PETWORTH GARDENS

The childhood home of Anne Boleyn, otherwise known as Hever Castle and Gardens in Kent is the perfect day out. It is open for you to discover the lake walk, miniature model houses, maze, and of course history which dates back to the 14th Century. Its panelled rooms are regarded by some as ‘one of the best collections of Tudor portraits after the National Portrait Gallery’. Explore the fine furniture, tapestries, and antiques. Today, much of what you see is the incredible restoration efforts from the early 20th century of William Waldorf Astor. The gardens are award-winning, set in 125 acres of marvellous nature and classical statues. The Loggia, overlooking the 38-acre lake, is the perfect spot to relax before exploring the many cascades, grottoes and fountains too. There are also three areas for the kids to run around in and explore, including Tudor Towers. An overnight stay at Medley Court or The Bed and Breakfast are options for something different to this Easter.

Petworth Park is a 700-acre deer park with a 17th-century house which is home to one of the finest National Trust art collections, including works by Van Dyck, Turner and Gainsborough. The gardens include serpentine paths and woodland walks with so much to take in during a peaceful spring stroll. Designed by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, he introduced colourful informal planting and impressive monuments with views over the surrounding South Downs landscape. For families, make the most of the space to run, skip and jump. Spy daffodils and spot deers. Culture and history lovers, make sure you leave plenty of time to step inside the breathtaking state rooms and art galleries.

‘Dispensary’ is your local, fashionable charity shop destination for vintage homewares, garden furnishing and pre-loved clothes. Our stores in Brighton and Worthing stock an eclectic mix of both new and pre-loved items for you to buy. Plus, not only are you shopping sustainably by making purchases with us, you are also donating to charity. You will help ensure St Peter & St James Hospice are able to help those living with life-limiting illness and their families get the care and support they need. Our Brighton store is located at 138 Preston Drove, and is open Mon-Sat 09.00-17.00. Or, visit dispensary in Worthing at 1 Stanford Square, Mon-Sat 09.3017.00 and Sun 10.30-16.30.

Fiona Howard Wallpaper designs are created in Sussex using the traditional technique of hand carving and printing lino. It’s a slow and meticulous process that celebrates the beautiful textures and imperfections of a craft which is used less and less in today’s computer driven world. Fiona Howard wallpapers celebrate the British coast and countryside and are printed in the UK using environmentally-friendly inks on FSC papers. The floral, naturistic designs are bound to make a statement in your home and there is also a wide range of colours to choose from. From pretty blue illustrations of harbour boats’, to soft shades of yellow honeysuckle, there is something for every taste.

We do the lot!

Gardening & Plants

Furniture & Outdoor

Living

Farm Shop

Pets & Equestrian

Bakehouse Kitchen Cafe

Regular Social Events

This Spring

Top quality plants

Enjoy out unique garden shopping experience

We provide everything you need to build your dream garden, along with a fun day out for all. Enjoy breakfasts and lunches served daily at our cafes, along with delicious local produce on offer at our farm shops

Our pet stores also supply you with everything you need to keep your furry friends happy and healthy.

Fresh, local produce

Pop along to one of our events!

Wine tasing, food festivals, quiz nights & more!

We hold regular fun events at UpCountry Check out to our upcoming ones by heading to: www upcountrystorehouse com/events

Delicious brunches daily

Treats for your furry friends

By Amy Stanborough

Imagine an opportunity where you can go on a peaceful foraging walk through the woods, soaking in the calming atmosphere as you learn all about the habitat surrounding you. You can watch the squirrels collect nuts in the trees above your head; step over wild mushrooms and herbs sprouting out of the soil. As you turn the corner, wood is burning and the smell of smoked fish fills your nostrils to make your tummy rumble. Then, you take your seat in the open air restaurant to dine on fine food, completely succumbing to the environment that it came from.

Fire + Wild is an outdoor dining and foraging experience, where they cook hyper-seasonal dishes using wild food, fish and game over fire. I had the privilege of talking to the chef and founder Mark all about his nomadic history and love of nature which inspired him to create such a unique food adventure experience.

Mark’s story all began when he grew up on a farm in Lancashire, immersed in the countryside from a young age, shooting air rifles with his brother or watching David Attenborough documentaries. He was always drawn to ancient tribal culture, natural history, and anything that involved the idea of living off-grid or off-land. It is this that he defines as his spiritual home.

While his teenage years and young adult years were absorbed with music - playing in bands before running a club in Camden - he returned to his country ways in tranquil Lancashire. He tells me he wanted a change in lifestyle; to dismantle his diet and reconstruct it by eating organic meat and veg. His love of hunting for organically sourced food became something of functionality rather than hobby. The romantic imagery of returning to farm land, eating clean, and improving his lifestyle does not end there. Mark met a girl who had family in France, and he went mushroom picking with her dad. From there, he was hooked. Food became an educational resource.

Back in England, Mark was keen to develop his skills in the foraging department, reaching out to people to teach him more. With a ‘teach yourself’ mentality, he met a micro-ologist who taught a couple of courses to Mark before they became mates. All the questions were asked, and books read. Two years of travelling in a converted camper van were spent learning about foods, hunting, and connecting with experts in their field to build Mark’s knowledge. It became an obsessional passion. A passion which is transpired through Fire + Wild.

Wild food consists of anything that is not farmed, growing and living naturally. This can consist of game animals - deer, rabbits, squirrels, boar - but also wild herbs, mushrooms, nuts and berries. These are the sort of ingredients you can expect to tuck into at Fire + Wild’s experiences. The ‘fire’ element refers to their kitchen which uses no gas or electricity. It is an off-grid restaurant where everything is cooked over fire. This primal method of cooking and eating food relates back to Mark’s curiosities into ancient tribes. It is a low impact way of connecting food with the land and using the resources around us. In turn, we too as consumers and diners, are reconnected to nature.

There are two ways to experience Fire + Wild. The first is the dining experience, the second is a learning experience. While the motivation of the food and cooking is nomadic, primal and tribal, the dining itself is high-end, creating a juxtaposition between luxury and the surreal. “The concept that intrigued me”, Mark tells, “is that I have seen other people cooking over fire: well known fire cooking chefs like Francis Mallman in Argentina, making more rustic, not so refined stuff in terms of presentation”. However, “fine dining has always captured my attention so it is a tasting menu - small plates - usually 5-7 dishes with a focus on artistic presentation and a wow factor.”

Perhaps, you are keen to learn more about foraging and wood-fire cooking. Fire + Wild also offers the opportunity for customers to learn some key skills and become even more immersed in the experience. This option involves a walk through the forest, some game prep (learning how to prepare a wild bird for cooking or fish for over fire), the basic techniques of using fire, plus composing two or three dishes you then get to eat. You go through the journey from scratch. You cook the sauce, cook the meat, plate it up, and tuck into your very own creation. Alongside the food, there are wine pairings, mostly local. After all that adventuring, what is better than a Sussex merlot under the trees and the stars?

Offered is also the choice to do an offsite experience, especially locally in Sussex. You can book Mark and his team to come to you and deliver an experience at your chosen location. The perfect treat for a back garden wedding, or to complete a campfire with mates.

When I ask Mark how difficult it is to create the menu, he says this is the easy part. “The dishes are a storytelling of season and habitats' ' he states. “I love putting ingredients together that make sense”. The squirrel croquettes with hazelnut aioli are a perfect example of ‘what grows together, goes together’, or vice versa. Everything is a story of time, place and location.

A favourite ingredient however is mushrooms, linking back to the initial fascination. Mark defines them as “bizarre, other worldly life forms on the floor that taste incredible”. I too, even knowing nothing about wildfire cooking, can understand his fascination with something like truffle for instance, which is the “most highly priced, most expensive and delicious food on the planet, and it is dug out of the ground.” It goes to prove that some of the most beautiful things are literally right there beneath our feet, part of the Earth we inhabit.

Fire + Wild has been Mark's blood, sweat and sacrifices for nearly five years now. He is clearly just as passionate about this unique wonderland as ever, but there are plenty more exciting things coming his way. As I am speaking to Mark, he is in Mexico, travelling and enhancing his knowledge on food and landscape even more. His days are currently consumed by fishing for mahi mahi and cooking with ingredients he has never worked with before. “I am keen to start putting what I do on an international level” he tells me, off to Greece in March too to put Fire + Wild on a mountain. There are lots of exciting projects occurring in the pipeline as Fire + Wild, really, has only just begun.

Even without packing a bag and sailing overseas, Fire + Wild is still reaching international audiences via the world of Instagram. It is here where Mark gets to capture and share the essence of his experiences through photos and film. Photography, Mark explains, allows the reality of things to be snapped up in the moment. During COVID, all he could do was be on the road and capturing things. Their visual branding is strong - rustic, Autumnal tones - and encapsulates the wild as home.

This is what Fire + Wild is all about: “taking the people into the heart of where the food is coming from”. It is an experience designed to create a connection between people, food, and nature.

Find out more or book your experience at www.fireandwild.co.uk Or follow @fireandwild