Lincolnshire Pride June 2024

Welcome

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Summer will finally be here as you read this, and we’re thrilled to report that there’s much to enjoy across Lincolnshire, not least among which is the Lincolnshire Show, which attracts over 70,000 people and contributes about £3.5m to the local economy each year. We’ve lots of suggestions for summer entertainment... all we need now is good weather!

In this month’s magazine, we’re meeting someone else who’s keen to see a bit of good weather too. Lady Samantha Bardney is currently restoring Bardney Manor Walled Garden, with its historic connections to the Sharpe dynasty of seed merchants from Sleaford. After a soggy spring, work is progressing well on the garden, so we’re delighted to be able to provide an update.

Superlative dining this month, too, as we visit Gavin and Samantha at The Jews House restaurant on Lincoln’s Strait, where a brace of tasting menus yield some very impressive dishes.

Also this month, we’re meeting Louth eventing competitor Ros Canter who was last month named as the ambassador for this year’s Burghley Horse Trials. We’ll find out how Ros prepares for one of the world’s most challenging tests of horse and rider in advance of September’s event.

Elsewhere, we celebrate Holly & Ross’s wedding at Hirst Priory in North Lincolnshire. We also enjoy a look around a rather lovely contemporary home in Louth and with work currently underway on a new Tesla dealership on the edge of Lincoln – plus the county serving as the first place in the UK to offer self-serve test drives – we try out the firm’s recently-updated Model 3.

Our best wishes for a great month!

Julian Wilkinson Publisher, Pride Magazines

This month what else would we devote our cover to than the Lincolnshire Show? We’re looking forward to this year’s event and to all the action in the main ring, such as last year’s livestock parade, captured here by Chris Vaughan. We’re always looking for great images of the county so please feel free to email us your best photos of Lincolnshire to our editor via robin@pridemagazines.co.uk

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Contents

9 LUXURY HOMES Enjoy the largest selection of quality homes on the market in Lincolnshire.

24 NEWS ‘Good news’ stories from around Lincolnshire including efforts to conserve Lincoln’s ‘Wonky House.’

26 HIGH LIFE The Blankney Hunt Ball.

46 WHAT’S ON Live music and theatre.

102 ON THE FARM With Andrew Ward.

112 HIGH LIFE The Cry in The Dark Ball.

Highlights

30 ROS CANTER Newly­named ambassador for this year’s Defender Burghley Horse Trials on Stamford’s world famous eventing fixture.

39 LIVE IN LINCOLNSHIRE

A round­up of this year’s county shows, live music events and other high summer highlights.

JUNE 2024

50 EDUCATION Lincolnshire’s finest schools and colleges.

88 LADY SAMANTHA BARDNEY

An update on the restoration of Bardney Manor Walled Garden.

Food & Drink

58 DINING OUT The Jews House on Steep Hill in Lincoln, providing a superlative tasting menu experience.

69 WINE English Wine Week

Homes & Gardens

72 WELCOME HOME An impressive contemporary property in Louth.

94 GARDENS A summer of NGS events.

Lifestyle

106 MOTORS Tesla’s Model 3.

114 FASHION Summer Jumpsuits.

119 BEAUTY Time to shine this summer.

122 WEDDINGS Holly & Ross’s big day.

Delivered free of charge to high value homes in the county

Pride Magazine is delivered free of charge, via Royal Mail, to high value homes in the county. Our circulation is to homes in the top three council tax bands, which are predominantly worth over £500,000. This guarantees the magazine has an affluent readership commensurate with our content.

The magazine is also sold in leading newsagents and supermarkets and we also deliver the magazine to local businesses including selected hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, doctors, dentists, executive motor dealerships and golf clubs. This helps to ensure we have a continued presence, right across our catchment area.

Our titles also have more social media fans than any other local magazine. In addition we have over 45,000 online visitors viewing our magazines free of charge, online, on their tablet, computer, laptop or mobile phone via our website, our app, and via the Readly and Issuu platforms.

If your business would benefit from being showcased to the wealthiest people in the area, please call our friendly sales team on 01529 469977.

Skirbeck Hall, Boston

£1,250,000

With a secluded location within an exclusive gated development, Skirbeck Hall enjoys an incredibly private position. This simply stunning Grade Two Listed former rectory has been completely and faithfully restored during a full renovation and has been a much loved family home for almost 20 years. It is absolutely filled with incredible period features to include decorative cornice and arches, panel doors,shutters and a fabulous stone staircase. There are five beautifully appointed reception rooms to include a brand new orangery which is less than a year old and four large double bedrooms, each with en-suite facilities. Skirbeck Hall is offered with no onward chain.

Mareham-le-Fen

Church End, Frampton

£925,000

Manor House in Frampton is in an area just as beautiful as the house itself. The property enjoys grounds extending to just over an acre of private and wellestablished gardens and has a detached coach house with stores attached. Internally, Manor House has been well-maintained and tastefully refurbished over the years and has four large double bedrooms, two of which have en-suite facilities, and four generous reception rooms. The bespoke Murdoch Troon kitchen has an AGA. There is a splendid main reception hall and an additional rear hall with boot room and pantry off.

£850,000 Sheepgate, Leverton

Owned by the keenest gardeners, Tumby House Farm is set within nearly nine acres of the most immaculately kept and beautifully designed grounds that offer shape, colour and structure all year around. This period farmhouse has been sympathetically updated throughout by the current owners and enjoys spacious accommodation to include five double bedrooms and three reception rooms, with beautiful bespoke Murdoch Troon units running through the kitchen, utility and cloakroom. At the foot of the Lincolnshire Wolds it is convenient for Woodhall Spa, Horncastle, Spilsby and Boston. Outbuildings include a Tractor Barn, Garage, Workshop and bespoke two-room gym and office.

£795,000

Designed and built in the classic architectural style of a Georgian manor house, this fabulous country home has great kerb appeal and has in recent years been completely renovated throughout to the very highest standard. The private plot of approximately two acres enjoys beautifully maintained landscaped gardens and a long sweeping driveway which really creates the perfect first impression. No expense has been spared on the internal renovations which include a superb Murdoch Troon kitchen with a brand new AGA and luxury bathrooms. There are five bedrooms and three beautifully appointed reception rooms. With a fantastic eye for interior design, the current owners have chosen beautiful soft furnishings and quality heritage paints and wallpapers to suit the mood of each individual room.

Find Your Perfect Home

The largest selection of luxury homes on the market in Lincolnshire and the surrounding area

Above: A modern property in Louth, The Glasshouse is currently on the market with Robert Bell for £950,000, see page 72.

VIEW HOUSE

Beacon Way | Skegness |

| PE25 1HL

• Superb Luxury Executive 5 Bedroomed House in Desirable Residential Location Close to Fantastic Leisure Amenities

• High Specification Contemporary Detached House

& ESTATE AGENTS FOR SALE

• Highly Sought After Superb Five Bedroomed Detached House

• Private Gardens Benefitting from Direct Sunlight Throughout the Day

• Large Open Plan Kitchen Dining, Utility Room, Living Room

• Open Plan Poggenpohl Kitchen Living Area, 4 Reception Rooms, Cinema Room

• Oak Fitted Office, Under Floor Heating, Triple Garage Incorporating Gymnasium

• Paved Parking Area with Private Rear Gardens with BBQ Area, Spa Pool, Garden Office

WITH VACANT POSSESSION £1.1 Million Subject To Contract

GEORGIAN LODGE Fenside Road | Boston | Lincolnshire | PE21 8JJ

• Large Secluded Detached House in One Third of an Acre

• Superb Modernised House on Private Drive

• High Quality Fitted Kitchen, Timber Floors

• Impressive Solid Wood Staircase & Matching Internal Doors

• UPVC Double Glazed Windows, Gas Fired Central Heating

• Detached Garage, 2 Garden Buildings FOR SALE FREEHOLD WITH VACANT POSSESSION £375,000 Subject To Contract NO ONWARD CHAIN

• EnSuite Master and Family Bathroom

• Spacious Entrance Hall

• Driveway, Garage, Private Rear Garden with Patio and Summerhouse

• An Energy Efficient Home with Luxury Fittings in Excellent Condition

CHARTERED SURVEYORS • ESTATE AGENTS • COMMERCIAL

Eastgate

Deeping St James

A substantial detached house, occupying a fabulous garden plot of approximately 0.75 of an acre. Set back at the end of a cul-de-sac, with no passing traffic, in an a ttractive village, Glebe House has been extended and modernised by the current owners.

Guide Price: £895,000

Pickworth

Sleaford

NORWELL

• Rural Small Holding • Principal Dwelling & Annexe

• Three Reception Rooms • Two Kitchens

• Four Bedrooms • 3.5 Acres

• Heated Swimming Pool OFFERS IN EXCESS OF: £725,000

THURLBY

• Set in approximately 2.89 acres (STS) • Barn Conversion

• Three double bedrooms • Ensuite

• Open countryside views

• Kitchen diner

• Popular village location GUIDE PRICE: £575,000

ALLINGTON

• Principal Bungalow • Five Reception Rooms

• Four Double Bedrooms • Two Bathrooms

• Self-Contained Annexe • Additional Lounge

• Double Garage GUIDE PRICE: £695,000

HEIGHINGTON

• Garage & Driveway GUIDE PRICE: £475,000 SOLD

• Detached Home • Character Property

• Modern Kitchen • Three Reception Rooms

• Home Office/ Bedroom 4 • Three Double Bedrooms

A rare and unique opportunity to buy one of Boston’s most iconic landmarks - the Maud Foster Windmill and its handsome Mill House built in 1819. The Maud Foster Windmill is a seven-storey, five sail windmill located on the banks of the Maud Foster it is Grade I listed and is still working and grinding flour to this day with a healthy profit as a shop and flour business also formally as a café. At the back of the building there is a staircase which winds up several floors with bedrooms off it to an incredible loft style penthouse bragging character throughout, currently arranged with three bedrooms. The white Mill House is a beautiful, traditional house with fabulous room proportions and ceiling heights, freshly painted white with character a plenty. Five bedrooms upstairs and a family bathroom, down the central stairs a second bathroom/utility room, kitchen, dining room and two reception rooms. The house has some lovely garden areas, as well as with plenty of parking to the front.

Highfield Farm Cottage Bracebridge Heath, Lincoln

Situated in a most idyllic setting close to the sought-after village of Bracebridge Heath sits this handsome detached house. Constructed in 2002, it has been thoughtfully renovated to create an impressive family home which enjoys a tasteful contemporary décor scheme throughout.

Guide Price: £850,000

Saxon Gardens

Fishtoft

Immaculate Detached Family Home situated in the village of Fishtoft. Featuring Hallway, Kitchen/Diner, Utility Room, Downstairs WC, Lounge, Large Conservatory, Garage Conversion/Downstairs Bedroom with shower room, Further Four Bedrooms to the First Floor, Family Bathroom and En-Suite. Enclosed Garden to the Rear & Block Paved Driveway. The property also benefits from having no onward chain. Viewing Is Essential!!

Guide Price: £349,950

Drurys Estate Agents 45 Willoughby Road, Boston, Lincolnshire

or see www.drurysestateagents.co.uk

A SELECT DEVELOPMENT OF FOUR PROPERTIES WITH FOUR BEDROOMS AND THOUGHTFUL FEATURES THROUGHOUT. BASED AT WIGTOFT, WITH CONVENIENT ACCESS TO SPALDING AND PETERBOROUGH. SL Developments Ltd are Award Winning Builders, and also Credited by Guilds of Master Craftsman. All our beautiful homes come with ICW 10 year warranties. NEW SITE COMING SOON AT SOUTH STREET, SWINESHEAD. 18 PLOTS ALL INDIVIDUALLY DESIGNED, BESPOKE PROPERTIES (3 TO 5 BEDROOMS).

l Superior standard of service

l Fair and transparent fees

l Timely and regular communication

l Annual rent reviews

l Video marketing with 360˚ photography and floor plans

l Regular property inspections with reports

l ARLA Propertymark qualified and experienced staff

l Access to other property ser vices and sales

Lets Comply Property Rental Experts

Limited are an Independent Agent celebrating their third year in business. Headed by John Thorogood (ARLA) and an experienced team of Residential Letting and Property Management Experts. With the head office in Boston we manage properties throughout South Lincolnshire and provide a highly professional and personal service to our landlord clients at a realistic management fee with no hidden extras.

Our aim is to give the best advice, be transparent and open, and ensure landlords maximise their income on their portfolio, no matter if they own one or multiple properties.

We offer a refreshing approach to property management which is why we have become such a highly regarded and respected Residential Letting Agent, proving that not all letting agents are the same. Call us today for a free, no obligation discussion.

St Andrews Drive

Skegness

Surf Mount is an impressive detached four bedroom family residence situated on a 'double plot' extending to approx 1 acre with a spacious annexe positioned in one of the best locations on the east coast ‘The Ridge’ for sandy beaches and far reaching sea views out towards the north Norfolk Coast.

Guide Price: £895,000

Newton Fallowell 32 Roman Bank, Skegness PE25 2SL. Call 01754 766061 or see www.newtonfallowell.co.uk

Dial House is a deceptively spacious four bedroom Grade II listed stone house in a sought after village. The property sits in approximately one third of an acre and enjoys a generous enclosed plot with stunning gardens and a range of useful outbuildings including a spacious four car garage.

Guide Price: £795,000

Mount & Minster 32 Eastgate, Lincoln LN2 1QA. Call 01522 716204 or see www.mountandminster.co.uk

Navenby

Lincoln

Local News

Cornhill Market opens as Pride goes to press

17th May opening for Lincoln market, promising a diverse range of local food.

£9m cost met by Towns Fund, City of Lincoln Council and Historic England

Help to save the ‘Wonky House’

Heritage Lincolnshire announces appeal to save 16th century Lincoln landmark from deathwatch beetle with £450,000 already raised and £61,000 to go

A group of conservation experts are working to bring Lincoln’s iconic 40-42 Michaelgate – known as the ‘Wonky House’ – back to life.

The building is set to be safeguarded through funding from the Architectural Heritage Fund, Investors in Lincoln and City of Lincoln Council, to repair and re-develop the C16th building.

Heritage Lincolnshire is a local charity leading the conservation of the Michaelgate building and its adjacent Harlequin building, aiming to bring them back into use as holiday lets and for community use.

The buildings’ woes include death-watch beetle and inappropriate cement repairs, but it was also discovered upon removal of the exterior render that the condition of the timber-frame of the buildings was a lot worse than previously expected. An additional funding of £60,995 is now required to safeguard the structure and future of the buildings.

Donations are invited at www.heritagelincolnshire.org.

The City of Lincoln Council’s newly refurbished Cornhill Market, once known as Central Market, will welcome traders as Pride goes to press, opening from Friday 17th May. Funded by a £5.9m investment from the UK’s Towns Fund through the Be Lincoln Town Deal, £1.9m from City of Lincoln Council, and £918,000 from Historic England, the major regeneration works include a new mezzanine floor overlooking the market hall, and freestanding stalls for food producers and street food retailers.

In addition to the new commercial opportunities, the building has also been preserved and benefits from new heating and lighting, a new roof and glazed lantern, and new exterior landscaping.

See www.cornhillmarketlincoln.co.uk.

Send your press releases & business news to us via editor@pridemagazines.co.uk.

Winteringham Fields’ New Vision

An exciting new vision for Winteringham Fields promised as James Nicklin takes over as Head Chef

Diners at North Lincolnshire’s only Michelin Star restaurant, Winteringham Fields, have been promised exciting dishes in the future as owner Colin McGurran has appointed James Nicklin as his new Head Chef.

Excited about maintaining and enhancing the legacy of the restaurant’s 40 year history,

James says: “Our farm to fork philosophy is super important to me, and so is sourcing and using the finest ingredients.”

“Customers, will always be our priority, so it’s my mission to raise the bar to the highest possible level to ensure they have an experience to remember.” www.winteringhamfields.co.uk.

Freya & Echo head to DogFest

Dogfest comes to Burghley House on 8th/9th June, with best friends Freya & Echo set to join in the fun!

Last month’s Lincolnshire Pride told the touching story of Freya & Echo, who competed in the Hero Dog Awards at this year’s Crufts. Freya & Echo are keen to join the Breed Meet-Up Challenge at June’s DogFest at Burghley House. There’s also a four-ring fun dog show, with categories including the best four-legged celebrity lookalike! See later in this edition or visit www.dogfest.co.uk.

Accountants’ Soaring Ambitions

Dexter & Sharpe’s Fundraising Adventures will support the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance in 2024

Dexter & Sharpe Chartered Certified Accountants are adventurous souls with hearts as expansive as the skies... and they’re embarking on a mission for 2024: supporting the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance.

The company has been a part of Lincolnshire’s history for over 140 years, with offices all over the county providing a range of accounting services. At the end of 2023, it was discussed by the Partners, that in 2024, they wanted to focus on a local cause.

“The journey began with a company-wide vote to establish which charity we would support throughout 2024,” says David Johnson.

“Whilst the votes were counted and finalised, our team held brainstorming sessions, mapping out a series of events to rally support and raise funds.”

Unknown to the team at the time, the decision to support the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance in 2024, would coincide with the 30th Anniversary of the service.

The Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance has the largest area manned by a single air ambulance, and the team have responded to over 28,500 missions during their 30 years of operations, with 1,771 being attended in 2023 alone. Amongst Dexter & Sharpe’s plans are two fundraising events taking place this summer: the Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge in June and the Lincoln 5K Inflatable Course in July.

The team will have also have completed their March a Marathon in May where the team were out and about to fundraise for the LNAA, but also to raise awareness for Mental Health Month.

See www.justgiving.com/page/dexter-sharpe-lnaa2024.

High Life

The Blankney Hunt Ball

The Blankney Hunt Ball Committee hosted a wonderful evening at Newark Showground’s George Stephenson Hall recently, attended by over 800 people, featuring an Arabian Nights theme!

Rob Davis.

Images:

Arabian Nights are said to be ‘full of eastern promise,’ but no evening is more promising than The Blankney Hunt Ball Committee’s annual end of season ball. Attended by over 800 people the theme is always a secret, so an Arabian Nights theme for the 2024 proved to be a nice surprise! The evening included a three course supper of smoked salmon, belly pork and raspberry & white chocolate tart with dancing to live band Fully Functional, and a waltzer. The Blankney Hunt was founded in 1871 when the old Burton Foxhounds split into two groups – roughly north and south – and maintains around 70 acres of woodland within its 20 mile x 11 mile territory. The Blankney ‘hunts the clean boot,’ i.e.: within the law, pursuing a human being with specially introduced scent. For more information on the hunt, see www.blankneyhunt.co.uk.

An Ambassador for Burghley, Louth’s

Ros Canter

Reigning European Eventing Champion and former World Champion, Ros Canter has been named as a Defender Burghley Horse Trials Ambassador. The rider from Hallington near Louth joins an illustrious group of top riders; Piggy March, Andrew Hoy, Tim and Jonelle Price and Boyd Martin as champions of the five-star event

Images: Philip Nixon, Defender Burghley Horse Trials.

As summer is beginning to get into its stride, so too will the training schedule for some of the top riders from across the globe who hope to take the coveted silver plate at Stamford’s Defender Burghley Horse Trials. Somebody who knows only too well about the gruelling standards that Burghley demands of its riders is Ros Canter.

Ros Canter, the reigning European Eventing Champion and former World Champion from Hallington near Louth in Lincolnshire, has been named a Defender Burghley Horse Trials Ambassador. She joins an illustrious group of top riders like Piggy March, Andrew Hoy, Tim and Jonelle Price and Boyd Martin as Ambassadors for the legendary five-star event.

“The Burghley Ambassadors are a select group of world-class event riders we have the highest regard for and love to see competing here,” says Event Director Martyn Johnson. “Since Ros and Burghley share the same home county, we’re especially thrilled that she has agreed to support Defender Burghley in this way, to help us convey to a wider public what the event is all about, and why it’s one of the best weekends of the year.”

As well as taking team and individual gold medals at the 2023 European Championships, Ros also won the CCI5*s at Badminton in Gloucestershire and Pau, France. She was first reserve for the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, and tops short-lists for selection for this summer’s Paris Olympics.

Ros is also a past winner of the Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse Final – Britain’s most prestigious young horse championships, most recently in 2023, when she took the five-year-old championship at Burghley on Cooley Cloverland.

The Defender Burghley Horse Trials first came to Lincolnshire in 1961 by accident rather than design. An eventing fixture at West Yorkshire’s Harewood House was cancelled due to an outbreak of Foot & Mouth disease and the sixth Marquess of Exeter, David Cecil, invited the British Horse Society to hold the fixture at Burghley instead.

David Cecil was no stranger to sport, making his debut as an athlete in the 1924 Paris Olympics, and competing in 1928 and 1932 events in Amsterdam and Los Angeles, as well as the first Commonwealth Games in Ontario in 1930. He subsequently became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and organised London’s 1948 games. He is presented semi-fictionally as Lord Andrew Lindsay, played by Nigel Havers, in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire.

2024 meanwhile will see the 60th event held at Burghley, with three stages to the competition to comprise dressage, show jumping and cross country. Part of the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing, alongside Badminton and Kentucky, Defender Burghley Horse Trials will see 340 horses across the varying competitions across a site which spans more than 530 acres.

Defender Burghley Horse Trials

Defender Burghley Horse Trials is part country show and part worldclass sporting fixture, attracting over 175,000 people keen not only to enjoy watching world-class riding talent, but 600 trade stands and lots of opportunities to socialise, too. The setting of Burghley’s Capability Brown-landscaped parkland is another draw, and the fixture’s biggest advocates are those who live right here in the county.

“I’ve been going to Burghley since I was a little girl,” says Ros. “I never miss it and love competing there, and naturally I’m very pleased to help spread the word about what makes Burghley — in my beautiful home county — such a brilliant event.”

And speaking of the younger generation, Defender Burghley Horse Trials is adding brand new ticket categories for 2024 to help encourage the next generation of eventing fans to attend.

This year, parents of children aged between 12-16 may buy brand new Young Person tickets, saving £10 on the full adult price on Thursday, Friday and Sunday of the event, and £15 on the full Saturday entry charge. Children up to the age of four remain free, while children between 5-11 are £5.

Above: Last year’s winner of Defender Burghley Horse Trials was Oliver Townend. Opposite: Burghley’s iconic Lion Bridge.

Defender Burghley Horse Trials

Also new for 2024 are ‘long or short’ format guided course-walks on Thursday and Friday. Visitors may book to join a five-star expert on a guided walk of this year’s cross-country course to learn about the challenge this year’s competitors will face and the particular test of skill posed by Burghley’s terrain. The shorter course-walk will last around one-and-a-half hours and take in at least five feature fences, while the longer one will last three hours, exploring the full course.

“We’re rightly proud of the incredible world-class course that Derek di Grazia designs for us here, and know that visitors glean so much from hearing how riders would tackle them,” said Martyn Johnson.

“Our guided course-walks may be booked online at the same time as ordering your tickets to visit.”

For Lincolnshire and the town of Stamford, too, the event is a terrific source of pride. It sees more than 175,000 visitors descending on the town, contributing about £20m to the local economy, with hotels and restaurants booked out a year in advance and many local businesses enjoying greatly increased footfall around the town.

With tickets for the event on sale now, Ros is looking forward to this year’s Defender Burghley Horse Trials, and so are many other riders and spectators too!

Course designer Derek di Grazia and Event Director Martyn Johnson.

Live All Summer in Lincolnshire

Get ready for a summer of county shows, live music, performing arts and more as Lincolnshire hosts its celebration of farming and rural life

Words: Rob Davis. Image: Chris Vaughan.

It’s the biggest event in Lincoln’s calendar, attracting over 70,000 visitors every year and serving to showcase the very in best farming and agriculture from right across the county.

“This year’s event promises to be bigger and better than ever before,” says Charlotte Powell, the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society’s Chief Executive, revealing plans for this year’s event. “The Lincolnshire Show is renowned for offering its visitors a diverse programme of entertainment whilst remaining faithful to its remit as an agricultural show.”

The Lincolnshire Show and the Agricultural Society both have their origins in 1869 with the formation of a society aimed at improving British livestock through selective breeding. Replacing a peripatetic show, the first show was held at Cow Paddle in Lincoln – just off Washingborough Road, close to the South Common. For the following nine years the show was held on West Common before moving to the Lincolnshire Showground in 1959 after the LAS purchased 165 acres of land for £35,000 the previous year.

100 years ago, the Lincolnshire Show attracted between 30,000-40,000 people, with a gate price of about 3 shillings and about 150 trade stands to see, as well as 289 horses, 105 heads of cattle, 79 sheep and 66 pigs.

Today attendance is between 60-70,000 (arriving in 12,500 cars) and the gate price is a little higher at £24/adult, but there’s also much more to enjoy. The show takes place over 200 acres, with 600 trade stands, 1,300 horses, 200 cows, 530 sheep and 121 pigs.

The Lincolnshire Agricultural Society has 3,400 members, with 200 volunteering to serve as stewards across the two days, helping judges to award 2,000 rosettes and 100 trophies.... the weather can’t always be relied upon, but when the sun does come out, visitors consume over 14,000 ice creams!

Summer Shows

THE LINCOLNSHIRE SHOW

Wednesday 19th & Thursday 20th June

The most impressive figure, though, is the fact that the show ensures visitors spend over £3.5m in the county when they attend the event, so it’s important that visitors have a great time, and return year after year.

To ensure that, Charlotte and her team are planning the ‘biggest day out’ for visitors with a Chelsea-style Garden Show, created by top local gardeners, introduced in a new, larger horticultural area.

Visitors will also enjoy the return of Farmers Weekly’s ‘Fittest Farmer Competition,’ which seeks to champion fitness and mental wellbeing in the industry with gruelling feats of physical strength and resilience.

The show also attracts 6,000 children from the area’s schools, all keen to learn what farming and life in the countryside is all about. This year, youngsters will enjoy a Farm Gate Education Marquee designed to inspire future farmers. Adults too will enjoy seeing the latest machinery as well as heritage farm equipment from the Roaring 20s and the Swinging Sixties in the Main Ring.

Speaking of Main Ring entertainment, this year’s highlights will include Ben Atkinson’s Action Horses, Shetland Grand National, the RAF Falcons parachute display team and other favourites from the Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue Band to the county’s Young Farmers on their decorated floats.

The Show is a grand day out, but also serves to demonstrate how the county’s 4,500 farms, which cover 80% of the county, contribute to ensuring Lincolnshire remains the county that feeds the country.

The Lincolnshire Show will be held on Wednesday 19th and Thursday 20th June 2024. Tickets in advance £24/adults, £8/children (under 5s free) and £59/family. Tickets can be purchased online from www.lincolnshireshow.co.uk.

Above: The Lincolnshire Showground’s Chief Executive, Charlotte Powell. Images by Chris Vaughan.

Summer Shows

Summer in Lincolnshire means outdoor events and a wealth of county shows which reflect the county’s farming heritage

DOGFEST AT BURGHLEY

Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th June

The UK’s favourite dog-friendly festival makes its debut at Burghley House... and this month the event celebrates its tenth birthday! DogFest is hosted in the stunning grounds of seven stately homes across England and features The Big Dog Walk; Breed Meet-Up sessions; all Have-a-Go Activities; and shows & training tips from top dog experts.

Additional crowd-pleasing extras include the four-ring Fun Dog Show including categories like best celebrity dog lookalike, where judges reward a rosette for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.

Final Tier Standard adult £21 (excl. booking fee). 5­16 yrs £14 (excl. booking fee). Dogs and under 5s go free. See www.dogfest.co.uk.

HECKINGTON SHOW

Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th July

It’s the largest village show in the UK, attracting 25,000 people across two fun-filled days, and with a firework concert plus a Madness tribute act on Saturday evening too.

Heckington Show returns next month, main ring attractions include a 10 mile road race and grass track cycling event on Saturday, plus show jumping and dancing diggers on Sunday, as well as a vintage tractor drive and grand parade of livestock. Over 200 trade stands, Lincolnshire food stalls, concert marquee heavy horses, cattle and sheep.

Two day ticket, advance, £25/adult, £8/junior, children 4yrs and under free. Visit www.heckingtonshow.org.uk.

THE REVESBY SHOW

Sunday 4th August

Much-loved Lincolnshire country show which includes a line-up of entertainment, activities and country pursuits, including traditional equine favourites such as show jumping and shire horses.

There will be dozens of judged produce, cooking and flower competitions, which anyone can enter, plus live music to entertain as you enjoy the food and trade stands.

Dogs are also welcome, so dog-lovers are invited to bring along your well-behaved, fourlegged friends and get them involved in dog agility events and dog shows... and don’t miss the Revesby Show’s popular terrier racing! £15/adults, www.revesbycountryfair.co.uk.

MARKET RASEN RACECOURSE

7th, 14th & 21st June and 7th & 20th July

Whether you study form like a seasoned racegoer or you’re a novice who picks the prettiest silks, The Jockey Club’s Market Rasen course will facilitate having a flutter and provide a great day out, no prior knowledge necessary.

The racecourse is hosting afternoon/evening racing fixtures on Friday 7th, 14th and 21st in June, as well as a Family Extravaganza with the pups from Paw Patrol for youngsters on 7th July.

Other special events this season include the Summer Plate Ladies’ Day on 20th July including the racecourse’s Style Awards, and Market Rasen will welcome pop artists James Arthur and Grimsby’s Ella Henderson to its post fixture evening concert, ‘Rasen Rocks,’ on Saturday 17th August.

See www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/marketrasen

BURGHLEY HORSE TRIALS

Thursday 5th ­ Sunday 8th September

Defender Burghley Horse Trials returns to Lincolnshire in September, offering visitors the chance to see the world’s best horses and riders compete in the CCI5* event, including its famously challenging cross-country course in the Capability Brown-designed setting of Burghley Park.

Meanwhile the stars of the future will feature in the Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse final. The entire Horse Trials event features around 340 horses across the varying competitions and the site spans more than 530 acres.

Around 175,000 spectators watch the action each year and enjoy luxury shopping courtesy of 600 carefully chosen trade stands and the legendary food walk, with hospitality options and children’s activities a great feature too. Advance tickets on sale now see www.burghley­horse.co.uk.

SO Festival

Save the date for SO Festival, in Skegness Friday 14th and Saturday 15th June, and Sunday 16th June in Mablethorpe...

Returning again for 2024 is Lincolnshire’s free, international festival of outdoor arts in Skegness and Mablethorpe this month.

Each year organisers curate a worldclass programme of innovative art and entertainment for the communities of and visitors to the East Coast, for a joyous journey of discovery, with local, national and international performers.

Prepare to be absolutely captivated by a programme of truly mesmerising street theatre, thrilling circus acts, innovative dance performances, soul­stirring music, and captivating visual arts installations that will leave you in awe.

Since its beginnings in 2009, SO Festival has evolved into the county’s premier cultural celebration, captivating audiences and fostering a spirit of artistic appreciation.

SO Festival is Brought to you by Magna Vitae Trust for Leisure & Culture, with funding support from Arts Council England and East Lindsey District Council.

Free programme of entertainment, for the full programme of events see www.sofestival.org.

Left: The Heckington Show. Above: Oliver Townend rode to victory last year at the 2023 Defender Burghley Horse Trials on Ballaghmor Class, image by Peter Nixon.

Live in Lincolnshire

Lincoln’s best live music acts this summer

LIVE AT LINCOLN CASTLE

Saturday 15th June ­ Sunday 30th June

Live music and the spectacular setting of Lincoln Castle this summer with a series of live outdoor concerts in June. Acts include 1990s band Crowded House, Jess Glynne, Paloma Faith, Kaiser Chiefs, Gregory Porter and the original ‘nutty boys,’ 1980s ska/pop band Madness.

Food and drink available at the venue, no picnics or chairs permitted, VIP options plus Prosecco and canapes with reserved seating, private bar and VIP viewing position too.

Concert times/prices vary, call 01522 782019 or see www.lincolncastle.com.

MIDSUMMER MOTOWN

Saturday 13th July

This summer, Live Promotions will be bringing their Midsummer Motown concert to Lincoln Castle... and it promises to be the ultimate feel good concert of the season!

Live and in the fresh air, hear the incredible hits of Whitney Houston, Roy G Hemmings, Michael Jackson and the Edwin Starr Band. Top of the bill will be the spectacular Nya King as Whitney, with special guest Roy G Hemmings of the legendary Drifters, with his Motown Revue.

From 6pm, tickets £34.50/adults, see www.livepromotions.co.uk.

OPEN AIR OPERA

Wednesday 17th July & Thursday 18th July

Enjoy this truly unforgettable open-air opera experience live on the Croquet Lawn at Doddington Hall near Lincoln.

Wild Arts presents some of the greatest stories of all time, with dramatic intrigue, jealousy, comedy, idealism, and pure love across 75 minutes of musical favourites from Rossini, Handel and Viardot, to Bernstein and Gershwin. Performed by four world-class singers and a string quintet. Bring a chair and a picnic, or order an afternoon tea box.

Gates 5.30pm, performance 7pm, tickets £30/adults, see www.doddingtonhall.com.

What’s On

Wednesday 5th June

Arthur Swallow Antiques & Home Show

Established in 1995, the Antiques & Home Show is an unmissable event for collectors, interior designers, independent retail buyers, set-designers, prop buyers, landscape architects, restauranteurs and those passionate about creating a stylish living space. Held at a number of venues across UK including the Lincolnshire Showground, it offers visitors everything from fine antiques, art, pretty vintage, salvage, industrial, jewellery, militaria, glassware, china and so on.

Public Buyers 9am­4pm £5, Lincolnshire Showground, LN2 2NA, call 01298 27493 or see www.asfairs.com.

1940s Wartime Weekend

Saturday 15th June to Sunday 16th June

Belvoir Castle’s 1940s Wartime

Weekend

Step back in time to the golden era at Belvoir Castle’s 1940s Weekend – a nostalgic journey into the past! Live singers, set the stage for a weekend with dances and authentic stalls with vintage treasures and wartime memorabilia, adding a touch of history to your collection.

Belvoir Castle NG32 1PE, call 01476 871001 or see www.belvoircastle.com.

Saturday 22nd June Festival of

the Sea

Celebrate what makes Grimsby great: the town’s heritage and its future relationship with the sea! Festival of the Sea takes place at Alexandra Dock along the waterfront near Fishing Heritage Centre and Fisherman's Wharf with interactive theatre, live music, dance, workshops and activities for the entire family.

Full programme available at festivaloftheseagrimsby.co.uk.

Saturday 22nd June Cleethorpes

and Grimsby Pride

Annual LGBTQIA+ Cleethorpes and Grimsby Pride Festival, held at the Meridian Showground, to celebrate, promote and raise awareness of diversity.

Dedicated Facebook page with programme of events.

28th June ­ 30th June

Armed Forces Weekend

Helping to keep UK Armed Forces Community (Serving military, reservists, veterans and cadets with their families) in the public eye. Enjoy a spectacular series of events and entertainment including parades, live music, flying displays and capability demonstrations.

See www.armedforces northeastlincolnshire.co.uk.

Send your press releases and events to us via editor@pridemagazines.co.uk

Friday 14th June

An Audience with King Henry VIII

In the course of this Audience, His Majesty will recount the events of his long reign; telling of his wives and children.

In 1516 Grimsthorpe and its lands were presented by Henry VIII as a wedding gift to William, 11th Lord Willoughby

de Eresby and his Spanish bride, Maria de Salinas, lady-inwaiting, confidante to Henry’s Queen, Katherine of Aragon.

Refreshments and Q&A session to follow, castle and gardens open on select days, see website for further details.

Vanbrugh Hall, Grimsthorpe Castle, PE10 0LY from 7pm, call 01778 591205 or see www.grimsthorpe.co.uk.

A blooming great day out

Treat your senses to the beauty of the sweet pea, as these unique flowers bloom at Easton Walled Gardens

Saturday 8th June to Sunday 9th June

DogFest at Burghley House

An unmissable and actionpacked dog event that offers something for everyone.

You’ll find world world-class displays from top canine athletes, free expert advice and workshops, breed meet ups, big dog walks, a fun dog show, dog competitions and have-a-go activities!

Plus, there will be shopping, tasty food and drink, a kids activities area, treats and plenty of play for the festival experience! Two days of some thrilling dog action at Stamford’s Burghley House.

For ticket prices and details see www.dogfest.co.uk or call 07703 288028.

Friday 21st June to Sunday 23rd June

Rolls-Royce & Bentley Annual Rally at Burghley

The world's largest gathering of Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars takes place at Burghley House, Stamford each year.

Enjoy a weekend of displays, trade stands, auctions, and a parade of prize-winning cars. Over 70 specialist traders and autojumble stands, local arts & crafts stalls and a fine selection of food & drink, the event attracts both members from both UK and overseas but it’s also open to the public.

Open to public, free entry. Call 01780 752451 or see www.burghley.co.uk.

Wednesday 26th June to Sunday 2st July

Sweet Peas at Easton Walled Gardens

In late June and throughout July, visitors to Grantham’s Easton Walled Gardens can treat their senses to the visual delights of sweet pea blooms in stripes, bicolours, picotee, light pastels and deep velvet tones. The dazzling colour and fragrance comes from over 40 sweet pea varieties grown at Easton Walled Gardens. From highly scented sweet peas, heritage and antique sweet peas to modern varieties and some new trial varieties.

Throughout the garden, roses will also be in flower and the meadows provide an exuberant display attracting a variety of insects, mammals and birds amongst the grasses and wildflowers. Meander through borders, walk through meadows in bloom and enjoy an air of contemplative quiet.

Wednesday to Sundays, £10/adults, Easton Walled Gardens, Grantham NG33 5AP, call 01476 530063 or see www.visiteaston.co.uk.

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Education

Lincolnshire SCHOOLS

Here, we profile some of the best independent schools and colleges, across Lincolnshire offering the very best education the region has to offer...

Lincoln Minster School

Happy, achieving children

Lincoln Minster School, an independent school for girls and boys aged 4-18, is located in the historic heart of the city, a stone’s throw from the beautiful Lincoln Cathedral.

With its mission to bring out the best in everyone, Lincoln Minster School offers a genuinely broad education, with a focus on an inspiring co-curricular programme that lets each child explore their strengths and passions. Younger children build skills and confidence through clubs such as Dance, Tennis or Animation, while older pupils enjoy being challenged in Sailing, Equestrian and Robotics. A vibrant scholarship programme provides even more opportunities for development for students with particular talent in academia, art, drama, music and sport.

The campus, consisting of excellent purpose-built teaching and learning facilities, is a happy, productive environment. The school offers an environment where children can thrive without losing their individuality, and where success in all its forms is recognised and celebrated. The Head, Jon Tyler, is refreshingly clear about his purpose: supporting every pupil to achieve happiness and success. The school has consistently attracted praise for the strength of its offering: the Prep School was listed in the UK top 40 (The Times 2023); and the school has twice been named a finalist in the Independent School of the Year Awards for student wellbeing (2022 and 2023). Lincoln Minster also ranks nationally in the top 70 for sports provision (School Sport 2022).

To find out more about Lincoln Minster School, or arrange a tour, visit www.lincolnminsterschool.co.uk, or call the Admissions Manager, Alison Hemsley, on 01522 551300.

Education

St Hugh’s School

Developing your Child's Individuality

Based in the idyllic village of Woodhall Spa, we are a leading independent Nursery, day and boarding Preparatory School for boys and girls aged 2-13.

Set in our own beautiful grounds, we have exceptional facilities. The enviable learning environment at St Hugh’s provides a space where classrooms and playing fields provide equal opportunities for all – be it in a lesson, a match, a concert or a play, there are opportunities for children to develop, encouraged by caring professionals who are proud to be part of the school and who love what they do. From day one, even our very youngest children benefit from specialist teaching in French, Music and PE, as well as Swimming in our heated indoor pool.

Underpinning what we do is the care and support needed for every pupil to thrive throughout their education and wherever their aspirations take them. As part of their learning journey, we prioritise wellbeing, happiness and exciting learning.

In our last ISI inspection we achieved ‘excellent’ in all areas and our Nursery was deemed ‘outstanding’. We are proud to have been shortlisted for Independent Prep School of the Year 2021, Small Independent School of the Year 2022, and Independent School of the Year for Student Wellbeing in 2022 & 2023. In addition, we have recently won the School category for the Lindum Lincolnshire & LTA Tennis Awards for the second year running.

We welcome prospective families to visit us to see the opportunities on offer, please call 01526 352169 or email office@st­hughs.lincs.sch.uk or see www.st­hughs.lincs.sch.uk.

Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate (QE)

Boarding and day schools for girls and boys

Set in 220 acres of beautiful countryside between Harrogate and York, QE is an award-winning day and boarding school (BSA Innovation, 2022) that welcomes girls and boys aged from 3 months to 19 years and boarders from Year 3. It is known nationally and globally for its consistently high-ranking academic performance with QE College placing 2nd nationally for A Levels and 18th for all-round Academic Performance. The QE Faculty school which offers modern qualifications climbed several places to rank 3rd in The North for A Level Performance and 7th in The North for overall performance.

QE is a through school with many students beginning their QE journey in Chapter House Prep or King’s Magna Middle School. The whole Collegiate places its emphasis on growing students into resilient, caring, compassionate and confident adults with an ethos of “To be the best that I can with the gifts that I have” underpinning everything.

QE takes pride in offering over 100 clubs onsite, making full use of its exceptional facilities with over 30 acres of professional grass and 3G artificial pitches, a 25m swimming pool and a 314-seat professional theatre.

QE's excellent pastoral team run a programme of activities and support that ensures student mental health is a priority. They are available to students at any time of day or night, both in and out of the dedicated pastoral area. QE was inspected by ISI in 2023 who said that ‘Pupils feel that their opinions matter and that leaders are alert to their welfare needs, which promotes their self-esteem.”

Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate, Thorpe Underwood, Estate, York YO26 9SS. Call 01423 333333 or see www.qe.org.

Highfields School

An independent school and day nursery in Newark championing curiosity and realising potential

Highfields Independent School & Day Nursery is a thriving and nurturing preparatory school with an aspirational curriculum. The school provides a supportive environment, with well embedded values and traditions, providing pupils with a wealth of learning experiences to enable their potential and discover new talents.

Offering an extended day, with wraparound care from 7.30am until 6.00pm, Highfields offers flexibility and peace of mind for working parents who want the finest education and best academic outcomes for their children.

As a gateway to the most prestigious Grammar and Independent Senior Schools, Highfields prepares children for the 11+, Common Entrance Exams and scholarships with an excellent success rate. Personal growth and wellbeing are valued as highly as academic success, with an emphasis on the holistic development of the individual.

The Highfields team have a deep-rooted belief that every child is unique, and it is their job to unlock the child’s potential with a wealth of contextualised learning experiences, creating meaningful connections and skills that will stay with them for life.

Headteacher, Sarah Lyons, says, “We develop ‘Highfeldians’ who are prepared for life beyond school. Flexible, independent thinkers and learners with a love of adventure and a strong sense of identity. Highfields pupils are spirited, resourceful and self-motivated with respect for both themselves and others. Able to identify and appreciate opposing opinions and beliefs, Highfields build proactive, tolerant and considered global citizens of the future with a welldeveloped sense of responsibility, and a desire to make a difference to our world.”

Highfields latest ISI inspection was a huge success, with the ISI praising their outcomes and culture of mutual respect and kindness.

To discover more, contact Highfields Admissions Manager, Anna Eason on 01636 704103 or email admissions@highfieldsschool.co.uk

Dining Out

The Jews House Restaurant

An exceptional setting for exceptional dining. The Jews House on Steep Hill in Lincoln offers a wonderful tasting menu experience within its historic Grade I listed 12th century building

Words: Rob Davis.

Winston Churchill said that ‘to improve is to change; but to be perfect is to change often.’ It’s a quote not lost on the owners of The Jews House Restaurant on Lincoln’s Steep Hill, Gavin Aitkenhead and Samantha Tomkins.

Back in Autumn, the two restauranteurs made a brave change, happily one that has yielded tangible benefits for The Jews House’s customers and for the restaurant itself.

Having previously offered à la carte dining, tasting menus and Sunday lunch service, the two decided to refocus and concentrate on just two tasting menu format dining options, opening from Wednesday to Saturday, and offering private dining Tuesday evening onwards.

“We were initially worried about making the change, although it was something we’d wanted to do for a while,” says Samantha.

“The quality of the produce we work with and the freshness of our ingredients has always been important to us. Being able to get the produce we want has been difficult when only buying a small amount due to the three menus we offered.”

“With the choice of either a four course or six course menu, we are able to source from more artisan suppliers to get the quality and consistency of produce we want.”

“The menus will ensure Gavin and I can continue to provide dishes, produce and service that we can both be proud of.”

Opposite: Roast Lavinton Lamb Saddle, Wild Garlic, Stuffed Morel and Baked Shoulder.

Above: Samantha Tomkins and Gavin Aitkenhead.

Dining Out

The Jews House

Cured and Torched Mackerel, Yuzu Kosho, Rhubarb and Iberico Chorizo.

Roast Wild Turbot, Smoked Eel Parfait, Pressed Potato Terrine and a Parsley Emulsion.

Slow Cooked Pigs Cheek, Medjool Date Purée, Turnip, Apple and Cider Sauce.

Roast A4 Wagyu Sirloin, Ox Cheek, Caramelised Shallot, Jerusalem Artichoke Cream and a Black Garlic Sauce.

Glazed Pear and Spiced Fruit, with Baron Bigod Cheese.

Passion Fruit Curd, Meringue, Coconut and White Chocolate.

Six course tasting menu £105/person. Optional flight of wine £58.50/five; £38.50/three.

Gavin’s dishes are dynamic, evolving seasonally and favouring the best ingredients from artisanal suppliers.

And, in the respect of changing often, the focus on a tasting menu format also means Gavin can offer a more dynamic approach to creating menus, evolving his dishes constantly to incorporate seasonality and to favour the best ingredients from his more artisanal suppliers.

Gavin creates every element of the restaurant’s dining experience in house. Examples include The Jews House’s brioche bread with its caramelised shallot, and the snacks served with aperitifs, or the truffles and other sweet treats after dinner; a chocolate bouchon or white chocolate and macadamia fudge are two examples. Ice creams, sorbets and all other elements are prepared by Gavin, in house. Whilst Gavin favours local suppliers where

possible, necessarily there’s a need to look further afield for the best producers.

Lincolnshire produce includes lamb from Sophie Arlott’s Lavinton native breed flock, plus game from several North Lincolnshire estates and beech-smoked Lincolnshire eel from our own estuaries and waterways prepared by Smiths Smokery near Boston.

Fish enjoys a strong presence – especially on the four-course tasting menu – so other artisanal suppliers are based in Cornwall and there’s seafood from Scottish or Norwegian waters. Meat dishes in the six-course tasting menu include A4-grade Wagyu beef which is produced right here in Britain (we’re sworn to secrecy in the respect of the exact identity of the supplier).

Above: Fjord Sea Trout, Saffron, Scottish Mussels with Dill Oil.

Opposite: Cured, Torched Mackerel, Yuzu Kosho, Rhubarb and Iberico Chorizo.

NB: Featured dishes, subject to change.

Undoubtedly, The Jews House’s tasting menu format allows diners to experience a liberated Gavin who can in turn present great dishes to his customers. But it also affords Samantha the chance to curate flights of wine to really complement those dishes.

As restaurant and wine manager, Samantha not only provides an exceptional welcome to diners and ensures an assiduous front of house, but she also offers a spectacularly well-chosen selection of wines carefully paired to each dish and favouring surprising, well-aged or just really enjoyable examples.

There’s a well-curated wine list too, including a list of exceptional examples by the glass whose quality is underwritten by a Coravin system.

The Jews House usually accommodates 30 covers during evening service, with a ground floor restaurant overlooking Steep Hill, and a first floor restaurant available for private dining for up to 20 diners, with bespoke menus available too.

2024 represents 18 years since Gavin and Samantha decided to establish The Jews House, and it’s set to be their most important yet, with a reinvigorated dining experience, albeit one which remains very much faithful to the couple’s original vision.

“We always enjoyed dining out and travelling. We still do when time allows,” says Samantha.

“When we first spoke about opening our own restaurant, we made a promise to each other that we would only ever prepare food that we would enjoy, with a commensurate experience of attentive front of house service and with the quality of wines and a setting we would expect alongside those dishes.”

“Maintaining that commitment, and being faithful to our own expectations has ensured that we’ve some really wonderful regular customers, and that we enjoy a really good reputation in the city.”

“We’re proud of that reputation, and we take great pleasure in upholding it.”

The Jews House Restaurant Steep Hill, Lincoln

A dining experience that brings you back again and again; passionate about using the best suppliers to create remarkable dishes, served in a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.

Wednesday to Saturday 6pm – 9pm. Closed Sunday, Monday, Tuesday.

Four course tasting menu £85/person, optional full wine flight £49/person.

Six course tasting menu £105/person, optional wine flight £38.50/three glass, £58.50/five glass.

The Jews House Lincoln, LN2 1JD. Call 01522 524851, www.jewshouserestaurant.co.uk.

Opposite: The Jews House at dusk, image by Marc Freeman. Above: Gariguette Strawberries, Shortbread, Baked Vanilla Cheesecake, Strawberry Sorbet.

Winteringham Fields ­ North Lincolnshire’s only Michelin Star restaurant

As Winteringham Fields Chef Patron Colin McGurran passes the creative baton to newly appointed Head Chef James Nicklin, there is a new and exciting vision for the future of North Lincolnshire’s only Michelin Star restaurant.

James freely admits, he has waited a long time to fulfil his dream of putting his personality on a plate in this ultimate kitchen role.

Local lad James has food in his DNA and is excited about maintaining and enhancing the

legacy of the restaurant’s 40 year history.

James said: “Our farm to fork philosophy is super important to me, as is sourcing and preparing the very finest ingredients.”

The unique dining experience puts the chefs well and truly centre stage, as they seamlessly transition from kitchen to table, presenting and describing dishes, immersing guests in the theatre of the occasion.

James continues: “Customers will always be

our priority, so it is my mission to raise the bar to its highest possible level to ensure they have an experience to remember.”

And at the heart of everything we do is our passionate and enthusiastic team, from chefs to front of house, housekeeping to everyone behind the scenes.

We give each and every one the freedom to express themselves, which is the secret ingredient that will propel Winteringham Fields into its bright future.

Simply bringing you the very best cocktails in the area!

Open Thursday, Friday & Saturday Nights 6pm – 11pm

George’s Bar opened March 2024, an Exclusive Bar like nothing else Boston has ever seen before. Reservation only, allow the fantastic handpicked sta to show you to your table where you can choose from the brand new menu of Cocktails, Mocktails, Beers & Shots. These will be freshly created by George Drury himself and delivered to your table. All you have to do is sit back, relax and enjoy the music while you decide what to have next...

The drinks were amazing, sta were fabulous... we will de nitely be going back!”

ROWLFIE2015

“The team have done an amazing job creating a go-to, on-trend cocktail bar!”

ROWLFIE2015

Elegance, sophistication and glamour, with a welcoming and relaxed ambience!”

ANGELAP

Visit www.georgesbars.co.uk to book your table now

A premium gin inspired by warm summer days!

Made in Lincolnshire by Amy and Alan Conyard, of Bottomley Distillers

The pink gin for grown ups and summer sunshine. Based in Louth, Bottomley Distillers has created this premium gin with 11 botanicals. Flavours yielded in the blend include lavender and rose, creating an elegant, floral aroma, coupled with a hint of crisp, refreshing cucumber and zesty citrus.

£28 / 70cl / 40% ABV, call 01507 307560 or see www.louthdistillery.co.uk.

The Wine Cellar

Home grown heroes this month as we champion English wines and spirits, plus a few examples lovingly produced close to home... celebrate a long hot summer, savouring every second by relaxing in the garden!

English Wine Week: 15th June - 23rd June...

The Roman Road winery on the South Downs produces this first class Chardonnay with lemon and honeysuckle. £29 / 75cl / 13% ABV, www.simpsonswine.com.

Based in Kent, Owen & Fergus Eias’s Pinot Noir has strawberry and cherry hints, ideal for BBQs or with tapas. £22 / 75cl / 12.5% ABV, www.ocado.com.

And finally, Gusborne Rosé is a sparkling example of British wine with red fruit, spice and fresh minerality. £55 / 75cl / 12% ABV, www.gusbourne.com.

Wine of the Month

Where else could this month’s top recommendation come from but right here in Lincolnshire? Located at Burton Pedwardine near Sleaford, Fraser Key’s Mayfield Winery produces his two white wines (Little Owl and Short­Eared Owl), a full­bodied red wine (Tawny Own) and this flagship fizz, Barn Owl, with elderflower & citrus notes. £36/75cl 12% ABV.

To purchase call 01529 460230 or see www.mayfield wine.co.uk.

Italy meets London, and

it’s alcohol free!

Just the (Italian) job for enjoying a headache-free tipple in the garden!

Created with orange and rhubarb flavours and a hint of spice, this unique aperitif has been beautifully crafted to capture the essence of a Italian bitter spritz style by London’s Lyre's which specialises in creating its good no­alcohol spirits.

£23.99 / 70cl / 0% www.lyres.co.uk.

Our featured wines are available from local independent wine merchants, supermarkets and online, prices are RRP and may vary.

The Glasshouse PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN

All things light and beautiful this month as we enjoy a look around our featured property, a contemporary eco-home in Louth which is completely in harmony with its surroundings

Words: Rob Davis.

Imagine a property set among the rolling landscape of the Wolds and you’re more likely to picture a cottage surrounded by bucolic countryside views. This month though we’ve a contemporary – and very welcome –twist on the traditional formula.

Completed in 2022, The Glasshouse, as its name suggests, provides plenty of natural light and large areas of glazing, which is handy, since it enables it occupants to enjoy near panoramic views of the property’s surroundings just a stone’s throw (not

that people who live in glass houses should throw stones) from the busy market town of Louth.

The Glasshouse has been created on the grounds of a former quarry, nestling in a hillside location and enjoying mature trees and planting all around it.

It’s a really secluded location considering its proximity to the town’s decent schools, shops and activities for the family’s children.

The glasshouse’s owner’s are familiar with building homes, so, when an

opportunity to create their ‘dream home’ in Louth arose, they jumped at the chance.

One of things the vendor’s love the most is the space, particularly the open plan kitchen living area, where the bi-folding doors lead onto the first floor balcony.

It’s fantastic for indoor-outdoor entertaining. They also enjoy feeling close to nature, with the surrounding trees bringing all sorts of wildlife to the property and a magical feel to the garden even from inside the home.

Thefirstfloor’s

35ft openplanbreakfast kitchenwithliving roomflowsintoa largeroofterrace...

The build took just under one year to complete, it started in March 2021 and the owners had moved in by the end of January 2022.

Having previously only built traditional homes, it was the first time the owners had been involved with something so contemporary. It was also an exciting prospect, though, with plenty of living space, a unique look and a great location close to the quaint market town of Louth and in the heart of the Wolds.

An‘upsidedown’house,theproperty’s four bedrooms are located on the ground floor. A dressing room to the master bedroom, and en suite showcases a large freestanding Italian stone bath, floor to ceiling white tiles, a walk in shower with herringbone charcoal tiles to match the large lava sink and electric blinds. A second en suite has a more neutral theme, and there’s a third shower room between the other two additional bedrooms.

Given the fact that heat rises and with the wealth of natural light, the ground floor bedrooms remain temperate all year round, whilst the elevated living space on the first and second floors are warmer and benefits from even more natural light.

Completely open plan, there’s a 35ft breakfast kitchen with living room area and rooftop terrace all flowing into one another, plus a versatile additional bedroom, study or snug area on the first floor, depending on needs and preferences.

Meanwhile there’s an additional lounge on the second floor with 360° panoramic glazing and electric blinds

providing super views of the garden’s beautiful sunset vistas.

The property’s second floor also features a bank of PV solar panels and elsewhere there’s an Airflow heat recovery ventilation system and super-efficient glazing, meaning the house is very cost-effective to run despite its 3,000ft2 of living space.

The house has a steel frame piled into the ground for strength, with block construction and buff brick exterior.

Meanwhile the cantilevered first floor is cladding Siberian larch which help it to blend into it leafy surroundings.

The entrance to the property is block paved, alongside a triple garage provides ample parking for the owner, and friends and family visiting.

Welcome Home

The kitchen features forest green cabinetry with pewter handles over white quartz surfaces, appliances from premium brands, including an integrated dishwasher, wine cooler, double oven and Quooker tap.

Karndean flooring is used in the living kitchen on the first floor and the ground floor hallway. Grey composite decking also ensures low maintenance for the property’s next custodians, whilst bathrooms are created with Tikamoon contemporary fittings for a sleek, Zen-like feel.

“We’ve loved living here and hope its next owners will enjoy the practical accommodation and The Glasshouse’s individuality just as we have. As a serial property developer I can’t wait to begin a new project, but we’ll miss this place a lot... it’s truly unique!”

The Glass House, Upgate, Louth

Location: Upgate, Louth. Grimsby 31 minutes. Lincoln 44 minutes.

Provenance: Completed in 2022 by its current owners, a sleek, modern, energy efficient home set in around a third of an acre

Rooms: Two receptions currently arranged as open­plan living kitchen and second floor lounge.

Four bedrooms, study/bed 5.

Guide Price: £950,000.

Find Out More: Robert Bell, Old Bank Chambers, Horncastle LN9 5HY. Call 01507 522222 or see www.robert­bell.org.

Devereux Way, Horncastle LN9 6AU

Tel: 01507 527113

W: www.peterjacksoncabinets.co.uk E: info@peterjacksoncabinets.co.uk

Peter Jackson Cabinet Makers Ltd

ABOUT US

Discover the expertise of Reflex Aluminium Group, a trusted name in the industry for over two decades. As a family-run business, we bring passion and dedication to every project.

We supply and install:

• Bespoke windows & conservatories in aluminium & UPVC to suit your home or business

• Folding sliding doors and inline sliding doors, composite doors in any colour & style of your choice

• Glass balustrades for balconies and stairs

• Glass safety screens for shops, offices and banks

No job is too small as we also provide a repair service for:

• Windows, doors and conservatory roofs

• Broken down misted glass units

• Conservatory repairs

• Servicing commercial aluminium doors

• Retailer for SunBeach Spas, Oasis Spas and Riptide Spas

• Alukov dealer and installer for pool, spa and patio enclosures

• Distributor of Eco3Spa chemicals

• Air source heat pumps/insulation installer (FGAS Certified)

• Your one-stop-shop for hot tubs • The UKs only manufacturer-endorsed repairer

Simply the Best

Refrigeration & Cooking with Sub-Zero & Wolf

Synonymous with quality and preferred by the world’s best cooks, equip your kitchen with refrigeration and cooking appliances from Sub-Zero and Wolf, courtesy of Newark-based Cooks & Company

Because only the best is good enough, discerning cooks and professional chefs opt for Sub-Zero and Wolf when equipping their kitchens. Hewn from pure quality and designed to serve even the most demanding cook for decades to come, the sister brands may be design classics, but they’re also packed with the latest technology to ensure cooking is a joy.

The company’s appliances are created from heavy-duty stainless steel, subjected to testing and built to last for 20 years or more, for quality underwritten by some long and comprehensive guarantees.

Two styles of cooling appliances provide a wide range of looks to suit any style of kitchen, from the Classic Series with a purposeful look, influenced by professional kitchens, to the Designer Series for modern sleek kitchens.

Both ranges incorporate world-class food preservation technology, with Sub-Zero’s pioneering split-cooling and air filtration systems able to create different zones in your appliance to within a single degree of temperature difference. Meanwhile, the use of clean air enables food to remain fresh longer, eliminating odours and food-spoiling gases

Touch control panels and stainless steel accents ensure a robust feel whilst LED lighting schemes ensure every part of your refrigerator or freezer is evenly illuminated. Highly configurable to your needs and space, there’s a multitude of refrigeration, freezing, and wine storage options with single door, ‘over and under’ door and drawer models,

French door or side-by-side options as well as the option of filtered water dispensers. Integrated and undercounter models are also available, ensuring you can design a bespoke refrigeration setup to complement the way you cook.

The same configurable quality applies to Wolf’s range cookers, built-in ovens, steam convection ovens and cooktops. Different range widths, burner configurations and additional options like chargrill, teppanyaki, steamer, griddle or induction surfaces plus dual fuel options provide compromise-free food preparation whether you prefer cooking on gas or using electricity.

Meanwhile, a range of kitchen ventilation, warming drawers, microwaves and coffee systems are also available, ensuring you can equip your kitchen to suit your preferred method of cooking and your space as well as the style of your home.

The company maintains a flagship showroom in Knightsbridge but happily there’s also a Sub-Zero and Wolf partner in the form of Cooks & Company in Newark who can demonstrate the brands’ inscrutable build quality and help you configure the exact combination of appliances you need.

Cooks & Company is still family owned, established over 50 years ago and provides over 20,000sq ft of quality appliances as well as offering in-house interior and kitchen design too. Insisting on peerless quality, it stands to reason that Sub-Zero and Wolf both remain one of the company’s preferred brands for cooks who demand nothing but the best for their kitchens.

Find Out More: Sub­Zero and Wolf creates some of the world’s best refrigeration and cooking appliances with an iconic look and the latest technology. See the brands at Newark­based Cooks & Company which specialises in providing the best appliances, plus bespoke kitchens and interiors. The company is based at Cooks House on Newark’s Brunel Drive, NG24 2FB. Call 01636 593910 or see www.cooksandcompany.co.uk.

Within These WALLS

Horticulture meets heritage this month as we provide an exciting update on Lady Samantha Bardney’s plans to restore the walled gardens surrounding her 17th century manor house, in recognition of its previous custodian. John Sutton Sharpe’s work as a horticulturist, seed merchant and farmer attracted huge acclaim in the Victorian era, even attracting visits from Gertrude Jekyll and Queen Victoria...

Words: Rob Davis.

History and horticulture are combining right now, with the continuing restoration of one of Lincolnshire’s lesser-known but still hugely important heritage gardens.

We’ve been keeping a close eye on the project and were delighted to pay a return visit to Bardney Walled Gardens to see how Lady Samantha Wright was getting on bringing the gardens formerly belonging to John Sutton Sharpe back to life.

“It’s serendipity really,” says Samantha. “I always say that we didn’t find the garden; the garden found us. I was already interested in heritage seed varieties and during the Covid lockdown, established a company called Seedology, trading them online via eBay and Etsy, and producing my own wildflower seeds from a three acre site.”

“My husband Martyn and I fell in love with Bardney Manor the moment we saw it, but in hindsight I think I could barely remember the house itself, I was just excited by the prospect of being able to make something of the garden.”

“I soon discovered a little more about the history of the place from locals. But as I uncovered more of the history I discovered a genuine enthusiasm for the garden from those who lived in the area and began to feel a genuine responsibility – a real obligation – to make sure that in the future as many people could enjoy it as possible.”

We’re getting ahead of ourselves. First, a quick history lesson. Around the 1830s in Sleaford a very successful seed merchant named John Sharpe established a profitable business in the town, and raised two sons, John (b.1827) and Charles (b.1830) with his wife Charlotte at their home, The Pines, on the town’s Boston Road.

Sharpe’s Seeds was a great success, recording a profit of £29,220 (the equivalent of £2.3m today) at its peak in 1917, and ultimately becoming one of the leading seed merchants in the UK creating the ‘Sharpe’s Express’ potato still available today.

In a plot twist vaguely reminiscent of a Shakespearean tragedy, the younger John fell in love with Marion, the daughter of the rival seed merchant, Suttons. Think Romeo & Juliet with seed-cross’d lovers, and Sleaford instead of Verona The elder son’s relationship caused a huge rift in the family and his father all but disowned John, continuing to run Sharpe’s Seeds with Charles in Sleaford before his death in 1854. The business was valued at £250,000 (about £23m today) but John Sutton Sharpe was left just £10 by his father.

Charles continued to run the business until his death in 1897 aged 67, whilst Sharpe’s Seeds traded well into the second half of the 20th century, introducing new varieties of hybrid seeds, and supplying grass seed to HM The Queen and to Wembley Stadium before the first of a number of takeovers in the 1980s.

Meanwhile, upon his exile, John Sutton Sharpe moved to Bardney with Marion. The couple’s home was a manorial dwelling (first recorded in the Domesday book) adjacent to St Lawrence Church. Upon settling in the village the couple established their own successful business, creating what it believed to be one of the largest walled kitchen gardens in the C18th, yielding grape trusses up to 12lb, plus unusual soft fruits for the age from tangerines to pineapples.

In addition to serving as a site for John to ‘experiment’ with new varieties, the land surrounding the Manor was also a successful farming operation. Such a gifted farmer and horticulturalist was John, that visitors to Bardney Manor’s grounds included the Victorian landscape gardener and horticulturalist Gertrude Jekyll and also Queen Victoria (probably in 1835).

As the historic significance of Bardney Manor’s walled garden became apparent, Samantha’s own reputation as a horticulturalist was also growing. In 2021 she was invited to produce a show border for BBC Gardener’s World, but the design was so inspiring that it was upgraded in scope to a full garden and was subsequently awarded a silver gilt.

“As the heritage of the garden became apparent, we recognised the need to ensure it would serve as a celebration of Lincolnshire’s heritage...”

Now very much in demand on the UK’s horticulturalist scene, Samantha found herself speaking to one of the world’s most renowned garden designers, Professor David Stevens, a holder of the no fewer than 26 RHS Chelsea Flower Show medals and three Best in Show awards.

David is also the author of 21 books on landscaping and garden design, broadcaster and, so it turns out, a John Sutton Sharpe aficionado.

When David discovered that Samantha and Martyn had moved to the property and were embarking on a restoration of the site, he promptly invited himself over for the weekend to see the place for himself.

Over breakfast the following morning, David was missing and when Samantha asked David’s wife where he’d disappeared to, she answered – with the roll of the eyes only a long-suffering wife can execute – that he’d been up all night, unable to sleep, excitedly sketching plans for the garden in his head.

Gardens

Declaring an interest in helping Samantha to redesign the walled garden of Bardney Manor, David had soon created detailed planting schemes, descriptions of materials, drainage systems and draftsman’s drawings, the result was a spectacular overall plan to produce what will become undoubtedly become the most interesting heritage garden in Lincolnshire upon its completion.

During our visit a few weeks ago, the groundworks were progressing nicely with drainage and electrical infrastructure in place.

Over the next year the site will be transformed as David and Samantha’s project comes to fruition.

“The more the heritage of the garden and the significance of John Sutton Sharpe to the field of horticulture became apparent, the greater the need we saw to ensure the garden would also serve as a tribute to him and a real celebration of Lincolnshire’s horticultural heritage, too,” says Samantha.

The walled gardens that the two have designed will be reached by the ‘secret gate’

to the east of the garden with four individual areas each themed around one of Victorian poet, Somerby-born Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poems – we know which ones but we’re obliged to maintain the surprise. These gardens will lead to a pergola and onto a full kitchen garden which continues west with a Victorian dipping pool and heritage varieties with connections to John Sutton Sharpe.

Reclaimed timber from Lincolnshire, Corten steel and various seating areas will feature, along with gravel pathways.

The garden to the front of Bardney Manor has already been given a spectacular redesign, with a display of heritage roses; 24 varieties are all themed around ‘Ladies’ created in conjunction with David Austen; varieties include Lady Elizabeth, Lady Anne, Judy Dench, Brontë and Gertrude Jekyll.

The garden features bulbs from Lincolnshire’s Taylor’s Bulbs and Bells, who will also contribute to the rest of the walled garden’s planting schemes.

Samantha has also created the Blacksmith’s Studio which offers teas and coffees –including traditional afternoon teas by prior arrangement – plus somewhere for visiting groups to rest and it also serves as a gallery to display art and crafts from local talent.

As well as hosting groups like Lincolnshire’s Hardy Plant Society, Samantha will host NGS events from next year, in between working hard to bring her vision for a beautifully refurbished garden to celebrate John Sutton Sharpe’s legacy to fruition next year.

Bardney Manor Walled Garden is open on Thurs and Sun, May to August, adjacent to St Lawerence Church, Bardney, LN3 5TZ, see www.bardneymanorwalledgarden.com.

Botanical Art in the Garden

During our visit to Bardney Walled Gardens in late April, Samantha was hosting an art exhibition by Cleethorpes’ Linda Ingham. Linda Ingham lives and works from her coastal home studio and mostly concentrates on subjects related to landscape and place as well as memory and the passage of time from the past 20 years or so. Linda also has a studio at The Ropewalk in Barton and achieved an MA in Fine Art from the University of Lincoln in 2007. Her work can be seen at See www.lindaingham.com.

National Gardens Scheme 2024

Open Gardens

Events To Enjoy, All Summer

Long

A great day out and a way to raise money for charity, we love promoting the National Gardens Scheme and its open garden events all summer long NGS

Every Sunday June/July Ashcroft House, Tallington, PE9 4RG

Sat 1st/Sun 2nd June 23 Accommodation Road, Horncastle LN9 5AS

Sunday 2nd June Firs Farm, Market Rasen LN8 5QB

Sunday 2nd June Manor Farm Barton on Humber DN18 6HS

Sunday 9th June 23 Linden Walk, Louth LN11 9HT

Sunday 9th June West Syke, Sleaford NG34 7QJ

Tuesday 11th June 23 Linden Walk, Louth LN11 9HT

Sunday 16th June Shangrila, Great Hale, Sleaford NG34 9LH

Sunday 16th June Woodlands, Fotherby, Louth LN11 0UW

Sunday 23rd June Old Vicarage, Holbeach Hurn PE12 8JN

Sunday 23rd June Old White House, Holbeach Hurn, PE12 8JP

Saturday 29th June Home Farm, Ryhall, Stamford PE9 4HA

Sunday 30th June Dunholme Lodge, Lincoln LN3 3QA

Sunday 30th June Home Farm, Ryhall, Stamford PE9 4HA

Sunday 30th June Ludney House Farm, Louth LN11 7JU

Sunday 30th June Walnut Lodge, Bransby, LN1 2PH

Compact cottage garden with shrubs and different ‘rooms’ 11am­4pm

Medium sized garden mixing flowers, fruit, iris and perennials 11am­4pm

Herbaceous borders, dahlias. Pond, veg patch, woodland 10am­4pm

Formal garden with shrubberies and herbaceous borders 11am­4.30pm

Formal Victorian style with herbaceous perennial borders 1.30pm­4pm

One acre site: bog gardens, rockeries, three ponds, wildflowers 12noon­5pm

Formal Victorian style with herbaceous perennial borders 11am­2.30pm

Three acres, colour themed beds, topiary, Japanese garden 11am­5pm

Shaded beds, salvias, RHS­listed nursery. New crevice garden 10.30­3pm

Two acres, 150 year old tulip, plane and beech trees, roses 1pm­5pm

Mature garden, 1½ acres, borders, roses, walled garden 1pm­5pm

More than 100 roses, inc many old English fragrant varieties 2pm­5pm

Five acre garden with mature trees, spring bulbs and ferns 11am­5pm

More than 100 roses, inc many old English fragrant varieties 2pm­5pm

Large garden, formal and informal planting, rose garden 1pm­4pm

Rural garden of ½ acre, mature trees, herbaceous borders 10am­4.30pm

Sat 13th/Sun 14th July 21 Chapel Street, Haconby, Bourne PE10 0UL Beautiful cottage garden with new gravel garden meadow 11am­4pm

Saturday 27th July Gunby Hall Gardens, Spilsby PE23 5SS

Eight acres of formal/walled gardens adjacent to stately home 10am­4pm

Sunday 28th July Yew Tree Farm, Gosberton, Spalding PE11 4EP Lovely country garden, 1½ acres, woodland gardens, pool 11am­5pm

Every Thurs/Sun August Secret Garden of Louth, Watts Lane, LN11 9DG

Sunday 4th August The Fern Nursery, Market Rasen LN8 6DH

Sunday 4th August Fydell House, Boston PE21 6HU

Sunday 11th August Woodlands, Fotherby, Louth LN11 0UW

Saturday 31st August Willoughby Road Allotments, Boston, PE21 9HN

Sunday 1st September Skellingthorpe Hall, Lincoln LN6 5UU

Lush, colourful, exotic plant packed haven, borders, ponds 11am­4pm

Wildlife garden with natural chalk stream running through 11am­4pm

Yew buttresses, arbours and four parterres with Dutch themes 10am­4pm

Shaded beds, salvias, RHS­listed nursery. New crevice garden 10.30­3pm

Five acres of allotments, 60 plots growing vegetables, fruit etc 12noon­4pm

3½ acre landscaped garden, shrubs and perennial borders 10.30am

Sat 14th/Sun 15th Sept 21 Chapel Street, Haconby, Bourne PE10 0UL Beautiful cottage garden with new gravel garden meadow 11am­4pm

Sat 21st/Sun 22nd Sept Inley Drove Farm, Sutton St James PE12 0LX Three acres, predominantly flower gardens, with woodland 11am­5pm

Sunday 22nd September Firs Farm, Market Rasen LN8 5QB

Herbaceous borders, dahlias. Pond, veg patch, woodland 10am­4pm

Image Opposite: West Syke, Sleaford. For details of each opening, refreshments, directions and contact details, see www.ngs.org.uk.

• Tree Surgery & Felling

• Tree Reports

• BS 3998

• BS 5837

• Stump Grinding

• Site Clearance

• Hedge Cutting

• Council Approved

Contractor

• £10 Million Public Liability

• NPTC Qualified

• BSC Honours Landscape Ecology

• Professional Tree Inspection

• National Diploma in Forestry and Arboriculture

Gardens

21 Years of Beautiful Gardens Foras celebrates

What better way could there be to celebrate your birthday than with a garden party... especially if the garden in question is an impressive 10,000m2 show space, featuring the UK’s largest collection of running water features, tiles, flagstones and garden accessories, all providing inspiration for your own garden!

Back in 2003, Britain and the rest of Europe were experiencing a heatwave. We all took to our gardens whether to work on our suntan or seek a bit of shade in which to read a good book and enjoy a G&T. That year also saw the founding of Foras, situated on a working farm amid the Fenland countryside. They have personally sourced everything you need to create a beautiful outdoor space.

21 years on, the success of Foras has been truly impressive, so there’s good reason to celebrate the company’s big anniversary, with their garden party due to be held over Friday, Saturday, and Monday of the late May Bank Holiday weekend. To celebrate Foras’s 21st anniversary, they created their own celebratory Signature Gin, using local botanicals including juniper, verbena and sea buckthorn. If you purchase a bottle of Foras’s Signature 21st Birthday Gin at our garden party, you will receive a one-off exclusive discount on any Foras garden accessory.

It’s a chance to enjoy a visit to Foras’s stunning show gardens and experience the colourful planting, calming sounds of running water and inspirational hard landscaping. An oasis to sooth the soul - attracting wildlife from butterflies, bees and dragonflies to hummingbird hawk moths, which rely on the water and call the garden home.

The company is ever evolving, and their selection of water features now include materials such as acrylic and glass, sourced from European manufacturers as well as being designed and assembled in the UK. New for 2024, exclusive lightweight resin planters have been specially designed by their creative team, allowing larger planting space while being easier to handle and move around.

Whichever look or ambience you’re seeking to create in your garden, Foras’s curated

portfolio of tiles and flagstones will enable you to impart a sense of personality and grace in your garden and home, ensuring it is a beautiful and functional place to spend your time.

“We really love the summer and watching the wildlife visiting the garden,” says the company’s Managing Director, Claire Brutnall. “This year will be even more special as we celebrate this milestone and reflect on all the living spaces we’ve helped our clients to create over the past 21 years. We hand select our entire range of tiles, flagstones and garden accessories; our personality is present in every piece!”

“Our anniversary Garden Party will be a real occasion, with wood fired pizza from local supplier Malley's, our woodland and field walks to explore and our own exclusive gin –Foras Signature, with local botanicals including verbena and sea buckthorn –served at our Juniper Sky Gin Bar.”

“We’re asking people to RSVP to our invitation and in return we’ll provide a complimentary G&T* our new Elements brochure and a preview of the new Outlet area, with our end of line products at up to 50% off!” The event will also include a ‘best dressed guest’ award and special party discounts throughout the entire range.

“We’re also attending the Royal Norfolk Show on 26th/27th June, with a specially built stand and our own VIP Gin Bar.” Says Claire, “As a Norfolk based family business, we’re keen to celebrate our recent rebranding, show off our newest products and treat our customers to some special show discounts too. Our anniversary garden party and our presence at the show will both be a true celebration of summer, with lots to enjoy and everything you need to transform your home and garden with Foras.”

Foras is hosting its 21st Anniversary Garden Party on Friday 24th May, Saturday 25th May & Bank Holiday Monday 27th May (Closed Sunday 26th May).

Open from 9.00am ­ 5.00pm Friday and Saturday, and 10am – 4pm on Monday, based at Stowbridge, King's Lynn PE34 3NJ. Call 01366 381069, find out more at discover.foras.co.uk/21st­anniversary or RSVP at foras.co.uk/RSVP (* Over 18s only)

On the Farm Farming

What’s happening in the fields of Lincolnshire with farming correspondent Andrew Ward MBE

Opposite: Image by Rob Davis. Below: Image by Chris Vaughan/Lincolnshire Showground.

A lot of farmers in the industry are seeing red when it comes to farm assurance schemes.

A meeting was held last month at Lincoln’s Riseholme College to discuss the Red Tractor assurance scheme which many in the industry feel has lost its sense of direction, moving away from the original intention of underwriting the quality and provenance of our food for the benefit of British consumers.

The governance of Red Tractor is handled by the NFU alongside the AHDB (Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board), Dairy UK, NFU Scotland and the British Retail Consortium among 18 bodies who are industry representatives across the farming sector.

The scheme was originally set up in 2000 to give the public confidence that the food farmers produce is safe to eat and produced whilst remaining sympathetic to the environment. My big red folder, containing all of the bumf that participation in the Red Tractor Scheme necessitates, now includes health and safety, store locations, how many

tonnes I’ve sold, and have in store. None of the above are concerned with food safety. From the meeting it became apparent that many believe anything already duplicated elsewhere beyond the Red Tractor scheme should not be part of the scheme.

Meanwhile, pop into one British supermarket and you can pick up bacon or pork products from Woodside Farms, summer fruit from Rosedene Farm and juicy plump red cherry tomatoes from Nightingale Farm. One problem: none of those farms exist, despite sounding all bucolic and wholesome.

Our food packaging and labelling system needs a complete overhaul. For instance, Danish pork, that is imported to the UK and packed here, is permitted to have the Union Jack on the packet. This is very wrong.

The meeting formed part of a national review examining what needs to be done to ensure Red Tractor is fit for purpose, less bloated and less bureaucratic.

Elsewhere, there’s hope for Lincolnshire farmer (my godson) Henry Ward adjacent to the Barlings Eau at Shortferry, between Lincoln and Horncastle. Henry’s 200-acre farm (and several others in the area) has been under two metres of water since the end of October. His farm and home were encircled by water, accessible only by a small boat, and his losses are in excess of £150,000.

Despite this, Henry was ‘ineligible’ to make a claim for up to £25,000 from Defra’s Flood Recovery Fund (FRF) because his river was not on the designated list. Recently though the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is reconsidering Henry’s case, so we hope for a fair-minded volte-face.

Ongoing poor weather continued to make the drilling of spring cereals very difficult. We still have our heavy land sugar beet to plant, and 150 acres of Capulet haricot beans – the variety used to create baked beans. Last year we were the first farm in England to grow a commercial crop. This year too, our Capulet beans will be the only ones in the country. Hopefully they’ll be coming to a buttery slice of toast near you, very soon!

Finally, June sees the return of the Lincolnshire Show, which helps to showcase for both farmers and non-farmers alike the sophistication of modern agriculture. Looking around the show provides a sense of pride and optimism, reminding us just how important farming is, and how well Britain can do it... I hope to see you there!

Watch Wardy’s Waffle: Our farming correspondent Andrew Ward MBE farms 1,600 acres in Lincolnshire, growing wheat, barley, oilseed rape, sugar beet, beans and oats. Andrew has his own YouTube channel, Wardy’s Waffle, which is enjoyed by over 15,000 subscribers. Watch his updates Wednesday evenings from 7pm and Sunday mornings at 8am. Search YouTube for @WardysWaffleAndrewWard.

A true celebration of the countryside, the Lincolnshire Show culminates in a parade of decorated floats that quickly descends into water/flour fight between the county’s Young Farmers clubs... not sure Wardy meets that particular criteria, but it didn’t stop him getting involved last year!

A Spark of Genius

A seriously good car, that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Tesla’s updated Model 3 is quick, quiet and quirky. We enjoyed a seven-day test drive in the company’s most affordable model and soon found it to be a well-rounded, good value and very likeable proposition both for private and company car drivers. Expect a very long queue to form when Tesla opens its Lincoln premises, at Teal Park just off Lincoln’s A46, next year, but if you can’t wait that long, Tesla is now trialling new self-service test drives at three locations in Lincolnshire too

Words: Rob Davis.

They say time flies when you’re having fun. That was certainly my experience with a week-long test drive of Tesla’s recently updated Model 3. The car itself flies, too. In fact, along A-roads and dual carriageways it feels as brisk as a supercar, just as its 0-60mph time of 4.2 seconds might suggest. But brisk performance is by no means the car’s only strength.

I reckon it’s the best value, most well-rounded vehicle on the market. It was a joy to drive for a week: silent, smooth and inoffensive around Sleaford or for my office commute, but also extremely capable and fun along the twisty roads through Horncastle and up through the Wolds to Louth, to photograph a charity event on Saturday evening. It’s also loaded with features that remain costly options on cars twice its price, and there’s an abundance of room for passengers both front and rear, plus a generous boot, ensuring that Model 3 is practical as well as being great to drive and inexpensive to own.

If you want something badly enough it’s easy to find a justification and though I confess I was already desperate to try out the Model 3, happily, my test drive could be explained away easily. That’s because earlier this year Tesla secured planning permission to create a Lincoln Tesla Centre at Teal Park, just off the A46 near Whisby Road, to offer sales, servicing and supercharging when it opens, next year.

Model 3 is currently the most affordable Tesla and was facelifted late last year with a number of improvements that will filter through to the rest of the company’s models, indicating the firm’s approach to future vehicles’ design and technology... another reason for my test drive.

And if any further justification to satisfy my whim was needed, 2023’s new car registrations were recently published in which Tesla did very well indeed. The company currently makes four models, S, 3, X, Y. Its two executive saloons are the larger Model S and smaller Model 3. It also makes two SUVs; the larger Model X and its smaller Model Y.

The latter was the fifth best-selling car overall and the best selling electric vehicle in the UK in 2023, with just under 36,000 registrations. Tesla only released its first car in Britain in 2014… and it didn’t start selling Model Y until 2022, so for such a young car company and such a recent model to become one of the country’s best-selling cars so quickly is both unprecedented and very impressive too. Model Y, incidentally, will be the next model to gain the Model 3’s recent improvements.

Undoubtedly, Tesla is here to stay, and there are rumours that the company will launch a smaller electric hatchback – probably badged the Model 2 – next year, priced at around £25,000 and aimed at making its premium electric cars even more affordable.

Another reason to love Tesla is the simplicity of its lineup. There are just two versions of the Model 3. The rear-wheel drive version of the car has a 344-mile range and reaches 60mph in 5.8 seconds; it’s priced at £39,990. An all-wheel drive version with a 421-mile range that reaches 60mph in 4.2 seconds is priced at £49,990. We tried the latter.

Until Tesla has a presence in Lincoln, our nearest Tesla Centre is Nottingham, where Rebecca Chappell handed over the keys… well, not keys; a credit card wallet-based backup to the car’s mobile phone app, which, once signed in, allows keyless access to the car, allows you to heat or cool the cabin prior to a journey, and to check its charge status.

Speaking of charging, an advantage of Tesla over other brands is exclusive access to the company’s supercharging network. I was conscious to keep the car charged up as I don’t have good charging infrastructure at home, just a standard 13amp socket. A permanent domestic charger on your drive will fully charge the car in about eight hours (e.g.: overnight) – less if it’s not completely depleted – and you can instruct the car to charge during off-peak hours. E-on’s Next Drive Fixed tariff currently prices electricity at 30.9p/kWh on peak, or just 8p/kWh off peak, from midnight until 7am. For a week, I managed very well at Gonerby Junction’s 150kW Tesla-only Superchargers which provide 200 miles of range in just 15 minutes.

First impressions of the Model 3 is that it’s even better looking in the flesh than in photos. With no need to accommodate an engine up front, the bonnet can be low and sleek, sculpted, with no grilles, just slim headlights. It’s all very sexy and from the front, the car is not dissimilar in appearance to a Ferrari Roma. At the back, with its muscular shoulders, it’s similar in shape to an Aston Martin DB12.

We really love Tesla’s Ultra Red paint, introduced with the car’s facelift and seen here in Tesla’s official press pics. Our test car however was finished in Stealth Grey, also a new shade and very nice, but similar to five other Teslas when we went to supercharge… the ubiquity lead one driver to try to get into my car instead of hers by mistake.

Happily, among Tesla’s features is Sentry Mode, a built-in camera which records people who approach the car, and can alert your mobile, potentially helping to catch a reckless supermarket trolley user who’s just dinged your car, in the act. The same system helped identify which of my neighbours’ cats was responsible for the muddy paw marks up the bonnet one morning. J’accuse... Princess.

The car’s interior is completely pared back, and as of the car’s facelift, even the gear selector has been moved to the crisp, responsive 15.4” touchscreen. It works well. A particular quirk is steering-wheel buttons, instead of a stalk, for the indicators. Even if you’re sceptical, go with it; Tesla has a knack for ergonomics and you soon find yourself appreciating the minimalist interior.

It’s all intuitive and well-thought out but build quality is super too; definitely up to BMW, Mercedes or Audi standards, with high quality materials and small panel gaps. Materials feel plush, there’s no free-play or panel wobbles, and the vegan leather is very

Motors

nice, though our white leather – beautiful as it undoubtedly is – will be a chore to keep clean. Speaking of clean, our grey Model 3 was immaculately valeted upon collection, but as it was a wet, miserable day when we collected it, our car soon looked mucky, hence we’ve availed ourselves of Tesla’s press pictures.

Other facelift improvements include extensive soundproofing with acoustic glass… the press briefing says 30% quieter. We say virtually silent in town and hushed on A-roads and motorways. Really serene.

No handling complaints, though the car’s quiet refinement does show up how bad our roads are, as our tyres met the A17’s potholes and disparate patches of tarmac.

Being fully electric, Model 3’s power delivery is instant. Telsa’s accelerator pedal calibration and its regenerative braking means you can drive with just your right foot, hardly needing to touch the brakes. Adaptive cruise control is standard too, so on our single-carriageway A-roads, a longer drive is relaxing and you’re always a safe distance from the car in front.

Above: Minimalist interior is dominated by responsive 15.4” touchscreen. It works well, and will soon win over any sceptics.

Besides the choice of rear-wheel or all-wheel drive, there are no different trim levels and, happily, no expensive packaged options. You can, however, specify Enhanced Autopilot with automatic bay or parallel parking, and Summon, which parks into, or retrieves the car from, a tight parking space or a garage whilst you stand outside, using the phone app.

It costs a not inconsiderable £3,400, but we’d specify it on the basis that it might prevent kerbed wheels or a bumper scuff. Model 3 is also ready for Full Self Driving Capability, which is a £6,800 option, although that won’t be road legal in the UK until 2025 at least.

It may be seriously good, but Model 3 doesn’t take itself too seriously. My 12-year old son adored the 8” rear screen which afforded him his own climate controls, heated seat controls and enabled him to watch YouTube, Netflix, access Spotify and to play some of the builtin games. Other frivolous touches include the ability to make the car put on a light and sound show for those outside the vehicle.

There’s a built-in electronic whoopee cushion too, and ‘romance mode’ which displays an open fire on the screen, turns up the heating, dims the lights and plays Marvin Gaye. You can even change the sound of the car’s horn to play La Cucaracha, a feature that amused me much more than it amused my neighbours.

These are undoubtedly silly touches, but the Model 3 can easily get away with it, because fundamentally, it’s a great value, well-built, well-equipped car that’s genuinely premium.

If Model 3 was priced at ten or even twenty thousand pounds more, it would still be a great buy. The inexpensive list price and its comparatively high-spec plus the car’s speed and genuine real-world range already make it a better candidate on paper than its rivals.

However, as a prospective vehicle either for private drivers looking to go green and charge on a cheap tariff overnight, or for company drivers seeking to lower tax liability, few cars are also as well-rounded or enjoyable to drive and own as the wholly excellent Model 3.

The Details

Tesla Model 3

Price: £39,990 (rear wheel drive); £49,990 (dual motor AWD, long range model).

Performance: Top speed 125mph, 0­60mph: 5.8sec (RWD), 4.2sec (AWD).

Range, WLTP combined, 18” wheels: 344 miles (RWD), 421 miles (AWD).

Standard Equipment: Electric windows, mirrors, steering wheel and seat adjustment, navigation, Bluetooth, vegan ‘leather,’ heated seats front/rear, heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats, parking sensors and camera, adaptive cruise control, power boot operation, keyless entry, smartphone app with cabin pre­heating/cooling.

Motoring

The Power of Electric

This month we’re discovering the joy of running an electric vehicle, specifically Tesla’s Model 3. If you’re keen to make the move to electric car ownership though, you need to talk to Mark Story, who since 2018 has specialised in creating electric car charging infrastructure for homes and businesses

Words: Rob Davis.

Electric cars are no longer a novelty. We’re seeing more and more plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) or pure electric (EV) cars and vans on the road. All car makers are keen to electrify their ranges prior to a ban on internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles 2035. In 2023, the market share of electric cars rose by 18% with total sales of 315,000 vehicles, and EVs accounting for 16.5% of all new UK car sales.

However good PHEVs and EVs are though, Britain is still lacking public infrastructure, so to take full advantage of an electrified vehicle, the best way to ensure you can make the switch is with the installation of charging points at your home or office.

Here are five things you need to know about going electric:

1. You can enjoy significant savings

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) have a smaller electric-only range (typically 30/40 miles) with a conventional petrol engine too enabling frequent, shorter local journeys to be conducted on electric power, whilst offering the reassurance of a conventional petrol engine for longer journeys. Fully electric vehicles (EVs), meanwhile, are powered entirely by electricity with most offering ranges of 200-300 miles on a full charge. Whilst electric cars are initially more expensive to purchase, there’s a whole-life cost advantage in their running costs. If you drive 10,000 miles in year, it’ll cost you £1,825 in petrol (assuming £145p/litre, 3443mpg) or £1,626 in diesel (assuming 154p/litre, 40-46mpg). Meanwhile driving the same number of miles in an EV will cost £900 to charge it, at a tariff of 24.5p/kWh or

with an off-peak tariff of 7.5p/kWh, just £220. Some public charging stations or workplaces offer free charger access, enabling further savings. The benefits of electric vehicles aren’t just limited to the comparatively lower cost of electricity, either. Currently, there’s no charge for road tax or VED of electric vehicles, although for vehicles registered after 1st April 2025, drivers will pay £10 in the first year and £180 thereafter.

Company car drivers, meanwhile, enjoy BIK taxation of just 2% for an EV compared to 22%-37% for petrol or diesel vehicles, and even plug-in hybrid models decrease a company car driver’s BIK liability by around 18%. Finally, with fewer moving parts, electric vehicles should prove more reliable in the long term, with the life span of an EV’s batteries expected to be at least 10 years.

2. You’ll need a charging point: Happily, experts like Mark Story of Story electrical can advise on grants to enable you to charge your EV at home or work. The Government is currently helping towards the cost of the purchase an installation of EV charging infrastructure at home, paying up to 75% of the cost, capped at £350. Companies too can claim for up to 75% of the cost of up to 40 sockets (capped to £350 each). That means installing charging infrastructure that’s convenient for you could cost much less than you think.

3. Earning money from EV infrastructure

The good news continues! Mark says that by allowing other drivers to access charging infrastructure on your premises (e.g: a second EV charging station to the one you use), you can set a tariff for other vehicles’ charging, and actually earn money from your charging

equipment. It’s also possible to lease an EV charger, over 1-5 years, making tax-free payments until it’s paid off. In partnership with Coneckt, Mark a number of ways to monetise your installation.

4. Pretty... and convenient!

Charging points have evolved in design and are now more compact and better looking. Mark has a partnership several of the world’s best manufacturers of EV infrastructure.

Together, they offer home, workplace and public charging solutions that include wi-fi connectivity, smartphone apps for monitoring charging and capacities from 7.5kWh – 22kW, ensuring efficient charging, with scheduled/off-peak charging to maximise your savings.

5. Go electric

There are other reasons to go electric too: EVs offer a smooth, virtually silent driving experience, with zero-emissions, and standard features like the ability to cool down or warm up your car when it’s plugged in before you drive away. This is usually managed via a smart phone app and eliminates the need to defrost your car in the winter also ensuring a comfortable cabin in the summer from the moment you open the door.

The nature of electric vehicles, too, means that all of an EV’s power is available instantly, so they feel very nippy. Regenerative braking systems also enable to car to recover its kinetic energy when decelerating to top up the battery, so-called ‘one foot driving’ means you have to use the car’s brakes less frequently, resulting in a smoother, more relaxing drive.

Mark established Story Electrical in 2018 and now provides quality professional installation of electric car infrastructure for homes and businesses. He also provides solar panel installation and other electrical services from fuse board upgrades and modernisation of electrics or rewiring. For a no obligation discussion of your needs, call 01733 913133 or 07895 253848, see www.storyelectrical.co.uk, email mark@storyelectrical.co.uk

High Life

Cry in the Dark Fundraising Ball

Congratulations to Mandy Elmer and her team who recently hosted the first annual fundraising ball for Cry in the Dark, helping to bring hope to young people in Romania, changing their lives for the better

Images: Rob Davis.

The Brackenborough Arms in Louth’s Tennyson Suite recently saw 75 people attend the first of what’s anticipated to be an annual fundraising ball for the charity Cry in the Dark. Organised by Mandy Elmer and her team, the event included a drinks reception, supper, auction and dancing. The charity aims to bring hope and change to the lives of children and families in Romania, by spreading life-changing love through via its home for children with special needs, its programmes and projects within a Roma community, with advocacy, care and its own hospice based in Romania. The charity was founded in 1998 when Steve Cooper and three friends heard about children living in dire circumstances at Dofteana orphanage in Bacau, Northeast Romania, recognising the need for urgent help. For more information about the charity, see www.cryinthedark.org.

Fashion Jumpsuits for Joy

Practical, playful and stylish, this month we’re enjoying summer with vibrant patterned jumpsuits

Opposite Page: Janine Print Jumpsuit, £139, www.phase­eight.com. Top Left: Floral Linen Belted Wide­Leg Jumpsuit, £369, www.ralphlauren.co.uk. Top Right: Blue Floral Georgette Woven Halter Pleated Jumpsuit, £99, www.karenmillen.com. Above Left: Orta, Floral Wide Leg Jumpsuit With Tie Waist, £195, www.tedbaker.com. Above Right: Lime Green Flowing Jumpsuit, £265, gb.iblues.it.

www.mintvelvet.com.

Above: Cream Floral Print Jumpsuit, £199,

Opposite: Rhiannon Sequin Printed Jumpsuit, £229, www.phase­eight.com.

Struggling with Menopausal Symptoms?

Reclaim control of your health and hormones with the help of a trained Women’s Health Expert. Understand WHY you gain weight and lose your “zest for life” and learn why STRESS, SLEEP, NUTRITION and the right type of EXERCISE for you can give you back control of your life.

Please visit www.lincolnshiremenopauseclinic.co.uk to book your free non obligation telephone consultation.

Purveyors of Luxury Eyewear

Since 1979

WOLF Eyewear a collection in stock now.

43/44 Wrawby Street, Brigg, North Lincolnshire DN20 8BS

Tel: 01652 653595. Web: www.obriensopticians.co.uk Call for an appointment or pop in to view our latest designer eyewear

Male Grooming & Haircare in the Heart of Stamford Book online at www.raffertysofstamford.com It’s easy, it’s convenient, it saves waiting around! St Mary’s Street Stamford PE9 2DS Mon - Wed: 8am - 6pm, Thur - Fri: 8am - 9pm, Sat: 7am - 4pm Toni & Guy trained, 24 years experience. Classic haircut £23, beard trim with shave £19, hot towel shave £50.

Time to Shine

With the sun set to shine all summer long, this month we’ve been inspired to suggest a range of luxury cosmetics in suitable shades, with protection from the sun in mind too

Beautiful Belle by Estée Lauder

Estée Lauder presents Beautiful Belle, a floraloriental fragrance for women: top notes of lychee, rose petals and mimosa. Mid notes of orange and gardenia then base notes of amber and musk.

From Estée Lauder, or fragrantica.com £79/50ml.

Infinite Shine for Nails

Basic Baddie is OPI’s creamy nude shade for summer nails from one of the best names in the business. High shine, rich pigments and chip­proof quality for up to 11 days of normal wear, £17.50 / 15ml.

All About Shadow

A new quad palette of eye colour from Clinique, shown here is Teddy Bear shade, with long­wearing formula and vibrant pigments ideal for creating a range of looks for day or night, £39/4.8g.

Forever Glow

Take care of your skin with Elizabeth Arden’s anti­ageing SPF50 daily moisturiser which utilises triple action protection to safeguard skin from pollution, UV rays and visible signs of ageing.

£58/40ml, available from John Lewis.

A five­star foundation that’ll have you seeing stars too. 94% natural ingredients, Dior’s Forever Skin Glow in nine shades including Star Filter boosts radiance and ensures a healthy glow, £45/30ml.

Gold standard protection against sun damage All our beauty products are available from

A moment of joy this season from L’Occitaine

You’ll go nuts for this trio of treats powered by almond oil from L’Occitane en Provence. The collection’s shower scrub with powdered almond shells gently exfoliates whilst the shower oil hydrates.

Luffa sponge also included.

£34 from John Lewis.

Summer of Love

The hottest day of the year, a sense of fun and a beautiful boho style for the whole day... just a few of the reasons that Holly & Ross’s wedding was so memorable!

Images: Kazooieloki Wedding Photography, 07870 779908, www.kazooieloki.co.uk.

Most brides hope for a bit of sunshine for their big day, but the Great British weather surpassed expectations last summer when Holly & Ross married in high summer heat at Hirst Priory, on the Isle of Axholme, between Crowle and Scunthorpe.

The couple live on a smallholding in the farmhouse they’ve recently renovated, and though neither are farmers by profession, they share a love of the outdoors and wanted that to be a central theme of their wedding.

The original plan, therefore, was a tipi wedding on land close to their home.

However, when they went to view the tipis in situ at Hirst Priory, they soon fell in love with the setting and its grounds and woodland, opting to hold their wedding there instead.

“We love the countryside, and we wanted to create a day that was fun, relaxed and enjoyable, with a real party atmosphere,” says Holly.

“We didn’t like the idea of a day that felt too formal, and the idea that we would hold the ceremony itself outside, surrounded by family and friends really appealed.”

Another aspect of the venue the couple loved was its ability to provide woodland for the ceremony, then the venue’s indoor spaces for the wedding breakfast and finally the tipi reception that both Holly & Ross had originally envisaged.

Holly discovered bridal designer Martina Liana and fell in love with an off-the-shoulder A-line gown in multi-layered tulle with sweetheart neckline. The gentlemen meanwhile opted for Marc Darcy tailoring in tan tweed with brown suede highlights and olive green ties.

Weddings

Also contributing to the look and feel of the day, and to a neutral colour palette, was wedding styling by Born Boho using its Farmstead table theme. Holly’s Etsy-sourced hand-tied bouquet comprised dried roses, plus foliage and grasses such as bunny tail-ears and gypsophila.

Meanwhile, Sue Hayes of Pop Up Tarts created a three-tier semi-naked cake with matching decoration.

The couple’s wedding breakfast was provided by Brigg’s Cater Me Tasty... although one member of the waiting staff did raise an eyebrow when they tripped over and dropped a couple of bits of crockery.

More surprising still was the moment the apologetic waiter suddenly burst into song, revealing himself to be the singing waiter that Holly had booked completely in secret... even Ross didn’t know! “He instantly created an amazing vibe, everyone loved him and thought he was great!”

The same singing waiter turned DJ in the evening and kept the party going into the small hours, with guests also able to enjoy ice creams courtesy of Blyton Ice Cream and garden games from Emma Lane Designs.

“It really was the very hottest day, about 30°c,” says Holly. “We weren’t looking forward to posing for our photos in the heat. But actually, Richard and Christine of Kazooieloki worked so quickly and created some beautiful images.”

“They were so quick and unobtrusive throughout the day but captured every single moment, including the one where Ross’s friends lifted him up onto their heads... Richard did what can only be described as a commando roll to get the shot, and of course, his captured the moment perfectly!”

“It was typical of the day... fun, with lots of laughter, a complete pleasure. We’ll look back and smile at all of the memories for many years to come!”

Local Suppliers

Photography: Kazooieloki Wedding Photography, 07870 779908, www.kazooieloki.co.uk.

Venue: Hirst Priory, Isle of Axholme, 01724 400418.

Tipis: Serentipi, 07738 290464, www.serentipi.co.uk.

Venue Decoration: Born Boho, 07548 897148.

Wedding Dress: Ava Hamilton, avarosehamilton.co.uk.

Groomsmens’s Suits: www.marcdarcy.co.uk.

Catering: Cater Me Tasty, Brigg, 07724 645983.

Ice Creams: Blyton Ice Cream, 01427 628355.

Garden Games: www.emmalanedesigns.co.uk.

Singing Waiter: Silver Service Singers, 01744 347357.

For Your Relaxation, Revitalisation, Recovery and for Your Holistic Health

Advanced Skin Treatments ~ Relaxing Facials ~ Semi-Permanent Makeup ~ Re exology ~ Reiki ~ Sports Injury Massage ~ Nurse Practitioner Clinics including B12 Injections, Ear Syringing, Hayfever Injections and Aesthetic Treatments such as Dermal Fillers, Wrinkle Relaxers, Skin Boosters and much more...

Tattershall Thorpe, LN4 4PL 01526 342696 www.therelaxationstudio.co.uk

Rus c luxury in an idyllic rural se ng

Award winning venue for bespoke wedding days

Roman c backdrop of Kirkstead Abbey

Abbeyfarmweddings.co.uk | info@abbeyfarmweddings.co.uk 07769 283555

Six reasons to love your Wedding Venue

A wonderful wedding begins with a wonderful wedding venue, so this month we benefit from the insight of Abbey Farm Weddings, who have created a breathtakingly beautiful wedding venue set in 30 acres of private & tranquil Lincolnshire countryside near Woodhall Spa

A wonderful wedding needs a wonderful venue... and happily, Abbey Farm Weddings provides just that. Back in 2017, farm owners Jo & Will Nelstrop created what we believe is the first new ‘mud and stud’ heritage building to be commissioned in the county for many, many years. In 2020 the family converted a second farm building, a 450-year old Granary, and created an interconnecting bar yielding a versatile wedding venue with exclusive use for couples to marry on site & celebrate their day during any month of the year.

The look and feel of the venue is pretty spectacular, remaining faithful to its setting and to Lincolnshire’s heritage... however its beauty isn’t just skin deep. The team at Abbey Farm have many years of experience, holding weddings here since 2017, meaning they have plenty of useful advice to guide recently engaged couples starting the hunt for their perfect wedding venue.

1. A Helping Hand

“Booking your venue is the first fundamental step in creating your perfect wedding day,” says Millie, Abbey Farm’s Wedding Events Manager, “It gives you a date, the location and the size of the event, and helps you to determine how you might like your day to look and feel.”

“At this stage, we do our best to provide objective and honest guidance and advice, ensuring no part of your wedding day is ever dictated to you, but instead facilitating your ideas and acting as a sounding board. From here, we begin to provide suitable suggestions from our rich list of suppliers who we think can help bring your bespoke day to fruition.”

“One aspect of the planning process that couples really value is the consistency of contact between themselves and their wedding coordinator. We pride ourselves on being there from the very first meeting, right through the planning and most importantly, on the day itself to ensure everything runs smoothly.”

2. Flexibility

“Another trait of a good wedding venue is versatility,” says Millie. “That means it facilitates your day; it doesn’t dictate it. A venue that is able to give you a variety of different options, enables you to plan your day, your way. Our traditionally-styled Oak Barn, Old Granary and all our outside spaces are equally loved and give the opportunity to create the perfect wedding for you. This helps to make every wedding we host have a unique, individual look and feel.”

3. Seasonal Suitability

“With around 60% of UK weddings taking place during May - September, you would hope to be able to make the most of any outdoor space on offer from your venue. With a private woodland walk from adjacent St Leonard’s Church, Kirkstead, a romantic stroll back across our meadows to the barns can be the perfect way to start married life together.”

“But, as everybody well knows, the Great British weather can never be relied upon. A venue that can offer alternatives that you fall in love with just as much as your original plans ensures that no matter what the weather, you will never be disappointed on the day.”

“Our interconnecting barns also allow for Autumnal and Winter weddings which

bring a unique look and feel to your day, through different colour palettes and the added magic of roaring fires and twinkling fairy lights at dusk.”

4. A Backup Plan

“And that brings us to a practical, but a necessary consideration... we build a wet weather plan into every single wedding (even in July!), to ensure that whatever the weather, the day will run smoothly!”

5. A Sense of Style

“No two weddings should look the same which is why we’ve worked hard to ensure that our venue has lots of character but also lets couples impart their own look, feel and personality to express their own character on the day. Abbey Farm has been created in such a way as to allow couples to really make the place their own in terms of decoration and finishing touches.”

6. Authenticity

Finally, Jo says “The main focus for Will & I throughout the build and renovations was to truly reflect the personality of the barns’ original Lincolnshire heritage. Our traditional ‘mud and stud’ building, of which we are very proud, was created by local heritage craftsmen Billy Willmington & Mark Baddon.”

“The Oak Barn is totally unique in its creation, bringing a rare traditional technique into the 21st century. Similarly, the renovations to the 450 year old Old Granary has allowed us to incorporate a modern twist to a classic rural Lincolnshire building. This has resulted in beautiful spaces, bursting with character and authentic charm, reflecting the past as our wedding couples create their future!”

Abbey Farm Weddings is based on Abbey Lane, Kirkstead, Woodhall Spa, LN10 6UH. Available for a limited number of weddings throughout each year. For a personalised tour, call 07769 283555 or take a video tour at www.abbeyfarmweddings.co.uk.