but 

also lots of lovely pastels and neutrals 

like camel, olive green, blush, off 

white and sage green. 

Paints, clockwise from top left - Spruce Things Up, 

dowsingandreynolds.com; Dulux Smooth Maple, dulux.co.uk; 

First Light (blush pink) benjaminmoorepaint.co.uk; Polar Bear 

Selfie, dowsingandreynolds.com; Coral Mix Using Tilton And 

Emperor’s Silk, anniesloan.com; Dulux Tranquilty Dawn, dulux. 

co.uk; B&Q’s GoodHome Cincinnati Paint, diy.com 

31

Rust-Oleum 

Slate Satin 

Furniture paint 

750ml, £14 

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Paris 

Grey and Old Violet, anniesloan. 

com and registered stockists 

TIP: REPAINTING HANDLES 

We were a little sceptical about this too, especially in 

the kitchen, but we’ve found a good workable solution. 

The key is priming the handles properly - especially 

if they’re metal. We like Rust-Oleum’s All Purpose 

Priming spray followed by your chosen spray paint. In a 

recent renovation, we paired the Satin Finish Furniture 

paint above in Slate with painted handles in Rust- 

Oleum Gold Spray Paint - the end result was beautiful 

and thanks to the priming, the coat was even. 

Extra Tip: to make spray painting easier, stick handles 

into a Styrofoam block 

Clockwise from top 

left: Navy Rye Snuggler 

and Saltdean Portland 

Velvet Rosewood Chair, 

both sofasandstuff. 

com; Muuto Outline 

2 Seater Sofa, £3049, 

somedaydesigns.co.uk 

Rust-Oleum 

Metallic 

Spray Paint, 

£11, diy.com 

RENEW by making unloved kitchen 

cupboards look new again with a coat of 

paint. The beauty of paint is its changeability, 

so you can pick some more ‘trendy’ colours 

without worrying about longevity. Replacing 

the worktops is a great solution too - wood, 

laminate, quartz, granite, marble or composite 

materials all look good against painted units. 

If your doors are past the salvageable 

point, or are too old-fashioned, you 

could save money by buying new doors 

and tops, and keeping the existing 

units. This can have a dramatic effect 

and can look like a whole new kitchen. 

REFRESH your furniture. If you 

still love the frame of your sofa, chairs or 

bed, then look into re-upholstery to breathe 

new life into it. If you’ve moved house and 

the shape doesn’t work any more or simply 

need a change, you could donate your old 

sofa to charity and check out some of these 

fabulous designs... 

Oriental Black Floral 

Headboard, £475, 

rockettstgeorge.co.uk; 

Kingsley Headboard, £550, 

laresidenceinteriors.co.uk 

TIP: SMALL SCALE 

Rather than replacing your whole 

bed, consider just replacing the 

headboard. You can still get that 

new impact you are after, but with 

less upheaval and cost. 

Sofas & Stuff 

32


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• De-clutter your home 

• Create up to a third more space 

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• No mess, no fuss, no sub contractors 

• DBS checked & fully insured 

• Which? Trusted Trader 

Call Wayne Simon now to book a FREE survey & quote 

01926 679591 

reclaim your 

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For many homeowners, the loft is an 

underutilised storage area because it can be 

difficult and dangerous to reach. Access4Lofts can 

change all that in often less than 1 day. 

Wayne, owner of Access4Lofts Warwick says with storage space 

at a premium, it makes sense to make the most of your loft. “I 

can install a loft hatch, loft ladder, boarding, lighting, insulation 

and even shelving, often in just 1 day. It’s quick and affordable.” 

Access4Lofts is an approved Which? Trusted Trader, has full 

public liability insurance and all ladders and work come with a 

lifetime guarantee. 

Call Wayne to book a free survey and quote on 01926 679591 

Tel: 01280 706074 

Actual kitchen photo kindly supplied by customer 

(actual Quality kitchen Products, photo kindly CAD supplied Designs, by customer) 

Quality 

Affordable, 

Products, 

Project 

CAD Designs, 

Management, 

Affordable, 

30+ years experience. 

Project Management, 30+ years experience. 

www.nickbutlerkitchens.co.uk 

www.nickbutlerkitchens.co.uk 

01869 338152 

Weekend Appointments Available 

01869 338152 

Weekend Appointments Available 


Tassel Single Garden 

Hammock, £105 

beaumonde.co.uk 

Garden Trading Gwithian 

Round Table, £250 

gardentrading.co.uk 

Coloured leaf embossed 

glass pot, £16 

kinfolkdecor.co.uk 

ALFRESCO DINING 

With lighter evenings and spring 

weather on the horizon, get your 

garden ready for Spring/Summer 

2020. Prepare furniture, revamp your 

patio, and add a finishing touch with 

a fire pit and lights to create a cosy 

atmosphere. 

Hemi 36 Fire Bowl 

with Metal Table Top 

solusdecor.co.uk 

AMAZONAS 

Globo Chair taupe 

Hängesessel 

amazonas-online.com 

Moroccan Moving Flame Outdoor 

String Light, £26.99 

lights4fun.co.uk/ 

BOLGA STORAGE BASKET, 

£35 

lolaandmawu.com 

NEW Porto Dining Set 

£795 

coxandcox.co.uk 

Valverdi Shard Grey 

20mm Outdoor Tile 

£14.27 

londontile.co.uk/ 

Ligne Roset Outdoor Living 

Accessories Citronnella 

Candle Portrait 

ligne-roset.com/uk/ 

Ooni 3 Wood-Fired 

Outdoor Pizza Oven 

£176 

cuckooland.com 

Fab Hab Outdoor Rug 

Chittagong Black 

£49.95 

cuckooland.com 


Dream Big, £38, 

heykiddostudio.co.uk 

Large Whale (85cm) Toy, 

£22, newbiestore.com 

C an be customised 

with any words 

Cam Cam Garland - 

Natural Leaves, £24.95, 

scandiborn.co.uk 

fourcheekymonkeys.com 

MAGICAL CHILDREN’S 

BEDROOMS 

Children are changeable creatures...so why 

not create neutral spaces to fill with fabulous 

furnishings which can grow with them... 

Lion Print (from £14.95) and 

styling by prettyinprintart.com 

‘Louis Blue’ and 

‘Old Violet’ paint, 

anniesloan.com 

‘Paloma’ and 

‘Antoinette’ paint, 

anniesloan.com 

Simple paint effects 

are the perfect canvas 

for cute details 

OYOY Wallhanger, 

£39.95, 


Ferm Living Safari Cushion Lion, 

£44.95, scandiborn.co.uk 

Decals are a great mess 

free way to quickly update 

blank walls 

Pom Le Bon 

Homme Tree Wall 

Transfers, £16.95, 


Spectrum Droplet 

Garland, £39, 

velveteenbabies.co.uk 

Fabric Bunny 

Basket, £18, 

newbiestore.com 

Flamingo 

Cushion, £25, 

bizzigrowin.com 

Floating Cloud 

LED Light, £8, 

dunelm.com 

Grey Bunny Poster, 

from £5.95, 

desenio.co.uk 


TILES 

FLOOR TILES 

BEST FOR: Kitchens and 

bathrooms - especially if walls also 

need covering. 

A GOOD CHOICE IF: You 

like stylish finishes and the lowmaintenance 

quality of tiles. They 

also conduct heat well for underfloor 

heating. 

TAKE TO THE 

FLOOR 

Time to refresh the flooring in your home? 

We look at four popular materials and 

which areas they work best for... 

WOODEN FLOORING 

BEST FOR: Living spaces like sitting rooms and studies. 

TIPS & TRICKS: There are so 

many finishes available - the trend for 

patterns isn’t abating - we love the 

Boreal Mix Wood-Effect Tiles, above right, and the Grande 

Saltram on the kitchen floor, left, both Original Style. 

TIPS & TRICKS: Take 

time to consider if you 

want hardwood floors or 

engineered wood flooring. 

Engineered wood flooring 

tends to work better in 

moist-prone areas, as 

their base flexes less. Well 

maintained solid wood 

floors will last for decades 

and can be re-sanded 

multiple times. 

WOOD 

A GOOD CHOICE IF: You are looking for a classic 

option which adds longterm value to your home. You do 

have to be mindful of which rooms you choose to use it in. 

Both options provide lots of 

benefits and many colour 

and pattern choices, so it’s 

worth doing your research. 

Image from flooringvillage.co.uk 

LUXURY VINYL TILES 

BEST FOR: These work 

anywhere in the home, but 

particularly well in kitchens and 

bathrooms or high traffic areas. 

They are easy to maintain. 

A GOOD CHOICE IF: 

You want a hard-wearing, low 

maintenance floor with an 

enormous range of patterns 

and finishes. We love the new 

heritage-style collections from 

Karndean and Amtico plus their 

wood and stone effect tiles are 

very realistic. 

Karndean 

LVT 

TIPS & TRICKS: You can 

use these anywhere and the 

way you lay them can create 

some great personal style. 

Amtico 

CARPETS 

BEST FOR: Bedrooms and some living rooms 

- nothing replicates the cosiness of a carpet. Also 

good for noise reduction. 

A GOOD CHOICE IF: You have small children 

- stain resistant blends are available. There is a 

huge choice when you buy carpets - the colours 

can really complement a scheme and the soft feel 

instantly warms up a room and provides thermal 

insulation - perfect for any property. 

TIPS & TRICKS: In 

high traffic areas choose 

hardwearing finishes like the 

stylish 100% wool Berber 

collection from Kingsmead 

Carpets. 

Kingsmead Carpets 

Kingsmead Carpets - 

Berber Traditions 

Luxury Vinyl Tiles are not 

known for their environmental 

credentials (other than their 

long-lasting finish) so we were 

excited to hear about Amtico’s 

new Cirro range which is 

PVC free. At the moment it’s 

a commercial product, but 

it’s good to see the industry 

adapting to consumer demand. 

CARPET 


Children: getting them 

interested in gardening 

Here our resident gardener and radio personality, Matt Biggs 

aka The People’s Gardener, explains the benefits of getting 

children involved in the garden and how it provides them with 

skills to help their development. 

You and your children will enjoy every stage of the process. We 

hear a lot about children not knowing where their food comes from 

and, of course, if we don’t give them the info then, with all of the 

distractions of modern living, it is not surprising if they think a chip 

comes from the freezer aisle and kohlrabi is a character in the latest 

Star Wars film! 

Gardening for kids is just such a great thing - exercise, knowledge, 

fun and hopefully an interest that will last them a lifetime, what more 

do we need? Many garden centres offer kids activity days, whether 

that is pumpkin carving, seed sowing or making animals out of fruit 

and veg. there is a lot you can get them involved with and much of it 

is free too. Many garden centres have clubs for children, and this is 

a good option if you have one near to you. It is good for socialising 

and excellent for learning the basics and having fun. 

If you have a garden marking them out their own space is an easy 

thing to do. It gives them a sense of responsibility and you can 

make a bug hotel out of recycled bits and bobs, plan to grow some 

herbs or mini veg, write down their favourite colours and hunt 

through plant catalogues or online for suitable plants to match. 

There are lots of skills involved in all of these activities, from maths 

- how many plants do we need for the space, to practical skills 

in making things, to research and planning skills - so one small 

space can lead to a lot of learning! If you have a local country 

show or fayre there will probably be a few children’s classes in that 

too - making a miniature garden or a dinosaur from fruit and veg. 

whatever it is take advantage of it - country 

shows are a great day out! 

So, having got the kids organised it is time 

to do our own planning for summer, whether 

you have a window box, a court-yard or 

acres of space there is summer colour for 

every option. If you are fortunate enough to 

have a greenhouse then you can start early and bring on your own 

plants, you can share with neighbours or garden clubs which is a 

very economical way of gardening or you can visit your local nursery 

or garden centre to see what choices are available - and there is a 

lot of choice. 

Every year Chelsea highlights a new favourite plant or colour 

scheme, gardening magazines and books have so many ideas 

- one of the most pleasurable jobs in the year is planning your 

garden - and then - best bit of all, enjoying the fruits of your labour! 

To discover more about Matt and his books please 

visit www.mattbiggs.com 

The Heat Store Ltd 

Stoves, Fires, Cookers and Chimney Specialists 

Wood • Multi Fuel • Gas • Electric 

We have two beautiful showrooms with over 100 display models 

Free quotes available for supply and installation. 

Based in Charlbury, Oxfordshire & Studley Warwickshire. 

Open 6 days a week with expert staff on hand and our own 

teams of installers. 

Gas Safe, Hetas, Guild of Master Sweeps 

01608 819088 | www.heatstoreltd.co.uk | charlbury@heatstoreltd.co.uk 


We meet 

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen Designer, artist and WIT 

Sally Thomson was recently invited to the beautiful Cotswolds home of 

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen to find out more about his latest wallpaper 

range, the creativity behind his work and how he gets his inspiration 

from William Morris... 

Sally: Your lovely late father was a 

surgeon and your mother was a teacher, 

what made you choose to go into the arts? 

Laurence: Because I really didn’t want to 

be a surgeon and I really didn’t want to 

be a teacher! When my father died it was 

so tragic. I was only nine and he was so 

eminent and it was so embarrassing being 

kind of patted on the head with people 

saying ‘Oh you are going to take after 

your father’. Just the idea of surgery was 

just so abhorrent! Not that I’m particularly 

squeamish. Actually I’m often drawn to the 

nastier sorts of 14th century alter pieces, 

where there’s a lot of cutting up saints! But 

my sister is a doctor so it is definitely in 

the blood. I actually always wanted to be 

a barrister. It was very simple, ever since I 

was very young and it was only when the 

absolute reality of how much work it would 

require hit me at about sixteen that I thought 

no. I was intellectually quite successful 

at school and so there was an enormous 

shockwave when I suddenly decided 

that I was going to do art instead which 

is something that I never considered as 

something that I was here to do. 

You appeared on ‘Who Do You Think You 

Are’ and you discovered more about your 

grandparents. 

It was the dullest ‘Who Do You Think 

You Are’ ever. And I did say to them that 

unfortunately I am the most interesting thing 

in my family! 

38 | www.banburyliving.co.uk 

So your great grandfather being blown up 

by a U-boat didn’t count? 

Actually he was quite interesting. He 

was a very exotic and powerful person, I 

remember him very clearly and he died 

when I was about four. Very commanding 

and very elegant. He also had a reputation 

for being very over-perfumed! But he got 

sunk in both world wars! He was obviously 

completely and utterly indestructible. He also 

ended up getting a medal from the mayor of 

Nagasaki right in the middle of the second 

world war; when we were at war with Japan! 

He saved an entire crew of Japanese 

merchant shipmen and rowed them ashore 

himself. So it was all very bemusing. But 

I remember my mother said to me during 

filming: ‘Never be part of somebody else’s 

dynasty, start your own.’ After my father died 

and when she became very ill she became 

very feisty about stuff. She was inevitably 

very protective of us as children. And it was 

difficult for her as her family felt that she 

was not fit to bring us up and wanted to step 

in and even social services were sniffing 

around. 

You went to Camberwell College of Arts 

is that where you found your passion for 

interior design? 

No. I went to Camberwell to do the 

foundation course without having a clear 

idea yet of what I wanted to do. In fact at that 

stage, at the interview stage they felt I was 

better suited to the illustration course. But 

actually I felt very strongly whilst doing the 

foundation course that I wanted to do fine 

art, to do painting. This was because I was 

very aware of the quite crushing snobbery 

that was happening in the art market, which 

is that if you were a painter/fine artist you 

could go on and do whatever you wanted, 

such as stage design or illustration. You 

brought an enormous amount of kudos with 

you if you did that. But if you specialised as 

an illustrator you would never be able to do 

fine art. 

But fine art must have been very difficult 

to break into? 

It was very difficult, I had to totally change 

because up until that point I am ashamed 

to say I was quite arrogant about my art. 

I know you will find this very difficult to 

believe! But I always had a phenomenal 

facility to draw, I could draw very well and 

very effortlessly. But too stylistically. So half 

way through I had to pretend that I liked 

doing things the way they liked to, you know 

with the little scratchy marks and making 

paintings very dank and brown. So I did all 

of that to get to get onto the fine art course, 

which I did, and then immediately threw off 

the cloak and went back to my monumental 

neo-classical nudes in blousy landscapes, 

which I think annoyed the feminist 

movement in Camberwell! I used to say 

‘For goodness sake, I am celebrating these 

women, look at them, they are goddesses!’ 

Nudes are history and truths. 

continued

So when did your first break come in TV? 

Well, I was on Magpie when I was a child! 

I know! That was very difficult though 

because my father had removed the ITV 

button so that we couldn’t watch ITV, so he 

had to find it again so that he could watch 

me in it. I remember my parents being very 

disapproving, saying ‘Why couldn’t you 

go on Blue Peter?’. Magpie was just too 

funky! They all wore flares and had regional 

accents. 

But then you got into it, and along came 

other programmes, such as Changing 

Rooms etc? 

As soon as I left college I was on the 

edge of a lot of media stuff. I had a very 

successful degree show and sold paintings 

to people like Adam Ant and Terry Jones. 

I was with the Crucial Gallery in Notting 

Hill who were very, very fashionable. So I 

actually ended up doing some weird stuff 

like advertising work in Japan, but that’s 

when I had a kind of scene change and 

decided I didn’t want to do any of that at 

all, and went off and spent three years 

marketing rubber flooring. Because I just felt 

like it. I actually really enjoyed it, and I really 

enjoyed the responsibility of it. But after 

three years I started looking around at what 

I really wanted to do. I had done so many 

different things at college and I had done 

a lot of interior design, but I had also done 

an enormous amount of stage design and I 

was very keen on that. I’m still keen on that 

now! But I sort of trickled into interiors really 

through styling committee parties and then 

I’d be asked to design a conservatory and 

things went from there. And I was literally 

plucked from that to do a screen test for 

the BBC for something they were calling 

‘Changing Rooms’. And the rest they say 

is history. 

We must talk about your new wallpaper. 

How did that happen? 

Well, similarly to when you were asking 

about the television break, one of the 

defining moments was Changing Rooms, 

which is funny because I was quite grumpy 

about doing it. I was very busy and I had a 

lot of stuff going on but I filmed it. But it did 

have a disastrous effect on my business. I 

had a really lovely coterie of about eight or 

nine repeat clients who were terribly discreet 

and very wealthy. It started getting irritating 

when I would turn up for a site meeting and 

there would be paparazzi, and so one-byone 

I started getting those ‘it’s not you, it’s 

me’ telephone calls from clients, who would 

say that they love my work but they can’t 

cope with it all. But it was actually my wife 

Jackie who came up with this idea of ‘if 

everybody in the world is watching television 

then lets sell to everybody in the world. 

Let’s work with B&Q, Homebase, House of 

Fraser. Let’s create licensed products’. 

Your latest design of wallpapers are 

exquisite. The intricacy of some of these 

designs is absolutely beautiful. How do 

you set about creating that? 

Well, this is the big thing because it’s now 

twenty years since we actually launched 

this and it’s been incredibly successful and 

actually that’s what I want on my tombstone! 

I don’t want ‘that bloke off the telly’. I want 

‘Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen - Designer’. 

That’s what I do. But for the twentieth 

anniversary of the brand I wanted to have 

something really very authoritative. 

When you create that design, the 

bit I don’t get is how you turn it into 

wallpaper. How does that work? And 

where do you create them? At home? 

Largely on planes! My rider, you would 

expect snow leopards and lilies, actually 

consists of Epsom salts, gin and a drawing 

board. Very monastic! Everything starts as 

a drawing, which I will do wherever I am 

(which can even sometimes be in the lounge 

of an airport, should inspiration strike!). 

Sometimes I’ll come back from being away 

with an enormous portfolio of drawings, but 

more often than not I’ll photograph them 

on my phone and send them to the design 

office and then they put them into repeat. 

I’ll always design with repeat in mind. The 

repeat is the clever thing because I suppose 

the big thing is that there’s always an innate 

homage to William Morris in everything I do. 

We recently went to the Jane Austin 

Museum. The wallpaper was so bright, it 

was not what I expected. 

We always think of the Georgian period as 

being wonderfully understated and rather 

pastel-hued. But no, it was vulgar as hell! If 

they could get it bright yellow they certainly 

would! But it’s very interesting with wallpaper 

because I think it is quintessentially a 

British product. It sort of doesn’t really exist 

anywhere else. It’s because it’s a very easily 

read symbol of the middle class. In France 

or Italy or anywhere else where there was 

no middle class you would have real silk on 

the walls. 

You have bedding and wallpaper in the 

Signature range is that correct? 

We’ve got beds, we’ve got furniture but the 

wallpaper I always see as being the flagship 

of my style. 

Going back to art, what do you think of 

our local boy, Banksy? 

We actually share an art dealer! It’s very 

interesting because I think there is a very 

pronounced movement now for art to 

become a lot more interesting and a lot 

more readable. I think the art of the 80s and 

90s, the Brit Art movement, and actually a 

lot of late 20th century art was deliberately 

over-intellectual. I think a lot of people would 

go into a contemporary art gallery and think 

‘yeah, okay’. It’s almost that feeling of ‘I can 

do that’. But stick them in front of one that 

everyone goes crazy for, Leighton’s Flaming 

June and you would say ‘Oh my god!’ You 

know, that’s one of the best paintings in the 

world. And we do love them and I think there 

is a real return to a level of craftsmanship. I 

mean, Banksy doesn’t really do a lot himself. 

He has a huge studio that create these 

things. But then, so did Rodin, and so did 

Rembrandt. But then you’ve also got people 

like Grayson Perry, who I think is very 

interesting as well and his work is, unusually, 

every bit as interesting as him. 

You have a place in Cornwall don’t you? 

Do you paint when you go down there? 

We have, in Port Issac. But no, I wish! I 

tend not to do any work. When we first went 

there, a long time ago, I used to do a lot of 

landscape work there, and I do love it as 

somewhere for inspiration. 

Left: Lawrence’s original drawing ‘Club 

Tropicana’, Middle: the finished printed 

wallpaper, Below: Lawerence’s Aspen 

Headboard with Monoglam bedlinen. 

Selected wallpapers are available from 

the Llewelyn-Bowen Signature Collection 

at Wallpaperdirect.com

Alan Titchmarsh... 

on some of his favourite things 

Sally Thomson recently had 

a chat with Alan Titchmarsh 

MBE, DL, HonFSE and 

discussed some of the many 

passions he enjoys - extending 

far beyond gardening. 

He has written more than forty 

gardening books, memoirs and 

his latest creation is a book on 

poetry which illustrates the love 

he has for not just plants, but 

all of life... 

You still do Saturday mornings on 

Classic FM. Of all the music that 

you enjoy, what is your favourite? 

It’s fairly classic, although I like a lot 

of stuff! Whether it’s Handel or Mozart 

or Tchaikovsky. It’s part of my life. I’ve 

always loved light opera. I love The Merry 

Widow and Fledermaus and things like 

that, as well as the heavier stuff. But I 

think sometimes Operetta is overlooked. 

It has the most glorious melodies and it 

tends to fall between two categories; it’s 

not a musical and it’s not an opera and so 

I feel that at the moment Operetta seems 

to fall in the dark. 

40 | www.banburyliving.co.uk 

Do you endeavour to put them forward 

a little bit on the show? 

Oh, I do! I do suggest it to the producers. 

I’ve been listening to some snippets on 

your show on gardening and there are 

such useful tips. I mean, I don’t fancy 

going out there at the moment because 

it’s so wet. But when Easter arrives how 

should we start in the garden? 

The great thing about the winter months 

is that everything moves so slowly, so 

when Easter arrives it gives us time to 

catch up in the garden. We can get stuff 

cut back, fed, mulched. 

Mulching is probably one of the best 

things to do this time of year isn’t it? 

Well it is because the ground is moist and 

the weeds haven’t started growing yet so 

you can spread it now and it will keep the 

weeds down. 

Yes, obviously the bulbs are coming up 

now and I’m dreading a frost that will 

knock down my narcissus… 

Oh, frost won’t knock them down! They’re 

tough as old boots. They might bow 

down for a night if it gets really frosty, but 

they’ll pick up as the day progresses. The 

thing about narcissus and snowdrops 

is that they are not susceptible to frost. 

They really are hardy. 

That’s good to know! I’m really 

interested in your 50 shades of Green - 

the programme. Tell me all about that, 

how did it happen? 

ITV very sweetly said they wanted to 

mark my seventieth birthday, which was 

very kind, and they wanted to do it in a 

very engaging way, so they had me name 

my top 50, and they went from there. 

Were they difficult choices to make? 

Oh yes! It was like Desert Island Discs! 

But we covered all the main things you 

know, like trees, water, roses, and the last 

one was my garden which has not been 

seen on telly before. 

I know. A bit special! One of the 

elements of the show is about you 

visiting the National Gallery, and how 

the masterpieces have inspired you. 

Which were the paintings in particular 

that inspired you? 

Oh gosh, well for me it’s so difficult 

to choose, I mean there’s Mr and Mrs 

Andrews by Gainsborough, then you see 

Whistlejacket by Stubbs. Just walking 

past them all and the feeling of joy that 

it was open for us to see them all, it was 

like being a boy in a sweet shop! When 

you manage to see them without bodies 

all around you, and it’s one-to-one with 

you and the painting. It’s such a treat. 

continued

What about going into where the 

Queen’s perfumer was working? 

That was wonderful! I use the aftershave 

now! I was terrified of course, when I 

arrived there. 

Alan will be at BBC Gardeners’ 

World Live on Saturday 20th 

June 2020 

You cannot hide your emotions can 

you? 

No, I’m not very good at that! It was a joy 

though. 

Of the gardens that you’ve visited, do 

you have a special one? Or do you find 

that different gardens affect different 

moods, a bit like music? 

They do. There are aspects of every 

garden where you think ‘Oh I like that’, or 

‘I wish I had that’. I love Chatsworth, I’ve 

always loved Chatsworth, it’s a special 

place. The Prince of Wales’ garden at 

Highgrove. Sissinghurst is another one. 

Gardens that reflect the soul of their 

makers are really special. 

You are attending Highgrove again 

aren’t you? For Talking Gardens. Are 

you excited about that, as you go there 

quite regularly don’t you? 

I seem to go there every year. I’m a 

regular! I will be discussing the way we 

look at our gardens and the way they can 

help us and we can help them. It’s not 

just analytical, it’s getting to grips with 

a garden and what a garden can offer. I 

get so dispirited when I see gardens laid 

to paving blocks. I know that cars are 

precious, but you don’t have to pave the 

whole thing. There are all kinds of things 

you can do to make room for nature. 

When we spoke last time, you talked 

about your poetry with Debbie 

Wiseman from Classic FM. 

Yes, the book is coming out! Well I’ve 

written poetry for years before that 

but mainly for Christmas. But Debbie 

suggested I write something about 

plants, so we did The Glorious Garden 

which happened to go to No.1 in the 

classical charts - not that I like to boast! 

So that’s what got me going on writing 

poetry other than just for Christmas. 

So yes, I have put all these poems plus 

a load of new ones into a book called 

Marigolds, Myrtle and Moles. 

Do you think you have any more 

poems up your sleeve? 

Well I really enjoy writing them, so we’ll 

see how this one goes down. I might do 

another one! 

Will we be seeing any more of ‘Love 

Your Garden’? 

We’ve got four episodes that will be 

coming out in the Spring, and we will 

start filming more in April. We filmed half 

the series last year in September and 

the other half will be done in Spring as 

they split the recordings, and they have 

commissioned another two series which 

is very nice! 

Marigolds, Myrtle and Moles by Alan 

Titchmarsh is published by Hodder 

& Stoughton 

Below, from left: Highgrove, Chatsworth 

and Sissinghurst 


Visiting a 

care home; 


the a-z 

of top 

tips 

Dementia expert Professor June Andrews 

gives us her insightful tips into visiting a 

loved one in residential or nursing care... 

When someone with dementia moves into 

a care home, it is often a great relief for 

the family. Many things are immediately 

better. You can get an undisturbed night’s 

sleep and it’s possible to go out and about 

without worrying how your loved one is, and 

whether they are safe. But it is not always 

so simple. You might worry about whether 

the new resident is being looked after 

properly, or whether they are fretting and 

missing you. 

Visiting now becomes an important issue. 

How often should you go and for how long, 

and what on earth do you do when you are 

there? Because people ask me this, I made 

an A-Z of visiting ideas an important part 

of my new book on care home. Especially 

as you know the person you are visiting, I 

expect you will be able to think of variations 

on this theme. 

AAvoid contradicting someone with 

dementia, even for clarification. 

Bring the newspaper or photos to look at. 

Calmly sit and wait. Just being there is 

good in itself. 

Don’t be louder than needed. 

Even if you are in a hurry, don’t appear to 

rush. 

Find conversation-starters apart from ‘Do 

you remember when … ?’ Direct questions 

are like a memory test, and uncomfortable. 

Give a hug (with permission) or find 

appropriate contact like a hand massage. 

Have food to share, or go for a 

cuppa. 

Introduce yourself again every time, even if 

you are sure they know you. 

Just wait after speaking. To give extra time 

for a response, count to ten. 

Keep an eye out for tiredness, and offer 

sips of water. 

Limit the numbers visiting at any one time. 

Make an attempt to get outside, if only on a 

roof terrace or balcony. 

Never forget that the person can read your 

body language. 

Offer to bring your dog or other pet, 

especially if it is calm and affectionate. 

Pick their best time of day. 

Quick visits are acceptable - what matters 

is the quality. 

Read out loud. 

Sing together. 

Try to be in a quiet room. 

Understand, if they are rude, that this is not 

personal. 

Visiting cards or notes let others know that 

you called and are good for reminding the 

resident that they are loved and respected. 

When it is time to go, find a distraction to 

cover your departure. 

XXX is for kissing - only do it if you used to 

do it before. 

Young visitors are always popular, and 

babies are amazing. 

ZZZ is for when they sleep through your 

visit; you were there - that matters - so leave 

a card. Use the time to relax yourself or talk 

to someone else who is lonely. 

Z 

If just visiting the care home starts to be 

hard work for the family, neighbours and 

friends can help. It might be hard to make 

sure someone is there every day, and you 

can work together to fill the gaps. Have fun! 

Professor June’s book, Care Homes: The 

One Stop Guide: When, Why and How to 

Choose a Care Home will be released in 

June. 

It is Dementia Action Week from 11-17 May 

2020. Find out more at www.alzheimers.org. 

uk. You can also call the National Dementia 

Helpline for support on 0300 222 11 22. 


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PENHURST GARDENS 

Care team are proud winners of three prestigious accolades 

At Penhurst Gardens, as with every 

Porthaven home, we pride ourselves on 

handpicking our staff carefully. Every 

team member is hand-selected for their 

empathy and professionalism and there 

is nothing more important to us than 

ensuring every resident entrusted in our 

care is treated with dignity and respect. 

We were very honoured recently to collect 

a number of prestigious prizes at both the 

Caring UK Awards and the Great British 

Care Awards which reflects just how 

important good care is to us. The home 

was awarded ‘Care Team of the Year’ at 

this year’s Caring UK awards during a 

glittering award ceremony whilst carers 

Sophie Bishop and Jordan Ellis won 

the ‘Dementia Carer’ and the ‘Dignity in 

Care’ awards respectively at the regional 

finals of the Great British Care Awards. 

Both awards were originally created to 

pay tribute to the teams and individuals 

in care homes who make an outstanding 

contribution to caring for the elderly. 

We are always proud of our incredibly 

hardworking staff and it all goes to show 

that, at a Porthaven home, every resident 

lives well in our care, often coming to 

consider the staff as friends. 

Penhurst Gardens offers a beautiful 

setting in Chipping Norton, nestled in 

the scenic and popular Cotswolds. It 

benefits from serenity and charm in equal 

measure but most importantly, the quality 

of care you or a loved one will receive 

here matters most. As a Porthaven home, 

we offer 24 hour residential, nursing, 

dementia and respite care. Every member 

of our hand-selected and empathetic 

staff is highly trained to a professional 

standard, chosen for their dedication 

and compassion. They are thoroughly 

engaged in promoting independence, 

privacy and respect for every single 

resident. 

What can you expect from life at a 

Porthaven home? Firstly, Penhurst 

Gardens is an elegant environment, with 

plenty of practical and cleverly designed 

features to make it a modern, spacious 

place in which to live. Every bedroom 

has an en suite bathroom and there are 

plenty of communal areas throughout 

for socialising and hobbies. There is 

consideration and flexibility for those 

who wish to live quietly and those who 

wish to fully engage with everything 

there is to offer at the home. Added to 

this there are a variety of restaurants and 

a café, a hairdressing salon and even 

a private dining room for those special 

celebrations. Good food is a priority and 

special favourites are noted and often 

prepared for residents. Boredom never 

comes into the equation at Penhurst 

Gardens. This is strongly emphasised by 

our award-winning leisure and wellness 

philosophy, where residents have the 

opportunity to take part in a programme 

of activities that includes crafts, keep 

fit, entertainers and guest speakers who 

visit the home. There is also a lovely 

garden, perfect for strolling, exercise or 

gardening. The Porthaven homes even 

have a friendly gardening competition 

annually and residents are fully involved 

in planning flowerbeds and planting 

vegetables together. It’s another example 

of the thriving community that has been 

established; Penhurst Gardens is not 

simply just another care home. 

We would love to chat to you about any 

questions you may have, or better still, 

give you a guided tour. You can also 

browse the website to read about our 

prestigious prizes and gain a glimpse into 

life at Penhurst Gardens. 

“Penhurst Gardens offers a beautiful setting in 

Chipping Norton, nestled in the scenic and popular 

Cotswolds. It benefits from serenity and charm in equal 

measure but most importantly, the quality of care you 

or a loved one will receive here matters most.” 

Please telephone us on 01608 698052 or 

send a message. We truly look forward 

to showing you what makes our home so 

special. 

www.porthaven.co.uk/chipping-norton 


CARE TEAM OF THE YEAR 

WINNERS 2019 

Care Beyond Compare 

in Chipping Norton 

BOOK A VISIT AT PORTHAVEN.CO.UK 

OR CALL 01608 698052 

Penhurst Gardens Care Home, New Street, Chipping Norton 

Oxfordshire OX7 5ED (Sat Navs OX7 5LL) 

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Banbury Living Apr - May 2020

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