Cotswold Homes Winter Edition 2013 by Cotswold Homes

Cotswold Homes Cotswold-Homes.com The Property & Lifestyle Magazine for the North Cotswolds

WINTER Edition 2013

Complimentary Copy

Christmas Win Tickets! RSC, Cheltenham Races, Show Bite Festival, Cotswold Wildlife Park and more! Spectaculars!

Royal Shakespeare Company’s ‘Wendy & Peter Pan’ & Chipping Norton’s ‘Jack and the Giant’

HOT PROPERTY Expert Advice, Beautiful Homes

PRIVILEGE CARD OFFERS Shop Local, Save Money

BEHIND HIGHGROVE’S GARDEN WALLS Jeremy Houghton’s Exclusive Residency

Nigel Slater & Adam Henson BBC’s Farm Kitchen

WINTER in the WOLDS

Your Cotswold Calender

Cotswold Homes Magazine CONTENTS Nigel Slater and Adam Henson In the BBC Farm Kitchen

Behind the Scenes at Highgrove Artist Jeremy Houghton on his exclusive residency

The Cotswold Cartoonist Oliver Preston’s artwork

Wendy & Peter Pan The RSC’s Christmas twist on JM Barrie’s classic

Keeping Ahead of the Curve Malcolm Lindley, Fine & Country

Character Cottages Andy Soye and Mat Faraday advise on potential revenues

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Looking After Your Home Through Winter Robert Hamilton’s tips

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Tabata Have fun getting fit with Tim Spittle

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Dr Trevor Bigg on the benefits of fluoride

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Christmas Blessings from Veronica James, Area Dean

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Privilege Card Offers Support local independent businesses and save money

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Business Directory Your handy guide to the best local independent businesses

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Jack and the Giant 26 The Theatre Chipping Norton on their larger than life festive panto Sam Twiston-Davies 36 Leading Local Agency Sponsors Cotswolds’ Finest Racing Heritage Future Star at Cheltenham? Trainer Ben Pauling speaks

Winter in the Wolds Your Cotswold Calendar for Christmas and Beyond

Daytripper: Town Mouse or Country Mouse? 48 Be both with rail travel BITE Food Festival Our preview feature

Hot Property Advice from property experts and beautiful country homes

Editor’s WELCOME Winter is here, but there’s no need to be glum – this frosty season is when the Cotswolds come alive with chill-beating cheer. From the heart-warming spectacles of the Christmas fetes and festivals to the thrills and spills at Cheltenham Racecourse, there’s any number of reasons why it’s good to be welcoming winter – not least the foodie festival BITE, which gives us every reason to greet 2014 with open arms. More on that to come! In this issue we have the pleasure of meeting Nigel Slater as he joins with Adam Henson to front a new BBC series about the provenance of our food. We also have a peek behind the scenes at Prince Charles’ Highgrove estate courtesy of Broadway artist Jeremy Houghton, who has just completed a residency, and discuss the delightful Christmas shows on offer with both the RSC and the Chipping Norton Theatre. We visit Oxford’s eccentric Pitt Rivers Museum, the Cotswold home of Edward Jenner and the yard of up-and-coming trainer Ben Pauling. Oh, and we also have pages of beautiful Cotswold properties and a whole batch of new Privilege Card offers to assist you with your Christmas shopping – allowing you to support local businesses while saving money! Cotswold Homes Magazine Our next edition, Spring 2014, will bring you more upcoming events, special offers and articles showcasing the very best of the local area – helping you to get the best out of life in this beautiful part of the world! We will be distributing the next magazine from mid-February. For local independent businesses, membership of the Cotswold Homes Directory gives exclusive access to discounted advertising rates and the Privilege Card scheme. To speak to a member of our team, please telephone 01608 653899 or email: Marketing and Sales Tilly Tayler-Levy – tilly@cotswold-homes.com Editor’s Desk Matt Dicks – matt@cotswold-homes.com Property Karen Harrison – 01451 833170 karen@harrisonjameshardie.co.uk Administration Riyad Cajee – riyad@cotswold-homes.com Design team www.wearealias.com Front cover photo by kind permission of Sarah Farnsworth Cotswold-Homes.com The Property & Lifestyle Magazine for the North Cotswolds www.cotswold-homes.com

Cotswold Homes Competition

Cotswold Homes Winter Giveaway Extravaganza As winter begins to bite, we thought we’d bring our readers a bumper load of cheer this year with possibly our largest and best ticket giveaway ever! Father Christmas must be feeling extra generous this year…Luckily, entering these prize draws is still as simple as ever. WIN A VIP FAMILY TICKET (for up to 5) to see Jack and the Giant, The Theatre Chipping Norton’s latest Christmas pantomime*

WIN 2 X FAMILY TICKETS (8 in total) for The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Wendy & Peter Pan* *Tickets for the 7.15pm performance on Tuesday 4th February 2014. Tickets include a booking of 2 x tables for 4 people in the Rooftop Restaurant for two course pre-show dinners (this reservation is from 5pm)! Winning families to collect their tickets from the Box Office and to say their name in the restaurant to sit down for dinner. Tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded and are only available for this date.

*Tickets for the 7.30pm performance on Friday 10th January 2014. Win a VIP Family Ticket to see the latest spectacular pantomime at the Theatre Chipping Norton, a mainstay on the Telegraph’s Top 5 list of UK Christmas Shows! This excellent prize includes a goodie bag with a souvenir programme, sweets, badges and vouchers for drinks and ice creams! Yum!

To enter, simply email admin@cotswold-homes. com with PANTO in the subject field, including your name and contact details. Alternatively you can enter by messaging us on www.facebook. com/cotswoldhomespage. ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY TUES 7TH JANUARY 2014

To enter, simply email admin@cotswoldhomes.com with WENDY in the subject field, including your name and contact details. Alternatively you can enter by messaging us on www.facebook.com/cotswoldhomespage. ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY TUES 21st JANUARY 2014

WIN 4 X CLUB TICKETS for Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham Racecourse, Saturday 25th January 2014 Win four club tickets to Festival Trials Day, arguably the best one-day Jump race meeting anywhere in the UK, with top-class action unfolding during every race and notable pointers of horses to follow at the upcoming Festival in March. To enter, simply email admin@cotswold-homes. com with CHELTENHAM in the subject field, including your name and contact details. Alternatively you can enter by messaging us on www.facebook.com/cotswoldhomespage. ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY TUES 21st JANUARY 2014 like us on facebook for more chances to win! www.facebook.com/cotswoldhomespage 4

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Cotswold Homes Competition

Cotswold Homes Winter Giveaway Extravaganza WIN 2 X TICKETS to The BITE Festival Event Fanny & Johnnie Craddock Cook the Great American Songbook Coming off a sell-out theatre tour from 2012, join the Show of Strength Theatre Group as they present Fanny and Johnnie Craddock as they cook their way through a slew of outrageous recipes interspersed with timeless musical numbers for your unique dining entertainment. A two course meal cooked to the flamboyant yet hapless standards of the famous pair themselves.

WIN AN ANNUAL FAMILY PASS to Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm Park

To enter, simply email admin@cotswold-homes. com with COOKBOOK in the subject field, including your name and contact details. Alternatively you can enter by messaging us on www.facebook.com/cotswoldhomespage. ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY TUES 21st JANUARY 2014

This wonderful pass gives free admission for 2 adults and 2 children (or 1 adult and 3 children) for a whole 12 months. Come and experience the full farming cycle with changing seasonal demonstrations throughout the year! (Value of pass £140. Cannot be exchanged or refunded). To enter, simply email admin@cotswold-homes. com with FARM in the subject field, including your name and contact details. Alternatively you can enter by messaging us on www.facebook. com/cotswoldhomespage. ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY TUES 21st JANUARY 2014

WIN A JUNIOR KEEPER EXPERIENCE and additional BAT ENCOUNTER taster at Burford Wildlife Park A really fantastic prize! The Junior Keeper experience (for children aged 7 to 16 years) runs from 9.30am to 1pm and includes up-close activities such as "mucking out" and feeding some of the animals, as well as learning about the assortment of enrichment techniques the park uses to ensure animals are kept well stimulated. Includes a complimentary adult pass (This prize is worth £115 and is non exchangeable/refundable). This prize also includes a sample of the Bat Encounter - Visit the night-time habitat of the Terms & Conditions

Entry to the competition is open to all except the employees (and their families) of Cotswold Homes or Harrison & Hardie. Winners will be drawn at random and notified via Facebook, by e-mail or by phone and may be posted on our website. No alternative prize or cash substitute is available for any of the prizes. In the event of a winner being unable to accept their prize then another winner will be drawn. This giveaway is open to residents of the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland aged 18 years or over, except employees of Cotswold Homes Magazine, their families, agents or anyone else professionally associated with the giveaway. It is a condition of entry that all rules are accepted as final and that the competitor agrees to abide by these rules.The decision of the judges is

park’s Egyptian and Seba's fruit bats with one of the keepers and learn about these amazing animals. Feel the breeze as the bats expertly fly around you and hear them chattering among the branches - a Seba's bat may even take food from your hand! To enter, simply email admin@cotswold-homes. com with KEEPER in the subject field, including your name and contact details. Alternatively you can enter by messaging us on www.facebook. com/cotswoldhomespage. ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY TUES 21st JANUARY 2014. final and no correspondence will be entered into. Entries must be submitted via the Facebook ‘Like’ system or emailed to admin@cotswold-homes.com (or as specified in entry terms of a specific prize) and entry is restricted to one per person. Late, illegible, incomplete, defaced or corrupt entries or entries sent through agencies and third parties will not be accepted. No responsibility can be held for lost entries and proof of dispatch will not be accepted as proof of receipt.The winner will be drawn at random from all entries received by the closing date and notified via Facebook message or contact details supplied. The winner will be contacted within seven days of the closing date of the prize draw. Should the Promoter be unable to contact the winner or should the winner be unable to accept the prize, the Promoter

reserves the right to award the prize to an alternative winner, drawn in accordance with these terms and conditions. The prize is described as available on the date of publication and all prizes are subject to the terms and conditions of the supplier.The prizes do not include travel insurance, food and drink, personal expenditure, or incidental costs, other than where mentioned. All elements of the prize are non transferable and there are no cash alternatives.The winner may be required to take part in publicity. Events may occur that render the prize draw itself or the awarding of the prize impossible due to reasons beyond the control of the Promoter and accordingly the Promoter may at its absolute discretion vary or amend the promotion and the entrant agrees that no liability shall attach to the Promoter as a result thereof.

like us on facebook for more chances to win! www.facebook.com/cotswoldhomespage www.cotswold-homes.com

NIGEL SLATER

From Farm to Fork Nigel Slater & Adam Henson with

Image credit is BBC/Joel Anderson

Cotswold Homes Magazine

NIGEL SLATER

Recently voted the nation’s favourite celebrity chef, Nigel Slater is soon to appear on our screens straight from the heart of a Cotswold farmhouse in the new programme ‘Nigel and Adam’s Farm Kitchen’. Here’s the chef supreme on the true story of our food, shooting on working farms, meeting Adam Henson and driving a combine harvester…

Hello Nigel. Where did the concept for your new show come from? How did it all start? The idea was to capture the spirit of the sort of food I cook, to put it in a very different context…and basically, to tell the story of what goes on before the ingredients get into the kitchen – the whole story of what’s on your plate. I was very keen to do this, partly because of the timing…I think people need a little bit of reassurance at the moment about what goes on before the food arrives on the shelves, into their kitchen. So when [the BBC] pitched it I was very happy to be involved. It appealed from the start. I was also a big follower of Countryfile so I knew everything Adam [Henson] had been doing. So in the programme we follow the ‘journey’ of food from start to finish? Absolutely. It’s this thing, really, of knowing a little bit more about the background of what you’re eating, so you’re making an informed choice. It amazes me…the odd things that I hear. I mean, my greengrocer once told me that schoolchildren can come into the shop, point at the peas in their pods and ask what they are! You know, I spent my adolescence in the countryside and it never dawned at me that some people could think that peas just arrived in a bag. Not that there’s anything wrong with frozen peas, they are wonderful things. But to not know that they come in a pod is really a bit of a wake-up call! What is the format of the programme – will it be a recipe-led cookery programme or a documentary? It’s interesting you say that because it’s kind of both. It’s an hourlong programme, which gives us the opportunity to get out of the kitchen and into the garden, into the farm…but lots of other places too. Really we’ve been going all over the country taking a look at everything from the commercial pea harvest right the way through to chocolate baking. I love cooking, but this really gives us the chance to get a broader look at where the farmers and the other processes come in. You know, at the start of it I really thought that Adam was the one who was going to be going out to the farms and so on and that I would be in the kitchen but in fact, he’s also been in the kitchen

and I’ve been let out on the combine harvester and so on. It’s really been an exchange of ideas. What we’ve learned is what we both do seems very different but actually it joins up in all sorts of ways.You know, I’m actually quite grateful to the BBC for letting me go and get out on the farm. I haven’t had that experience in years. Did you know Adam before the programme? I knew Adam from Countryfile. I was one of those people who came to the show quite late…it suddenly got a new energy a few years ago, which I sensed and thought: ‘wow, this is actually great.’ So I’d been following Adam’s farm on television, and when they mentioned him I immediately wanted to meet him to see how we would get on. Because there was no reason why we should not necessarily hit it off – and I think we have. He is a lovely chap. He is an absolute delight! Just lovely to work with. What was it like to be on location at the Righton’s farm? The interesting thing is – and I’m not sure that this has been done before – but we were shooting on what is very much a working farm. Normally when you film, you film on a closed set, where every single thing is deliberate and staged. But with this place, because it’s a working farm and their business, life just has to go on. I would be cooking and all of the sudden a dog would come in, or a chicken would come in, or a horse would go past, or a tractor would turn up and start reversing…and we’ve actually left it all in there, because we want it to be included. You can’t just interrupt a farm, because it’s life, and things are always happening. Sarah and Simon [Righton] have been so patient having a TV crew there. To have your home, your kitchen, your dining room taken over and just be so welcoming…well, they’ve been lovely. Have they been quite involved? They have been, especially at mealtimes. Several times we’ve made stuff and the whole family has come down and started eating. Sarah has been teaching me a little bit of butchery and things I didn’t necessarily know.

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NIGEL SLATER

I’d been following Adam’s farm on television, and when they mentioned him I immediately wanted to meet him to see how we would get on. Because there was no reason why we should not necessarily hit it off – and I think we have.

Were you at all involved in the planting and agronomy side of things? Well a little bit…as you’ll know we were planting in a very difficult spring, a difficult summer. We really didn’t know if anything was going to survive… We’ve been lucky. I imagine that some of the ‘top 50’ foodstuffs that feature in the programme are typically imported goods. Was growing some of that domestically part of the plan? I think some of it has gone quite well. We’ve had huge success with some of our wheat…we’ve grown different sorts of wheat. I’m not sure that everything has worked [laughs] but we had an incredibly successful mushroom harvest. But then when we had to put a second batch in to coincide with filming that didn’t go well at all. I was sad because I was very proud of the mushrooms. We had a whole tunnel of them just growing on the straw…so beautiful. It’s all trying things out. We did durum wheat, for example, which is just never grown in this country and almost 100% of it goes off to make pasta. Well, we wanted to have a go at growing it – and we had an incredibly successful harvest. The flour we produced is just some of the best flour I’ve ever used. Why choose the Cotswolds to film in over any other agricultural area? I think they looked all over the country and in the end it was a question of finding the right farm, something that also worked from the point of view of getting the crew down, getting the accommodation…There were lots of reasons. But I think some of it was that the executives fell in love with Simon and Sarah’s farm. And I probably shouldn’t say this but one of my favourite things about shooting there was the opportunity to meet the stars of the BBC’s Father Brown on the set where they were filming. Huge fun. Meeting Mark Williams was great. Did you already know much of the Cotswolds from your time at catering college? Well, not exactly…from the age of 11 until about 21 I lived in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire 10

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– I went to school in Worcestershire. I was quite used to family trips out to the Cotswolds and I worked in Gloucester from the ages of 18 to 21. I didn’t know Moreton-in-Marsh, but it is charming. Absolutely charming. But because I could only do three days a week [of filming] maximum because I have other things on, such as my columns, it was quite difficult for me to be there [in the Cotswolds] and do anything other than work. Sometimes I’d get in very late at night and just be on set ready to go at seven the next morning. And filming days are long, very, very long. So by the time we finished all I could do is collapse with a glass of wine. Do you feel as though you were able to create a broader extension of your own home garden here? You’re absolutely right. The problem is that I have a town garden, and like all town gardens, you run out of space. I have room for only about three potatoes at home and suddenly, at the Rightons’ home, I could have a whole greenhouse. I could grow tomatoes and other things I never dreamed of before. So it was a huge treat having all this space to play with and ground that hadn’t been used for growing vegetables before – [it proved] extraordinarily prolific. The Rightons don’t have the problems that I do at home – I have ivy covering the walls and box hedging, so I have all these slugs and snails…Nightmare. None of that at the Righton farm at all. I lost so little compared to at home. So you mentioned you got to drive a combine harvester… Yes! The thing about farm machinery is that it’s changed so much. When I was brought up we had a farm next door and I watched every single thing that went on there. To suddenly see, thirty or forty years later, how it’s changed so radically from being all little red and rusty machines…it’s basically boys’ toys. They are also incredibly expensive bits of kit, those combines… And the terrifying thing is that all that investment ends up being mothballed for most of the year. They have this very short period when it’s

absolutely essential but otherwise it just sits there covered for months and months. But when I tweeted that I’d been driving a combine I simply cannot tell you the number of people who said ‘Oh God I’ve always wanted to do that!’ But apparently I didn’t do the best job. I was a bit wobbly…As a non-driver it was especially odd driving this thing that turns only what seems like two minutes after you intended it to turn. It was completely alien…and huge, huge fun. Do animals feature much in the programme? What we’ve done is we’ve got three pigs and we’ve compared how they’ve been growing – after treating them in exactly the same way – and following them all the way from when they were tiny little piglets right the way through to full grown animals. When we first arrived on the farm, the first thing we saw was the lambing and now…well, they’re on the barbecue. But I feel very grateful and honoured to be involved, to have seen it all. Thank you, Nigel.

NIGEL SLATER

Image credit is BBC/Joel Anderson

We also caught up with Countryfile presenter Adam Henson to get his take on working with Nigel on ‘Nigel and Adam’s Farm Kitchen.’ Hello Adam. Nigel learnt some new skills this series, hopping behind the wheel of a combine harvester – what have you learned or discovered during the course of the programme? It’s been fascinating to grow unusual crops like mushrooms, rice and durum wheat. It’s also been great to follow our produce from farm to fork.

Countryfile. Have you ever whipped up a Slater recipe? I enjoy his programmes but I’ve never cooked any of his dishes. Having worked with him, I will now! What do you think consumers can do to make themselves more aware about the provenance of the food they buy?

eggs, bacon and chops. Whenever Nigel sees a crop or an animal, he dreams up an exciting dish to eat. We’ve heard that you attempted to grow crops that aren’t usually grown here, such as durum wheat. Did you have any surprises in what could and could not be grown here in England?

I think people are becoming much more aware and discerning, which is helped by farmers getting closer to the consumer through farm shops, farmers’ markets and modern communication.

I was surprised how easily some of the more tropical crops could be grown and perhaps one day maybe adopted by British agriculture. You only have to look at the growth in wine production to see how this is possible.

Nigel and I share a passion for good quality food, even though we come from different ends of the food chain.

Can you tell us more about the role of livestock in the show?

What was your favourite part about shooting the new series?

Nigel mentioned that he was a follower of

We have cows, chickens, pigs and sheep, so pies,

Eating Nigel’s delicious food!

When you first met, did you find that you had much in common with Nigel concerning your attitudes towards produce and food?

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JEREMY HOUGHTON

Beyond the Garden Walls at

Highgrove

Broadway Artist Jeremy Houghton has just completed a residency at Prince Charles’ Cotswold estate and working farm. Here’s what Jeremy had to say about the seldom seen areas of Highgrove…

Cotswold Homes Magazine

JEREMY HOUGHTON

How did this residency come about? I was doing some work at St. James’s Palace and whilst I was there someone from the household heard that I was a Cotswold boy and suggested that I do some paintings at Highgrove. At the time I didn’t think much of it, but I sent my portfolio through to Clarence House. I think it must have got the nod of approval, because I was asked if I would go to Highgrove… What areas of the Highgrove estate did you have access to? I was very lucky – I had access to roam most areas of the garden and the farm and to be honest I was more interested in the areas beyond the garden walls. The house and garden are absolutely beautiful, obviously, but they’ve been seen quite a lot now...So I wanted to explore the bits behind the scenes, the animals and characters that were on the farm, the dry-stone walling, the ploughing and the work they do with shire horses, the hedge-laying, the traditional farming techniques. I was more interested in those aspects than anything.

“I suppose it makes perfect sense for any work that you are doing in the countryside to listen to nature. I think that’s how Highgrove works…it has an organic backbone, an organic philosophy…As a result, all the crops and animals are healthy and producing fairly large quantities.”

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JEREMY HOUGHTON

Do you think modern farming could have any lessons to learn from the way Highgrove operates? I think there must be lessons, because they regularly have farmers from all over the country and people from the food business who visit the farm at Highgrove and learn from the methods that they are using. I suppose it makes perfect sense for any work that you are doing in the countryside to listen to nature. I think that’s how Highgrove works…it has an organic backbone, an organic philosophy…As a result, all the crops and animals are healthy and producing fairly large quantities. There’s no doubt that a combination of old techniques and new techniques does work and it’s better for the environment, too.

Fund, which was absolutely perfect as far as I’m concerned. So on the 11th of November we have an exhibition at The Goring Hotel, a nice smart hotel in Belgravia where Kate Middleton stayed shortly before she became the Duchess of

Cambridge. There’s a private viewing and all sales will support the fund. For the rest of that week the paintings will return to my studio where they will be available for viewing by appointment (on the 13th, 14th and 15th November).

Could you tell us a little bit about your upcoming exhibition and the Prince’s Countryside Fund that it supports? When I finished the work, there must have been around 25-30 paintings. I sat down with the Prince of Wales and he decided that he’d like to sell them in aid of his Prince’s Countryside

To see more of Jeremy’s Work, please visit his website at www.jeremyhoughton.co.uk. To arrange to view Jeremy’s Highgrove paintings at his studio, please email look@jeremyhoughton.co.uk 16

Cotswold Homes Magazine

The Cotswold Cartoonist

Tetbury based humourist Oliver Preston on making the jump into drawing professionally, establishing the Cartoon Museum, and how he gets his ideas.

Originally you worked in finance as a bond dealer with Lehman Brothers. What prompted you to make such a drastic career change? I had always drawn cartoons, since a child, a hobby that I kept going throughout my 10 years in the City. The pressure of selling bonds, and their complexities (mortgage backed securities, derivatives) were becoming increasingly unattractive to me, and I decided to switch careers - and to follow my heart. When you are lucky enough to be given a talent, you should use it.

‘‘I am always amazed at how one can start with a blank piece of paper, and ideas and drawings will appear out of nowhere.’’

Cotswold Homes Magazine

The Cotswold Cartoonist

In what publications did you feature when you started out as a cartoonist? Can you tell us about your very first commission? In my first year I set myself a target of drawing for Punch Magazine, The Times and The Spectator, and achieved all three. Many early clients were PR and advertising companies and an early lead saw me developing whole page strip cartoon with a new character, Marvin Marmite, for The Beano and The Dandy. He had a cat called Damage and a friend called Tommy Toaster. It ran for eight months. As a child reader of The Beano and The Dandy it was a dream come true to see my cartoons published alongside Dennis the Menace, The Bash Street Kids and Desperate Dan, and the originals now hang in my childrens' playroom. You are co-founder and Chairman of London’s Cartoon Museum. Can you tell us a little about that undertaking and what your role entails? I have been a Trustee of The Cartoon Art Trust since 1992, and Chairman since 2001. A registered charity, the Trust has built up a national collection and archive of British cartoons, comics and caricature, and a library of over 4,000 books. With Lord Baker, my Vice Chairman, we raised over £500,000 to open the doors of The Cartoon Museum in Bloomsbury which has achieved over 300,000 visitors to date. I am particularly pleased that last year we educated over 1,000 children in cartooning and caricaturing courses (many of which tie into the national curriculum) and have had visits from, or outreached to, over 90 schools. As Chairman and Chief Executive I oversee the curator, assistant curator and museum staff, and take responsibility for fundraising and the future growth and direction of the Museum. It’s a big ask but I love it, and think in life, it’s important to put something back.

..and can you tell your father that the government has changed its mind about the mansion tax?

No day is the same - I might be drawing a caricature for a bank in London, ‘‘Christmas cards in July, a regular strip cartoon for The Field Magazine, or a new greeting card for our publishing business, Beverston Press.’’ The British have always loved cartoons and these islands have produced some of the greatest satirists in art history. Why do you think the art form appeals to us in particular?

East - and our cartoonists are admired around the world for their skills and artistry. As a people we like holding our politicians to account and we seem to do it rather well.

Satire has been integral to publications and the british political scene since the middle 1700’s. From Hogarth, Gillray and Rowlandson, the political cartoons of Punch, Sir David Low, Vicky and Giles – we invented the art form of political caricature and it is thriving today. Cartoons so often say more than words can ever express and the artistry and deft political insight of our current cartoonists – Steve Bell, Gerald Scarfe, Peter Brookes, Martin Rowson and others is as strong as ever. The british press publishes images of our politicians that would never be printed in other countries - the USA, Russia, the Middle

At the same time, many feel that humorous works have never been really accepted as ‘proper art’. Do you think cartoonists get the cultural respect they deserve? In 1996 we set up The Cartoon Art Trust Awards, now in their 18th year to recognise the best of British cartooning – we have given Lifetime Achievement Awards to many of the greats: Thelwell, Scarfe, Steadman, Fluck and Law, Ronald Searle, and we make sure we have top quality examples of their work in our collections and exhibitions. Other museums – the Tate, the

British Museum – dip into cartoons, but not with the dedication or scale that we do. We have a superb exhibition opening in September, ‘The Age of Glamour - Stars of Stage and Screen’ with caricatures by the cartoonist Robert Sherriffs, and a rehang of our permanent displays. The variety of cartoons and humour is a real treat to see, and visitors spend hours going round the galleries. Prices of original cartoon art have soared over the past twenty years, so they are definitely on the map! Who are some of your favourite cartoonists or artists? James Gillray, H M Bateman, Ronald Searle, Thelwell, Pont, Rowlandson and Charles Addams of The New Yorker. www.cotswold-homes.com

The Cotswold Cartoonist

Jilly Cooper is a fan of your work. Have you ever met? We have – she kindly presented an Award for us at the CAT Awards at Bloomberg in 2000. She is a near neighbour in the Cotswolds and has always been very supportive and complimentary about my work. Most of your work is sharply observational. Have any of your friends grown wary that their behaviour might end up being lampooned? I don’t purposefully lampoon my friends but I do have strong social observation. I take in what people say, what they are wearing, what they do and often situations or their comments might lead me to put pen to paper! What is a working day in the life of a cartoonist like? No day is the same – I might be drawing a caricature for a bank in London, Christmas cards in July, a regular strip cartoon for The Field Magazine, or a new greeting card for our publishing business, Beverston Press. I have also

I don’t purposefully lampoon my friends but I do have ‘‘ strong social observation. I take in what people say, what they are wearing, what they do and often situations or their comments might lead me to put pen to paper!

’’

published 12 books, so often I put myself into purdah to meet deadlines.

ideas. As a result I am completely self-trained, so what you see is what you get!

You won an art prize at Eton. What sort of art did you enjoy making in your formative years?

Tell us about your new book, Rich Pickings ...

I won the Gunther Graphics Prize for Art three years running – primarily for my work in screenprinting and lino cuts. I also designed school play sets and catalogue covers and took commissions for advertisements as well as drawing for the Eton College Chronicle. I was very fortunate that the teaching was superb and the Drawing Schools’ facilities were a fertile ground for selfexpression. My tutor pushed for me to go to Kingston Art School, but my father had other

‘Rich Pickings’ is my twelfth book – it is a collection of over two years work and the follow up to ‘Another Log on the Fire’ and ‘Shall we Join the Men?’ My cartoons are very much observational humour – in the Punch style - and it matters to me that the drawing is as important as the caption (I do both). I am always amazed at how one can start with a blank piece of paper, and ideas and drawings will appear out of nowhere. I am a very lucky man to have such a fun and enjoyable profession.

For more information on Oliver and his work, please visit www.oliverpreston.com 20

Cotswold Homes Magazine

The Royal Shakespeare Company

The Royal Shakespeare Company Presents:

TICKIN SEE E PAG TS E 4

The Royal Shakespeare Company’s CHRISTMAS show this year is Wendy & Peter Pan, a new version of JM Barrie’s much loved classic. Fiona Button and Sam Swann take on the title roles, and Guy Henry, well known for his role as Henrik Hanssen in TV’s Holby City, plays Captain Hook. We spoke to Ella Hickson, who has adapted the story, about what audiences can expect. You’ve said that you think every generation should see a version of Peter Pan. What is it about this story that made you want to create a new adaptation? There is so much in Peter Pan that appeals to all ages across all eras. There is a wonder and magic in it that epitomises the joy of childhood and there's also a really strong message in it about the need to believe.There are, however, elements of it that are very tied to its time and I was interested to see how Peter Pan could be re-worked a little to appeal to today's young people. This production is called Wendy & Peter Pan. Why is that? When I read the original book and play again I was struck by how much fun the boys were having and how Wendy had very few choices outside of just 'playing mother'.That was one of the elements that didn't seem very true to today's world. I was interested to see what the story looks like told from Wendy's perspective - what does Wendy want and how is it her Never Land as much as it is for the boys. What are the main differences between your version and some of the other adaptations of the story? Would you say your version is closer to J.M. Barrie’s book? There have been so many adaptations of the story it's difficult to categorise which ones mine is more or less similar to. I read both the play and the script and created a sort of bible of moments that I wanted to keep. From there, however, you have to 22

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Re-imagining Neverland: Ella Hickson

write a narrative that has its own life and its own shape so some things alter. I think we've kept all the really good bits but most of them have a new twist or they're seen from a different point of view. Will your adaptation still include the well-known

iconic elements such as Hook, fights, flying and the pirate ship? Oh yeah! There's a lot of Hook, a lot of fighting - and as for the flying and the pirate ship...well I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise, but

The Royal Shakespeare Company

Fiona Button, Wendy

Guy Henry, Captain Hook

Sam Swann, Peter

“I think we've kept all the really good bits but most of them have a new twist or they're seen from a different point of view.” I don't think you'll be disappointed. I believe this is the first family show you’ve worked on. Have you enjoyed the experience? How does it differ from your other work as a playwright? Writing this play has been a total joy.The team at the RSC I’m working with is wonderful, and I feel so hugely lucky to be working with such talented people who care enough to have made something really special. It's certainly a different job when you're working on a family show. I consider the kids a lot, what they'll get and what they won't - you also have quite a constant struggle between being dramatically rigorous - so that it's a strong and compelling show - and keeping it light and funny enough that everyone has a good time. It's a good challenge though and I hope we've pulled it off. Do you think the show will appeal to both children and adults? There's certainly a lot in there for both.There are heaps of wonderful visual elements - lots of fighting and dancing and wonderful music that even the youngest of the children can enjoy. Equally, however, some of the themes are quite grown-up and certainly the emotional journey that both the central characters go on is something that people of all ages can empathise with. The show is being designed by Colin Richmond. Can you tell us anything about how the show will look on stage? I don't want to reveal any secrets, but suffice to say Colin has done such a wonderful, magical job - it's certainly a world that everyone will want to play in. There are some big exciting things that should get some gasps from the kids - but equally the detail is exquisite. It's magical and beautiful...everything it should be.

Wendy & Peter Pan runs in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon between 10 December 2013 – 2 March 2014. Box Office: 0844 800 1110 or www.rsc.org.uk CHILDREN GO HALF PRICE* *terms and conditions apply

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THE THEATRE CHIPPING NORTON

Jack and the Giant The Theatre Chipping Norton Presents:

FEE-FI-FO-FUM…What’s going on in Chipping Norton? Director John Terry talks up a big new role for a larger than life character…

Is this Chipping Norton’s first take on the timehonoured story of Jack and the Beanstalk? Why change the title? Well, we last did it in 2002, but this time…we’ve put a bit of a twist on it, which is why we’ve called it ‘Jack and the Giant’. It’s basically because I think the giant is just such a fascinating character. When I was thinking about the show and looking online to see what other people had done I noticed that the giant is almost always absent. He’s not in the trailers or the promotional trailers, or else he’s a big puppet that comes in, says ‘Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum’ and wanders off again…I just thought that was a bit of a waste, really. I mean he’s almost the most interesting part of it! Who is this guy? How did he get there? What does he actually want?

character, and that’s hard to do when it’s just a mouth on a stick.The chap playing him has done two pantos with us before as the chief thief in Ali Baba and the Beast in Beauty and the Beast, so he’s well loved by Chippy audiences. We also have a new character in the form of Mrs Giant… The panto is based on a quintessentially English fairy tale. Are British landscapes and traditions part

In this panto we’re getting at this idea of what a giant is, where they come from…I think giants are very innately connected to British folklore.They go back to the founding of the Britain.There are stories that say that the islands are made by giants, or that the hills of the Cotswolds are the graves of giants, things like that…there’s a real connection with stories and places I wanted to explore. I was thinking of the Rollright stones, where they might sit and have meetings or throw rocks. What it has resulted in is that we’re going to have a much closer look at the relationship between the giant and Jack. I think the morality of the original story is questionable…if you look at it one way it’s almost a celebration of house burglary -! We reveal that there’s more to the story than first meets the eye… The problem with the giant is that he is quite literally gigantic. How are you going to squeeze this almighty figure onto the stage?

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Having travelled the globe quite a lot over the last few years – Baghdad for Ali Baba and Venice for Cinderella – I thought I’d quite like to do a panto that was not only set here but was also about here, the place where we live. We’re setting it – at least in the beginning – in a village fete setting, so there’s a sense of this world of daft British silliness, summer

“Yes, about five years in the UK’s Top Christmas Shows list and in other places…that reputation is a scary thing to keep up!”

So in this version the giant will share star billing with Jack?

Our giant will be played by an actor who will be aided in height and size and scale…I wanted an actor to really turn him into complicated comic

of your creative vision for this year?

Cinderella 2012

THE THEATRE CHIPPING NORTON

TIC IN SEE KET PAG S E 4

Cinderella 2012

silliness, surrounding the audience, so we’re playing with that a bit.There’s a cow, of course, and that’s going to be a memorable part of it… Have you also changed the musical format this year? We’re doing it as an actor musician show this year, which is a bit of a departure. All of the performers are instrumentalists as well as being actors, so they actually make a pretty fantastic band. Playing music is very much at the core of the show – telling stories through song. You’ve been in the Telegraph’s ‘Top 5 Shows to See this Christmas’ list for a few years running now… Yes, about five years in the UK’s Top Christmas Shows list and in other places…that reputation is a scary thing to keep up! We’re doing an extra week this year so it’s actually a longer run than we’ve done for some time… Chipping Norton pantomimes seem to extend to a very broad range of people… We get everything from school groups to families to coach parties to office parties and regular bookers from New York and Italy, as well as the people who make the trip from all areas of the UK especially to see it. So while we attract the same sort of people as we always did, our geographical range is always expending. Something we really liked about last year’s panto, Cinderella, was the way that local schoolchildren

were integrated into the performance. Are audiences going to see that again?

us time and focus to really finesse them into something special.

Certainly! They’ve all been hired and are standing by. We will be working with twelve children in all.This year they’ll be playing goblins and calves in the dairy and villagers and all sorts of different things. I think one of the best things about it – quite apart from all the fun dancing and singing – is that they make real genuine friendships with the adult actors as well. The kids are about 8-14 years old, so it’s one of the first opportunities they’ll have to make adult friends who aren’t parents or teachers.The atmosphere backstage is inevitably riotous and pretty daft, and they love being a part of that.

For a lot of people, panto is something that’s a bit of an afterthought, something that makes them a lot of money but they’re not particularly caring about how they are put together – whereas for us, after 41 years, we’ve got a brand and a reputation that is so strong we can’t afford to see it diminished. So work on it starts from February and it becomes an all-year job. And the auditorium is really part of it – it works so well for our audience in that space where they can all see and interact with each other. Thank you, John.

Putting the traditional pantos aside, you’ve been putting on your own productions. How is that going? We’ve seen such growth and strong responses to the first three shows that we’ve done in house that it’s been really encouraging. It’s giving us the confidence to move forward and try for great tonal variety. Accordingly, our next production Alarms and Excursions – a stupendous farce – is bigger and on for a longer run, because we want people out there to see what we’re doing. Finally – what would you say is special about the Chipping Norton Christmas Pantomimes? We say that whatever we do it has to be different, something you can’t see elsewhere. Because they are the biggest things we put on all year and because we don’t produce all year, it really gives

Jack and the Giant is at the Theatre Chipping Norton Tue 19 Nov - Sun 12 Jan. For a complete list of showing times and online bookings, please visit www.chippingnortontheatre.com or for the box office, please call 01608 642350

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Celia Lendis

Celia Lendis: The Material Quality of an Artist’s Work What things should I look for in a work of art, if I want to buy something that I love and which might also increase in value? PART ONE: The Quality of Materials

There is something so very sensible about applying a similar thought process to buying artwork. Although not often as significant an investment as a home, buying artwork is still a considerable purchase that is invested with desire, emotion, pleasure and the hope to keep enjoying and appreciating the work for many years to come. Often, good art is no more expensive than bad art – and when it does cost more, you still know that you have chosen wisely and your money is well spent. Here is the first factor to consider when purchasing a work of art for love and investment. Over the coming issues, I shall outline other factors that you

It is often said that valuing and investing in art is very subjective: a painting that one person sees as a masterpiece, the next may dismiss as something ‘my five year old could have done at school’ and not worth the canvas it is painted on. It is true, we all respond differently to music, art, places, food and people, but alongside our subjective responses, there are some generally agreed ways to judge the quality of what we spend our money and time on - and so it is with art. Whilst the means by which the value in a particular artist’s work is assessed can be mysterious, fickle and dependent on numerous industry and economic forces, buying a work that you love and that is a piece of undeniable quality is certainly going to ensure your artwork at the very least retains its value or, with a fair wind, increases in value over time. The metaphor of buying a house is a good one to apply to buying artwork. We all love different styles, locations, sizes and modes of living … but when we make a decision to purchase a home, we do so with a mix of emotions that include our projected pleasure at living in a place we love and also with an awareness and consideration of where we are placing our money. We consider the location of the property, its potential to increase in value over years, the quality of the build and also the quality of the properties around it – is the whole neighbourhood likely to increase in value over time? 28

Cotswold Homes Magazine

~Sophie Ryder, Lovers on Horseback (2013), 53cm x 56cm, bronze marquette (edition of 9)

Celia Lendis

Cameron Fraser, Orchideas (2013), 64cm x 120cm, carborundum and engraving on 3 plywood plates (edition of 25)

“The quality of materials and supports used by any artist gives a good indication of where they currently sit in the industry – a student, a weekend painter, an emerging professional artist or a well-established and successful artist at their prime.”

~Kerry Phippen, On Toes (2013), 53cm x100cm, acrylic on wallpaper

need to consider. (If you can’t wait, please feel free to contact me and I will be happy to explain in person!) What the quality of materials will tell you about an artist Even though artworks are mostly about the image or content of the work, they are still objects. The need to buy a good quality, well-made object should always be considered: If the paint is alive with rich hues, depth and colour then it is a sign the artist has used professional pigments and mediums and not student grades.This

indicates that the artist is serious about their craft and understands their tools and materials – and also a sign that they are committed enough to selling their work to good buyers to spend around £70 on a tube of oil-paint, rather than £12. If the paper used by printmakers is handmade, acid free, and the ink is rich and deep, then the same applies.

If the work is professionally framed or painted on good quality linen or canvas and straight, knotfree oak stretchers (preferably with wedges to re-tension the canvas as required) the artist is again aware of the needs of investors, a sign that they are committed to a long-term professional future. Shop-bought stretchers, which come with a pre-primed canvas, are often cheap and nasty and shallow – they are the kind of supports used by artists in the franchised gallery chains in shopping centres – where cost is the driver behind the work, not aesthetics or art.They are acceptable at certain times, but we encourage our artists to use proper, adjustable stretcher bars, fine quality linens or canvases, high quality paints, mediums and varnishes and professional framing. The quality of materials and supports used by any artist gives a good indication of where they currently sit in the industry – a student, a weekend painter, an emerging professional artist or a well-established and successful artist at their prime. Sometimes, the materials are ‘aspirational’ (many artists will do their utmost to choose the highest quality materials they can possibly afford if they are very serious about making it over the long term).This is not a bad thing at all and a good dealer will be open about the level of an artist’s career, and their likely potential, through other factors present in the work. In the next issue: The quality of an artist’s skill and how to recognise it.

Celia Lendis has more than 25 years of experience in the art world and owns a boutique contemporary art gallery in the North Cotswolds town of Moreton-in-Marsh. Established in 2010, the gallery represents artists of investment quality and international standing, along with emerging artists and those whose work is simply beautiful. Approachable, knowledgeable and passionate, we hope you will visit the gallery or website www.celialendis.com www.cotswold-homes.com

LAPSTONE

Experience the Luxury of Lapstone

Lapstone is an extraordinary shop in an extraordinary location. Part of an 18th century Cotswold farm complex on Westington hill - just outside Chipping Campden - the shop is housed in a beautiful vaulted barn. Lapstone specialise in always having the right present for any occasion, whilst also concentrating on ladies fashion and costume jewellery.They also house the Meg Rivers Cafe and cake shop alongside the Mode hair salon and MSpa beauty spa. Lapstone was created in 2005 to be an environment where the shopping experience is very different from the usual. At Lapstone, they go out of their way to create a completely relaxed atmosphere where the typical hurly burly of shopping is absent. The whole place is designed to be as tranquil as possible - and a great place to meet up with friends. Most customers are local to the North Cotswolds but they do also have a very loyal following from a long way outside the area - people who keep coming back to enjoy the environment of Lapstone and our beautiful countryside.

Cotswold Homes Magazine

LAPSTONE

Now at Lapstone

â&#x20AC;&#x153;At Lapstone, they go out of their way to create a completely relaxed atmosphere where the typical hurly burly of shopping is absent. The whole place is designed to be as tranquil as possible - and a great place to meet up with friends.â&#x20AC;?

The Meg Rivers Cafe has great coffee, lunches to dwell over and afternoon teas to be shared. It is also, of course, an outlet for the locally famous Meg Rivers cakes. Mode is a hair salon with an immensely strong and wide reaching reputation. It has five stylists and supporting staff as well as other therapists. MSpa provides beauty treatments and soothing massages in a delightfully relaxing environment. Lapstone is a destination for people to enjoy. There is easy access with plenty of free parking. With the cafe, hair salon and beauty spa all in one convenient location, there are multiple reasons to visit. www.lapstone.net 01386 841611 info@lapstone.net Lapstone, Westington Hill, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, GL55 6EG www.cotswold-homes.com

Jade Holland Cooper

From Cotswolds to Harrods: I n t r o d u ci n g

Jade Holland Cooper Fa s hi o n d e s i g n e r a n d R o ya l A g r ic u lt u r a l U n i v e r s i t y C i r e n c e s t e r g r a d u at e J a d e H o l l a n d C o o p e r ta l k s a b o u t c r e at i n g a n I n t e r n at i o n a l fa s hi o n b r a n d , l a u n chi n g i n t o H a r r o d s a n d h o w ‘ B r i t i s h m a d e ’ i s n o w t h e m o s t fa s hi o n a b l e l a b e l t o b e s e e n i n .

Jade Holland Cooper

Hi Jade. What is the best and worst part about starting and owning a now internationally stocked fashion brand? I think starting any business is tough, especially when you have big ambitions – however, anything is possible if you have the determination and vision. Seeing the business grow from an idea in my bedroom to what it is today and knowing all the amazing people I have met along the way to making this a reality is the best part.You have to live and breathe the business to make it work – work almost becomes an obsession! The hardest part is how little time you have for yourself and the extreme pressure…at the end of the day, the buck always stops with you.

“It is a huge accolade and a sign OF acceptance within the industry – proof positive that you are doing somethi ng right! Harrods have since expanded and taken the full city collection also.” How did you feel when Harrods approached you?

this jacket will take you from the day to the night with ease.

This was a huge milestone in my business career and I remember it like it was yesterday. It is a huge accolade and a sign of acceptance within the industry – proof positive that you are doing something right! Harrods have since expanded and taken the full city collection also.

For the shooting field, it has to be the Balmoral Jacket - a beautifully fitted piece trimmed stylishly with British made vintage-look wax and hand woven leather buttons. Complete with an action back, action sleeves and cartridge pockets.

What is your favourite piece in your current collection for the shooting field, the countrtyside, a day at the races and a night out in the city? For the day at the races, it has to be the tweed, leather and fur cape – this is a truly show stopping piece trimmed with opulent racoon fur. One size fits all and it is seamlessly elegant. The cape is the ultimate transeasonal piece. For the countryside, I would suggest our signature piece, the ‘Prince of Wales jacket’ - this is a staple. With a ruffle collar and military style tabs 34

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For the city, I am torn between the gorgeous limited edition leather, ostrich skin and wool ‘ ¾ Chelsea Coat’ and our signature tweed and leather ‘biker’ trimmed with chunky oversized Italian Zips and rabbit fur cuffs – either look amazing paired with skinny black jeans and some sky high heels! Holland Cooper is now available in Oxfordshire for private appointments… Holland Cooper, Cornbury Park, The Granary, Unit 2, Charlbury, 0X7 3EW T +44 (0)1608 813 077 www.hollandcooper.com

the Cotswold Tailor

Cold Weather, Hot Menswear Trends Alex Edwards of the Cotswold Tailor explains how chilly spells needn’t mean men compromising on style. Oh dear, winter is here; drab, dismal weather to make you exhume those dusty granny-made cable knit jumpers. But needing to keep warm doesn’t mean sacrificing style - you could make room in your wardrobe for something both comfortable and fashionable this winter. For the last 5 years I have been styling, tailoring and selling menswear to celebrities, politicians and Cotswold men alike. Men often find shopping for clothes daunting, boring, time consuming, disheartening - often all of the above. Many of my customers wouldn’t know where to begin! That’s why at the Cotswold Tailor we try to provide a comfortable, informative environment where no question is too stupid. We not only offer advice on cuts and colours but if our garments don’t fit we also have an in-house tailoring team that can make any necessary tweaks to provide clothing that looks and feels great.

aubergine, terracotta and claret.The jean cut flat fronts offers a very flattering shape to gentleman of varying shapes and sizes.You don’t need to be 6ft tall and slim build to carry this cut off this winter!

The Alpaca Collection Jumpers and accessories: Alpaca is a must have for this winter – or, in fact, for any.The semi-hollow fibres of Alpacas make garments made in these fibres incredibly warm. Furthermore the fibres are naturally moisture wicking, ensuring better warmth and comfort... How perfect for socks. With the price of cashmere rocketing in recent months, Alpaca garments are becoming increasingly popular and are a must buy for this Christmas.

Here are some of my personal favourites this winter:

Sowerby Boot: The Sowerby family have been crafting exceptional footwear since 1927. First worn by hard-working landowners, their Dealer Boots are ideal for both town and country living and perfect for the fashion conscious modern man as well as the discerning traditional gent. Combining quality, reliability and style the range has stayed true to the original manufacturing traditions, fit and designs and is now a British brand recognised the world over.

Pampeano Argentinean Polo Belts:

Marko John Socks: Marko John’s socks are made by a family-owned firm that has been making superior socks here in England since 1895.They maintain the Victorian ‘boutique’ sensibility today by focusing on quality above all else.They celebrate heritage, tradition and quality over the disposable, short-term consumerism that has become so prevalent of late.

The Cotswold Tailor Five Pocket Moleskin Jean: Becoming a firm favourite in our Cotswold stores, our own label five pocket jeans offer a contemporary take on a very traditional garment. Long gone are the ill-fitting olive pleated front trousers - this year is all about colours such as

Peregrine Clothing Wax Jackets: Made in England from British Millerain wax cotton, Peregrine’s jackets use military and tailored influence with utility pockets, moleskin and merino wool detail. Worn as casual or smart, day or night, this Autumn / Winter season sees colours reminiscent of outdoor pursuits and city dwelling; from Khaki green to brown, mustard yellow and red.

As with most fashion items, styles and fads, Argentinean Polo belts have done a full circle and now very much on trend once more. Notably worn by Prince William, these belts are a great way to break an outfit up and to add a bit of interest.The belts are all handmade and carved out of only the best leather. At £55 there are cheaper brands available, but my advice is pay a little bit more to get the best. All of the above garments are available in Cotswold Tailor stores and other top retailers across the country.Visit www.suitstailored.com to find out more. Branches of Cotswold Tailor can be found in both Shipston-on-Stour and Woodstock. www.cotswold-homes.com

Sam Twiston Davies

Leading Local Estate Agency Sponsors Cotswolds' Finest Racing Heritage Images courtesy Cheltenham Racing Photos

Directors Karen Harrison and James von Speyr, of Harrison James & Hardie and Fine & Country North Cotswolds, have certainly strengthened their ties to the racing community this season!

At Cheltenham Racecourse on October 18th, Fine & Country North Cotswolds sponsored the Amateur Riders' Handicap Chase. As in the previous year, the prize went to local trainer Nigel Twiston Davies's fine horse, Hunters Lodge, giving young jockey Jamie Bargery his first-ever win.

we are delighted to be able to promote the achievements of such a fine local jockey as Sam Twiston Davies. At only twenty one years of age, Sam is certain to become one of the most famous faces in National Hunt Racing and we look forward to cheering him on over the coming season."

In November, Harrison James & Hardie announced the company's official sponsorship of Sam Twiston Davies. After Sam's recent, magnificent win on The New One - another of Nigel's horses - at Kempton, Sam is hotly tipped by the Racing Post as a front runner in the Grade One Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Karen Harrison adds: "James, has always loved racing and has been a member of Cheltenham racecourse for years. When James took me on my first reluctant outing to the Festival sixteen years ago I wore far too high heels, needless to say, but I immediately caught the bug by winning more than one hundred pounds on a rank outsider with my very first bet. However, never did I imagine that one day we would be standing in the parade ring judging the Best Turned Out, handing champagne to Nigel, and seeing Sam in our very own racing colours!"

Says James von Speyr: "Racing is at the heart of the North Cotswolds community, and as leading agents for the North Cotswold market place 36

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Sam Twiston Davies

"Racing is at the heart of the North Cotswolds community, and as leading agents for the North Cotswold market place we are delighted to be able to promote the achievements of such a fine local jockey as Sam Twiston Davies.â&#x20AC;?

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Cheltenham racecourse

Sprinter Sacre winning the 2013 Queen Mother Champion Chase (image care of Cheltenham Racecourse)

Chasing the Dream

by Collette Fairweather | Photography by Fiona Crick & Cheltenham Racecourse Ben Pauling may have donned a new hat as trainer, but he’s no stranger to the racing game, having been a regular in the winner’s enclosure as assistant trainer to Nicky Henderson. Collette Fairweather visits his new yard and discovers how it feels after five and a half years of absorbing invaluable guidance to now find his own name personalising the stationery

Earlier this year, Ben took a 32 box yard at Bourton on the Hill, and that’s where I meet him today. Despite it only being lunch time, a calm has descended following the usual morning storm of activity, as the alarm clocks on this yard force work to commence with the dawn chorus. It is almost as though I have appeared as the day is drawing to a close. Guided around the yard, I’m introduced to each horse. Hips dipped, they are all immersed in soft slumber, bedded restfully on deep straw. At first glance, this yard mirrors a typically immaculate training facility, but there are certain additions that Ben is keen to point out.The five and a half furlong all-weather gallops cut through the glorious Wolds taking advantage of their merciless climb, ideal for fitness training.The expansive indoor and outdoor schools are used daily for balance work.The horse walker too, is utilised daily. ‘All the horses go on the walker,’ he says. ‘I find ways for the horses to unwind. If they have got overexcited during exercise, it is a great way for them to completely cool off, calm themselves and loosen down.’ 38

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Horse health is key here. Another equestrian gadget Ben swears by is the ECB Equine-Spa (a product I champion too, as the miracle cure for my poor childhood pony cursed with Cushing’s Disease). “We would put three or four horses through the onsite spa a day, as prevention rather than cure. Fantastic machines; we had one on my last yard, they are used extensively in the racing world – I can’t recommend it enough, for all equestrian disciplines” After taking tea, we settle down in a very smart owner’s room, and I begin to learn more about how he ended up in this vocation. As we sink into the feather sofa it is obvious Ben’s bones have been yearning for a seat that isn’t a saddle.Though exhausted, he diligently relates the tale of his past – a childhood filled with horses. Growing up near Chipping Norton on the family farm, he follows a line of racing men and attributes his affinity with horses to that fact that he “learnt to ride as I learnt to walk.” “I spent a lot of time on the hunting field and worked up through the ranks of the eventing team in the Heythrop Pony Club until I was sixteen,

Ben Pauling

Cheltenham racecourse

Grandstand (image care of Cheltenham Racecourse)

Charlie Longsdon, Albert ‘’Corky’’ Browne, Ben Pauling, Tom Symonds. All three were assistants at different times to Nicky Henderson

Rachel Brodie & Smart Freddy

“Cheltenham is the pinnacle… It is without doubt the best.” Kelly’s Brow

which is when I got my point-to-pointing licence.” Unfortunately, Ben was to lose that license after suffering a terrible accident. “I had a lot of fun point-to-pointing, between the ages of 16 until I was 21. But when I was on university holidays, I pulled some wire out of a fence and it damaged my right eye. Consequently I lost my sight completely in that eye, and therefore my licence.” Incurring such an injury could have easily prevented a future in the field. However, his profound passion made him reassess his situation. He found he could not contemplate desertion. ‘I always knew I was going to work in the racing industry, and originally I thought it would be in the bloodstock side of things, but quickly I realised I was going to be a trainer. So after studying land management, I went to work for David Redvers, who is a big blood stock agent in buying and selling horses – he can name the Qatari Royal Family as his clients. “But one day, David turned to me and said: ‘Although you have a great eye for a horse, this isn’t where you’re going to thrive.You have to go training’. So I left. I joined Nicky Henderson as pupil assistant, and stepping onto that conveyer belt saw me end up as assistant.’ I’m keen to know what valuable lessons he learnt in the yard and how he applied these rules.

“The head lad at my old yard had been there 35 years when I left. His name was Albert ‘Corky’ Browne. He taught me everything about legs, and the injuries and basic conditioning of a horse. And Nicky taught me about placement of horses, as well as training them. Training good horses as well as bad horses…It’s actually much easier to train a bad horse.” I look at him quizzically, and he elaborates, “It’s because a bad horse just needs to be 110% fit. If it’s not fit enough it’s never going to win, because it’s just not good enough. But good horses tend to run better when they are 95% fit but feeling amazing - not drilled to their last ounce every day to be fit as a flea, but treated like class athlete that feels well and wants to do their job rather than simply just being fit enough to do it. They enjoy it. That’s what I’ve taken from my time with Nicky, is that you don’t need to drill horses. It is the wellbeing of the horse that’s so important. “If you think of eventing, every horse is so different and treated accordingly. Racehorses are just the same - you can collectively band them. I’ve just ridden five lots this morning and every horse gives me a different feeling. Some are big and rangy, some are small and athletic. There are no rules [to this], there is no right or wrong. Generally if the horse has got the will to win…that’s the most important.” I’m keen to know how much influence a trainer

or jockey can have over a horse drunk on its own flight instinct. “The race horse has a completely different level of discipline to say an eventing horse,” he says, “but it’s not to say that they are undisciplined, we just require them to adhere to a different set of rules. Racehorses are kept as herd animals, they ride out in a string (although they are happy on their own), and they know their job [in that situation]. But when they get on the gallop they know their job [has changed] and they put their heads down and get on with it.” “Regarding discipline in the jumping sphere… it’s like any other equestrian discipline, you get good jumpers and bad jumpers.The bad jumpers will never be brilliant jumpers, but you make them adequate.Those horses that trot into their first pole, and ping-it, bend their back in the right way, they bring a smile to the face, and they are always going to be a good jumper. “What you have got to be careful of is that because race horses instinctively do everything very quickly, you have to be careful they don’t get too brave and pick up too early for a fence. Especially with hurdles, as the worst falls in hurdles are when they are reaching and they catch the top and the fence comes down with them. If they get to close and walk through it they are normally fine, and if you stand next to a hurdle in a race, it sounds as though ten guns have been let off. However if they pick up too early and catch the top and flips, it’s often bad news.” www.cotswold-homes.com

Cheltenham racecourse

Ben Pauling speaking at his open day

Bobs Worth Winning The 2013 Betfred Gold Cup (image care of Cheltenham Racecourse)

Tory Cannon – Ravens Tower

Gallops

Ben is obviously impassioned by this subject, but there’s something else I want to know. As we race towards the winter jump season, I want to talk Cheltenham, the home of jump racing.

and it’s good because the stabling is a good distance from the hustle and bustle, giving the horses a good chance to chill. Some horses can’t handle the excitement so it’s great for that.”

“Growing up in the Cotswolds, Cheltenham has always been the holy grail of racing,” he smiles “and every trainer aims to enter a horse there. Unfortunately, around 75% of trainers won’t have a horse good enough. It is the pinnacle of racecourses; there are a lot of local tracks that are very good in the area, but Cheltenham is without doubt the best.

I want to briefly touch on the planned renovations, which will see £45 million reinvested into the racecourse with completion planned to coincide with the 2016 Festival meet. From The Open onwards, which takes place in mid-November, a three-tiered, high-quality temporary structure will be built, housing a new Royal Box as well as hospitality boxes, bar facilities, which will provide enhanced viewing of the course, so the course will be ever changing over the months to come.

“Cheltenham racecourse plays host to a wealth of meets over the winter season that will see tens of thousands of supporters, cheering on hundreds of horses throughout November, December and the New Year. I am aiming for some runners at Cheltenham - we are a way off at this point, but I do have some rated horses eligible for entry. So we need to see how the horses progress.The thing is, you don’t enter until 5 days before the race and then you declare the day before, to ensure as much as possible that the horse is sound and good to run. After declaration is made, we head to ballot if there are too many horses, and horses will be balloted out on ability accordingly.” I’m interested to know what riders and trainers think of the facilities behind the scenes. “It’s a vast place. Everything is wonderfully spacious, 40

Cotswold Homes Magazine

“It’s a huge expenditure, you have to move with

“I’ve had had a taste of winning at Cheltenham, but it’s been Nicky lifting the cup. I am aiming that, before too long, it’ll be my horse first past the post.”

Richard Symonds pouring a pint of IPA care of sponsors Cotswold Brewery

the times, it will be sad to see the old stands go, because I’ve also associated that stand with my youth,” he admits. “But I’m sure what they produce will suit the job better, allowing more punters, growing bigger and more atmospheric - Cheltenham are raising their game, and it will continue to be the place where riders and owners aspire to. It won’t stay the premier track without making improvement.” I wonder what Cheltenham means to Ben, and what memories he intends to make there. “I’ve had had a taste of winning at Cheltenham, but it’s been Nicky lifting the cup. I am aiming that, before too long, it’ll be my horse first past the post. But there is no point entering a horse at Cheltenham, unless they are ready to run at Cheltenham…just watch this space.” And with that, we peel ourselves from the couch and head our separate ways - Ben starts putting horses to bed while I head home. I reflect on the gruelling industry in which Ben is carving out his career and making his name. If success could be measured on hard graft alone, he’d lift the Gold Cup tomorrow. However, what’s necessary to win is a mercurial combination of graft, talent, luck and exemplary horses. Ben’s done his homework, and timed his transition to perfection…although it is early days, his yard promises success. If I were the betting type, I don’t doubt that before long he’s going to be an odds-on favourite.

THE BROADWAY GUNROOM

welcome to

Broadway’s new arrival, Chris Sugden, on setting up shop…

Hello Chris.What is your background?

What do you think the shop brings to the area?

In January 1999 I started working for Ian Coley MBE in the gun shop located in Cheltenham. I learnt a large amount about the gun trade over the 14 years I spent working there.

It has been good to receive positive comments from people such as ‘Nice to have a local gun shop at last!’ and the support from people has been overwhelming, to be honest. It gives you a real boost to know that all your customers are behind you. So it is my aim to give them the best advice and service possible, no matter if they are buying their dream shotgun or a tin of air gun pellets. It is not just a ‘gun shop’, of course - we stock an extensive range of country clothing, dog food and training accessories, archery equipment, binoculars…There are even some superb original paintings for sale.

What attracted you to Broadway? I spent some time living in Broadway and know a lot of shooting people in and around the area.There are a number of clay shooting grounds close by and also some good game shoots in the area. As there are no real gun shops within a good 45-minute drive from Broadway, and with the gun shop in Stratford upon Avon closing down in December 2012, I felt it could be a good destination for those people who used to go there.

“It gives you a real boost to know that all your customers are behind you.” and new security system. Now after the first three months of trading things have really started to pick up.The word seems to be getting about now and I’m meeting lots of new customers. Gun sales are good and with the help of the internet I have been selling to people from all over the country.

What services do you offer?

Do you help people who might be interested in taking up shooting?

I offer a full gunsmithing service - anything from fitting a recoil pad to re-stocking or re-barrelling of guns. I can also service air guns and rifles. I have also been selling shooting days this season for various local shoots, single pegs to full teams.

If you are interested in shooting then please do get in touch and I will be more than happy to assist you in finding a local shooting facility for tuition and finding the perfect fitting gun.

Talk us through the process of opening up. I took the 2,500 sq ft. shop on in February 2013 and spent the best part of 3 months fitting out the inside with bespoke gun racks, new floors and ceiling

The Broadway Gunroom 01386 852 519 Kennel Lane, Broadway, Worcestershire, WR12 7DJ Email: sales@broadwaygunroom.co.uk www.cotswold-homes.com

Sarah Farnsworth

Since graduating from the Cotswold School in 2004, Sarah Farnsworth has become an internationally published photographer and was recently awarded the accolade of being named a ‘Countryside Alliance Rural Hero’ in recognition of her commitment to the countryside at the ‘Rural Oscars’ ceremony at the House of Lords. Sarah is passionate about the hunting

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community and her work has appeared in Horse and Hound, The Tatler and Country Life. She is also interested in portraiture, lifestyle, interiors and landscapes. Lately, her commissions have taken her into the racing world, including covering the Goffs/DBS Bloodstock Sales. Here, she captures the essence of life in the snowbound shires.

Sarah Farnsworth

To browse a gallery of Sarahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work , purchase photographs or contact her, please visit her comprehensive website at www.sarahfarnsworth.zenfolio.com www.cotswold-homes.com

EVENTS

Cotswold Calendar: Winter in the Wolds What to do in a winter wonderland? Strap on your snowshoes and take a stroll through our suggestions. Christmas Markets 15 November to 17 November Living Crafts for Christmas Fair at Blenheim Palace Living Crafts for Christmas is an indulgent day out where you can enjoy Christmas shopping in style at Blenheim Palace. Featuring over one hundred British designer-makers, there is a wonderful array of high quality handmade, contemporary craft including jewellery, ceramics, designer fashions, toys, soaps, garlands and wreaths. 10am-5.30pm. See www.livingcrafts.co.uk for more information. 16 November – Northleach Christmas Bonanza Founded in 2009, the Bonanza is a festive showcase for fine local businesses with an array of stalls boasting artisan produce and an array of gifts and services. 10.00am-4pm. Visit www.northleachbonanza.co.uk for more information. 21 to 24 November - Gloucester Quays Victorian Christmas Market Visitor s will be able to browse more than 130 decorated stalls selling artisan crafts, fine food and drink and unique Christmas gifts, while a huge cast of larger than life Victorian characters enthrall, entertain and amuse , plus brass bands, choirs, street entertainers, beautiful traditional carousel and lots more. 23 November - Evesham Christmas Lights Switch-On Join the Charter Market in the High Street and Bridge Street with Father Christmas scheduled to arrive at around 3.00pm. Lights and fireworks will shortly follow. 28 November to 15 December – Bath Christmas Market 46

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Running for the second time due to the popularity of public demand set between the Roman Baths and Bath Abbey. The Christmas Market showcases a range of handmade products in over 120 traditional wooden chalets and last year’s event attracted circa 300,000 visitor s over the 18 days. Visit www.bathchristmasmarket.co.uk for more information. 29 November to 22 December – Westonbirt Arboretum’s Enchanted Christmas See the magnificent foliage of Westonbirt illuminated by coloured festive lights as you take an evening stroll. With a new route created each year, previous visitor s will no doubt be recaptivated by the spectacle. Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, 5-8.30pm (last entry 7.15pm). 30 November – Christmas Market, Moreton-in-Marsh What better place for a Christmas market than one of the Cotswolds’ most prosperous market towns? Over 50 stalls will line the High Street this year. From 9am until late. 1 December – Aldsworth Christmas Fayre Christmas food and gifts made lovingly and locally for local people. Come and get a taste of Aldsworth’s Cotswold Christmas. From 11am to 3pm. December 6, 13, 20 - Festive Fridays and Illuminated Christmas, Batsford Arboretum Three ‘Festive Fridays’ see Batsford’s famous arboretum get all Christmassy with trees, wreaths, illuminated strolls and wonderful vintage gifts at the Applestore and Arboretum Gift Shop. A must-visit for your Cotswold December. You can also enjoy a free mug of mulled wine and

m At Cheltenha Racecourse

pen mber – The O 15,16,17 Nove Meeting racing; the ys of top class Three thrilling da ywhere an g istmas meetin biggest pre-Chr in the UK. r – The 13,14 Decembe al Meeting n Internatio ational an James Intern Featuring the St Hurdle. Day New Year’s 1 January – d celebrate an s eb e cobw Br ush away thos cecour se Cheltenham Ra the new year at ials Day – Festival Tr 25 January final run eir th ve e stars ha See some of th val in March before The Festi

a bracing walk on Boxing Day when the Arboretum opens after the big day. 29 November’ and 6 December – Late Night Christmas Shopping, Broadway Come to beautiful Broadway, the historic home of writer s and artists, as this picturesque village enters the festive season with its traditional event. Free mulled wine, minced pies or a glass of fizz! Don’t miss Father Christmas arriving in a Routemaster double decker bus… 6 December – Late Night Victorian Christmas Shopping, Bourton-onthe-Water The sight of the tree standing in the midst of the River Windr ush, all aglow with colour and cheer, is one of the most heart-warming sights of the Cotswold year. Of course, the wide selection of stalls and edibles are good too…

EVENTS

Cotswold Cultur

7 December - Ju bilate Chamber Choir Christm as Concert

mas!

Merry Christ

Pantos, Plays and Parties 15 December - The Great Gatsby 1920s Prohibition Christmas Party, Cheltenham Town Hall

The Joy of Christma s at Cheltenham To wn Hall, Saturday 7 Dece mber at 7.30pm fea turing University of Glouce stershire Choir, Richa rd Pate’s School Choir, Beauregard Youth Ch oir, Charlton Kings Junior School Choir, Englis h Concer tante Orchest ra and featuring pre senter Vernon Harwood.Tic kets at £12, £10 (se nior citizens), £8 (under 25s) Wolf Hall (11 Dec 2013 -29 Ma rch 2014) and Brin g Up the Bodies (19 Dec 2013 – 29 Ma rch 2014) – Swan Theatre, Stratfo rd-upon-Avon Come to Stratford’s Swan Theatre to see these stage adaptations of Hilar y Mantel’s Book erwinning works depic ting the rise and fall of Henr y VIII’s brutally effective agent,Thom as Cromwell.Visit www.r sc.org.uk for times, bo oking and price informatio n.

Say goodbye to the year that revived Fitzgerald’s classic novel in costumed style as Cheltenham Town Hall is transformed into an underground speakeasy. Lavish festivity is sure to ensue. Includes a casino and entertainment from The Invisible Circus. Tickets £34.50 + VAT. 19 November to 12 January 2014 – Jack and the Giant by Ben Crocker, The Theatre Chipping Norton A boy and his cow, a giant and his castle in the clouds, beanstalks, bravery and beautiful princesses…There’s a reason why we love The Theatre Chipping Norton’s Christmas Pantomimes – they’re awesome! Hot off the heels of last year’s excellent Cinderella, Ben Crocker returns with his take on the timeless tale of young Jack and the magically oversized beanstalk. This is a perfect outing for the family and is very popular – so make sure to book! See www.chippingnortontheatre.co.uk for times and booking details. 29 December to 12 Jan, Aladdin at the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham The Everyman’s Traditional Pantomime is Back!  Who could wish for more? Let the Everyman Theatre be your very own genie and grant your wishes this Christmas with a real festive treat. See www. everymantheatre.org.uk for times and booking details.

30 January - Th e People of Rom an Cirencester an d the Cotswol ds, Lecture at th e Corinium Mus eum in Cirencester What was life like for inhabitants of Roma n Cirencester? Join Ar chaeology expert an d Cotswold Archaeolo gy chief executive Ne il Holbrook pores ov er the remains of the past to imagine a bygone world, musing over a time when there were mo re young citizens tha n old. From 7pm.Tickets £5 .65/£5 for seasonal tic ket holders. 20 January – BB C National Orchestra of Wales in Cheltenham, Ch eltenham Tow n Hall Wales’ elite orchestr a presents a progra mme of masterworks from the 18th and 20th centu ries. Bartók looks to the past in his eminently accessible Divertim ento for String Orch estra, giving a contempor ary sound to a Baroq ue musical form. From 7.30pm.Tickets £10+ .

Festive Nibbles and Foodie Treats e,

15 December – The Cotswold Tabl Kingham

drinks Every three months, high quality food and The from producers, farmers and businesses cts. Cotswolds meet in Kingham to sell their produ ry culina erful wond of ion select a Expect to find items as well as some lovely products for the es, table also, like flowers, table decorations, candl . more picnic hampers and much oon A pop-up bistro, a feeding station, an aftern ble availa be also will hut g tastin a and tea tent for those who fancy a little something while there. There's also a kids’ zone with fun for the little ones. 10.30 – 2.30pm. See www. thecotswoldtable.co.uk Soup 3-7 February – Grow your Own at é Caf ace Terr Week, Garden Batsford Arboretum As part of BITE 2014 – the Cotswolds Food

Festival, treat yourself to something special day with a different bowl of soup served every ce Terra en between 12 and 2pm in the Gard ’ll Café. Depending on the vegetable used, there the for card e recip seed, of t be a free packe your soup and information about how to grow soups ent differ own soup this season – with 5 to try accompanied by the legendary home more for .uk rb.co .batsa www See cia! baked focac information. 1 to 9 February BITE 2014 – The Cotswolds’ Food Festival The definitive food festival for the Cotswolds, featuring fairs, farmers’ markets, celebrity s and cookbook signings and lots, lots more. Time . events vary, so please make sure browse www and listing s event thebite.co/BITE-2014 for a full also up-to-date information. Of course, you can a for zine maga the in here elsew e see our featur preview of what’s to come!

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Day Tripper

D ay T r i p p e r S at u r d ay i n t h e C i t y, S u n d ay i n t h e C o u n t r y

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Day Tripper

A r e y o u a t o w n m o u s e at h e a rt o r d o y o u l i k e n o t h i n g b e tt e r t h a n S T ROLL S , S HOO T S , PUB g r u b a n d r o l l i n g h i l l s ? O u r p r o x i m i t y t o L o n d o n a n d t h e ava i l a b i l i t y o f a f f o r d a b l e r a i l t r av e l m e a n s t h at, i n a s i n g l e w e e k e n d , y o u c a n e a s i ly e n j o y t h e b e st o f b o t h w o r l ds . H e r e a r e s o m e o f o u r fav o u r i t e t h i n g s t o d o t h i s w i n t e r n o m att e r w h e r e y o u f i n d y o u r s e l f. T r av e l With such good rail links to the city, why drive? Assuming you travel with First Great Western in Moreton in Marsh, Group Save tickets are available (4 for the price of 2 with similar deals available for parties of over 4). Off Peak Day returns are available for £31.50 with Off Peak Return (return within one month) available for £37.50. Anytime returns are £66.

In the City H Y D E PAR K W I N T ER W O N D ERLA N D Hyde Park sparkles in the winter season as it is fully furnished with a range of rides and winter attractions. With a Giant Observation Wheel and no less than two circuses – Christmas Circus and Cirque Beserk – visitors better save enough energy to navigate the Magical Ice Kingdom which is doubling in size this year. Oh, and there’s ice skating! There’s too much to list here, so visit www.hydeparkwinterwonderland. com for more information.

F REE M U S E U M S Why splash the cash when so much of the culture the capital has to offer is so gloriously free? You can spend endless hours in any of the following establishments, though of course the city is studded with free exhibitions and museums. (Make sure to check out the iceskating rink if you stop by the Natural History Museum…)

F O R H I S T O RY A N D I N T ER I O R L O VER S AL I K E As a magazine with a pronounced interest in homes and lifestyle, we must recommend the Geffrye Museum - The Museum of the Home, which you can find in Shoreditch, East London. A series of meticulously recreated living rooms in this beautiful 18th century almshouse complex demonstrate how middle class life has changed over the last 400 years. Free entry, too. www.geffrye-museum.org.uk. 136 Kingsland Rd, London E2 8EA 10-5 Mon-Sat, 12-5 Sun (Free Admission)

FA M I LY E X H I B I T I O N : H o r r ib l e H isto r i e s : S pi e s At the Imperial War Museum Until Jan 4 2015 (Free Admission)

EAT I N G O U T: T r a msh e d

Celebrating 20 years of Terry Deary’s beloved book series, ‘Horrible Histories’, the Spies exhibition introduces families to an intriguing world of wartime espionage, including codes, disguises and gadgetry. The Imperial War Museum is one of the capital’s most impressive museums, with huge rockets and tanks overwhelming visitors as soon as they step into the vast central hall.

Voted ‘Best Restaurant’ by readers of Time Out Magazine, the sizzlingly hot Tramshed focuses ‘on seasonal sharing starters, followed by chicken or steak.’ The venue boasts its own art gallery with exhibitions changing regularly. There’s a Cotswold connection here as the cow used in the original Damien Hirst artwork on display was sourced from Love My Cow, a local meat supplier. Book online at or call 020 7749 0478 32.

www.iwm.org.uk IWM London, Lambeth Road, London SE1 6HZ Open Daily 10-6 (Free Admission)

www.chickenandsteak.co.uk Rivington Street, London EC2A 3LX Please see website for current opening hours

British Museum (44 Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG) V&A (Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL) Science Museum (Exhibition Road, SW7 2DD) Natural History Museum (Exhibition Road, SW7 5BD) National Gallery (Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DN) National Maritime Museum (Romney Road, SE10 9NF) Tate Modern (Bankside SE1 9TG) Museum of London (150 London Wall, EC2Y 5HN)

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Day Tripper

In the Country N E W LY O P E N E D The Ashmolean at Broadway The Ashmolean has worked in close partnership with Worcestershire County Council to transform a historic building in the Cotswold village of Broadway, Worcestershire, into a new independent museum: The Ashmolean Museum Broadway. The objects on display include paintings and furniture from the founding collections of the Ashmolean, given by Elias Ashmole to the University of Oxford in 1683. The displays are of fine and decorative art from the 17th to the 21st centuries over three floors, including local objects such as Sheldon tapestries, Worcester porcelain, Armorial Ceramics of Broadway families, William Morris tiles and Winchcombe Pottery. There are paintings by Gainsborough, Reynolds, Millais and Landseer. The top floor includes a dedicated gallery for temporary exhibitions, providing local artists and community groups with the opportunity for displays. www.ashmolean.org/broadway 65 High Street, Broadway, Worcestershire WR12 7DP Open 10-5 Tues-Sun £6/£4.50 con

A VIEW TO REMEMBER Broadway Tower Climb to the top of this mock-gothic gargoylestudded folly and enjoy a splendid panoramic view of the surrounding counties. Broadway Tower was used as a holiday retreat by William

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Morris and the Pre-Raphaelite painters Rosetti and Burne-Jones. The area was also utilized as a vantage point by the Royal Observer Corps during the World Wars and, during the Cold War, a nuclear bunker was constructed. The tower’s unique history is explained in detail as visitors ascend. www.broadwaytower.co.uk Nr Broadway, Worcestershire WR12 7LB Adult £4.80 Child (10-14) £3 Concession £4.00 Family (2+2) £13 Bunker & Observer Post £3.50 Open 10-5 Daily

P U B G R U B & S U N D AY ROASTS Trying to pick out a particular pub is a difficult task. A series of fifteen pubs owned by the picturesque Donnington Brewery lie dotted across the North Cotswolds, easily recognised by their black and white signage. Many fine pubs and restaurants are also offering exclusive discounts to holders of our exclusive Privilege Card – see the latest in the Privilege Card section towards the rear of this very magazine.

A VERY BIG HOUSE IN THE COUNTRY Over the Christmas season, Chastleton House, a stunning 400 year old Jacobean manor managed by the National Trust, is open to visitors on select dates. Make sure to check the website to avoid disappointment. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/chastleton-houseand-garden/ Chastleton House, Chastleton, near Moreton-in-Marsh, GL56 0SU Open weekends Nov 30/Dec 1, Dec 7/Dec 8, Dec 14/Dec 15. Please see website for opening hours

A BRISK STROLL In the winter season it’s all to easy to huddle in the warmth of indoors and watch our waistlines expand as we gorge on festive nibbles – yet just because it’s Christmas, doesn’t mean there’s an excuse not to burn off those calories. For a picturesquely effective way to exercise, check out the series of Cotswold trails posted on www.nationaltrail.co.uk/cotswold/

“ M a n y f i n e p u b s a n d r e s ta u r a n t s a r e a l s o offering exclusive discounts to holders of our exclusive Privilege Card – see t h e l at e s t i n t h e P r i v i l e g e C a r d s e c t i o n t o wa r d s t h e r e a r o f t h i s v e r y m a g a z i n e . ”

FAREWELL 2013

Farewell 2013 We review the highlights of a most memorable year in the Cotswolds Good Times Served Up at the Big Feastival This summer, Jamie Oliver and Alex James cracked the recipe for a perfect weekend with good food and chart-rocking tunes. The combination of food and music seems a sure-fire formula for a successful festival, but as Jamie would no doubt attest, it’s all about the ingredients you use. A scattering of celebrity chefs, a generous seasoning of mouth-watering food stalls and a pinch of Rizzle Kicks really brought this year’s Big Feastival to life. Left to roast over the course of a balmy weekend, the event was something for all the family to savour. Alex’s farm was left rocking by dance legends

Basement Jaxx and Rizzle Kicks, while Lianne Le Havas, KT Tunstall and The Feeling brought perfectly honed pop sounds to the table in a wellbalanced musical menu suitable for little dudes and grown ups alike. Hot on the heels of their Britain’s Got Talent success, Cheltenham’s own beatbox act Duke truly blew us away. Over in the kitchen, we were delighted to catch Rachel Khoo and, of course, Jamie Oliver and his much-loved mentor Gennaro Contaldo – classic banter between these two as they wheeled out an eye-wateringly expensive truffle. Even bigger than last year, the Big Feastival now feels like an established part of the Cotswold calendar and should become a summer fixture for local families. We only wish we could have gone back for seconds…

Over in the kitchen, we were delighted to catch Rachel Khoo and, of course, Jamie Oliver and his much-loved mentor Gennaro Contaldo – classic banter between these two as they wheeled out an eye-wateringly expensive truffle.

Cotswold Homes Magazine

FAREWELL 2013

Schoolboys find Ancient Skull Artistic Success Stories Well done to Broadway painter Jeremy Houghton, who completed a residency at Highgrove – the private residence of Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. Our very own wildlife photographic Adam Tatlow was brought to national attention this year following a glowing article in the Daily Mail. Congratulations Adam – bring us some more great pictures next year.

Two boys playing in the waters of the River Coln at Fairford made an incredible (if ghoulish) find: the skull of a Sub-Saharan African woman staring up at them from the shallows. Experts date these remains at around 1,000 years old. One of the intrepid explorers, Christian, said: ‘I thought someone had got murdered and dumped in here, but then the police rang up said it was 700 years-plus old, so I wasn't really worried then.’

Stroud Man Wins Queen’s Cup Air Balloon Race In October, Stroud-based hot air balloon pilot Richard Parry flew 199 miles from Queen’s Square in Bristol to Great Yarmouth, finishing first of thirteen teams in the Queen’s Cup Air Balloon Race. Citing the logistical, technical and navigational difficulties involved, Event Director Don Cameron supposed the event was ‘similar to the Olympics but for hot air balloon teams.’ Dating from 1719, the cup is the oldest sporting trophy in the UK.

New Kids on the Block In July, the Cotswold Wildlife Park celebrated the birth of a baby rhino – the first born in the park’s forty-three year history. Once a critically endangered species, conservation efforts have pulled the White Rhino back from the brink. Cheltenham’s Museum and Art Gallery reopened in October after an extensive refurbishment, rebranded as The Wilson. The name is inspired by the Cheltenhamborn explorer Dr Edward Wilson, one the members of Captain Scotts’ infamously fatal expedition to the Antarctic in 1912. Over in Broadway, a new museum and gallery has been established as Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum brought across some of its collection to establish The Broadway Ashmolean. This year we wished a warm welcome to The Victoria Coffee House in Moreton-in-Marsh as they brought bowler hats, eccentric illustrations and classy sofas to the High Street – as well as a most appetizing menu, of course. Thanks for all the sandwiches!

Villagers Warned of Brad Pitt’s Gunfire In late 2013, villagers in the Oxfordshire countryside were warned of ‘intermittent controlled gunfire and explosives’ as filming was underway on Brad Pitt’s latest war epic, Fury. Letters announcing the disturbances were sent to the residents of three local villages as the scenic locale was used to recreate the war-torn forests of Nazi Germany. Many villagers were excited to be in the proximity of filming, but the tanks were reported to be ‘incredibly noisy.’ www.cotswold-homes.com

Looking Forward to 2014

Looking Forward to 2014 Our Spring Edition 2014, Cotswold Homes magazine will be a Property and Racing Special With 12,000 copies widely distributed to homes and businesses throughout the North Cotswolds, this edition will also be made freely available to race-goers, with stands in the Members’ Enclosure for the most important event of the Racing calendar – the Cheltenham Festival in March. This edition will also be finding its way into Mayfair, London, featuring a showcase of the finest local country homes at Fine & Country’s Cotswold Property Exhibition in March.

Look out for….

The Jockey Club’s £45m vision for Cheltenham Racecourse The Jockey Club, the largest commercial group in British horseracing, has been making its biggest ever investment in racecourse facilities with a £45 million development of its flagship Cheltenham Racecourse, which welcomed in excess of 235,000 people to enjoy world-class Jump racing at the 2013 Cheltenham Festival this year. We talk to Robert Waley-Cohen, Chairman, about this exciting project. “The project is an important and necessary step in the evolution of Cheltenham Racecourse to ensure we can continue to operate at the very highest levels of British sport and fulfil our responsibilities to British racing for many more years to come.” Robert Waley-Cohen

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Looking Forward to 2014

Sam Twiston Davies

Hotly tipped as a strong contender for the Champion Hurdle, Sam Twiston Davies gives Cotswold Homes an exclusive interview on the run-up to the Festival, talking about his life as one of the famous local sons of National Hunt Racing

Sir Mark Todd

The Diary of an Equestrian Lady will feature Olympic Gold Medallist, Sir Mark Todd, who will be talking horses, getting back on the saddle after an attempt at retirement, the importance of equine nutrition and the highs of competing in the Cotswolds.

Fabulous Baker Brothers

Channel 4’s First Time Farmers

Baking and butchery class with Tom and Henry Herbert Cotswold Homes will be attending a course with the Baker Brothers, spending the morning with Tom, learning how to make and bake delicious bread – and in the afternoon we will be spending time with Henry learning how to handle a knife correctly, making tasty sausages and having a go at traditional butchery. If you can’t wait until the next edition, check out the courses, (perfect for a Christmas present!) www.hobbshousebakery.co.uk

Remember Channel 4’s First Time Farmers here in the Cotswolds with Henry Crudge? - Well it’s back, and we have the inside story from Jade Holland Cooper, one of the new stars of the second series!

www.cotswold-homes.com

BLOXHAM SCHOOL

Boarding or day? Is there a middle ground? Bloxham School’s Nick Irvine considers one of the most deliberated aspects of independent education. It used to be so much easier! Boarding or day was a relatively straightforward decision faced by families. Boarding came (pretty much without exception) in a one size fits all package that usually meant long periods of separation from home and family; day meant that you were home for tea! Independent education has always been largely about choice and the modern family is faced with a veritable smorgasbord of options when it comes to the fundamental decision of the length of the day and the style of education that best suits our children. In the preparatory school years the day schools have borrowed some of the boarding school ethos by offering forms of wrap-around care that might involve breakfast clubs and after school care. For those that do offer a boarding facility this will often be a form of weekly boarding which might involve Sunday or Monday morning drop offs and Friday collections ahead of the weekend at home, or flexi–

“Don’t make the mistake of thinking that children won’t enjoy the experience…Boarders can have more fun and can become rounded and independent thinkers too!” boarding where the week might be split between nights spent at home or at school, or even hotbedding which seems to be the educational equivalent to budget hotel chains!

Parents, and particularly those who are either firsttimers to independent education, might find much of this hard to follow and comprehend. Although the boarding tradition of many independent schools is

steeped in history the possible benefits to the family in general and the child in particular are bang up to date. Modern work commitments and the proliferation of dual income families have put boarding, in all its shades, at the very heart of responsible childcare again. The very existence of these boarding places greatly extends your choice of school and do not make the mistake of thinking that the children won’t benefit from and enjoy the experience. Boarders have more fun and can become more rounded and independent thinkers too! If only they can persuade their parents to let them fly… Nick Irvine is the Director of Marketing at Bloxham School. He is also a Houseparent at Bloxham’s Park Close for the 11 and 12 years old weekly boarders and has fulfilled similar roles in just two schools for over 30 years. Find out more about Bloxham by visiting www. bloxhamschool.com

Cotswold Homes Magazine

BITE 2014

BITE-ing Back After the success of last year, BITE Food Festival is back and bigger than before, set for February 2014. Collette Fairweather finds out how they are catering for the masses.

In the darkest depths of a new year, all local residents resign themselves to the fact that precious little happens. The Cotswolds succumb to hibernation until the daffodils force their luminous heads through the barren grounds, heralding the return of sunny times. It is also this time of year that the hospitality industry tends to baton down the hatches to await the passing of credit card bills, new year’s resolutions and half-hearted detox schemes and diet plans. However Julian Ebbutt, director of BITE festivals, thinks that this time of year is ripe for a foodie revolution. With the maiden attempt at a festival last year having been heralded an unquestionable success, BITE is back and much, much bigger! Making the most of this period of calm in the catering industry, Julian has pulled together a broad selection of chefs, producers, hotels and fanatical foodies to relish in the success stories that make the Cotswolds a culinary mecca. What’s more, the festival has tempted some big names to join the mix and partake of the quality food on the doorsteps of we lucky Cotswoldians. And most importantly, dear readers, we’re all invited to the party. So what can you expect from this week of feasting? Try breakfasts, brunches, lunches, teas & dinners; pop-up restaurants; cocktails & fine wines; master classes, talks & tastings; meet the chef & book signings; food fairs & farmers markets…The list is exhaustive. So prepare yourself for an encore of pure gourmandising, as Julian exclaims: 'BITE is back, and it really is bigger and better than ever. We are delighted to be working with over 20 of the leading Hotels, pubs, restaurants, cookery schools, farm shops and delicatessen in the North Cotswolds. BITE 2014 promises to offer 58

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a culinary extravaganza to suit every palette.' With so many local chefs, producers, hotels and restaurants, seizing the opportunity to showcase their wonderful local crop, it’s no wonder so many national chefs and personalities are keen to come down and join in the celebration of our hardworking producers. Without further ado, we present our selection of favourites – and with plenty more to see and do, I suggest you keep an eye on the website, www.thebite.co. Better still, sign up for the emails to keep fully abreast of the action and ensure you don’t miss the opportunity to get tickets to these exclusive lunch and dinner dates. In order to whet the appetite, why not have a gander through our menu of events?

Claire Clark MBE

Saturday 1st February:

Artisan Food Market in Market Hall, Chipping Campden. A wide array of local producers lining the cobbled High Street of Chipping Campden. The finest way to work yourself in gently into the food extravaganza that is BITE Festival week. Take the opportunity to wander the cobbled streets lined of Chipping Campden and soak up the history as you peruse the most wonderful variety of foods. With such a range of produce you can devour as you meander, stock up on fine ingredients to line the store cupboards and delight in discovering the unknown. Our ideal way to spend a Saturday!

Artisan Food Market

Sunday 2nd February:

Afternoon Tea with Claire Clark MBE - Lower Slaughter Manor & Monday 3rd February : Patisserie masterclass with Claire Clark MBE, Cotswold House Hotel A true delight for any budding gourmet: an opportunity to learn from the best. Pastry chef supreme Claire Clarke has worked at the Ritz and Claridges, has set up a Pastry Kitchen at the House of Commons and has been Senior Pastry lecturer at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute. She gained many medals for the British Olympic culinary team and was one of the youngest examiners for City and Guilds advanced Pastry. Claire’s dedication to her work and knowledge gained her a place in 2005 at the legendary French Laundry in California, the first American restaurant to obtain three Michelin Stars. In recognition of the commitment to her craft Claire was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honour’s.

BITE 2014

Monday 3rd February:

Masterclass with Steve Brown, Head Tutor at Daylesford Cookery School, Cotswold House Hotel & Throughout the week: Superb range of courses at Daylesford Cookery School. At Daylesford, they’re passionate about real food – fresh, seasonal and, most importantly, delicious, reflected with over 60 national and international awards in the last three years alone. Head Tutor Steve Brown will guide you through a range of techniques, recipes and skills to help you make the most of delicious seasonal ingredients - all straight from the farm, a luxury he can’t quite believe himself. ‘As chefs, we often talk about provenance, sustainability and locality regarding ingredients. I am now fortunate enough to watch, learn and spend time with the people behind the ideals and I genuinely believe that I must have one of the best jobs in the country.’ Monday 3rd February:

Delicious moment lunch at Dormy House Hotel with Dhruv Baker and Shelina Permalloo The MasterChef winners of 2010 and 2012 will be hosting a sumptuous lunch in the newly renovated Dormy House Hotel, perched on the top of Fish Hill. They will be creating a delicious lunch for you to enjoy, alongside the Hotel’s Head Chef, Paul Napper, and no doubt sharing some of their experiences from the show along the way. Monday 3rd February:

My Waitrose Supper at The Kingham Plough with Emily Watkins

Daylesford Cookery School

Tuesday 4th February:

Chocolate: Celebrate Eric Lanlard's favourite ingredient over a Champagne Afternoon Tea, Cotswold House Hotel & Spa

Annie Rigg is a bestselling author, freelance food stylist and recipe writer.To date Annie has twelve books in print with more due for release in 2014. Living between London and Warwickshire, Annie will only have to hop over the border to advise in her latest masterclass based on her current book, Sweet Things, which contains recipes that filled most childhoods - a tooth-achingly decadent display of her talents.

Award winning master patisserie and international baking star Eric will be discussing the nation’s favourite (chocolate, of course!) sharing his insights on this wondrous ingredient. Splitting his time between his glamorous London HQ and hosting a selection of television series, he has also managed to find the time to write five books – his latest, ‘Chocolat’, has provided an opportunity to delve extensively into what he opens calls his favourite ingredient.

Emily Watkins is one of our local luminaries as Chef and Owner of the Kingham Plough near Chipping Norton.Ten years ago or so, feeling unsatisfied with her office job, she moved to Italy to learn to cook, three years later she was junior sous-chef and spoke Italian fluently. Upon returning to England, she sought to refine her skill under Heston Blumenthal at the Fat Duck in Bray. At her evening, Emily will be imparting her knowledge and her love for the ‘more old-fashioned’ recipes as available at her own restaurant, where she is renowned for renovating the old favorites.

Antony Worrall Thompson Photography by Nick Ayliffe Arabella Weir

Tuesday 4th February:

Good Food Guide lunch with David Everitt Matthias, Le Champignon Sauvage, Cheltenham Since David Everitt-Matthias and his wife Helen have been running the Le Champignon Sauvage in Cheltenham since 1987 he is always in the kitchen and he has apparently never missed a single service! This diligence has won them two Michelin Stars and 4 AA rosettes, among a host of other awards. David will be showcasing his cooking style and philosophy, enabling both the home and professional cook to recreate some of his spectacular dishes.

Wednesday 5th February:

Sweet Things Masterclass from local food writer and stylist extraordinaire Annie Rigg, Cotswold House Hotel

Wednesday 5th February:

Literary Lunch with Arabella Weir: The Real Me is Thin, Noel Arms Hotel, Chipping Campden Comedian, actress, writer; Arabella Weir is known for a variety of talents, and she will be heading down to the Cotswolds to dish up a typically frank and hilarious account of her relationship with food throughout her life, reflected in her book,The Real Me is Thin. Recounting stories of unhinged mothers and callous doctors, mystery-meat suppers, and egg custard battles with calculating boyfriends' mothers, to name but a few hilarious encounters.

BITE is back, and it really is bigger and better than ever. We are delighted to be working with over 20 of the leading Hotels, pubs, restaurants, cookery schools, farm shops and delicatessen in the North Cotswolds.

Wednesday 5th February:

An Evening with Antony Worrall Thompson, Wood Norton, Evesham Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Antony Worrall Thompson returns to the area to share his wealth of experience with an intimate audience. Antony’s first taste of success was with maiden restaurant Ménage a Trois in Knightsbridge, which was widely known to be the Princess of Wales’ favourite restaurant. He’s even won the prestigious accolade Meilleur Ouvrier de Grande Bretagne (MOGB) – the chef ’s Oscar. In addition to his numerous prime-time television shows, for the last 12 years he’s written a weekly newspaper column, as well as a host of magazine articles and the numerous books to his name.

www.cotswold-homes.com

BITE 2014

Thursday 6th February:

A Celebration of Elizabeth David lunch with Jill Norman - Three Ways Hotel, Mickleton & Thursday 6th February: Jill Norman Spice Demystification Masterclass, Cotswold House Hotel

Señor Ceviche Peruvian Pop-up Restaurant dinner, Kings Head Inn, Bledington After spending a month travelling the length and breadth of Peru, Señor Ceviche has an exciting new Peruvian food concept. Using the freshest fish, juiciest limes, and a few fiery Peruvian chilies, they are serving up London's freshest ceviche. They have also focused on Peru's Japanese influences, creating new and innovative dishes including Super Chicken Anticuchos, and nutritious Quinoa. They’re here in the Cotswolds for one night only to demonstrate that there is a whole lot more to Peruvian cuisine than merely ceviche.

For those that don’t know, Jill Norman is the walking, talking encyclopaedia of herbs and spices. Her lunch and masterclass will remove the pinch of guess work from your recipes and enable you to pair correctly, enhancing each and every dish you create – an invaluable insight as she simplifies and reveals her years of experience.

Thursday 6th February:

Great Indian Food Feast with Indunil Sanchi and The Urban Rajah, Cotswold House Hotel & Friday 7th February: Indian Food Feast masterclass with The Urban Rajah and Indunil Sanchi, Cotswold House Hotel Known for incorporating locally sourced ingredients, Sri Lanka born Indunil, has been at the Noel Arms Hotel for over nine years, he has plenty of experience having started cooking at the age of just 17. The Urban Rajah comes in the form of Ivor Peters, a life ling friend of Indunil, who shares a passion to share great grub with great mates –between them they serve up bounteous banquets. As a permanent resident of Chipping Campden, you can sample his delights most days of the week, but this rare opportunity to see them in action is a rare opportunity and not to be missed.

Friday 7th February:

Family Life and Other Recipes. Meet awardwinning food writer Elisabeth Luard for lunch at Russell’s, Broadway & Saturday 8th February: Cooking with the Family with Elisabeth Luard masterclass, Cotswold House Hotel Award-winning food-writer, journalist and broadcaster Elizabeth Laurd, will be joined by a select audience to discuss her great many cook books and the importance of family food. Currently the Trustee Director of The Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, Elizabeth’s work as a journalist appears regularly in a variety of newspapers and she also writes a monthly magazine column. She has also published two novels, one of which, Emerald, won the WH Smith Thumping Good Read Award. Saturday 8th February:

Fannie & Johnnie Cradock Cook The Great American Songbook, Cotswold House Hotel Coming off a sellout theatre tour in 2012, join the Show of Strength Theatre Group as they present Fanny and Johnnie Cradock cooking their way through a slew of outrageous recipes interspersed with timeless musical numbers for your unique dining entertainment. A two course meal cooked to the flamboyant yet hapless standards of the famous pair themselves. Indunil Sanchi

Saturday 8th February:

Cotswold Beer Safari, including lunch at The Ebrington Arms The Cotswolds have become renowned for their unique micro and not so micro-breweries. Take this rare opportunity to see (and most importantly, taste) the produce of these local breweries. Take lunch at the The Ebrington Arms 2013 Beer Festival, three times winner of CAMRA’s North Cotswold Pub of the Year. With the ticket price including minibus transport, providing a hassle free chance to learn more about the art of beer making, there’s no reason not to have a little fun and a beer! For latest details and full events please visit: www.thebite.co

Bon appétit!

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BITE 2014

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BITE 2014

BITE Recipes Claire Clark Recipe Pineapple upside down cake

Antony Worrall Thompson Recipe Baked Lebanese fruit with melting blue cheese

Yields 4 cakes 4 inches in diameter

For the tins

• 185g unsalted butter

• 50g Demerara sugar

This is a sophisticated pudding and a little unusual. A cross between savoury and sweet, the dried fruit marries well with my favourite blue cheese.

• 185g castor sugar

• 4 tinned pineapple rings

• 185g self raising flour sieved

• 4 red glacé cherries

• 50g soft but not melted butter

• 125g marzipan • 3 medium free range eggs

For the finishing

• 5ml vanilla extract

• 2 tablespoons of sieved apricot jam • 1 dessert spoon of water

Serves 6

• 25g (1 oz) dried mixed peel

• 40g ( 1 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

• 180ml (6fl oz) Orange Muscat or sweet wine

• 150g (5 1/2 oz) dried figs, roughly chopped

• 180ml (6 fl oz) water

• 150g(5 1/2 oz) dried apricots, cut into 0.5cm/ 1/4 inch dice

• 55g (2oz) semolina

• 100g/ (3 1/2 oz) Medjool dates, sliced

• 1/2 tsp orange flower water

• 55g (2oz) dried cherries • 40g (1 1/2 oz ) dried blueberries

• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon • 2 tsp runny honey • 175g (6oz) Barkham Blue cheese, (or other blue cheese) thinly sliced

Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees C. Prepare the tins by brushing the inside of the cake tins with the soft butter to coat them. Sprinkle each tin with the Demerara sugar to coat. Tip any remaining sugar out of the moulds then place on pineapple ring in the bottom of each mould before place a cherry in the centre of the ring. To make the cake batter: Mix the marzipan with the butter until it combines - don't worry if it doesn¹t come together completely. Add the sugar and cream lightly on a low speed for 2 minutes. Do not over beat. Add the beaten eggs and vanilla extract a little at a time until they are incorporated. Fold in the sieved flour. Spoon on top of the pineapple rings in the moulds and level gently.

Mix together the dried fruit and the Orange Muscat and leave to soak for 30 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add all the other ingredients except the cheese. Stir to combine. Fill each mould three-quarters full with the pudding mix. Place the moulds in the bottom of your slow cooker and then carefully pour hot water around them to come halfway up the sides. Cover and cook on high for 2 1/2 hours until the puddings are set.

Bake in the oven for 20-22 minutes until they are golden and spring back to the touch when touched. Cool slightly before turning out of the tins.

Turn out the puddings onto a baking tray and top each with a slice or 2 of blue cheese. Place under a hot grill, and when the cheese has melted, serve immediately.

To decorate:

Recipe featured in SLOW COOKING

Boil the sieved apricot jam and the water together. Brush over the cakes to seal in the moisture and make them shine.

By Antony Worrall Thompson Published by Mitchell Beazley Price: £17.99

Serve hot with vanilla ice cream as a dessert or cold with a cup of tea.

Lightly butter 6 x 150ml (1/4 pint) dariole moulds (small enough to fit into your slow cooker) and place in the fridge for the butter to set hard.

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Pitt Rivers

Oxford's Astonishing Pitt Rivers Museum on Getting on the Road with Giffords Circus I often think of the Pitt Rivers Museum as the world’s treasure house. As the caretaking body for the University of Oxford’s collection of anthropology and world archaeology, it stores and displays an astonishing trove of artefacts – and unlike many museums, it actually displays most of what it holds, hosting thousands of incredible things in a vast hall of cast-iron Victoriana. Presided over by an immense totem pole, the collection – masks, votive idols, clothes, modified skulls and countless indefinable curiosities – peeks out from a series of glass cabinets, each object worthy of attention. Until recently, many items were largely obscured by a darkness that, though wonderfully atmospheric, shaded them from full inspection. Now the lights have been turned up (though not too much, mind) and the museum is taking its treasures on the road as part of an outreach program partially funded by a £1,049,400 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Today, eccentric collaborations are in vogue and if artists and fashion designers and musicians can join forces, why not museums and circuses? That’s right – the Pitt Rivers has found an inspired partner in our own Giffords Circus, joining them as they embarked on their 2013 show tour around the bucolic towns, villages and pastures of the Cotswold landscape. The museum chose to take their Javanese wayang kulit shadow puppets on the road – spindly, 64

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intricately detailed figures that when illuminated from behind are used to illustrate folklore stories and Hindu epics. Finely constructed from buffalo hide and horns, the figures are manipulated with control rods and can take weeks to create.

The puppets are a fitting choice for the travelling show, not least because one of the Pitt Rivers’ responsibilities is to help illustrate, and therefore preserve and spread, certain skills and ancient methods of craftsmanship that have endured

"Today, eccentric collaborations are in vogue and if artists and fashion designers and musicians can join forces, why not museums and circuses?"

Pitt Rivers

Painstaking conservation work at the Pitt Rivers

in cultures for hundreds or thousands of years, reinvigorating craft for coming generations. It seems there has certainly been an exchange of ideas between circus and museum. Visitors to Giffords will remember the goat that stuck its head above the Romanian gypsy wagon to emit an a startling shriek, as well as the singing human heads with the humourously small puppet

bodies – these features were the distillation of the troupe’s visit to the museum’s collection of puppets. The beautiful artwork that decorated the perimeter of the circus tent also resembles the delicate silhouettes of the wayang kulit puppets. With a touring outreach programme such as the one at Giffords, the museum can reach people

who might not be yet aware of its existence. Last year there were around 360,000 visitors to the museum, with an estimated 3000 people accessing the outreach tent on location. Certainly there’s plenty of material from the collection to access. The museum has in its custody around 300,000 artefacts, and around that number in photographs. Over the next www.cotswold-homes.com

Pitt Rivers

"Presided over by an immense totem pole, the collection – masks, votive idols, clothes, modified skulls and countless indefinable curiosities – peeks out from a series of glass cabinets, each object worthy of attention."

five years, the Need/Make/Use project will concentrate on the contents one floor at a time, with displays and programmes which may focus on performance and music one year, for instance, and woodwork and carving the next. ‘The whole museum is really about the way that people tackle the challenges of life, and the different solutions found by different cultures,’ says Creative Partnership Officer Kate White. ‘For instance, how do you create fire, or how do you make blades? Sometimes the solutions are similar…sometimes ideas travel, or sometimes things just happen spontaneously.’

modern Pac-a-Macs. On the other hand, little remains to explain some of the museum’s mysteries, such as the tiny pair of ballerinas with flies for heads, or the bottle that contains a troublesome local witch.

And so it is that inside the building you’ll see great hooded Inuit coats, fashioned from animal intestines, that look strangely reminiscent of

The Pitt Rivers museum is beloved by its visitors as the museum that apparently ‘never changes,’ says Kate, ‘but of course it is actually changing all

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Silhouettes in the Circus Tent

the time. People always are so grateful we haven’t put any faddy modern displays in since their last visit. Yet behind the scenes so many things are going on.’ Whole cabinets are going in and out of display and endless painstaking conservation work all mean that the museum is busier now than ever. With everything that’s happening over the next few years, there’s never been a more exciting time to visit.

Slaying the Speckled Monster

Slaying Speckled Monster Meet the controversial Cotswold doctor who changed the world and saved countless lives…with a little help from a cow named Blossom. We visit the Gloucestershire home of the eccentric Dr Edward Jenner, the Father of Immunology.

To someone born in the late 20th century, it’s difficult to imagine that smallpox – eradicated by 1980 - once held the world in its teeth, a threat to human life on the grand scale of cancer and heart disease. Now believed by some to have emerged as early as 10,000 BC, the so-called ‘red plague’ swept across the planet in great epidemics, devastating communities and extinguishing countless lives, killing young and old and rich and poor alike. Not even the mighty pharaohs of Egypt were beyond its reach: Ramses V is perhaps one of the earliest known victims. His mummified remains, marked by lesions, are over 3,000 years old. At least 30% of those who caught smallpox died (the mortality rate climbing to around 80%

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Slaying the Speckled Monster

virus itself, to test if the child’s new immunity to cowpox would safeguard him against this similar (yet much deadlier) threat. Fortunately, young James failed to contract smallpox and resisted infection even on subsequent attempts. After following up these results with several other subjects and experiments, Jenner was ready to release his findings to the world. In 1798 he published 'An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccinae; a Disease Discovered in some of the Western Counties of England, Particularly Gloucestershire, and Known by the Name of The Cow Pox.' His work was the first controlled clinical trial of a treatment to prevent a disease in man. It is for this accomplishment he is widely remembered as the ‘Father of Immunology’.

for children). Those who survived it were left scarred and often blinded, as well as horribly pitted by the legion swellings and pustules that infection caused.

patients, but the disease was so aggressive even this protective measure often killed the person who was being vaccinated.

Yet within the scientific community of the time, Jenner was not awarded the praise he deserved. Cowpox was not so common across the country as it was in Gloucestershire, so samples of it often had to be obtained from Jenner himself. Additionally, his vaccines would occasionally be contaminated with smallpox when they were handled in hospitals, which caused criticism that they were dangerous and ineffective. Many surgeons felt professionally threatened by Jenner’s breakthrough and were moved to smear and discredit him. Thereafter, his career was marked with acclaim and ridicule in near equal measure.

Even well into the 20th century, millions were still killed by the disease every year. But by 1980, smallpox was no more, having been at last eradicated by a global immunization effort. The World Health Organisation solemnly declared that:

The doctor dabbed a little of the lymph from the milkmaid’s ulcer into scratches on the young James. The boy fell ill with cowpox, but recovered quickly. Jenner learned that cowpox could be passed from human to human, but this discovery was not Jenner’s ultimate objective. He needed to expose the boy to the smallpox

‘…The world and its peoples have won freedom from smallpox, which was a most devastating disease sweeping in epidemic form through many countries since earliest time, leaving death, blindness and disfigurement in its wake and which only a decade ago was rampant in Africa, Asia and South America.’

During this time, small smallpox samples were used to immunize patients, but the disease was so aggressive even this protective measure often killed the person who was being vaccinated.

The seeds of its defeat can be found in humble Berkeley, Gloucestershire, where in 1796 the local physician introduced the pus of a milkmaid into the body of eight-year-old James Phipps, his gardener’s son. The milkmaid in question, one Sarah Nelmes, had approached the doctor, Edward Jenner, with huge pustules on her hands. Jenner quickly realized that this was a symptom of cowpox, not smallpox – and indeed it transpired that one of the milkmaid’s herd, a Gloucester cow called Blossom, had just recovered from the condition. But the canny Jenner decided to use this opportunity to test a pet theory. He remembered the local lore that claimed milkmaids never contracted smallpox. He also recalled his sufferings as a child during his own smallpox vaccination. During this time, small smallpox samples were used to immunize www.cotswold-homes.com 69

Slaying the Speckled Monster

The vaccine was also opposed on religious grounds and the very idea of being contaminated with infectious matter from cows made many people feel deeply uneasy. Famously, the cartoonist James Gillray produced satirical images showing cows’ heads sprouting from human bodies. Yet at a time when some 10% of the population was being killed by smallpox, the benefits were clear enough. In 1853 the cowpox vaccination was made compulsory, leading to widespread complaint and protest marches. Discussing and distributing the vaccine absorbed most of Jenner’s life thereafter and he became, in his words, ‘the vaccine clerk to the world.’ His local surgery suffered as a result. In recognition of his great achievement, the British government awarded him with £10,000 in 1802 and £20,000 in 1807. Nonetheless he continued his work as a local doctor, vaccinating out of a one-room hut he dubbed the ‘Temple of Vaccinia’, which visitors to his home (now the Dr Jenner’s House museum) can still see today. ‘The Temple was built by Robert Ferryman, an eccentric clergyman and friend of Jenner’s,’ says Gina Hill, Heritage Interpretation Assistant at

the museum. ‘He needed somewhere to do his work and this structure, originally intended as something like a summerhouse, fitted the bill. Very kindly he often inoculated local children and the poor for free. He was never very interested in money and was really more of a humanitarian than anything.’ Despite being a man of many interests and a scientist of great reputation Jenner spent most of his life in his native Berkeley. Born in the Old Vicarage to a Reverend father, he was orphaned at an early age and was raised by his sisters. After his own smallpox variolation in 1757, he travelled to Cirencester in 1758 to become a boarding student of the Reverend Dr Washborne and was later apprenticed to the surgeon of Chipping Sodbury. In 1770, at the very beginning of the Industrial Revolution, Jenner became a student at St George’s Hospital in London where he studied under the legendary surgeon John Hunter, with whom he kept up a lifelong correspondence. ‘Jenner actually had the great honour of being invited to go sailing around the globe with Captain Cook as his ship’s naturalist, but turned it down to live back in Berkeley,’ says Gina. ‘I

In fact, it was Jenner’s restless curiousity that led him to meet his wife – in the most direct manner imaginable. Intrigued with the hot air balloons he’d seen in France, he constructed his own. It flew for miles and eventually landed near the feet of his future wife, Catherine Kingscote.

often wonder: what would have happened if he hadn’t returned home to make his great discovery? I do know that, in the 19th and 20th centuries, more people were killed by smallpox than by the great wars, which alone gives you some idea of how important his work was.’ It surprises that Jenner turned down such a fantastic voyage, as he was a passionate naturalist and an avid fossil collector. The scientist was made a Fellow of the Royal Society for his work on the cuckoo, when he discovered that it was newborn cuckoo chicks and not their parents who murdered the infant inhabitants of the host nest. Amongst other things, he also studied the hibernation of hedgehogs and in 1819 discovered the skeleton of a massive Plesiosaur, a prehistoric sea monster. His shrewd mind recognized that fossils were ‘monuments to departed worlds.’ Gina’s favourite story of the doctor’s endeavours is not one of the best known. ‘He had this theory that human blood could be used as a fertilizer, and tested it on his raspberries to little effect – though one could argue it might have made them more red…!’ In fact, it was Jenner’s restless curiousity that led him to meet his wife – in the most direct manner imaginable. Intrigued with the hot air balloons he’d seen in France, he constructed his own. It flew for miles and eventually landed near the feet of his future wife, Catherine Kingscote. ‘Catherine was quite a sickly woman who would often travel to Cheltenham and Bath to recuperate in the spas,’ says Gina. ‘Jenner would grow very melancholy in her absence and would pine after her. To remember her he had a ring made that you can see him wearing in some of the portraits around the museum.’ Eight years after the death of Catherine, Jenner passed of a stroke at the age of 73, after a lifetime of tireless work, leaving an incredible legacy behind. Make no mistake: the world owes a great debt to the curiosity of a local Cotswold doctor – and be sure to spare a thought for the poorly cow that started it all.

Now the good doctor’s home educates visitors about his life’s work

Cotswold Homes Magazine

To find out more about Dr Jenner’s House, the Edward Jenner museum, please visit the www.jennermuseum.com

The Cotswolds’ Improbable Air Machines

The Cotswolds’ Improbable Air Machines Would you fly an engineless wooden glider behind enemy lines with no parachute and little training? That’s exactly what British troops did in WWII – and many of these odd aircraft were assembled in the Cotswolds. At Gloucestershire Airport, Staverton, work is underway on a most unusual construction project: a full-scale build of a Horsa wartime glider cockpit. If you’ve never heard of the Horsa aircraft, then you’ll doubtlessly be a little amazed by their story. Entering service in 1942, they were used at the Battle of Arnhem, in the D-Day and Sicily invasions and later the crossing of the Rhine.

Museum have decided to build one, right in time for the 70th Anniversary of Operation Market Garden. Arnhem was a disastrous mission for the Horsa men, with a casualty rate of over 90%. Despite the advantages that gliders offered, they were outclassed and replaced in the years following the war by helicopters. The Jet Age Museum’s replica will be displayed

Pulled through the skies on a bit of cable by bombers, these wooden, engineless craft could deposit around 28 men and supplies far into enemy territory, gliding at speeds of 100mph once released from tow. This method of insertion ‘saved’ the selected troops the necessity of parachute training. Pilot excepting, all the men inside had to do was brace for a rough impact as the craft broke to pieces on landing. Obviously, there were no return trips. Over 3,600 gliders were built by furniture makers across the UK, many made in Gloucestershire by the architectural crafts company HH Martyn at their Sunningend works in Cheltenham. HH Martyn was the parent company of the Gloucestershire (later Gloster) Aircraft Company, which was at Sunningend between 1915 and 1928. Their workforce of carpenters, joiners, carvers and cabinet-makers were among those charged with these unusual commissions. Due to their fragile nature, Horsa gliders are rare finds today with few surviving examples – it’s part of the reason why the fellows of the Jet Age 72

Cotswold Homes Magazine

in the museum’s new permanent home at Gloucestershire Airport, where it will help commemorate the county’s aerial and wartime legacies. The museum takes its name from the fact that Britain’s first jet aircraft was designed, built and first left the ground at the former Gloster factory-airfield just 3 ½ miles from the museum. The most surprising development in the Horsa project came when three Horsa pilots got in touch with the project co-ordinators.

The Cotswolds’ Improbable Air Machines

“If you’ve never heard of the Horsa aircraft, then you’ll doubtlessly be a little amazed by their story. Entering service in 1942, they were used at the Battle of Arnhem, in the D-Day and Sicily invasions and later the crossing of the Rhine.” Though the pilots are now in their nineties, they remember with great clarity the nerve wracking experience of piloting a frail engineless craft behind enemy lines, the inevitable crunch of impact. Project leader Trevor Davies reveals that the project was inspired by an old photograph of the HH Martyn workshop. ‘Once we knew we were going to go ahead and replicate the glider we were allowed to see the original pre-1940 technical drawings produced by de Havilland. ‘AVM Transport then kindly provided a workshop that was not more than 50 yards from where these aircraft were once built. Our cockpit will be fully furnished with controls and faithfully painted in time for the 50th Anniversary of the Normandy Landings and Operation Market

Garden, the basis of the epic war film A Bridge Too Far.’ Ten Horsa replicas were in fact made for this very film. ‘It must have been a very hard sell getting volunteers to fly in these things but what it has left our county is a great story and a great legacy,’ says Trevor. ‘Many of the 1700 visitors we’ve already had on six openings are people who have worked for the organisations or else had someone in the family who did. Now they are bringing their grandchildren and keeping this local legacy and real county story alive.’ Visit www.jetagemuseum.org to find out more about the project and the museum. The museum is a registered charity (no. 297818) and donations are very warmly received. www.cotswold-homes.com

HOT PROPERTY - ASK THE EXPERTS

Ask the experts

Malcolm Lindley

Keeping Ahead Of The Curve

Q A

Malcolm Lindley, Managing Director of Fine & Country

I have seen Fine & Country boards proliferating over recent months and your company’s prominence in the Cotswold Homes magazine is an attraction. I do see a benefit in your partnership with Harrison James & Hardie, but how does Fine & Country really challenge the established “Big Boys”, whose big name, traditional agencies I would usually choose to market my country home? Fine & Country combines all the benefits of local expertise, knowledge and contacts that are found in independent estate agency together with the power and presence of an international and national network designed specifically to suit a twenty-first century market place. Our creative and inspirational use of intelligent marketing reflects the huge scope of today’s web-based culture, including presence on hundreds of property portals, for example. We have won a raft of industry awards for our marketing methods over recent years because we provide a modern alternative that challenges and exceeds expectations for the marketing of upper quartile properties.

enhancing the character and location of each of our properties. We do this locally, regionally, nationally and internationally – delivering the widest possible exposure to the greatest number of prospective purchasers. We have seen such success partly because of the awesome mobility of buyers in an age when so many people can be found operating substantial businesses from home, when the market for a property can come from literally anywhere. Our specialist Media Centre and IT Company works tirelessly to maintain a high profile for Fine & Country properties within the national media and social media, again funded by our members. Our properties regularly grace the pages of national newspapers and periodicals – seeking out these PR opportunities brings access and interactivity for all our clients, allowing us to develop a huge database of potentially interested parties for each of our properties.Today, a high profile determines who gets in touch – relying upon “who you know” from the old boy network is complacent and utterly out-dated.

“Fine & Country is powered most effectively by the culture of consistency, skill, knowledge and dedication that comes from our members, the very best independent agencies such as local market leaders Harrison James & Hardie.” Fine & Country is powered most effectively by the culture of consistency, skill, knowledge and dedication that comes from our members, the very best independent agencies such as local market leaders Harrison James & Hardie. Their agency, combined with Fine & Country, provides clients with an outstanding level of service and results. In a nutshell, by utilising our marketing brand to attract interest up and down the country and abroad, Harrison James & Hardie is able to sell upper quartile properties in a way that no other high-end, traditional national competitor can match.You are right, not only locally but nationally we have seen Fine & Country develop rapidly as a luxury lifestyle brand, bringing people, property and places together.

It is far more significant a measure of success to demonstrate how actively engaged you are, how invested in seeking out new opportunities and how responsive to new marketing techniques, how able to attract the broadest possible audience and how best to get results for clients.This is why Harrison James & Hardie’s estate agency works so well with our brand. Fine & Country is built upon by the inspirational hard-working ethic of entrepreneurialism found in the most successful local independent companies, whose owners are by definition brave, resilient and adaptable to market changes and who have comprehensively proved their worth in their local market place already.

In these days of information-based selling where profile is king, we continually re-invest our members’ funds to promote our brand. Our National Council, a select committee of experienced independent business members, is employed to cultivate this wonderful synergy of excellent knowledge, modern methods and traditional service - and Fine & Country’s combined members’ buying power is passed on to our clients. We provide, for example, gorgeously produced property brochures at a fraction of the cost traditionally charged out to clients, and a national property magazine featuring a home on every page,

For those you describe as “the big boys”, the halcyon days of traditional high-end agency are truly over, challenged and bettered by Fine & Country’s custom-fit brand for the new millennium and exemplified by Harrison James & Hardie’s partnership, of course. In choosing Fine & Country to market your property, I have no doubt that you will discover a first class service of incomparable value set against such competitors and look forward to welcoming you on board!

Malcolm Lindley, Managing Director of Fine & Country Ltd since its inception, is based at the international head office and showrooms on Park Lane, Mayfair, London W1; 020 7079 1515 78

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Fine & Country Cotswold Homes and Cottages Property Exhibition, London, March 2014 The collaboration between Fine & Country and Harrison James & Hardie - renowned leaders in the sale and letting of properties in the North Cotswolds - provides the highest possible service standards and the most forward-thinking, far-reaching platform from which to market upper quartile homes. To celebrate the opening of Fine & Country North Cotswolds in Stow on the Wold, new clients will benefit from a Spring Marketing Package promotion. Comprehensive benefits includes a host of bespoke marketing opportunities for North Cotswold country homes at regional, national and international level, supported by the renowned, superlative service standards of local, leading estate agency Harrison James & Hardie. For new clients instructing before 7th February 2014, Fine & Country North Cotswolds’ Spring Marketing Package offers: •

Inclusion in the forthcoming Spring Edition of Cotswold Homes Magazine, distributed in Members’ Enclosure during the Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse in March 2014

•

Inclusion in the Fine & Country Cotswold Homes and Cottages Property Exhibition in Mayfair, London, March 2014

•

Free, bespoke, glossy brochures, with up to 22 pages of beautiful content designed to highlight and enhance the benefits of the property, including a vendor interview, professional photography. EPC and floor plans Free full page inclusion in the bespoke magazine Refined, distributed by UK member agencies, offering the best properties for sale nationally through Fine & Country

•

Free Times / Telegraph advertising and other property media, including unique opportunities sourced by the PR and Social Media department to access the national and international market place

•

Free inclusion in Fine & Country’s multi-award winning web site and presence on hundreds of property portals throughout the UK and abroad

•

Free, widespread local advertising in five neighbouring counties via Fine & Country Cheltenham, Leamington Spa and three branches of Fine & Country North Cotswolds at Stow on the Wold, Bourton on the Water and Moreton in Marsh

TO FIND OUT MORE AND TO ARRANGE A FREE MARKETING CONSULTATION WITH PRINCIPAL DIRECTORS KAREN HARRISON & JAMES VON SPEYR, SIMPLY TELEPHONE STOW ON THE WOLD 01451 833170

Country Homes from harrison james & hardie

Halford House, Bourton on the Water

Guide Price ÂŁ1,000,000

Bourton on the Water | Moreton in Marsh | Stow on the Wold | Mayfair | Lettings

Almond Lodge, Wyck Rissington

ÂŁ725,000

Country Homes from harrison james & hardie

Orchard House, Upper Oddington

ÂŁ675,000

Bourton on the Water | Moreton in Marsh | Stow on the Wold | Mayfair | Lettings

Nethercote House, Bourton on the Water

ÂŁ695,000

Country Homes from harrison james & hardie

Westfield Farm House

Westfield Farm House L o x l e y

Westfield Farm House is an outstanding, exquisitely presented, modern country home. Providing 10,000 square feet of luxurious accommodation, blessed with a perfect location, it is situated in just under three acres, surrounded by countryside and enjoying fabulous rural views, not far from the historic town of Stratford on Avon, on the edge of the village of Loxley. 84

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Beautifully finished and laid out, the main accommodation provides six bedrooms (all with private bathrooms), four grand reception rooms, a stunning kitchen/breakfast room, a light-filled orangery and a number of work and leisure spaces including a study, snooker room, cinema room and gym. With gravelled frontage leading to triple garaging, the whole bordered by high walls and wrought iron gates to provide the ultimate

grand entrance and security, this property has all the requirements for life in the country that one could possibly desire. Both the necessities and luxuries of modern living have been taken into account. Ground source heat pumps supply the under floor heating, with Cat 5 cabling and a Sonos sound system throughout, an air filtration and central vacuum

Westfield Farm House

systems, its own generator and a digester septic system, allowing the property to run affordably, efficiently and indeed independently of mains services. For the safety conscious, there is a sensor security system supported by CCTV cameras, security lighting, panic alarms and a host of safety features to ensure peace of mind and body. This house boasts gorgeous interior design as well as function, with fixtures and fittings that are synonymous with luxurious living, including a Charles Yorke kitchen with marble work tops, an Aga with Aga Companion, an American style fridge/freezer, a wine fridge and a Nespresso coffee machine. Throughout, the best of materials have been used – travertine stone, marble, oak and granite. An impressive reception hall has as its centrepiece a grand, sweeping staircase leading onto a wide, light and spacious landing. All the bedrooms on the first floor have dressing areas and wardrobes, with beautifully appointed bathrooms including Jacuzzi baths and walk-in showers. The master suite is quite stunning with an open fireplace, a large bathroom suite and a fully fitted dressing room complete with its own laundry chute. On the second floor, along with more bedrooms, are the snooker room, home cinema and gymnasium.

“We wanted a house that would function for us as a family, so we worked very closely with the architect to design a layout that would enable every room to be utilised on a daily basis. It is an extremely large property, but the flow from room to room works splendidly.”

www.cotswold-homes.com

Westfield Farm House

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Westfield Farm House

“The master suite is quite stunning with an open fireplace, a large bathroom suite and a fully fitted dressing room complete with its own laundry chute. On the second floor, along with more bedrooms, are the snooker room, home cinema and gymnasium.” Outside, the grounds are a delight – at first approach an orchard is planted with apple, pear and plum trees, beyond which are southerly facing manicured lawns with post and rail fencing, punctuated with pleasing features that catch the eye before it drifts towards the openness of the countryside, including a pond and thatched gazebo. The fabulous views of this wonderful location are best enjoyed from extensive terraces that wrap around the rear of the property, lit gently with lanterns and exterior lights as night falls. In summer months, life is as easy to enjoy outside as inside, with every thought given to ease of entertainment and relaxation throughout the whole property. Owners Alan and Claire were delighted to be able to build and design their home exactly as they wished. “We wanted a house that would function for us as a family, so we worked very closely with the architect to design a layout that would enable

every room to be utilised on a daily basis. It is an extremely large property, but the flow from room to room works splendidly. Because of the imposing nature of the building itself, we wanted the interior to be every bit as impressive but like every family home, it is the kitchen that is definitely the hub of our lives. It is where we come together in the morning for breakfast, where the children tend to do their homework while supper is prepared, and where we sit with friends for quiet cups of tea putting the world to rights. “When we built the house, we commissioned a local garden designer to create a design that would work as beautifully as that of the house. The result is the most wonderful garden that we have come to adore, where the children can run and play to their hearts’ content, and yet provides a superb space for entertaining. We really love the gazebo because it is an incredibly tranquil place for one to sit and soak up the fabulous surroundings… and in truth every design aspect has proved to be an absolute joy.”

Viewings are strictly by prior appointment, by contacting Fine & Country department of Harrison James & Hardie at Moreton in Marsh, on 01608 651000. Further details including a brochure and floor plans can be found by visiting www.cotswold-homes.com.

www.cotswold-homes.com

Lettings

Burghfield Cottage, Bourton on the Water

ÂŁ2,300 pcm

Bourton on the Water | Moreton in Marsh | Stow on the Wold | Mayfair | Lettings

Lettings

Ash Cottage, Middle Hill, Broadway,

ÂŁ1,795 pcm

A beautifully appointed quintessential Cotswold stone cottage situated in a rural location enjoying breath taking views over adjacent countryside. Entrance hall | Cloakroom | Large sitting room with stone fireplace | Dining room/snug with wood burner | Modern kitchen | Ground floor wet room | Three ground floor bedrooms | Master bedroom with en suite bathroom and galleried study with exceptional views | Generous side and rear garden with woodland views | Parking for several cars | Small paddock in front of the property which available by separate negotiation | EPC Rating: F Fine and Country Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 653 896

Country Homes from harrison james & hardie

Southam Hill

Southam Hill Southam Hill is situated on the lower slopes of Cleeve Hill, a delightfully presented, mature detached property set within the beautiful countryside of the Cotswolds, offering a perfect compromise between rural seclusion and accessibility to a host of amenities and facilities. The local shops and services provided by the centres of Winchcombe and Bishops Cleeve, just up or down the hill in either direction, are perfect for day-to-day whilst the Regency Spa town of Cheltenham, with its cosmopolitan shopping centre and renowned cultural heritage, is within a ten minute drive.

Overlooking the wide vista of the Cheltenham valley and onwards, out towards the broodingly dark 90 Cotswold Homes Magazine

range of the Malvern Hills in the far distance, the property is positioned peacefully on Sunset Lane, away from the bustle, in a superb position that lives up to its name, providing the most spectacular views of the setting sun. â&#x20AC;&#x153;From the summer house that we built at the top of the garden we can watch the sun go down over the hills, in all its panoramic glory. It is simply beautiful to sit up here and entertain friends whilst we enjoy supper. We are often to be found here because the house and grounds are just so pretty to look down upon, situated up here on the highest terrace, especially on warm summer evenings when everything is bathed in pink and orange hues as dusk slowly descends across the valley.â&#x20AC;?

Southam Hill

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are often to be found here because the house and grounds are just so pretty to look down upon, situated up here on the highest terrace, especially on warm summer evenings when everything is bathed in pink and orange hues as dusk slowly descends across the valley.â&#x20AC;?

www.cotswold-homes.com

Southam Hill

Owners Roger and Jane have worked hard to create their piece of paradise, having extended the house in all directions since moving in twenty years ago, but have reluctantly decided it is finally time to move, now that their family has grown up. “As soon as I walked into Southam Hill it felt right. It needed lots of work but it was such a stunning location,” recalls Jane. “We've completely reconfigured the space within the property. We love entertaining and often have friends and family to visit, so it is wonderful that we can sit as many as twenty people around the dining room table. At Christmas, the house comes into its own - big enough that all the different generations can easily split off and do their own, separate things, and then come back together again to settle around the fire and watch television together. We have loved living here - it is just glorious, and over the years we have celebrated some marvellous occasions, with marquees put up in the garden for special anniversaries. We will be immensely sad to leave.” Viewing is essential to appreciate everything the house has to offer. Extended and improved, delightfully presented, Southam Hill is the perfect 92

Cotswold Homes Magazine

“At Christmas, the house comes into its own - big enough that all the different generations can easily split off and do their own, separate things, and then come back together again to settle around the fire and watch television together.” family home, enjoying plentiful space around it, with approximately an acre of equally well-tended gardens looking over the paddock to the front. Sunfilled, light and warm, the accommodation is flexibly designed with three generous reception rooms, a kitchen and breakfast room, utility and shower room. Above, four bedrooms and two bathrooms benefit the best from its position, all with fabulous views.

To arrange an appointment to view, simply contact Fine & Country North Cotswolds on 01451 833170, or for further details and a floor plan simply visit www.cotswold-homes.com.

section header Celebrity Cricket

Berkeley House, O.I.E.O £450,000 Bourton on the Water

Stone Walls, Long Compton

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 651 000

The Old Bakery, Bourton on the Hill

£335,000

Barn End, Stretton on Fosse

£395,000

£319,950

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 651 000

Bourton on the Water | Moreton in Marsh | Stow on the Wold |Mayfair | Lettings harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

Celebrity sectionCricket header

The Knoll, Blockley

£389,950

1 Whittlestone Hollow, Lower Swell

£385,000

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 651 000

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

7 Barnsley Way, Bourton on the Water

£299,995

Roseland, Great Rissington

£299,950

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

view all our properties at harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

Crossing Cottage

Crossing C o t ta g e - Moreton in Marsh -

The systematic dismantling of rural railways in the 1960s by the infamous Mr Beeching has little to recommend it - that is, except in the case of Crossing Cottage, Lemington, near Moreton in Marsh. This gem of a property, situated in gloriously peaceful countryside and approached by a long, leafy driveway that once formed the train line between Moreton in Marsh and Shipston on Stour, nestles amongst farmland owned by the Batsford estate in a plot of just under two acres.

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Crossing Cottage

“It enjoys splendid isolation yet is only a few minutes’ drive from Moreton in Marsh, with all the facilities the town has to offer, including not least the surviving mainline Worcester to Paddington train station, with regular trains into London.”

The original property was only a tiny cottage forty years ago when the current owners, Mr & Mrs Goodfellow - then living in the nearby village of Longborough - happened upon an advert placed privately in the local paper. Hastily, they arranged an appointment to view and to say they were smitten is an understatement. They knew instantly that this was an idyllic place to raise their young children and have lived happily there, ever since. Even though the Goodfellows have created a far larger property than it once was, there is still great potential to extend to a much more elaborate home – unlisted, the land and location are a developer’s dream. Currently, Crossing Cottage has three reception rooms, a kitchen/ breakfast room and four bedrooms, all enjoying the loveliest of aspects over open countryside. Early on in their ownership, Mr Goodfellow also negotiated three miles of track into Batsford land in favour of a substantial paddock adjacent to their house, bordered by a stream, and thereby creating an environment for his family that could hardly be bettered. Their children reminisce fondly about their upbringing, spending free time building dams in the stream, taking freezing dips in the springwww.cotswold-homes.com

Crossing Cottage

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Currently, Crossing Cottage has three reception rooms, a kitchen/breakfast room and four bedrooms, all enjoying the loveliest of aspects over open countryside.â&#x20AC;?

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Crossing Cottage

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whether as a family residence or as a wonderful countryside retreat from the rigours of city life, this is a home that daydreams are made of - plenty of room for a pony, a selfsufficient vegetable plot, a grand terrace overlooking delightful views, and more.â&#x20AC;?

fed pond, walking the dogs in the neighbouring woods and enjoying impromptu driving lessons over the long drive. Now, though, the children are grown up with their own young families and sadly, the Goodfellows agree that it is time to move on to something of a more manageable size, hoping another family will come to enjoy Crossing Cottage just as much as they have loved it. So, after the best part of half a century, this unlisted property is once more offered for sale. Crossing Cottage benefits from an unrivalled location that would support the grandest design, subject to the relevant planning consents. It enjoys

splendid isolation yet is only a few minutesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; drive from Moreton in Marsh, with all the facilities the town has to offer, including not least the surviving mainline Worcester to Paddington train station, with regular trains into London. Whether as a family residence or as a wonderful countryside retreat from the rigours of city life, this is a home that daydreams are made of - plenty of room for a pony, a self-sufficient vegetable plot, a grand terrace overlooking delightful views, and more. Most importantly, Crossing Cottage is a uniquely lovely property that will serve the next owners as well as it has undoubtedly done for the Goodfellow family.

Viewing is unhesitatingly recommended at the earliest opportunity, strictly by prior appointment with the Sole Agents: Harrison James & Hardie Fine & Country, Moreton in Marsh; 01608 651000.

www.cotswold-homes.com 99

HOT PROPERTY - ASK THE EXPERTS

Ask the experts

Andy Soye

Mat Faraday

How much can you earn

from your holiday home?

Q A

Sadly, we find we are now rarely able to take advantage of our second home in Stow. I have been advised to consider holiday letting, not only to create an income, but also to keep the cottage inhabited and cared for in our absence. Realistically, how much should I expect to earn by holiday letting my Cotswold cottage?

generating 25 to 30 bookings per annum. At Character Cottages, we work with owners who view holiday letting as a business and we are unique in the fact that we specialise in maximising the revenue of our property owners, resulting in our Gross Annual Income figures being higher than other agencies typically achieve.

This is the question most commonly asked by owners thinking of holiday letting their property and, depending upon which person you talk to, the answer varies dramatically, so it is not a surprise that you are seeking clarity!

As Chartered Accountants, we have developed various tools, algorithms and analytical methods to increase the number of bookings and optimise pricing, to enhance the overall owner return. These tools include:

It’s worth starting by defining a term: “Gross Annual Income”. This is the amount of revenue generated by the cottage through holiday lettings, before you pay any bills. The amount of Gross Annual Income you can expect to achieve primarily depends on three factors: which company you choose to partner with in order to let your cottage, the number of people that the cottage can sleep, and the overall quality and presentation of the accommodation.

• Cottage Inventory Management System: a sophisticated tool to monitor late break availability and highlight any risk areas, to focus bespoke enquiry campaigns and sales efforts; • Dynamic Pricing Engine: an algorithm that allows customers to book flexible breaks, with almost any start and any end date, whilst ensuring that the owner is always charging the optimal price;

The amount of Gross Annual Income you can expect to achieve primarily depends on three factors: which company you choose to partner with in order to let your cottage, the number of people that the cottage can sleep, and the overall quality and presentation of the accommodation. The following table presents a range of Gross Annual Incomes for Cotswold properties within the Character Cottages portfolio, on the basis that they are available for holiday letting all year round. No two properties are the same, but this table gives a fair indication of the income potential for a good quality cottage: Capacity (number of guests) 4 Annual number of bookings 50-70 Gross Annual Income range £23,000-£35,000 Capacity (number of guests) 8 Annual number of bookings 50-65 Gross Annual Income range £40,000-£65,000 Capacity (number of guests) 12 Annual number of bookings 50-60 Gross Annual Income range £60,000-£80,000 Different types of agencies appeal to different owners. Some owners see holiday letting as a hobby and are happy to work with an agency

102 Cotswold Homes Magazine

• Variable Discounts: a series of automatic incentives to encourage early and late bookings, ensuring that we match cottage pricing to different customers’ price points. Traditional holiday letting agents are rarely able to generate this extra revenue, as their tools and systems are not set-up to monitor unsold stock and to make constant changes to holiday prices, start dates and durations. Our focus at Character Cottages is to improve and update our systems constantly, so that our owners continue to earn more from their holiday cottages. Should you wish to discuss in more detail the service that is offered by us in comparison with other agencies, we would be delighted to do so! Andy Soye and Mat Faraday are co-founders and owners of Character Cottages, an independent company specialising in the holiday letting of luxury properties in the Cotswolds. To find out more about their services contact them on: owners@charactercottages.com or telephone 08456 80 80 29

HOT PROPERTY - ASK THE EXPERTS

Ask the experts

Structurally Sound Robert Hamilton

Q A

I have recently bought a Grade II Listed cottage that I intend to renovate next year when I have saved up the money. What essential measures must I take to be sure that the fabric does not deteriorate before we can start work? I carry out many surveys a year but never cease to be astonished by the number of problems I find that could have been prevented by what I consider normal maintenance. Sadly, many people with period houses seem to work on the premise that it’s been alright for the last three hundred years, so another ten (or twenty) won’t matter! My list of essential measures to prepare your house for the rigours of winter include: CHIMNEYS. If flues are no longer in use, rain will penetrate down the chimneys, not to mention draughts. All unused flues should be capped with patent ventilators to prevent rain access but to permit controlled air movement. These can also be used to act as steam vents for extractor fans – failing that, an old paint tin over each chimney pot is better than nothing! ROOFS. Cotswold stone roofs are usually much more durable than their ‘rustic’ looks would suggest. Slipped slates, usually the result of a failed peg or nail, can be retained with lead or copper ‘tingles’- thin strips of metal used to strap the slate in place. Lichen growth should be encouraged but moss can act as a sponge and hold water in great weight.Take advantage of fine weather to gently scrape mossy growth away or kill it by spraying with copper sulphate solution.Thatched roofs may need fine chicken mesh over them if they are starting to become patchy, and rodent control is always essential. Clay tiles may be coated with some of the proprietary dressings to seal and preserve them - but ask the Heritage Office first. Inside the roof spaces, ensure that felt linings are not damaged by, for example, stacking furniture up against them, and check the insulation. Another few rolls of glass fibre will be inexpensive and will enhance heat retention. Again, ventilation in the roof space is essential. I recently surveyed a property where (several) bathroom extractors merely belched steam into the roof space.This had severe consequences for the roof timbers and soaked the insulation, too, making it ineffective.The ceilings had unsurprisingly become mouldy and very unhealthy, too! GUTTERS.These are so important, but very often neglected. First remedies are to ensure they are not blocked with leaves and debris, that joints are secure and that the supporting brackets are firm. Quite often, the brackets supporting PVC guttering are too widely spaced and so do not support the gutter correctly. Heavy rainfall will overload inadequate guttering, not to mention snow thaw producing sudden volumes of water. Brackets should be maximum 600mm apart - if yours are too widely spaced it

may be useful to put a few more up, especially on the vulnerable sides that get a lot of sunshine. Cast iron or aluminium gutters also need clearing and if the weather is dry, a coat of Ruberoid paint on the inside will maintain cast iron for many years. Most gutters are only painted on the outside, to look pretty! WINDOWS and DOORS. Listed properties are often forbidden conventional double-glazing but secondary glazing is normally fine. If you don’t like the look, thick curtains interlined with blanket material will prevent all but the most determined draughts. Similarly, door curtains or sausage-shaped draught excluders work well. Make sure that that weather bars at the bottom of doors are actually keeping out rain and draughts. WALLS. Listed properties often do not have damp proof courses, but simple measures to keep damp away include clearing vegetation and dead leaves from the walls and checking that downpipes are discharging rainwater correctly into the drainage system. Stone walls ‘breathe’ - keeping the interior warm will keep the damp out, but remember that a small amount of dampness is needed to preserve the integrity of the stone, most especially in cob which is basically mud! Lime plaster must be used when plastering stone as cement render or modern plasters will be too impervious. Raking out any crumbly areas and re-pointing will ensure the gaps between stones are weather proof. PIPES and TANKS Lagging needs to be kept in good order. If you are going to be away during the colder months, a frost-sensor space heater (such as a Dimplex ‘Cold Watcher’) placed next to a tank will prevent water systems from freezing. If the house is to stand empty it is still best to drain down all the plumbing and tie up the ballcock in the attic as a secondary safety measure. ELECTRICITY.We can do nothing to prevent power failure but keeping a good supply of candles or torches somewhere within easy reach will minimise any unpleasant consequences of a blackout. Not being totally reliant on one source of power for heating/cooking is also wise - you would be surprised what we have cooked on top of our log-burning stove! All of these jobs are perfectly DIY. If you don’t feel confident, hiring a competent handyman will be nothing compared with winter disasters, so spend a couple of weekends on all these simple jobs to save yourself a fortune. Central Surveying has offices in the Cotswolds and Knightsbridge, specialising in independent professional surveying and property consultancy services for commercial and residential clients in the Cotswolds, South West and London. Robert Hamilton works from Naunton in the heart of the North Cotswolds. To contact Robert, telephone 01285 640840 or visit www.centralsurveying.co.uk.

www.cotswold-homes.com 103

HOT PROPERTY - ASK THE EXPERTS

Ask the experts

Mortgage Matters Sue Ellis

Q A

A dear friend of mine has recently become seriously ill and it has set me thinking about if I was unable to work how would I manage to pay my mortgage and other regular bills. Although I get some sick pay from my employer, it would only last for a short while. Is there any such cover available & how does it work? Unfortunately for many people becoming unable to work through ill health is a reality, either long or short term, but few think this is something to prepare for adequately. Many of my clients have given little or no thought as to how they would manage to pay the essentials like mortgages/rent, utility & other household bills, should they be unable to carry out their occupation. There are many types of insurance that can help to protect you from such an eventuality. The most usual type of cover is called Income Protection – offered by a wide range of insurers. This is aimed at both the employed and self-employed and also housewives / house husbands!

cases. However, when properly discussed and recommended in relation to appropriate circumstances, it can provide valuable cover. As well as being able to cover sickness and accident, the advantage of PPI is being able to cover unemployment. Of course, with the current economic climate and with many businesses closing over the last few years, this element of the cover has become much harder to obtain and claim parameters have been tightened up by insurers. The advantage of PPI, unlike Income Protection, is that cover tends to be on a twelve or twenty-four month basis rather than long term, therefore offering - in some cases - a cheaper premium. Another product helps to deal with the worst-case scenario for a couple or family. Family Income Benefit is designed to pay a regular sum in the event of death, providing the surviving party with a monthly amount. This is not linked to income but rather is set by the benefit required, with a specified ‘end date’ when the payments cease. Therefore, the further through the policy’s

“Many of my clients have given little or no thought as to how they would manage to pay the essentials like mortgages/rent, utility & other household bills, should they be unable to carry out their occupation.” Income Protection provides cover at a percentage of income received (or in the case of a house wife / husband, a specified amount), typically between 50 and 70% of your income, depending on the insurer, and will pay out in the event of sickness or accident. Income Protection is designed to pay out on a long-term basis, up to the age of retirement. Whilst not designed to replace earned income it should be a sufficient to fund regular outgoings. Premiums are determined by gender, age, the nature of occupation and, in some cases (but not all), whether the insured person is a smoker or non-smoker. The length of cover and the period at which it starts to pay out will also be specified.

duration that death occurs the less will be paid out.

There is also another type of cover known as Payment Protection insurance, or PPI, designed to give more short-term cover and usually linked to a mortgage or loan. There has been much bad press about this type of policy, with the product having being sold too often to those who would not have been able to claim in many

Sue Ellis works alongside Johnny Magee as a Mortgage Broker at Jem Financial Planning. The team has 43 years experience in investment, retirement and inheritance planning, mortgages, protection and general insurance. To speak to Sue or Johnny, telephone 01386 840777 or visit www.johnny-magee.co.uk.

104 Cotswold Homes Magazine

It is human nature to hide from such thoughts, to believe that we will always be healthy and able to provide for our own needs and for family, of course. However, at a time when you and those around you are least able to cope with more stresses and strains, it is hugely important to have the security of being able to deal financially with the hardest times in life. To consider now how you and your family will manage, by getting cover to deal with the eventuality of sickness and death, is the best and most sensible way to provide against the difficulties your dear friend is now experiencing.

ALDERWOOD CONSTRUCTION

Stone is the Answer Alderwood Construction’s Craig Siller on the trials and rewards of working with the area’s gorgeous Cotswold Stone One of the defining features of the Cotswolds (quite apart from cream teas or strong cider) is, of course, our very own Cotswold Stone. We are lucky to have this mellow, beautifully ageing Jurassic limestone: without it, we would very likely be a brick outpost of Berkshire or Worcestershire (God forbid!). It’s likely this wonderful material has helped give the area its global reputation. As a company we travel and work throughout the Cotswolds and often get asked to build or extend or refurbish stone houses. The reality, though, is that no two properties are the same and every few miles you go the stone is frustratingly different in some way, so you basically have to stay steadfast friends with all the quarries. It’s a bit like serial dating - tiring, expensive and everyone ends up getting called ‘honey.’ What’s so tricky, then, about working with the local stone, gorgeous as it is? In the plainest English: Cotswold Stone varies in type, quality, use, colour, texture throughout the different seams / levels of the Cotswolds and provides materials for stone roof tiles, dry stone walling, ashlar for masonry work and building stone. Stone can be found underground in large or small volume and often (rather weirdly) in one precise area and then completely disappear in the next field along. Very unpredictable stuff!

"The reality, though, is that no two properties are the same and every few miles you go the stone is frustratingly different in some way, so you basically have to stay steadfast friends with all the quarries." Currently we are working on several larger stone projects simultaneously. One noteworthy project is a large extension on a 17th century stone cottage which is the oldest property in this village (so we are reliably informed by a resident in his 90s)! For this project we are using reclaimed stone that has been cropped or cut to a laying width of 125mm or 5” in old money to suit new cavity wall construction and satisfy building regulations. The secret here is to choose the right stone that suits the existing structure and build in a modern fashion - but maintain the fenestration, keeping the work in harmony with the existing build, so over the next 300 years all the work blends together as an eye-pleasing whole. There’s another project that is really rather exciting: we have just started constructing the stonework element for the new motorway services between Junctions 11 and 12 on the M5. This comprises a very large quantity of stonework facing the new buildings, replicating traditional dry-stone walling which does not show the mortar on the front. The overall design is environmentally friendly with a green roof and is to host a family-run service

station of high quality using local produce. If it is half as good as the operator’s other service stations up country it will be a huge success - and a reason to have a day trip down the motorway when it opens in May next year! It all goes to show that whilst all projects may well be different in size, scale and type, by using wonderful Cotswold Stone in different ways we can achieve something really rather beautiful and fitting. And by making something attractive, the work that we create really belongs just to everyone lucky enough to live in and ply our trades in the Cotswolds.

Find out more about Alderwood Construction and view a portfolio of their projects, visit www.alderwoodconstruction.co.uk or call 01242 621190 to discuss your construction needs. www.cotswold-homes.com 105

Celebrity Cricket

Bourton on the Water | 01451 822 977 | Moreton in Marsh | 01608 651000 | Stow on the Wold | 01451 833 170

Harrison James & Hardie’s James von Speyr celebrates a sponsorship deal with Sam Twiston Davies, one of the best jockeys in National Hunt racing today

James von Speyr, director

“

We are proud to sponsor Sam Twiston Davies, one of the leading names in racing today, and one of North Cotswolds’ finest!

Fine & Country North Cotswolds Head Office: Stow on the Wold | 01451 833 170

Celebrity sectionCricket header

Bovis Homes have launched the second phase of this exciting village development at Upper Rissington - for further details contact Katy Freeman or Lucy Driver on 01451 822977

Plots 39, 40 and 41 The Henever

£398,995

Plot 38, The Montpellier

£325,995

The Henever is a stunning 4 bedroom house that offers; choice of fitted kitchen with integrated appliances, modern dining and sitting room, downstairs cloakroom and utility, ensuite and fitted wardrobes to master bedroom and garage.

The Montpellier is a stunning 4 bedroom house that offers; choice of fitted kitchen, integrated oven with hob, integrated fridge freezer, integrated washing machine, integrated dishwasher, ensuite and wardrobe to bedroom 1, study, cloakroom and garage.

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

Plot 42, The Epsom

£290,995

Plot 43, The Sheringham

£290,995

The Epsom is a 3 bedroom house that offers; a choice of fitted kitchen with integrated appliances, downstairs cloakroom, ensuite and fitted wardrobes to master bedroom and a garage.

A brand new three bedroom property in the up and coming village of Upper Rissington, benefitting from an ensuite bedroom and garage.

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

view all our properties at harrisonjameshardie.co.uk Bourton on the Water | Moreton in Marsh | Stow on the Wold | Mayfair | Lettings

Wellington Court

The Changing Face of Moreton in Marsh Wellington Court is an exciting new collection of apartments and cottages offered for sale by Harrison James & Hardie Fine & Country, a beautiful conversion of a Grade II listed coaching inn located on the eastern side of Moreton in Marsh. Whilst the distinctive façade of the building has been retained, the property and adjacent outbuildings have been creatively enhanced to provide seven bespoke dwellings comprising two apartments, four bungalows and a cottage, each with their own parking spaces. The majority will be arranged around a landscaped courtyard setting with one exclusive, separate two bedroom, detached bungalow to one side. The new development is the latest transformational project in this ancient Cotswold market town, a testament to the energy and vision of other significant conversions that have gone on over the last twenty years, and that have combined to make this part of town into a most desirable location. Gone are the factory, the gasworks and the commercial laundry of yesteryear – all gradually replaced by delightful 110 Cotswold Homes Magazine

courtyards of quality built, individual properties with fabulous access to the town centre. At the heart of Wellington Court’s design has been a clear desire to cherish and prolong the life of this important part of the town’s architectural and local history. No surprise that Moreton in Marsh has been the subject of such inspirational investment and has proved so resilient against recession – once an important agricultural trading post, its affluent history is matched by its continuing significance to the prosperity of the North Cotswolds today.

"Coupled with a superb choice of excellent private and state schools, town has become one of the most desirable places to live in the country over recent years."

Wellington Court

"Gone are the factory, the gasworks and the commercial laundry of yesteryear â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all gradually replaced by delightful courtyards of quality built, individual properties with fabulous access to the town centre." With the mainline station to London running close to the centre (Paddington in under two hours), the town is situated almost equidistantly on the Roman Fosseway between Cirencester and Stratford Upon Avon, bordering the counties of Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Oxfordshire. Situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty populated by tiny ancient villages with a cluster of

famous North Cotswold market towns nearby including Chipping Norton, Broadway, Stow on the Wold and Burford, Moreton in Marsh is served by a wide range of local amenities, shops and services. Coupled with a superb choice of excellent private and state schools, town has become one of the most desirable places to live in the country over recent years.

For further information simply contact the offices of Harrison James & Hardie Fine & Country on 01608 651000, or visit www.cotswold-homes.com to download a brochure.

www.cotswold-homes.com 111

TIM SPITTLE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANTONIA DEUTSCH

the internet. You may have recently come across the word Tabata in the tabloids, women's magazines and all over heard of It is extremely in-vogue and currently making a big come back within UK gyms. I'm sure you have also only fit intervals, interval training, Hiit, a metabolic training. They all sound particularly frightening and seem for complete fanatics and those of us who live in gyms. especially Well that's not so, and it doesn't have to be your worst nightmare. In fact it can be a great way to train, indoors on the cold winter nights! So, what is it all about?

How to build a Tabata!

Well, quite simply, high intensity training consists of a warm up period, followed by a number of repetitions of increased intensity exercise and separated by intervals of a lower intensity for recovery.

1. You will need a stopwatch, smart phone timer

For a long time it was thought that long bouts of cardio vascular exercise worked much better to reduce fat (the utilization of fatty acids) but it has been show that short bouts of intense exercise contribute to increased metabolism, improvements in fitness and performance. When training his son Sebastian in the 1970s, Peter Coe used 200m sprints with 30 seconds recovery intervals to prep him for the Olympics. Professors Gibata and Timmais scientifically proved this theory to be more productive over conventional training and Izumi Tabata, a Japanese scientist and professor of sport created a system to radically train speed skaters. He used a system of 4 training sessions a week with 4 minute intervals, which proved more effective with greater gains than those utilising 5 sessions of long duration cycling or running.

Can anyone do Tabata or high intensity training? Most people can carry out a complex of Hiit training but the following points should be adhered to: • If you’ve been unwell, recently hospitalised or have a medical condition or on medication seek expert medical advice • If you’re new to exercise go and find a class or a personal trainer to guide you through your first sessions of interval training.

or clock.

2. Plan your exercises before hand and

choose ones you know well and can execute with good form. You will need 8, they can be made up of 4 repeated or 8 different ones or any combination you like. BUT! You will have to do them quickly and bigger exercises will have a greater effect.

3. So, it should look something like this. Warm up 10 minutes of cardio & dynamic movements

Tabata 20 seconds high intensity exercise

Here are 2 Tabata Complexes to try: Beginners Tabata

10 seconds medium intensity - keep moving!

1. Sumo Squat 2. Sumo Walk 3. Tight Squat Thrusts 4. Seal Push Ups

Repeat this sequence 8 times to a maximum of 4 minutes

(Then repeat the sequence to make 8 intervals)

Warm down and stretch 10 minutes

1. Burpee 2. Power Press 3. Squat Jump 4. Hand Walk

All done!! That's it and if carried out effectively that will have been more effective than an hour's running or cycling.

Intermediate Tabata

(Then repeat the sequence to make 8 intervals) Take care, be creative & have fun getting fit quickly!!

¨For a long time it was thought that long bouts of car exercise worked much better to reduce fat (the util dio vascular izat but it has been show that short bouts of intense exe ion of fatty acids) • If high intensity jumping, bouncing and lifting rcise contribute to is a little too much for you, try building simple increased metabolism...¨ intervals of elevated effort into walks, hiking

or running.

118 Cotswold Homes Magazine

TIM SPITTLE

SUMO SQUAT

Sumo Walk

Move directly from the downward sumo position and lift a leg slightly off the floor, then alternate and walk the sumo quickly staying low with your head up.

Adopt a sumo squat position and thrust up & down keeping good form as fast as possible.

Tight Squat Thrusts Seal Push Ups

Form a tight box position on hands and toes. Knees should be past elbows then push your hips forwards and backwards fast.

Burpee

Stand tall, then drop to all fours, thrust your hips backwards not sinking your back, then bring your feet in again, jump into the air and repeat, flowing with good form.

Squat Jump Quite simply, keeping your head up, squat & jump & squat & jump etc.

You can start on toes or knees in the push up position. Then perform normal push ups but leaning to the left, then to the right, alternating.

Power Press Adopt a push up position with legs apart. As you lower your body, bounce your legs in together. As you press upwards, bounce them out again and repeat.

Hand Walk Stand tall, with straight legs, bend over and walk out quickly on your hands. Stop when you extend fully, then walk back and push yourself tall again. Repeat with speed.

www.cotswold-homes.com 119

Milton Dental Practice

Dental Health

Matters Fluoride – Friend or Foe?

Dr Trevor Bigg, Milton Dental Practice BDS, MGDS RCS(Eng), FDS RCS(Ed), FFGDP(UK)

Over the past 40 years, for most Britons, tooth decay rates have been decreasing. Although diet and modern dentistry are important, the most important factor in reducing tooth decay is the use of fluoridated toothpaste.

But is fluoride safe? The history of the development of fluoride is a fascinating one. Fluoride is found naturally in the ground water of many areas of the world, but in particular East Africa and Colorado USA. When the first European settlers arrived in Colorado, they noticed that children brought up there had brown or white marks on their teeth but very little tooth decay. It took a couple of decades for dentists to realise that it was fluoride in the water that was protecting the teeth. Over the next 50 years, large trials were run to confirm that fluoride added to the water supply had a beneficial effect, with no adverse side effects, and the concentration needed to give maximum protection with the minimum marking of the teeth was 1ppm (parts per million). The trials showed that children in a fluoridated area have about 40% fewer fillings than those drinking non-fluoridated water.

Is our water fluoridated? Only about 10% of water is now fluoridated in the UK, mainly in the West Midlands and the North East. The Witney/Carterton area was fluoridated in the 1970s, but due to pressure from ‘clean water societies’ most utility companies have given up adding it to the water. 120 Cotswold Homes Magazine

“By ensuring that you and your family always use a fluoridated toothpaste you are gaining the maximum protection for your teeth.” Does this matter?

To keep your teeth and gums healthy:

Most dentists are strongly in favour of fluoridated water, but some are moving away from the concept of mass medication, even though no one can say that our water is pure, with or without fluoride! There are other effective ways of delivering fluoride to protect our teeth and the most important is toothpaste. By ensuring that you and your family always use a fluoridated toothpaste you are gaining the maximum protection for your teeth. Up to three years old use a toothpaste with a fluoride level of at least 1000ppm. After three years old, everyone should use a family toothpaste that has 1350ppm to 1500ppm of fluoride. What should I do to keep my teeth healthy and pain-free?

• Be careful with your diet and, in particular, don’t eat sweet things between meals • Visit your Dentist regularly • Clean between your teeth daily with ‘interdental’ brushes or floss • Brush your teeth twice a day using a fluoridated toothpaste. If you want more information about fluoride go to the British Dental Health Foundation web site, www. dentalhealth.org/tell-me-about/topic/sundry/fluoride Milton Dental Practice is offering Privilege Card Holders a New Patient Examination at the reduced fee of £57.00 (normally £86.00) and a free Denplan Examination. (See Page 125) Contact Penny 01993 831 396 or email penny@drbigg.com to take advantage of the offer!

From Veronica James, Area Dean of the North Cotswolds Dear Readers, I am often in conversation with visitors and residents about Nativity Plays. We recall standing at the front of church, remembering how as children we came into our local parish church building to put on the annual nativity play for our family and friends. As soon as we begin to reminisce, fond memories are recalled – tea towels on heads for shepherds, tinsel for angels…Some may say the nativity play is all tradition and sentimentality and has no relevance in today’s world, yet for many, those plays offered us, as children, an opportunity to enter into the Christmas story, and take our own place at the manger. And then as we grow up with life unfolding before us we take our places as adults in the world. Does the church have a place in our lives once we leave school? Possibly when we attend weddings, baptisms and funerals, or perhaps we have found a church where we feel comfortable and are able to support others in worship and outreach. Or perhaps it is the local church that we visit when we are away for a few days or on holiday. Over the next few weeks we will be preparing for Christmas. We will be writing those cards, wrapping the presents, singing carols and decorating homes, schools and work places for the season of goodwill. 122 Cotswold Homes Magazine

“For it is in caring for others that we come closer to the spirit of Christmas, when all are welcomed around the manger, to see the love of the Christ Child.” When it comes to Christmas morning, we will probably be exhausted and worried that the turkey will cook well (but not be too dry!), that our friends and family will enjoy their presents, and that those in need will have been cared for, just as the Holy family were cared for by those who visited the manger - the shepherds, the angels and the kings. Remember the manger this year. Give thanks for those who cared for you when you were young, when you were introduced into the Christmas story, when you first learnt to sing the carols we love to hear each year. For it is in caring for others that we come closer to the spirit of Christmas, when all are welcomed around the manger, to see the love of the Christ Child. Come along and enjoy some carol singing at your local church, a few of which we have listed here... With Every Blessing, From Revd Canon Veronica James North Cotswold Area Dean

Friday 20 December - 6.30pm Carol Service at St Michael and All Angels Church at Guiting Power; Saturday 21 December - 4pm Carol Services at St James Church Cutsdean and 6pm St Peter's Church Upper Slaughter; Sunday 22 December - Carol Services at 3pm Lower Slaughter and 6pmat St Andrew's Church Naunton; Tuesday 24 December, Christmas Eve - 7pm Carol Service at St Faith's Church, Farmcote, 11.30pm Holy Communion with carols at Naunton and 11.30pm Holy Communion at Upper Slaughter with carols; Wednesday 25 December, Christmas Day, 9am Cutsdean Holy Communion, 10.15am Guiting Power Family Service, 10.30am Temple Guiting Family Communion, 11.30am Lower Slaughter Holy Communion Sunday 29 December, Naunton 9.30am Holy Communion

What the Gamekeeper Saw Brr! The snowy season can take a bitter toll on furry ones who must forage and shelter without assistance from Hunter boots and Aga cookers. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been a busy year for Adam, who has at last been noticed by the national papers and has enjoyed

photo features in The Times and The Daily Mail. Congratulations Adam! Meet our Cotswold keeper and see his work at the Cotswold Hunt Christmas Fair on November 24th, 10-3pm. See www.northcotswoldhunt.co.uk

www.cotswold-homes.com 123

Cotswold -Homes.com

Privilege carD

offers

CotOur swo Hom Priv esld i

Car lege d is

FREE

Where can I get a PRIVILEGE CARD?

Pick one up from the offices of HARRISON JAMES & HARDIE in Bourton on the Water and Moreton in Marsh - it couldn’t be easier. (Not local? Simply register by clicking on the CotswoldHomes Club button at www.cotswold-homes.com.) You will receive a monthly e-mail with a list of offers like the ones in this magazine, all from independent North Cotswold businesses.

Shop local and save money!

With a bumper selection of Winter offers from a host of local businesses, make sure you pick up your card as soon as possible!

Moving House? Then contact the Conveyancing Experts and get 15% off our standard legal fees! Call 01452 657950 for further details. Valid until 28/02/14

Thomas Legal Group is a dedicated provider of conveyancing services in and around the Cotswolds Tel: 01452 657950 Thomas Legal Group, Brunswick House, Brockworth, Gloucestershire, GL3 4AA Web: www.thomaslegalgroup.co.uk E-mail: info@tlg.uk.com

Bourton-on-the-Water

10% off everything in store, perfect gifts for friends and family. Until the end of February 2014.

Tel: 01451 822800 Box of Delights, High Street, Bourton-on-the-Water, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL54 2AQ

124 Cotswold Homes Magazine

Cotswold -Homes.com

Free property appraisals, free photographs and up to £500 cash back for new joiners. Until the end of February 2014. www.character-cottages.com and owners@character-cottages.com

5% Discount for first orders, cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Valid until the end of February 2014. Tel: 01386 701 079 www.mikehonourwindows.co.uk Unit 85, Northwick Business Centre, Blockley, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 9RF

10% Off food at the Grapevine until the end of February – excludes set menus and certain dates. Tel: 01451 830344 Sheep Street, Stow on the Wold, Gloucestershire, GL54 1AU

Enjoy 2 for 1 entry to beautiful Batsford this winter.

Valid from November 1st 2013 until February 28th 2014, excluding Boxing Day 2013. Tel: 01386 701441 Batsford Arboretum & Garden Centre, Batsford Park, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 9AB www.batsarb.co.uk

Cotswold -Homes.com

Offering advice in all areas of financial planning.

Free initial consultation Valid until 28/02/14

JEM Financial Planning, The Granary, Draycott, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 9LQ Tel: 01386 840777 JEM Financial Planning is a trading style of John Magee which is authorised & regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

New Patient Examinations for only £57.00 (normally £86.00). With a free Denplan Examination. Ask Penny for details.

20% Off

Valid until the end of February 2014.

Valid until 28/02/14

Trevor Bigg Breakspeare House, Shipton Road, Milton-Under-Wychwood, Oxford, OX7 6JW 01993 831396

Seasonal discount. Colefax & Fowler. 01993 822385 Mob - 07976 353 996 Fulbrook, Nr Burford, Oxfordshire 0X18 4DE

The Spice Room CAFÉ & INDIAN RESTAURANT

15% off all food and drink

Valid until the end of February 2014. Excludes any other offers, promotions and set menus - booking advisable 01451 832010 10 Talbot Court, Stow on the Wold, GL54 1BQ

Stratford Branch

10% off throughout the store for privilege card holders. Until the end of February 2014.

Box of Delights, 54 Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6PT Tel: 01789 415 302

10% Discount

on all orders over £10 (collection only – cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers) valid until the end of February 2014. Tel: 01608 654204 3 Oxford Street, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucester, GL56 0LA

FOOD OF INDIA

10%

Tel: 01451 820388 The Lamb Inn, Great Rissington, Gloucestershire, GL54 2LP

all food & drinks

Valid until 28/02/2014 Tel: 01608 651191 16 High Street, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 0AF

20% Off

our premium made-tomeasure hardwood window shutters. Call for a free no obligation survey & quote.

Tel: 01608 651 015 Lion House, High Street, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 0LH

Tel: 01242 649592 37 Eldon Road, Cheltenham. GL52 6TX

(Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers). Valid until the end of February 2014.

Great Rissington

Valid until the end of February 2014.

15% off

Discount on all takeaway orders

The Lamb Inn

Book a table for 4 or more and receive a complimentary bottle of wine - T&C’s apply

Victoria Coffee House

Free preliminary design service. Chance to win £350.00 gift voucher for Eckington Manor Cookery School, all approved project enquiries will be entered for a draw early February 2014. 01242 621190 Alderwood Construction, Unit 5 Gamma, Orchard Industrial Estate, Toddington, Gloucestershire, GL54 5EB

Valid until 28/02/14

Privilege Card Offers

10% off any orders online over £10 of all Cotswold Gold products. Visit www.cotswoldgold.co.uk Discount Code: COTSHOMES2014 (Valid until the end of February 2014) Cotswold Gold East Lodge Farm, Stanton, Broadway, Worcestershire, WR12 7NH, 07867 938 221

10% Off any bag. Visit www.tannerandoak.com (Valid until the end of February 2014). Tel: 01993812466 www.tannerandoak.com info@tanerandoak.com

Free filter coffee with every cake purchased over £2.50. Mon - Fri only. Valid until 28/02/14

Tel: 01608 652060 www.cacaobean.co.uk Cacao Bean, Carfax House, High Street, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 0AT

10all%Lapstone off

purchases when you spend over £100. Valid until 28/02/14

Tel: 01386 841 611 Lapstone, Westington Hill, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, GL55 6EG www.lapstone.net

£30 Off when booking a Full Health, Fitness & Wellbeing Assessment. Valid until 28/02/14 Tel: 01386 701231 Unit 6, Draycott Business Village Draycott, Nr Moreton in Marsh Gloucestershire, GL56 9JY

R&D WALKER T/A P Checketts

20% off all Gammon Joints. Valid until 28/02/14 24 High Street Moreton-in-Marsh Gloucestershire GL56 OAF 01608 651002

10% off bespoke English painted kitchens, Neptune traditional kitchens and Eggersmann German contemporary kitchens. Valid until 28/02/14 Tel: 01993 824 334 www.closa.co.uk 33 High Street, Burford, OX18 4QA

Buy one pair of Jean Cut English made Moleskins and get second pair

half price. Valid until 28/02/14 Woodstock – 01993 358 284 Shipston on Stour – 01608 238 008 http://www.suitstailored.com/

20% off surveys

Privilege card discount must be requested before quote is provided, cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers, discounts or promotions, valid until the end of February 2014. Tel: 01285 640840 Central Surveying, 17 Black Jack Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 2AA

20% off Collect 20 Range Tailored to your needs.

Valid until the end of February 2014. Tel: 01608 650567 Fosseway Business Park, Stratford Road, Moretonin-Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 9NQ

10% Discount off all new furniture and fabric. Valid until the end of February 2014. Tel: 01608 659091 5 Threshers Yard, West Street, Kingham Oxfordshire, OX7 6YF

24 Hour Taxi Service 50% off returns following an outbound journey within a 20 mile radius of Bourton-onthe-Water. Valid until the end of February 2014 01451 820778 07585 308838 www.hopeprivatehire.com

Cotswold -Homes.com

Need accountancy & taxation advice? Contact us for your free initial consultation. Valid until 28/02/14

Fatim Najafi FCCA t 01452 530549 m 07851 460480 e enquiries@spot-on-accounting.co.uk w www.spot-on-accounting.co.uk Professional Accountancy & Bookkeeping Services

Enjoy crisp winter days on horseback, with four 1 hour hacks for adults at £110 & 20% off Pony-Club introduction days in new onsite cabin. Tel Pat on: : 07811 339 162 Valid until 28/02/14 01608 674867 Durham’s Farm Riding School, Chastleton, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 0SZ

Jade HOLLAND COOPER IS OFFERING THE CHANCE TO BOOK AN EXCLUSIVE PRIVATE APpOINTMENT WITH HER AT THE NEW OXFORDSHIRE SHOWROOM ENJOY THIS TREAT WITH COMPLIMENTARY CHAMPAGNE Valid until 28/02/14 To Book Call T: +44(0)1608 - 813077 Holland Cooper Cornbury Park, The Granary Charlbury, Oxfordshire OX7 3EW www.hollandcooper.com

Adam Tatlow Photography

15% Off all food

– excludes drinks & set menus

20% Off everything or 25% off items over £100

£95 Day spa at C-side Spa including a 2 course lunch and a 60 minute treatment. Regularly £125.

Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Valid until the end of February 2014.

Valid November 2013 through February 2014, from Sunday to Thursday. Subject to availability.

01993 823151 Burford House Hotel, 99 High Street, Burford, Oxfordshire, OX18 4QA

Tel: 01242 870 900 Cowley Manor, Cowley, Near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL53 9NL

3 for the price OF 2 on levington multi-purpose with John Innes Compost

7 Course taster menu - £55 per head (usually £69) excludes certain dates – booking required. Valid until 28/02/14

20% off all Karndean Flooring

excludes fitting and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers. Valid until 28/02/14

Tel: 01608 651 757 info@fossewaygardencentre.co.uk Stow Road, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 0DS

Dial House Hotel High Street Bourton on the Water GL54 2AN 01451 822244

Tel: 01242 521 273 The Brown Barn, Longacre Farm, Brockhampton Lane, Gloucestershire, GL51 9RS

Randell Burton Architects are pleased to offer a free consultation on any project and a donation to the charity shelter.

15% off daily charge

10% Off your food bill at L’Anatra Italian Kitchen.

(available on all direct purchases with Adam Tatlow). Valid until 28/02/14 07774285459 cotswoldkeeper@aol.com

(normally £5.99 each) Valid until 28/02/14

Valid until the end of February 2014. Tel: 01884 254 465 / 01608 644 573 1 West Street, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, OX7 5LH

rate for new clients and 10% off for existing clients booking a house/pet-sitting between November 2013 – February 2014. Tel – 01452 790 104 www.ticketyboo-housesitters.co.uk e-mail: info@ticketyboo-housesitters.co.uk

Drinks not included, not available to use Friday or Saturday evenings. Valid until 28/02/14 Tel: 01451 820 286 E-mail: info@chesterhousehotel.com www.chesterhousehotel.com The Chester House Hotel, Victoria Street, Bourton on the Water, Gloucestershire, GL54 2BU

Cotswold -Homes.com Cotswold Homes Directory of Independent Businesses HOMES AND GARDENS DESIGN INSPIRATION AND PROPERTY SERVICES ARCHITECTS Randell Burton Architects, Chipping Norton and Devon Randell Burton Ltd is an RIBA Chartered Practice with offices in Devon and The Cotswolds and serves an extensive client base in both areas. 01608 644573 / 01884 254465 W: www.randellburton.co.uk E: office@randellburton.co.uk

BUILDERS AND CONTRACTORS Alderwood Construction Ltd, A family building firm near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, creating high quality homes, renovations and extensions in the Cotswold area. 01242 621190 W: www.alderwoodconstruction.co.uk E: info@alderwoodconstruction.co.uk Budget Skips, Honeybourne Budget Skips are specialists in skip hire, waste management and recycling. 01386 841181 W: www.budgetskips.com Cox’s Architectural Yard, Cox’s Yard offer a constantly changing stock of architectural salvage, antiques and artefacts backed up by full restoration services. 01608 652505 W: www.coxsarchitectural.co.uk E: info@coxsarchitectural.co.uk Domestic Tank Services, Water Storage, Diesel, Oil, Bespoke Tanks: We are a young and dynamic company, whose team is built on the knowledge of over 30 years of experience. 01386 853030 W: www.domestictankservices.com E: info@domestictankservices.com

GARDENS

WINDOWS

Annie Pearce, Garden Design I work with you personally to help you create your own beautiful, unique garden that I hope will truly enhance your life. 07973 137808 W: www.anniepearce.co E: annie@anniepearce.co

Mike Honour Windows, Blockley, When you choose Lattice Period Windows for your windows you can be sure that you are selecting the best combination of craftsmanship, style and durability. 01386 701079 W: www.mikehonourwindows.co.uk E: sales@mikehonourwindows.co.uk

Batsford Arboretum & Garden Centre: For quality plants, gorgeous gifts and garden sundries, locally sourced home-baked food and beautiful shabby chic ideas from the Applestore shop. 01386 701 441 W: www.batsarb.co.uk E: arboretum@batsfordfoundation.co.uk Fosseway Garden Centre, Moreton in Marsh A large garden centre offering gardening, pets, gifts and everything to do with outdoor living, plus a great cafe. 01608 651757 W: www.fossewaygardencentre.co.uk E: jo.creek@fossewaygardencentre.co.uk Lonstone: Garden Landscaping, Longborough Manufacturers of premium quality garden landscaping products, including paving and exclusive reproduction Lonstone Vintage Planters and feature pieces. 01451 830140 W: www.lonstone.co.uk E: info@lonstone.co.uk

INTERIORS Amanda Hanley by Design, An independent and professional service for all of your interior design projects. 01993 822385 / 07976 353996 W: www.amandahanley.co.uk E: amanda@amandahanley.co.uk Angela Hay Curtains & Blinds, Handmade Curtains & Roman Blinds, based in the Cotswolds. 01386 700692 W: www.angelahaycurtainsandblinds.com E: r.barrett200@btinternet.com

CARPETS AND FLOORING

Bower Willis Designs, Kitchen Design, Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire & Cotswolds 01608 690870 W: www.bowerwillisdesigns.co.uk E: studio@bowerwillisdesigns.co.uk

KC Carpets, Moreton in Marsh We are a family run business that has been offering the best in carpets, vinyl flooring and blinds since 1984. 01608 650331 W: www.kc-carpets.co.uk E: kccarpets@ymail.com

Closa, Burford Closa provide traditional and contemporary furniture including dining tables and chairs, sumptuous sofas, comfy chairs, sideboards, beds, mirrors and lighting. 01993 824334 W: www.closa.co.uk E: info@closa.co.uk

Parsons Carpet & Flooring Specialists, Cheltenham Passionate about flooring and equally passionate about the quality of service that we provide to you! 01242 521273 W: www.parsonsflooring.com E: enquiries@parsonsflooring.com

Shuttercraft, Shuttercraft offer you the UK’s widest and best quality range of internal plantation shutters and made-to-measure wood slat venetian blinds. 01242 649592 W: www.shuttercraft.co.uk E: enquiries@shuttercraft.co.uk

FURNITURE Sebastian Sellers, Northleach Mike Sellers Smith & his team at Sebastian Sellers have over 30 experience in the planning & creation of individually designed & handmade furniture. 01451 861864 E: information@sebastiansellers.co.uk Westcote Design, Kingham We produce a comprehensive range of sofas, sofa beds, footstools, headboards and bespoke furniture manufactured by a small talented team. 01608 659091 W: www.westcotedesign.co.uk E: info@westcotedesign.co.uk

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Unfitted, Moreton-in-Marsh With over 35 years’ experience, Unfitted create handmade to order furniture using time-honoured cabinet making techniques, and are dedicated to creating bespoke furniture designed to give you years of reliable service. 01608 650065 W: www.unfitted.co.uk E: info@unfitted.co.uk

HOUSE SITTERS Ticketyboo House Sitters, Barnwood, Gloucestershire If you are going on holiday, on business or leaving your home for any reason,Ticketyboo Housesitters offer you a personal house and pet sitting service. 01452 790104 W: www.ticketyboo-housesitters.co.uk E: info@ticketyboo-housesitters.co.uk

LIVING IN THE COTSWOLDS LEISURE, LIFESTYLE AND BUSINESS ARTISTS AND CRAFTSMEN Adam Tatlow – Wildlife Photography, Cotswold Keeper Photography by Adam Tatlow; photography of all animals wild and free, taken in the stunning countryside near to Guiting Power in the heart of the Cotswolds. 07774 285 459 W: www.cotswoldkeeperphotography.com E: cotswoldkeeper@aol.com Celia Lendis Contemporary – Artist, Celia Lendis Contemporary represents artists of integrity whose work expresses and authentic vision, commitment to craftsmanship and an intellectual engagement with the world. 01608 650852 W: www.celialendis.com E: gallerycelialendis.com Robin Furlong - Furniture Designer, Robin Furlong is a furniture designer of distinction, whose work represents some of the finest style and craftsmanship of its age. 01608 650567 W: www.robinfurlongfurniture.co.uk E: robin@robinfurlongfurniture.co.uk

EQUESTRIAN CENTRES Durham’s Farm – Horse/Pony Riding, A well-established, successful, fun riding school and livery yard; experienced, qualified and friendly instructors teaching a wide range of activities for all ages, all year round 01608 674 867 / 07811 339 162 W: www.cotswoldriding.com E: info@cotswoldriding.com

ESTATE AGENTS Bloor Homes Moreton Park, Moreton in Marsh Bloor Homes today is one of the largest privately owned house building groups, building in excess of 2,000 new homes each year. 01608 651000 W: www.bloorhomes.com E: moretonpark@bloorhomes.com Bovis Homes Victory Fields, Upper Rissington From apartments to large family homes, Bovis build some of the best new homes in the UK and offers stunning all new inclusive specifications. 01451 822977 W: www.bovishomes.co.uk E: info.southwest@bovishomes.com Fine & Country London Fine and country homes marketed locally, nationally and internationally, with over 300 member agencies worldwide Park Lane, Mayfair, London W1 Managing Director: Malcolm Lindley 020 7079 1515 W. www.fineandcountry.co.uk Fine & Country North Cotswolds; Sales & Lettings Head Office Stow on the Wold With branches at Moreton in Marsh and Bourton on the Water Managing Director: James von Speyr 01451 833170 james@harrisonjameshardie.co.uk Lettings: Amy Coldicott amy@harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

Cotswold -Homes.com Cotswold Homes Directory of Independent Businesses Harrison James & Hardie Estate Agents; Sales & Lettings The North Cotswolds leading estate agency, from first time buyer apartments to grand country residences Bourton on the Water Branch Manager: Katy Hill 01451 822977 katy@harrisonjameshardie.co.uk Stow on the Wold Managing Director: Karen Harrison 01451 833170 karen@harrisonjameshardie.co.uk Moreton in Marsh Branch Manager:Tom Burdett 01608 651000 tom@harrisonjameshardie.co.uk Lettings Director: Caroline Gee Bourton on the Water: 01451 824972 Moreton in Marsh: 01608 653896 caroline@harrisonjameshardie.co.uk W.www.harrisonjameshardie.co.uk Sovereign Living, Moreton Park, Moreton in Marsh Affordable new homes in Moreton Park, Moreton in Marsh. 01608 651000 W: www.sovereignliving.org.uk

FINANCIAL SERVICES JEM Financial Planning, John Magee, an Independent Financial Adviser, and Sue Ellis, a Mortgage Broker, offer friendly, professional advice. 01386 840777 W: www.johnny-magee.co.uk E: john@jemfinancial.co.uk Philip Hanley Financial Services, Fulbrook Independent Financial Adviser providing investment, pensions and mortgage advice. 01993 824680 W: www.pjamesfs.com E: philip@pjamesfs.com Spot-on Accounting Limited Professional accountancy & bookkeeping services - offering reliable & cost effective services. 01452 530549 / 07851 460480 W: www.spot-on-accounting.co.uk E: fatim@spot-on-accounting.co.uk

FINE FOOD AND DRINK SUPPLIERS Cotswold Gold, Stanton Cotswold Gold is a Natural Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil, extracted using traditional cold pressing. 07867 938 221 W: www.cotswoldgold.co.uk E: charlie@cotswoldgold.co.uk R&D Walker T/A P Checketts, Moreton in Marsh Butcher’s providing seasonal meats, game (when in season), local venison, local beef, lamb and pork. 01608 651002 W: www.cotswold-homes.com Simon Weaver – Cotswold Organic Dairy, Upper Slaughter We proudly follow a traditional method of organic farming, and place great store in caring for the land and animal welfare. 01451 870852 E: info@turnstonefarming.co.uk W: www.simonweaver.net The Cotswold Brewing Company, Bourton on the Water A family owned and run brewery which supplies kegged and bottled lagers, wheat beer, stout and cider to pubs, restaurants and hotels in the Cotswolds. 01451 824488 W: www.cotswoldbrewingcompany.co.uk E: sales@cotswoldlager.com

HOLIDAY COTTAGE MANAGEMENT Character Cottages, Character Cottages is a distinctive, full service holiday lettings business, with a focus on letting and managing fabulous country homes. 08456 808029

W: www.character-cottages.com E: enquiries@character-cottages.com

MARKETING Cotswold-Homes.com, North Cotswolds Innovative, multi-media marketing for independent North Cotswold businesses. 01608 653899 W: www.cotswold-homes.com Marketing: collette@cotswold-homes.com Editorial: matt@cotswold-homes.com Social media: riyad@cotswold-homes.com

NURSERIES AND SCHOOLS Bloxham School, Bloxham, Oxfordshire Bloxham School is a small, friendly and flourishing co-educational boarding and day school of around 420 pupils. 01295 720222 W: www.bloxhamschool.com E: registrar@bloxhamschool.com Cotswold School, Bourton on the Water A popular, happy, and successful 11-18 Academy status school set in beautiful rural surroundings, with an excellent reputation for academic success. 01451 820 554 / 01451 820 938 W: www.cotswold.gloucs.sch.uk E: admin@mail.cotswold.gloucs.sch.uk Stepping Stones & Woodland Adventure Holiday Club, Professional high quality care and education tailored to Children’s and Parents’ individual needs, implementing the Early Years Foundation Stage and all the requirements of Ofsted. 01451 820 345 W: steppingstonesnursery-cotswolds.co.uk E: info@steppingstonesnursery-cotswolds.co.uk The Barn Nursery, Bourton-on-the-Water The Barn Nursery is a family-run nursery school and day nursery offering full-time and sessional day-care for children aged from 3 months to 5 years 01451 822 224 W: www.cotswold-homes.com E: mrs_cort@yahoo.co.uk

Thomas Legal Group, Gloucestershire Dedicated provider of conveyancing services in and around the Cotswolds, offering top quality service and FIXED PRICE conveyancing. 01452 657950 W: www.thomaslegalgroup.co.uk E: sharon.foote@thomaslegalgroupuk.com

SURVEYORS Central Surveying, Cirencester Chartered Surveyors, Building Surveyors and Property Consultants for London and the South West. 01285 640840 W: www.centralsurveying.co.uk E: office@centralsurveying.co.uk

TAXIS Hope Private Hire -Taxi Service, The Cotswolds A reliable, punctual service available 24 hours a day, offering: Airport Transfers, Castles, Races, Seaport Transfers, Gardens and Tours of the Cotswolds. 01451 820778 / 07585308838 W: www.hopeprivatehire.com E: andrew@hopeprivatehire.com

THEATRE & CINEMA Chipping Norton Theatre, We are a theatre, an art-house cinema, a gallery and a concert hall. 01608 642350 W: www.chippingnortontheatre.co.uk E: boxoffice@chippingnortontheatre.com Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon Here at the RSC, our job is to connect and help others connect with Shakespeare and produce bold, ambitious work with living writer’s actors and artists. 0844 800 1110 W: www.rsc.org.uk E: ticketqueries@rsc.org.uk

THE HIGH STREET DAY-TO-DAY ESSENTIALS, OCCASIONAL LUXURIES

PHOTOGRAPHERS Sarah Farnsworth Photography, Moreton in Marsh Commissions include rural nature, candid portraiture, product photography, landscapes, lifestyle & interiors, and sporting events amongst others. 01608 652 918 / 07921 196 032 W: www.sarahfarnsworth.co.uk E: info@sarahfarnsworth.co.uk

REMOVAL COMPANIES Cotswold Carriers Removals Limited, Chipping Norton We are a family-run business, operating 7 vehicles of varying sizes. 01608 730500 W: www.cotswoldcarriers.co.uk E: bill@cotswold-carriers.com

SOLICITORS Kendall & Davies Solicitors, Cotswolds From our four offices we offer friendly, client-focussed services related to property, business and family matters. Bourton, Stow, Moreton and Burford. 01451 830295 W: www.kendallanddavies.co.uk E: stow@kendallanddavies.co.uk Lodders Solicitors, Stratford-upon-Avon Lodders is an established and thriving law firm that is built on providing outstanding legal advice to private individuals and private business. 01789 293259 W: www.lodders.co.uk E: lawyers@lodders.co.uk

ANTIQUES Styles of Stow, Stow on the Wold An extensive selection of rare and unusual grandfather clocks standing alongside other fine antique timepieces. Repairs and restoration carried out on site by our highly qualified craftsmen. 01451 830 455 W: www.stylesofstow.com E: info@stylesofstow.co.uk

DENTISTS Milton Dental Practice, Milton-under-Wychwood Milton Dental Practice is a private practice dealing with all aspects of dental treatment. 01993 831396 W: www.drbigg.com E: reception@drbigg.com

FASHION AND JEWELLERY Holland Cooper - British Made Excellence Making the finest British made clothing for him and her, Holland Cooper creates individually hand cut, designed clothing, hand crafted by some of Britain’s finest machinists. 01608 813077 W: www.hollandcooper.com E: sales@hollandcooper.com Tanner & Oak, Tanner & Oak offer thoroughly British styling, striking the perfect balance between classic vintage design and quirky Country Club detailing, to give a timeless range of distinctive accessories. 01993 812466 W: www.tannerandoak.com

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Cotswold -Homes.com Cotswold Homes Directory of Independent Businesses The Cotswold Tailor, Woodstock & Shipston on Stour The Cotswold Tailor sells unique contemporary men’s and women’s clothing tailored in traditional tailored British cloths (Aptus Suits). 01993 358284 T. 01608 238008 W: www.thecotswoldtailor.com E: info@thecotswoldtailor.com

FITNESS AND BEAUTY Cotswold Leisure, Chipping Campden Cotswold Leisure, Chipping Campden provides indoor sports, recreation and leisure opportunities for the north Cotswold area. 01386 841595 W: www.everyoneactive.com/tabid/1915/Default.aspx E: chippingcampdensportscentre@cotswold.gov.uk Personal Best Fitness Studio, Chipping Campden A brand new studio in Chipping Campden offering everything from gym membership, personal training, sports and remedial massage and a whole range of classes! 01386 840437 W: www.pbfitnessstudio.com E: info@pbfitnessstudio.com Rapid FX Personal Fitness, Draycott Rapid FX personal training is dedicated to offering professional personal assistance to fitness and wellbeing within the North Cotswolds. 01386 701231 W: www.rapid-fx.com E: tim@rapid-fx.com

GIFT SHOPS Box of Delights, Bourton on the Water Box of Delights offers a range of beautiful contemporary gifts, greeting cards, Jewellery, home decorations. 01451 822800 W: www.boxofdelights.biz E: enquiries@boxofdelights.biz Box of Delights - Stratford, Stratford-upon-Avon Box of Delights offers a range of beautiful contemporary gifts, greeting cards, Jewellery, home decorations. 01789 415302 W: www.boxofdelights.biz E: enquiries@boxofdelights.biz Lapstone, Chipping Campden, At Lapstone, you will find the very best in outdoor furniture, a fantastic collection of ladies’ accessories and clothing, exquisite interior Ideas and inspired presents for every special occasion. 01386 841611 W: www.lapstone.net

RECREATIONAL Broadway Gun Room, Broadway A new addition to the picturesque village of Broadway, we stock new & used Shotguns, Air Rifles, Ammunition, Dog Training Equipment and Masters Range of Dog Food. 01386 852 519 W: www.broadwaygunroom.co.uk E: sales@broadwaygunroom.co.uk

TRAVEL Holidays Please, Holidays Please is an award winning ABTA travel agent who are available even when the high street is closed! 01451 810255 W: www.holidaysplease.co.uk E: Debbie@holidaysplease.com

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VISITING THE COTSWOLDS WHERE TO STAY, WHAT TO DO, WHERE TO GO? EVENTS The Fabulous Hat, The Fabulous Hat provides children’s entertainment at birthdays, weddings, corporate events, Bar Mitzvahs, Christmas and Halloween events, or any other special occasion you want to make extra fun! 07968 151016 W: www.thefabuloushat.com E: info@thefabuloushat.com

FAMILY DAYS OUT Cotswold Farm Park Guiting Power, Cotswold Farm Park was the first Rare Breeds farm to open to the public. A total countryside experience in the heart of the Cotswolds. 01451 850307 W: cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk E: info@cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk

PUBS, TEA HOUSES AND RESTAURANTS Cacao Bean, Moreton in Marsh A Konditorei (German Pastry Shop) and Café that also provides celebration cakes made to order. Celebration cakes, Chocolates, Cakes,Truffles,Tarts, Fudge 01608 652060 W: www.cacaobean.co.uk Chester House Hotel, Bourton on the Water The Croft Restaurant opens at 9am for fabulous breakfasts, morning coffee and continues serving delicious food throughout the day and night 01451 821132 W: www.chesterhousehotel.com Le Manoir – Aux Quat’saisons (Raymond Blanc), Created by celebrated chef Raymond Blanc, Le Manoir is renowned for offering one of Britain’s finest gastronomic experiences. Situated in the picturesque Oxfordshire village of Great Milton. 01844 278881 W: www.manoir.com Sitara, Moreton-in-Marsh Sitara Restaurant is best known for serving fine Indian cuisine that is authentic and stands out from the rest. It is a great place to eat and entertain friends as well as business colleagues. 01608 651015 W: www.sitaramoretoninmarsh.com The Fox Inn, Broadwell The Fox is a friendly, family pub offering traditional pub food with beer garden, ideal for couples and families. 01451 870909 E: foxinnbroadwell@aol.com The Lamb Inn, Great Rissington The Lamb Inn at Great Rissington is one of the Cotswolds’ most welcoming country inns situated in a beautiful village with lovely views from the garden. 01451 820388 W: www.thelambinn.com E: enquiry@thelambinn.com The Spice Room, Moreton in Marsh: The Spice Room brings the ultimate, authentic Indian fine dining experience to the Cotswolds, and is deeply committed to setting the standards in excellence and quality. 01608 654204 W: www.spiceroomrestaurant.com The Vine Leaf, Stow-on-the-Wold:

Here at The Vine Leaf, we serve good locally sourced food served all day - anything from delicious home made burgers to sandwiches, light lunches and main meals. 01451 832010 W: www.thevineleaf.co.uk E: thevineleaf@gmail.com Victoria Coffee House, Moreton-in-Marsh Victoria Coffee House is the perfect getaway for that great cup of coffee and a delectable pastry treat! 01608 651191 W: www.victoriacoffeehouse.co.uk E: enquiries@victoriacoffeehouse.co.uk

HOTELS Burford House Hotel, A beautiful townhouse hotel rated AA 5 star with four poster beds and wicked cream teas! 01993 823151 E: stay@burfordhouse.co.uk W: www.burford-house.co.uk Cowley Manor, Cowley, Gloucestershire Cowley Manor is a contemporary country house hotel which sits in the glorious Cotswold countryside surrounded by 55 acres of parkland, woods and meadows. 01242 870900 W: www.cowleymanor.com E: stay@cowleymanor.com Lower Slaughter Manor, Lower Slaughter The epitome of country house chic; romantic getaways, restful breaks, conferences, and weddings, with exquisite dining also available to non residents. 01451 820456 W: www.lowerslaughter.co.uk E: mail@lowerslaughter.co.uk The Dial House Hotel & Restaurant, Bourton on the Water The Dial House Hotel demonstrates the best blend of traditional and modern to bring you the ultimate country hotel experience. 01451 822244 W: www.dialhousehotel.com E: info@dialhousehotel.com The Grapevine Hotel, Stow-on-the-Wold Set in this historic market town, a 17th century hotel renowned for its warm hospitality and delicious food. 01451 830344 W: www.thegrapevinehotel.com E: stay@thegrapevinehotel.com

WEDDINGS Beautylicious, Bourton-on-the-Water Beautylicious offers a full range of beauty treatments including facials, make up, massage, manicures, pedicures, nail treatments and hair removal. 01451 820012 W: www.beautylicious-bourton-co.uk E: beautyliciousbourton@gmail.com Jenny Edwards-Moss, Stow-on-the-Wold Jenny Edwards-Moss has been designing and making wedding outfits for the mother of the bride or groom for 20 years from her shop in Stow-on-the-Wold, working mainly with luxurious and colourful silks. 01451 870194 W: www.jennyedwardsmoss.co.uk E: jenny@jennyedwardsmoss.co.uk The Broadway Florist, Broadway Be inspired by The Broadway Florist’s gorgeous Flower Couture and Floral DECO collection detailing a selection of beautiful flowers for different occasions, scene setting and seasons. 01386 853000 W: www.broadway-florist.com E:info@broadway-florist.com