Rutland Pride Dec 2013

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DECEMBER

DECEMBER 2013

DECEMBER

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

2013

RutlandPride

RutlandPride

TO ALL OUR READERS

THE NUMBER ONE COUNTY MAGAZINE

CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTY

COVERING RUTLAND AND STAMFORD

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Celebrating the Season

How to Look Great

Seasonal Gifts - Christmas Recipes Decorations - Entertainment

£3.70

DEC EM BER

PARTY DRESSES

2013

Festive Food

Winter Fashion

The Event

Local produce and recipes

Celebrate style with Cavells

Uppingham in Bloom Celebrate

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D E C E M B E R

DECEMBER

THE

NUMBER

ONE

COUNTY

RutlandPride

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

2013

RutlandPride

TO ALL OUR READERS

MAGAZINE

CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTY

COVERING RUTLAND AND STAMFORD

Celebrating the Season

THe numBer one CounTy magazine

How to Look Great

PARTY DRESSES

Welcome to December’s Rutland Pride in which we’re delighted to wish all of our readers a very Happy Christmas. To celebrate the season we’ve seasonal recipes and ways to make your Christmas lunch an easier occasion, as well as hints, tips and little projects for a home made Christmas.

£3.70

Seasonal Gifts - Christmas Recipes Decorations - Entertainment Festive Food

Winter Fashion

The Event

Local produce and recipes

Celebrate style with Cavells

Uppingham in Bloom Celebrate

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This month’s cover: Fallow Deer running free on Burghley House estate, captured by Stamford photographer Lyndsay Ford.

Her family portraits make an ideal Christmas gift; 07580 388880!

Pride magazines elm grange Studios east Heckington, Boston Lincolnshire Pe20 3QF

Also in this edition we enjoy a trip to Wymondham to enjoy winter dining, we’ve a roundup of seasonal gift ideas and jewellery, plus fashion ideas for the season and the best places to find your Christmas tree, too.

Tel: 01529 469977 Fax: 01529 469978 Web: www.rutlandpride.co.uk enquiries@pridemagazines.co.uk

We’ve a beautiful looking property near Stamford in this month’s homes and gardens section, as well as festive ideas for using red in your home.

Our best wishes for a wonderful season!

www.facebook.com/rutlandpride Why not follow us on Facebook? you can keep up to date with any news we may have for our lovely magazine! twitter.com/@RutlandPride Follow us on Twitter so you can read our tweets. We’ll let you know what’s going on and keep you well informed!

Enjoy!

By supplying editorial or adverts to rutland Pride you accept in full the terms and conditions which can be found online at www.pridemagazines.co.uk. in the event of an advert or editorial being published incorrectly, where Pride magazines Ltd admits fault, we will include an advert of equivalent size, or equivalent sized editorial, free of charge to be used in a future edition, at our discretion. This gesture is accepted as full compensation for the error(s) with no refunds available.

With best wishes from the Rutland Pride team...

Publisher: Julian Wilkinson. General Manager: ian Bagley.

Pride Magazines Group Sales Manager: Jayne Broughton.

Executive Editor: rob Davis. Customer Care Manager: mandy Bray.

Accounts Manager: Sue Bannister. Sales Manager: zoie Wilkinson.

Sales Executives: Charlotte aiken, elaine Hall, Jo Leadbitter, rachel Frisby, rachel Jones, emily Brown, Sami millard, amy Whiley, Lauren Chambers, andrew Taylor.

Sales Support: emily rippin, Denise ging. Distribution Manager: Paul Dixon.

enjoy rutland Pride, read it cover to cover.

Pick it up, put it down and when you have finished with it pass it on. When everyone has had a good read, pop it in the recycle bin!

Festivity

Food

Fashion

Fun

Great ideas for a home made Christmas and a roundup of festivities in the county this month.

Superb dining at Wymondham’s Berkeley Arms for warm, cosy dining over the festive season.

Ensure you look great and stay warm with country clothing and seasonal style from local retailers.

Celebrations and fundraising events lots of fun for our photographers to capture!

WinTer 2013

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CountyNews

Send your press releases and county news to: Rob Davis, via editor@pridemagazines.co.uk.

Rutland is Blooming lovely... and now it’s official!

Silver gilt awards for both Oakham and Uppingham in the 2013 East Midlands in Bloom Competition...

Oakham and Uppingham have both come up smelling of roses in the 2013 East Midlands Britain in Bloom competition.

The East Midlands regional final’s winners were revealed in September. Oakham was honoured in the Town category with a gold award, ahead of Silver Gilt winner, nearby Bourne.

Meanwhile, Uppingham was honoured as a joint silver gilt and Category Winner along with Lincolnshire’s Long Sutton.

Market Harborough was the gold winner in the Large Town category, whilst Uppingham’s Falcon Hotel won the Best Pub/Hotel Garden category.

Oakham in Bloom chairman Maureen Dodds said: “It’s a great

Cycle route to make the most of Rutland’s best attractions Rutland councillors recently gave the green light to a £720,000 project aimed at creating six new cycle paths across the county.

The paths will form part of the central-government funded Travel4Rutland scheme and will create links to local bus routes, and connect cycle routes to attractions with a view to making Rutland into a ‘cycling county.’

The routes will connect Langham to Whissendine, provide a cycle route on the Oakham bypass towards Uppingham Road, and be created in Ashwell, on Braunston Road, at Lyndon Top and in the centre of Greetham.

Local girl Frances Quinn crowned TV’s Great British Bakeoff winner for 2013 Champion baker, 31, is from Market Harborough

achievement for the town. It’s such an honour just to be put forward by the East Midlands in Bloom judges, so to win the Silver Gilt Award was an absolute bonus.”

“Thanks, too, is due to everyone who makes Oakham such a lovely place – especially our volunteers, residents and the businesses who support Oakham In Bloom’s projects.”

Meanwhile Uppingham in Bloom’s Fiona Emery recently organised an awards dinner for over 100 people at the town’s Falcon Hotel to celebrate the group’s overall success, but also to thank and recognise the efforts of individuals for their hard work.

Images from Uppingham in Bloom’s even can be seen later in this month’s edition of Rutland Pride.

Market Harborough’s Frances Quinn was crowned the 2013 Great British Bakeoff winner as last month’s Pride went to press.

A junior clothing designer with the countrywear brand Joules, Frances fought off pouty-favourite Ruby Tandoh and Kimberley Wilson to take the coveted cake stand trophy.

The final of the fourth series was watched by over 9,000,000 people.

Whilst Frances attracted criticism for ‘style over substance’ her performance in the final was unquestionable, with a rainbow picnic pie and three tier wedding cake proving a hit with judges.

“I don't know what the future is going to hold but it does excite me.” she said. “What I'd love to do is combine both passions; baking and design.”

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CountyNews

Send your press releases and county news to: Rob Davis via editor@pridemagazines.co.uk.

Rutland Radio gives away its ENTIRE collection of CDs...

a fair bit of space; at nearly 12 feet high stacked on top of each other, even with Katie balanced on Rob’s shoulders they’d struggle to reach the top!

Rutland radio will give away its entire CD collection to one listener as Pride goes to press.

Rutland Radio Programme Manager Rob Wagstaff is glad the collection will go to a good home, though, and says “Throughout this month we’ve been challenging listeners to identify songs from classic albums to get into the draw to win what is definitely a slice of the radio station’s history!”

It comes after a chance remark on Rob Persani’s Breakfast Show, when newsreader Katie O’Halloran argued that CD’s were redundant.

Rob disagreed, and decided to prove it by offering one winner Rutland Radio’s entire CD collection.

“In all my 15 years at Rutland Radio, I’ve never known a reaction like it.” said Rob. “Everyone’s desperate to win them!”

Rutland classical pianist finds fame on Classic FM

With over 600 CD’s, totalling over 7000 tracks, the winner will need

Uppingham pianist Alexis Ffrench’s album of ‘beautifully simple music’ enjoys Classic FM airplay and is the new soundtrack to Barclaycard’s ad...

World Conker Championships are a knockout success!

Uppingham: Stolen Lullabies is the latest album to be released by classical pianist and esteemed composer Alexis Ffrench.

Alex is also Uppingham School’s Head of Keyboard and Music Technology.

The album is described as beautifully simple music which leaves room for the listener to experience the magic for themselves, and following its October release the album is proving popular, not least with Classic FM, which is giving the album national airplay One of the tracks from the album, A Wondrous Path, has also been selected as the soundtrack to the new Barclaycard Freedom TV ad.

Classic FM has selected Stolen Lullabies to be playlisted on the radio from this week onwards and complimented Alexis saying he has “A knack for writing beautifully

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contemplative piano music.”

Sophie and Simon ‘conker’ competitors to take the 2013 crowns in nutty event held near Rutland...

Alexis first began his musical career at the tender age of seven as a church organist, and made his concert debut at the Royal Academy of Music, London, at the age of eleven.

He gained huge success with his preceding albums Piano Karma and The Secret Piano - the latter of which was released, worldwide, as a sheet music folio through publishers Boosey and Hawkes and Hal Leonard.

Alexis’s previous album enjoyed great popularity with Classic FM’s listeners and was the featured album on the station’s Drivetime with John Brunning in September 2012.

Stolen Lullabies is available from Boosey and Hawkes or via Alexis’s own website which can be found at www.alexisffrenchmusic.com.

Oundle’s Shuckburgh Arms was the venue for the 2013 World Conker Championships. Simon Cullum from Kettering has been crowned the men's World Conker Champion at the World Conker Championships 2013 with Sophie Knox from Harrogate taking the ladies’ title.

Shown above is winner Simon, who says he didn’t practice and that his victory was ‘beginner’s luck’! Ladies’ winner Sophie completed the whole event dressed as the Pink Panther and described the event as “Wonderful, ridiculous and hilarious!”

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EMPINGHAM, RUTLAND £1,295,000 With an attractive stone façade overlooking pretty, secluded south-west facing gardens, St Peter’s Barn has a peaceful location in the heart of Empingham village. The Grade II listed barn was built in the late 1800s and converted in 1990 to create a light, spacious and stylish home. Many stunning period features have been preserved including the original stone walls, a high vaulted central arch, as well as many original solid oak beams and roof timbers. Solid wood doors and floors, and Indian sandstone flagstones have been used to enhance the barn’s natural looks and subsequent additions such as the airy conservatory with its vaulted ceiling and high windows, blend successfully with the original structure. The whole house is flooded with light with many picture windows and French doors out to the garden whilst recent additions include a superb Kitchen, stylish bathrooms, under-floor heating throughout the ground floor and doubleglazing. The beautifully presented interior offers flexible use with a particular benefit being the potential to create an independent first floor Annexe suite. With its attractive looks, pretty south-west facing garden and extensive accommodation it’s a stylish, welcoming and practical home in an excellent location.

HAMBLETON, RUTLAND SSTC £1,500,000 Tucked away from the main street on the edge of Hambleton village, the property’s superb position offers far-reaching views over open fields to Rutland Water, whilst it is just a step from the village itself and a short walk to the shores of the lake and surrounding footpaths. Built of Stamford stone, the house has been carefully designed to create a light-filled home with stunning living spaces and flexible accommodation, and having been recently completed is in immaculate condition. Large windows throughout make the most of the unrivalled views whilst the length of the lower ground floor has bi-fold doors opening the rooms out to the wide, terrace overlooking the garden and the lake beyond. The interior combines traditional detail with the highest quality modern fittings; features such as limestone and solid oak flooring, bespoke bathrooms, internet wiring and under-floor heating throughout most of the property (radiators to the second floor) make this a streamlined, efficient and truly modern home. Walnut House combines excellent design with extensive living space and, with its superb Rutland location, it makes an impressive country home.

Fine & Country 2 St. Mary’s Street, Stamford, Lincs PE9 2DE Telephone: (01780) 750200 Email: stamford@fineandcounty.com www.fineandcountry.com

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SOUTH LUFFENHAM, RUTLAND £1,200,000 Bridge House is located in the Rutland village of South Luffenham where local amenities include two pubs, the Boot and Shoe and the Coach House, as well as the church and village hall. Uppingham is just 7 miles to the west and is an attractive, charming and flourishing market town where you’ll find speciality shops and eateries, all emanating from the 13th century Market Place which still hosts a weekly market each Friday. In addition, both Oakham and the Georgian market town of Stamford are close by and the latter is renowned for its Georgian architecture; the town is largely built from lime-stone and has over 600 listed buildings including the well-known coaching Inn, The George Hotel. The nearby Burghley House Estate hosts a number of events throughout the year, including the Burghley Horse Trials and also has attractions such as the Sculpture Gardens, Garden of Surprise and an 18 - hole golf course. The house itself is individually designed to the current owners exacting specification, laid out over three floors to provide in excess of 5500 sq ft of accommodation and built in local stone in the center of its landscaped grounds, accessed via electric wooden gates with entry phone system.

OAKHAM, RUTLAND £2,800,000 The Pavilion is a superb country home set in a wonderful rural location with views over lovely Rutland countryside. Built using a mix of local Clipsham stone, handmade brick and Welsh slate, a key feature of the property’s design are the walls of bi-fold glass doors opening onto sunny terraces, and the result is an airy, light-filled home which seamlessly blends interior and garden spaces. At the heart of the stunning interior is a vast open-plan living space with high vaulted ceilings, impressive roof beams and solid-wood floors and particular highlights include the stunning bespoke kitchen with state-of-the art appliances, the light-filled Pool Room and a luxurious three-level Master Bedroom Suite. The property also benefits from high specification systems such as zoned Smarthouse lighting, under-floor heating and an integrated sound system, whilst the bathrooms have been individually designed and fitted by Porcelanosa.

The Pavilion combines striking contemporary design, excellent entertaining space and extensive and flexible accommodation and, with its superb Rutland location, it makes an impressive country home.

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THE OLD BLUEBELL, 25 HIGH STREET, MORCOTT

GUIDE PRICE £835,000

A Delightful Stone and Welsh Slate Former Public House, Listed Grade II, Dating from the Late 19th Century.

EMMELINE COTTAGE, LANGHAM

GUIDE PRICE £695,000

A Newly Built Stone House of Quality, Set in the Magical Grounds of an Important Grade II* Listed Building. Emmeline Cottage is a brand new property that has been sympathetically designed to fit in its mature setting.

It is of high quality construction, built by tradesman and is a one off design.

17 CHURCH STREET, LANGHAM

GUIDE PRICE £395,000

Delightful Georgian House, Listed Grade II in the heart of the village.

STAMFORD

Tel: 01780 484520 Offices – LONDON • MARKET HARBOROUGH • NORTHAMPTON • STAMFORD

www.kingwest.co.uk

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UNIQUE BRITISH CONTEMPORARY ARTS, CRAFTS, CARDS AND GIFTS NEW STOCK NOW IN

4 Knight's Yard Gaol Street Oakham Rutland LE15 6AQ 01572 756760 www.itchgallery.co.uk

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‘IF ONLy...

THE MaLDIVEs’ The Maldives consist of a myriad of little islands, about two hundred of which are inhabited, and these are engulfed into twenty-six natural atolls.

They straddle the equator with the appearance of a garland of little gems haphazardly abandoned on the crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean.

Each resort has a shallow yet brilliant blue lagoon and is surrounded by a coral reef. The islands themselves are blessed with relatively deserted beaches of the softest powder-white sand, with a backdrop of gently swaying palms.

Below the ocean is a world apart, a truly amazing kaleidoscope of over nine hundred species of exotic fish inhabiting the crystal clear waters.

The splendours of the underwater life include turtles, sharks, dolphins, whales, stingrays, moray eels and manta rays. If you are seeking the ultimate in exclusive island hideaways, then the Maldives are for you.

Transfers: Depending upon the location island, your transfer from Malé airport will either be by seaplane or speedboat, both of which will be on a shared basis.

Please note that seaplanes only operate during daylight hours.

There are a wide range of islands – If Only feature over 40 - and are true experts with their unrivalled knowledge helping you to choose the right resort whilst remaining extremely competitive on price.

From iconic water bungalows to stunning beach villas with amazing furnishings and amenities, each resort offers a taste of true decadence.

If Only work closely with leading independent agency Savvi Travel, call for expert advice and fantastic prices to this beautiful part of the world.

£ saVVI TRaVEL Savvi Travel can arrange an ‘If Only Maldives’ holiday for you: call your Travel Consultant on 01572 842012 for more information or pop into Savvi at 7 The Maltings, Oakham.

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TO VIEW AnD PURChASE PhOTOGRAPhS FROM ‘ThE EVEnT’ VISIT WWW.PRIDEMAGAZInES.CO.UK Dave and Kay Batley of Rutland’s Savvii Travel.

THE EVENT The Rutland Travel Show...

Oakham’s Savvii Travel recently organised the inaugural Rutland Travel Show, which took place at Barnsdale Lodge and attracted over 100 guests. 18 operators showcased destinations such as cruises, safaris and winter holidays as well as short breaks and city breaks, with the emphasis on affordable luxury.

It was the brainchild of Dave and Kay Batley of Savvii Travel, just off Oakham’s Mill Street. The success of the event led to Dave and Kay saying they’ll definitely run the event again next year, with a provisional date of 28th September.

In addition to finding out everything you ever wanted to know about your dream holiday destinations, guests enjoyed complimentary wine and canapés, coffee and pastries, too.

Photos: Rob Davis.

The event was an opportunity to find out about the places you’ve always wanted to see...

Feature your event in our magazine.

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Call 01529 469977 and speak to our events Desk...

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ThE EVEnT The

Rutland Travel Show with Savvii Travel The event was attended by 18 dierent operators.

A private island in Barbados with your own butler? Just one of the Rutland Travel Show’s tempting trips!

The inaugural Rutland Travel Show was held at Barnsdale Lodge and attracted over 100 attendees.

Purchase photographs from this event online.

Visit www.pridemagazines.co.uk.

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Find your perfect holiday with your local, independent & friendly travel experts

sPOTLIGHT ON sRI LaNka s

ri Lanka was formerly known as serendib and more recently Ceylon. This island nation has a wealth of cultural, archaeological and natural treasures and is the perfect destination for a holiday during our winter months. Floating just off the southern coast of India has long been known as the pearl of the Indian Ocean.

It is a land of phenomenal beauty and is home to seven World Heritage sights, from the bustling capital of Colombo to the many wildlife experiences you will discover breath-taking scenery with pure contrasts from palm fringed beaches to lush tea plantations, all of which is experienced in a tropical climate with the natural charm and hospitality of the locals, English is widely spoken and the island offers a myriad of cultural sights.

Oundle Travel recommend a private island tour with you own chauffeur for a holiday to remember Several options are available a shorter three night tour may be combined with a beach starting in Colombo the capital and travelling to the elephant orphanage in Pinnawela, moving on to The Sigiriya Rock Fortress and the Dambulla Caves finishing in Nuwara Eliya.

Longer six night and East coast tours are also available and may also be combined with relaxation at one of Sri Lanka’s stunning 5* properties at the end of your trip. The Fortress in Galle is a particular favourite offering a choice of contemporary style accommodation and a stunning Spa, offering a unique experience in a tranquil atmosphere, The Vivanta by Taj offers a wide array of facilities with sailing, boating and windsurfing nearby.

Prices are subject to availability, flights are available directly from London Heathrow with Sri Lankan Airlines, Emirates also offer a convenient service from Birmingham Airport via Dubai with superb connections making the onward journey very smooth.

The Fortress Resort & Spa – From £1245.00 per person for a 7 night stay in January 2014.

The Vivanta by Taj – From £1065.00 per person for a 7 nights stay in March 2014.

Tailor Made Tours with Private Chauffeur – From £795.00 per person depending on departure date and duration.

Please contact Oundle Travel on 01832 273600 for more details or take a look at www.oundletravel.co.uk.

They will be pleased to advise and help you find the right holiday to suit your budget and taste and have considerable personal experience of this area.

01832 273600 market Place, oundle, Peterborough, Pe8 4ea email: sales@oundletravel.co.uk Website: www.oundletravel.co.uk

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WARM UP yOUR WInTER In WyMOnDhAM

The Berkeley Arms No matter how fierce the winter, you’ll always be guaranteed a warm welcome at Wymondham’s Berkeley Arms. This month we meet the husband and wife team who have transformed a run-down venue into one of the area’s best pub restaurants...

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RESTAURAnT OF ThE MOnTh

Left: Beautiful beams, pantile floors and chunky rustic furniture... just perfect for winter dining!

Right: The pub’s dining room seats around 24 and the bar seats 20, and there’s a separate snug for private parties of up to eight.

O Opposite: During our visit we enjoyed loin of Scottish venison with swede purée, fondant potato, caramelised walnuts and red wine poached pears.

Left: Twice baked Long Clawson Stilton cheese soufflé.

Below: Wymondham Victoria plum fool with shortbread biscuit.

ur visit to Wymondham’s Berkeley Arms couldn’t have come at a better time. It was my last appointment of the day. Dusk was setting in and the weather was absolutely filthy.

Driving rain was lashing the windscreen as I pulled into the car park, but as I grabbed my camera equipment from the boot and staggered through the door, glasses all steamed up and suit spattered by rain, my mood suddenly lifted.

It’s a proper rustic pub restaurant with masses of talent in the kitchen and a superb husband and wife duo providing excellent chefcraft, and a warm front of house, respectively.

One of my favourite aspects of The Berkeley Arms is its lovely open fire in the lounge area, with its sofas and fresh flowers.

Rustic brickwork and a stack of wonky logs, next to my suede covered wing chair, created a really comfortable place to sit with a cuppa to interview Neil and Louise Hitchen whilst recovering from the weather.

“I come from Uppingham, whilst Louise is from Leicestershire so we’re both fairly local.” says Neil. “We met at Hambleton Hall back in 1998, and really enjoyed working in a fine dining environment. However, we’d go to a nearby pub after work and settle in for the night, enjoying food and drink in a relaxed environment, which gave us a real taste for what we’d want if we ever took on our own pub restaurant.”

The couple left Rutland behind to work abroad, and enjoyed seven years working together in the US and the Caribbean.

They returned to the UK in September 2006 and began looking for their own place - somewhere to settle as a couple - using the hospitality of the pub they used to visit, together with the high standards of dining at Hambleton Hall as blueprints to create a pub restaurant that champions relaxed excellence.

The venue they chose was The Berkeley Arms in the village of Wymondham, and what appealed was the warmth not just of the C16th pub, but its locals too.

True to their claim, during our visit businessmen in casual jackets rolled in with their acquaintances, whilst farmers in wellies propped up the bar, with each receiving an equally warm welcome.

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Sample M enu £ sTaRTERs Trout gravlax of rutland Water trout with pickled cucumber and Hambleton sourdough bread.

£7.00

Pâté £6.95 Pork and black pudding pâté with Wymondham Bramley apple compote and toast.

Pigeon rare grilled local pigeon breast, fig and pancetta salad.

£7.00

£ MaINs Fish & Chips £12.50 Belvoir brewery beer battered haddock with hand-cut chips and mushy peas.

Guinea Fowl £14.00 roasted breast of guinea fowl with wild mushroom and pearl barley risotto.

Sausages & Mash £10.00 David Cox of Stathern’s Lincolnshire sausages with mash and onion gravy.

£ PUDDING Blackberry Crumble £5.95 Bramley apple and blackberry crumble with blackberry ripple ice cream.

Chocolate Fondant £6.50 Warm chocolate fondant with honeycomb and banana ice cream. nougatine £6.50 iced nougatine parfait with roasted nuts.

Cheese Platter £7.50 British cheese plate with home made biscuits, featuring a choice of Long Clawson Stilton, Black Bomber, Shropshire Blue, Sue’s Vintage Trelawney, goodweald Smoked and ribblesdale goats cheese.

£ OPENING HOURs (FOOD) Monday: Closed.

Tuesday-saturday: 12noon - 2pm, 6.30pm - 9pm. sunday: 12noon - 3pm.

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RESTAURAnT OF ThE MOnTh

Bar snacks alone include pickled quails’ eggs, Grasmere Grunta - a particularly delicious cured sausage - and a variety of nuts, to accompany local ales and a wine list beautifully selected in partnership with Patrick Whenham-Bossy at Terra Wines.

“We were determined that the place would offer both a home-from-home for its locals, as well as a quality restaurant that would attract diners from a little further afield.” says Neil.

Dining at The Berkeley Arms is available from Tuesday lunchtime to Sunday afternoon, with a two or three course lunch menu from £14.95 with a choice of two starters, two mains and two desserts, and a main menu with 10 starters, 10 main courses, a clutch of side dishes and seven desserts.

During our visit we enjoyed a delicious starter of ham hock terrine with cauliflower piccalilli, and a twice-baked Stilton soufflé.

The latter was creamy, delicious and rich - a proper winter warmer with heaps of provenance and rustic presentation.

Speciality bread is baked by one of Neil’s old Hambleton chums, Julian Carter, whilst local game dealers Ron Grant and Vernon Moore provide locally shot game. Another villager provides the venue with locally laid eggs, butchery is courtesy of David Cox of Stathern and Launde Farm, and fresh trout comes from, of course, Rutland Water.

“When we came here we both had a strong vision for what we wanted, both from the venue and from the food.” says Neil.

“The place was run down, so we’ve spend a lot of time getting the look and feel of the place right, it’s constantly evolving but we feel we’ve given the building some much needed love.”

“Likewise, with our food, our vision of friendly faithful fayre is proving popular. We can let the ingredients speak for themselves without over-complicating our dishes.”

Our main course choice was a dish of Scottish venison with fondant potatoes and caramelised walnuts - a dish finished off with a red wine poached pear.

Neil and Louise ‘keep it country’ and make sure they spend plenty of time ensuring that despite being nice and relaxed, it’s still a place to dine with high standards of chefcraft; the restaurant was awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Finally, our Victoria plum fool pudding featured fruit gifted to the restaurant by one of its much valued locals. It’s just one example of how the locals support The Berkeley Arms, and of how the restaurant champions local ingredients.

“It’s a really warm, happy place with great food and drink.” says Neil. “The Bib Gourmand is certainly a credible accolade, but people always leave here with a smile on their faces, and we think that’s the very best reward we can have for our work.”

THE BERKELEY ARMS at Wymondham

The Berkeley Arms, 59 Main St, Wymondham, Leicestershire LE14 2AG To book a meal call

01572 787587 www.theberkeleyarms.co.uk

From Oakham: Take the Ashwell road and follow signs for Wymondham windmill.

After six miles you will reach the village of Wymondham from Edmonthorpe Rd. Turn left at the T-junction and the Berkeley Arms is 100 yards further up the road on the right hand side.

info@theberkeleyarms.co.uk

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Fox & Hounds, Exton Located in one of Rutland’s most picturesque villages, The Fox and Hounds at Exton, is a delightful public house, offering diners traditional Italian and English favourites, alongside cask marque approved ales.

Run by chef/Proprietor Valter and Sandra for the last eleven years, together with their friendly team, they have consistently produced great food and a warm welcome.

Valter and his team serve food 7 days a week at lunchtimes and dinner. In addition to dining opportunities, there are four guest bedrooms with terrific views of the sycamore trees dominating the village green and the pretty stone & thatch cottages.

The pub is also popular with ramblers and cyclists. Dogs are permitted in one of the bars and in the large walled garden. It can often be busy, particularly at weekends, and reservations for meals are advisable.

For just a few days each year, larger parties can be accommodated within the pub exclusively or in a marquee or tipi within the grounds. Please enquire for details.

This festive season, the Christmas party menu is from £16pp and it is an ideal time to catch up with friends and family. The New Year’s Eve House Party is an opportunity to ‘dress up smart, dine and dance’. Tickets for this event are £65pp and are selling fast. Please book early.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Fox and Hounds, 19 The Green, Exton, Rutland LE15 8aP Tel: 01572 812403 Email: info@foxandhoundsrutland.co.uk www.foxandhoundsrutland.co.uk

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CHRIsTMas GIFTs...

The Chocolate Bar is a well established Belgian chocolate shop and tea rooms located on the High Street in Oakham. Our chocolates are carefully selected from some of the finest Chocolatiers Belgium has to offer, and you won’t find them on any supermarket shelves.

Our latest offering is an exclusive range of hand crafted Chocolate Truffle Trees.

Hand made to order in our shop, these beautiful chocolate designs are the ultimate in chocolate luxury, making a unique and unforgettable gift for a special occasion.

Our tea rooms offer a wide range of hot and cold meals and snacks. We also offer home made cakes – our carrot cake comes highly recommended, just ask our regulars! Our speciality is our finest Italian Hot Chocolate, which comes in several flavours such as Marzipan, Mint, Gingerbread and Hazelnut.

Don’t forget to bring the dog! We welcome dogs into our tea rooms – not only do they get a warm welcome, but a couple of biscuits too.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

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WHERE THERE’S sMOkE...

Enjoy a seasonal treat, lift your Christmas lunch or give the foody in your life a special gift this season. Leo Sugden of Otters Smokehouse and Deli on Oakham’s Mill Street has some delicious seasonal ideas...

Words: Rob Davis.

...there’s fire: This room holds the secret to the traditional cold smoking process that gives smoked fish and cheese from otters its rich flavour.

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Food & Drink

with Otters

O

tters Smokehouse and Deli is a small business with a huge success story behind it. One of the county’s most specialised food retailers, it’s owned by Leo Sugden, an ambassador of produce with provenance, from artisan cheeses to fish smoked in a traditional English smokehouse on the East Coast.

It’s incredible to think that Otters is just two years old, and has more than doubled in size in the past year. Leo graduated from Exeter University having read geography in 2011 and set up the businesses, opening in a smaller premises in August of that year, just a few doors down from its current home on Oakham’s Mill Street.

Leo and the Sugden family are all keen yachtsman and enjoy seafood, but struggled to find really high quality smoked fish in the county.

This translates into a great experience for his customers, even during last year’s Christmas rush, during which Leo was moving the business to its new home.

Hopefully this Christmas will be less daunting, but with Otters offering smoked salmon for your Christmas table, smoked bacon and duck plus a range of over 65 English and Continental cheeses, it’s still likely to be very busy indeed.

“We’re allied to a really nice rural smokery in Suffolk.” says Leo. “We’ve chosen to work with its owners, the Pinney family, specifically because they’re a former fishing family

Above: Leo Sugden set up Otters Smokehouse and Deli in August 2011, and doubled the size of the business, by moving to new premises a year later.

“We’re allied to a really nice rural smokery in Suffolk.” says Leo. “They’re a fishing family who diversified into oak-fired cold smoking after the Second World War. They infuse a beautiful flavour into their fish, cheese, bacon & duck.”

“We decided there was an opportunity for a business that would serve as an artisan deli and provide freshly smoked fish and cheese, with the kind of high quality specialist products that volume oriented retailers like supermarket fish counters can’t match.”

who diversified into oak-fired cold smoking after the Second World War. They’ve retained the artisanal way of working and infuse a beautiful flavour into their fish, as well as cheese, and meats like bacon & duck.”

The business was a runaway success and expanded to its current premises at number 19 Mill Street in November last year, including its new eat-in bistro area where locals can enjoy a really high quality lunch whilst shopping on Mill Street. Everyone seems to know, respect, and like Leo for his easy-going manner, his passion for his products and his desire to provide customers with a really good service.

The company’s smoked salmon tastes the best in winter, in front of an open fire with just a squeeze of lemon juice and dill, it’s a popular starter for many Rutlanders’ Christmas lunch, but it has found another form of popularity as a gift for foodies. That’s why, this year, Leo and his team have put together a host of hampers, available from £25-£50, with pâté, chutneys and preserves plus truffles, cheese biscuits

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>>

and condiments like mustard and dill sauce all available too. Hampers are either made up whilst you wait or area available for collection, but they can also be delivered anywhere in the UK. Hot-smoked trout and mackerel plus shellfish like scallops, smoked prawns, oysters and lobster are all available too.

With charcuterie and anti-pasti as well, plus speciality pastas and olive oils, Otters has become a haven for those seeking speciality food that it’s just not possible to find elsewhere.

“We love food and we love quality produce.” says Leo. “Christmas is a time that families come together to socialise and celebrate the season. Good food is central to that, so we hope that we’ll see some new customers this season.”

“People talk to us so passionately about our food, it’s a subject they really care about, and we love hearing how they’ve used our ingredients, what their guests thought about their meal and how good food was an important part of their dinner party or get-together.”

“We also hope that both new, and loyal customers alike, will enjoy celebrating the season with the very best food we can provide, and that we’ll be a part of their festive celebrations for years to come.”

“People talk to us so passionately about our food, and it’s central to our customers’ festive season.

We hope we’ll be a part of their Christmas celebrations for years to come.”

Above: Otters is Leo Sugden’s business.

It stocks smoked fish, cheese, duck and bacon.

Left: A deli counter provides a choice of 65 artisan cheeses.

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Find Out More...

OTTERs sMOkEHOUsE aND DELI is based on 19 Mill Street, Oakham LE15 6EA. For more information call 01572 756481or see www.ottersdeli.co.uk.

The company can arrange for delivery of hampers anywhere in the UK, or they can be collected in person.

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OTTERS SMOKEhOUSE AnD DELI’S

Christmas Food FROM THOUGHTFUL GIFTS FOR RELATIVES ANyWHERE IN THE UK, TO HAMPERS FOR WORK COLLEAGUES, OTTERS PROVIDES ExCELLENT CHRISTMAS PRESENTS. FOR yOUR OWN CHRISTMAS TABLE, TOO, yOU’LL LOVE SMOKED SALMON, SMOKED CHEESE AND DUCK, PLUS A RANGE OF SPECIAL DELI PRODUCTS yOU WON’T FIND ANyWHERE ELSE...

1.

3.

5.

2.

4.

6.

1. Olive Wood set of 3 Cheese Knives This stunning set of cheese knives has olive wood handles. A boxed set of three knives which will make a great gift! Patterned by the natural grain of olive wood each one is unique, making this set unusual and very special. Knives 23.5cm long to 16cm; £25.

2. Fish Lover’s hamper Comprising hand-sliced and laid back smoked salmon, smoked trout fillets, the Pinney family’s Smoked Fish Pâté and Hawkshead Dill Mustard sauce £22.35.

3. Luxury hamper Features some of Otters finest products; Snowdonia Black Bomber, Stilton, Camembert, Smoked Salmon, Smoked Mackerel Fillets, Smoked Salmon Pate, Hawkshead Chutney, Fine English Wheat Fingers, Peters Yard Crispbreads, Hawkshead Dill Mustard sauce, Valrhona Chocolates, Fruits for cheese: £57.50.

4. Trio of Pâtés Venison with Armagnac, Pheasant with Cognac and Wild Boar with Juniper; £call.

5. Scottish Smoked Salmon Hand-sliced, winner of Great Taste Gold award 2011. 114g £4.40, 227g £8.40, laid back side 950g £28.50. Hot smoked salmon fillets 150g £3.90, 950g £25.

6. Cheese Knife Set; Gift Wrapped three cheese knife and slate set; from £15.

Items featured here available from Otters Smokehouse and Deli on Oakham’s Mill Street.

For more information or to order call 01572 756481 or see www.ottersdeli.co.uk.

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Love the...

CasTLE COTTaGE CaFE ...at Christmas!

Christmas is a particularly special time at Castle Cottage. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming and the quirky decorations make the place magical.

If you haven’t yet discovered Castle Cottage Cafe in Oakham, you are missing a treat! Tucked away behind All Saints Church the vintage style cafe has been there for a few years, but has recently been transformed.

“We recently won a national award ‘Top Ten Tea Rooms in the UK’ with This England Magazine and I was absolutely delighted with the award as were the whole team” said Ruth Beaver, the owner. “We never take our reputation for granted and we are always looking for new ideas to make our customers smile”.

Castle Cottage has a reputation for quality food and friendly service in a unique setting. Ruth has made some lovely additions to the garden, but has also extended and improved the inside space which is especially lovely at Christmas.

“The extra space inside has allowed us to hold our monthly Candlelight Suppers, which have been a great success” said Ruth, “they have proved to be very popular and we are pleased that we are booked up months in advance”. There will be three Candlelight Suppers in December including an extra date on Thursday 5th December. Please call for information.

The cafe has just started opening at 8.30am everyday in term time for school run coffee or breakfast and there is a new heated outdoor space for the dog walkers and hardy guests!

You can follow the cafe on twitter @castlecottage and at www.castlecottagecafe.co.uk.

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À La Carte Dining • 17th Century Coaching Inn • Seven En Suite Rooms

Enjoy our Christmas Party Menu...

Come join us and new head chef Ruaraidh Bealby for the festive season and enjoy our fantastic 3 course Christmas menu for only £28.95 per head...

Starters

Main Courses

Desserts

Roast parsnip and pear soup, stilton croutons

English turkey with cranberry and chestnut stuffing, creamed Brussel sprouts and chestnuts, jus

Traditional Christmas pudding, brandy ice cream

Caramelized onion tart, rocket and parmesan salad, vine roasted cherry tomatoes

Griottine cherry and mascarpone crème brulee, spiced shortbread

Plaice Florentine, saffron duchesse potatoes

Selection of British cheeses, handmade made biscuits, quince paste and grapes

Duck liver and wild mushroom pate, toasted homemade brioche, red onion marmalade Beer battered tiger prawns, lime, green chilli and coriander dressing Baked camembert studded with garlic and rosemary, homemade bread, red wine pickled shallots

Slow cooked shoulder of lamb, herb crumb, crushed root vegetables, rosemary jus

Raspberry baked Alaska, raspberry compote

Filter coffee and homemade petit four

e Brownlow Arms Hough On e Hill, Grantham Road near Grantham, Lincolnshire NG32 2AZ Booking advisable, please call 01400 250 234.

Current menus online now at www.thebrownlowarms.co.uk.

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Recipes Traditional Christmas

The Taste of

Tradition...

Christmas lunch shouldn’t be a chore that takes you away from the family on Christmas morning. Celebrate the season and free yourself from the kitchen with a festive feast that can be prepared in advance, and enjoy the taste of tradition...

Words: Rob Davis & Rachel Green.

Images: (turkey and side dishes) Michael Powell.

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Sublime Starters that really make a statement...

Chicken Liver and Pâté Cranberry...

Begin your traditional Christmas lunch with this smooth and delicious pâté - just a quick whizz in a food processor a day or two beforehand will create a classy starter...

Serves 10, preparation time 15 minutes plus at least 1hr to chill; can be prepared a day in advance.

1

1kg chicken livers 300g butter 2 cloves of garlic 4 shallots 50g fresh cranberries 2 teaspoons dried thyme 60ml double cream salt and pepper to taste, melba toast or brioche to serve

2 3

Trim the chicken livers and melt a small amount of butter in a frying pan, add the livers, garlic, shallots and thyme. Add half the cranberries and sauté for 10 minutes until cooked.

Whizz in a food processor, add a little more butter then whizz again.

Divide the mixture between 10 ramekins, smooth, then garnish with rest of the cranberries. Melt the remaining butter (75g-ish) on the surface and chill for at least one hour.

Smoked Salmon and Dill Soufflé Soufflés carry culinary kudos but are feared by those who worry about them sinking into despair... this recipe can be prepared in advance and reheated to serve instantly!

Serves 10, preparation time 30 minutes plus 30 minute cooking time. Prepare in advance then just pop in the oven for five minutes.

80g butter, 50g plain flour 600ml milk, 150g cream cheese, 4tbs chopped dill, six large eggs; separated, 160g smoked salmon; chopped, lemon zest. Crème fraiche, smoked salmon and dill to serve (opt).

Place the butter, flour and milk in a pan, heat until thickened; stir in the cream cheese and dill.

1 2

>>

Heat the oven to 200°c/Gas 6 and line 10 150ml soufflé dishes with baking paper. Stir the egg yolks in, add the chopped salmon and lemon.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold into the mixture.

3

Spoon into the ramekins and place in a tin half-filled with water, bake for 13 mins until risen and golden.

Cool, but don’t worry when they sink.

4

You can even freeze these when cooled; they’ll keep for up to a month. Defrost in a fridge for five hours. To serve, bake for 10-15 mins at 200°c/Gas 6. Quickly top with salmon or a dill sprig before serving.

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Roasted Turkey with Spiced Cranberry, Apple & Sage Stuffing...

Turkey needn’t be dry if you cook it carefully.

Here’s a recipe that’s festive and foolproof for a super succulent bird...

Image: Michael Powell, www.totallytraditionalturkeys.com

Serves 10, prep time 30 minutes Preheat oven to 230°C/Gas Mark 8 5kg free-range British Turkey with giblets removed, washed inside and out 4 tbsp rapeseed oil Sea salt and black pepper 50g butter 1 tbsp rapeseed oil 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped ½ tsp mixed spice 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped 200g fresh breadcrumbs 2 eating apples 250g cranberries 50g dried apple, cut into small pieces 2 tbsp fresh sage leaves, chopped 750g sausage meat 2 tbsp chopped parsley Grated zest of a small orange 1 large egg, beaten 8 rashers rindless streaky bacon Sea salt and black pepper

Santa’s Secrets If the turkey is tightly trussed with string, this will make it difficult to cook evenly. A loosely trussed bird is best for cooking. Therefore, although it doesn’t look as attractive, it is generally better to cut the string if it appears to be too tight.

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1

Place the turkey in a large roasting pan, brush it generously with rapeseed oil and season with sea salt and black pepper before covering with foil.

Place the prepared turkey in the pre-heated oven and cook at this temperature for the first 30 minutes. Then, lower the oven temperature to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and cook for approximately 30 minutes per kilo, basting every hour.

To prepare the stuffing, heat the butter and rapeseed oil until the butter has melted.

Add the onion and mixed spice, fry gently until well softened but not browned. Stir in the garlic and breadcrumbs and season well with sea salt and black pepper. Remove from the heat and place in a bowl, leave to cool.

Peel the apples, cut into quarters, remove the core and cut into small cubes. Mix the cubed apples, cranberries, dried apple, sage,

2 3 4

sausage meat, parsley and orange zest with the onion mixture, season well with sea salt and black pepper using clean hands and then mix in the beaten egg.

The mixture should be quite firm, with wet hands, mould the stuffing into balls the size of a golf ball or make a stuffing cake.

5

Place the stuffing balls on a greased baking sheet and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.

6

To make the stuffing cake; take a 18-20cm spring form cake tin and grease with a little rapeseed oil. Arrange the bacon slices in the tin, leaving a 5cm strip on the base, then lay them up around the sides, let the excess hang over the edge. Carefully fill the tin with the stuffing mixture, making sure it is level on top.

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Stunning Side Dishes to add some flair to your fayre

Parsnip, Sage and Hazelnut Christmas Dauphinoise...

TV chef Rachel Green created this creamy, Christmassy side dish with Piccolo parsnips...

Cut 650g parsnips in half lengthways.

Lightly butter a gratin dish. Put the parsnips, 590ml cream and two cloves of garlic in a saucepan. Bring gently to the boil, season the cream well and simmer for three minutes. Layer the parsnips in a dish with 2tbsp chopped sage leaves and 100g roasted hazelnuts, season each layer. Pour over the cream.

Cover with foil and bake in the oven until just cooked through. Rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Santa’s Secrets Blanch your brussels and then add some extra flavour with pancetta. For around 1kg of sprouts you’ll need 100g pancetta cut into strips of around 2cm. After 3-4 minutes in boiling salted water, plunge into ice cold water and drain, then sauté your pancetta in hot goose fat left over from your roasties. toss in the sprouts and stir fry with a handful of shredded sage... then serve to the children!

7

Fold the bacon over the top of the stuffing, gathering and twisting the ends loosely over the centre. Place the tin on a baking sheet to catch any juices that escape, then bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is golden.

Cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Before you turn out onto a serving plate, place some poached cranberries on top for decoration, cut into wedges and serve.

When the turkey has approximately 35 minutes before the end of cooking, remove the foil, drain off any of the excess fat and cook for a further 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Transfer the turkey to a platter, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for around 20-30 minutes.

Recipe by Rachel Green

>> Get the most from your roasties by boiling them for five minutes, then draining.

Roughen them up with a vigorous shake in the pan then roast them in goose fat with a couple of cloves of garlic and a sprig or two of rosemary, scattering two tablespoons of polenta on them.

They can be boiled and coated in polenta the day before, to ensure you spend Christmas with the children, not in the kitchen!

The Cheese Board The cheese socieTy has created a Christmas Collection for mail order delivery anywhere in the UK; smoked and non-smoked Poacher, Cropwell Bishop, Cornish Yarg, Quentin de Brie and Goat’s Log with herbs and garlic.

Great as a gift or for your table £35; www.thecheesesociety.co.uk.

FesTive Tipples: Three To enjoy ‘round The Tree...

8 9

WaiTrose BruT nv £20

Fiole £25, £150/case six

elysium £12.49

This beat more expensive brands in our blind taste test. Lovely and dry with great mousse.

2011 Châteauneuf-du-Pape from Marks & Spencer; La Fiole.

Lovely spicy and full-bodied.

Black Muscat that’s perfect with Christmas pudding.

Rose-like, light and velvet-ey.

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Christmas Pudding with Citrus and Spice This gorgeous pud is rich and fruity, but not too stodgy after your turkey, beautifully balanced with citrus fruits...

Serves 10, prep time 30 minutes plus time for fruit to soak overnight. Six hours cooking time plus one hour to steam on Christmas Day. 160°c/Gas 3.

175g each of three mixed fruits raisins, currants and sultanas 140g whole glacé cherries 50g mixed peel 50g whole blanched almonds zest 1 orange and 1 lemon 1 carrot, peeled and finely grated 150ml brandy 50ml/2fl oz orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier 175g light muscovado sugar 175g fresh white breadcrumbs 125g self-raising flour 1 tsp mixed spice ¼ tsp grated nutmeg 175g butter, frozen 2 eggs, beaten butter, for greasing holly sprig, to decorate

Santa’s Secrets For a simply sublime citrus sauce, whip around 300ml of double cream with the grated zest of half an orange.

Fold in a 500ml tub of custard or make a créme anglaise if you’re a real whizz, then serve to your impressed diners with a hearty ‘ho ho ho!’

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1

To create this plump, fruity pud, combine the fruit, almonds, zests of the fruits and the grated carrot with the brandy and orange liqueur in a large mixing bowl.

Cover and leave to soak overnight.

Mix together the almonds, sugar, breadcrumbs and flour together with the mixed spice and nutmeg. Add to the soaked fruit mixture. Grate in the butter, and add the eggs before stirring well.

Grease a pudding basin of approximately one and a half litres with butter then line the base with greaseproof paper. Spoon in the mixture, using the hollow of the spoon to compress the mixture.

Cover the surface with a circle of greaseproof paper, then cover the bowl with double-thickness greaseproof paper and foil and tie at the rim with string.

2 3 4

5 6 7

Lower your pudding into a pan, onto a saucer in the base, then fill the pan with water until it reaches halfway up the sides.

Steam for around six hours, topping up with water in the bain marie as necessary.

Alternatively, you can steam the pudding in the oven by standing the bowl in a roasting tin filled with water, then covering with foil and cooking for the same length of time at 160°c/fan 140°c/Gas 3. Check roasting tin occasionally as the water may need to be topped up.

To store, allow it to cool, then store in a dry cupboard. It will keep for up to a year.

On Christmas day, reheat your pudding by steaming for one hour before turning out, then decorate with holly. We recommend serving it with extra-thick double cream or vanilla ice cream, or for an extra kick, brandy butter or our citrus cream opposite.

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Desserts and Puddings for a festive finish to your meal

Apple and Cranberry Pie If you find a Christmas pudding is too heavy, this is a delightful alternative that uses cranberries, cinnamon and apples to summon up the warmth of the festive season...

30 minutes preparation plus 45min cooking time. Serves 8; preheat oven to 190°c /Gas 5.

250g caster sugar 4 tablespoons plain flour 1/ teaspoon salt, 225g cranberries 4 4 tablespoons maple syrup 5 apples - peeled, cored and sliced 60g chopped walnuts 1 large pastry case 110g dried breadcrumbs 100g plain flour 4 tablespoons dark brown soft sugar 4 tablespoons butter, melted In a large saucepan, mix together caster sugar, 4 tbsp flour and salt.

Stir in cranberries and maple syrup.

Cook over high heat, stirring constantly.

When mixture comes to the boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for five minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat, and stir in walnuts.

Pour mixture into pastry case; set aside.

3

In a medium bowl, combine breadcrumbs, 100g flour, brown sugar and melted butter. Mix well, and sprinkle over apple filling.

4

Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until topping is golden brown. Serve warm with creme anglaise.

Mulled Wine Kick off the festive season with a winter warmer! Mulling kits are available, but it’s just as easy to put a bottle of red wine into a saucepan with one orange, halved with 60g demerara sugar, a dried bayleaf, cinnamon stick and grated nutmeg. Heat until the sugar has dissolved then add a splash of damson or sloe gin for an extra kick!

1

Festive Woo Woo

2

Stir apples into simmering mixture, and continue to cook for five minutes, or until apples are tender.

Add two shots of vodka and two shots of peach schnapps to four shots of cranberry juice and add plenty of ice cubes. Serve in a Martini glass garnished with lime.

Easy Peasy Petit Fours To make chocolaTe TruFFles Chop 225g dark chocolate in a food processor. Boil 250ml cream. Process chocolate whilst pouring in the cream.

Add the butter, beat to incorporate. Leave to cool for 15 mins then when it’s at the continency of butter icing, pipe into truffle cases or roll into balls.

Santa’s Secrets Get crafty with crackers and make your festive celebration go with a bang! This DIY cracker kit, £8, contains enough to make six crackers and is available in black and red, or burgundy, gold, silver, ivory & green or purple to suit your festive table; from www.simplycrackers.co.uk.

Fill them with your own jokes and spare your family the usual naff puns...!

Six Classic Cocktails

The BesT mince pies

Harry’s Bellini Place two ripe peaches, peeled and halved, into a blender and purée. Spoon into chilled champagne flutes with a ratio of one third purée to two thirds champagne.

The Cosmopolitan Make like a Sex & The City socialite! Add 35ml vodka to 15ml orange liqueur, then 25ml cranberry juice and shake hard. Strain into a Martini glass and garnish with a flaming shock of orange peel.

Bloody Mary Take two ice cubes, a double shot of vodka, the juice of half a lemon and a few dashes of Tabasco sauce then pour in 150ml tomato juice. It’ll cure any festive hangover!

The best mince pies in our taste test were Marks & Spencer’s Handcrafted Ultimate All Butter Mince Pies, £2.99/six. They had the best filling-to-pastry ratio and a rich buttery taste... lovely!

Sloe Gin Fizz Fill a highball glass with ice, then pour over 50ml sloe gin, a squeeze of lemon juice, 1tsp guar syrup, and top up with cream soda.

Garnish with a seasonal berry or two.

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TheWinecellar Eat, drink and be merry with our festive favourites this month! Blake Johnson of Stamford Wine Cellar introduces his favourite wines to accompany your Christmas lunch...

Our Gift Subscriptions last a whole year

which means your friend or relative will receive your gift

chablis Grand cru ‘valmur’ 2010 £34.99

rené jolly nv champagne Blanc de noirs £28.99

Quinta de la rosa 1994 vintage port £65

chateau partarrieu sauternes 2008 £18.99

Berry Bros and rudd extra ordinary claret £13.75

Grand Cru is the highest classification for Chablis, Valmur is arguably the best of the Grand Cru sites, and the Droin family are arguably the best in the business! This is Chablis as it should be, crisp, mineral and beautifully balanced.

This will definitely be on my Christmas list.

Outstanding Champagne made using only the black grape varieties of the ‘Champagne blend,’ Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, and offers a lovely rich, yeasty body backed up by refreshing citrus acidity. Hand made from soil to bottle, it’s Champagne for traditionalists, a personal favourite!

An outstanding vintage, 1994 was marked 10 out of 10 across the board for Quinta De La Rosa, and for good reason.

Powerful yet elegant with well integrated tannins... it’s drinking beautifully now, so get the Melton Mowbray Stilton out of the fridge, and get stuck in.

Rich, unctiously sweet with layers of orange peel and a fresh citrusy zing, like marmalade in a glass. This sweety is from the spiritual home of dessert wine and is a firm Christmas favourite of mine... it’s highly recommended and is marvellous with Christmas pudding!

Christmas isn’t the same without a glass of Claret in my book... and thankfully, Berry's have this one made for them by Jean Michel Cazes. He’s the head wine maker and Chateau Lynch Bages.

It does what it says on the label. Decant and enjoy... great in front of the TV to toast the Queen!

every single month in 2014!

This month’s features wines are recommended by: The Stamford Wine Company, 10 St Paul’s Street, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 2BE Tel: 07538 228337, www.thestamfordwinecompany.com.

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TO VIEW AND PURCHASE PHOTOGRAPHS FROM ‘THE EVENT’ VISIT WWW.PRIDEMAGAZINES.CO.UK

Live music and ‘on the house’ bubbly ensured a brilliant VIP opening night!

THE EVENT Stamford Wine Company’ s New Shop Cheers! It was our great pleasure to raise a glass to Blake Johnson’s relocation of his business, The Stamford Wine Company, to Stamford’s St Pauls Street recently. The business was previously trading above the town’s Cheese Cellar but moved premises to facilitate a larger range plus the addition of a wine bar and charcuterie.

The business will sell wine by the glass and bottle, and continue its role as an independent specialist wine merchant, providing a range of carefully selected wines. Additionally, it will provide a light food menu with cheese boards, charcuterie, crostini etc. In addition to the cosy shop, The Stamford Wine Company will open its Mediterranean terrace in Spring 2014 to provide locals with a wonderful place to sit and enjoy the warmer months. Blake and his team have done a great job, and with some great wines available, we can definitely recommend a visit to stock up for Christmas!

Photos by Nicholas Farka, Red and Round, 07730 509577.

Feature your event in our magazine.

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Call 01529 469977 and speak to our Events Desk...

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THE EVENT Stamford

Wine Company

Blake and the team have done a great job - pay a visit and stock up for Christmas!

The business has relocated to 10 St Pauls Street, Stamford.

purchase photographs from this event online.

Visit www.pridemagazines.co.uk.

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mumby heppenstall Chartered Accountants

Christmas – a time to eat, drink and be merry, and I hope for all Lincolnshire Pride readers Christmas 2013 turns out to be a very happy and memorable occasion. Once the festivities are over, however, the lull between Christmas and New Year is, for many, a time to look back at the year and make those resolutions to get fit, change jobs, travel to far flung places and tick off a few more of those things you should do before you’re too old.

It’s also a good time to look at your finances and make a resolution to tidy up your affairs. Going through the ever increasing standing orders and direct debits, wondering how to pay the school fees or reviewing your savings and investments and longer term issues such as inheritance tax, a chat with a chartered accountant can often help to put things in perspective and help with making plans for the future.

On a more down to earth point, your 2013 self-assessment tax return is due for filing by 31 January and any tax due must be paid by then to avoid interest and penalties. So dig out the paperwork and go through your files and start the new year ahead of the game by calling Jeremy Mumby or Clare Heppenstall on 01522 811694 or email us at info@mumbyheppenstall.co.uk

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Aled Jones at The Stump {Page 10}

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2 - JOINT Pride DEC 137_Layout 2 04/11/2013 12:22 Page 49

Finances – getting a fair settlement following a Divorce Mikaela Rogerson has been dealing with family matters since 1996. Although she deals with all matters relating to family law, Mikaela particularly specialises in financial issues associated with divorce... often when couples separate or divorce, the trust that existed between them disappears. This frequently causes a problem when the Solicitor starts to look at their financial matters. All the rules say that if finances are an issue, then both parties must make full disclosure of their circumstances and must produce their wage slips, bank statements, pension and house valuations.

Occasionally one party may not volunteer such disclosure, choosing only to present limited or misleading information.

If incomplete, or incorrect information is produced it will affect the outcome of the case and the parties will not obtain the fair settlement that they are looking for.

The Court has various powers to order the disclosure of financial documents including a detailed financial statement.

Once this document has been prepared, exchanged and reviewed, the parties may raise written questions of the other in order to clarify or explore certain points.

Some clients prefer a "hands on" approach, and may try to obtain their own disclosure. However, whether information obtained can then be used is a very different matter.

Documents must not be obtained unlawfully or improperly.

Before taking the law into your own hands, please remember the Court has full powers to question, search, review, investigate and inspect. There could be grounds to review a case if one party fails to make a material disclosure.

If you are contemplating divorce but are concerned that your spouse will not be helpful and may withhold information then give Mikaela a call on 01780 764145 and chat through the ways in which evidence can be properly secured to ensure the fairest outcome. You can also visit www.chattertons.com to contact a member of the family team at an office conveniently located near to you.

Chattertons can offer an extensive range of legal services and independent financial advice.

With offices in Boston, Grantham, Horncastle, Lincoln, Newark, Sleaford, Spalding and Stamford it is one of the largest firms in Lincolnshire and across the East Midlands. The firm has been established for over 200 years and is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. SRA No 44948.

Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Contact Mikaela Rogerson on 01780 764145 or visit www.chattertons.com.

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The Great British High Street W

ith a recent study suggesting that town centre stores are shutting down at a rate of 18 a day across Britain, landlords will not want to hear that their remedies for recovering commercial rent arrears are to be restricted. however, forewarned is forearmed and so i hope this article will help landlords to understand the changes that will come into effect in april 2014.

The Government confirmed, in its response to the Ministry of Justice consultation, Transforming Bailiff Action, that it will continue with its plans to abolish the common law right to ‘distress for rent’ and introduce a statutory process for the recovery of rent arrears, called commercial rent arrears recovery (CRAR). CRAR will only be available in respect of unpaid rent; it will not cover costs such as service charges and insurance.

Distress is a ‘self-help’ remedy for landlords. It allows landlords to recover rent arrears by removing and then selling goods owned by a defaulting tenant. This can all happen without a landlord initiating legal proceedings and there is no need to give the tenant notice. This remedy effectively means that a landlord can get ahead of other creditors. While CRAR will still allow landlords to seize goods, it introduces a number of measures that are designed to protect tenants. The Government hopes that the changes will mean that landlords collect rent arrears ‘fairly’.

The Government is expected to release further information about CRAR in the coming months but the key points to note are: l CRAR will only apply to commercial rent arrears. Landlords will not be able to

use the remedy if a property, or any part of it, is being used for residential purposes (unless this is in breach of the lease). l

CRAR only applies to a ‘tenancy’ evidenced in writing.

Landlords will be required to serve a ‘notice of enforcement’ on tenants before sending in the bailiffs. l

l A landlord can only recover rent arrears above a minimum level, which is currently unconfirmed. l Only an enforcement agent authorised in writing by the landlord can seize the tenant's goods. l

Enforcement under CRAR can take place on any day of the week.

CRAR will only be available for arrears of ‘basic’ rent. VAT and interest on the ‘basic’ rent can also be recovered. If a lease has an ‘inclusive rent’ clause, a landlord will only be able to recover the proportion that is reasonably attributable to the possession and use of the premises. l

l For other debts, such as service charges, landlords will have to rely on other remedies to recover arrears, including drawing on a rent deposit deed or calling on a guarantor. Alternatively, of course, a landlord can bring a debt claim or forfeit the lease.

Landlords should be mindful of the new regulations when entering into leases that will still be in place when CRAR comes into force. For example, landlords and their solicitors will need to carefully consider the wording of the permitted use clause in leases for mixed use premises.

CRAR may not seem like good news for landlords but it is worth noting that the use of distress to recover arrears has been decreasing as, understandably, landlords would prefer to keep a trading tenant in their premises rather than being left with an empty property. In fact, landlords may find that CRAR actually adds something to their armoury. It is possible that serving a CRAR notice, alongside a letter before action, may prove effective in persuading a tenant to pay their arrears.

orla lowe

“Important decisions deserve a specialist response...”

Our teams are here to provide specialist advice on a range of legal issues you may encounter including:

EMPLOYMENT & DISPUTE RESOLUTION SERVICES • Employment law advice, both non-contentious and contentious • General Litigation, including small claims and debt recovery • Contentious commercial property • Residential property including possession actions • Other property disputes including disputes about boundary ownership and rights of way • Contentious probate, including inheritance act claims • Contract disputes • Defamation • Business and partnership disputes

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WELCOME HOME

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Holme is where the heart is

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Individually Designed: the property, on tinwell’s holme Close, is a unique property on a small, exclusive development. it’s currently on the market with Goodwin Property services for £595,000.

H O L M E C LO s E , t i n W E L L

for david and jaCqueline kisby, holme Close is where the heart is. from seeinG their dream CottaGe beinG built to CreatinG a dream Garden, the CouPle have always loved the ProPerty for the faCt that it blends a traditional style with modern features. we meet the CouPle to find out a little more about their Country home, at tinwell near stamford 53

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F

or David and Jacqueline Kisby, their country home at Tinwell near Stamford offers the best of both worlds. The couple were looking for a period property into which they could downsize, then perhaps modernise. They would probably have dismissed a new-build, but when they came across their country home, near Tinwell, they realised that Holme is where the heart is.

Their property is located on Holme Court, an exclusive development of around ten houses, created by renowned local builder John Gibson of Hereward Homes.

It’s a four bedroom property with three bathrooms and three reception rooms created in pretty Clipsham stone topped off with a tiled roof.

Above: the house has solid oak flooring and internal doors.

“The property next door dates back to about 1850, and yet our home blends in perfectly. It changed our perception of new properties and offered the best of both worlds; the

“The property next door dates back to about 1850, and yet our home blends in perfectly. It changed our perception of new properties with the best of both worlds; period character with the freshness and functionality of a new property...”

“We’re originally from Peterborough, but before I retired, I managed the UK’s rail infrastructure.” says David.

“I’ve worked all over the country but this area appealed because of the low cost of housing and feel of the local area.”

“It’s a friendly area with great shopping at Peterborough and the beautiful town of Stamford nearby, we feel it’s a great place in terms of quality of life.”

“Our sons have moved out, with one living locally and the other now based in the US. We’re really keen gardeners so we were looking for somewhere with lots of character and, outdoors, a blank canvas that we could really work on.”

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The couple had their hearts set on a period property, perhaps Victorian or Georgian, and were on a recce around the village of Tinwell when they happened across Holme Court, which was just being constructed at the time. Their property was half built at the time, but the couple simply couldn’t believe how authentic its period style was, and how well it settled into its surroundings despite its the fact that it was a new build.

character of an older property with the freshness and functionality of a new property, with features like two en suites and the really modern insulation that make it such an efficient home.”

The house opens up into a spacious dining hall with parquet flooring. Like the internal doors with their chunky forged iron fittings, this has been completed with solid oak.

There’s two reception rooms with a large drawing room that has bespoke soft furnishings installed by a Stamford interior designer, and a fireplace crafted in Wiltshire limestone.

Two further reception rooms provide ample space for family, providing a family room and dining room.

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WELCOME WELCOME HOME HOME

Left: keen gardener david’s pride and joy is his, and jacqueline’s, mediterranean terrace.

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The kitchen and utility rooms are equally generous and have Old English white solid cabinetry and specially imported marble tiles. Installed by Stamford’s QKS, they feature Neff appliances like a dishwasher, fridge and freezer, all neatly integrated, plus ceramic sink and range cooker.

Upstairs there are four bedrooms, with the principal suite offering an en suite and the second suite offering both an en suite and walk in wardrobe.

“The gardens are our favourite feature of the property.” says David. “My son gave me a great compliment once, to the effect that I knew every blade of grass in the garden.

Now I’ve retired it does give me great pleasure to work in the garden and Jacqueline and I have worked really well together to create a lovely terrace area.”

“Jacqueline came up with the idea of using concentric circles in flagstone edged with limestone bricks, and we enlisted a guy from Bourne, Dave Shawley, to create all of the hard landscaping. We’ve used The Olive Grove at Oundle and a place we know in London to fill it with cypress, olive trees and other Mediterranean planting, and it’s a lovely place to spend time, a real sun trap.”

To the front of the property there’s a triangular parterre with box hedging and acers. “We’ve tried to ensure that the gardens look good all year round and at the front of the property in particular, there’s a good show, even in winter.”

“It’s a great place to live but we’re looking to move down to Cornwall, so reluctantly we’ve put the property on the market. If there’s a couple who are living in a period property and looking to downsize this is an ideal home for downsizing without down-speccing. It’s large, comfortable and really modern. We’ll miss it a great deal!”

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Main Street, Tinwell near Stamford style: new build hereward homes property approaching eight years old.

Receptions: three currently arranged as drawing room, dining hall and family room, plus dining kitchen.

Bedrooms: four with two en suites and dressing room to second bedroom.

Other features: beautifully landscaped gardens with mediterranean terrace.

Price: £595,000 Estate Agency: Goodwin Property services, 2-3 st john street, stamford, Pe9 2da tel: 01780 750000.

Web: www.goodwinpropertyservices.co.uk.

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Christmas Gifts and Winter Treats

from Sarah Harding Interiors

>> Cath Kidston multi purpose trio of balms and lip gloss £8, hand cream £9 and bath & shower gel £7. Trio of emery boards £5.

>> Matthew Williamson metallic cushion £90, Designers’ Guild Pavonia cushion £85.

>> Emma Bridgewater ‘Mine and ‘Yours’ mug duo £39.95.

<< Cath Kidston Christmas mugs, £6.80, £12/gift set.

>> Dora Designs animals, Jake the Terrier doorstop £22.50. Little Owl £25 and Barn Owl £25. Rufus Fox £22.50, Goldfinch paperweight £12.

>> Cake tins from Emma Bridgewater’s Hatch range £32. << Treat man’s best friend with a Cath Kidston dog bed for medium dog (e.g: Spaniel) £38 and spotty bowls in blue/red £12/sm, £15/large.

THE WISH LIST

>> Cath Kidston handbag £50 and purse £26.

Shown right is a garden kneeler and gardening gloves set £25.

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the wish list Christmas Shopping at

Sarah Harding Interiors

>> morris and Co oil diffuser £24 and soy Candle £20. >> Child’s suitcase in several different designs £25.

<< a year in the Country by emma bridgewater teatowel £10 and matching tray £30.

If you’re looking for a really special Christmas gift, a visit to uppingham’s sarah harding interiors is a must. the designer provides interior design and bespoke soft furnishings but also stocks a wide range of ‘finishing touches,’ Christmas decorations and gifts that make finding something special and unique really easy. “there’s two sides to our business.” says sarah. “our design team has a library of over 500 books containing the best fabrics and wallpapers from names like Colefax & fowler, Zoffany, Cole & sons and designers’ Guild.” meanwhile, sarah and team also work hard to source the latest accessories and gifts for the home, from emma bridgewater pottery and collectables to Cath kidston giftware. featured here is just a small selection of sarah’s great ideas for seasonal Christmas presents.

For more information on our featured products visit Sarah Harding in Market Square, Uppingham, Rutland LE15 9QH. Alternatively, call 01572 823389 or see www.sarahhardinginteriors.co.uk.

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Above: the sack store has a range of farrow & ball paints and stocks premium quality interiors products from aga, duresta and sophie allport.

Left: in addition to ‘finishing touches’ the retailer has large items like range cookers and wood burners.

I

f you’ve never visited the Sack Store, you’re in for a really unique experience! It’s eclectic, to say the least! Work your way through the building and you’ll pass specially imported ceramic tiles, posh bathroom suites, a wealth of wood burners and an army of Agas.

Hanging up everywhere are log baskets, light fittings and mirrors, and at the top of it all, is one of the town’s best restaurants.

The Sack Store isn’t orderly by any stretch of the imagination, but that’s what makes it so quirky and such good fun to look round. More than this though, it’s surprisingly good value with tiles, for instance, at less than half the price of multinational tile retailers.

THE SACK STORE the sack store may be quirky, but its eclectic, busy appearance is underpinned by a commitment to quality and value. tile prices alone are less than half of those from multinational retailers, and its stoves & biomass boilers are designed to slash your heating bills...

Words & Images: rob davis.

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Warm up your home...

The HETAS approved Sack Store supplies Clearview wood burning stoves, Heatmor biomass boilers plus Aga and Rayburn cookers, not to mention hardwood logs cut to size and sourced from sustainable woodlands, managed under national Stewardship agreements.

With prices for multi-fuel burners at a fraction of the price of wholesale gas and oil, and with biomass boilers taking advantage of readily available carbon neutral fuel, the Sack Store’s installations can help to heat your home this winter whilst also slashing your fuel bills.

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WARM UP YOUR WINTER

with The Sack Store

Left: the eclectic look is part of the store’s charms... it’s great fun to look around!

£ Inspired Buys a selection of some of the sack store’s best buys... << mary berry one step ahead book, 176 pages, 100 recipes £call.

Style for your home...

To accessorise with your new wood burner, the Sack Store provides hearthside accessories, sofas made in England by Duresta and Tetrad, exclusive leather sofas sold under the Sack Store’s exclusive label, as well as log baskets, furniture, lighting and ornaments.

The Sack Store is especially ideal for larger properties or period homes, as its products are a little larger and grander than your average retailer.

There’s a full range of accessories, and to complement there’s a range of luxury paint and wallcoverings from Farrow & Ball. As such, whichever room in your home you’re decorating, you’ll find suitable furnishings and save money, too, with the savings that the Sack Store makes as a wholesaler passed on to its consumers.

Chicken mugs by sophie allport £call.

It’s impossible not to love The Sack Store. A unique and eclectic retailer, it’s posh but affordable, offering quality but remaining quirky. The antithesis to national retailers with suited salespeople, there’s something trustworthy about a retailer with the confidence to present its products in the way that the Sack Store does.

With a great reputation and high quality products, it’s a must-visit venue to really warm up your winter.

<<

If, for instance, you’re looking for Italian or Spanish porcelain, marble, travertine or limestone for your kitchen, bathrooms or reception rooms, the company’s huge range, expertise and in-house fitters will make your project a success, and provide a quality product every time.

A bite to eat...

Walking around The Sack Store is a unique but fun experience, and its first floor bistro is equally impressive with the best cooked breakfasts, paninis, and home made cakes. Ingredients are locally sourced or grown in the company’s own kitchen garden, and dining takes place on sofas and chairs arranged around a quirky maze of the same furniture the company sells.

<<

Floors, walls, and beautiful bathrooms...

Because of its posh names and its reputation for quality, there’s a preconception that the Sack Store is expensive - which is ironic. As the company buys and imports tiles from across Europe, it offers tiles at around half the price of competitors.

For more information visit: the sack store c1850, Redstone industrial Estate, Redstone Rd, Boston PE21 8EA. tel: 01205 310101. Web: www.sackstore.co.uk.

>> mackenzie tetrad chair in harris tweed £call.

farrow & ball paint, 2.5l, over 130 colours available £call.

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HOMES AND GARDENS

Your Christmas Table THERE’S NO POINT IN CREATING A PHENOMENAL FESTIVE FEAST IF YOUR TABLE DOESN’T COME UP TO SCRATCH TOO. FORTUNATELY DOWNTOWN SUPERSTORE HAS SOME STYLISH SUGGESTIONS FOR ENSURING YOURS IS THE TOP TABLE THIS SEASON

1.

3.

5.

2.

4.

6.

1.Table Place Cards A Christmas essential, allowing you to create your own cards year after year. £1.25/ea.

2. Cutlery Weighty, well-made cutlery evokes a feeling of real quality, and Viners’s Glamour range is ideal for the festive season.

With a polished hammered finish, it’ll sparkle under candle light. £25/24 piece set, with six knives, forks, dessert and teaspoons.

3. Wine Glasses If the odd accident has rendered your wine glasses incomplete, invest in these Spiegelau red wine/water glasses. £4.50/ea, £20/six and have matching white wine and water glasses too.

4. Cheese Board Heart-shaped, by the Just Slate company, £22. Sealed with food-safe lacquer, foam backed so it won’t scratch your table. Knife optional.

5. Plates and Chargers Create a luxurious layered look with Maxwell Williams’s range of white crockery. Square charger plates from Monaco range, dinner and side plates from Cashmere range. Dishwasher/microwave safe, from £2.99/ea.

6. Quality Crackers These Robin Reed examples are £6/ten and feature high quality novelties, and a satisfying snap!

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Also seen here: Gold candle available in three sizes £4.99/£7/£9. Champagne gold table runner and Lustra napkins by Peggy Wilkins £10, £1.99/six.

Gold paper doilies £3.50/24. Footed glass bowl £15, baubles from 49p, snowflake bauble £3.99.

Gold reindeer £5.75. Gravy boat and stand £25, vegetable dish £30. serving bowl £6.50.

Find Out More: All items featured on this spread are available from Downtown superstore at Gonerby Junction, A1 at Grantham. Alternatively, shop online at www.oldrids.co.uk.

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DECEMBER

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

2013

DECEMBER

DECEMBER

TO ALL OUR READERS

T H E

MAGAZINE ONE COUNTY THE NUMBER

N U M B E R

O N E

C O U N T Y

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS

M A G A Z I N E

ISSUE 137

STAMFORD UTLAND AND COVERING R

Celebrating the Season

2013

LincolnshirePride

RutlandPride

CHR ISTM AS IN THE COU NTY

DECEMBER

How to Look Great

£3.70

PARTY DRESSES Festive Food Local produce and recipes {Page 22}

Winter Fashion Celebrate style with Cavells {Page 124}

The Event

Uppingham in Bloom Celebrate {Page 152}

The Event Aled Jones at The Stump {Page 10}

Christmas Enjoy Lincoln’s Christmas Market

{Page 13}

£3.70

Recipes Seasonal Gifts - Christmas nt Decorations - Entertainme

Festive Food Local produce and recipes {Page 22}

Advertise in the number one county magazine.

To discover how we can boost your sales, call our friendly team now.

01529 469977 www.pridemagazines.co.uk

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house & hoMe

Caught Red Handed Warm up your winter with Christmas shades of burnt red and vibrant crimson. We’ve some subtle and not-so-subtle suggestions, for using red in every room in your home plus advice from Farrow & Ball’s Director of Colour, Rosie Stirrets...

Main: Colefax and Fowler’s winter 2013 collection includes Purcell, used to create these curtains in red colourway, Kruger used on window seat and Leo for this cushion, shown in chocolate colourway but available in red.

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house & hoMe

Manuel Canovasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s winter 2013 collection includes Samira, used in these curtains, Sana in rubis on left hand chair. Cushion in sultan, rose colourway.

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house & hoMe

Main: Jane Churchill’s new collection includes curtains in Paradise Garden - an abstract floral print against a bamboo backdrop, plus fabric for statement chairs like Delta in sienna colourway and Munro, shown here in burnt orange.

Above: Cushions on floor from top; Cristo in burnt orange, Medina in red, Orissa, in red/gold, Paradise Garden, red/gold. Chair in Gable charcoal, cushion on chair: Paradise Garden in red/gold colourway.

For complementary paint colours consider Farrow & Ball’s Radiccio (flat) or Rectory Red (vibrant). To complement, use James White or White Tie creams. Alternatively, use Little Greene’s Atomic Red (strong) or Theatre Red (deep).

Each of our featured designers are available from the county’s leading independent soft furnishings specialists.

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Main: Brand new to designer James Brindley is the Flora Collection. Reminiscent of an English garden, it uses Edie, a tactile linen and bamboo jacquard with small checks and the wool design of Emma to deliver timeless sophistication for traditional drawing rooms.

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house & hoMe

Nina Campbell’s Woodsford paper/cushion in Boxgrove, Curtains Marble Hill.

sanderson’s Vintage includes Early Tulips fabric (curtains) in four colourways.

L

ooking to add a little dynamism into your home ? Get colourful. Red is often associated with strong, intense emotions like love, energy, and warmth, but it also has an energising quality to it, often motivating people to take action making it a staple colour for your home. Capture a bit of its passion by incorporating some red accents into your home.

selecting colours, so you can create a natural flow from room to room. In principal, to make a room feel larger, one would choose cool colours. In ‘normal situations’ a non-bright mid-tone colour will work best, but to make a room feel cosier choose rich reds and pinks like Incarnadine, Picture Gallery Red or our new pink, Nancy’s Blushes.”

Farrow & Ball’s Director of Colour Rosie Stirrets advises that before embarking on an interior design project this season, its important to ‘read your room,’ taking in available natural light, size, age of your property etc., then choosing the strength and colour for your room accordingly.

For kitchens, a new slew of high gloss cabinets are ultra modern, with bright crimson cabinets for all price ranges - if you’re not sure as to the longevity of a red kitchen, opt for something low end like Cook & Lewis’s High Gloss Red at B&Q, if you’re on a higher end budget, Cesar’s Ruby Red Oak lacquered wood from Stamford’s NGI Design looks fabulously modern.

“Before committing to colour, consider the amount and direction of light in the room as well as the architecture, purpose and shape of the space you are decorating.” says Rosie. “Our approach is to work from the hallways when

For real flexibility opt for bespoke cabinetry and have your cabinetry hand-painted in colours like Farrow & Ball’s Brinjal or Theatre Red. Then, choose neutral white marble toppers to facilitate a mid-life facelift by way of a repaint.

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Boussac’s Santa Fe collection’s Pasadena curtains, Dakota bedcover, Rodeo and Mikado bedhead. Pillows in Nevada, Santa Fe, Sombrero, Rodeo and Idaho.

Kitchens are a great place to incorporate splashes of red using appliances like Dualit toasters, Kitchen Aid mixers, and the wealth of red kettles and coffee makers on the market.

Everyday crockery can also be used to underpin red in your kitchen too, like Le Creuset’s Cerise colourway or John Lewis’s Al Fresco stoneware. The latter has a thick bold glaze making it sufficiently hard-wearing for day-to-day dining whilst its Burleigh collection is a heavily floral and ornate design. Villeroy & Boch’s more subtle red-rimmed Anmut collection is also worth a look.

Elsewhere in the home, an accent wall is the probably the most common way to incorporate red into a room. It’s bold but not too much. A recent survey by one multinational retailer suggested that 17% of UK residents have introduced a feature wall of blocked colour, though the current trend is to eschew blocks of plain colour in favour of bolder coloured wallpaper patterns against linen or calico backgrounds.

74

This technique is especially suitable for bedrooms where a splash of red adds intimacy and warmth to a room. Like bedrooms themselves, the colour red benefits greatly from sympathetic lighting, but if a red wall seems too garish, opt instead for a blend of warm cream tones and accents of red.

Cover scatter cushions in different designs from fabric designers’ same colourways and mix ‘busy’ patterns with plain fabrics.

In dining rooms, red is a classic hue, due to its ability to stimulate our appetites and our conversations. A floor-toceiling red-clad cave is too intense for most people, so use red as an accent colour, with a swathe on a wall, ceiling or floor, or in smaller bits around the room.

This same layering approach can be used to create a more subtle accent of colour in your reception rooms - rather than going for all matching cushions, for example, choose a

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Manuel Canovas cushions; Champs Elysees, Nura, Sultan, Foch and Kerala.

combination of different patterns, and vary the colour themes within them, too. A symphony of red shades and patterns will create a more playful dining room. Rather than clashing like you might expect, the different patterns actually add depth and interest because they are within the same colour family.

For contemporary reception and dining rooms, pop bright red with pure white, or use red on unconventional furnishings - bright red acrylic dining chairs, for example, or a bold contemporary red rug against a white marble floor to add a sense of contrast. For children’s rooms, red is an ideal colour too; from furniture, and bedding to decorative murals and paint, red can be a predominant colour, or just used for playful pieces. Red is a common colour used in children’s nurseries and schools to spark imagination and energy.

Jane Churchill Arlo, Orissa and Cora in red. Chair in Cristo, curtains in Orissa.

Georgian or Victorian properties can look great with a crimson hallway - high ceilings and grand staircases work well with bold brinjal shades... incorporate reclaimed pews, antique hatstands, boot boxes and console tables.

Regardless of your style of décor, red finds a place beautifully in most homes. From subtle accessories to accent walls, use red to enliven your home and bring energy to its inhabitants.

When shopping for red, do take along swatches of your current colours to retailers or bring several red swatches home. This will help you decide how much saturation will work with your home.

If you’ve a dark entrance way, conventional wisdom suggests fighting against the building’s architecture to brighten it up.

However, Georgian or Victorian property can look great with a dark, crimson hallway - high ceilings and grand staircases work well with bold brinjal shades.

As always, we’d recommend using one of the county’s professional interior designers, whose ability to create a bespoke room scheme for your home and whose access to the latest collections of fabrics and wall coverings shown here really will prove a good investment.

Pair these with black and white Victorian tiles or for a warmer look, consider jute carpeting or antique rugs which use dark red colours. Entrance halls in crimson will look better with antique or aged pieces of furniture so

A professional designer can make your room more functional, but they can help you to select the best value products and services, avoiding costly mistakes and boosting the value of your property.

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BOSTON ELECTRICAL SAyS...

“MAKE IT

MIELE!”

THE BEST BRANDS, BACkED uP By THE BEST SERvICE...

MAkE IT MIELE AT BOSTON ELECTRICAL SERvICES! Boston electrical services is a friendly family owned independent business established in 1985.

As well as selling a wide variety of domestic appliances we are one of the few in the county that sells and installs Miele appliances. Our engineers are Miele trained, to provide after sales service if needed.

Our large showroom in Boston has on display over 100 fridges and freezers, over 40 washing machines, over 60 cookers as well as microwaves, ovens, hobs, vacuum cleaners, water softeners, lamps and loads of spare parts.

It will be well worth a visit next time you are in Boston - you might be tempted by our extensive range of light fittings or a coloured kettle and toaster! There is also plenty of parking outside the shop.

£ FIND OUT MORE Boston Electrical Services is based on Boston Industrial Centre, Norfolk Street, Boston, Lincs PE21 9HG. Telephone: 01205 350737 or shop for quality products online www.bostonelectrics.co.uk

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five MiNute proJeCt

Table Place Cards and Napkin Rings CRANBERRIES, BAy LEAvES & HOLLy CAN CREATE SIMPLE TABLE PLACE CARDS AND NAPkIN RINGS...

JUST A FEW MINUTES IS ALL IT TAKES TO GIVE yOuR SEASONAL TABLE A PERSONAL TOuCH Threading a small spool of floristry wire with some cranberries and a couple of dried bayleaves enabled us to create these festive napkin rings. Meanwhile, plain card with a hole punched through them make simple

place cards - they work well if you’re a budding calligrapher. Remember that simple napkins call for more elaborate napkin holders and visa versa, so if you’re planning to accessorise your table linens, keep napkins plain and simple.

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five MiNute proJeCt

‘Christingle’ Room Decoration CHILDREN WILL LOvE HELPING TO MAkE THIS ORANGE, CRANBERRy AND CLOvE TEALIGHT HOLDER...

AN AROMATIC TEALIGHT HOLDER WHICH WILL FILL yOuR ROOM WITH A FRESH FESTIvE SCENT...

Turn a large, stable-based orange upside down and score the top with the metal case of a tealight. Use a paring knife to cut out the hole and rub the inside of the orange with bleach to prevent it spoiling.

Next, push cloves in a tight circle around the rim and use dressmaking pins to encircle these with fresh cranberries. Replace the candle and light, then enjoy as the heat from the candle gives the room a lovely festive scent.

* Our decoration is a contemporary version of the Christingle, which is still used in many Christian denominations. Its light represented Jesus, the orange represented the world and a red ribbon would be used to represent the blood of Christ. Dried fruit would represent the four seasons and the fruits of the earth. The custom was invented in 1747 in Germany, and was introduced into modern Christianity in 1968 by John Pensom.

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sugared Almond

Antique Chic

Jack frost supersize

Feminine and pastel with pinks and whites...

With gold, brown and platinum for a warm, opulent tree...

White and silver for an ice-cool look...

feminine and pastel; Hanging fairy 14cm £7.50, snowflake gemstone bauble 8cm £3.50. Pink fairy tree-topper £16.75. Complete kit, includes fairy lights, 100 decorations and a 6ft artificial Christmas tree £258.

A luxurious combination; Taupe sequin flower 16cm £4, mask decoration 20cm £6,50, taupe and platinum swirl bauble 11cm £5.75, platinum & taupe mirror bauble 10cm £5.

Complete kit, includes fairy lights, 100 decorations and a 6ft artificial Christmas tree £258

supersize for large trees; 3D star 25/50cm £7/£10. Icy snowflake 30cm, £6. Silver and white fabric and bead bauble 10cm £5.75, Silver filigree bauble 15cm £7. Complete kit, includes fairy lights, 120 decorations and an 8ft artificial Christmas tree £366.

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ChristMAs deCorAtioNs

Festive Tree Themes DECORATE yOuR TREE WITH ONE OF THESE BEAuTIFuL THEMES. CHRISTMASTIMEuk IS AN ONLINE BuSINESS WHICH JuST HAPPENS TO BE BASED IN THE COuNTy...

THEy’LL SuPPLy yOu WITH INDIvIDuAL DECORATIONS OR, EvEN BETTER, A COMPLETE ‘kIT’ WHICH INCLuDES FAIRy LIGHTS, 100 DECORATIONS AND AN ARTIFICIAL CHRISTMAS TREE FOR ONE OF OuR FEATuRED LOOkS!

Circus

vintage pearl

A bold, bright, modern look that’s shiny and opulent

Pink and pearly with inspiration from bygone victorian Christmas’

1

Once you've positioned the tree, stand back and study its shape.

If it isn't symmetrical, use secateurs to remove branches that are sticking out.

Cutting them at an angle will help to disguise the fresh cuts.

2

Christmas lights should go on your tree before any decorations, and should be checked to make sure they are all working.

Look at your tree with the lights on and off to make sure you are happy with their positioning. As a rough guide we recommend an average of 30 lights per foot of tree.

Always remember to tuck the cable out of sight - use garden wire to hold it in place if necessary. Run a beaded garland around the tree in swags for added sparkle.

3

Choose your colour scheme carefully. We generally pick three colours for our themes, which includes an accent colour.

4

Hang baubles according to size, with the largest at the bottom, mixing colours as you go. Hang droplet baubles at the ends of branches, while fragile and more treasured ones should go at the top.

5

If your Christmas tree is tall, don't perch anything on top of it; instead, hang your topper in front of the top branch to fill out the space.

Bright, bold and modern; hanging box £6.25, fuchsia pink sequin bauble 8cm, £3, black multi-colour lacquer bauble 8cm, £3.75, fuchsia pink fabric ball with multi-colour felt 10cm, £4.

Complete kit, includes fairy lights, 100 decorations and a 6ft artificial Christmas tree £258.

pinky, pearly and romantic; cream poinsettia 23cm £4, pink 3D glitter flower 10cm £3, pink flecked bauble 8cm £1.75. Complete kit, includes fairy lights, 100 decorations and a 6ft artificial Christmas tree £258.

ChristmasTimeUK is the largest independent supplier of decorations in the UK, with over 500,000 baubles and half a million metres of tinsel! Their collections won’t be found on any High Street and can only be ordered by calling 01427 667270 or online at www.christmastimeuk.com.

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Bright: Paperwhite narcissi should be planted in October for a beautiful display in December, though planting now will give a glorious January display.

iN the gArdeN

A Floral Christmas The bleak mid-winter needn’t be as bleak as you think... here we’ve a few flowers that look great in December, and we provide some top tips for using foliage from your garden to create colour in a season traditionally associated with frosty white blandness...

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gArdeNiNg

D

ecember in the garden needn’t be bleak and lacking in colour - there are myriad ways to ensure your garden is a riot of colour, or a shimmering canvas of pristine white blooms. Likewise, you can brighten your home for Christmas not just with gaudy baubles and furry Santas, but poinsettias and hellebores too.

Colour in the garden Cheer up your garden by introducing a shock of bright yellow - jasminium nudiflorum looks great with pallid yellow flowers from November onwards.

Narcissus Cedric Morris is a bright yellow miniature daffodil that can be relied on to make a Christmas appearance with a shallow trumpet and emerald green stem. Beautiful when planted in clusters, great for containers and boxes besides wall for a punctuation of colour.

For other colours, consider hellebore, smaller displays of which will also look great on your windowsill.

Look to irises like Mary Barnard for soft blue flowers that unfurl from pointed buds - which are the ultimate low maintenance flower. Snip off the odd untidy leaf a couple of times a year, otherwise just leave it to do its own thing.

A white winter garden...

If you want a carpet of white in your garden, look to paperwhite narcissi, and festive clematis; cirrhosa is usually the first to flower, with burgundy freckles, whilst wisley cream blooms reliably from November right through to new year.

top: Later in this edition we meet one of the area’s most prolific Christmas tree growers for some advice on ensuring your tree remains fresh.

Above: Hellebore Niger can be mixed with ivies and dressed with moss for a great looking windowsill display.

Left: This month’s magazine has all of the advice you need for choosing a stunning looking tree see our Christmas feature later in this edition.

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Left: Narcissus like Cedric Morris looks great in planters next to your home.

Using your garden Festive favourites like holly and mistletoe can easily be incorporated into arrangements like wreathes and table decorations. Combine with conifer, eucalyptus, fir and ruscis; skimmia adds a lighter shade whilst spray-painted Christmas decorations can be added in between carnations and roses.

Make friends with floral foam - it’ll open up a world of creative possibilities. Last month’s Pride had some great ideas for festive floral decorations - it’s available to view online now.

Brightening up your home Amaryllis and poinsettias are two great plants for your home to add festive cheer to your Christmas. Alternatively, you can force azaleas and bulbs like hyacinths and narcissus for the festive season - take care not to remove bulbs too soon from their cool, dark conditions and ensure you keep them somewhere sufficiently cool.

Choosing your tree And of course, Christmas wouldn’t be complete without a beautiful natural tree... artificial ones just don’t cut it!

The traditional Norway spruce has been supplanted as the nation’s favourite by the darker nordmann fir, though our recommendation is the bushy and beautifully scented Scots Pine, or its slightly more expensive stablemate the noble fir.

Beautiful table decorations Don’t forget to look at what’s in your own garden for some inspiring table decorations. A sprig of holly slipped through the hole-punched corner of a slip of stiff card can be used with festive ribbon or parcel string to create beautiful rustic table place card. For a more formal look, use napkin holders and slip a sprig of bay or yet in your napkin ring.

Make a Wreath: Penny Hemming created this wreath at Riverford Organic Farm using native foliage foraged from the estate.

right: Make friends with floral foam to create your own arrangements - soak it well then slip in bushy foliage from your garden and combine with more expensive colourful red blooms. far right: Iris like Mary Barnard can add colour to your garden in December.

the Nordmann fir has become the uK’s most popular Christmas tree - our feature later in this edition will tell you all you need to know about choosing, enjoying and preserving your tree to it looks great all season long...

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GARDENING

IN THE GARDEN

Jobs for December

£ If the soil underneath grass is frozen, it can ‘break’ if you walk on it and kill off the grass.

You see the effect of this in spring when the damaged patches become brown and bare. If possible it’s best to stay off the lawn when it is freezing.

£ A lot of weed seedlings are already germinating in the soil. If the soil is not frozen, it is a good idea to do some hoeing. The sun and subsequent frost will dry them up and kill them off. A good sharp hoe will help and don’t forget to watch out for bulbs!

£ Doorstep decs are great – consider a pair of standard hollies, a skimmia and an flowering erica in a pot, or, what about an attractive mini fir in a red container?

£ Harvest leeks, Brussels sprouts (from the bottom upwards), carrots, parsnips (after a frost) and winter cabbages.

£ Carry on digging over beds and borders and incorporate as much organic matter as you can. Forking over not only helps prepare the soil for next year, it helps reduce pests by exposing them to hungry birds.

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ON THE FARM

BARRY POSTON This season, look forward to a Christmas lunch of locally produced vegetables as Barry Poston reflects on a time when the Great British consumer can demonstrate their confidence in local produce...

T

is the season to be jolly, although a week of wet weather at the time of writing in late October means that most arable farmers aren’t feeling particularly festive, and are unable to proceed with the harvesting of root crops and the sowing & spraying of winter cereals and rape seed.

Potatoes require a certain amount of moisture to aid lifting and to avoid the damaging that can happen in very dry conditions. A considerable amount of potatoes had been lifted in almost ideal conditions but remaining crops will suffer through later lifting. Sugar beet is not such a demanding crop to harvest and can be left until suitable soil conditions permit.

Winter wheat is the main cereal grown on arable farms and can be sown from September right up until December.

However, yields do drop considerably on anything sown after the end of October. A high percentage of farmers have held back the sowing of wheat in an effort to kill some of the blackgrass weed which has caused so much concern during the last few years.

Unfortunately heavy rain showers during the last week of October, had made this land very sticky, and it was not suitable for drilling. In the main, rape crops were sown in earlier and better conditions and the crop is generally looking well and will, no doubt, attract many pigeons over the winter.

UK fruit and vegetable self-sufficiency has fallen to just 56% following 59% for the previous five years, with cauliflowers being one of the largest fallers in acreage.

Words: Barry Poston

92

Production of most other brassica crops has fallen, mainly due to uneconomic returns. Last year retailers, responding to industry’s requests, did relax specifications due to the inclement weather, which allowed more British produce on supermarket shelves. However, producers must have confidence to continue to grow these crops long term and must have the confidence of long term contracts so they can invest in these crops.

This Christmas, help farmers by taking note of where your fresh produce comes from, and support local farmers with the many excellent farm shops, food fayres or vegetable box schemes which will provide high quality, ethically farmed local produce.

The BBC must be given some credit for recently producing programmes about farming, with the harvesting of crops clearly shown in its three part Harvest series, and in another set of programmes, with well-known TV chef James Martin touring the country. James used all kinds of local produce from our region to demonstrate what attractive food could be prepared, cooking live ‘in the field’ on local farms.

One piece of sad news was to hear of the imminent retirement of Peter Kendall, who for eight years has worked tirelessly as President of the National Farmers Union.

On the few occasions I have heard him speak, he has done so with absolute clarity and with no notes. British agriculture will lose his wise counsel. My best wishes to Peter and to all our readers for a Happy Christmas and a wonderful new year.

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oN the fArM

with Barry Poston

â&#x20AC;&#x153;This Christmas, help farmers by taking note of where your fresh produce comes from, and support local farmers with the many excellent farm shops, food fayres or vegetable box schemes which will provide high quality, ethically farmed local produce...â&#x20AC;?

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to vieW ANd purChAse photogrAphs froM ‘the eveNt’ visit WWW.prideMAgAZiNes.Co.uK fairies from Jem's hip hop fairies welcomed guests as they arrived.

THE EvENT Anna’ s Hope Charity Ball...

Anna’s hope recently held its annual charity ball at The Haycock Hotel near Wansford. The charity was inspired by Anna Olivia Hughes who tragically died from a brain tumour in 2006 aged only three years and eight months. Anna’s Hope supports children with brain tumours through the provision of rehabilitation therapy and support. It was a spectacular evening where, after seven years of fundraising, a new team of Specialist Therapists known as the Anna’s Hope Therapy Team was announced. This new team will support a pioneering new service called Brainbow providing Neuro Rehabilitation for children in the region with brain tumours. It will be based at Addenbrookes Hospital and is the first of its kind in the country. Over 200 people attended the ball and over £20,000 was raised for the charity.

For more information about Anna’s Hope and Brainbow please visit www.annashope.co.uk.

Photos: rob davis.

elizabeth Bass (oakham school, royal Academy of Music) who played beautifully on her harp.

phil Johns and members from smile Boutique peterborough.

Prom, ParTy & EVEning WEar sPECialisTs opening monday 2nd December, 8 minutes from lincoln City Centre

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the eveNt Anna’ s

Hope

Anna’s hope founders sara hughes, robert hughes and Carole hughes.

Anna’s hope specialist therapists Kate gladwin and Antonia Kilcommons with husbands edward and david.

The region’s largest dress stockist promises a shopping experience like no other • Buy & Hire • Celebrity Brands • Every taste, style & colour available Visit our website for full details & our opening hours

40 Hall lane, Branston, lincoln ln4 1Py Telephone: 01522 793777

www.redcarpetready.co.uk | facebook.com/redcarpetreadyltd

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Adrian and Caroline Meadows (centre) with their friends.

The Annaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hope Fairy Helpers.

Tina and John Furlong, Tina and Eamon Mglyhn.

Prom, ParTy & EVEning WEar sPECialisTs opening monday 2nd December, 8 minutes from lincoln City Centre

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THE EVENT Anna’ s

Hope

Nigel and Libby Hume and Friends.

Jo and Barry Prichard and friends.

Kelly Sparks and Wayne Daly.

The region’s largest dress stockist promises a shopping experience like no other • Buy & Hire • Celebrity Brands • Every taste, style & colour available Visit our website for full details & our opening hours

40 Hall lane, Branston, lincoln ln4 1Py Telephone: 01522 793777

www.redcarpetready.co.uk | facebook.com/redcarpetreadyltd

4 - JOINT Pride DEC 137_Layout 2 04/11/2013 13:05 Page 98

the Wish List With

Moore and Scrupps

<< Ti Sento necklace with Swarovski crystals and black crystal globe, £235.

>> Pear shaped diamond cluster and 18ct white gold chain, £6,950.

>> Trio of rings; three row platinum ring with princess cut and brilliant cut diamonds, total 1.08ct, £3,500. yellow gold five stone eternity ring 1.12ct total, £4,800.

18ct white gold diamond cluster ring, £1,795.

>> Carpe Diem silver and rose gold coin pendant by Mi Moneda, with white gold chain, £120.

>> Shown below, duo of emerald rings - on the left 11 stone, £1,850.

On the right three stone fine emerald eternity ring with exceptional clarity, £3,950. >> Pandora’s new releases in sterling silver and murano glass for Christmas 2013.

Snowflake charm, £45, ice blue glass droplet, £40. Bracelets available, from £55. Charms available at all outlets, from £20/ea.

THE WISH LIST

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THE WISH LIST

<< Pandora charms, new for Christmas 2013. Santa Claus charm shown below, £45, candy cane, £30. Snow globe charm, £45 and Santa’s Sleigh in 14ct white gold, £60.

Faze Four and Moore & Scrupps LINCOLN - SLEAFORD - BOuRNE - NEWARk - PETERBOROuGH

<< Above Edwardian bar brooch, estate piece, £3,250. << Shown left is a nine stone cluster ring, estate jewellery, with 3.17ct total, £4,500.

>> Ti Sento charm bracelet with Swarovski crystals, complete with all charms, £310.

Celebrate Christmas with a beautiful gift from family jeweller Moore and Scrupps. The business, established in 1988, stocks a large selection of fine jewellery including an exceptional selection of diamonds, gold and platinum jewellery and a vast range of contemporary silver brands, such as Pandora, Thomas Sabo, Ti Sento, Milano, Hot Diamonds and Dower & Hall to name a few.

The company has five stores located in Sleaford, Newark and Bourne, plus a contemporary retail brand, Faze 4 in Lincoln & Peterborough, established a couple of years ago.

This season you can choose from contemporary jewellery from cutting-edge designers like Thomas Sabo, Tia Sento, Hot Diamonds and Ortak, plus Pandora charm bracelets and a beautiful range of traditional jewellery with precious stones to suit all budgets.

Tel: 01522 262556, 01529 302674, 01636 704488 or 01778 424228 www.mooreandscrupps.co.uk,

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the WeddiNg ALBuM

the WeddiNg ALBuM

James and Dee Buckley This month’s wedding was a colourful one - and it was the correct colour too, thanks to the groom putting his foot down. At least Dee’s groom took an interest in the wedding! This month we share one couple’s vision of what the perfect wedding should be like...

Photos: Contact:

henden fine Art Weddings.

07912 560844, www.hendenweddings.co.uk.

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an d “J ames w ent do w n on onhie lstkn eew e w ere aske d me to m ar ry hi m wmy bi rt hd ay !” on ho lid ay in Alcu di a for

it h h is w h c u o t in t o “ M y g roo me gan d d is a g ree d w it h me” fe m in ine s idides m a id s ’ c o lou r sc h e me ! o ver my b r

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the WeddiNg ALBuM

“As soon as I stood at the aisle and saw James, I wanted to cry with happiness and run down the aisle...!”

W

e met in Jan 2009 on a night out with a mutual friend, Sam - we became an official couple on Valentine’s Day, not a hard anniversary for James to remember! James popped the question in August 2011, whilst we were on holiday in Alcudia for my birthday. I had picked a nice restaurant for us to eat at and after dinner, whilst sipping Champagne, he waited for me to look away to place the ring on the table. I then made him get down on one knee to propose!

We originally considered marrying in Cyprus, but we wanted our family and close friends to be there, so we instead decided to move the venue back to the UK. We found a venue, we loved, then I chose my dress almost straight away.

Surprisingly my groom got in touch with his feminine side and disagreed with me over the colour of the bridesmaids’ dresses! He didn’t like my preferred coral colour scheme so I was told to make a swift amendment!

As this demonstrates, we both shared equal enthusiasm over the day, but as the bride I made most of the decisions.

I left the groom in charge of his wedding ring, the suits and his wedding shoes. Unsurprisingly, he left the wedding ring and the shoes until three days before the wedding!

My dress was an early purchase and the back of it was a

deciding factor. The length of the train and the detail to the dress with all the flowers and lace was beautiful, with an almost vintage touch.

On the day, James had pre-speech jitters! He was shaking all the way through my father’s speech! I was extremely excited but also very nervous all morning and was shaking like a leaf with anticipation for the day ahead.

As soon as I stood at the aisle and saw James, I wanted to cry with happiness and run down it! Fortunately, the dress prohibited this, but saying our vows was the most amazing experience of our lives and made us feel so close.

We would certainly recommend Aden Priest and Henry Lowther our photographers. These will be life long friends, as not only were they exceptional photographers, but they made our day extra special. Ian Baxter of Mash, our entertainer, was a fantastic singer and everyone really enjoyed the variety of songs he sang whilst he played during the night time reception. Finally, Occasions by Leigh provided our wedding decorations for the ceremony and the reception to great effect - the room looked beautiful.

Marriage, we’ve found, makes the relationship even more meaningful and our families really have been brought closer together.

the venue: Grange Park Golf Club decorations: Occasions by Leigh www.occasions byleigh.com 07747023305 Wedding Cars: A Classic Touch 01724 338651 www.aclassictouch weddingcars.co.uk photographer: Henden Fine Art Weddings 07912560844 hendenweddings.co.uk

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SAVE THE DATE SUNDAY 26 JANUARY 2014

WEDDING OPEN DAY Lincoln’s Washingborough hall is delighted to be hosting their Wedding Open Day on Sunday 26 January 2014. Selected suppliers have been invited to exhibit from 10.30-2.30pm, these include Ambience chair covers, Aperture photography, Hoppers jewellers, Robert Stubbs floral, Doves 4 Love, Lincoln luxury cars, SP Magic and many more.

Entrance is free with goodie bags for the first 100 registered brides. Dates are available for this year, next year and bookings have just started for 2015.

Washingborough Hall specializes in Exclusive, tailor made weddings, a personalised service creating bespoke weddings for all sizes.

Washingborough Hall also specialises in special occasions and private dining’s, perfect for gatherings of celebration and remembrance too. The Dining Room Restaurant can seat up to 50 guests and has just been awarded a two rosette accolade! Open all day, every day to all, we serve breakfast, morning

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coffee, bar lunches, afternoon teas and dinner, both to resident guests and the local communities.

Perfect for Parties, Wonderful Weddings, Beautiful Bedrooms and Breakfast, Lovely Lunches, Delicious Dinner, Come for a Conference, Respectful Remembrance teas, A list Afternoon Teas, all delivered in a Superb Setting, Amazing Ambience with a Tremendous Team!

From an afternoon tea for 2 to a special Dinner, bed and breakfast break, Washingborough Hall’s gift vouchers can be catered to all this Christmas.

For more information visit Washingborough Hall Hotel on Church Hill, Washingborough, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN4 1BE. Alternatively, call 01522 790340. Email: enquiries@washingboroughhall.com or visit the hotel online at www.washingboroughhall.com

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WeddiNgs

Finding your Photographer

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ChoosiNg Your WeddiNg photogrApher

CeLeBrAte Your speCiAL dAY Choosing a photographer for your big day is a big commitment - not as big as the marriage itself, perhaps, but still pretty important. your wedding photos are what remains of the money, time and planning that went into your day after the wedding cake has been eaten and the flowers have wilted, so trust an expert to preserve your memories... images: Matthew H Lane.

W

eddings can be expensive, so naturally brides look to cut costs wherever they can, but your wedding photography really is a good example of the old saying that ‘you get what you pay for.’

It’s tempting to trust the capture of your big day to a family friend or a well-meaning relative rather than splash out on a professional. If you do so, you’re gambling with the record of your big day, since your wedding photography is what remains after your wedding cake has been consumed and your flowers have wilted.

“Professional photographers have the equipment, backup camera bodies and flash heads, batteries and cards.” says professional photographer Matthew Lane. “A slight equipment malfunction, full memory card or dropped camera body could be all that stands between your friend or relative and a lack of decent pictures on your big day.”

Cameras are getting smarter but there’s still no substitute for a professional who understands lighting & flash and can take over from the automatic settings of a camera. Amateurs and their cameras might be able to achieve acceptable results in light, overcast conditions but working indoors, in bright sunshine or in dark churches presents a greater technical challenge.

“There are shots when you need to get it right first time.” says Matthew. “When the confetti

is thrown or the ring goes on the finger, for example. A professional photographer won’t use poor light or bad weather as an excuse for terrible shots - they’ll know how to work around these conditions.”

£ Meet Matthew Lane

“There’s also the soft skills that a photographic professional has over an enthusiastic amateur.

A professional photographer can strike up a rapport, pose a bride and her family, and deal tactfully with the myriad emotions that a wedding day brings with it. They work quickly, discreetly and creatively according to what’s needed at any given moment.”

Finally, a professional photographer will have access to the best ways to post-process and present your images. Every image can be improved with a little Photoshop work, and it’s important to have knowledge of where to source and how to design photographic albums to present your images in the best way possible.

“Trusting one of the most important days of your life to a professional is a sensible decision.” says Matthew. “It could mean the difference between beautifully presented memories of your day or poor quality, shaky images that don’t do your time, creativity and wedding planning justice.”

for more information: call Matthew Lane on 07837 349661or visit www.matthewhlane.co.uk.

£ Matthew worked as a teacher before embarking on a career as a professional photographer.

His qualifications include a BA Degree in Graphic Design & Illustration and he has public liability insurance.

Matthew works with top of the range Canon equipment and is available for weddings, portraiture and commercial work.

“My photography is about capturing people, places and moments in an unobtrusive way. When I photograph I aim to create an artistic portfolio that tells a story and captures the emotions of the event in a photojournalistic style.”

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Advertise on the Number One Wedding Website in the UK... www.ukbride.co.uk UKbride.co.uk has over 380,000 members and over 47,000 Facebook Fans.

It has over 1,000,000 pages and receives over 150,000 visitors per month.

To advertise on the number one wedding website in the UK visit www.ukbride.co.uk/advertise or call our friendly team on 0800 112 3 112.

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Excellence in

Hair, Health and Beauty

5 High Street, Tattershall, Lincoln LN4 4LE Tel: 01526 342309

www.johnandassociates.co.uk

Open Monday-Saturday, call for an appointment.

Hair Styling Electrolysis Men’s Barber Shop Jessica Manicures and Pedicures Waxing Lava Shell Massage Guinot Facial Treatments Tanning Complimentary Therapies

The best of

both worlds T

he only private hospital facility in Lincolnshire, where profits are returned to the NHS for the benefit of all local NHS patients. Patients enjoy privacy and individual attention whilst having the reassurance that The Bostonian is adjacent to the sophisticated services of The Pilgrim Hospital, with its expert diagnostic and emergency medical and surgical facilities.

H Award Winning Sleep Apnoea Service Please visit our website to view the full range of services we offer

www.the-bostonian.co.uk Comfort & Peace of Mind The Bostonian is the private wing of Pilgrim Hospital and is set in its own grounds and gardens. There are 19 en-suite single rooms with digital TVs and telephone. Our dedicated housekeeping team ensure continually high standards of cleanliness and hygiene.

Professional Expertise Almost any condition can be treated at The Bostonian by our dedicated team of professionals – most of our Consultants live only minutes away.

We welcome self referral and provide 24 hour medical cover.

Range of Payment Options Available We deal with all the major insurance companies and also offer Fixed Price packages for the uninsured.

The Bostonian Private Wing, Pilgrim Hospital, Sibsey Road, Boston, Lincs PE21 9QS Telephone: 01205 360606 / Facsimile: 01205 311442 www.the-bostonian.co.uk • ISO 9001:2008 accredited

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Pilgrim Hospital’s Private Wing

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OuR PATIENTS LEAvE uS FEELING THRILLED WITH THEIR NEW SMILE...

THE DENTAL HEALTH CENTRE, GRANTHAM Colin Sutton, principal dentist of the Dental Health Centre Grantham, has a proven track record of implant placement. Since 2000 he has been successfully restoring the smiles of hundreds of patients through the provision of a complete dental implant service including assessment, CT scanning, implant placement, bone grafting and sinus lifting, extending to the All-on-4, Teeth in a Day system.

Colin qualified in Birmingham in 1988 and has built a centre of dental excellence in the heart of Grantham where he welcomes the opportunity to restore complete and confident smiles to patients who have suffered the embarrassment and discomfort of ill-fitting dentures for years.

But it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t all about technical expertise and proven experience.

Colin has built up a thoughtful team of professionals with an innate ability to put patients at ease.

So whether you are just thinking about possibilities or you know what you want and you just need to find the right professional for the job, please get in touch. We would be delighted to help you on your journey towards a complete and confident smile.

Call us for an informal chat or please visit us for a free 30-minute initial consultation with Colin Sutton.

The Dental Health Centre Grantham is one of very few dental practices to have invested in a 3D dental CT scanner. The state-of-the-art scanner makes implant treatment, safer, quicker and more accurate for patients and makes the Dental Health Centre one of the most technologically advanced dental clinics in the area.

The Dental Health Centre, 3 Avenue Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 6TA. Tel: 01476 594480, or see www.dentalhealthcentre.co.uk

Colin Sutton BDS

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heALth & BeAutY

The Eye Care Centre

Left: Sue Brocklesby and Jackie Lansell have some great ways to see clearly and change your look for the festive season.

Above: The practice is based on Spalding’s Sheep Market.

T

he party season is nearly upon us, and Spalding’s Eye Care Centre can make sure you can see in the new year in perfect clarity, and change your look to suit your new party dress, whether you’re a contact lens wearer or a fan of the latest designer glasses frames.

“We’ve some stunning new ranges of winter spectacle frames, with new brands like Duck & Cover, Converse, Anna Sui, Morgan and even Barbour - a brand better known for its country clothing.” says Dispensing Optician Sue Brocklesby.

“Having a pair of glasses for summer and a pair that suits your winter wardrobe is certainly something you should consider. On trend tortoiseshell, plum and red frames are a great way to change your look quickly and easily.”

“Our Silhouette brand makes great use of crystals this winter, and allows you to choose the size and shape of your frameless lenses before you choose a style of arms and bridge. This means you can create a completely bespoke design of glasses for a truly unique look.”

ChristMAs visioN At the eYe CAre CeNtre

See in the New Year...

With a range of designer frames and the latest contact lens technology, you can ‘see in’ 2014 in style and clarity, thanks to Spalding’s Eye Care Centre... for more information: Visit The Eye Care Centre, Sheep Market, Spalding, Lincolnshire PE11 1BH. Alternatively, call 01775 722141 or see www.eyecarecentrelincolnshire.co.uk.

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The Spalding centre also offers coloured contact lenses, with over 20 different looks and a colour spectrum that includes different shades of blue, green, violet and brown.

Available with most sight-correcting prescriptions, these are sold in packs of three for £42.50, and each pair will last for 30 days so you can enjoy three different looks over the season.

“Our coloured lenses have the same sight correction capability and sophistication as our conventional contact lenses, but can either enhance or completely change your eye colour.” says Contact Lens Optician Jackie Lansell.

“It’s another way that you can use our products to change your look, and see in the new year in style!”

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Designer eyewear... ...at non-designer prices.

Gucci - ÂŁ173

43/44 Wrawby Street, Brigg, North Lincolnshire DN20 8BS Tel: 01652 653 595. Web: www.obriensopticians.co.uk

Call for an appointment or pop in to view our latest designer eyewear.

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heALth & BeAutY

Christmas Make-up Look fabulous this season...

Kiss&Make-up Look great this season and achieve a flawless finish using MAC make-up.

Here, we preview the brand’s new portfolio of products, available from mid-November...

Words & photos: Rob Davis.

<< Mineralise Blush, Lured to Love shade.

Colour builds lightly, without heavy coverage. veils and enhances the cheekbones; 3.2g, £22.

>> Cremesheen Glass lip gloss in Prepare for Pleasure shade.

Popular tone with clean, bold magenta red; 2.7g, £19.

<< Cremesheen Glass lip gloss. Creamy, sheen-filled nature with the shine of Lipglass.

Soft, comfortable, and non-sticky; 2.7g £12.

<< Lustre Lipstick in Flair for Finery shade, 140 shades available.

Colour plus texture for the lips; 3g, £15. >> Mineralise Eye Shadow in Gilded Night shade. Great for layering, two rich, contrasting shades, limited edition; 2g, RRP £19.

>> Nail lacquer in Military.

Revolutionary new high gloss formula. visibly different, and provides no-streak/no-chip finish; 10ml, £10.

<< Mineralise Skin Finish a luxurious domed contrasting duo with minerals, for a dimensional yet natural matte finish; 10g, £24.

Find your nearest MAC stockist at www.maccosmetics.co.uk.

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TO VIEW anD puRChasE phOTOGRaphs FROM ‘ThE EVEnT’ VIsIT WWW.pRIDEMaGaZInEs.CO.uK

THE EVENT Cavells Autumn/Winter Fashion Show Cavells of Oakham’s Autumn/Winter 2013 fashion show took place in store recently, and was deemed a huge success by all! This year, Cavells was raising funds for their nominated charity, Warning Zone, for which a raffle raised over £1,000. Warning Zone was well represented by Trish Ruddle, High Sheriff of Rutland, who gave a very interesting talk for this worthwhile charity. The pick of the season’s trends in six different themes was modelled by 19 models, each of whom had generously volunteered their time for the evening. The winter fashion show is always particularly exciting as Cavells stock such a diverse range of fashion and so many beautiful and different accessories which were all shown at their best on the catwalk. Many of the brands stocked in Cavells were represented on the catwalk, from the well known such as Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors and Mulberry right through to lesser known names such as Photos: Rob Davis.

Twin-Set and Libelula.

Feature your event in our magazine.

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Call 01529 469977 and speak to our Events Desk...

Cavells models before the fashion show.

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ThE EVEnT Cavells

Iona wearing Odd Molly and hollie wearing Twin-set.

Cavells models behind the scenes.

Autumn Winter Fashion Show

Karen wearing Velvet animal print dress with avion fur jacket.

Purchase photographs from this event online.

Visit www.pridemagazines.co.uk.

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ThE EVEnT Cavells

Autumn Winter Fashion Show

Karen wearing aigle raincoat with Mulberry scarf with paul who is in schoďŹ&#x20AC;el gilet and Dubarry boots

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anna wearing Joseph sweater and Ingrid is wearing knitwear from Chinti and parker.

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FashIOn

Let’ s Get The

Party Started IT’S pARTy SEASoN - ANd THE CREATIVE dIRECToR of GERMAN fASHIoN bRANd bASLER, bRIAN RENNIE, IS dETERMINEd To CELEbRATE WITH GoLd - A RANGE of CoCKTAIL dRESSES THAT fEEL AS CoMfoRAbLE AS THEy LooK fLATTERING Words: Mandy bray.

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<< £ RED HOT Red tunic dress with frill design.

L

ook great at the season’s best formal functions, awards dinners and parties this season. Designer Brian Rennie of German high fashion brand Basler has created a range of beautifully cut cocktail dresses that look as good as they fit and feel.

The company has just revealed its long and short range of sensually cut gowns designed to flatter, provide comfort and to ensure high glamour and high excitement. The brand is a known favourite of Jane Seymour, Kim Basinger and many more.

Here we present the designer’s range of Gold Label dresses from stylish pastiche of the classic little black number to more colourful gowns which guarantee a kiss under the mistletoe...

>> 121

>>

FashIOn

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£ ABOVE

Cocktail dress in red with full length ruffle.

>> £ RIGHT Tunic dress with asymmetric waist detail.

Featured fashions by Basler.

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FashIOn

Wear this tunic dress with sparkly, elaborate costume jewellery - exaggerated diamantĂŠ fascinators and chokers...

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>> ÂŁ A LONG STORY Long plum cocktail dress with tunic neckline and ruched detail to waist.

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FashIOn

<< ÂŁ SHORT AND SIMPLE Knee-length plum cocktail dress with cap sleeves. Featured fashions by Basler.

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£ FEATHER LIGHT Feather detail dress with cut-out back.

£ STOCKISTS for local stockists see www.basler-fashion.com.

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Let’ s Get The

Party Started with Basler << £ LACE Knee-length cocktail dress with lace panel detailing.

<< £ SHEER STYLE Floor-length gown with sheer design and full length arms.

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CHRISTMAS AT

GAYNORS SHop IN STyLE THIS yEAR AT ouR ExCITING CHRISTMAS EVENT... bucks fizz, cupcakes and a fantastic special offer if you spend £250 or more in-store.

• View our stunning new ranges including: • Mi Moneda- modern and interchangeable, as worn by stars including Rhianna!

• Ti Sento- starting from just £22 a perfect stocking filler.

• Clogau- rare welsh gold the choice of royalty • And a must see is the new rhythm of love diamond range.

A stunning moving diamond that will truly dAZZLE! So we look forward to making this festive period as stress free as possible and will help you find your perfect gift.

We will even gift wrap it free of charge!

Extra Christmas opening hours: Thursday and Friday until 8pm and Sundays 11am till 4pm.

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the Finest Quality menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Shoes & Leather Goods for Christmas

Shoecraft OaKham Ltd

South Street, Oakham, LE15 6BQ 01572 757721 www.shoecraftoakham.com

Christmas Gifts, Leather Goods, Key Cutting and Quality Shoes by Loake, Barker and Crockett & Jones

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DECEMBER

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

2013

DECEMBER

DECEMBER

TO ALL OUR READERS

T H E

MAGAZINE ONE COUNTY THE NUMBER

N U M B E R

O N E

C O U N T Y

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS

M A G A Z I N E

ISSUE 137

STAMFORD UTLAND AND COVERING R

Celebrating the Season

2013

LincolnshirePride

RutlandPride

CHR ISTM AS IN THE COU NTY

DECEMBER

How to Look Great

£3.70

PARTY DRESSES Festive Food Local produce and recipes {Page 22}

Winter Fashion Celebrate style with Cavells {Page 124}

The Event

Uppingham in Bloom Celebrate {Page 152}

The Event Aled Jones at The Stump {Page 10}

Christmas Enjoy Lincoln’s Christmas Market

{Page 13}

£3.70

Recipes Seasonal Gifts - Christmas nt Decorations - Entertainme

Festive Food Local produce and recipes {Page 22}

Pick up your copy of the number one county magazine every month.

On sale in supermarkets and newsagents across the county.

Our January edition will be on sale from 13th December.

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STRIACROFT JEWELLERS Striacroft Jewellers was established in Butcher Lane, Louth in May 1978. 35 years on its now Louthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s longest established family jewellers, owned and run by Philip and Ranka Cartledge and recently joined by their son Oliver.

They offer a huge range of high quality Diamond, Gold and Silver Jewellery as well as the latest jewellery brands such as Hot Diamonds, My iMenso and David Deyong to name just a few. They are main agents for Citizen, Lorus, Bulova and Roamer watches. Pre-owned luxury watches including Rolex and Omega, Clocks and Giftware.

They pride themselves in offering the a personal service and advice on repairs, which are mostly done in their own workshop on the premises, valuations and insurance.

MOORE & SCRUPPS 3 Southgate Sleaford NG34 7SU 01529 302674

14 West Street Bourne PE10 9NE 01778 424228

7 Appletongate Newark NG24 1JR 01636 704488

w w w. m o o r e a n d s c r u p p s . c o . u k

345 High Street Lincoln LN5 7DQ 01522 262556

21 Long Causeway Peterborough PE1 1YQ 01733 551182

Find us on

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DISCOUNT EVENT...

Barnack Country Clothes is holding its annual Open Weekend on 7th and 8th December. Based in the beautiful stone village of Barnack 2 miles east of Stamford, the retailer is one of the UK's largest country clothing specialists and stocks a range that includes many of the most desirable brands: Aigle, Barbour, Schoffel, Musto, Alan Paine, Hunter and Le Chameau.

The Open Weekend event has become a firm pre-Christmas feature in the local calendar not least because it's perfectly timed to provide a solution to Christmas shopping. Customers are always greeted with a glass of warm mulled wine and a mince pie and can then take time to browse a wide selection of men's and women's jackets and coats, fleeces, knitwear, breeks and accessories, plus an extensive range of wellieboots for all the family.

One of the incentives that make this a really popular weekend is the offer of 20% discount on all clothing and 10% discount on all footwear and accessories plus there's always the chance to win great prizes in the free prize draw.

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merry christmas from the Pride team

Choosing Your Tree...

Getting in the car and going off to choose your Christmas tree is one of the highlights of the festive season. This month we’ve been to a plantation where the growers have built their family business entirely around Christmas trees! For a great family day out and to find the perfect specimen, we were definitely barking up the right tree...!

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merry christmas

Choosing Your Christmas Tree

O

ne of my happiest memories as a child was collecting the family’s Christmas tree with mum and dad. Now I’m the dad, this responsibility has passed to me and I’ve found the perfect place to collect ours!

Snowbird is a pretty little smallholding, on an escarpment just two miles off the A1, on the border of Lincolnshire and Rutland. It’s home to Adrian and Cheryl Morgan and, frankly, what they don’t know about Christmas trees isn’t worth knowing.

The BCTGA has around 320 members who sell over 8,000,000 trees to members of the public each year.

As Pride goes to press, it’s a nervous time for the members who are engaged in a big competition to find their Champion Grower - the Don, to continue the metaphor - who has the honour of supplying No10 Downing Street with this year’s Christmas tree.

above: “I want this one!”

George quickly identified an 8ft Nordmann Fir which suited his needs perfectly!

The two most common varieties of tree are the Norway Adrian and Cheryl’s place is a bit like an iceberg - on the Spruce - which was traditionally the most popular, with a surface there’s a 4.5 acre field of trees with around lovely scent, and shorter, spikier needles - and the Nordmann 4,500 growing on the site, and over 10 different varieties over 8,000,000 christmas trees are sold each year, Nationally Adrian is rather an aficionado but we’ll come to that later. there’s a 70/30 split that favours the Nordmann fir over the Whilst 4,500 isn’t exactly a small number of trees, the larger bit of the iceberg, below the surface, is the couple’s wholesale business.

Norway spruce, as the public considers them less likely to drop. in our county, the Norway spruce is slightly more popular...

This part of Snowbird’s operation sees them importing an incredible 700,000 trees each year from nurseries, selling them on to growers who then supply our local garden centres or sell trees directly to the public.

Adrian is also an active member of the British Christmas Tree Grower’s Association, a sort of pine-scented Mafia, operating incognito, though with the rather more honourable aim of ensuring the public are only sold the freshest, highest quality, sustainably grown examples of the Christmas trees we all know and love at this time of year.

Fir, with its longer, softer needles and more user-friendly demeanour, which the public considers less ‘droppy.’

“The Nordmann has become more popular over time, because people think it’s less likely to drop. There’s about a 70/30 preference towards Nordmanns nationally, but in our county, it’s more like 60/40.”

The reason our county is an exception is simple - fresher trees keep their needles longer. As we’re a rural county, we’re more likely to buy our trees from local growers and farm shops, or local independent garden centres who have fresher deliveries.

>> Words: Rob Davis.

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Below: We visited Adrian and Cheryl’s 4.5 acre plantation to choose one of their 4,500 trees. The couple have around 500 members of the public visiting them each year and have over 10 species, from the common Norway Spruce and Nordmann Fir to more unusual varieties. The couple’s smallholding is run with the minimum possible use of chemicals, with a flock of Shropshire sheep helpfully keeping the weeds down!

Where to Buy It’s best to buy your tree directly from the grower or from a local independent garden centre, not from a multinational garden centre whose stock will have been sitting around longer... £ Lincolnshire: If you’re in Lincoln, Doddington Hall’s Christmas trees (01522 694308), are grown on the estate to be sold via its Farm Shop. Alternatively there’s Gainsborough’s Fillingham Christmas Trees (01427 667014) or in Louth, Little Cawthorpe’s Strawson Woodland Christmas Trees (01507 605193) is great too. Alternatively, read about Lincolnshire garden centres which stock fresh trees later in this edition. £ Rutland: If you’re in Rutland we recommend Digby Farm Christmas Trees near Oakham (01780 720607), Houghty’s at Melton Mowbray or Grange Farm at Market Harborough (01858 545 109). Each of the above offer a ‘choose and cut’ service, and are recommended by the BCTGA.

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Above: In an age when the younger generation is generally disenfranchised from the countryside, we think it’s great to let them see how their tree is grown.

Adrian and Cheryl’s trees are grown from seed by nurseries, for three years, then for a further 7-8 years before being sold to garden centres.

Adrian and Cheryl’s business, Snowbird Christmas Trees, sells directly to the public on a ‘choose and cut’ or ‘choose and dig-up’ basis. Visit them at Plantation Lodge Farm, Castle Bytham, NG33 4SP or call 01780 410101.

A Stand that Delivers FINALLY! A proper Christmas tree stand that really works... no more messing around with three separate screws and endless adjusting to correct a wonky tree! Adrian and Cheryl’s sister company is The Christmas Cabin - which sells stands and netting funnels to garden centres. Their Easy Lock stand (rrp £29.99) tightens around your tree with a foot-operated rachet. It’s stable, easy to use and has a ‘water now’ indicator.

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merry christmas

Choosing Your Christmas Tree

5 tree

Varieties of

Adrian and Cheryl have over 10 varieties to choose from with a few really unusual species on offer...

Norway spruce A traditional favourite, proper care is needed to ensure needle retention.

Needles aren’t very soft, but it has a lovely traditional smell.

Nordmann fir

>>

National chains of DIY stores order their trees for delivery up to a month before they are sold, and as such, they’re less likely to retain needles.

Venturing out into the field to collect my two and a half year old son George’s preferred 8ft Nordmann Fir, Adrian explains that the vast majority of the trees he sells to the public are cut, not dug up. So, the first thing he does is to put the end into water. If you’re buying from a local garden centre, go as soon as the trees are delivered, not only to have your first pick, but to ensure they’re as fresh as possible.

above: Fresh is best, so buy your Christmas tree from a local independent garden centre or direct from a local grower like Adrian and Cheryl.

The couple supply many of the county’s hotels, including The George of Stamford’s renowned magical Christmas display, each year.

It’s unlikely they’ll be resting in water, so cut a 1in slice off your tree to give a fresh stump when you get home. Pruning the excess branches from the base and resting it in water is imperative to ensure both freshness and needle retention.

Mount your tree in a stable stand - see opposite - larger fresh trees may drink up to two litres of water per day.

Position your tree away from direct heat and top up its water daily.

In terms of variety, we’ll show you a few opposite, but a Norway Spruce is the most common and cheapest at £4.50/ft. The Nordmann Fir is next up the price scale, around £7.50/ft, whilst the Noble Fir and Adrian’s swanky, beautiful bluey-green Colorado White commands top-end prices, around £9/ft.

Now the most popular Christmas tree in the UK. Good at retaining their soft dark green needles, perfect for the whole family to decorate.

scots Pine Traditional British native tree with stiff dark blue needles less popular since the arrival of Nordmann Fir.

Noble fir Stiffer and shorter branches, great for heavier decorations.

Extremely aromatic with a deep rich colour.

colorado White fir An unusual variety, but pretty with a light green/blue hue.

Nice shape, good aroma and excellent needle retention.

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to VieW aNd Purchase PhotoGraPhs from ‘the eVeNt’ Visit WWW.PridemaGaZiNes.co.uK

the Lady Bay revellers provided morris dancing entertainment.

THE EVENT Corby Glen Sheep Fair corby Glen, on the Lincolnshire and Leicestershire border, recently celebrated its heritage with the 775th annual Sheep Fair event which this year had a record turnout. The event was originally an agricultural event at which farmers would trade livestock, but has instead become a village fête with morris dancers, folk bands, vintage cars and even a samba band.

Organiser of the event Steve Honeywood says: “It was a memorable weekend, with thousands of visitors to the event, a great street market, a day full of entertainers, a samba band leading the village parade, combined with a Dakota flypast, a well supported dog show, a traditional fun fair and a successful clay shoot raising funds for the air ambulance – and everyone enjoying themselves.” Photos: Bob Baines - http://www.flickr.com/photos/88282827@N00/

the event was the 775th in the corby Glen sheep fair’s history.

this year’s parade included music from a samba band.

Feature your event in our magazine.

Call 01529 469977 and speak to our Events Desk...

6 - JOINT Pride DEC 137_Layout 2 04/11/2013 13:23 Page 141

the eVeNt Corby

a classic car show was part of the fun.

the event attracted a record crowd - food stalls and arts & crafts also featured.

the village is on the Lincolnshire and Leicestershire border.

Purchase photographs from this event online.

Visit www.pridemagazines.co.uk.

Glen Sheep Fair

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slippery: BMW’s 4-Series coupé is beautifully designed, and now boasts its own unique model designation.

motoriNG NeWs

BMW Four Series...

You’ll pay a premium for two fewer doors but BMW’s 4-Series won’t be short of takers.

The new coupé may be less practical, but with a combination of pace and panache it’s a premium product that’s set to be highly desirable...

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motors BMW

L

ess is more... and that’s certainly true as far as BMW’s 4-Series is concerned.

Historically BMW’s 3-Series coupé has always been so named, but with the advent of a new model, the two-door version of the brand’s company car favourite has been given its own model designation.

The idea is that by giving the coupé version of the 3-Series a numeric designation that’s slightly higher than its sibling, the model will be a little more ‘premium’ - it’s the same ploy Audi has used with its A4 saloon and the similarly sized but sportier five door A5 coupé.

However, with two fewer doors, you probably won’t be expecting to pay around £3,000 more for the (less practical) 4-Series, so how can BMW excuse the inflated price tag of the new model? Party because it has a few extra items of standard equipment, but mostly because of its beautiful slippery shape.

Whilst the coupé model has always been, essentially, a 3-Series in a ballgown, the new model shares just the bonnet with its saloon stablemate - all other body panels are specific to the 4-Series.

Prices, then, range from £28,280 to over £40,000 which, somewhat perilously, puts top of the range variants rather close to Porsche Cayman territory. If a sporty drive is your motivation for choosing a BMW - the self-certified ‘ultimate driving machine’ - you’ll have to think carefully

where to put your money. However, cheaper variants are very well-equipped and make a compelling value-for-money case, as long as you keep in mind that BMW was always notorious for having an extensive optional extras list.

First impressions of the vehicles are extremely promising indeed. The car is further away from the profile of the saloon 3-Series than ever before. It’s longer, lower and wider than the model it replaces, with wider wheelarches at the rear and a 10mm lower ride height than the previous model.

Four Series

above: The model’s cabin is similar to the new model’s sister car, the 3-Series, albeit with a few extra items on the standard equipment list.

In terms of practicality, there’s a loss of two doors, and 35 litres of boot space. However, access to the rear seats is reasonable and there’s space for two adults, even if headroom is compromised compared to the 3-Series by the rakish roofline... still, it’s more spacious in the rear compared to rivals and with folding rear seats, it’s hardly a frustration for day-to-day life.

From launch, the range comprises a couple of 2.0 petrol engines in two states of tune, and a 3.0V6 petrol, as well as a 2.0 diesel, and two 3.0 V6 diesels.

Whilst the V6 engines are lovely and creamy, our advice is to look to the 2.0 diesel. This will reach 60mph in 7.5 seconds, 149mph flat out (larger engines are restricted to 155mph anyway), and return a combined economy figure of 61mpg.

That should be as much speed as even the most enthusiastic driver needs, whilst offering an economy figure akin to much more modestly sized cars.

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motors

BMW Four Series

The 420d is also very clean, emitting just 124g of CO2, which makes it a great company car prospect. What’s more, the car is forecast to be worth over 51.5% of its value after three years... or to put it another way, after three years it’ll retain an estimated £4,000 more of its value than other models.

The smallest 2.0 engines are available with either two wheel drive or, for the first time in the UK, BMW’s xDrive four wheel drive system. BMW has jealously eyed-up Audi’s

rather than opting for larger engines and higher trim levels, we’d advise sticking to the 420d in se trim then cherry-picking your options to build a bespoke car to suit your tastes - the firm’s list of optional extras is as tantalising as ever!

BmW 4-series from: £28,280. on sale: November. engines: 2.0 184hp, 2.0 245hp, 3.0 V6, 2.0d, 3.0V6d 258hp, 3.0V6d 313hp. fuel economy: (2.0 diesel) 61.4mpg (combined). equipment: Leather, heated seats, DAB radio, cruise control, climate, parking sensors, xenons.

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equipment drivers need, and its 17” wheels offer a more pliant ride than the 18”/19” wheels and hard sports suspension fitted to sportier versions, so it’s our pick.

Optional adaptive dampers improve things even further by minimising body roll, but at £750 you’ll have to be a keen driver to appreciate the difference.

Rather than opting for larger engines and higher trim levels, we’d advise sticking to the 420d in SE trim then cherry-picking your options to build a bespoke car to suit your tastes.

BMW’s options list is still as tantalising as ever, but two options we’d specify are BMW’s eight-speed automatic transmission - which is so good it actually it lowers the car’s emissions and improves its economy - and adaptive cruise control which will accelerate and brake automatically for a more convenient and safer drive.

famous Quattro system for years and has finally decided to offer a similar system in the UK. This is perhaps a good option to plump for, since BMW’s rear wheel drive setup may provide a sporty drive and pin-sharp handing, but their cars tend to be less tractable in winter.

Inside, the 4-Series offers the same dashboard layout and simple, ergonomic controls as the rest of the BMW stable.

That means materials are beautiful, controls are well-weighted and solid, and there’s a range of colours for the leather plus optional contrast stitching and interior trim finishers, from finely grained wood to aluminium to brushed silver to high gloss black, blue or red.

One thing BMW has improved upon dramatically over the years is its provision of standard equipment. The basic SE trim 4-Series redresses this issue nicely with standard fit leather seats with heating, cruise and dual zone climate controls, DAB radio, front and rear parking sensors and Bluetooth system with iPod audio socket.

Such a comfortable and efficient cabin affords ample opportunity to sit back and enjoy the ride - or rather the drive, for whilst the former is slightly on the firm side, the latter is beautifully judged. BMW’s handling balance is epic, whilst the steering is sharp and precise and Driver Performance Control allow you to firm up the car’s responses to provide a sportier drive still.

BMW’s model designations are somewhat complicated, with SE, Sport, Modern, Luxury and MSport versions. Rather than providing extra equipment, they’re stylistic distinctions, relating to interior trim, wheel style and the degree of aggression in the body kit. SE models offer all of the

The car’s premium and its impracticality over its 3-Series stablemate are easily forgiveable. With lots of standard equipment, a beautifully judged chassis and frugal engines, the 4-Series is the sports car that’s a pleasure to live with every single time your leave the house.

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Christmas

Gifts

This month we present a selection of beautiful gifts for loved ones, from the area’s best independent retailers...

>> Top left; Joules dressing gown £39.95, onesie £39.95, blue stripe vest £14.95, knickers £29.95, ballet slippers £14. Top right; Cotton Trend dressing gown £20, Superdry red bottoms £34.99, Superdry blue top £20, Ugg mule slippers £70. Bottom left; Loungeable cream fluffy onesie £18, Totes booties £22. Bottom right; Cotton Trend towelling dressing gown £22, Lola Rosa pyjamas £55, moccasin slipper £20. All from Oldrids and Downtown, www.oldrids.co.uk.

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Christmas in the County

Seasonal Gifts << Rowallan iPad case and briefcase from Shoecraft on South Street, Oakham 01572 757721.

<< Hamper with local produce and, shown above, Birdy espresso cups, £24/four, plates £27.79/set, and cushion £21.79, from Fords of Oakham, 01572 722654.

>> How Deep is the Ocean mug and tea towel set all hand printed, £19, Please Shut the Gate!, Church Street, Braunston, Oakham, 07710 328990 www.pleaseshut thegate.co.uk.

<< Morris & Co hand cream, scrub and cuticle cream, £9, from Oldrids and Downtown www.oldrids.co.uk. >> Lollia At Last bubble bath, £46, soap, £11.50 and hand cream, £27, from Elizabeth Stanhope on Oakham’s Mill Street, 01572 722345.

>>

>> Emma Bridgewater ‘mine and yours’ mugs, £39.95, Sarah Harding Interiors in Uppingham’s Market Place 01572 823389.

Wardrobe of Oakham’s beautiful, unique, individual clothing and accessories at affordable prices.

Leather handbag, £33, Miss Shorthair Scarf, £18, Gaby Necklace, £27. Call 01572 720305.

<< Bulova diamond watch - 19-diamond dial/bezel, gold plated, RRP £329.99, Springfields Outlet Shopping price £164.99.

For information on the site see www.springfieldsshopping.co.uk.

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at southwell, oakham & melton

Wardrobe ladies fashion boutique sellss beautiful, unique individual clothing & accessories all at affordable prices.

Lovely new ranges arriving now!

KJOH 4USFFU 4PVUIXFMM t 6OJU 4U (FPSHFT $PVSU (BPM 4USFFU 0BLIBN 8JOETPS 4U .FMUPO .PXCSBZ t www.wardrobe-southwell.co.uk

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TO VIEW AND PURCHASE PHOTOGRAPHS FROM ‘THE EVENT’ VISIT WWW.PRIDEMAGAZINES.CO.UK

The awards ceremony was organised by the town’s Karen Emery, chair of Uppingham In Bloom for the past six years.

THE EVENT Uppingham in Bloom...

Uppingham’s Falcon Hotel was recently the venue for a ceremony celebrating the efforts of the volunteers who have led Uppingham to victory in Britain in Bloom. The town was recently named the silver gilt winner for the East Midlands Small Town category. The Uppingham In Bloom committee doesn’t just ensure the town looks great for a week of inspection, but produces a portfolio of evidence demonstrating projects that various groups have undertaken throughout the year. A commitment to ensuring the town looks great all year round depends on the efforts of local schools, the businesses which sponsor various projects, and the town’s WI & Rotary groups, as well as celebrities like Barnsdale Gardens’s owner, Nick Hamilton. The awards ceremony was a chance to celebrate the group’s overall success, but also to thank and recognise the efforts of individuals for their hard work. It was especially fitting that the ceremony was held at the town’s Falcon Hotel - it won this year’s Best Hotel Garden category!

Photos by Don Lambert, 01780 757673, www.donlambert.co.uk.

Uppingham was the Silver Gilt category winner for the East Midland Small Town Category.

Feature your event in our magazine.

152

Call 01529 469977 and speak to our Events Desk...

7 - Rutland Pride DEC 137_Layout 2 04/11/2013 15:31 Page 153

THE EVENT Uppingham

In Bloom

The event was attended by over 100 guests.

Making an appearance was Rutlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nick Hamilton from Barnsdale Gardens.

Local schools who contributed to the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success were invited.

Purchase photographs from this event online.

Visit www.pridemagazines.co.uk.

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mAking yOUR mOnEy gO fURThER in RUTLAnD

pROpERTy ADViCE

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PROPERTY INVESTMENT

with Watson Mitchell & Goodwin Property Services

PROPERTY ADVICE

BRICKS AND MORTAR ADD UP TO A SOUND INVESTMENT...

Two of Stamford’s leading property names joined forces recently to deliver the first specialist sales and lettings service in this area. Rutland Pride talked to them about why smart investors are moving their money into bricks and mortar and how doing so is achieving returns that the financial markets can only dream of...

Words: Cristina Chapman.

A

fter the dramatic financial crash that ended the property boom, you’d be forgiven for thinking that property was no longer a wise investment. With financial markets still in disarray you’d be forgiven for thinking that hiding your cash under a mattress or the 3.30 at Newmarket were safer options.

However, secure investment growth still exists and it can be found in the property market.

Those with the means, insight and appetite have been using property as a successful part of their wealth management strategy to great effect.

Stamford property agencies Goodwins and Watson Mitchell have joined forces to provide a specialist property sales and management service; advising customers on the best investment properties to buy and helping them to secure the greatest possible return on their property portfolio.

Richard Watson of specialist lettings agency Watson Mitchell says: “Smart landlords are gaining enough of a return from their property investments to supplement income, support their retirement or fund their children’s education. We also act for ex-pats who still see the UK property market as the best place to protect and grow their wealth.

“All our clients are using property to secure growth where other vehicles, such as bonds, shares and stocks have plateaued or failed.”

The outlook continues to be bleak for savers and cash investors over the next few years.

When the new Bank of England governor, Mark Carney, assumed his post he announced his intention to hold interest rates at current levels until the economy had stabilised.

Richard Watson said: “Mark Carney reiterated the message at his maiden public speech in which he described the East Midlands as the

‘bell-weather’ for the UK economy. Leaving the region’s business community and savers in no doubt, he said that the Bank of England will not even consider raising interest rates until unemployment falls to at least 7%.

It’s likely to be some three years before this happens and even then the Bank of England isn’t suggesting that its first act will be to hike interest rates.

“While he expressed sympathy for savers and investors who, he said, had done the right thing and set money aside, he remained adamant that raising interest rates was not the answer to rebuilding the UK’s fragile economy.

“With such an unequivocal message coming from the Bank of England Governor, those relying on their deposits and liquid assets to generate income would do well to consider a more proactive approach to securing the returns they need.”

Where the FTSE 100, 10-year government bonds and even five-year fixed rate savings accounts are delivering gross yields of between 2.5% & 3.5%, property investment is delivering yields of around 6%. That’s just the yield on the rental income. That doesn’t take account of capital gain, for which the long-term prospects are very healthy indeed.

The rental yield returns are expected to continue to grow in the foreseeable future. This is not the unsustainable growth of the

>>

“All our clients are using property to secure growth where other vehicles, such as bonds, shares and stocks have plateaued or failed...”

£ Specialists Sales Advice from Robert Goodwin...

When buying investment property, think in numbers, not in the way we usually buy houses. Our advice is built on 40 years in the industry.

Use it and you’ll avoid the common mistakes others make.

With rental property you need to balance long-term capital growth, gross rental income, annual running and maintenance costs and levels of finance required.

House prices will remain stable until we start to see a rise in incomes. So, you need to plan for the next 10 to 20 years for significant capital growth.

On an annual basis, expect gross rental yields in our region of between 4 and 5 per cent. The best way to minimise costs is to invest in a well-maintained or newly-renovated property; which could provide a decade of low-maintenance income.

£ Lettings advice from Richard Watson, Watson Mitchell...

Landlords who work with agents accredited by The Association of Residential Letting Agents are better protected. ARLA is the onlygovernment recognised body regulating the industry. Money is guaranteed and ARLA agents are qualified to do the job.

ARLA agents are highly skilled and qualified in all aspects of property management. This means they can minimise financial risk by guiding you safely through lettings legislation and tenancy transitions, when the investments are most exposed.

When it comes to establishing what is and isn’t your responsibility, assessing wear and tear, negotiating deposit returns and finding replacement tenants quickly, an ARLA agent is better equipped to protect you while still looking after the tenant’s needs.

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PROPERTY INVESTMENT

with Watson Mitchell & Goodwin Property Services

>>

Noughties boom years, which attracted opportunists restyling themselves as property tycoons. Today’s growth is more stable, more realistic and it has longevity. It’s the type of growth that even cautious investors shouldn’t dismiss.

Richard Watson explains: “There’s a huge shortage of housing in the UK. Government is tackling the problem but it will be decades before supply catches up with demand. Banks don’t have as much money to lend. People don’t have as much lending ability.

Finally, there’s a generation of young people who need to remain fluid to chase the job market. It all adds up to a buoyant rental market. It will remain so for some years.”

Above/Right: Entry-level properties make the best investment properties

However, as with any investment, a portfolio will only perform as well as it is set up and managed.

You can gain greater control and growth of your investments as long as you understand the rental market. It comes down to choosing the right property, in the right location.

Robert Goodwin of Goodwin Estate Agency explains: “People still let their emotions drive their decision-making when it comes to investment properties. If you want the return you can’t get from the standard investment routes, then you have to focus on how tenants choose a place to rent rather where you’d like to call home. The £300,000 cottage with roses around the door may look the most attractive to you, but to a tenant it says high maintenance, high bills and inconvenience.

“Most renters are objective and want something that is easy to live in, close to amenities and affordable. In this area, this is more likely to be a £160,000 three-bedroom, modern build than a traditional, listed cottage” “Even for our big-time investors, who come to us with anything up to £1,000,000, it makes more sense to assemble a portfolio of entry-level properties.

Smaller properties will always be needed by recently separated people and professional young sharers.”

The climate has become a more tempered investment route for those with the capital to buy. Having experienced, professional advice and support by your side, you can manage down the risk and concentrate on maximising the growth of your capital. Sound prospects indeed.

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Top tips for successful property investment... £ Establish your financial goals. £ Use specialists to find the right property. £ Discuss your goals with them. £ Don’t overborrow. £ Plan for the costs. £ Use a specialist management agency to secure growth.

For Lettings: Watson Mitchell is one of the area’s only ARLA regulated specialist lettings agencies.

Call Richard Watson on 01780 765100. Visit www.wmlet.com.

For Sales: Goodwin Property Services is one of the area’s leading specialist sales estate agencies.

Call Robert Goodwin on 01780 750000. Visit www.goodwin propertyservices.co.uk.

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Country Workshops Independent Landrover Specialists Bespoke Vehicles & Accessories.

Restorations and Manufacture.

Parts From 1948 to date. Retail Trade Export.

Tel/Fax 01775 750223 Risegate, Nr Spalding, Lincs PE11 4EZ

www.british4x4centre.co.uk

DECEMBER

DECEMBER

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

2013

RutlandPride

TO ALL OUR READERS

THE NUMBER ONE COUNTY MAGAZINE COVERING RUTLAND AND STAMFORD

Celebrating the Season

CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTY

How to Look Great

PARTY DRESSES ÂŁ3.70

Seasonal Gifts - Christmas Recipes Decorations - Entertainment Festive Food

Winter Fashion

The Event

Local produce and recipes

Celebrate style with Cavells

Uppingham in Bloom Celebrate

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£ DICKENSIAN TEA AT STAPLEFORD PARK

£ SARAH MILLICAN

, What s On...

£ CAROL CONCERT

£ DICKENSIAN TEA

£ SARAH MILLICAN

One of the county’s most enjoyable events takes place at Oakham’s All Saints’ Church on 2nd December from 6.45pm - the town’s nSpCC Carol Concert.

Stapleford park will hold a ‘Dickensian’ Afternoon Tea where guests can enjoy traditional afternoon tea served with mulled wine and a performance of Christmas carols and seasonal readings by adults and children in period costume reminiscent of Charles Dickens’s Christmas Carol.

This month De montfort Theatre in Leicester hosts the British Comedy Awards’s Queen of Comedy, Sarah millican.

The concert features music, plus a collection of festive anecdotes recounted by talented readers including Lars Tharp (BBC Antiques Roadshow), nigel Colborn (BBC gardeners World), Rosemary Conley (Diet and fitness expert), Anne Davies (BBC East midlands Today), peter Wheeler (Leicester Tigers), Tim hart (hambleton hall) and David farrer QC with sublime music from the harborough Singers.

This prestigious county occasion, in the presence of the Lord Lieutenant and the high Sheriff, has become the largest single fundraising event for the nSpCC in the East midlands Region; over £15,000 was raised from last year’s concert alone, also raising the profile of the work of the nSpCC in Rutland.

Tickets are £12 each, from Baker’s yard Oakham, or from Don paddy’s Uppingham.

Tel: 01572 813626

£36/person, Sunday 15th December from 1.30pm. pre-booking strongly advised. www.staplefordpark.com Tel: 01572 787000

in a performance of her new tour on 4th and 5th December from 7.30pm, the comedienne explains why she’s giving up the party scene, easing off on the drinking - fizzy pop equals wealthy dentists - and is settling down i.e.: taking her bra off.

Determined to put down some roots, she now has a cat (her ‘furry baby’) and even a tree (she has a lot of mugs).

On this, her third national tour, you will learn what to take on a dirty weekend, the easiest way to blend in when in posh restaurants and how to teach a pensioner to swear.

Join her for some hilarious domestic bliss.

Also at the venue this month is a performance

by The Bootleg Beatles on 7th December, with their stunning reproduction of the original supergroup’s back catalogue.

Tickets from £21.50. www.demontforthall.co.uk Tel: 0116 233 3111

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30th Nov - 1st Dec

Burghley Fine Food Market A CELEBRATION OF LOCAL CRAFTS, jUST IN TIME FOR THE FESTIVE SEASON. STOCk UP yOUR LARDER IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS OR FIND GIFTS FOR yOUR LOVED ONES...

£ THE NUTCRACKER

£ STAMFORD FESTIVAL

£ NUTCRACKER BALLET

Celebrate the season in Stamford with the town’s handmade Christmas market. it’s on Sunday 1st December at the town’s Arts Centre from 10am, and represents a fantastic opportunity to support local artisans, designers and makers and buy hand-made gifts for Christmas.

Stamford Corn Exchange presents Tchaikovsky’s nutcracker Christmas Ballet on Saturday 7th December from 2pm and 7.30pm.

Celebrate local produce at Burghley House this month with the Elizabethan stately home’s fine food market.

partnering with Ballet Theatre Uk, the Exchange is proud to present a critically acclaimed festive version of the ballet classic.

Tchaikovsky's most loved and unforgettable musical score combines with magical choreography by Artistic Director Christopher moore and features over 80 exquisite new costumes and breathtaking scenery that together creates an atmosphere of fantasy and illusion - an enchanting adventure beautifully told through the magic of dance, delighting audiences young and old.

The event will include over 20 local producers of speciality meat, cheese, bread and vegetables. There’s lots of great products and ideas on offer for Christmas both for your own larder, or to purchase as thoughtful gifts.

Also on Sunday 1st is the Stamford Christmas festival, on the town’s high Street and ironmonger Street. featuring Santa’s grotto, live entertainment from morris dancers and punch & Judy performers, there will be children performing Christmas carols, festive trade stands and lots more besides. meanwhile on 15th December, Stamford Arts Centre will host the town’s new Quality market, organised by Vicki Taylor and isobel pearce. The pair have created events both in Stamford and at Oakham’s Victoria hall to present crafts, food, giftware and interiors products created by local artists, designers and small businesses. www.visitstamford.com Tel: 01780 753808

The nutcracker features such favourites as The Dance of the Sugar plum fairy, The Waltz of the flowers, The Russian Trepak, The Dance of the Reed pipes and the world famous Waltz of the Snowflakes, to name a few.

Tickets £18.50, including three course meal, discount for concessions and children. www.stamford-corn-exchange.co.uk Tel: 01780 766455

Also on at the same time is the Crafts for Christmas event with stunning fashions and accessories, leather bags and belts, dazzling jewellery and sparkly fashion plus graceful diamonds, lustrous velvets and satins in scarves and luxurious soaps and skincare.

During Crafts for Christmas, The Burghley Gift Shop will be hosting its annual sale in its new Brewhouse home so there are plenty of opportunities for Christmas bargains!

Graham Pickett Antiques will also be at Burghley in their usual Old Kitchen location with fabulous furniture and divine collectables.

Open from 10am to 3pm, the event is free of charge.

For more information see www.burghley.co.uk.

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Crosswords...

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD Test your lateral thinking skills with this month’s Cryptic Crossword. Each puzzle has a set of perplexing clues to unravel, and as every lover of logic knows, the frustration is all part of the fun!

ACROSS 9 Saw around soft fold in limb (9) 10 Come to an open stretch of water (5) 11 Corked claret accompanying last of wine that’s sweet (7) 12 Wind force then a problem — in this? (7) 13 Team’s flank (4) 14 Awful motor designed for second-class racing (7, 3) 16 Dance preceding tango in newspaper? (7) 17 Agent apprehending prisoner, reflected in looking glass (7) 19 Superior to beat sovereign (10) 22 Composer not working by royal pronouncement? (4) 24 neighbouring houses cheery in wartime Britain (7) 25 Arc of the horizon, a spot overshadowing much, not half hot (7) 26 Trademark and name required to access network (3, 2) 27 Drug users as cover for chief of police? (9)

DOWN 1 Supporter totally fab, so made for game of team selection (7, 8) 2 See 6 3 Slam-bang? (5) 4 A sports official wearing shoe — or not? (8) 5 Upright but not opening — i’m unsure it’s part of the gut (6) 6,2 mild complaint, as part of book appearing whiny? (9, 8) 7 perfectly round number, that’s clear (6) 8,20 yonder item identified? never mind! (5, 3, 2, 5, 6) 15 See 18 17 Segmented language? (8) 18,15 Letter quick to reveal didgeridoo player’s technique (8, 9) 20 See 8 21 important flat part of a calculator (6) 23 Suspect confined by himself is hysterical (5)

DOWN

1 Stimulus (6) 4 Sham (5) 7 Away from the coast (6) 8 Speaker’s platform (6) 9 Large far Eastern desert (4) 10 Crested parrot (8) 12 Stingy (5-6) 17 Dagger worn as part of highland dress (5-3) 19 Small brook (4) 20 County town of Devon (6) 21 Jinx (6) 22 Soft or heavy with moisture (5) 23 Wooden-headed hammer (6)

1 Discover (4,3) 2 inclination (7) 3 Shown (9) 4 Traditional name for a badger (5) 5 Cartilage in meat (7) 6 Emblem (6) 11 Breed of small, short- haired dog (9) 13 Type of lettuce (7) 14 Commotion (7) 15 Apportion (4,3) 16 Appraise (6) 18 penurious (5)

F A N T A S Y F O O T B A L L

1

A K B P P E N D A G P O R R E A C L E N K F I D E F O R I B O O X T R O T E U T R A N K I H T E L I GH T Y N I P OGON A C S G D

M A N D A R I N R E C T U M

G R E U EMP B U L A I ONO G G O F Z I M S DH E Y

C I R C U L A R P A T E N T

T C H A S T S WO N L E O F F T T H O D S E

CRYPTIC ANSWERS

F I L L I P BOGUS I E N R R Y I N L A N D P OD I UM D N I C S B GOB I COC KA TOO U N A H L L T I GHT F I S T ED A C E H U O S KEANDHU R I L L S B E A M E E X E T E R HOODOO S R D U I U S OGG Y MA L L E T

QUICK ANSWERS

QUICK CROSSWORD

ACROSS

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