Salisbury Life – issue 227

Food/Arts/Entertainment/Shopping/Property ISSUE 227 / CHRISTMAS IS COMING 2016 / £3

CHRISTMAS IS COMING

OUR GUIDE TO FESTIVE MARKETS PLUS CHEFS’ XMAS SECRETS

ISSUE 227 / CHRISTMAS IS COMING 2016 / VINTAGE ATTIC

WHISKIES FOR WINTER

OUR SINGLE-MALT EXPERT PICKS HIS FAVOURITES

large version

DISCOVER TREASURES OF THE PAST IN THIS INDOOR MARKET IN RURAL HAMPSHIRE AND

D I N I N G AT B I S H O P S T R O W / W H AT ’ S O N / W I N T E R R E TA I L T H E R A P Y / V E G B O X R E C I P E S

EDITOR’S LETTER / ISSUE 227 / XMAS IS COMING 2016

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BEULAH’S VINTAGE ATTIC

Root around this collection of timeless treasures

Divided we stand (on the matter of Christmas) This issue may divide our beloved readers of Salisbury Life.

There will be those who still fancy a swan around a vintage market, a lunch at a country house hotel, and an evening out, whether it be post-punk anarchy or choral glory in Salisbury’s many and varied venues.

And then there will be those (you know who you are) who will devour our feature on Christmas markets while lying in bed, diary in hand, and then sneak off to run a hot bath and delight in our piece revealing chefs’ Christmas dinner secrets. For those who can’t wait to dust off Christmas we’ve also got some great festive fun starting in November – from the hilarioussounding Lock In Christmas Carol at the Salisbury Arts Centre to the family-friendly annual Longleat Festival of Light.

What I’m trying to say – rather clumsily – is that whatever you’ve got in mind for the next few weeks, we’ve got it covered. Something for all tastes and we really hope you enjoy it.

Rachel Ifans Editor info@mediaclash.co.uk Tweet me @SalisburyLife

REGULARS / ISSUE 227 / XMAS IS COMING 2016

FEATURES 8 It’s starting to look a lot like Christmas We round up the region’s best seasonal markets large and small

48 Cooking up a storm A dozen tips from professional chefs to help your Christmas dinner sizzle with style and taste

36

M EET T H E T EAM Editor Rachel Ifans info@mediaclash.co.uk Managing editor Deri Robins deri.robins@mediaclash.co.uk Senior art editor Andrew Richmond Graphic design Megan Allison Cover design Trevor Gilham Intro image John Rose Contributors: Russell Mardell, Tom Bromley, Anne Brison Advertising manager Hillary Thompson hillary.thompson@mediaclash.co.uk

THE ARTS

Commercial director Steve Hawkins steve.hawkins@mediaclash.co.uk Head of customer publishing Gary Tipp gary.tipp@mediaclash.co.uk

27 Arts intro Ex-Sex Pistol John Lydon rocks up in Salisbury with his post-punk band Public Image Ltd

Production and distribution manager Sarah Kingston sarah.kingston@mediaclash.co.uk Deputy production manager and production designer Christina West christina.west@mediaclash.co.uk

28 What’s on The diary is packed in the run-up to Christmas with comedy, theatre, music and talks

Chief executive Jane Ingham jane.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Chief executive Greg Ingham greg.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk

35 Lock-In Christmas Carol A bonkers union between hip hop and folk. Rave reviews from Edinburgh Festival and the press bill it as the best night out in ages

Salisbury Life, MediaClash, Circus Mews House, Circus Mews, Bath BA1 2PW 01225 475800 www.mediaclash.co.uk @The MediaClash

36 Longleat Festival Of Light Celebrate the 50th year of the Safari Park with this extraordinary visual feast – massive chinese lanterns in the shape of the biggest beasts

FOOD 40 Restaurant Bishopstrow House near Warminster offers a warm welcome and a tasty midweek lunch treat

43 Veg box A Riverford vegetarian recipe box proves a real hit with his indoors

45 Recipes The Compasses Inn at Damerham shares two favourite meals

© All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without written permission of MediaClash.

SHOPPING

BUSINESS

59 Shopping intro

69 Business insider

Which whisky will warm those wintery woes? Our single-malt man picks his favourites

60 Editor’s choice

The lowdown from two local business people and news from the region too

PROPERT Y

Time for cosy comforts from cushions and armchairs to coal scuttles and candles

78 Property showcase

62 Special shops

DEPARTMENTS

Beulah’s Vintage Attic is located somewhere between heaven and earth, in Shipton Bellinger.

You must visit!

An elegant red-brick Georgian gem in Wilton

7 66 82

Spotlight Society Salisbury lives

About MediaClash We’re a Bath-based publisher, creative agency and event organiser Magazines Our portfolio of regional magazines celebrates the best of local living: Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter and Salisbury.

We also publish foodie mag Crumbs. (www.crumbsmag.com, @CrumbsMag) and wedding title Vow (@VowMag).

Agency From the design and build of websites to digital marketing and creating company magazines, we can help.

Events We create, market, promote and operate a wide variety of events both for MediaClash and our clients Contact: info@mediaclash.co.uk On the cover Our cover image was done by Emmie Finn Photography for Beulah’s Vintage Attic. Emmie Finn is an award-winning fine art photographer who does private commissions, for business clients and exhibits her work. www.emmiefinn photography.co.uk

William Golding by Michael Ayrton

S A L I S B U R Y: I T S L I F E A N D T I M E S

MUSEUM EXHIBITION

GOING DOWN IN HISTORY Salisbury Museum is taking its turn as host for Wiltshire’s Story in 100 Objects. A touring exhibition and the fruitful result of a collaboration between Wiltshire’s museums, it shows our rich history through 100 varied museum pieces. Funded by the Arts Council England and inspired by the British Museum, you’ll see a Wiltshire that dates back to 10,000BC. You’ll have to hurry, though - this is the last chance to see it, as the tour ends here on 7 January 2017.

We love the sound of a dairy farmer’s smock from Mere, the last letter by Thomas Hilliker written on the night before his execution for arson in 1803 and a medieval floor tile from Clarendon Palace. Pictured below is the Warminster Jewel - an aestel (manuscript pointer) of gold and rock crystal with lapis lazuli or blue glass inlay from 9th century AD. For more: www.salisburymuseum.org.uk

Hard to pick a favourite: Martin Cook’s Landscapes of Wiltshire calendar features photographs which span the seasons

LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHY

TIMELESS BEAUTY A lone sheep, a misty dawn. Wintry trees reflected in the flood water. A snowy cathedral. An eyes-wide blue sky. You think you’ve seen the beauty of our beloved Salisbury and countryside, right? Well, think again. A simple charity calendar that has been made to raise funds for Salisbury District Hospital’s ArtCare initiative and the Stars Appeal casts the county in a particularly beautiful light.

Martin Cook, Consultant Anaesthetist in the intensive care unit at the hospital and

keen amateur photographer, has snapped landscapes you could walk into. We love it and think it’s a steal for a fiver, available at numerous locations in the hospital and at the Salisbury branch of Waterstones.

ArtCare aims to invigorate patients’ experience in hospital with inspiring artwork, activities, and interior design.

The Stars Appeal raises money for anything above and beyond what the NHS pays for in Salisbury Hospital.

For more: www.artcare.salisbury.nhs.uk

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It’s beginning to look a lot like

Christmas Get your head out of the sand, put a woolly hat on it and visit one of the many Christmas markets, fairs and festivals on offer in the Salisbury region this year.

Our annual roundup is bigger and better than ever before

8 I SALISBURY LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

CHRISTMAS MARKETS Salisbury Christmas market in the Guildhall Square

MULLED WINE, GREAT OPEN-AIR SHOPPING AND FESTIVE ATMOSPHERE

O

ne of the nicest things about Christmas in recent years is the proliferation of markets that have sprung up in villages, towns and cities in the UK. The bigger markets hail from Germany, Austria, Northern Italy and Alsace, Lorraine and Savoy in France, and their history can be traced right back to the Late Middle Ages in some areas.

Now, obviously we all know it’s not Christmas yet (*in denial*) but it would take the most determined refusenik to shun the mulled wine, great open-air shopping and festive atmosphere of these events. We’ve rounded up the very best in the area including the big, the small, shopping evenings and fayres through Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset. We kick off with Salisbury!

SALISBURY CHRISTMAS MARKET THE GUILDHALL SQUARE 24 November – 18 December

The success or failure of a Christmas market can

come down to one thing: location. And it’s here that Salisbury has got it all going on – chalets clustering in the historic Guildhall Square, twinkly and full of German market authenticity, a smalltown feel and plenty of visitors to keep it buzzing.

This year the market is five years old, and organisers have a three-week festive celebration lined up. They pride themselves on diverse and vibrant produce where new stallholders rub shoulders with the old favourites.

A new undercover seating area is promised on Queen Street to shelter those in need of mulled refreshment from the extremes of wintery weather. It will also create an atmospheric hub for live performers and entertainers on launch night and through the market’s run.

Poking around the stalls is great fun in the dark and you may pick up a few goodies on the way.

It’s not only a nighttime pursuit and some serious Christmas shopping in the day is also a great idea. The market is open until 6pm Monday to Wednesday, 6.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays and on a Thursday it’s late-night shopping until 8pm.

Sundays close at 4pm.  www.mediaclash.co.uk I SALISBURY LIFE I 9

CHRISTMAS MARKETS BATH CHRISTMAS MARKET

CHALETS CLUSTERING IN THE HISTORIC GUILDHALL SQUARE, TWINKLY AND FULL OF GERMAN

Abbey Courtyard and surrounding streets 24 November – 11 December

Billed as the South West’s most popular shopping event, the Bath Christmas market is a big deal.

Its epicentre is in Kingston Parade, alongside the Abbey, but its stalls seep out into many adjoining sides streets and squares. In fact there are 170 stalls for you to look at so if you haven’t been before leave a fair few hours to mooch.

Stalls house artwork, handmade decorations, jewellery, homewares, festive food and drink, toys, accessories and more. The thousands of visitors and the fact that nearly 90% of stallholders are businesses from the South West mean the market gets a big tick for boosting local economy.

If you’re new to Bath or you haven’t been for a couple of years, the Christmas Lodge outside the front of the Pump Rooms is a wood-built chalet pub with local ales and warm food and is well worth a look. The stalls spill down to the Thermae Bath Spa now so the Lodge is a perfect pitstop on route.

Bath Christmas market is open Monday to Wednesday until 7pm, Thursday, Friday and Saturday until 8:30pm, and Sunday 6pm. www.bathchristmasmarket.co.uk

BOWOOD CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA Bowood House, Calne

24-25 November, 10am - 7pm

Bowood is hosting a boldly-named ‘extravaganza’ where you can visit the house while it’s decorated for Christmas and indulge in some retail therapy all in one fell swoop. Lots of stalls are promised filled with handmade toys, treats, candles, decorations, wrap and ribbon, sweets, evening wear, accessories and stocking fillers. Entry is £6 per person in advance or £8 on the day. Book online – groups of four cost £20. There’s also a ticketed preview event on 23 November for £15. www.bowood.org

MARKET AUTHENTICITY

Salisbury Christmas market has an enviable position, meaning it attracts many visitors each year

SALISBURY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING TRAIL A brand-new shopping trail around the city will be launched this year, to coincide with the Christmas market and encourage visitors to explore the rest of Salisbury. There will be three trails named Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh and each falls into a different shopping category (Gifts & Homewares, Kids & Stocking Fillers, and Food & Drink). Pick up a map of the trail at the market or in the information centre and in city-centre shops and hotels.

Bath Christmas market is chock full of great food and gifts

BRAEMAR LODGE FESTIVAL 18-20 Stratford Road, Salisbury 22 November, 6 - 7.30pm

The well-established Christmas market at Braemar Lodge Care Home is a delight. Unable to compete with the big boys in terms of size, of course, it more than rivals them in terms of atmosphere and heart. The event is aimed at anyone in the local community with stalls, carol singing, winter Pimms and a Santa’s Grotto on offer. What sets it apart though is the way it brings the home’s core values to the fore: it’s ultimately about living life to the full and that’s pretty infectious. Find out more at www.braemarlodgecare.co.uk

COMPTON MARBLING CHRISTMAS FAIR

Clementine’s Shop, Lower Lawn Barns, Fonthill Gifford, Tisbury 18/19 & 25/26 November, 10am - 5pm

Clementine, of the eponymously named gift shop in Tisbury, also organises the Compton Marbling fairs. There are four fairs during the year and Clementine took over the running of them from her mother, who did it for over 30 years.

The fairs are set out in the barns around the courtyard and stallholders sell garden and house products, clothes and food. Each fair welcomes some newbie stalls so the range of products always stays fresh. www.clementinesshop.com

COURCOUX CHRISTMAS SHOW

Medieval Hall, Cathedral Close, Salisbury 2, 3 and 4 December

Courcoux returns to the Medieval Hall this year, opening on Friday evening with a festive launch do – cue mulled wine, mince pies and music. Lots of artists, including old and new faces, will be exhibiting their paintings, sculpture and ceramics this year and pieces will be priced from £100 upwards. Guy Taplin, Robina Jack and Meriel Ensom will be joined by Soraya French, Belinda 10 I SALISBURY LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

CHRISTMAS MARKETS Rush Jansen, Christopher Marvell and David Atkins in a show which organisers promise will cater to most tastes and styles.

Even if you’re not intending to buy, it’s still worth going along to enjoy the evening. Call 01264 781528 or visit www.courcoux.co.uk

FESTIVAL OF XMAS TREES

St Mary’s Church, Lytchett Matravers 2-4 December, Friday and Saturday 10am - 4:30pm, Sunday 1:30pm - 4:30pm

The team at St Mary’s always put on a Christmassy weekend to kick off Advent: wander around and admire the creativity the villagers have used when decorating their trees. There’s always a variety of interpretations on display!

The tinsel and brightness light up the Grade-I historic church and organisers invite you to enjoy refreshments, maybe purchase a gift from the Homemade and Handmade stall and feel the warmth of the church’s brand new heating! On which point, entry is free but donations towards the cost of the new heating are most welcome.

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire: you can almost smell it on the page can’t you?

LARMER TREE GARDENS CHRISTMAS FAIR Tollard Royal

2, 3 and 4 December

FISHERTON MILL HOME AT CHRISTMAS

Set in the outstanding landscape of the Cranborne Chase, between Salisbury and Blandford Forum, these beautifully laid-out gardens were created by General Augustus Pitt Rivers in 1880. Originally designed as pleasure grounds for ‘public enlightenment and entertainment’, the Larmer Tree is an extraordinary example of Victorian extravagence. The venue is holding its annual Christmas fair celebrating local festive food, craft and music. www.larmertreefestival.co.uk

108 Fisherton St, Salisbury 11 November, 6pm - 8.30pm

A special Christmas shopping event is being held at the mill to mark the start of its Home at Christmas exhibition (which runs until the end of December).

Shelves will be chock-full of unusual, handmade presents not available on the high street and visitors will be the first to get a look at all the wonderful treasures on show. There will be also be wine and nibbles, live music and 10% off all purchases made on the evening. fisherton-mill.myshopify.com

NEW MILTON CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION Town centre Above: the cake stand at Salisbury Cloisters’ festival; Below: Southampton’s authentic German market

3 December, 12pm-5.15pm

Skip along to New Milton to feel the festive glow.

There will be scores of stalls in Station Road selling crafts, gifts, food and drink and a French market in Old Milton Road. A packed schedule is lined up: live entertainment from the New Forest Rock Choir, an appearance by Forever Queen tribute band, a Santa and fancy dress fun run and a lantern parade.

New Milton is also hosting a Christmas Gifts and Craft Fayre on 26 November, featuring 50 stalls, a raffle and Christmas bistro. www.newmilton.net

SALISBURY CLOISTER FESTIVAL Salisbury Cathedral

19 November, 11am – 3pm

For the third year running the beautiful Cloisters of Salisbury Cathedral will hold a Christmas Fair.

In a nutshell there will be around 35 traders selling high-quality kit from personalised bags made from sailcloth to handmade jewellery and fabric accessories as well as mouthwatering food and drink. It’s organised by the Friends of Salisbury Cathedral School and a percentage of proceeds will be used to fund a student from Union High School, Graaf-Reinet in South Africa who would otherwise be unable to afford to be a GAP Year student at Salisbury Cathedral School.  www.mediaclash.co.uk I SALISBURY LIFE I 11

CHRISTMAS MARKETS and waffles to gingerbread hearts and candied fruit – and great gifts including wooden toys, baskets, soaps, lamps, jewellery and decorations.

So far so expected. However, Southampton has more treats up its sleeve with its festival including entertainment from local musicians and schools, and… wait for it… a flying Santa! High-wire artist Falko Traber, who holds several world records for his acrobatics, will be in a sleigh with his reindeers at a height of 25m and will ‘fly’ over the festival twice daily on Above Bar Street. Each show lasts 15 minutes and after the first show he’ll hand out some small presents to children. (A flying Santa? Now that’s what we call a good incentive for getting the kids to behave while you poke around the market.)

The market is open from 10am to 8pm daily, and there are two Santa flights a day (5pm and 7pm Monday to Saturday, 4pm and 5pm on Sundays). www.southampton.gov.uk

THE FOCUS IS ON INDEPENDENT,

ARTISAN AND CRAFT PRODUCE

STOCKBRIDGE CHRISTMAS

High Street and St Peter’s Church 2 December

Pop along and support dogs in the region. Santa Paws will be in attendance and there’s plenty of ways to spend your cash – on bric-a-brac, craft stalls, games, Dogs Trust merchandise and hot festive food and drink. www.dogstrust.org.uk

Stockbridge is holding its annual pre-Christmas Edwardian-themed event in its twinkling High Street. Expect to see Suffolk Punch horses pulling Santa’s sleigh to the grotto at the Owl & Pussy Cat. There’s also a magical Christingle service at St Peter’s where the courageous Alex Lewis will switch on the Christmas lights accompanied by the Middle Wallop Military Wives Choir.

Many shops will stay open late, the Stockbridge Country Market will be in the town hall, the awardwinning Robinson’s bangers will be on sale ‘under the arch’, and there will be live music and carol singing too.

SHAFTESBURY CHRISTMAS MARKET

WINCHESTER CHRISTMAS MARKET AND ICE RINK

18 December, 10am-4pm

18 November - 20 December

Anonymous Travelling Market is bringing its festive charm (with mistletoe at the ready) to Shaftesbury High Street. It’s one week before Christmas so get your last-minute pressies here. www.theatm.co.uk

It’s 10 years old this year and – like others we feature here – the Winchester Christmas market transforms its town in late November and early December. This one spans almost a month and attracts shoppers from all over Europe because of its special location next to the cathedral and surrounding the temporary ice rink. There’s a real handpicked feel to the mix of stallholders, with the focus being on independent, artisan and craft produce.

To celebrate the 10th birthday this year, organisers have covered the real ice rink with a clear-span roof, sheltering skaters from inevitable not-so-festive rain and increasing its attraction for the weather-shy. Having the ice rink, the market, the cathedral and local carol singers in close proximity is a bit of a boon and sets Winchester apart from other markets. You can pre-book your skate session and opt for a food and drink package if you want: Prosecco and nibbles for us, then, and hot chocolate and mince pie for the kids. Perfect start to Christmas!

Market and ice rink are open from 10am to 6pm Sunday to Wednesday and until 7.30pm Thursday to Saturday. www.christmasinwinchester.co.uk

SALISBURY DOG’S TRUST CHRISTMAS FAIR Newton Tony, Wiltshire

27 November, 11am to 3pm

High Street

Cathedral Close

ST THOMAS’ DECORATED TREE FESTIVAL St Thomas’ Square, Salisbury 29 November – 4 December

At St Thomas’ Church you’ll find an amazing festive sight this Christmas: over 110 decorated trees and nativity scenes created and decorated by organisations all over Wiltshire. One of the biggest events of this kind, last year there were nearly 14,000 visitors and all proceeds were given to a mix of local charities. www.stthomassalisbury.co.uk

SOUTHAMPTON CHRISTMAS MARKET

Above Bar pedestrian precinct 14 November - 23 December

The traditional German market is part of Southampton’s Christmas Festival. Over 40 alpine chalet stalls house German food - from bratwurst

Top: Winchester’s market is 10 years old this year; Middle: A stunning piece from Courcoux; Above: St Thomas’ Decorated Tree Festival

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Tisbury High Street www.thefishmongers.co.uk 01747 871011 info@thefishmongers.co.uk

the fishmongers

@ashthefish

We are now taking orders for your Christmas feasts!

Lobsters, Oysters, Crab, Smoked Salmon, Seafood Platters, Poached Salmon ...& orders can be taken from our fresh fish range!

Kate Good Pottery

SJH Carpets

Presents for all occasions Fine household and decorative stoneware pottery Commissions and original designs undertaken Commemorative items a speciality Bantam and goose egg cups available

SHOWROOM OPEN • ALL VISITORS WELCOME

Kate Good Pottery High Street, Tisbury SP3 6HD • Tel: 01747 870367

All forms of solid floor: Amtico, ceramic, wood and laminate.

Environmentally-friendly options: Marmoleum, old-fashioned linoleum, and woods from renewable non-tropical species, woven bamboo flooring.

Carpet: wide range of wool-rich twists together with textured and velvet carpeting as well as sisal, seagrass, jute and coir. tel: 01747 871178 | mob: 07554 080001 email: sjhcarpets@btconnect.com | www.sjhcarperts.co.uk SJH Carpets, Malvern House, Tisbury, Wiltshire SP3 6LD Tythings Commercial Centre, Wincanton, Somerset BA9 9RZ

CHRISTMAS EVENTS

’TIZ the SEASON One of the region’s star festive events is back for 2016, and promises more fun and festive cheer than ever before

T

isbury is a wonderful little place that pulls out the stops each Christmas with its one-day Tiz The Season market, and this year will be no different.

You’d be wise to circle Saturday 3 December in your diaries and highlight it with doodles of holly and Christmas trees – such is the draw of Tiz The Season in the region’s festive calendar. Organised by the Tisbury Business Association, and running from 11am to 4pm. the event will see the village transformed into a festive haven, with beautiful Christmas lights and a busy programme.

There will be 30 stalls supplied by the Anonymous Travelling Market, the majority of which are heavy with foodie and crafty treats from local businesses. In terms of refreshment, there will be mulled cider, mulled wine, a beer tent, and a mobile gin bar (for those so inclined). Hot drinks and food are also available, catering for all age ranges and tastes.

In terms of entertainment, Tisbury seems to have pulled it out of the bag again with plenty of festive fun lined up. We’ve heard of a number of highlights including a mince-pie eating contest, sponsored by the Co-Op, a Christmas Parade by the local primary school, and reindeer – real ACTUAL reindeer – who will arrive in town at 11am.

Father Christmas will also make an appearance in his Grotto with his elves – rather alarmingly, the Grotto is located in Tisbury dentist surgery but we’re assured no festive fillings will take place.

Matthew Boatwright, Director of Bassets, Tisbury, says: “This year Tiz The Season is set to be the best yet. I’m really excited about having reindeer in attendance for the first time! We have changed the timing of the event this year to make it easier for people to attend while ensuring the warm, welcoming and fun atmosphere is still there – with bells on.”

22 December; 11am-4pm; www.tisbury.co.uk

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Visit

Wolvercroft WORLD OF PLANT S

T his Christmas

Christmas Display now open

Enjoy the Magic of Christmas See our fairies in the Enchanted Wood and our traditional Christmas Display

Sticky Bun Tea Rooms Cooked breakfast • Morning coffee • Home cooked lunches and snacks including a roast on Wednesday between 12-2pm • Cream teas and cakes.

A LARGE SELECTION OF CHRISTMAS GIFTS AVAILABLE including Moores Biscuits, Butler Grove Jams and Chutneys, Charity Christmas cards, The House of Puzzles, Jigsaws and much, much more

DAVE’S AMAZING SUNDAY LUNCHES STILL ONLY £8.95 CURRY NIGHTS ON THE FIRST MONDAY OF THE MONTH LOOK OUT FOR OTHER SPECIALTY FOOD NIGHTS LUNCHTIME PANINIS

FEATURED IN THE NEW GOOD BEER GUIDE CUT AND POTTED QUALITY SPRUCE AND NORDMANN CHRISTMAS TREES AVAILABLE 1ST WEEK DECEMBER FRESHLY MADE CHRISTMAS WREATHS INDEPENDENT FAMILY RUN GARDEN CENTRE Fordingbridge Road, Alderholt, Dorset SP6 3BE T: 01425 652437 | W: www.wolvercroft.co.uk | E: gardens@wolvercroft.co.uk

OPEN 12 TILL LATE EVERY DAY

The Benett, High Street Tisbury, Wiltshire SP3 6HD 01747870428 • www.benetttisbury.co.uk or find us on facebook Real Ale, Real Cider, Real Coffee!

C H R I S T M A S A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E

SALISBURY CHRISTMAS MARKET This popular event opens on the 24th November to coincide with the launch of late night shopping on Thursdays and will run until the 18th December on the beautiful Guildhall Square in the centre of Salisbury

I

t's the season to start planning your Christmas shopping and where better than Salisbury? The Guildhall Square houses over 70 festively decorated wooden chalets, and this year’s Christmas Market will be showcasing lots of new and exciting stall holders as well as some old favourites. Beautiful hand-crafted gifts, decorations and homewares will be available alongside tempting Yuletide food and drinks, with many stall holders making or sourcing their products in the South West.

This year will also see new and exciting events put on throughout the course of the market, such as a walk-in snow globe (with a chance to meet Elsa), acrobatics, face painting and a ride with Santa in his car, as well as an array of walkabout entertainment. The amazing Heliosphere will also be performing at the spectacular Lantern Procession. Salisbury Christmas Market is a truly festive affair and attracts thousands of visitors from all over 22 I SALISBURY LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

the country. Keep an eye out for our Digital Advertising Van driving through the city on Thursdays and Saturdays, showcasing special offers from Salisbury retailers.

GOLD, FRANKINCENSE AND MYRRH TRAIL

Selected businesses around the city have provided some great offers, so pick up a copy of the Christmas Market map to follow the trader trails and take advantage of discounts on stocking fillers, gifts, homeware items, food and drink.

SHOPPING IN SALISBURY

Whether you’re looking for the ultimate gift, a treat for yourself or an outfit for your Christmas party, Salisbury is the place to find it. With a varied mix of high street and independent retailers you are bound to find something that ticks all the boxes.

INDEPENDENT RETAILERS

Salisbury has a strong tradition of supporting and nurturing small independent businesses and is lucky to have an active community of thriving independent shops selling a variety of goods and services. You can discover some of the city’s independents on Milford Street, Winchester Street, Fisherton Street and the High Street, plus many other locations around the city.

SHOPPING CENTRES AND HIGH STREET RETAIL

Salisbury is home to three main shopping centres, The Old George Mall, The Cross Keys and The Maltings all with a wide range of big brand names, so you will easily find everything you need for that ultimate gift.

If you are local to Salisbury, why not go into a shop you have never been in before. You might be surprised by what you find! 

a d v er t isi n g feat ure C H R I S T M A S

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C H R I S T M A S a d v e r t i s i n g f e at u r e

Salisbury Charter Market

The Charter Market takes place each Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday in December, in the historic Market Place. You’ll find fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, fish, clothing, furniture and homeware items, as well as a local farmers’ market section.

Did you know that when the Christmas Market joins with the regular Charter Market on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays in December, it becomes one of the biggest markets in the South!

Christmas Window Dressing Competition

Visitors and locals will be encouraged to vote for their favourite Christmas window display on the Visit Salisbury website, with the winner receiving shopping vouchers to spend in the city. We want to draw attention to local businesses that go the extra mile in making their window displays look really special, and we encourage more businesses to do the same. Winning businesses will receive recognition in the local press.

SALISBURY Christmas Market opening times Thursday 24 November to Sunday 18 December •M onday-Wednesday: 10am-6pm • Thursday: Late night shopping 10am-8pm • Friday and Saturday: 10am-6.30pm • Sunday 10am-4pm

For more information, visit: www.salisburychristmasmarket.co.uk www.visitsalisbury.co.uk

24 I SALISBURY LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

twenty one b Outfits for Mothers of the Bride or Groom.

High quality ladies’ fashion and millinery, casual, occasion, formal and evening wear and coats.

01722 410522 • 15 Milford St, Salisbury SP1 2AL www.twentyonebsalisbury.co.uk

7 FISH ROW, SALISBURY 01722 412666 CELEBRATING 15 YEARS IN SALISBURY

Music/theatre/film/more

They’re behind you! John Lydon with Public Image Ltd bandmates Lu Edmonds, Scott Firth and Bruce Smith

THIS IS PiL

John Lydon – something of a workaholic by his own admission – has lived a 40-year career in music, formerly as Johnny Rotten in the notorious punk outfit Sex Pistols and latterly as post-punk innovator Public Image Ltd (PiL). And he’s not done yet. The band’s upcoming gig at Salisbury City Hall on 15 November kicks off a run of gigs in the UK and Europe, and coincides with PiL’s decision to re-issue two albums as super-deluxe box sets.

The Sex Pistols scythed their way unceremoniously through the fusty rock establishment in the mid-1970s, changing the face of

popular music and culture with their raw, nihilistic 1977 debut album Never Mind The Bollocks. In terms of work, though, Lydon claims he’s in his groove right now. “Having finally broken free of the chains and shackles of large record labels – although they did me some favours, I’ve got to say – I’ve found a continuity and a bonding with the band. We’re a band that follows no rules – rules are written for fools – and the songs are a reflection of all of our personalities. We are very different people, but we’ve managed to find a way of being very, very close friends.”

Public Image Ltd are appearing at Salisbury City Hall on 15 November. Tickets £28.50; www.cityhallsalisbury.co.uk.

The band has re-issued the seminal albums Metal Box and Album. Metal Box was the band’s second album, originally released on 23 November 1979 and Album was their fifth studio album, originally released on 3 February 1986, making 2016 its 30th anniversary.

www.mediaclash.co.uk I SALISBURY LIFE I 27

4 November – 4 December

Shazia Mirza and her new show The Kardshians Made Me Do It; Be a Chorister for a Day - the annual open day at Salisbury Cathedral Choir school; John Lydon comes to Salisbury with Public Image Ltd

Music 6 N O V E M B E R 3 PM

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM The annual concert for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal has a special appearance by the fabulous Spitfire Sisters, who will sing a Glenn Miller tribute.

Tickets £14, all proceeds to RBL Poppy Appeal; 01722 434434; www.cityhallsalisbury.co.uk

specially commissioned work

by Ian Stephens in memory of a Salisbury chorister.

Tickets £15; 01722 320333; www.salisburyplayhouse.com 1 2 N OV E MBE R 7.30P M

ECHOES FROM HOME A chamber music concert for Salisbury Trust for the Homeless at Salisbury Methodist Church.

Tickets on the door £10; 01722 322278; programme details at www.fridabackman.com

10 N O V E M B E R 7 PM

FAURÉ REQUIEM A remembrance-tide concert performance by Salisbury Cathedral Choir and one of the rare occasions when the whole choir (boys, girls and men) can be heard together.

Also the first performance of a

1 5 N OV E MBE R 7P M

PUBLIC IMAGE LTD After splitting from the Sex Pistols, John Lydon formed postpunk PiL fusing rock, dance, folk, pop and dub. See feature on p27 Tickets £28.50; 01722 434434; www.cityhallsalisbury.co.uk

28 I SALISBURY LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

4 DEC EMBER 7.30P M

STAND BY ME - A CELEBRATION OF BEN E KING AND THE DRIFTERS More than 50 hits over six decades – including Under the Boardwalk, Saturday Night at the Movies, Up on the Roof, On Broadway – Stand By Me celebrates the music and the lives of the band members.

Tickets £26; 01722 434434; www.cityhallsalisbury.co.uk

Family 11 NO VEMBER – 2 J AN

LONGLEAT FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS The famous Chinese-lantern extravaganza kicks off with

some extra treats up its billowy sleeves this year to celebrate the 50th birthday of the Safari Park (cue big beasts) and the 150th anniversary of Beatrix Potter.

Tickets £27.85 adult with 10% online discount; www.longleat. co.uk (See feature on p36) 12 NO VE M B ER

BE A CHORISTER FOR A DAY The choir school is one of 39 in Britain and is home to two cathedral choirs – one for girls, one for boys. Salisbury Cathedral Choir is always on the lookout for new members and this open day allows boys, girls and families to get a taste of the choristers’ lives ahead of Voice Trials in early 2017.

W H AT ’ S O N

1 7 NO V E M B E R 6PM

XMAS LIGHTS SWITCH-ON In Salisbury’s Market Place, this event marks the start of Christmas in Salisbury and latenight Thursday shopping. It’s free and will have local performers dancing and singing as well as an appearance from the man himself – Father Christmas.

Comedy 1 9 NO V E M B E R 7.3 0 PM

LOCK-IN CHRISTMAS CAROL If we said it was a combination of hip-hop and folk dancing, you’d think we’d been at the Christmas sherry, but it’s true. This unique show has got such great reviews over the years that we can’t help thinking this year’s Christmas special is something not to be missed. See feature p35.

Tickets £16 www. salisburyartscentre.co.uk

ARTS

controversial affair is the focus in this play about flouting social convention.

Tickets £10-£25; www. salisburyplayhouse.com 1 4 - 1 9 N OV E MBER 7.30P M ( 2 .1 5 PM MAT INEES)

THE WIPER’S TIMES

By Ian Hislop and Nick Newman, this play is based on the true story of a WWI soldier producing a hugely successful satirical magazine in the trenches. It’s funny and also a touching tribute to the resilience of human spirit in astoundingly tough situations (Note: there’s an after-show talk with Hislop and Newman on 14 November). Tickets £10-£25; www.salisburyplayhouse.com

Lectures/ walks/talks 9 N OV E MBE R 7.30P M

2 D E C E M B E R 8 PM

SARAH OUTEN MBE – DARE TO DO Sarah Outen is talking at Dauntsey’s School as part of the Mercer Lectures, She is a world-record breaking adventurer, published author and inspirational speaker. At just 24 years old she was successful in a world-first 124-day solo row across the Indian Ocean. All Mercer Lectures are held at in The Memorial Hall or the New Pavilion. All lectures are free but you have to book to reserve a seat via dauntseys.org

2 D E C E M B E R 1 0 .3 0 PM

9, 16, 23 & 30 NOVEMBER, 7 DECEMBER 10.30AM – 1PM

SHAZIA MIRZA - THE KARDASHIANS MADE ME DO IT After sell-out runs in London and recent appearances on ITV’s Jonathan Ross and Loose Women, award-winning comedian Shazia Mirza brings her new show to Salisbury. The Kardashians Made Me Do It is an exploration of life, love and Jihadi brides, inspired by three girls who left Bethnal Green to join ISIS. Tickets £14; www.salisburyartscentre.co.uk CRAIG BALL Fresh from success in Britain’s Got Talent (he didn’t win but he did get to the final few), local boy Craig Ball is coming back to perform at the Comedy Festival.

If BGT passed you by, he’s a 25-year-old singing impressionist and well worth a look.

Tickets £8; www.salisburyartscentre.co.uk

Theatre 8 -1 2 NO V E M B E R 7 .3 0 PM (2 . 3 0 P M M ATI NE E S)

LADY CHATTERLEY’S LOVER The D H Lawrence classic is adapted here by Philip Breen and the English Touring Theatre and Sheffield Theatres. Constance and Mellors’ passionate and

ART COURSE: PAUL CHAPMAN ON ROMANTICISM IN LANDSCAPE PAINTING “Painting is another word for feeling”. Paul Chapman uses this Constable quote as a starting point for this course of five talks.

It will cover the origins of the Romantics and how painters produced an expressive narrative, both personal and collective.

Booking advised – £45 for members and £50 non-members; www.salisburymuseum.org 2 4 N OV E MBER 7.30P M

NADFAS AT NIGHT As part of a series of three evening lectures at Sarum College. This fascinating talk is about Betty Joel – glamour and

Top: A celebration of Ben E King; Above: Salisbury’s Christmas Lights Switch-On

innovation in 1930s design – and how she achieved success in a world that was still run by men.

Tickets £10 including a glass of wine or soft drink. Booking essential 0207 430 0730; www.nadfas.org.uk 26 NO VEMBER 10.30AM

CONSTABLE WALKS: STEP INTO SALISBURY CATHEDRAL FROM THE MEADOWS 1831 Blue Badge Guides lead a 1.5 to 2-hour walk, starting in front of the museum and visiting the key locations for both John Constable and his legendary painting of Salisbury Cathedral.

Tickets £6 per person (which

includes a leaflet); 01722 332151 www.salisbury; museum.org.uk

Art 11 NO V EM B ER - 5 DEC

NEW PAINTINGS BY JEAN NOBLE The Minster Gallery is hosting a new exhibition of paintings by award-winning Jean Noble. Jean prefers to work in oils, pastel and water-based media and this collection is inspired by her observations of urban landscapes and the sea. Open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; Minster Gallery, 3A Great Minster Street, Winchester; www.minstergallery.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I SALISBURY LIFE I 29

WEDDINGS AT CRANBORNE The Garden Room at Cranborne is a beautiful new wedding venue nestled in a quiet corner of the walled, former kitchen garden of Cranborne Manor. Set in a private landscaped garden, this is the perfect setting for an English country garden wedding.

With their lovely local suppliers, the team at Cranborne will work with each couple to create a truly unique day.

To celebrate the launch of this new venue, discounts are being offered for 2017 weddings.

For more information please contact Claire Whitehead on 01725 517248 or email weddings@cranbornegardencentre.co.uk

CRANBORNE, DORSET BH21 5PP • www.cranbornegardencentre.co.uk Follow us on

H E A LT H & W E L L B E I N G A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E

BANISH THE WINTER BLUES SARUM PHYSIOTHERAPY can help you stay active this winter...

P

icking up a racquet, putting on your trainers or just walking to work is so much easier in the summer. We are inspired by sporting events, have a swim suit we want to wear – so being active becomes part of what we do!

In the colder months heading to the gym is less appealing, finding layers to exercise in is a chore and running in the rain is quite frankly no fun.

According to research 1 in 3 people suffer Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and 29% of British adults’ experience symptoms of the condition during the winter months.

challenge and while the gym is indoors it can still be a struggle to get out of the house when it’s cold and windy outside – and to be honest it is not for everyone.

5 The stairs in your house are your biggest friend. Use the bottom step to exercise, or simply carry everything upstairs one item at a time to reduce the amount of time you are inactive.

Our top tips for keeping active this winter: 1 Housework is a great way for everyone (male and female!) to burn off those calories and keep warm. Now if you can’t get the man in your life to put the hoover round – get him to put up those shelves you asked him to do 6 months ago, paint the living room or wash the car!

6 When the sun shines, wrap up and take a walk. Bring those shoulders back, pump those arms and walk around the park. A little fresh air and wintery sunshine will help to banish those winter blues.

Warm, active and a smile on your face Eating well helps, but keeping warm is really important to prevent colds, flu and more serious health conditions. Keep your home warm and make sure you are wearing enough layers and this will keep the chills at bay. If you are over 65 and suffer mobility problems you should ideally keep your home at 18 degrees, and if possible keep your bedroom at this temperature at night.

Staying active during the winter can be a

2 Ask your friends and family to recommend a fitness DVD and close the curtains!

If you are suffering any aches or pains, don’t ignore your body talking to you and come see the Sarum Physio team – we are here to keep you moving and doing the things you love!

3 Dust off the exercise bike, hang those clothes up and cycle while watching the television!

4 Dance like no one is watching! Put that radio on and shimmy in the kitchen while you are cooking and jive with the Strictly Come Dancing contestants on a Saturday night in the living room.

213 Devizes Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP2 9LT Tel: 01722 415055; www.sarumphysio.co.uk

MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION (MBSR) Sarum College, Salisbury Close SP1 2EE • 25 January - 22 March (9 Wednesday evenings 7-9pm) • cost £225

A structured course in Mindfulness practice, as formulated by Jon Kabat-Zinn, with highly experienced tutor Hilary Armstrong.

A life-changing training in dealing with stress, difficulty or change, and restoring balance and fulfilment in one’s life.

“Brilliant teaching” “Your classes have been a life-enhancing experience for me” “It has given me insight into a different way of being”

For details/bookings: wvwellbeing@gmail.com

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DANCE

ARTS

UNLIKELY BEDFELLOWS The Lock-In Christmas Carol mixes hip hop and folk in a dance show. No, a concert… A comedy… A panto? Keep reading, it sounds great fun

W

ho in their right mind would combine folk and hip hop in a dance extravanganza and throw in a bit of Christmas panto to boot? If this sounds like the awful oeuvres your kids create on iMovie at the weekend, I’m with you. However, The Lock In Christmas Carol at Salisbury Arts Centre comes from a much-lauded stable (ho, ho) and reviews from the likes of The List (Edinburgh Fringe), The Telegraph and The Independent give it a resounding cheer, the latter claiming you have so much fun that ‘you scarcely ponder on the apparent madness of trying to marry folk dance and hip hop’.

So let’s set the scene a bit ( just bear in mind, sometimes knowing more about something means you understand less). It’s Christmas Eve and the regulars of The Olde Fighting Cocks pub are

SOME SHOWS DEMONSTRATE GREAT SKILL AND TECHNIQUE, SOME OFFER STRONG MUSICIANSHIP, AND SOME CREATE ENERGY THAT LEAVES YOU HIGH ON LIFE. LOCK-IN DOES ALL THREE Not just a run-of-the-mill Christmas show

excited about the night ahead, which is set to be the folk and hip hop dance party of the year.

However, the landlady, Jasmineezer Scrooge, has more profitable ambitions and is preparing to launch her new business – Jazzles nightclub – which will offer the distinctly un-festive combination of cheap alco-pops, seedy lighting and mind-numbing bass beats. Fortunately, some insightful souls are there to put her back on track.

Stop! This isn’t helping, is it? It still sounds utterly bonkers.

Damien Barber, brainchild of The Lock-In and main man in folk powerhouse The Demon Barbers, says it’s one of the most exciting projects he’s ever worked on.

“I’ve always seen folk music and dance as an incredibly modern and vibrant living tradition, and wanted to find a way to bring that vision to the widest possible audience. The Lock-In is the result of several years of artistic collaborations and development and I’m extremely excited that it’s touring! The response has been phenomenal from both folkies and street dance fans.”

The List (Edinburgh Fringe) said of it: “Some shows demonstrate great skill and technique, some offer strong musicianship, and some create the kind of atmosphere and energy that leaves you high on life. The Lock-In does all three” Talking of atmosphere and energy, Assistant Producer Laura Simpson told us that there will also be a pre-show dance display before the performance on 19 November which will involve local morris teams and community dance groups warming up the crowd from 6.30pm. These dance displays are free to the general public and have been very successful in the past with over 150 groups and 2,000 dancers taking part in the last three years.

Book tickets if you’re still to be convinced. Ours arrived yesterday and we can’t wait.

The Lock In – A Christmas Carol is at Salisbury Arts Centre for one night only on 19 November at 7.30pm (suitable for all ages).

For tickets or more information 01722 321744; www.salisburyartscentre.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I SALISBURY LIFE I 35

All CREATURES GREAT and SMALL 25,000 individual lights, 20 km of silk, more than 30,000 bulbs and over 4km of LED lighting. It can only mean one thing on a winter’s evening in Wiltshire

AN AVENUE OF LUMINOUS

LIONS,

STUNNING SILK ELEPHANTS,

GIANT GORILLAS AND A GROUP OF THE INFAMOUS LONGLEAT MONKEYS

K

icking off on 11 November is Longleat’s annual Festival of Light, and this year is rather special as the Safari Park is celebrating its 50th birthday.

Where lions prowl by day, Chinese lanterns will take centre stage as the light fails.

Huge lanterns in the shape of the biggest beasts on the plains include an avenue of four-metrehigh luminous lions, stunning silk elephants, giant gorillas and of course a group of the infamous Longleat monkeys dismantling a car to mark the first residents’ arrival back in 1966.

And that’s not the only birthday the festival is celebrating this year. Beatrix Potter and her wonderful kids’ stories have been delighting youngsters for 150 years so artists have created giant illuminated versions of her favourite characters – Peter Rabbit, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and Squirrel Nutkin – to wow fans.

The figures have been handmade by a team of highly-skilled artists from Zigong in China’s Sichuan province, which has been staging lantern festivals for more than 2,000 years.

The Festival of Light takes place on selected dates between 11 November and 2 January so best to look and book online.

Tickets bought for the festival include admission to Longleat and online buyers get a 10% discount. www.longleat.co.uk

36 I SALISBURY LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

FA M I LY

W H AT ’ S O N

The Festival of Light at Longleat is the biggest of its kind in the UK

www.mediaclash.co.uk I SALISBURY LIFE I 37

DINGHAMS Stoves & Chimneys Est. 1982

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We have 15 fireplaces in our Winchester showroom.

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A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E I N T E R I O R S

SHOWSTOPPING INTERIORS Kate Stacey

T

Be inspired by in-toto Salisbury at the Homebuilding and Renovating Show 2016

he UK’s largest self-build show is back this year at the Bath and West Showground in Somerset, and in-toto Kitchens Design Studio Salisbury is excited to announce that they will be exhibiting at the show, alongside other in-toto studios from across the UK. Offering unlimited inspiration and their valuable expertise on kitchen design and planning to visitors, the team from the kitchen design studio in Salisbury will be available at exhibition stand 105 between the 19th-20th November 2016.

Influenced by one of the year’s hottest kitchen trends for mixing materials, the in-toto exhibition area will display a striking kitchen design showcasing the stylish, industrial aesthetics of Sierra in Oxide Concrete, contrasted against the warmth of textured Walnuteffect Alva – both new for 2016!

in-toto Salisbury will thank visitors by giving away a free Roux Monaco Hot Tap in Chrome with every in-toto kitchen order placed. Come along to the show and pick up a promotional voucher for full details (terms and conditions apply).

A nationwide franchise of nearly 50 high street Design Studios, each with KBSA membership, in-toto is one of the UK's leading fitted kitchen specialists, celebrating over three decades of expert-driven kitchen design and installation. To find out more, please visit www.intoto.co.uk or come along to the Homebuilding and Renovating Show to meet them and see the products for yourself.

To buy tickets for the South West show please visit, somerset.homebuildingshow.co.uk/tickets or come in and see us at the studio on Catherine Street to get a free ticket.

“OFFERING UNLIMITED INSPIRATION AND THEIR VALUABLE EXPERTISE”

38 I SALISBURY LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

One of in-toto's striking kitchens

For more information please visit your local in-toto on Catherine Street.

Alternatively, you can visit the in-toto website at www.intoto.co.uk or call on 01722 238177

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Please visit our spacious showroom to see a huge choice of British fabric upholstery and Italian leather upholstery, dining furniture, bedroom furniture and a large range of British pocket sprung beds. We offer a personal and friendly service to help you in your selections.

Opening hours Monday to Saturday 9.30am to 5.00pm 14 Winchester Street, Salisbury, SP1 1HB • 01722 322596 • www.pure-comfort.co.uk

40 I SALISBURY LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

R E S TA U R A N T

FOOD

Bishopstrow House Hotel

A short drive out into the Wiltshire countryside, the autumnal trees were a riot of colour and the welcome was warm at this tucked-away spa hotel serving contemporary cuisine

By R AC H E L I FA NS

I

I CAN

imagined it would be something like The Trip.

Roof down, Alanis blaring on the speakers.

One of us being very funny, doing all our best impressions and the other majoring on cynical wit and self-hatred. Well, I got one of them right...

As we drew up, a packed car park belied the peace and quiet inside, although Bishopstrow seems the kind of place that effortlessly swallows its guests anyway – in classy side rooms, a lounge, the spa, the bar. We were greeted by restaurant manager Michael Hunter West, and seated in the Mulberry restaurant, foregoing an aperitif in favour of food. The Mulberry room has recently been refreshed. It borders the patio and is lined with floorto-ceiling glass. The view from our table was screaming with peace and quiet – a hillocky field and the road beyond hidden with autumn trees.

The Mulberry is smart and warming, a décor which is cosy and welcoming even in quiet times. We opt for the three-course lunch menu having briefly had our heads turned by the all-day options. The hotel uses free-range and sustainable produce from local suppliers such as Ruby & White butchers, and the lunch menu has well-executed classics like Prawn Cocktail and Chocolate Fondant.

I go for Parma Ham Salad and Seared Sea Trout (both pictured) and he (let’s call him Coogan) orders the Prawn Cocktail followed by Griddled Rump Steak, while shooting me the look that says: “I wanted the trout, you knew I wanted the trout and yet you ordered the trout and now I have to have the steak because we can’t have the same thing can we?”. You know, THAT look?

As we tuck into the bread selection – moist, springy focaccia, a melba-toasteque slice and a small fennel roll - and the waiter brings our glasses of 2014 Australian Cabernet Sauvignon, we sink back in our chairs and relax.

My Parma Ham salad is lovely and a healthy-sized portion, bearing in mind I can happily eat a whole side of cured pig every day for a fortnight (I tried on holiday). And the Prawn

HAPPILY EAT A WHOLE SIDE OF CURED PIG EVERY DAY FOR A FORTNIGHT (I TRIED ON HOLIDAY)

Cocktail receives grudging approval: “It has a great, fresh taste and the dressing is really light but tasty”.

We’re not rushing but we’re not lingering – a balance so hard to get right. Nobody wants to feel like the experience is over too quickly and yet neither do we want to be rushing it at the end, right? But the team at Bishopstrow were spot-on – the well-judged speed of a midweek lunch treat for busy people who need to rush home afterwards, do school pickup, nip to the supermarket, take kids to cycling proficiency, write two articles for demanding clients, cook tea, treat the cat for fleas… you get the picture. Props to Michael and his team for reading us perfectly.

Sea trout is a trout that has made its way to the coast to feed before returning to spawn. Going to sea gives the trout access to a much richer source of food and makes it bigger than river brown trout. Mine is very tasty and complemented beautifully with a luxurious chervil fish cream and crushed new potatoes. Coogan’s steak is moist and tasty – although it defeats him in the end – and he’s full of praise (well, full-ish) for the wild mushrooms that come with it.

Bishopstrow House Hotel is the type of place to welcome people again and again and that’s certainly true of its Head Chef Jon Los, who did his work experience at the hotel when he was 15 and has worked there in many roles over the years since.

We’re done – one glass of red has barely been eeked out to last the main course, but there’s just enough to wash it down as we chat to the friendly waiter. “During the week a lot of our guests stay in the hotel, use the spa and have lunch. We also have business people and locals who come regularly.

Next week that will change as school holidays mean a rush of families and even the sound of splashing from the outside pool, which is heated and remains in use even this late into the autumn.”

We share a chocolate fondant for pudding which is served with a berry compote and have coffee at the table feeling excessively full which is only right and proper for a special treat. Just time to smile at other before getting back to it – the tiny matter of real life.

As Coogan and I speed back home, the Amalfi coast replaced by the A36, the roof up on the car because, well, it’s not Italy and it’s not the telly, we agree that Bishopstrow House Hotel is a great place to escape the daily drudgery.

What a treat.

DINING DETAILS Bishopstrow House Hotel and Spa, Warminster, Wiltshire, BA12 9HH; 01985 878577; info@bishopstrow.co.uk Prices Lunch Menu - two courses £17.95, three courses £22.95; All-day Menu with light bites, comfort classics, sandwiches and desserts; Afternoon Teas from £10 - £30; a hearty Sunday Lunch as priced above Vegetarian choice A couple of options on each menu Service Measured but welcoming. Professional Atmosphere Smart, cosy, warm

www.mediaclash.co.uk I SALISBURY LIFE I 41

REVIEW

FOOD

A Riverford recipe box

Chicken breast with quick salsa verde, torn lasagne, shredded leeks and sun-dried tomatoes

SPOON-FED Confirmed kitchen-phobe TAMARA PITELEN confronts her cooking fears with a recipe box from Riverford Organic Farmers

O

ver the weekend, my husband became a committed cheerleader for Riverford Organic’s recipe boxes. Because I cooked three – that’s right three! – meals. He’s not used to this kind of behaviour. The kitchen is normally his zone; a place I will generally avoid at all costs but grudgingly accept as a necessary evil for things like boiling the kettle for cups of tea.

In the years we’ve been married, me making three meals in one weekend is a first. And I’m not talking just any ordinary old meals. Oh no, there was no heating up a can of beans, pouring it over toast and throwing around words like ‘cuisine’. This was restaurant-quality posh nosh. The kind of food Nigella or Jamie might whip up on the telly.

Specifically, the dishes I made were a North African fish stew with harissa, olives and chickpeas; a chicken breast with quick salsa verde, torn lasagne, shredded leeks and

IN THE YEARS WE’VE BEEN MARRIED, ME MAKING THREE MEALS IN ONE WEEKEND IS A FIRST

sun-dried tomatoes, and finally a potato, apple and mung dal curry with mint and cucumber raita.

What happened? A three-meal Riverford recipe box is what happened. Even for a kitchen-phobic oven-avoider like myself it is of course hard to mess up when you find a box on your doorstep that contains every ingredient already measured out for you as well as a detailed step-by-step recipe and a photo of how the dish should look. This is spoon-fed cooking. Just the way I like it.

Even so, there were still moments when expletives were fired into the air as I juggled frying leeks with prepping fish. Yet still, at the ‘ta-dah’ moment, I felt proud of myself.

Better still, all the ingredients are organic, free range, fresh and locally produced where possible. I sleep better knowing that the fish I’m eating was caught sustainably just off the English coast and that the chicken I’m eating wasn’t pumped full of hormones and spent her whole life in a cage.

You don’t have to have meat, though. For vegetarians, there are meat-free recipe box options. The only way for this to be easier would be for the chef to turn up with the box and cook it for you in your own kitchen.

To give it a try yourself, log on to www. riverford.co.uk and choose your two- or three-meal recipe box. A few days later, a large box is delivered to your door within which lies an exciting treasure trove of all sorts of foodie wonders, all clearly labelled.

North African fish stew with harissa, olives and chickpeas

There may be a tablespoon of capers measured into a small transparent container and two teaspoons of pesto measured into an even smaller container.

There are also whole vegetables and seasonings. The only item that wasn’t provided in my recipe box was some olive oil needed for frying up leeks. The whole process is smooth and polished.

The recipe boxes made me try cooking dishes and cuisines that I would have never considered tackling otherwise. It made me realise that cooking dishes like these is not as difficult as I’d imagined; that they don’t take as long as I assume they will and, most shocking of all, can even be (whisper it) a little bit fun.

A two-meal vegetarian recipe box for two people (four meals in total) from Riverford Organic Farmers starts from £24.95; www.riverford.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I SALISBURY LIFE I 43

GIFT VOUCHERS

Thinkin g of buyin WOOD g a -FIRED OVEN? PANAR Y can help .

AVAILABLE Buy them easily from our website

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Learn about real bread from master baker PAUL MERRY in the atmosphere of the working watermill Cann Mills, Shaftesbury, in rural Dorset.

Baking courses for beginners and advanced Gain insight into the whole process of yeast fermentation Learn hand skills from a master baker Small tutor group with friendly atmosphere Take home your inspired produce Tour the working our mill Please contact us or visit our website for more information on the range of courses that we offer

e: info@panary.co.uk t: 01747 851102

www.panary.co.uk

RECIPE

FOOD

A FLASH in the PAN The Compasses Inn cooks up a storm in its pub kitchen and its chef is kind enough to share two of his favourite main courses with us

Baked cod with king prawns, scallops and toasted fennel on potato rosti.

Served with olive and tomato broth

W

hether pan frying or merely searing, these two recipes are elevated from the norm with a chef’s touch.

Michele Mirabile from The Compasses Inn in Damerham near Fordingbridge shows how the right ingredients and careful cooking combine to create a much tastier result.

Ingredients (per person) 180g fresh boneless thick cod 2 kings prawns 1 scallop large 1/4 bulb of fennel 1 whole grated potato Knob of butter 5 black olives 2 tablespoons tomato sauce 2 basil leaves 1 garlic clove Salt and pepper to your taste Lemon zest Thyme 25ml fish stock Method 1. Preheat your oven to 180ºC. Firstly season your fish with lemon zest, salt and pepper and bake with lemon thyme and a touch of fish stock for eight minutes approximately.

2. Slice the fennel, remove the hard part and slow cook in a pan with tomato sauce 3. For the potato rosti, peel and grate the potato and mix with black olives. Crumble the bread and egg and put in a hot pan to sear with scallops and prawns.  www.mediaclash.co.uk I SALISBURY LIFE I 45

FOOD

RECIPE

Pan-fried duck breast, foie gras pak choi, parsnip velouté with glazed shallots and orange sauce

Ingredients 1 duck breast, if possible female 1 orange, squeezed Knob of butter 1 bunch of wild herbs 1 peeled parsnip 1 pak choi 1 slice of foie gras Salt and pepper as you wish

Method 1. Pan fry the duck breast with its skin down on a low heat. Once the skin starts to get crispy turn over and keep in the oven 180ºC for six minutes approximately.

2. For the parsnip velouté take off the skin, chop the root and toast with some wild herbs.

Once it's soft, blend everything together and pass through a sieve until you have a smooth compote.

46 I SALISBURY LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

3. Once the duck is ready, remove from the pan, let it rest and then, using the same pan (without any fat) squeeze the juice of one orange, add some new butter and thicken up the cream.

4. In hot water blanche the pak choi until it's al dente and then sear it with the foie gras. The dish is done! www.compassesinndamerham.co.uk; 01725 518231

COOKING

up a STORM Salisbury’s finest chefs share their festive food secrets.

Whether you’re looking to do something a bit different this year or to lower stress levels, these top tips will make it a Christmas dinner to remember

By SA L LY BRO C K WAY

CHEFS’ CHRISTMAS TIPS The Bell Inn provides a warm welcome at Christmas

MOST CHRISTMAS TURKEYS

ARE COOKED TO THE POINT OF ANNIHILATION AND END UP

DRYER THAN A PAIR OF

SANDALS

W

e know it’s November and, believe us, we’re in as much denial about that blank Christmas Shopping List as you are. So here’s our advice. Pour yourself a glass of something, settle down on the sofa and read our festive chef tips.

We’ve chatted to 12 chefs from eateries in the region and wheedled culinary secrets out of them to make your Christmas dinner full of good taste and vibes – from day-long raw-turkey-drowning and slow-cooked belly pork, to exotic spices, sizzling vegetables and perfect puds, it’s all there.

Still on the sofa? Read on and soon the very best version of yourself will fill your mind’s eye – there you are, the calm, rosy-cheeked cook, perfectly prepared and smiling on Christmas morning (yes, SMILING!).

THE MEAT LOVE IS LIKE A BUTTERFLY

Michael de Gouvela, Head chef, The Avon Brewery “Our turkey breast is incredibly tender because we butterfly it – rub with garlic butter and cranberry sauce before rolling and roasting.”

THE MEAT GO SLOW

Nick Wentworth, Head chef, Howard’s House Hotel: “Use belly pork as your roasting meat for Christmas lunch.

The beauty of this is that it can be roasted long and slow and won’t dry out. You can put it in the oven before going to bed on Christmas Eve, let it do its thing overnight and then you’ll have plenty of time to prep the veg on Christmas morning.”

THE VEGGIES

SIZZLE AND STUFF

Nick Lamb, Head chef, The George and Dragon “Try sautéed leek and bacon as an alternative to traditional stuffing balls. Chop the leeks and dice the bacon – try and keep them roughly the same size. Sauté in a hot frying pan with butter and a very small amount of oil and add lots of seasoning.” www.mediaclash.co.uk I SALISBURY LIFE I 49



CHEFS’ CHRISTMAS TIPS THE WHOLE CABOODLE

THE MEAT TAKE A DIP

Adrian Watters, Head chef, Old Ale and Coffee House “Most Christmas turkeys are cooked to the point of annihilation and end up drier than a pair of sandals. Make your turkey moist by washing it and submerging it in four pints of water that has been boiled with six bay leaves, 300g salt, two chopped onions, a bottle of wine, juniper berries, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, thyme, half a dozen garlic cloves and a handful of peppercorns. Leave in the fridge for 24 hours, turning the bird once.

After that, it is ready to roast.”

THE MEAT SPICE IT UP

Supeerat Khunpatee, Head chef, Koh Thai Salisbury “Explore beyond the usual Christmas dinner and don’t shy away from exotic spices.

Try a tamarind glaze on your gammon for an unforgettable taste – great for Christmas lunch and breakfast the next morning.”

THE PUD

THE CAPTAIN’S LOG

Dave Sammons, Head chef, The Compasses Inn For a special treat on the day, I often serve a yuletide log instead of Christmas pudding. Put a bit of sherry and fruit in the cream that runs through the log and add some rum to the chocolate ganache.

Food makes a great Christmas gift too. I make flavoured olive oil for friends. First, sterilise the bottle and heat your oil so that it is too hot to touch but not boiling. Pour the oil into the bottle and add whatever flavours you are after – you can use garlic, seeded chillies or herbs. Rosemary works well as does thyme. You can also bottle olives in glass jars with flavoured oil.

Decorate the bottle or jar with a ribbon or a bit of cellophane. Homemade jams are a lovely gift too – whisky marmalade is one of my favourites.

50 I SALISBURY LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

Matthew Balls, Head chef, Holiday Inn Stonehenge “Do as much as you can the night before. You can even cook your turkey on Christmas Eve and then warm it up sliced on the 25th in a turkey stock.

Prepare the root vegetables, cook them in a pan with butter and olive oil to get a nice glaze and then roast them in the oven with maple syrup, rosemary and thyme. Half cook them and then heat them up on Christmas Day. Roast your potatoes the night before and leave them in a cool dry place ready to heat when needed – trust me, they will taste just as good as they would if you cooked them from scratch. All you need to cook on the day are your brussel sprouts.”

THE VEGGIES SPROUTS ‘N’ ALL

Giles Dickinson, Head chef, The Boot Inn “I like to cut my Brussel sprouts into quarters, season, add a little drop of oil and roast them in the oven at 220ºc for 10 minutes, add a drizzle of lemon juice and fried bacon and chestnuts when they come out, delicious.”

THE MEAT CRISPY SKIN

Paul Haysom, Head Chef, The Haunch of Venison You’ll need three hours for this (and I’m working my timings on a five-kilo bird).

At The Haunch of Venison we simply smear our turkeys in butter and season it with salt and pepper but you might choose to add your favourite herbs, spices and zest to the butter for extra taste and depth.

Use any offcuts – like the wings and the neck – as a trivet on which to place your turkey. Doing this will help the heat circulate so that the skin goes crisp all over and the juices give depth to the gravy. Cook in the middle of the oven for one-and-a-half hours – basting regularly – until the juices run clear. Rest for 30 minutes before serving.

From top to bottom: The Old Ale and Coffee House; sprouts and bacon - delicious!; The Holiday Inn Stonehenge; The Silver Plough

Honey-roast ham is a delicious alternative to turkey

The meat

The meat

Oh, honey!

Explore beyond the usual Christmas dinner and don’t shy away from exotic spices

Mike Reeves, Co-owner, The Silver Plough Honey-roast ham is a delicious alternative to turkey.

Soak the ham in cooled boiled water for 24 hours to remove all the salt. Take the skin off and score the fat in a criss-cross pattern. Stud the fat with cloves and then drown the ham in honey or maple syrup. Roast slowly at around 180 to 190ºC until it is golden brown. It goes well with rustic root vegetables and, although roast potatoes work, mash is better.”

The veggies

Rapeseed roasties

Chris Gilbert, Head Chef, Milford Hall Hotel “Instead of the stereotypical goose or duck fat on your roasties at Christmas this year why not try a Great British ingredient, Rapeseed Oil – we

Divide and conquer

Jonny Sutcliffe, Head chef (pictured with his brother, Sous Chef Tom Sutcliffe), The Riverbarn “Cook the crown and legs of your turkey separately. I find that the crown overcooks while I am waiting for the legs to finish.

We de-bone and stuff the legs and then slow cook. For an alternative to turkey, try beef or venison Wellington – you can add mushrooms for a lovely festive touch.”

use it here at the Seafood & Steak House for our smashing Sunday Lunches. Heat the rapeseed oil in your roasting tray, make sure the oven is lovely and hot – rapeseed oil can go smokeless to a really high temperature. Put your peeled spuds – either Maris

Piper or King Edwards are great for the job – in the tray and leave to cook. They leave a beautiful golden colour and a great crispy outer skin, perfect for your special festive lunch. These roasties will impress even the harshest of judges.” 

www.mediaclash.co.uk I SALISBURY LIFE I 51

Thursday Nights

Meal for 2 3 courses per person £19.95 + FREE bottle of house wine.

Friday Nights

Fish ’n’ chips + FREE drink £9.95.

Saturday Nights

Ribeye steak with all the trimmings £10.95.

CHEFS’ CHRISTMAS TIPS SALISBURY LIFE’S GUIDE TO DINING OUT THIS CHRISTMAS HOWARD’S HOUSE HOTEL is closed from 23–27

December, but it has wonderful alternatives to the usual festive fare in the build-up. All food is locally sourced and they grow much of their own produce. The hotel has also launched a new private functions facility called The Coach House with party menus from £25 per head.

Howard’s House Hotel, Teffont Evias, Salisbury; 01722 716392; www.howardshousehotel.co.uk

THE SILVER PLOUGH

is not open on the big day, but Christmas lunches and dinners are available through the rest of the festive season. Mike Reeves offers a traditional roast turkey lunch with sausage meat and cranberry stuffing, but can also rustle up a prawn, crayfish and rocket risotto, or a slow-cooked cinnamon pork and a lamb and root vegetable stew with kibbled onion dumplings (*mouth waters*). Christmas pudding to follow – of course – but don’t snub the treacle tart with stem ginger ice cream and a mulled wine and raspberry sorbet. Two courses cost £20.95; £25.95 for three courses.

The Silver Plough, White Hill, Salisbury SP5 1DU; 01722 712266; www.silverplough-pitton.co.uk

KOH THAI will be serving a festive menu with a twist. It includes Thai tapas dishes with an emphasis on beef and pork, a selection of Christmas cocktails, Thai-spiced mulled wine and winter Pimms. Keeping on the drinks theme, the restaurant will also be launching a special brandy cocktail. It won the restaurant’s recent in-house cocktail competition, leaving rival cocktails in a fizz. Koh Thai is shut on 25 and 26 December.

Koh Thai, 4 Endless Street, Salisbury. SP1 1DL; 01722 328216; www.koh-thai.co.uk

OLD ALE AND COFFEE HOUSE is closed on Christmas

Day, but open from midday Boxing Day with vinyl vibes.

Christmas two- or three-course lunches are available and for

parties there is potential for fun such as reindeer piñatas (for the big ones), cracker making (for the little ones) and magicians (for everyone).

Let’s go all-out! Will it be a fivecourse lunch on Christmas Day at the Bell Inn? Or a tasting menu on Boxing Day?

The Old Ale and Coffee House, 80 Crane Street, Salisbury, SP1 2QD; 01722 410541; www.oldaleandcoffeehouse.com

THE GEORGE AND DRAGON are taking bookings

for a seven-course Christmas Day lunch, priced at £50 a head and served between 1pm and 3.30pm. The Christmas Party menu will run from 21 November to 24 December and is priced at £15.95 for two courses and £19.95 for three.

The George and Dragon, 85 Castle Street, Salisbury; 01722 333122; www.georgeanddragonpub.co.uk

THE RIVERBARN is open on 25 Dec and serving a preordered Christmas lunch: turkey and all the trimmings, roast rib of Lower Chicksgrove beef, or pan-fried fillet of sea bass and a wild mushroom and chestnut pithivier. The cost is £90 per person, children up to the age of 12 cost £40.

The Riverbarn, Fonthill Bishop, Salisbury, BP3 5SF; 01747 820232; www.theriverbarn.org.uk

HOLIDAY INN STONEHENGE is open on

Christmas Day, serving a threecourse lunch featuring traditional roast turkey with pork, apple and sage stuffing, roast rump of lamb with sweet potato and goat’s cheese mash and a roasted Mediterranean and vegetable spinach pithivier. The cost is £60 per head (under-12s for £30 and under-5s eat for £15).

There are also special festive lunches or dinners throughout December priced at £22, and on Sundays, Father Christmas will make a special appearance at the carvery.

Holiday Inn Stonehenge, Mid Summer Place, Solstice Park, Amesbury, Wiltshire; www. hisalisbury-stonehenge.co.uk

THE COMPASSES INN is

open on Christmas day for your lunch. They will be serving food from 12-2pm but give them a ring for details of their Christmas menu – it was still under wraps when we went to press!

The Compasses Inn, Lower

Chicksgrove, Salisbury, SP3 6NB; 01722 714318; www.thecompassesinn.com

THE AVON BREWERY INN A four-course Christmas

Day lunch is available for £49.95 a head and this includes a glass of bubbly and tea/coffee with mince pies. There are festive drinks packages on sale on 24 December along with Christmas tapas. And Christmas parties offer a three-course meal at £19.95 a head.

The Avon Brewery Inn, 75 Castle Street, Salisbury, SP1 3SP; 01722 416184; www.avonbrewery.com

THE BELL INN is serving

Lunch at £15.95 per person when you can try the Head Chef’s rapeseed roasties for yourself!

Christmas dinner and discos on Thursday, Friday and Saturdays in December prices (from £33 per person). There’s a Christmas Wreath Making Workshop & Afternoon Tea on Tuesday 6 December (advanced tickets only, at £49). Festive Afternoon Teas are also available daily throughout December.

206 Castle Street, Salisbury, SP1 3TE Tel 01722 417411; www.milfordhallhotel.com

THE BOOT INN is adding

a few Christmas specials to its blackboard menu. It is open on Christmas Day but isn’t serving food, and on Boxing Day it will be providing what we imagine to be a very popular brunch. And relaaaaxxxx!

a five-course Christmas lunch on Christmas Day at a cost of £75 per head. On Boxing Day, there is a special Taste of Magic Dinner – a four-course tasting menu with a magician. They are also offering three-course party menus starting at £21.95 .

The Boot Inn, High Street, Berwick St. James, Salisbury; 01722 790243; www.theboot.pub

The Bell Inn, Brook, Lyndhurst, Hampshire. SO43 7HE; 023 8081 2214; www.bellinn-newforest.co.uk

THE HAUNCH OF VENISON is offering a three-

MILFORD HALL HOTEL & SPA will be open 7 days

a week throughout the festive period, offering Festive Lunches daily in the Seafood & Steak House Restaurant at £19.95 for two courses or £23.95 for three courses. They are also doing a three-course Festive Sunday

course set menu for £24.95.

Main courses include turkey and the trimmings, a craised shin of beef, a fillet of sea bass, and an artichoke vegetarian option. A good choice of starters and puds accompany.

Haunch of Venison, 1 Minster Street, Salisbury; 01722 411313; www.haunchpub.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I SALISBURY LIFE I 53

Restaurant & Guest House ‘Old World Charm – Modern British Cuisine’

BEAUTIFUL FOOD  REAL ALES  WONDERFUL SURROUNDINGS

Michelin Guide Recommended 2015 & 2016 AA Rosette for Culinary Excellence 2014, 2015 & 2016 Opentable Diners’ Choice Award Winner 2016

A friendly welcome, seasonally changing menu, south facing garden, function room, traditional skittle alley, relaxed atmosphere, regular events & themed evenings.

PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE OR LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE FOR ALL UPCOMING EVENTS.

‘The Granary’ Our stunning new barn accommodation View our superb 360º Image Tour on our website

/theriverbarn www.theriverbarn.org.uk www.opentable.co.uk

Fonthill Bishop Salisbury SP3 5SF

info@theriverbarn.org.uk

@TheRiverbarn

Reservations: 01747 820232

THE SILVER PLOUGH | White Hill | Pitton | Salisbury | SP5 1DU T. 01722 712266 | thesilverplough@hotmail.com www.silverplough-pitton.co.uk

CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR Christmas & New Year Celebrations 2016 CELEBRATIONS 2016 Whatever you’re planning for the 2016 Christmas party season, let PARTY Holiday NIGHTS Inn EARLY DISCO take care of it Fri 25th & Sat 26th November.

3 course meal and disco.

Early Disco Party Nights DECEMBER DISCO & ENTERTAINMENT NIGHTS Includes three course meal, crackers and novelties.

A fantastic set three course menu and great Disco Entertainment.

TRIBUTE NIGHTS HOLLYWOOD Friday 25th & Saturday 26th November

DISCO NIGHTS

2nd Dec Abba Girls Tribute £24Tribute 8th Dec Dance thro’ the Decades 1st, 3rd, 10th, 15th, 16th, 9th Dec Motown Tribute Night December Disco & Entertainment 22nd &Nights 23rd December 17th Dec Rod Stewart Tribute

Includes £39.95pp

Welcome to The Compasses Inn A friendly pub, venue and boutique hotel at the heart of a rural village, serving great local food & ales.

Book now for Christmas

The Compasses Inn | Damerham | Hampshire | SP6 3HQ 01725 518 231

www.compassesinndamerham.co.uk

£32pp three course meal, crackers and novelties. Get together with a group of FESTIVE LUNCHES & DINNERS friends and enjoy one ofBOXING our DAY & NEW YEARS DAY

Enjoy our delicious festive lunch or 3 course carvery lunch. celebratory dinner.

Disco or£22pp Entertainment nights.

NEW YEAR’S EVE FESTIVE SUNDAY CARVERY LUNCH Celebrate New Year's Eve 3 course carvery & visit from Father Hollywood Style. £61pp Christmas.

CHRISTMAS DAY Christmas lunch with all the trimmings, a glass of Prosecco on arrival and a visit from Father Christmas!

LET IT GO, LET IT GO Frozen - Sing along with Anna & Elsa Live. 26th November Adults £15 Child £10

For more details call 01980 677466 or visit www.hisalisbury-stonehenge.co.uk Holiday Inn Salisbury-Stonehenge, Solstice Park, Amesbury SP4 7SQ

WHY NOT STAY OVER? Rooms from only

£59

Giles & Cathy welcome you.

The Boot Inn • Sawday’s Special Places, Pubs and Inns Guide 2016 • Inclusion in the Good Food Guide for the past 8 years • Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence • Village Location • Large Beer Garden • Close to Stonehenge • Children Welcome • Dog Friendly Daily changing, fresh, seasonal menu.

British food, locally sourced where possible.

Fresh fish and chips on a Friday.

Home smoked meat and fish platters.

Themed food nights, last Friday of the month. (please call for details) High Street, Berwick St James, Salisbury, Wilts, SP3 4TN t: 01722 790243 • w: www.theboot.pub e: cathy@theboot.pub

Celebrate Christmas in one of the oldest pubs in the UK 3 COURSE CHRISTMAS SET MENU £24.95 Available from 1st of December. Call 01722 411 313 to book. (£5 per head deposit required)

THE HAUNCH OF VENISON 1 MINSTER STREET | SALISBURY | SP1 1TB 01722 411 313 | WWW.HAUNCHPUB.CO.UK

THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF TILES IN SALISBURY

OPENING HOURS Mon - Fri 07.30-17.00 Sat 09.00–17.00

www.salisburytilestore.net Salisbury Tile Store, Unit 2 Faraday Centre, Faraday Road, Salisbury SP2 7NR Also at: Unit 5, The Enterprise Centre, William Road, Nursteed, Devizes SN10 3EW

01722 325306

salisburytilestore@hotmail.co.uk

Fashion/gifts/stores/more

MEASURE FOR MEASURE We asked Gareth at Cambridge Wine Merchants to come up with five whiskies to warm a winter’s evening.

He searched the globe – well, Texas, Japan and Scotland, anyway – and came up trumps. Here’s his pick: Ardbeg 10yo Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky 46%

“Super pale, like fino sherry, but don’t be mistaken thinking that it’s gentle… a hefty dollop of iodine and peat smoke, with ginger and some green apple notes.”

Balvenie 12yo DoubleWood Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 40%

“Nose: sherry and orange skins.

Palate: beautifully combined mellow flavours – nutty, sweet, sherry, very orangy fruitiness, heather, cinnamon spiciness. Finish: long, tingling.”

Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength Highland Single Malt Scotch 60%

“A light, fragrant sherryish nose.

This is a full-bodied malt with hints of vanilla and fruit, and a long, smooth, well-rounded finish.”

Balcones Baby Blue Texas Corn Whisky 46%

Nikka Pure Malt Black 43% 50cl (Japanese)

“A corn whisky made from atole, which is a roasted blue corn meal.

The resulting taste is a round nuttiness with roasty overtones and a nice, smooth finish.”

“With its subtle balance of fruit and refined peat notes, the Nikka Pure Malt Black is complex and ideal for the connoisseur in search of a mellow, yet intriguing whisky.”

5 Winchester Street, Salisbury SP1 1HB; www.cambridgewine.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I SALISBURY LIFE I 59

1

2

3

COSY COMFORTS AUTUMN IN FULL SWING, CHRISTMAS JUST AROUND THE CORNER… TIME TO WARM THINGS UP A BIT

4

1. HARE TODAY…

Cushion £27.50 Soft, cuddly and original, this looks great on a chair, sofa or bed. Or chucked on the floor by disrespectful kids. Once they’ve gone to bed though, grab it, shake it off, hug it and warm your toes under it.

From Fisherton Mill 108 Fisherton Street, Salisbury, 01722 500200 www.fishertonmill.co.uk

2. SPICE UP YOUR LIFE

3. COLONEL MUSTARD

4. ZIP IT UP

Candle £6.50 Handmade candles crafted from aromatic beeswax and coconut oil, the scents blend with pure essential oils of orange and cinnamon. Whether in the bathroom or the hearth, the effect is warming and joyful.

From The India Shop, Honeystreet Mill, Honey Street Village, Pewsey Vale, 01672 851155 www.theindiashop.co.uk

Armchair starts at £405 This chair mixes modern with traditional. We picked it in Amstel Mustard fabric but there’s a whole range of colours to choose from and you can contrast buttons with fabric for added oomph.

From Harry Wood Interiors, 07590 460454 www.harrywoodinteriors.com

Men’s jumper £139.00 A grey ¾-zip lambswool knit made in Scotland. We think it’ll look great when worn in a pub sitting next to a roaring fire, but maybe that’s just us.

From Regent Tailoring, 73 New Street, Salisbury, 01722 335151; www.regenttailoring.co.uk

60 I SALISBURY LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

6

ED’S CHOICE

SHOPPING

5

7 8

9

5. WOOLLY WONDER

6. CASH IN ON CASHMERE

7. THE BLACK STUFF

8. P-PICK UP A PENGUIN

9. BURNING RING OF FIRE

Scarf 24.99 A fine wool check with the softest of poms-poms, this scarf is made by aptly-named Envy. How could you resist – once it’s on you’ll have to prise it off come bedtime…

From Conker Women’s Fashions, 11 The Maltings, Salisbury, 01722 328442, www.conkerclothes.net

Fingerless gloves £25 Warm your wrists and your fingers will be toasty too.

These ‘turtle doves’ (that’s Cockney rhyming slang for gloves, you know) are made from recycled cashmere!

From OSOboutique, 2 St Thomas’s Square, Salisbury, 01722 323465, www.osoboutique.co.uk

Coal scuttle £95 This copper scuttle is in the helmet style, circa 1920. (Note: a handy place to store chopped wood, newspapers, conkers and all sorts of other daily-life debris if you don’t do coal.)

From Salisbury Antiques Centre, 01722 410634, salisburyantiquescentre.com

Doorstop £24 This Polly Penguin Doorstop comes with knitted hat and scarf and is so damn cute!

A great gift for any age.

From Pure Comfort, 3 Winchester Street, Salisbury, 01722 322596, www.pure-comfort.co.uk

Silver Entwine ring £215 This earthy ring is set with red garnet and citrines.

Designer Elinor Cambray is inspired by nature and plants and this piece is so reminiscent of autumn.

From Elinor Cambray, 75 New Street, Salisbury, 07892 684 676; www.elinorcambray.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I SALISBURY LIFE II 61 www.mediaclash.co.uk I CLIFTON LIFE 69

Just a shop it is not Sometimes saying what something isn’t is the perfect way to describe what it is. So if Beulah’s isn’t a shop, what is it? A treasure trove? Emporium?

Market? No – as Biba Fry discovers when she visits – it’s a magical attic

Julie’s attic is stocked with retro, rustic and revamped vintage homewares

xx I SALISBURY LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

SPECIAL SHOPS

Above: Rustic products have always been popular with Beulah’s customers but now they are stocking more retro goodies, like this immaculate Ercol table and the quirky orange cake stand, front of shot

I

t has been decided in our house (not by me) that should another piece of furniture cross the threshold, we won’t actually be able to move anymore. We will have to dig down and tunnel out, apparently, although I have a hunch this is an exaggeration. So it’s with trepidation that I announce a visit to Beulah’s Vintage Attic in Shipton Bellinger, nervously sharing the tantalizing website with the man of the house…

He looks at me in a way that he will describe later as caring but I take to be the way you look at a person fresh out of detox who suggests a whisky-tasting course. I’m a vintage furniture junkie and he’s peeved. The chaise longue, the chinese cupboard, the dressing table, the hooks, shelves, pictures, bowls and endless, endless blankets. Not to mention the line-up of ‘one-off’ glasses – whisky, sherry, hi-ball, vino, cut-glass, cocktail – that fill a shelf. He loves them all but enough is enough. No room at the inn. Ça suffit!

I petulantly play my trump card – “It’s for work, OK?” – and press Go on the sat nav.

Clanking up the wrought-iron steps and pushing through the pink door, it’s a bit like going home. It feels like the covered markets of the 1990s, where vintage clothes sellers squeeze in with antique dealers, where real collectors hum and haw alongside anyone else

SHOPPING

who likes a bit of quirk. Julie’s attic is stocked with a selection of retro, rustic and revamped vintage homewares, antiques and furniture from 15 regular sellers and a few choice items from people who drop by on the off-chance.

“Ever since I’ve been here,” says Julie, “I’ve always kept the stock fresh. I don’t want it to be stagnant. You see, people have to drive here and I don’t want anyone making all that effort, then coming in and thinking they’ve seen it all before.” Julie really cares about her customers 

www.mediaclash.co.uk I SALISBURY LIFE I 63

SHOPPING

SPECIAL SHOPS

Above and right: Julie works hard to keep stock fresh and moving. Her café (right) is a haven of warmth, chat and good cake

and as we sit down for coffee and cake (giant rounds of sponge cake ensconced in vintage glass domes) in the café, she seems to have an inexhaustible number of ideas for Beulah’s to keep them coming.

Workshops in calligraphy, needle-felted figures, Christmas wreaths and sewing are on the schedule for November and December. Julie works with upscale Merchant and Mills for dressmaking classes and has recently decided to turn some space in the attic permanently over to workshops.

The stuff in the shop – like the classes – is well priced compared to town and Julie confesses they often get dealers picking bits up here and marking them up for resale in bigger places nearby. While we take a tour of the shop, Julie points out a few bits – an upcycled greypainted kitchen stool with upbeat Tube-line fabric for £20 (a steal), an elegant dining chair with footstool that has been re-upsholstered in high-quality navy tartan (so tempting, so tempting), a long dining table with two long benches aside (oh, why didn’t we extend our kitchen when we had the money?).

“Our ethos is to sell nice things at good prices,” she says simply. (Oh my goodness, it’s like torture.) “Rustic stuff sells better than anything else at the moment - upcycled, quirky in some way. But we’re seeing a change now, we’re seeing more interest in retro – the Swedish, quiet, blond woods. Just simple good design coming back in.” As she says this, we pass a flawless square Ercol table.

“We’re sensitively talking to a retro seller now. That’s the direction we’re going to go I think.” As well as furniture, there’s crockery, books, vinyl, toys, clothes and accessories. And vintage crockery hire. And coffee and cake. Did I mention the coffee and cake?

64 I SALISBURY LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

HEAVEN AWAITS

Julie is surrounded by creative sellers and craftspeople who work with her to find the very best bits for her attic. Her daughter Hannah’s genius in styling (she’s the calligraphy master too), Emmie Finn’s wonderful photography and her husband who is brilliant at ‘building things’ [sic] combine. And she has her own ability to spot what people want and move with trends.

So what about the name Beulah? I ask Julie before I leave and she says it was a commonplace name for girls in 1920s America and that she always really loved it. After the tiniest bit more research I find that Beulah has been used in literature – notably Bunyon’s Pilgrim’s Progress – as the name of a mystical place, somewhere between earth and heaven.

That figures. Climb the steps to Beulah’s Vintage Attic – heaven awaits.

Beulah’s Vintage Attic, Toogood & May Auctioneers, Salisbury Rd, Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, SP9 7UN. Opening hours: Winter hours 10.30-4pm. Closed on Wednesdays. Open on Sundays when possible. Check Beulah’s Facebook page for up-to-date information.

BEULAH IS THE NAME OF A MYSTICAL PLACE, SOMEWHERE

BETWEEN EARTH AND HEAVEN.

THAT FIGURES

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Adventures in party-going

SNAPPED! AC ROS S S A L IS B U RY, O N E S H I N D I G AT A T I M E

SCRUM DOWN

Paul and Sue Welling, Paul Appleby, Nick Phillips, Olivia Harker and Dee Phillips

Over 100 lucky guests attended the Salisbury Rugby Club Sportspersons’ Dinner at the Guildhall in September. Special guests at the event were Richard A Hill MBE (England World Cup Winner and British Lions player), Tim Stimpson (Leicester England and British Lions) and John Glen (Salisbury MP) and the evening raised £10,000 towards the club’s All Change project to build muchneeded new changing rooms at their Castle Road clubhouse.

Photos by John Rose Photography

Richard Larcombe and Tim Stimpson

Chris Metson, Mick and Ellen Brown, Barry and Sandy White and Richard Larcombe

James and Vicoria Jordan (right) with the team from Jordan’s Sales and Letting Agents

Neil Bowditch, Amanda Robertson and Nicola Rawnson

Tim Fullerlove and Oliver Saunders

66 I SALISBURY LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Declan McGregor, David Williamson-Jones, John Beard and Allan Gribben

SOCIETY

PRIVATE VIEW

James Mckillop, David Mckillop, Charles Matthews and Kit Harding

Wilsons law firm, which has a long history in Salisbury (30 years, no less), held its summer party at Salisbury Museum in September.

Champagne, canapés and lively chat mixed with the chance to have a private viewing of the Constable Exhibition - including his Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows, 1831, in all its glory.

Photos by John Rose Photography

Alice Vale, Charles Lynne and Denise Owen

Susanna Dennonton and Jane Weston

Adam Cavalier, Liz Ballantyne, Rupert Wilkinson and Bob Ballantyne

THE EYES HAVE IT

Jenny McNeil and Jim Root

Mark Jones Eye Care hosted an eye-health evening during its debut Frame Festival Week of 2016. Guests were treated to a fascinating talk on how your diet affects eye health and found out some good news in the process.

It’s official – a little red wine is definitely good for you! The event was held in the lovely riverside Culture Coffee.

Photos by John Rose Photography

Jasmine Mcloed, Hugh Blackbourn and Sarah Fletcher

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Shake-ups/launches/intel/promotions

S A L IS B U RY G E T S S ER I O US

Above: Salisbury Arts Centre; Right: Salisbury Playhouse

AN ARTS MERGER

A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR THE ARTS Exciting plans emerge for our arts organisations to combine forces Three arts organisations in Salisbury are looking to join forces in order to maximise diversity, reach and funding.

Bringing together the three centres - The Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival, Salisbury Arts Centre and Salisbury Playhouse – will hopefully deliver a stronger case to public funders and secure a bright future for the arts in Wiltshire.

Salisbury is already renowned as a centre of excellence for the arts, with a varied offer and engaging with audiences of 180,000 per year but, with arts organisations across England soon applying to Arts Council England for funding for the four-year period from 2018, discussions are currently taking place as to how a new joint venture could work.

Trustees for the three arts centres said that they “contribute significantly to the city’s economy while raising its profile at a regional, national and international level. These discussions provide an opportunity for the organisations to explore ways of deepening their relationship and we are really excited at the opportunities that closer collaboration could bring, creating an even stronger arts offering for the county.”

THE THREE PLAYERS

Salisbury Playhouse is one of the UK’s leading theatres and an arts and educational charity. It has a national reputation for home-grown work and through its Original Drama programme it champions new plays from and inspired by the South West.

The annual 16-day Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival blazed into life in 1973 with a performance

by Paco Peña and it is a leading commissioning and producing Festival which attracts over 58,000 attendances each year and contributes £3m to the regional economy.

Salisbury Arts Centre’s artistic policy is based on the belief that the arts make life better and that everyone should have the opportunity to experience them. The Arts Centre presents theatre, music, dance, comedy, family shows, films, live screenings, exhibitions and workshops and is based in what was St Edmund’s church.

www.salisburyartscentre.co.uk; www.salisburyplayhouse.com; www.salisburyfestival.co.uk

QUOTE OF THE ISSUE

“THE SECRET’S IN THE PREPPING OF THE DOUGH” Slinky Fox secrets p71

£3m THE BIG NUMBER

The Arts Festival’s contribution to the local economy Find out more on the left

www.mediaclash.co.uk I SALISBURY LIFE I 69

BUSINESS INSIDER

because I’ve always had a passion for food. As part of my resettlement on leaving the army, I was offered a number of courses but I couldn’t find one that I liked so I created my own and trained with Ricardo, an Italian pizzaiolo with 25 years experience who has taught me my art. This is why my pizzas taste so great – they’re authentically Italian.

What’s your business model?

The Slinky Fox is a ‘pop up’ but we cater mainly for weddings, corporate events and pizza parties. I’m particularly keen to get children involved with food so they understand how wonderful it is to eat healthily.

That’s why we offer children’s parties where they can get their hands on the dough and create their own pizzas.

FLOUR POWER

A POP-UP PIZZAIOLO From combat to cuisine, Kay Fox has ended a 12-year career in the army and is now bringing the taste of Italy to Salisbury through her traditional pizza-making business, The Slinky Fox

W

ith apologies to Janis Joplin, Kay Fox wants another little pizza your heart, and she’s going for it via your stomach.

After working in the army for 12 years, full-time mum and all round superwoman Kay decided it was time for a change.

When she came across the best pizza she’d ever tasted, The Slinky Fox was conceived. Kay began trading in early August and already the good folk of Salisbury are wolfing down her authentic Italian woodfired pizzas at every opportunity. The secret’s in the prepping of the dough for 36 hours and then stretching it by hand, you know.

How did you end up in these parts?

Originally from Hereford, I first came to Salisbury in 2005 when I was posted here with the army. I then left and got posted back here in 2010 and 2014. I was always adamant that I would return to Hereford after the military but Salisbury has captured my heart so we’re putting down roots here. There’s so much to do for those with a young family.

How did Slinky Fox come about?

I needed to make a big change in my life so that I could balance motherhood with a career. I couldn’t bear the thought of missing out on my son Otis’s younger years.

In February this year, The Slinky Fox was just an idea and by August I’d launched the business.

What was your ‘aha’ moment in deciding to launch it?

I went to the Bakewell Baking Festival last year and tasted what can only be described as the best pizza I’ve ever had. It spurred me on to see what I could create

Artisan pizza entrepreneur Kay Fox is chef proprietor of The Slinky Fox

I TRAINED WITH RICARDO, AN ITALIAN PIZZAIOLO WITH 25 YEARS EXPERIENCE WHO HAS TAUGHT ME MY ART

How is The Slinky Fox different to other pizza offerings in the area?

We are very particular about the provenance of our ingredients and I spend a lot of time prepping my dough. I make my dough 24 to 36 hours in advance in order to allow the sugars and proteins in the flour to break down. This makes it easier to digest so our pizzas are lighter than normal pizzas. I use fior di latte mozzarella, which is slightly drier than normal mozzarella and means you don’t get pools of water on the top of your pizza. We don’t do soggy bottoms; no one likes a soggy bottom!

Do you have any sustainability practices?

I use Biopac for my take-away pizza boxes and napkins.

It’s one of our values to remain as sustainable and local as possible. I source all the ingredients for our toppings as locally as possible. We have used some of the rather wonderful Hungerford Park Farms charcuterie and we’re working alongside the Cotswold Curer too. We have very little waste. I’d rather sell out than keep too much stock and have to throw it away.

How’s it going so far? Highs and lows?

At the moment the lows are working extremely long days and nights as I am the owner, pizzaiolo, accountant, marketing manager… but it will all be worth it. The highs are getting such fantastic feedback. On social media, people are raving about my pizzas and it’s amazing to know that people are willing to travel to get a piece of my pizza!

How did you finance your start-up?

I had some savings and I looked at the cost of business loans and other loans but they all seemed expensive in comparison to using interest-free credit cards so that’s what I’m rolling with at present. I’ll have to use an interest-free balance transfer when my terms come to an end with my existing providers.

How can people get a piece of your pizza?

Every Friday I’m at the Salisbury Football Club car park from 3pm–9pm and people can come and collect. I am looking at the option of delivery but this is currently a work in progress. www.facebook.com/theslinkyfox

www.mediaclash.co.uk I SALISBURY LIFE I 71

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BUSINESS INSIDER

visiting the homes and extra care schemes. I think it is essential for me to have regular contact with residents and relatives, as well as spending time with the staff in each home.

Are you a Salisbury man born and bred?

I’m originally from the Reading area but now live in Swindon. My early career was in retail and I moved into the care sector in 2005. I joined OSJCT in 2013 and it’s the third care provider I’ve worked with and the first in the charity sector.

CARE PROVIDER

NO PLACE LIKE HOME Running a not-for-profit business specialising in care homes and housing schemes is challenging but satisfying. Kevin Hall agrees wholeheartedly

K

evin Hall is the operations director for The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT), which is one of the largest not-for-profit care providers for older people in the UK. It’s the largest care home provider in Wiltshire, and its most recent opening is the new Avonbourne Care Centre in Old Sarum.

Tell us a little about your business…

Avonbourne Care Centre opened earlier this year and is a wonderful new home for the former residents of Stratford Court, a much older home in Salisbury.

Avonbourne offers residential and dementia care for up to 120 older people, in modern, but homely surroundings. We provide the care and support our residents need to maintain a good quality of life (all bedroom are ensuite) and we believe in encouraging residents to socialise so are proud of the lovely communal facilities Avonbourne offers.

What is your role at OSJCT? I am responsible for running care homes and the extra care housing schemes that we operate. They are in Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Lincolnshire but we also have a few sites outside those core areas, for example in Arundel, Bury St Edmunds and Newcastle.

I support the homes to deliver the highest possible standards of care.

I think my day is typical of many people’s these days with a mixture of meetings, telephone conversations and emails. No two days are the same and I appreciate the endless variety.

Do you have much involvement with the residents in the homes?

My current role involves less direct contact with residents but that said, I do spend as much time as I can

Job satisfaction is key for Kevin Hall who moved from retail to the care provider sector

What do you consider to be the best tools for growth in your business?

It has to be communication! Conversations will always be the most powerful and appropriate tools, whether they be with potential self-pay residents and their families or local authority partners. All options for growth need a good conversation to start with.

What are the main challenges in running OSJCT? The highest priority and the greatest challenge is always to provide the highest quality of care to the nearly 4,000 residents who live in our homes. To do this we need to have an empowered and high-quality team working in homes that people want to live in.

The balance – for everyone in the care sector between self-funder and local authority income is key to maintaining a successful business, and we are no different in facing this challenge.

If you could go back 10 years, what business advice would you give yourself?

I’d tell myself to be confident and have belief in my transferable skills. With the benefit of hindsight, I’d say: “The care sector is where you belong, you will enjoy the work you do and you will find good job satisfaction and success there.”

Your biggest business regret?

No real regrets but if I knew then what I know now, I would have moved from retail to the care sector sooner.

I THINK IT IS ESSENTIAL FOR ME TO HAVE REGULAR CONTACT WITH RESIDENTS AND RELATIVES

And your proudest business triumph?

It would be successfully moving to a completely new sector – which is full of complexities - and being more successful in a second career.

What are your hobbies?

I love photography and I have a Nikon DSLR which I use a lot on holiday. I’m also an avid Formula 1 fan and reader of fiction. Favourite authors are Clive Cussler, James Paterson, Lee Child and Harlen Coben, to name but a few.

What’s your most effective work-stress busting technique?

For me the oldest are the best – after a tough day I find chilling with a good book or a travel documentary and a cold glass of wine do the trick.

OSJCT’s Wiltshire office is in Trowbridge, at the White Horse Business Park. Contact them on 01225 710700; www.osjct.co.uk/

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BUSINESS INSIDER

NEWS STORIES Our pick of the most exciting, intriguing or important local business stories happening right now

BASSETS IS TOP DOG AT FUNDRAISING AWARDS Following a successful year of fundraising at Bassets Sales & Lettings, the independent estate agent has been awarded with the Best Fundraising Team at the national Agents Giving Awards.

So far this year, Bassets has sponsored and attended eight community events – Downton Cuckoo Fair, Sixpenny Handley Festival, Amesbury Carnival, Dogs Trust Fun Day, Durrington Show, Shrewton Flower Show, Donhead Fete and Salisbury Contemporary Craft & Heritage Festival. The company took part in the Salisbury

Business Bake Off and also three members of the Bassets team did a charity skydive.

Bassets raised a staggering £5,620 this year and have also donated £2,500 to local projects and community initiatives.

The awards ceremony was held in London on 30 September. A judge commented: “Bassets are an amazing team and the award is well deserved. Well done!”.

To find out more about Bassets community work, visit www.bassets.co.uk

A grant of £20,000 for boy choristers

NEW MONEY FOR THE BOYS CHOIR Salisbury Cathedral Boys Choir has been given £20,000 as an endowment grant to support its boy choristers. The cheque was presented to the Dean of Salisbury by Roger Bishton, Secretary of the Friends of Cathedral Music (FCM). FCM is a charity set up to protect the heritage of cathedral music which is handing out a total of £600,000 this year to support cathedral and church music in the UK. Friends of Cathedral Music; www.fcm.org.uk

DIGITAL AD VAN Bassets fundraisers recognised for their efforts

BIG PLANS FOR THE STUDIO Studio Theatre has launched its £350,000 fundraising bid to build a twostorey extension to its premises on Ashley Road. The extension will mean extra dressing rooms, a scenery dock, rehearsal room and storage space.

Studio Theatre chairman George Goulding said: “We know there is a lot of support locally and we will be seeking help from the South Wiltshire community whether it is goods in kind, expertise and advice, practical assistance or plain hard cash.”

Contact Peter Mitchell on 01722 501399 and peter.mitchell@ntlworld.com if you’d like to get involved and help the theatre 74 I SALISBURY LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Salisbury BID is hiring a digital advertising van in the run-up to Christmas. Every Thursday and Saturday from 24 November to 2 December the van will drive around the city, parking up at key locations. The side of the van will display an ever-changing digital screen including an area for businesses to promote flash sale offers that will each last 60 minutes. Contact Salisbury BID if your business is interested in advertising a flash sale over the busy shopping period.

Email kat@salisburybid.co.uk to book a digital advert

KOH THAI ON HIGH Koh Thai Tapas in Salisbury has been shortlisted for this year’s Asian Curry Awards (along with five other Koh Thai branches). Check out our Christmas Dinner tip from Koh Thai Salisbury’s Head Chef on page 50. www.koh-thai.co.uk

SALISBURY PAST AND PRESENT

A fantastic effort from Emma Zielinski and Kylie Jessey

OVERCOMING ALL OBSTACLES Two gutsy employees at the Peugeot dealership in Salisbury have raised £440 for Children In Need, taking on the Spartan Race, the world’s leading obstacle course.

Colleagues Emma Zielinski and Kylie Jessey tackled the tough 5km+ Sprint course in Windsor Great Park, a race that included 15 obstacles involving hill climbing, barbed-wire crawls and fire jumping.

The Peugeot and BBC Children in Need partnership has spanned four years, with the car manufacturer raising £1 million for the charity which works to support disadvantaged children in the UK. To find out more about Peugeot’s Westover Group Salisbury Dealership, visit www.westovergroup.co.uk/ peugeot/ or call 01722 430670

Wilsons law firm in Salisbury has published the second issue of its legal and lifestyle magazine. It’s got a mix of practical features on subjects as diverse as pension funds, divorce and family building and advice on matters that affect us all – like changes to the law on Stamp Duty.

Those intrigued by the history of Salisbury will find one of the features particularly interesting: the firm’s intake of trainee solicitors has taken on a challenge to find out about the company’s 300-year heritage in the city and have unearthed some surprising – and delightful – documents like, for instance, the diary of an office boy from the 1900s. A great insight into the city’s social history!

You can also meet Help for Heroes founder and accomplished illustrator Bryn Parry and get the lowdown on Salisbury Museum’s new exhibition. www.wilsonslaw.com

SPEAKING UP ON CLIMATE CHANGE Members of the Climate Coalition gathered at St Thomas’ Church, Salisbury, on 13 October and marched to the Guildhall as part of the Speak Up nationwide week of action on climate change. Speakers included the CEO of Christian Aid, Loretta Minghella; Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s Gary Mantle; and the Bishop of Salisbury, Nicholas Holtam on subjects as diverse as fracking, the decline of butterflies and the halving of the number of birds in Wiltshire.

Salisbury marches to raise awareness about climate change

weekofaction.org.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I SALISBURY LIFE I 75

BUSINESS INSIDER

CROSS KEYS KITS OUT SALISBURY FC Cross Keys Arcade, established in the heart of Salisbury for over 25 years, is sponsoring Salisbury FC’s training kit for the 2016/17 football season.

Amanda Newbery, Chief Executive of Salisbury FC said: “We’re delighted to have Cross Keys as a sponsor and it is great to see a prominent landlord supporting their local team. Our relationship is a great example of working closely with our neighbours.

Visitors to our home matches are often local but those visiting from afar often stop in town and Cross Keys Arcade provides somewhere central with great shops and a wonderful choice of places to eat.”

Fixtures and match tickets: www.salisburyfc.co.uk

Salisbury FC striker Justin Bennett shows off the new kit

Students present the obligatory ‘big cheque’ to Malaria No More

WILTSHIRE MIDWIFE SHORTLISTED FOR AWARD

MALARIA NO MORE Dauntsey’s has presented a cheque for almost £13,500 to Malaria No More, the school’s chosen charity for the academic year 2015/16. Pupils selected the charity after Old Dauntseian Alex Carter, who contracted a near fatal strain of malaria in 2008 and is now a champion of the charity, came to the school and delivered a moving and thought-provoking talk about the disease and its devastating impact in Africa where almost 90% of malaria deaths occur.

76 I SALISBURY LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

The majority of the funds raised came from sponsorship of those pupils who took part in the gruelling Devizes to Westminster canoe race at Easter this year. The remainder of the money was raised through a series of events at Dauntsey’s, including the school swimathon where students swam a total of 186 miles. www.dauntseys.org www.malarianomore.org.uk

As part of the Real World Parenting Awards (supported by Infacol), which recognises people who go above and beyond to support new parents during the first year, Sarah Mobley – Wiltshire Midwife Assistant – has been shortlisted for her work in whole family care.

The Awards have categories for superstar health professionals as well as for caring friends and family who go the extra mile.

With as many as 20% of new mums suffering mental health issues in the first year, Sarah’s work has been very important. She was recognised as being the driving force behind a new project to support new parents through any psychological issues. The award winners will be announced during November. www.infacol.co.uk

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PROPERTY

SHOWCASE

WILTON PLACE A Georgian country house in Wilton with the allure of town twinkling in the distance

By L I LY BR E N D ON

Xxxxxxx 78 LIFE I I www.mediaclash.co.uk www.mediaclash.co.uk 112I I SALISBURY CLIFTON LIFE

SHOWCASE

PROPERTY

SATISFYING A LUST FOR THE LAND AND A PULL TO THE THROB OF URBAN LIFE

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PROPERTY

SHOWCASE

T

he location of this late-Georgian Grade-II country house is the perfect marriage of town and country. Satisfying a lust for the land and a pull to the throb of urban life, Wilton Place is a two-acre plot which sits in the small market town of Wilton just three miles from splendid Salisbury. Georgian poet William Cowper’s never-the-twain proclamation “God made the country and man made the town” rings untrue here.

So what to the feel of the place? Although it sits just a hop and a skip (literally) from the main street in Wilton don’t expect the humdrum of high-street life. Steel yourself to enter another world as you cross its threshold, float through the dramatic marble hallway with central staircase and survey the formal gardens bordered by river at the back.

IN WITH THE OLD…

Although recently renovated, it’s a testimony to the sympathetic nature of the then-owners’ changes that Wilton Place’s Austen-esque character often fights its way to the fore, overshadowing the modern-day comforts which are also on offer.

A grand dining room? Tick. A drawing room with floorto-ceiling windows? Tick. Commanding views of the gardens from the first floor? Yup. Private and level lawns, green and boxed? Definitely – I’m off for a turn. And a pond – an engineering triumph in the 18th century – which lines up alongside other garden features including oak-clad pavilion, a secret garden and a pergola.

AND IN WITH THE NEW

But hang on, the house also offers a cosy family lounge, a modern and well-appointed kitchen, a totally tanked basement (which is now an office, gym and wine store), a wetroom and an annexe with private access. The 80 I SALISBURY LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

The central staircase is wonderful and the formal gardens a highlight too

HOUSE NUMBERS

7

bedrooms

6

bathrooms

£3.35M price

1

wine cellar

2

acres

1

walled secret garden

first-floor bedrooms are high-ceilinged and large, while the top floor serves up a staple of modern living – two en-suite bedrooms, a study, sitting room, occasional bedroom, guest WC and kitchenette. In other words, a discrete living space for family members who can bear a bit of independence (and distance!).

Wilton Place was built in 1795 for the Olivier family, glove makers and ancestors of not only actor Sir Laurence but also author Emily Olivier. In the mid-1800s it became the rectory for the parish church of St Mary and St Nicholas which boasts a magnificent 105ft-high campanile, built in the Romanesque style by Thomas Henry Wyatt and listed Grade I. Canon Olivier – father to Emily – took up residence and the house stayed as the rectory until 1967 when it was bought by a local architect.

There’s such a pleasing symmetry to Wilton Place – its red-brick front and central portico, and its wonderful balance between the pleasures of the country and the magic of the town.

Stutt and Parker, 41 Milford Street, SP1 2BP; 01722 567946; www.struttandparker.com/offices; salisbury@struttandparker.com

S A L I S B U RY L I V E S

Q&A

W

hen you tell people you’re an author, you may get a raised eyebrow or an ‘ooo-get-you’ look but it’s when you tell them you’re self-published that they start treating you like a rare species. Julia Edwards is an independent children’s author and, fresh from the Waterstones launch of her fourth book, she opens up to us about the mysterious world she inhabits…

Are you Salisbury born and bred?

Not exactly but I did grow up in Lyndhurst. I read Modern Languages at Cambridge, and then worked as an Orchestral Touring Manager in London but all the time I was away I missed the New Forest. When my husband got a job back in the area, I was delighted.

These days, which part of the region do you call home?

I live in Laverstock, and I really like it – feels like a village, but very close to Salisbury. We have a house with a huge garden and a river, where we will live for the rest of our lives. And – a sight that always lifts my heart - we can see the cathedral spire from the garden.

Tell us about your writing I’m writing a series for eight- to 12-year-old children.

The Scar Gatherer begins when Joe Hopkins slips through time and finds himself in Roman Britain.

It’s the start of a sequence of adventures that see him riding with vikings, hunting with the Tudors, and trying to save London from the greatest threat it has ever faced. I’ve just published the fourth book, The Demon in the Embers.

How did you find writing – or did it find you?

I started to write as a hobby: to begin with, it was bits of improvisation and some short stories. Early on, I did the NaNoWriMo challenge (National Novel Writing Month), where you write a 50,000 word novel during November. I have no intention of ever looking at that novel again but the process definitely helped me to learn the discipline of writing!

Any tips for wannabe writers?

I’ve two: write even when you don’t feel like it and finish what you’re working on.

JULIA EDWARDS The upside of being a self-published author is a flexible life and total control over your leather-bound beauties, Julia Edwards explains People talk about turning points in their lives.

What prompted you to move from hobbyist writer to jobbing author?

It was a huge leap giving up my job to write.

Whether you go down the traditional publishing route, or take the indie route, it will be a few years before you start earning money from it, and it may never be enough to be a living! You’re better off writing in the evenings and at weekends for as long as you can bear to. But when I finally left my job after 10 years of part-time writing, my husband and I had already agreed that he would support me while I took the plunge. I was so much happier working as a writer.

What’s involved in self-publishing?

As an independent author, my work is varied. I wrote my own website ready for the publication of The Scar Gatherer series, which I update regularly, and overhaul every time I have a new book out. I also do my own marketing and promotion, finance, distribution management, and book production.

The only thing I don’t do is design the covers.

When I decided to publish the series myself, I knew I would have to get a really good cover for the first book. I was impressed by the range of covers by Peter O’Connor at bespokebookcovers.com. In some ways, it’s the most exciting part of the project, receiving his design for each new book! I can’t wait until I’ve got all seven books!

Whose writing do you love?

I really like books with a strong sense of place and mood, whether they’re adult books or for children.

The Dark is Rising series for older children by Susan Cooper is fantastic for that, and really exciting, as is Philip Pullman’s wonderful Northern Lights trilogy.

82 I SALISBURY LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

What issue gets you on your soapbox?

The government’s insistence on children learning endless pointless grammar. The basics are a good thing but the trouble is it paralyses children when they write because they’re terrified of making mistakes.

We should be freeing our children’s imaginations and helping them communicate what’s in their heads, not fencing them in with technical jargon.

Tell us about one of your most prized possessions My flute. I played it until I was in my twenties but I don’t play it often these days, so I’m very rusty which is rather sad. But now and then, I get it out and play it all the same. My dad is a very good pianist, and just last month, we played through some of the old pieces we used to play together. It was a huge pleasure!

What’s your favourite place to eat in the area?

We have a bit of a takeaway habit – you’ll find me at Hox Brasserie collecting our dinner every couple of weeks at least. My great food passion, though, is sushi. If a sushi shop opened here, I would try to single-handedly keep it open!

What always makes you laugh?

The book I most wish I had written, which is called The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by Mary Ann Schaffer. That book makes me laugh out loud every time I reread it.

Your indulgence of choice?

Smoked salmon. My sister-in-law once gave me what she thought was a month’s supply for my birthday.

Two days later, it was all gone. www.scargatherer.co.uk