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NEARLYWED NEWS
De Vere Cotswold Water Park, part of the De Vere collection of historic mansion house estates and distinctive contemporary hotels and event destinations, has unveiled a £700,000 refurbishment to its Kingfisher and Drake event suites.
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Both have been refreshed to include modern amenities and the latest technologies to bring them in line with the company’s innovative Smart Space meetings concept. The new design in both suites includes exposed Cotswold stone walls and feature panelling to complement the surrounding natural landscape, bringing it in line with De Vere’s distinctly British aesthetic.
The Kingfisher Suite, one of the property’s largest spaces, can host up to 370 people or it can be split into three sections to accommodate smaller groups. The suite offers 300 metres of flexible floor space that can easily be tailored to suit any event. The area also has its own entrance, ensuring privacy and exclusivity for guests. The suite offers direct access to an outdoor decking area and an indoor adjoining bar. The Kingfisher Suite provides free superfast Wi-Fi up to 100Mb, a PA system and a projector and screen.
The Drake Suite offers flexible seating options ideal for private dinners or smaller celebrations for up to 126 guests. There’s a built-in projector and screen and a private breakout area that acts as a welcoming spot for arrival drinks or a portable bar.
Venue director Peter Sangster said, “We are very excited to reveal the results of the refurbishment to the Kingfisher and Drake suites. The work has breathed new life into the suites while celebrating the beautiful natural environment surrounding the property and ensuring they offer the latest luxuries with 21st-century design and state-of-the-art facilities.”
To book, visit www.devere.co.uk/cotswold-water-park-hotel
Check out the newly designed website from Cheltenham-based The Vanilla Pod Bakery and don’t miss their delicious new cupcake designs! https://vanillapodbakery.com
The latest news from around both counties
DAYLESFORD LAUNCHES FIRST UK-MADE ORGANIC GIN AND VODKA
Sustainable farming and retailing experts, Daylesford Organic based in Gloucestershire, has launched a collection of new drinks including the first organic tonic water to be manufactured in the UK and a new organic gin and vodka, featuring a label with a vibrant, bespoke design by artist Hugo Guinness. Perfect for weddings, the Daylesford Organic Tonic Waters are available in four flavours (Light, Cucumber, Wild Elderflower and Damascena Rose) and each is mixed with dandelion instead of quinine to keep the product organic and offer an earthy aroma and bittersweet taste.
The Daylesford Organic Fig Leaf Gin is infused with fig leaves, bergamot, gorse and herbs, creating a fragrant and floral spirit with grassy citrus notes. The gin is inspired by the scents of the gardens and wildflower meadows surrounding Daylesford’s farm in the Cotswolds.
The Daylesford Organic Hop Vodka is a wheat grain vodka with a leafy green scent, gently distilled with hand-picked hops, fresh rosemary and thyme.
The tonic waters are priced at £1.49 for a 200ml bottle and £2.49 for a 500ml bottle.
To shop, visit www.daylesford.com LUXURY COTSWOLD RENTALS WELCOMES FOUR PROPERTIES
Luxury Cotswolds Rentals has welcomed four new properties to its portfolio ahead of the staycation season. The first, Crucis Park in Gloucestershire is a new country house available to rent for the first time for up to 20 guests, along with two newly converted barns for additional bedrooms, designed by Yiangou Architects. Set within its own estate, and just eight minutes from Cirencester, it’s constructed from Cotswold ashlar stone. Internally, the house features marble and stone fireplaces, a central staircase, decorative plasterwork, mahogany bookcases and a painted timber-panelled dining room. It has eight bedrooms and bathrooms, a drawing room, dining room, library and a formal sitting room as well as a large heated swimming pool and tennis court. The house is fully staffed with a chef, butler and housekeeper and offers a dining menu made using locally sourced produce paired with fine wines alongside a well-stocked help-yourself whiskey bar for guests to enjoy.
In contrast, Ebrington Manor located in Chipping Campden is an ancient manor house that has been recently updated for modern family living with eight bedrooms and bathrooms. Original features include open fireplaces, wooden beams and a Cotswold stone boathouse. The grounds are home to a small spring lake for wild swimming, a paddleboard, rowing boat and fishing rods. In the mature gardens is a large firepit which can be used as a barbecue, and croquet, football and pétanque equipment. Set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the village of Ebrington is within a short walk from the house and has an award-winning pub, farm shop, butcher and café.
Where better to celebrate the historic Queen’s Platinum Jubilee than in the heart of the Cotswolds. Whether it’s celebrating in privacy with your nearest and dearest or indulging in one of the summer’s hottest tickets, get set for the ultimate British Bonanza with Luxury Cotswold Rentals.
To book, visit www.luxurycotswoldrentals.co.uk
Luxury Family Hotels has been awarded Best Employer at the 2022 Springboard Awards for Excellence. The hotel group, which includes Woolley Grange Hotel in Wiltshire employs more than 450 staff across the South West and Suffolk.
The Springboard Awards for Excellence’s Best Employer category recognises employers who demonstrate a well-rounded and consistently excellent approach to recruitment, retention and progression, as well as involvement with wider industry initiatives. The category was sponsored by American Express and judged by a panel of experts from across the hospitality industry.
“We are so proud to have been named Best Employer by the prestigious Springboard Awards for Excellence,” said Simon Maguire, managing director at Luxury Family Hotels. “We have an incredibly strong HR team headed by Caroline Harrison, that works tirelessly to harness, develop and support hospitality talent across the South of England.”
HR manager Caroline Harrison, who was recently recognised as HR Manager of the Year at the 2021 Hotel Catey Awards added, “It’s an absolute honour to be awarded Best Employer, particularly at this moment in time as our beloved hospitality industry emerges from the most challenging period in recent years. It has been our number one priority to support our talented team throughout, and it means everything to be recognised by an incredible organisation like Springboard.”
The accolade comes at an exciting time for the hotel group, who have recently announced a multimillion-pound programme of investment for Dorset property Moonfleet Manor and Cornwall’s Fowey Hall, as well as a series of exciting partnerships with great British brands including The Roald Dahl Story Company and Bramley.
To book a stay, visit www.luxuryfamilyhotels.com
Did you know...
Gatsby-themed Cotswold country hotel Ingleside House in Cirencester, awarded Best Places to Stay 2021 by The Sunday Times, has recently launched their Bottomless Brunch at Téatro Bar & Restaurant with unlimited prosecco or house lager to be enjoyed between 12 pm and 2 pm. To book, call 01285 648 238 or visit https://inglesidehouse.co.uk/ places-to-eat-in-cirencester
THE FROGMILL AWARDED GLOUCESTERSHIRE PUB OF THE YEAR 2022
The Frogmill located in the Cotswold hamlet of Shipton Oliffe has been named Best Pub in Gloucestershire by the National Pub & Bar Awards 2022. More than 500 British pubs nationwide entered the awards and each was subject to intensive judging covering overall best practice across several operational categories including interior design, outside space, customer service, menus and drinks lists.
The National Pub & Bar Awards aims to put exemplary on-trade businesses across the UK in the national spotlight whilst showcasing the hospitality industry’s diversity, creativity and vital importance to the UK economy.
Tristan O’Hana, the editor of Pub & Bar magazine, which runs the National Pub & Bar Awards, said, “This is an industry that never stands still – the operators of the best pubs have to be at the top of their game 100% of the time. Our 94 County Winners are shining examples of that energy and creativity. With visitor numbers increasing, it’s more important than ever for operators to deliver a standout service during every visit. These winners are wonderful examples of the brilliance of today’s modern trade and the team at The Frogmill are to be congratulated.”
The Frogmill is a stylish and spacious retreat of Cotswolds stone buildings and at its core is a 16th-century inn. Contemporary, rustic-inspired interiors contrast with exposed stone walls, flagstone floors and old oak beams. Outside, the terraces are edged by landscaped grounds and enjoy far-flung views over the Cotswolds countryside. Overnight guests can enjoy boutique hotel-style accommodation in its 28 bespoke, en-suite bedrooms.
The Frogmill’s general manager, Simon Stanbrook, said, “We are so excited to be named Best Pub in Gloucestershire by the National Pub & Bar Awards. We’ve worked hard to make The Frogmill both a wonderful destination pub and wedding venue and a welcoming local at the heart of the community.”
To book, visit www.thefrogmill.co.uk
PAXTON & WHITFIELD LAUNCH JUBILEE CHEESE CAKES AND FATHER’S DAY GIFTS
Paxton & Whitfield, cheesemonger to Her Majesty the Queen and the UK’s oldest cheesemonger, has released two special-edition cheese centrepieces to commemorate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee 2022 this month, perfect for the street party celebrations planned up and down the country. The company has held the Royal Warrant of Appointment to every monarch since Queen Victoria in 1850 and has designed the two cheese cakes named the Platinum Jubilee cake and the Elizabeth cake.
James Rutter, managing director of Paxton & Whitfield, says: “2022 is an extra-special year for Paxton & Whitfield because it marks the company’s 225th birthday and an incredible milestone for Her Majesty the Queen as the longest-reigning monarch in British history. We will be joining the rest of the country to celebrate over the Jubilee bank holidays with special events in our shops and by delivering these celebratory cheese cakes.”
The expert cheesemongers at Paxton & Whitfield will also create bespoke cheese cakes to suit any event, from miniature birthday cheese cakes to showstopping wedding cheese cakes. The cheese varieties used to make the cakes are delivered in packaging that features re-usable ice packs and 100% sheep’s wool insulation for a chilled delivery. There are also instructions included explaining how to assemble the cake and dress it to make an impressive centrepiece. The cakes each serve 15-20 people and are priced at £60 and the price includes free UK delivery.
Paxton & Whitfield has also released three new contemporary cheese collections as Father’s Day gifts. Choose from the Father’s Day Cheese Treats, the Cheese for Beer or the June Cheese Treats.
Dan Bliss, a cheese buyer for Paxton & Whitfield, says, “For a
restriction-free celebration with our dads this year, we’ve created this great selection. It includes our new gift pack, the Cheese for Beer box. Cheese and beer pairing has grown in popularity over the years and there’s a great history of cheese and beer being enjoyed together in the UK. From the tradition of monasteries creating their own cheese and beer to using beer to wash and preserve cheese, all the way through to the classic marriage of beer and cheese being enjoyed in a ploughman’s during harvest times. Cheese and beer is a classic, that Dad can now enjoy on the 19th of June.”
The gift packs feature a free Paxton & Whitfield gift card printed with the customer’s personal message.
To shop, visit www.paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk
LITTLE SOAP COMPANY WIN QUEEN’S AWARD FOR ENTERPRISE 2022
The Little Soap Company has been honoured with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for its excellence in Innovation for its Eco Warrior brand. The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious business awards in the country and were first established in 1965. This year, Little Soap Company joins 51 other UK businesses and organisations that have been recognised for their contribution to innovation.
The sustainable BCorp, Little Soap Company, was founded by Emma Heathcote-James in 2008 with the mission to make pure, natural, sustainable, soap accessible to all at an affordable price. With the headquarters based in Broadway, Emma says, “It’s wonderful for the team to be acknowledged in this way with such a prestigious and highly respected national business award. To be acknowledged by The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise takes our environmental efforts, story and brand to the next level. It also reinforces what we need to do going forward to become better in all aspects of the performance standards against which we are measured.”
To shop, visit www.littlesoapcompany.co.uk CELEBRATE WITH PATISSERIE VALERIE’S NEW SIGNATURE COLLECTION
Patisserie Valerie has launched its new luxury Signature Collection of cakes, beautifully iced and exquisitely flavoured, available for nationwide delivery. With seven impressive handmade designs, from modern ombre effect to showstopping two-tier rosette cakes, there’s something for every special occasion.
Each cake within the Signature Collection can be ordered with a vanilla sponge with a strawberry compote filling, or a chocolate sponge with a chocolate cream filling. For a complete celebration in a box, include a free personalised inscription, or add glitter cake toppers, candles or balloons.
The Floral Waterfall Cake, pictured, serves 22-24 people and is priced at £85. A striking design featuring five layers of sponge coated in beautiful shades of lavender and lilac, the Swiss meringue buttercream is decorated with intricate rosettes and sugar pearls cascading down the cake.
The blue (or pink) Ombre Rosette Cake, also pictured, serves 16-20 people and is priced at £75. Two tiers combine in vibrant shades of blue buttercream with delicate hand-piped roses and ombre stripes – perfect for weddings.
To shop, visit www.patisserie-valerie.co.uk/collections/signature-collection
