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Life at nature’s pace
July / August 2016
The riverbank’s electric blue hunter Fusing life’s essence in sketches of steel Stones of the past on Yorkshire’s moors
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SCENT OF THE SUN
Dancing stems of thistle Cirsium heterophyllum and sweet rocket, Hesperis matronalis, create a rippling sea of violet.
WILD AND NATURAL Pam Lewis has created a Dorset garden of happy chaos in which native flora and fauna can thrive Herbs, fruit and vegetables and salad crops such as red orache, Atriplex hortensis, flourish in raised beds. These are interplanted with nectar-rich plants for pollinators such as nepeta and foxgloves.
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SUNSHINE DINING Eating sizzlingly fresh barbecued meals outdoors heightens the pleasure of warmer days 44
The barbecue is only used to cook on once the coals are white. At this point the sooty smoke, which can affect flavour, will have burnt away. The risk of large flames, which burn food, will also have passed.
HOW TO COOK ON A CHARCOAL BARBECUE
Spicy tomato-marinated steak Serves 2 2 x 150g sirloin steaks 100g sundried tomatoes, plus 2 tbsp of their oil 1 red chilli 1 lemon 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves sea salt and black pepper
Place the sundried tomatoes and the oil in a food processor. Trim the chilli. Deseed and chop for mild heat, leave the seeds in place for extra heat. Add to the food processor. Zest in the lemon then add its juice and the mint. Season and blitz until smooth. Place the steaks in a shallow dish and pour over the marinade, making sure all the meat is well covered. Place in the fridge for 1 hr. Remove and allow to come up to room temperature as the barbecue is lit. As the barbecue’s coals become completely white, place the rack on the second to bottom position and heat for 10 mins. Place the steaks on it and cook for 4 mins. Turn and cook for another 4 mins. Place at the sides of the rack, where it is cooler. Leave to rest for 10 mins before serving.
Three firelighters are placed, spaced out, at the bottom of the barbecue, then covered with charcoal. Balls of scrunched up newspaper are added directly onto the firelighters to help the coals to take. They are lit with a long barbecue match. Once the initial flames have calmed, the topmost coals will start to turn white. The coals are moved around with metal tongs until all are white. This takes approximately 20 mins. The grill is now added to the barbecue. It needs up to 10 mins to fully warm up. Now the barbecue is ready to cook on. The amount of charcoal used equates to the length of time the barbecue will burn. 1kg of charcoal will burn at a high temperature for approximately 1 hr 30 mins. If the barbecue is large, one side is piled high with coals while the other side has fewer coals. This creates two heat zones, where food can be seared then moved to a cooler area to cook through. Metal tongs with protective handles are used to turn the food. Special care is taken around naked flames. These are often transparent so can be difficult to see. To extinguish the barbecue, a metal container is filled with water and set on the ground. The hot coals are dropped into the water one at a time, using long tongs.
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Cockle shells threaded on wire make a graceful souvenir of a day on the beach
A RING OF SHELLS 68
MAKING THE DECORATION
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OCKLE SHELLS FOUND on sheltered, sandy beaches are often punctured with small round holes. These are made when carnivorous snails devour the cockles in their shells. Threading a length of wire through these naturally formed holes creates a simple decoration. This acts as a reminder of a summer’s day on the beach. Before use, the shells are sterilised for 10 minutes in a pan of boiling water. They are then drained, rinsed and spread on a tea towel to dry.
MATERIALS • Pierced cockle shells • Large bowl • Sterilising fluid • Tea towel • Strong wire • Wire cutters
Step 1: A length of wire approximately 40in (1m) long is cut. At one end, the wire is bent back on itself to form a loop. This stops the shells falling off, as they are threaded on.
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Step 3: Periodically, the wire is gently shaken to encourage the shells to nest within each other. A pleasing effect is gained by grading the shells by their tone and threading in approximate order from darkest to lightest.
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Step 2: The other end of the wire is threaded through the holes in the cockles. Each shell should face in the same direction to create a nestled effect.
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Step 4: When sufficient shells have been added to create the size of wreath required, the excess wire is cut off and both ends twisted together to secure the hoop.
Project: Emma Kendell ▯ Photography: Richard Faulks
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MUCH IN LITTLE
With a place for everything, and everything in its place, this rare, tiny caravan remains perfect for holidays away, 77 years after it was first built
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ARKED IN A meadow, a tiny, mint green caravan is ready for the road. A lovingly restored Winchester Imp, it was hand built in 1939. Today, it is the only survivor of an original four. At 11ft long by 6ft 3in wide (3.3 x 1.9m), it is truly tiny. Despite this diminutive size, it has provided owners George and Angela Windsor with comfortable accommodation for up to 10 days. They take it on three holidays a year as well using it when visiting family and friends. It has been towed the 220 miles from their home in Surrey to Hull. As members of the Historic Caravan Club, they regularly attend events and rallies throughout the year with the Imp. “The Winchester Imp is very practical because of its layout,” says George. “It has a toilet, good cooking arrangements, sink, work surfaces and a wardrobe. It has got everything you need and it is as small as you can get to be practical to go away for more than a week. Any smaller and it just wouldn’t work.”
The tiny Imp provides enough, well-ordered space for two people to holiday in comfort.
Both the canvas covering on the roof and the timber frame of the caravan have been repainted.
Manufacturing history The Winchester Imp was made at the works of Mr Bertram Hutchings Caravans Ltd, of 124 Stockbridge Road, Winchester, Hampshire. The company was founded in 1912 when its first caravan, a 14ft (4.2m) model, light enough to be drawn by a single horse, rolled out of his workshop. In 1930 the first streamline design was launched. This was a more curvaceous, less boxy ’van which was easier to tow. It was named the Winchester and from then on, the name stuck for all Hutchings caravans. “Often called the Rolls-Royce of caravans, the quality and workmanship of Winchesters was very high,” says George. “They were built with good quality materials, were well thought out and a lot of work went into them. Bertram also spent months away testing ’vans and designed them to make life as ergonomically sound as possible.” The Imp’s name derives from its small, rounded shape. These smaller caravans were made “when business was slack”, according to an original company brochure. It is unclear why only four of this particular model were made, although they were not cost effective for the firm. “They didn’t like producing these little ’vans because they took just as long to make and cost nearly as much as the big ’vans to produce,” says George. What happened to the other three Imps is another mystery. “They probably got turned into garden sheds or Wendy houses, then the weather got into them and they were scrapped.” Pre-Second World War exquisitely handmade caravans were expensive and made to order. On 7 June 1939, the Windsors’ Imp was delivered to Mr and Mrs Jack Fellows, of Cradley Heath, Birmingham, for the sum of £145, the equivalent of more than £3,500 today. The very same day the Fellows towed their new Imp to Scotland for a touring holiday. Condition and restoration George and Angela bought the Imp in June 2012, from the daughter of a friend in the Historic Caravan Club. “I could see all the things that needed fixing, while Angela saw the beauty in it without all the rough edges,” says George. “The interior, including the cushions, roof woodwork, and side wall framework, were painted bright pink, which we hated. Incredibly, though, most of the original fittings were pretty much intact.” “As soon as I saw the Imp, I thought how beautiful she is,” says Angela. “I love her shape, colour and the tininess of her. She’s like ›
New tyres have been fitted and the wheels painted a rich cream (above left). These are the original rear indicators (above right).
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Bring every season to life in your home with LandScape
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issues a year
GORGEOUS GARDENING We celebrate the beauty and diversity of the British garden and its plants. You’ll find inspiration and advice as we invite you into gardens where nature and nurture flourish.
INSPIRATIONAL COOKERY Every issue has tempting recipes that make the most of the season’s produce. You’ll find new ways to enjoy traditional favourites for every meal.
EXQUISITE CRAFT Enjoy discovering how to create beautiful decorations using seasonal flowers and foliage. Follow our step-by-step guides to creating simple crafts for home and garden.
CELEBRATING HERITAGE
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Read about the craftsmen and women who are keeping Britain’s traditional skills alive. Visit towns, villages and countryside that encapsulates the country’s proud history.
CHANGING COUNTRYSIDE Learn about the animals and birds that inhabit our fields, rivers and seas. And we explain how there’s more to many of our farm animals than meets the eye.
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