Stamford Pride December 2021

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STAMFORD

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PRIDE STAMFORD

PRIDE

STAMFORD’S FINEST MAGAZINE

STAMFORD’S FINEST MAGAZINE £4.50 £4.50

FREE ONLINE

DECEMBER

2021

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WELCOME

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t’s always tricky to write a message my readers, wishing you a Happy Christmas, given that our December edition is published in November, making good tidings seem a little premature.

It’s actually our next edition, titled January, that’s published just prior to the team signing off for the festive season.

Nonetheless, it’s in this edition that we go crackers for Christmas and so it’s in this one that I’ll wish you and yours a happy and fulfilling season from the whole Pride team. This month we’ve plenty of ways to decorate your home for the season, taking inspiration in no small part from the stately homes and country estates aiming to help you celebrate the festive season this month. We’ve baubles, ideas for your table and gift ideas to help you make the most of Christmas, as well as some festive miscellany; a few facts and figures which we hope will be of interest.

Elsewhere we’re enjoying a visit to Hambleton’s Finch’s Arms for enjoyable winter dining, and we’re enjoying the company of the area’s restauranteurs, hoteliers and tourism businesses as they gather together for their annual Discover Rutland Ball.

Finally, we’re enjoying a visit to a rather phenomenal workshop in Peterborough to meet a family specialising in the creation of bespoke, handmade sports cars.

Our best wishes for a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Executive Editor robin@pridemagazines.co.uk 3

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128 CONTENTS NEWS & EVENTS

FOOD & DRINK

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NEWS The best ‘good news’ stories

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from across Rutland & Stamford.

This month, the must-attend festive events taking place in December.

DINING OUT Winter dining in comfort at Hambleton’s Finch’s Arms.

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RECIPES & WINE Festive puddings and a selection of wines and spirits.

WHAT’S ON Festive live events.

HOMES & GARDENS

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HIGHLIGHTS 19

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FESTIVE DECORATIONS From tree to table, the best decorations from the area’s independent retailers.

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WELCOME HOME A stunning property in Stamford combining the style of a country home with the convenience of an in-town location.

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HOMES Warm up your home with cranberry and red hues.

CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTY This month we’ll meet interior designer Charlotte Lloyd Webber, daughter of West End theatre legend Andrew Lloyd Webber, to find out how to style your home for Christmas.

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FESTIVE GIFTS Independent retailers offer their suggestions for very special, very thoughtful gifts.

FASHION & LIFESTYLE 102 WEDDINGS Lindsay and Darryl enjoy a festive wedding in December.

108 FASHION We’re going to back to black to look smart for the festive season, and enjoying the night before Christmas.

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MAKE YOUR OWN MOTOR CAR The ultimate winter project!

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19 READ

THE WEALTHIEST PEOPLE IN THE AREA READ PRIDE MAGAZINE

FREE ONLINE

Pride Magazine is delivered free of charge, via Royal Mail, to high value homes in the county. Our circulation is to homes in the top three council tax bands, which are predominantly worth over £300,000. This guarantees the magazine has an affluent readership commensurate with our content.

The magazine is also sold in supermarkets and newsagents and our in-house distribution team also works hard to hand-deliver the magazine to selected hotels and restaurants, doctors, dentists, executive motor dealerships and golf clubs.

This helps to ensure we have a continued presence, right across our catchment area.

Our titles also have more social media fans than any other local magazine. In addition we have over 30,000 online readers each month who view the magazine free of charge, online, on their tablet, computer, laptop or mobile phone via our website, our app, and via the Readly and Issuu platforms.

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

Amazing new app out now: You can read our magazines on any device anywhere.

Read Pride Magazine free online at www.pridemagazines.co.uk or by downloading our free iOS and Android App. LEGAL DISCLAIMER By supplying editorial or advertising copy to 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.

Selected images in our content may be sourced from www.shutterstock.com.

THE PRIDE TEAM Managing Director: Julian Wilkinson.

Sales Director: Zoie Wilkinson.

General Manager: Cydney Buck.

Sales Manager: Charlotte Daubney.

Executive Editor: Rob Davis.

Illustrator: Jocelyn Lawman.

Customer Care Manager: Mandy Bray.

IT Manager: Ian Bagley.

Web Developer: Joe Proctor.

Administration and Office Managers: Debbie Wellington, Sami Millard, Paul Robinson-Marsh.

Pride Magazines, Boston Enterprise Centre, Enterprise Way, Boston, Lincs PE21 7TW

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

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NEWS & EVENTS

Christmas in Rutland & Stamford CELEBRATING THE FESTIVE SEASON IN THE AREA, SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES...

RUTLAND & STAMFORD Last Christmas was rather a disappointment for many local businesses across Rutland & Stamford, but this year the area is gearing up for a rather better festive season.

Barnsdale Lodge in Exton will host its Christmas Gift & Craft Fair on 28th November, whilst Burghley House will host its Christmas Fair from 25th to 28th November.

Meanwhile, in December, Oakham’s Christmas Lights switch on will take place on 5th December in Cutt’s Close and Hambleton Hall will co-present its Christmas Concert with St Andrew’s Church and the Reverie Choir on 14th December.

A little further afield, Peterborough Cathedral will host its Christmas Gift & Craft Market from 19th to 20th November and will light up the building’s front with Luxmuralis, a multimedia art

installation from 24th to 27th November. On 21st and 22nd December the Cathedral will also welcome Chapterhouse Theatre to perform Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Elsewhere Belvoir Castle’s Engine Yard

Green Light for Cinema AS FEATURED IN LAST MONTH’S PRIDE, OAKHAM’S NEW CINEMA WILL GO AHEAD!

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will also present its Spectacular Regency Christmas hosted by Emma Manners, Duchess of Rutland, and the adjacent Engine Yard will provide festive fun with a Santa’s Grotto as well as lots of

shopping and food to enjoy during your visit or to take home.

See our festive feature and our What’s On guide later in this edition, and have yourself a merry local Christmas! n

OAKHAM November’s Rutland County Council Planning meeting saw the go-ahead given to Rutland Kino, the two screen cinema planned for the town’s Victoria Hall.

The project was featured in last month’s Pride and is the culmination of five years of hard work on the part of Genevieve Margrett and Andrew Robinson.

“Rutland Kino will be an independent cinema and cafe in the heart of Oakham.

When it opens in late 2022 it have two screens, comfy seats, fantastic surround sound and the latest digital projection

technology,” says Genevieve.

“We have agreed a 25 year lease with the trustees of Victoria Hall and Kino will continue to act as a cultural focal point on the High Street - providing an inviting space for people to meet.”

“As life returns to our high streets, we predict that the appetite for the cinema ‘experience’ will return to pre-pandemic levels, offering people the chance to meet and relax with friends, watch a film in comfortable surroundings and enjoy delicious food and drinks.” n See www.rutlandkino.co.uk.

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OAKHAM Rutland Foodbank has received a donation of nearly £1,000 worth of food from pupils at Oakham School, which will now help provide essentials to families across the county.

Lower School children were tasked with sourcing and choosing tinned goods and non-perishable items that would benefit people using the foodbank. They shared their items and receipts during the 2021 harvest service.

Ali Wainwright, Chair of the Rutland Foodbank, said:

“We are part of a network of local organisations that support people in Rutland who, for whatever reason, are living in poverty. We are delighted to receive the harvest donations from the pupils of Oakham School. This is another example of community action to support those in need, and we hope that donating some very basic items which many of us take for granted will raise the pupils’ awareness of what it is like to be short of food.” n www.rutland.foodbank.org.uk.

Oakham is open for business NEW RETAILERS IN OAKHAM PROVE THAT THE TOWN IS STILL POPULAR WITH LOCALS AND SHOPPERS TOO...

RUTLAND MP Alicia Kearns has paid tribute to Sir David Amess following his murder in last month.

“Sir David Amess was a great man, a gentle man,” she said. “He was a mentor to new MPs; always happy to chat, always lending a hand and nothing was too much trouble. Only last week while in Qatar he was helping me to try and bring Afghan refugees I’ve been helping back to the UK. He didn’t pull others down. He didn’t attack others. He was among the best of us and the House of Commons is the poorer without him.” n

OAKHAM At a time when market towns are struggling amid online competition, Oakham is bucking the trend with a new vintage record shop, Rocka-Buy records, and a new ice cream parlour The Waffle Bowl opening up in The Maltings.

Meanwhile, Rutland Refill has opened up on the town’s Westgate providing plastic-free eco-friendly products, and guitar shop Moonflower plus Prink fashions on Mill Street and the High Street respectively.

Mill Street will also see a larger home for popular restaurant Orbis and the creation of a new Champagne and oyster bar too. n

LOCAL

£169,000

OAKHAM PUPILS’ CHARITY DONATIONS

Alicia’s tribute to Sir David

BOURNE The UK government’s Treescape Fund will provide Bourne with the £169,000 required to create new green spaces around the town, and the first 26 trees will be planted around the town’s Rochester Court. The project is currently looking at other sites around the town and is looking to enfranchise farmers and other landowners as well as volunteers. n

Foodbank generosity

NEWS In Brief

PETERBOROUGH x

Peterborough is possible location for the museum of Brexit Great news for anyone who wants to return to the subject of Brexit...

Boston and Peterborough are the two frontrunners out of 50 locations for a new ‘Museum of Brexit.

The idea is the brainchild of Lee Rotherham, former Special Projects Director of Vote Leave.

The two locations have been chosen because 61% of Peterborough and 76% of Boston residents voted to leave during the 2015 EU Referendum.

The museum project now requires £1m of funding. n www.museum ofbrexit.org.

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‘Putting’ residents at the heart of what we do!

Afternoon ‘tee’ is an enjoyable activity for the residents of Barleythorpe’s Oakham Grange, an Ardale care home that aims to deliver care and support in the best possible environment...

Ardale has been creating residential care environments that allow their residents to live independently and happily. Sometimes, innovating in that respect can lead the company to think out of the box. Take the creation of a new putting green at Barleythorpe’s Oakham Grange, for example.

“Initially it seems like a nice thing do to,” says Robert Myers. “Just another facility to offer residents. But actually, it’s a really valuable addition to Oakham Grange.”

“Golf can be enjoyed by everyone and played at any age. The putting green we’ve created gives residents the opportunity to get out and enjoy some fresh air and exercise, it requires coordination, and of course it encourages interaction.”

“It’s also a great facility for when residents receive visitors; they can enjoy a bit of friendly competition with grandchildren!”

“Seeing residents make new friends on our little putting green is very satisfying.

Everyone at some stage has picked up a putter, be that at a crazy golf course at the seaside, through to those how enjoyed a low handicap as a member of a golf club.”

Darcey Myers, an eight-year-old Junior Member and Golf Sixes player for Belton Wood Golf Club came to test out the putting green with two of Oakham Grange’s more competitive residents!

“It bonds all abilities and all ages, seeing our eight-year-old junior golfer laughing and whooping while playing with two much older Oakham Grange residents was a privilege to witness.”

“For those living with dementia, time on our putting green is also a great way to start conversations about their past which would be difficult to begin without this stimulus.”

“A strong part of Oakham Grange’s care ethos is around maintaining residents’ skills and interests. This is just another way we’re ensuring that our home is a place of stimulation, fun and happiness.” n Oakham Grange is an Ardale home, purpose built and designed by the family which owns it. It has been created to be a home, not a hotel. You will find it’s a bright and airy place to live. the company is family run business and has owned and managed care homes for 25 years. Call 01572 332211 for a tour or see www.oakhamgrange.co.uk.

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GREAT CASTERTON, RUTLAND Offers in excess of £950,000

A high quality development of executive homes masterfully blending a traditional style with contemporary living, sits along the banks of the River Gwash in the desirable village of Great Casterton just a couple of miles north of Stamford, and a stone’s throw from the A1.This exquisitely designed property is set over three floors, constructed by using superior materials and heated by an economical, environmentally friendly, air source heat pump. Set over three floors, it provides expansive ground floor space with two front rooms, a garden room and a spacious kitchen diner. A central, oak and glass staircase rises to the first and second floors. The first floor landing leads to the four bedrooms and a family bathroom. On the top floor two bedrooms share a bathroom. The garden is a low maintenance lawn garden with flagstone patio terrace with access from the garden room. There is also an integrated double garage and the property is accessed via a private, shared, tarmac drive.

Tel: +44(0)1780 750200 Email: stamford@fineandcounty.com

Tel: +44( 0)1572 335145 Email: rutland@fineandcounty.com

fineandcountry.com

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LANGHAM, RUTLAND Guide Price £795,500

225 offices across Great Britain Plus 75 offices globally

In the Rutland village of Langham, a quaint cottage full of character has been completely renovated and refurbished to retain its old charm yet suit convenient modern living. At the back, an elevated and enclosed suntrap of a garden has been created, whilst on the opposite side of the quiet country road on which it stands, a large double garage occupies another verdant spot. The house is full of interesting features.

Fortunately not a listed property, very pretty, glazed doors with decorative panes connect between the rooms downstairs, and the staircase which rises from the dining hall, has a contemporary glazed balustrade. The rear garden with its elevated patio terrace is a real suntrap, cocooned with greenery for enjoying the outdoors in complete privacy. On the other side of the quiet little lane a large double garage sits on a decent sized plot enclosed by fencing. There may be potential, subject to planning, if desired, to develop this area.

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SOLD IN 2021

SOLD IN 2021

ASHWELL

BRAUNSTON IN RUTLAND

Beautiful Grade II listed cottage situated on an enviable plot in the heart of a premium Rutland village. The property offers extensive family accommodation with a wealth of character and is set within very private, glorious gardens and grounds of approx. 1.0 acre. 3 Reception Rooms, Farmhouse Kitchen, 5 Bedrooms, 2 Bath/Shower Rooms; Dbl Garage, parking. EPC Exempt.

Charming 18th century cottage occupying a plot of approx. 1/3 acre on the outskirts of the village and enjoying views over open fields. With a brand new slate roof, the property offers tastefully upgraded and immaculately presented accommodation whilst retaining much of its period charm.

2 Reception Rooms, Study, Hobbies Room, Kitchen, Laundry Room, 3 Bedrooms, feature new Bathroom; Parking, lovely cottage Gardens. Energy Rating: F.

SOLD IN 2021

SOLD IN 2021

LYDDINGTON

MANTON

Stunning Grade II listed character cottage offering fully refurbished accommodation with lovely garden in one of Rutland's premium villages. The accommodation is appointed to an exceptional standard and includes an array of features, such as exposed stonework, oak beams, handmade English oak skirting boards, bespoke window shutters and balcony with panoramic views. Sitting Room, Kitchen/Diner, Utility, Clkrm, 3 Bedrooms, ES Shower Room, Bathroom. EPC Exempt.

Delightful 16th century Grade II listed farmhouse set on a large plot with a range of outbuildings within a highly desirable Rutland Water village and offering extensive accommodation with period charm and character in abundance. 3 Reception Rooms, Kitchen, Cloakroom/WC, ample Ancillary Accommodation, feature Orangery, 4 Double Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms; lovely Gardens.

EPC Exempt.

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Offers in Excess of £300,000

Offers in Excess of £325,000

Ivy Cottage, Tixover

Rosebank, Wymondham

A beautifully presented, period stone cottage that has been completely renovated and modernised throughout to an impeccable standard.

A charming and beautifully-presented three-bedroom character cottage, nestled into the heart of this quintessential village.

Guide Price £450,000

Guide Price £1,400,000

Barnstones, Preston

Plot 2, Chater Valley View, North Luffenham

A well-presented, three-bedroom detached property with ample off-road parking, double garaging and a private South-facing rear garden.

Chater Valley View is a development of three unique village homes built to the highest possible specification. James Sellicks Estate Agents, working with Kaybee Developments are proud to offer to the market this incredibly exciting opportunity to purchase a one off bespoke modern home.

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How will you work - Post COVID? It’s no secret to anyone that the typical working day has changed dramatically because of the pandemic. What will the new normal be post COVID?

Well, if the pandemic has taught us anything, it's that full time office space may soon be a thing of the past!

Many businesses are taking the ‘4 day working week’ approach, but will you still continue to work from home?

Some people have adapted well to working from home, but it is not always the best working space to have.

Combining services such as Hot Desking and Virtual Office give you the professional workspace needed, without the distractions of the home. www.ottersbusinesshub.co.uk 01780 769888.

WHAT WILL YOUR POST PANDEMIC WORKING DAY LOOK LIKE? Virtual Office If you’re working from home and would like a prestigious office address – without the need to show your home address on your website and emails – then a Virtual Office at Otter’s Business Hub is perfect for you.

Our standard Virtual Office package includes • A Prestigious Business Address • A registered office Address • Privacy • Mail and Parcel forwarding (at cost) • Mail scanning and emailed to you • Discounted use of Otter's Business Hub facilities Hot Desking If you are thinking of Hot Desking, then look no further. Here at Otter's Business Hub we offer the perfect working space for you!

Whether its 1/2 a day, a day, a week or a monthly booking then we have just what you need.

All bookings include • Hot Desk workspace with access to power points and USB points • Wi-Fi • Kitchen facilities - as well as unlimited complimentary tea & coffee • Printing - Subject to per copy cost • Phone chargers • Document shredding facilities • Toilets Conference Room Our luxurious conference room is available for bookings of up to 8 people in a confidential location. Secretarial services can be provided with prior notice and our manager will be on hand throughout the day to see to all your needs.

Our Conference Room is fully equipped and provides the perfect environment for all meetings and conferences. All bookings include the use of a comprehensive range of equipment at no extra cost.

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Carefully selected artists from the Royal Academy, Royal Institutes, Federations and Societies

David Hockney RA OM CH | Untitled No 281 ‘My Window’ Edition B | Limited Edition Signed and Numbered iPad Drawing | 17″ x 13″

New Fine Art Gallery Now Open in Stamford 5-8 The Mews • The George Hotel • Stamford • PE9 2LB Tuesday - Sunday from 11am to 5pm | 01780 480800

Also at Lees Yard • Holt • Norfolk | Monday - Saturday 10am - 4pm | 01263 713883 Please visit the website to view and purchase our artworks

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MERRY CHRISTMAS

We Wish You a Merry

Christmas This month we’re taking inspiration from the area’s stately homes and country estates for how to present your own home for the festive season...

Image: Belvoir Castle’s Regency decorations.

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CHRISTMAS INSPIRATION

It’s that time of year again. Time to venture into the loft and dust off the decorations.

A swift survey among the Pride team seemed to confirm that among all of the jobs we face during the festive season, decorating the house remains the favourite of all.

Some, though, put a little more effort into creating decorations than others. Take Charlotte Lloyd Webber, for example. Raised in London within the Lloyd Webber dynasty of composers and theatre empresarios, Charlotte was always going to find her way into the theatre, albeit in a design role rather than on stage.

20 years ago she founded the Oxford Shakespeare Company and in 2010, she also founded the Lamplighter Theatre Company too. Running parallel to her interests in the theatre is an interest in interior design and the renovation of old properties. Add to that a keen interest in history and an assiduous approach to researching old buildings and the stage was set for her interests to merge when the Chatelaine of Castle Howard in York, Victoria Howard, approached Charlotte to ask her opinion about how best to present the property to visitors during the festive season. >> Top and Opposite: Installing Belvoir Castle’s 2021 Regency Christmas displays.

Above: Festive decorations on sale at Burghley House (www.burghley.co.uk).

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CHRISTMAS INSPIRATION

>> “It was around 2001 when the Foot & Mouth outbreak was compromising rural tourism,” says Charlotte. “Put bluntly there was less money going into the coffers and Castle Howard decided to open with special decorations for the festive season.

It was traditional at first, but slowly, over the years it ramped up. Victoria asked how best to make the most of the property and my advice was simply ‘look at what you’ve already got!’”

It’s a method that Charlotte still employs today in her now wellestablished role as design consultant for some of the area’s most impressive stately homes, not least among which is Belvoir Castle. Whilst every English person’s home is their castle, our own properties might be a little more modest in scale, but that’s not to say that following roughly the same approach to design that Charlotte advocates can help you to decorate your home for the season with the same commitment.

Interestingly, there are parallels between Castle Howard and Belvoir Castle, given that the former was created by Vanbrugh in 1700 and Elizabeth, the daughter of the 5th Earl and Countess of Carlisle, was the young dynamic bride of Belvoir’s John Henry, 5th Duke of Rutland, who sought to recreate Castle Howard at Belvoir.

“The way we approach any design project is to establish the glory of the house, to work with the property… always. Sometimes we layer a theme on top of that, but we always work with the architecture.”

During our interview, Charlotte was fresh from filming a documentary with Channel Four for her work at Castle Howard, which this year has a theme of the Chronicles of Narnia, but in a baroque style commensurate with the architecture of the property.

good quality one can last years.

There’s something lovely about a real tree, but an artificial one provides much greater consistency in its shape, density and the distribution of its branches.”

One of her favourite materials is preserved floristry. It’s more realistic and feels better than silk or plastic floristry replicas, but doesn’t dry out and wilt like fresh greenery. The finish is lovely, and eucalyptus, fern, spruce, pine, roses and hydrangeas afford plenty of choice.

Working with your property’s architecture, rather than trying to fight against it, and bringing in your beams, or high or low ceilings and playing with the scale of your decorations in the relation to the dimensions of your room – creating oversized displays, for example – can help to create a dramatic look.

“It takes us all year to plan a scheme,” says Charlotte. “Even before the current year’s installation is in place we have a concept in mind, and attend trade fairs in January and February before presenting the proposed design around March. Once agreed upon, the elements and props are built during the summer ready for installation from October.”

Whilst that level of planning is beyond the domestic, the point stands about planning and considering your decorations before getting started. Charlotte advocates buying quality, and favouring glass over plastic.

“It’s easy to dismiss artificial trees as being less environmentally friendly, but a really

“Coming from a theatre background we know that lighting is terrifically important,” says Charlotte, who works with a set lighting specialist as well as a dedicated florist and a metal and wood fabricator plus a prop maker. “It’s really important to use lighting to bring attention to any areas you’ve created and for a really well-lit tree it’s important to light deep into your Christmas tree, rather than just lighting the outside of it.”

“Ribbons can be manipulated better than tinsel, really we only use tinsel if it’s the original type of tinsel (similar to that of the 1600s), not the modern stuff. Generally, too, it’s a good idea to avoid symmetry and to mix objects in clusters in odd numbers, usually three or five. I also favour copper wire lighting rather than conventional fairylights.”

“Once you’ve created a tree or a display, take a step back and squint. Defocusing your eyes allows you to get a better impression of the distribution of decorations, allowing you to refine any bits that you’re not happy with.”

“There are a few habits and rules that we stick to as professionals, but rules are made to be broken. Not withstanding a desire to create a really lovely looking decorations, it’s still your home, so the most important element is to enjoy the process and make it fun, not a chore.” n

Opposite: Belvoir Castle (www.belvoircastle.com). Above: Floral decorations in Burghley House’s Orangery (www.burghley.co.uk).

Find out More: Charlotte Lloyd Webber has created the festive displays at Belvoir Castle this year, see our feature later in this edition.

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Sophie Allport Partridge In A Pear Tree Christmas Sack, featuring the 12 days of Christmas and makes an excellent decoration in the run-up to the big day, you can hang above your fireplace or on your children’s bedroom door!

Excellent for larger gifts with plenty of room for additional stocking fillers, £21.

01780 751044, www.sophieallport.com

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CHRISTMAS INSPIRATION

I’M DREAMING OF A GREEN CHRISTMAS The mythology and joy of Christmas greenery...

n Mistletoe: The curious thing about mistletoe is that it’s a parasitic plant, in that grows on other trees – lime, hawthorn and apple. The druids believed that mistletoe brought good luck and protected against evil spirits. There are over 1,500 varieties, but you’ll recognise European mistletoe (Viscum album) as the usual variety. A kiss under the mistletoe is a tradition which was established in the 1700s.

Beware, by the way; it’s very toxic to pets. n Holly: Holly was adopted by Christians because of its similarity to the thorns on Christ’s crown, the crimson berries are a metaphor for life after death. Folklore states that it’s unlucky to bring holly into your home before Christmas Day! n Ivy: In pagan times, holly was considered male, whilst ivy was considered female, and both are burnt together during the festival of Beltane. n Poinsettia: These originate from Mexico and were popularised in America before making their way to Europe. 12th December is known as Poinsettia Day to honour Joel Roberts Poinsett, after whom the plant is named. Legend states that a poor girl presented Jesus with a weed, unable to afford anything else, whereupon it transformed into a beautiful plant... a festive poinsettia!

WREATHS: The decoration for your door that symbolises eternal life...

Hunters Interiors

Gates Garden Centre

Elizabeth Stanhope

01780 757946, huntersinteriorsofstamford.co.uk

Luxurious, loose mixed eucalyptus wreath, £79.99.

Helmsley foliage wreath, featuring realistic foliage and white berries, 60cm, £79.99.

01664 454309, gatesgardencentre.co.uk

01572 722345, shoplizzieloves.com

01780 751044, sophieallport.com

White frosted berry wreath for a festive welcome £54.99.

Festive gold rose and pine cone wreath in a box, 36cm, £16.99.

Sophie Allport

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Beautiful

Baubles

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1 Elizabeth Stanhope Interiors: Deer decoration in silver, £22.50.

2 Gates Garden Centre: Knitted bauble 8cm, £4.49.

3 Gates Garden Centre: Think pink with this glossy pink and magenta bauble, £3.49.

01572 722345, www.shoplizzieloves.com

01664 454309, www.gatesgardencentre.co.uk

01664 454309, www.gatesgardencentre.co.uk

7 Gates Garden Centre: Painted bird glass bauble, 8cm, £4.49.

8 Harrods: Union flag bauble, £30, set of three.

9 Gates Garden Centre: Gisela Graham gold/brown feathery bauble, £4.99.

01664 454309, www.gatesgardencentre.co.uk

020 7730 1234, www.harrods.com

01664 454309, www.gatesgardencentre.co.uk

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4 Gates Garden Centre: Felt Christmas pudding bauble, £4.49.

5 Liberty of London: Love is Love glass tree ornament £18.95.

6 Gates Garden Centre: Crimson velvet striped bauble, £3.99.

01664 454309, www.gatesgardencentre.co.uk

020 3893 3062, www.libertylondon.com

01664 454309, www.gatesgardencentre.co.uk

10 Gates Garden Centre: Cinderella’s glittery coach, £4.99.

11 Sophie Allport: Christmas Labrador felt decoration, £9.

12 Elizabeth Stanhope Interiors: Oval bauble in white, £5.75.

01664 454309, www.gatesgardencentre.co.uk

01780 751044, sophieallport.com

01572 722345, www.shoplizzieloves.com

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Your Festive

Table MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TABLE...

BASED ON OAKHAM’S MILL STREET, Elizabeth Stanhope interiors is making the most of Christmas and allowing you to make the most of Christmas with its Scandi-chic inspired festive table setting. Shown here is a red berry garland (£20), My Green luxury Christmas crackers containing seeds to plant (£25/six), and stemware including these etched Champagne coup glasses (£14.99/ea), and gold rim palm-etched wine glasses (£13.99/ea). On the left of the table is a white ceramic serving bowl (£34.99), also seen here are red table linens and runner (£call).

Baubles on the tree include pine cone (£4.99), oval (£5.75), and round patterned (£5.75). Lizzie and the team have also curated a range of Christmas candles and reed diffusers to create a festive ambience. n 01572 722345, www.shoplizzieloves.com

WE LOVE...

ADEBOLA’S TABLEWARE

>> We’ll drink a toast to these stunning glasses from Simply Stamford on St Mary’s Street. Left: LSA cocktail glasses, £50/two.

Above: Aurora violet glasses £60/four. 01780 481852, www.simplystamford.co.uk.

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Peterborough Chef Adebola’s Adeshina of The Chubby Castor has partnered with Goodfellows to create some really stunning contemporary tableware. Shown here is Narumi Esprit, 30cm plate, £42.12 goodfellowsathome.com.

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RAISE A GLASS TO GATES GARDEN CENTRE...

You’ll know and love Gates Garden Centre for its huge Christmas Gift area, but it’s a great go-to retailer for tableware too, like these superb decanters.

Shown here, LSA Ships Decanter and Spirit Decanter, both 1 and 1.8 litre respectively, £75. Call 01664 454309, or see www.gatesgardencentre.co.uk. n

>> For a gorgeous festive table, we love Sophie Allport’s Holly & Berry table selection, comprising linens, crackers and placemats, www.sophieallport.com CHRISTMAS LUNCH MADE EASY...

Imp & Maker as founded in 2021 and is bringing Christmas lunch right to your door with a Luxury Christmas Turkey Experience. Included in this neat hamper is a KellyBronze turkey designed to serve between eight and 10 people, plus a pack of 20 Dingley Dell brand Pigs in Blankets, orange, cranberry sauce, beef dripping for your roasties, 2kg potatoes, plus brussels spout ketchup and a Christmas pudding too. Recipe cards and tips are included too...

Christmas lunch made simple and stress free, from £200, with optional sparkling wine Champagne or red wine. n To order from Imp & Maker, call 01205 631144 or see impandmaker.co.uk.

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‘Marceline Cobalt’ silk & lambswool unisex scarf £120 by Wallace Sewell.

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Above: Sapphire & diamond silver & 18ct gold ring £900 by Shimara Carlow.

Right: Cave Treasure one off organic stone set pendant £336 by Ruth Wood.

Left: ‘Cherubina Rouge’ 100% silk scarf £120 by Wallace Sewell.

Below: ‘Dainty’ star gold plated silver bracelet £49 by Laura Gravestock.

Ada Gallery

Top: Orange Spice limited edition large gold tin candle £25 by Hobo & Co. Above: London underground graphics inspired woven ‘Motion’ cushion £60 by Margo Selby.

Ada is a beautiful boutique style gallery where you’ll discover wonderfully handcrafted jewellery by owner Ruth Wood, alongside more than fifty highly skilled top artisan makers...

Above: ‘Parmelia’ hand textured silver stud earrings £55 by Kate Bajic.

Left: Freshwater pearl encrusted tassel earrings £240 by Kate Wood.

Above: ‘Icarus’ gold plated silver small hoop earrings £55 by Cara Tonkin.

n Ada Gallery is based in The Courtyard Bennett’s Place, 31 High St, Market Harborough LE16 7NL, open Open Tue - Sat 10am-5pm. Call 01858 461896.

The retailer also has a new online shop at www.adagallery.co.uk.

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Below: Sparkling Statement Halo Pendant Necklace

by Pandora, £80.

Above/Left: Mother of Pearl Necklace

by Daisy London, £79.

Above: Baby Bee Necklace by Alex Monroe, £156.

Left: Magic Star & Moon Earrings

by Thomas Sabo, £159.

Rubirox of Stamford

Above: Nord Green Tourmaline Ring by Ro Copenhagen, £1,070.

Below: Hook and Talon Earrings

by Shaun Leane, from £175.

Above: White Magic Necklace

by UNOde50, £255.

Stamford’s family-owned jewellers offer quality products with sustainability at their very heart.

Rubirox brings together jewellery collections and brands that are as special as their recipients...

Above: Iota Hoop Earrings

by Daisy London, £69.

Above: Magic Stars Bracelet by Thomas Sabo, £179.

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n Find these featured products at: Rubirox, 14 St. Mary’s Street Stamford, PE9 2DF. For enquiries call 01780 755996 or see www.rubirox.co.uk.

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Barbour Ellery pyjama set £84.95, Barbour Ada Dressing Gown £89.95.

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Above: Women’s plaited winter gift set, £25 (was £45) from Land’s End, Oakham, 0800 376 7974 or see www.landsend.co.uk.

Gifts for Christmas

Above: Noble Isle Posy in Pink set, £14, from Simply Stamford, 01780 481852, www.simplystamford.co.uk.

Right: Voyage Maison Darby Charcoal 50x50 cushion with pom pom trim, £49.95, from Gates Garden Centre, call 01664 454309, or see gatesgardencentre.co.uk.

The elves at Rutland & Stamford’s best independent retailers have been hard at work stocking up on thoughtful gift ideas for your loved ones...

Left: Aromatherapy Associates’ Moment To Pause set, £45, from Chameleon Boutique, Stamford, 01780 755405, www.chameleonboutique.co.uk.

Above: Joules Lucille Fairisle ladies boot socks, £9.95, from Gates Garden Centre, 01664 454309, www.gatesgardencentre.co.uk.

Right: Cartier Tank Française Watch, £2,970 from Watches of Switzerland, Leicester 0800 1114116, watches-of-switzerland.co.uk.

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Christmas

Miscellany COMMERCIALISM CREATED YOUR CHRISTMAS...

The true meaning of Christmas might not be gifts and toys, but it’s the men in advertising who created the festive season as we now know it!

MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE that it was Coca Cola who ‘invented’ Santa Claus, with his bright red suit. The truth is, in fact, a little more nuanced. Nicholas of Myra (270-343AD), of Turkish origin, is the patron saint of children, and his feast day is 6th December.

Little is reliably recorded about his life given that he was an early Christian bishop, but Saint Nicholas was believed to be benevolent.

Under Henry VIII, it’s believed attempts were made to suppress St Nicholas, but traditional festivities resumed after the restoration in 1660. At some point here, imagery was consolidated from anything from a tall thin man to an elf, into the jolly man in a scarlet suit.

In 1931, advertising executive Haddon Sundblom took inspiration from the poem A Visit from St Nicholas better known as ‘T’was the Night Before Christmas, published anonymously in 1823 but later attributed to Clement Clarke Moore to ally the already red cola branding to the depiction of Santa in a red suit. So Coca Coal didn’t invent Santa claus, per se, but they are responsible for popularising his jolly appearance.

Santa’s Eight

Reindeer

cards were designed by Speaking of red things...

Henry Cole, founder of the presence of a Robin Can you remember their names? the V&A Museum in 1843, Redbreast is synonymous Clement Clarke Moore’s poem names some of the cards depicted with Christmas, but again, Santa’s reindeer as Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, deliveries by red-suited folk. it’s the marketing folk who Donner (variously spelled Dunder are responsible for the and Donder) and Blitzen Meanwhile, the presence (variously spelled Blixen association. of eight festive reindeer are and Blixem). first noted in Clement Clarke The Royal Mail was established Moore’s poem. In 1939, a copyin 1516 when Henry VIII knighted writer known as Robert L May was working Sir Brian Tuke as the first Master of the for US department store Montgomery Ward.

Posts. Initially the service was only accessible He was tasked with creating a story to acto the king and his court, but an Act of company a colouring book to give away to Parliament (The Post Office Act), in 1660 children at Christmas. He created a story opened up the service to the public, with 45 about a reindeer with a shiny red nose, based staff in London rather than the 150,000 the on his experiences of being bullied as a child. city has today. In the mid-1800s, a distinctive Rudolph was a new reindeer but was a red waistcoated uniform was created for the massive hit; 2.4m copies were distributed. n postmen, and so when the first Christmas

Top: Santa Claus wasn’t ‘invented’ by Coca Cola as many belive but his identity is partly the result of an association with St Nicholas of Myra, partly the result of prohibited Tudor festivities, and partly the result of canny marketing by the soft drink company who wanted to associate their red brand with celebrations.

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VICTORIA AND ALBERT’S TREE

THE AVERAGE COST OF CHRISTMAS...

Bringing foliage into the home in the winter was nothing new during the Victorian era.

It’s probably a practice with pagan origins and was at least continued by medieval Germans. In the Victorian era though, Queen Victoria’s consort Prince Albert brought a fir tree into Windsor Castle... Buckingham House was still undergoing renovation, having been left unfinished following George IV’s death in 1830.

The Illustrated London News carried an engraving of the family around Victoria and Albert’s fir tree in 1848. The family would bring the tree into their home on Christmas Eve (not before) and the whole family would help to decorate it. Some historians belive that Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III first brought a tree into the Queen’s Lodge at Windsor Castle, although it was certainly the case that Prince Albert and family popularised the practice. n

On average, British consumers spend over £1,000 celebrating Christmas each year.

Typically households spend £200 on gifts for friends and around £350 on gifts for family members.

A Christmas tree accounts for about £75 each year, and typically families buy a few more decorations to go with their existing ones or replacement lights, at around £25. Festive food takes around £150 of the budget, whilst drink adds another £75 to the bill.

The office party? That’ll be £75 for an outfit and about £15 for Secret Santa gifts.

Other entertaining adds about £100 to your festive season and on average we also spend £20 a year on festive wrapping paper and cards. n

TALKING TURKEY...

CHRISTMAS TRIVIA BY NUMBERS...

6,000,000

6,800,000

The number of rolls of Sellotape (and other brands of sticky tape) that are sold between 1st and 24th December in the UK.

The number of Apple and Android devices which will be unboxed and activated on Christmas Day.

The percentage of families who make a point of sitting down to watch the Queens’s Speech on Christmas Day.

The probability of a White Christmas according to historical data. The last recorded falling of snow on Christmas Day was in 2010. The definition is a snowflake being observed falling on the rooftop of the Met Office’s London HQ.

27%

13% 16 60,000,000

The percentage of families who attend Church on Christmas Day.

The average number of Christmas presents a UK child is given by parents.

Over 60m Christmas trees are grown in Europe each year. 8m natural Christmas trees are consumed by UK households alone.

10%

Of all the elements of your traditional Christmas dinner, the British favourite is the good old roast potato. 58% of us say it’s the best part of the meal. A further 43% reckon that the turkey is the most important element, whilst the same number reckon pigs in blankets are the must-have part of lunch. Stuffing also scored highly with 23% naming it their must-have part of the meal, whilst 21% reckon the gravy is most important.

Only 54% of people have turkey with their meal. 10% prefer chicken, 8% choose a vegetarian option, 7% prefer beef and just 3% opt for goose or duck. n

822

Santa Claus would have to visit 822 homes a second to deliver presents to all of the world’s households on Christmas Eve. That would mean travelling at 650 miles a second. That’s assuming there are 800m homes and 160,000,000 km to travel.

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CHRISTMAS IS CHILD’S PLAY

The best selling festive toys of yesteryear

1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998

Shrinky Dinks Risk board game Othello board game Stretch Armstrong BMX bike Dungeons & Dragons Star Wars Toys Hungry Hippos Rubix Cube Lego train set Strawberry Shortcake Cabbage Patch Dolls Transformers Lazer Tag Sylvanian Families Ghostbusters Proton Pack Optimus Prime Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles action figures Nintendo Gameboy Barbie Thunderbirds Tracey Island Power Rangers Figures POGs Toy Story Buzz Lightyear Action Figure Tamagotchi Teksta the Dog

1999 Bob the Builder 2000 Furby 2001 Who Wants To Be a Millionaire board game 2002 Bratz Dolls 2003 Beyblades 2004 Robosapien 2005 BMX bike 2006 Xbox 360 2007 Nintendo Wii 2008 In the Night Garden Iggle Piggle doll 2009 High School Musical Dance Mat 2010 Zhu Zhu Hamsters 2011 Leapfrog LeapPad Explore Tablet 2012 Skylanders Giants Nerf Gun 2013 Furby Boom 2014 Frozen Snow Globe 2015 Kylo Ren Deluxe Electronic Light Sabre 2016 Hatchimals 2017 Cozmo 2018 Poopsie Unicorn Slime 2019 Paw Patrol Command Centre 2020 Lol Surprise Studios 2021 Squeakee The Balloon Dino (speculated). n

Above: Parents queuing for a Cabbage Patch Doll in 1984. The dolls are still the best selling toy of the past 50 years. In 1984 they set a £145m merchandising sales record.

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DEPICTIONS OF THE NATIVITY... n Shown above, The Mystical Nativity was painted by Renaissance master Sandro Botticelli in 1500 and now hangs in the National Gallery. The painting was lost for 300 years... before being purchased on the cheap by a young Englishman, William Ottley. Needless to say it has appreciated in value! n Right, Caravaggio painted Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence in 1600. It was stolen from Palermo in 1969 by the Sicilian Mafia (‘allegedly,’ if they’re reading this), and the FBI reckons the painting is worth £2m legitimately, but will fetch just a tenth of its real value on the black market.

The theft is considered to be the most significant art crime in history.

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Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree...

PRS has compiled a list of the 20 most played Christmas songs based on artists’ royalties It’s great when you hear the first few bars of your favourite Christmas pop song, even if the appeal does wear a little thin after a few weeks. If you’re one of the artists who have written a historic Christmas hit though, you’ll no doubt look forward to this time of year. PRS (the Performing Rights Society) is responsibly for collecting money and distributing it to artists and writers when their songs are played on the radio or used on a TV advert. This means they’re also best-placed to reveal that these are the songs which are played most frequently during the festive season. And so, your festive top 25 is as follows...

GOING CRACKERS FOR BAD JOKES...

The tradition of crackers at Christmas time began when, in 1847, East End baker Tom Smith patented a device to add the cracking (supposedly of a fire) to tissue-wrapped bon bons he saw given out during a visit to Paris. Recently, online retailer Thort asked the public to vote for the UK’s worst cracker joke and determined that ‘what do you get if you stand under a cow, a pat on the head...’ is the worst ever written. n

A NEW NATIVITY MISCONCEPTIONS... n Jesus wasn’t actually born on 25th December, theologians now conclude.

His actual birthday is thought to be somewhere around September, and between 6BC and 30AD. n It’s now believed that Jesus was born in a cave, not actually a stable! n And the star that the wise men followed? It was probably Uranus, according to astronomers. Matthew’s gospel, incidentally, only refers to ‘wise men,’ the exact number isn’t specified! n The Greeks celebrate Christmas on 7th January, and the use of Xmas as a contraction of Christmas is because X is the letter for ‘chi,’ the Greek word for Christ. n Christmas as a word is a contraction of Christ’s Mass, originating in 1038.

1. Fairytale Of New York, The Pogues featuring Kirsty McColl, 1987.

2. All I Want For Christmas Is You, Mariah Carey, 1994.

3. Do They Know It’s Christmas?, Band Aid, 1984.

4. Last Christmas, Wham, 1984.

5. Santa Claus is Coming To Town, Harry Reser, 1943.

6. Do You Hear What I Hear, Bing Crosby, 1962. =7. Happy Christmas (War Is Over), John Lennon & Yoko Ono, 1971. =7. Wonderful Christmas Time, Paul McCartney, 1979.

9. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day, Wizzard, 1973.

10. Merry Christmas Everybody, Noddy Holder and Slade, 1973.

11. Merry Christmas Everyone, Shakin’ Stevens, 1985.

12. Sleigh Ride, Leroy Anderson, 1950.

13. Stay Another Day, East 17, 1994.

14. Driving Home for Christmas, Chris Rea, 1988.

15. Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree, Brenda Lee, 1958.

16. Step Into Christmas, Elton John, 1973.

17. 2,000 Miles, The Pretenders, 1983.

18. I’m Gonna Be Warm This Winter, Connie Francis, 1962; Gabriella Cilmi, 2008.

19. Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home), Love, ‘63.

20. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Monroe, Dean Martin, Smokey Robinson ‘45, ‘59, ‘63.

21. Stop the Cavalry, Jona Lewie, 1980.

22. Frosty The Snowman, various inc., Johnny Mathis, Perry Como, 1950, 1957, 2003, 2007.

23. White Christmas, Bing Crosby, 1942.

24. I Believe in Father Christmas, Greg Lake, Toyah, Elaine Paige, 1975, 1982, 1986.

25. Christmas Lights, Coldplay, 2010. n Right: Bing Crosby’s association with the festive season began in 1945 when he released his 75rpm vinyl Merry Christmas on the Decca album label. The album contained 10 songs including Silent Night, Jingle Bells, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, I’ll Be Home for Christmas, Danny Boy... and of course, White Christmas. The latter was used the 1942 film Holiday Inn, written by Irving Berlin and starring Bing and Fred Astaire.

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G RHP Gates Farm Shop advert could go in the Christmas food section, and the Garden Centre advert could go in your gift buying guide section

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rob blown up

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NEWS & EVENTS

What’s On...

PETERBOROUGH

STAMFORD

SATURDAY 4th DECEMBER

FRIDAY 7th - SUNDAY 16th DECEMBER

G4 PERFORMS AT PETERBOROUGH CATHEDRAL

CINDERELLA

BY POLKA DOT PANTOMIMES

The singing group which found fame in TV’s X-Factor comes to the Cathedral to perform a seasonal show that’s guaranteed to put people in the festive mood.

Polka Dot Pantomimes and Stamford Arts Centre present Cinderella, the family panto in which dreams come true.

This is the perfect traditional tale of rags to riches full of magic, laughter, audience participation and spectacular surprises! Will Cinderella meet the man of her dreams and live happily ever after?

Will the Ugly Sisters learn the errors of their ways?

Will Fairy Flustered manage to become a fully qualified Fairy? Let’s find out this month! n Tickets £14-£15, matinée and evening performances.

Call 01780 763203 or see www.stamfordartscentre.com.

A Christmas Carol...

CHAPTERHOUSE THEATRE BRINGS ITS MAGNIFICENT LIVE PERFORMANCE OF DICKENS TO LIFE IN PETERBOROUGH

n Tickets range in price from £62.50 to £14.50, call Call 01733 355315 or see www.peterboroughcathedral.org.uk.

HAMBLETON

TUESDAY 14th DECEMBER

CHRISTMAS CONCERT AT ST ANDREW’S HAMBLETON

PETERBOROUGH

WEDNESDAY 22nd THURSDAY 23rd DECEMBER

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Especially adapted for the stage by award-winning writer Laura Turner, A Christmas Carol is brought to life by Chapterhouse Theatre in a traditional production, complete with beautiful period costumes, song, dance, and a generous helping of Christmas spirit.

The show is the perfect festive treat for all ages, just days just before Christmas. n From 7.30pm, Peterborough Cathedral, PE1 1XS. Call 01733 355315 or see www.peterborough-cathedral.org.uk.

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Hambleton Hall welcomes the welcome the return of Reverie choir, a firm fixture in the village’s diary.

This magnificent group of singers unites some of Britain’s very best young professional singing talent, a fantastic and welcome addition to the British choral tradition. The choir will meet at St Andrew’s Church to sing a collection of ancient and modern Christmas music, including a few favourite carols for the audience to join in with.

Followed by dinner at Hambleton Hall. n £25/concert; £160/concert and dinner with Champagne and canapés, from 7pm.

Call 01572 756991 or see www.hambletonhall.com.

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Send your press releases and events to: the Features Editor via editor@pridemagazines.co.uk.

OAKHAM

STAMFORD

SUNDAY 12th DECEMBER

THURSDAY 25th SUNDAY 28th NOVEMBER

FAMILY FESTIVITIES AT BARNSDALE GARDENS Put on your Christmas jumpers and join the Hamilton family at Barnsdale Gardens for a family festive day of Christmas crafts, with quizzes and raffle fun.

LEICESTER

FRIDAY 3rd TO MONDAY 13th DECEMBER

A CHORUS LINE

Join Curve theatre for a sensational brand-new Made at Curve production just in time for Christmas.

This legendary Broadway musical show, A Chorus Line, is directed by in-house creative director Nikolai Foster and is set in New York

City in 1975 as 18 performers meet for an audition for a part in a new Broadway musical.

Director, Zach, invites the performers to open up about their lives. What follows are stories of what it means to follow your dreams onto the stage. n Tickets £10-£45, from 2.15pm, 7.30pm, The Curve, LE1 1SB. Call 0116 242 3595 or see www.curveonline.co.uk.

Christmas Kilworth House MICHAEL RISELEY BRINGS THE MAGIC OF BUBLÉ TO KILWORTH, WHILST ABBA ENTERTAINS TOO...!

n Call 01572 813200 or see www.barnsdalegardens.co.uk.

UPPINGHAM

THE BURGHLEY HOUSE XMAS FAIR

Wander among the chalets, heated marquees and Fine Food Market and enjoy a unique Christmas shopping opportunity. Offering everything from luxury gifts, to festive treats, artisan food and more. n See www.burghley.co.uk.

OAKHAM

THURS 2nd DECEMBER

SUNDAY 28th NOV

Shop local and enjoy Uppingham this month. n

Get in the festive mood with this super festive fair, with a wide variety of stalls including gifts, crafts, food, drink and more!

LATE NIGHT SHOPPING

OAKHAM

MONDAY 12th DECEMBER

LATE NIGHT SHOPPING

Late night shopping throughout Oakham. n KILWORTH

WEDNESDAY 22nd DECEMBER

A VERY BUBLÉ CHRISTMAS Michael Riseley returns to Leicester’s Kilworth House for a very special series of Bublé Christmas shows!

As synonymous with Christmas as Santa, Bublé brings that very special warm winter swing that makes you want to reach for the mince pies and eggnog.

Michael’s uncanny portrayal will lead you down a merry path of the greatest swing Christmas hits such as

BARNSDALE LODGE GIFT & CRAFT FAIR

n 11am-4pm, Barnsdale Lodge, LE15 8AH, Call 01572 724678 for details.

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.

Many dates are sold out, but a matinée performance remains available on Wednesday 22nd December.

Meanwhile, Abba tribute act My My! will appear at Kilworth House with tickets remaining from Monday 27th December to Thursday 30th December. Iconic costumes, vocals and all the classic songs. n Kilworth House, Hotel & Theatre, LE17 6JE. Call 01858 881939 or see www.kilworthhouse.co.uk.

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Luxury lodges, great fun and a superb return on investment!

.! .. e f li d o o g e th in t s e v n I

Live on site all year round, achieve great rental returns or retain your lodge for family & friends to enjoy.

Four fantastic sites including Tallington Lakes, Tanner Farm Park, Thorney and Great Hadham On-site watersports and leisure facilities, beautiful surroundings

www.goodlifelodge.com • info@goodlifelodge.com • 0800 564 2266 • Barholm Road, Tallington, PE9 4RJ

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CHRISTMAS AT BELVOIR CASTLE

SPENDING CHRISTMAS at

BELVOIR

CASTLE T’was the night before Christmas and all through the castle, not a creature was stirring. This month you can enjoy the festive feel of Belvoir Castle thanks to designer Charlotte Lloyd Webber, and the estate’s Engine Yard is the perfect place to find all of your festive gifts, decorations and food & drink for the season...

THIS MONTH, you can enjoy Regency style at Belvoir Castle, as its state rooms are transformed into a festive spectacular by leading interior designer Charlotte Lloyd Webber.

The hilltop castle is one of the finest surviving examples of Regency architecture and boasts a treasure trove of stunning interiors to thrill the most avid Bridgerton fan.

With the Netflix blockbuster igniting interest in all things Regency in popular culture today, and the eagerly awaited season two in production, the appetite for an authentic Regency experience this Christmas is set to be huge.

Taking inspiration the Duke and Duchess of Rutland’s family insignia, the castle will be dressed with Regency inspired décor; trees will be draped in the Belvoir colours of blue and gold along with a festive palette; opulent rooms set in readiness for a party and other surprises to whisk the visitor into the world of Regency romance. Rooms will be decorated to highlight the High Regency interiors from the Guard Room, Ballroom, Elizabeth

Saloon, State Dining Room and Picture Gallery to the Kings Suite Bedrooms and Regents Gallery. The key decorative notes of individual rooms will inform the designs with an immense Peacock Tree in the Elizabeth Saloon.

Inspiration is taken from other stunning Regency interiors such as the Brighton Pavilion built for the Prince Regent who was a frequent visitor to Belvoir along with his brother the Duke of York, reportedly the lover of Elizabeth, 5th Duchess of Rutland.

A Regency tree will be decorated in the style of the era while a spectacular Kissing Bough will add to the features typical of the time.

Charlotte Lloyd Webber said: “We are delighted to be working with Belvoir to design its first major Christmas event that will highlight in spectacular festive fashion some of the most famous and gorgeous interiors of this fairytale Regency castle, which happily is currently very in vogue on the back of the Bridgerton Netflix series.” >>

Images: Charlotte Graham.

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CHRISTMAS AT BELVOIR CASTLE

>> “A common misconception is that Christmas was largely invented by the Victorians.

However interior trees were used by the Georgians, following the German tradition particularly in aristocratic houses but would more commonly have been a Yew tree.”

“We will be adding our own interpretative twist and the house will display contemporary decorations that hark back to this beautiful decorative period.”

Archivists at the Castle are poring over the diary entries and other memorabilia to bring out stories of the era as part of the festivities.

Emma, Duchess of Rutland, said: “This Christmas, we invite you to become our guest for the festive season at Belvoir and allow us to transport you back to a world ruled by elegance and etiquette.”

“We are so excited to be presenting A Regency Christmas set in what is surely England’s finest Regency home, the scene of many glamorous balls, elegant parties, intimate suppers along with a good dash of romance and intrigue. There’s more to see and do at Belvoir Castle this Christmas than ever before.”

Brand new for 2021, the Enlightened Light Trail will see the Rose Garden, Japanese Garden and Spiral Walk transformed into a magical trail lit by thousands of twinkling lights.

A 3D projection will be beamed onto the facade of the castle while interactive light up games and a custom soundscape will create a breathtaking experience suitable for all the family to enjoy.

The Old Kitchen will be transformed into a Regency Santa’s Grotto for weekend visits while the Engine Yard will have its own Santa’s Grotto open every weekend over Christmas. Tickets available online.

During the run-up to Christmas 2021, there will be late night shopping events at the Engine Yard with quirky, not-on-the-highstreet presents and treats as well as plenty of festive food and drink enjoy on site.

Individual Christmas experience tickets for Castle and Garden and Combined tickets are available for the Regency Christmas and Enlightened Light Trail with pre-booking for the timed slots essential. n

Find Out More: Peak and Off Peak Tickets are available for children aged 4-15, adults and families (2 adults, 2 children) starting from £12 child, £ 21 adult and £62 family for A Regency Christmas; £13 child, £17 adult, £56 family for Enlightened and £18 child, £27 adult and £90 family for the Combined offer.

Discount for groups of 15+, coach parking included, free entry and lunch for coach driver/ group tour organiser. Email groups@belvoircastle.com. To explore Belvoir at Christmas and pre-book visits, go to www.belvoirchristmas.com/event-category/christmas-2021.

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Elizabeth, 5th Duchess of Rutland, by George Sanders.

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BELVOIR CASTLE: Our Festive Highlights n Regency Christmas 15th November - 2nd January: Experience the magic of a colourful Regency Christmas, crafted by award-winning interior designer, Charlotte Lloyd-Webber, in one of the finest surviving examples of Regency architecture to be found anywhere in the world.

Step back in time as you travel through the exquisitely styled state rooms of the Castle, each adorned with trees, lights, and dramatic festive displays. n Enlightened Light Trail 26th November - 1st January: Brand new for 2021, Belvoir partners with Enlightened to bring you a 1.3km light trail which will be illuminating the beauty of Belvoir Castle this winter. The Rose Garden, Japanese Garden and Spiral Walk will be transformed into a magical trail lit by literally thousands of twinkling lights. n Santa’s Grotto 20th November - 23rd Dec: Santa’s Grotto at the Engine Yard is a stand-alone event, allowing you to enjoy the Engine Yard’s shopping and festive menus at The Fuel Tank. n Christmas Entertainment 12th November - 31st Dec: Enjoy shopping for gifts, for your home and for your larder.

Having opened in 2018, the £2.5m development at Belvoir Castle’s adjacent Engine Yard features 20 retailers including The Duchess’s Gallery for clothing and accessories, The Idle Mole for gifts and homeware, Margo & Plum for luxury home furnishings, plus food retailers such as The Country Victualler for high quality butchery and game, and Cocoa Amore & Cherisena for delicious chocolates and single origin coffee.

For festive opening times and more information see www.engineyardbelvoir.com.

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Take out one of our Christmas

Gift Subscriptions It’s the perfect gift idea for your loved one You can choose to have a six month subscription for £18 or a twelve month subscription for £36 We’ll deliver Pride free of charge to your friend or loved one’s doorstep - every month!

They’ll never miss a single issue!

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01529 469977

Alternatively, visit our website at www.pridemagazines.co.uk

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THE FINCH’S ARMS, HAMBLETON

Enjoying Winter Dining at

THE FINCH’S ARMS Now is the winter of your content, because The Finch’s Arms can welcome you in this month to enjoy roaring fires and superb seasonal dishes. As well as floristry and cookery demonstrations, you’ll also enjoy a warm welcome courtesy of the Crawford family... which has become a little larger since last we met Charlotte, Jordan, Celia and Colin!

Words & Images Rob Davis.

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DINING OUT AT THE FINCH’S ARMS

SO, WHAT’S NEW? Hmm, where do we begin. Since we last met the Crawford family, the hospitality profession has been through the wringer somewhat. Happily, The Finch’s Arms in Hambleton and its sister pub restaurant, Oakham’s Admiral Hornblower, are both thriving.

That’s because the place, and the family – an extended family, which includes many long-standing members of staff – have stuck to their values and rallied around one another ensuring that when they could finally open the doors to both their venues once again, they had pretty much the same great team, offering the same great food and drink.

“We’re really lucky to have members of staff that have been with us for years,” says Charlotte. “We believe that by looking after members of staff you keep the family feel to the business, but you also provide better consistency in food and welcome. We’re better, together, and more grateful than ever than we’re able to open again.”

That’s not to say, though, that everything has remained the same at The Finch’s Arms.

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Whilst Charlotte and her brother Jordan had all but taken over the day-to-day running of the business from her semiretired parents, Colin & Celia, the latter stepped back into the breach for a bit, whilst Charlotte took time to bring their first grandchild into the world. Eliza is now seven months old, and so it’ll be a good few years until she too can join in the family business.

The family also used the opportunity of Covid-enforced closure to complete the kind of maintenance and refurbishment that it’s tricky to perform working around guests and diners.

The main restaurant has seen tables stripped and refinished, a new parquet floor and a lick of paint, as well as the installation of a new glazed partition which enables them to expand the dining room’s 50 covers into the

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adjacent function room with its 45 covers, which can still be annexed and used for functions, weddings and other events.

Personally though, in the cooler months, I’d rather be in the bar with its open fire, flagstone floors, and its own 20 covers.

For now, the flexibility is proving handy as the team are still adhering to strict Covid measures, and the extra space enables The Finch’s Arms to space out its tables.

What’s nice about The Finch’s Arms, though, is the fact that it’s a proper pub restaurant for all four seasons; al fresco freshness in the summer and cosy open fires in the winter.

The restaurant is light and has super views of the reservoir and the pub restaurant’s terrace, which itself accommodates about 200 covers and is popular during the summer months.

You’d think the outdoor space would be under-utilised during the colder months but with patio heaters and free hot water bottles for customers, it’s still surprisingly popular… even during my visit in late October a few tables were occupied by al fresco diners.

As well as all of the refurbishment works on the communal areas, work has also been completed on the venue’s 10 bedrooms, and is set to be completed in early 2022.

Happily there’s just a single, unfussy menu for both daytime and evening service.

Changing seasonally, it comprises seven starters, seven main courses and five desserts, although there are three grazing boards too, plus five sandwich options for

MEET THE CHEF MARK GOUGH, HEAD CHEF Food History: “I arrived at The Finch’s 12 years ago. I still love the place and we’ve some really loyal customers!”

Food Heaven: “I’m a better cook than I am a shot, but I do love game, and our duck breast is an absolutely delicious winter dish!”

Food Hell: “There’s not much I don’t like... a good chef should enjoy all of his dishes!” n

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DINING OUT AT THE FINCH’S ARMS

on the MENU FROM THE FINCH’S ARMS’ À LA CARTE MENU

Starters Roquefort and mulled pear with caramelised walnuts and local honey dressing, £6.

Duck liver parfait with truffle butter, rhubarb jam and toasted brioche, £8.

Moules marinière in white wine and garlic with cream, parsley and frites, £9.95/£19.95 main.

Main Courses Confit belly pork with Savoy cabbage, mustard mash and cider jus, £17.

lunchtime service and three Finch’s Favourites. A dedicated Sunday lunch menu provides two or three courses for £23.95 or £27.95 respectively.

Local ingredients are used, such as lamb from Launde Abbey and game shot on local estates in Teigh and Edith Weston, but the team isn’t afraid to look a little further where a better product is available too. Bread is made freshly in house, as are desserts and the big fat cakes sitting on the bar ready to tempt those enjoying morning coffee.

OPENING TIMES Monday - Saturday: 12noon - 2.30pm; 6.30pm - 9.30pm Sunday: 12noon - 8.00pm.

Bar: Mon - Thurs 11am - 11pm; Fri - Sat 11:00 - Midnight. Sun 11am - 10:30pm.

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Christmas Day should be full up by the time you read this, although there may still be a few spaces for the pub restaurant’s New Year’s Eve bash with its four-course supper and band.

Also taking place in December are a wreath making class on Wednesday 1st December, a festive foliage centrepiece making class on Thursday 9th December, and Christmas Eve carolling on 24th December.

Whilst a lot has changed over the past 18 months, other things have remained the same, like the family’s commitment to their team and their customers.

With any luck, in spring and summer, we’ll be enjoying afternoon tea on The Finch’s Arm’s terrace, overlooking the water.

Before that though, Celia, Colin and Charlotte have Eliza’s first Christmas to enjoy, and if that’s not a cause to look for the future with festive joy and a sense of optimism, we can’t think what is. n

Local partridge with fondant potato, creamed leeks and pancetta, £18.50.

Whole lemon sole with burnt butter, capers, crushed potatoes, olives and tomato, £22.50.

Derbyshire sirloin steak with hand-cut chips and portobello mushrooms, £26.50.

Desserts Coffee créme brûlée with amaretti biscuit, £7.95.

Triple chocolate brownie, £7.95.

Mini Eccles cake with Stilton, £7.95.

NB: Featured dishes subject to change.

n The Finch’s Arms is based on Oakham Road, Hambleton, Rutland, LE15 8TL. Call 01572 756 575 or see www.finchsarms.co.uk.

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CHRISTMAS SPECIAL MENU APPETISER Butternut squash soup STARTERS Onion Bhaji BBQ Turkey Beetroot Delight MAIN COURSE Grilled Venison Overnight marinated venison, served with asparagus, brawn sauce and blood orange glaze.

Lasun Kukhura Khursani

cream infused with the Chef’s special sauce.

Butter chicken Mild chicken curry in spiced tomato, butter, and cream sauce

Jeera Aloo/Brussels Sprout Saffron Pilau Rice Garlic/Plain Naan DESSERT: Ginger Panna Cotta, Christmas Pudding, Ice Cream/ Tea Coffee

Tender pieces of chicken, cooked with garlic, green chilli, spring onions and a touch of fresh

BOOKING BEING TAKEN 01572 720537

12 CHURCH STREET | OAKHAM | LE15 6AA 01572 720537 info@everestloungeoakham.co.uk www.everestloungeoakham.co.uk

G RHP Gates Farm Shop advert could go in the Christmas food section, and the Garden Centre advert could go in your gift buying guide section

OPENING HOURS: CHRISTMAS DAY 12 -6 PM. BOXING DAY 4 PM. - 9 PM.

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LEARN TO COOK LIKE A PROFESSIONAL AN ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCE FOR YOU...

OR A GREAT GIFT IDEA FOR A LOVED ONE!

Bread & Cakes Desserts & Puds Fish & Sushi Game Dishes Pork & Meat Pies & Pastry Sauces World Cuisine Junior Courses

ALSO AVAILABLE: COOKING PARTIES FOR UP TO 8 PEOPLE, FULL & HALF DAYS

Call 07989 412603 for details of our courses, dates and gift vouchers WWW.LINCOLNSHIRECOOKERYSCHOOL.COM

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In the KITCHEN Christmas pudding would be more popular, were it not for the fact that many consider it rather heavy following a big turkey dinner.

Happily, local chef Rachel Green is on hand to fly the flag for the county and present a lighter more enjoyable alternative...!

CARROT PUDDING RECIPE Preparation Time: 3.5 hours including cooking. Serves: 4-6.

100g plain flour • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda • 1tsp of mixed spice 100g suet • 100g raisins • 100g currants • 100g potato, grated • 100g carrots, grated 100g Demerara sugar • 100g fine breadcrumbs • 25g chopped glace cherries • 1 large egg, beaten Mix the flour, soda, spice well together. Add all the other ingredients except the egg, mix all ingredients well together and thoroughly. Then add the egg and bind well, if it is a little too stiff, add a little milk as well.

Pour into a large greased pudding basin, leaving space at the top as the mixture will expand during cooking. Cover with a double layer of greaseproof paper and tie with string.

Steam for 3 hours, then serve with loads of custard, brandy sauce or double cream.

You can also present the pudding as a Christmas cake, shown here, with icing on the top. n For more on local chef Rachel Green, see www.rachel-green.co.uk.

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In the KITCHEN The delicious taste of winter, and an alternative to Christmas pudding this month...

BRAMBLE & AMARETTI TRIFLES Preparation Time: 20 minutes. Chilling Time: Four hours. Serves 4.

150g blackberries • 3 tbsp Bottlegreen Bramble Cordial • 100g double cream 100g Greek yogurt • 1 tbsp icing sugar • 4 madeleines, quartered • 200ml vanilla custard 6 Amaretti biscuits, roughly crushed Set aside a handful of blackberries to use for your garnish.

Put ½ the remaining blackberries in a small blender or food processor with the cordial.

Whizz until smooth, then pass through a sieve to remove any pips.

Roughly chop the remaining blackberries and stir into the purée; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the double cream, yogurt and icing sugar until combined.

To assemble the trifles, take 4 glasses and spoon the blackberry purée into each.

Add the madeleine quarters then some of the custard and layer the cream mixture on top.

Cover and chill for 4 hours, then scatter with the crushed amaretti and reserved blackberries before serving.

For a grown-up dessert, give these trifles an alcoholic kick by adding a splash of blackberry liqueur to the cordial. n Thousands of recipes can be found at www.waitrose.com/recipes.

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Wine of the Month

A festive gin that’ll provide plenty of seasonal sweetness

Nyetyimber Classic Cuvee Multi-Vintage, £37 / 75cl / 12% ABV

Warner’s Christmas gin promises a glass full of fireside cheer to enjoy over the festive season!

Instead of leaving a sherry out for Santa alongside that mince pie and of course, the carrot for Rudolph, we’ve a delicious alternative from Warner’s. This special edition gin, says its makers, based in Leicestershire, is full of chocolate, treacle and fruit. It’s rich, syrupy & festively spiced, just like your nan’s famous Christmas cake... only better! Filled with hand-picked sloe berries and cherry juice, serve it over ice with cola and a slice of orange! n £38 / 70cl / 40% ABV, www.warnersdistillery.com

The Wine Cellar T’WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS AND ALL THROUGH THE HOUSE NOT A CREATURE WAS STIRRING. HAVING ALREADY STARTED ON THE CHRISTMAS SPIRITS... THEY’RE ALL ASLEEP ON THE SOFA!

Regarded as the UK’s best sparkling white wines and with a Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir blend, this is Champagne in all but name and provenance, and demonstrates that the UK’s warmer climate means the ideal conditions of France’s Champagne territories have migrated north into the land of ‘les rosbifs.’

An ideal way to toast the festive season or see in the new year, it has a palate of honey, almond, pastry and baked apples gives it a hint of decadence.

Intense yet delicate, elegant yet complex.

Celebrate the season with a patriotic glass of this super fizz from the terroir of West Sussex.

Buy from www. nyetimber.com n

A luxurious cocoa treat...

LET’S TALK TURKEY: Wines to pair with your traditional Christmas Day lunch...

1. We’ll kick things off with a classic Pinot Noir, with lots of juice and acidity making this a perfect accompaniment to your bird. Morey-Saint-Denis Remi Seguin is a first class example, £39 / 75cl / 13% ABV.

2. Alternatively, a good Chablis like this Simonnet-Febvre Chablis, Premier Cru Vaillons from the heart of Burgundy will bring a crispness and a lemon-ey taste all of its own to your festive lunch, £28.99 / 75cl / 13% ABV.

3. And finally, a New Zealander in the form of Te Mata’s Gamay Noir, lighter than most other reds, with strong cherry and strawberry flavours, £13.49 / 75cl / 13% ABV.

Christmas simply isn’t Christmas without the present Mrs Davis instructing me to go out and purchase her Christmas Baileys in mid-November, only to have to send me out again two weeks later because she’s got the taste for the stuff before she’s opened the first door to her advent calender. Ostensibly, with chocolate, cream and spirit (vodka here though, not Irish whisky), this is the same stuff.

But it’s not. It’s way better.

Rich, satisfying and very nice stirred into cocoa before bed. Just keep it away from Mrs D, if you want any left for 2nd December... £22 / 50cl / 12% ABV, www.hotelchocolat.com

n Our featured wines are available from

the best local independent wine merchants, supermarkets and online, prices are RRP and may vary from those stated.

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HOMES & INTERIORS

SPARKLING

WATER This month’s featured property on Stamford’s Water Street is a sparkling example of local property.

With five bedrooms, a riverside location and tonnes of character, we think it’s absolutely adorable!

Images: Dean Fisher Photography.

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PROPERTY

The Details 15 Water Street, Stamford PE9 2NJ Location: Stamford.

Style: Early 18th century ashlar cottage overlooking the River Welland.

Rooms: Three reception (living kitchen; sitting room; snug), five beds, 1 en suite.

Guide Price: £1,050,000. n Fine & Country, Seaton Grange Barn Offices Grange Lane Uppingham, LE15 9HT. Call 01780 750 200 or see www.fineandcountry.com.

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ASK ANY EDITOR and they’ll confirm that we all have our literary Kryptonite... a word or phrase so odious that it curls our toes to read it, let alone to contemplate using it. My most hated word is quintessentially, which is overused, and just sounds... naff.

However, even I’m struggling to describe this month’s featured property as anything but (deep breath) quintessentially Stamford in its appearance and its charms. It really is smashing, and I’m already rather in love with it.

It’s on Water Street and dates back to the early 18th century, carrying a Grade II listing and comprising three reception rooms, currently arranged as a living kitchen with dining and sitting areas, plus a dedicated sitting room and a snug or study. Arranged over three floors, Water Street also has five bedrooms with two en suite bathrooms.

It’s home to Charlie Norton and family, who have styled the property beautifully, making the most of its very Stamfordian Main: At the heart of the home is a well-appointed living kitchen, but in the evening there’s also a cosy lounge with log burner, low ceilings and chunky characterful beams.

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Ashlar stone façade, its Collyweston slate roof and the property’s many period features.

From its exposed beams, vaulted ceilings and chunky stone fireplaces to the pitched roof of its bathrooms, the place is charming.

There are three entrances to the front of the property, including one that leads to a boot room and utility, whilst the kitchen has been replaced in recent years by a bespoke in-frame shaker kitchen from Neptune, in an off-white shade with white engineered stone surfaces and Neff appliances. What else could the kitchen possibly feature but a glossy blue two oven electric Aga, too.

The main reception room is extremely cosy with a log-burner in the stone fireplace, and where the stairs rise to the first floor. An internal, Victorian, stained-glass window is a nice feature in the wall adjoining the study

or second sitting room in which original wide timber floorboards are underfoot and a more formal fireplace contains another open fire.

On the first floor, all three bedrooms and the family bathroom are dual aspect. The master bedroom also includes an en suite shower which – rather quirkily – benefits from natural light borrowed from the adjacent bathroom. This charming family bathroom features a freestanding roll-top bath, a separate shower and panels of patchwork tiles.

One of the property’s best aspects is the fact that it’s a country home located right in the heart of Stamford town centre. Given that fact you’d probably expect to have to sacrifice having a garden. In fact, Water Street has a very nice enclosed courtyard garden that’s a real suntrap in the summer, with a terrace, too, for al fresco dining. >> 73

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PROPERTY

>> “The location is superb,” says Charlie. “The leafy road is quiet yet within a few minutes walk of the centre of town. Also less than a five minute walk is Burghley Park with acres of parkland for exercise and walking the dog. It’s lovely having the view over the river.”

Water Street is a property with a terrific breadth of appeal, being a country house located conveniently in the centre of town, providing plenty of space with five bedrooms, a large modern living kitchen plus lovely period touches.

With a beautiful riverside location too, plus parkland and country walks close by and your own private garden, it’s a house that sees its owners in town and enjoying all the features of a modern family home, but it’s also close to nature, history and a thriving community.

“We have loved living here; the house has been great for accommodating all the family yet still seems to suit us perfectly when it’s just the two of us. We’ll miss it a lot!” says Charlie. n Main: The living kitchen has a sitting area, dining table and a suite of Neff appliances.

Right: The master bedroom has delightfully wonky beams and vaulted ceilings.

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Holwell, Stamford, £2,500,000 (OIEO)

Fine & Country offers for sale this stunning five-bedroomed ultra-modern home with designer lighting and a contemporary kitchen, diner and family room. It’s right in the heart of Stamford! n www.fineandcountry.com

North Luffenham, £1,650,000 (Guide)

James Sellicks is marketing a small development of three very beautiful village homes. Chater Valley View has five bedrooms, three bathrooms, four receptions and loads of modern features. n www.jamessellicks.com

South Luffenham, £695,000

Murray Estate Agents presents this four bedroom family home with three reception rooms and a large dining kitchen located on the edge of one of Rutland’s most desirable villages. n www.murrayestateagents.co.uk

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Unique and beautiful audio visual systems WE MAKE TECHNOLOGY SIMPLE

Working with home owners and interior designers to design and install easy to use home technology CINEMA ROOMS MULTI-ROOM AUDIO SYSTEMS INTELLIGENT LIGHTING ULTRA-HD VIDEO DISTRIBUTION BESPOKE SYSTEM DESIGN

01733 246 907 www.darkeav.co.uk

hello@darkeav.co.uk

RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL MARINE 76

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The Stables, Copthill Farm, Uffington, Stamford PE9 4TD

Picture Courtesy Of: Jane Churchill.

Picture Courtesy Of: Colefax and Fowler.

Picture Courtesy Of: Jane Churchill.

Picture Courtesy Of: Colefax and Fowler.

Interior Design Service

The new fabric and wallpaper designs from Jane Churchill and Colefax & Fowler are charming. Both contemporary collections have incorporated beautiful detailing and include a variety of complimentary patterns within each collection.

Call into the Showroom to see these and much more.

Call 01780 757946

Showroom and Coffee Shop Open 9am-4pm Monday to Saturday

www.huntersinteriorsofstamford.co.uk

FULL DESIGN SERVICE, ALL MANAGED UNDER ONE ROOF

• Contemporary, modern, traditional & handmade bespoke kitchens • Affordable, quality kitchens and the latest designs on display • Over 60 appliances on show • Review our recent jobs on our website www.qksstamford.co.uk or visit our Facebook page • 25 large room settings in our extensive showroom One of our recent installations

The best quality, best value and best service from a company fitting kitchens since 1981

THE AREA’S LARGEST INDEPENDENT KITCHEN SHOWROOM The Maltings, Barnack Road, Stamford PE9 2NA T: 01780 756514 or 755855

E: sales@qksstamford.co.uk

www.qksstamford.co.uk

Open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm. Sat, 9am-3pm, closed all day Sunday

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KITCHENS • BEDROOMS • BOOT ROOMS • STUDIES INDIVIDUALLY MADE FREE STANDING FURNITURE

Call 07534 808903 richwood-cabinetmakers@hotmail.com BRING RICHWOOD INTO THE HEART OF YOUR HOME

Visit our Grade II listed 1,600sq ft furniture showroom...

Fresh coffee and homemade cake in ‘coffee corner’...

High Street, Thrapston, Kettering NN14 4JJ Call 03301 331799 or see www.auburnfox.co.uk

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HOME FURNISHINGS

WARMING UP YOUR

WINTER MONTHS What better colour to take inspiration from this Christmas than cranberry and red hues, with their ability to warm up any country home...

This Page: Hardy Stripes, Tyrell and Pendeen fabrics on cushions, footstool, and chairs, from Colefax & Fowler. Available from most local independent soft furnishings studios.

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WINTER HOMES

Heritage Wallpaper from Morris The Arts & Crafts movement inspired William Morris to create his block-printed range of wallpapers from 1864.

Today his most renowned work has been recreated, such as Chrysanthemum shown here in wine colourway. n Available from most of the area’s independent home furnishings specialists.

Your Own Personal Barista FROM BEAN TO CUP IN A THRICE

Grind, brew, cup... if you love coffee, you’ll love Smeg’s new worktop barista, capable of grinding, and delivering into your mug a super full-flavour coffee with the perfect crema. No eco-unfriendly plastic capsules, just perfect coffee. Makes espresso, black coffee plus cappuccinos thanks to its built-in steam wand for frothing milk. £679.95, Smeguk.com.

Nothing better than bespoke, says Delcor...

We adore Delcor, and that’s why we’re always happy to shout about their superb British-made bespoke sofas, chairs and divans. Choose your sofa shape; choose the fabric you’d like it upholstered in and choose anything from castors to filling.

Shown here is the firm’s Ambassador sofa in Colefax’s Otto Velvet in Casimir velvet red. n Delcor is based at Bath Row, Stamford PE9 2QX, call 01780 762579 or see www.delcor.co.uk.

Right: Simply Stamford on St Mary’s Street offers for sale these Ortigia Florio decorated candle 30-35 hour burn time, Narcissus, Wild Iris & Jasmine scent, £34.

Call 01780 481852 or see www.simplystamford.co.uk.

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Left: A little levity and patriotism for your home, this Merino lambswool throw measures 135cm x 200cm and has been made in Britain in one of the last vertical woollen mills. Available from Wool Room, Stamford, £149.99, call 01780 461217 or see thewool room.com.

>> We adore the country-inspired checks and stripes provided by Clarke & Clarke’s Glenmore, £30/metre, available from local independent interior design studios.

Three Shades RICH SOFT REDS TO WARM UP YOUR RECEPTION ROOMS...

>> Above/Right: Brophy is an embroidered heritage material featuring leaf and trellis motifs. The design was created by William Morris like the wallpaper featured opposite and is a recreation of an original design which dates back to 1877. Shown here in wine colourway, approx £90/metre. n

1. Carmine by Little Greene.

2. Lady bug by Earthborne.

3. Rectory Red, Farrow & Ball.

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Red check linens from Elizabeth Stanhope of Mill Street, Oakham or shop online at shoplizzieloves.com.

Stamford & Rutland Interiors: Broughtons: Leicester, 0116 2341888,www.broughtons.com.

Delcor Interiors: Stamford, 01780 762579, www.delcor.co.uk. Elizabeth Stanhope Interiors: Oakham, 01572 722345, www.elizabethstanhope.co.uk H Works: 01780 754605, www.hworksdesign.co.uk. Hunters of Stamford: 01780 757946, www.huntersinteriorsofstamford.co.uk. Sarah Harding Interiors: Uppingham, 01572 823389, sarahhardinginteriors.co.uk.

Simply Stamford: St Mary’s Street, Stamford, 01780 481852, www.simplystamford.co.uk.

Please note prices are RRP and should be considered a guide only, availability of brands and ranges at the above design studios subject to variation.

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Professional Interior Design Service Re-Upholstery and Soft Furnishings

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01572 823389

www.sarahhardinginteriors.co.uk • info@sarahhardinginteriors.co.uk www.facebook.com/sarahhardinginteriorsltd

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RHP

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BATHROOMS

BY SHEEWATER HOME

BATHING in

LUXURY Enjoying a luxurious soak in the bath or a steamy shower after a chilly autumn day is one of life’s simple pleasures... one that Bathrooms by Sheewater Homes’ Pete Copestake can help you realise in your own home this season...

Words: Rob Davis.

Your next bathroom could be 20 years in the making. Because that’s how long Pete Copestake has spent refining his eye for quality products for your bathroom. Many bathrooms are the products of kitchen installers diversifying, but Pete has spent two decades specialising in family bathrooms, wetrooms, en suites and cloakrooms; they’re his core product.

And that’s a very good thing... because when it comes to bathrooms, you only get one chance to get it right. Even the finest bathroom ranges can be ruined with poor planning or installation. Bathrooms tend to be smaller than other rooms in the home, exposed to moisture, steam and higher temperatures, and if they’re not watertight, the most expensive home improvement – second only to your kitchen – is a lost opportunity to add value and style to your home.

Happily, Pete supplements his 20 years of experience with a 3,000sq ft showroom to give you the best possible choice of bathrooms, with 18 room settings on display and well-known brands like Villeroy & Boch as well as less well-known but stunning looking and high quality ranges from boutique European brands like Puntotre and Adamsez.

The result is products which look great, advice you can trust, truly bespoke rooms and the ability to enjoy your bathroom for many years to come. n

Six of the Best: Chic bathrooms for autumn and winter...

1. Lincoln from Adamsez is available in a gloss, satin or metallic finish and in any colour of your choice; just provide Sheewater with a colour sample to match.

2. Villeroy & Boch’s Venticello provides a spacious sink with plenty of cupboard space too.

It incorporates towel storage and its off-the-floor design is easy to clean under.

3. Vertigo from Puntotre enables you to emulate a stunning inner-city boutique hotel with a rich, lustrous macassar wood-style design and its bespoke smoked glass basin.

4. Pair Vertigo with a natural stone bath and embrace its natural warmth and charm.

Graff ’s brushed gold floor-mounted tap adds a tactile combination of form and function.

5. Artemis by Dawn provides enclosures and ceramic systems which combine crisp designs with beautifully integrated shower screens and enclosures.

6. For an elegant update in a classically designed bathroom, Villeroy & Boch’s Hommage has hints of art deco style in its design, incorporating a walnut cabinet and marble top.

All of the above ranges are available from Sheewater Bathrooms, based in Peterborough.

For a free, no obligation, no pressure-selling discussion about updating your bathroom, en suite or cloakroom, call 01733 590209, see www.sheewaterhome.com or visit the company on Newton Way, Boongate, Peterborough, PE1 5PJ.

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WINTER WILDLIFE

WINTER WILDLIFE Rutland and Stamford comprises towns, villages and vast expanses of countryside in-between, in which a diverse amount of wildlife lives. And the best time to enjoy the natural world?

Winter, unfortunately, so wrap up warm and be sure to take a flask of coffee on your nature walk!

Words: Rob Davis.

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WINTER WILDLIFE

THIS DECEMBER what could be a better antidote to shopping, wrapping, cooking and cleaning the house ready for family to visit... than enjoying the stark, crisp tranquillity of winter, and watching the natural world go about its business.

Mammals, birds, they’re all oblivious to the festivities, as each species adopts its different techniques and strategies to survive the winter. It’s a sort of silent wonder, going on all around us, life or death for so many creatures, and yet we’re busily oblivious to it, unless we make time to notice nature this month.

At least, Stamford and Rutland’s countryside, towns and villages are ideal places from which to enjoy observing the natural world, and there’s so something mindful about watching animals with more to concern themselves about than all of the self-induced stress of festive preparations.

Hedgehogs

Wildlife Trusts

It’s widely stated that hedgehogs hibernate. In fact, their state is more accurately one of torpor. The creatures The Leicestershire & Rutland build thick-walled nests Wildlife Trust is just one member known as hibernacula and Badgers of a network of 46 wildlife trusts, rather than sleeping, lower which collectively manage If there’s one species akin 2,300 reserves and have their body temperature and to humans in their winter 17,000 members. slow their bodily processes to habits, it’s badgers. enter a sort of silent running state.

Whilst they don’t hibernate per se, Hedgehogs will, occasionally, venture badgers nonetheless put on weight around out of their hibernacula, especially if it’s Christmas and then live off that bloat during particularly cold, and they will sometimes January and February. Living with their kin, relocated to a warmer place. Hoglets are a badger’s sett can be shared by anything typically born in midsummer but can make from three or four to 15 badgers. an appearance as late on as mid-autumn.

That being the case, the race is on for Foxes hoglets to reach about 750g, the weight that Whilst many mammals take it easy during experts reckon is sufficient to allow them to the cooler months, though, vulpes are very survive in the winter. much up and about during the winter 92

months, even in daylight. There are about 350,000 foxes in the UK and their sense of derring do often leads them into urban areas as much as the countryside.

The winter months are mating season for foxes and so they’re more vocal than at other times of the year in winter.

A vixen during heat will make the most extraordinary and blood-curdling screech, usually late in December and into January before she retreats to a den or ‘earth’ to give birth typically to four or five cubs in March or April. Foxes may look cute but can, of course be very territorial and vicious!

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Deer

October and November mark the deer rut, so in December, they tend to be a little calmer, making spotting deer a little easier.

The best time to see deer is early morning or late evening, and the area’s estates are the best places to observe deer. Photograph them with a long lens and keep at least 50 metres from them.

Starlings

The collective term is a murmuration of starlings. But the sight is extraordinary.

The flock can number up to 100,000 birds and later November into December is usually the most prolific time for murmurations of starlings, most of which are native, although some migrate to the UK from Northern Europe, arriving via the East Coast.

Owls

Barn owls are the UK’s best loved owls, seen at dusk around farmland and woodland.

You’ll see them more often during winter given that their prey tends to be less active and therefore trickier to hunt. Meanwhile barn owls are poorly insulated and require extra energy to survive over winter. Starvation for barn owls peaks between December and March.

Garden Birds

Leicestershire & Rutland’s Wildlife Trust LRWT manages 35 reserves, assisted by over 30 members of staff and 700 volunteers...

Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust is the leading wildlife conservation charity working to protect and enhance the wildlife and wild places of Leicestershire and Rutland.

For over 60 years the charity has been saving wildlife and engaging people with nature.

The charity belives that Leicestershire and Rutland should be rich in wildlife for the benefit of everyone - with more wildlife, more wild places and more people having a strong connection to nature. There are loads of ways that you can get involved with Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust. Whether you want to volunteer on your local nature reserve, campaign with the group, or attend an event or local group there are many ways to become involved. n For more information call 0116 262 9968 or see www.lrwt.org.uk.

Every January, the RSPB launches its Big Garden Birdwatch campaign, one of the UK’s largest surveys of native birdlife.

This year’s survey asks members of the public to spend one hour counting the number of common bird species observed in their garden, park or local woodland. Last year’s survey revealed that the region’s top five bird species are the House Sparrow, Blue Tit, Starling, Blackbird and Woodpigeon.

Among our most conspicuous garden birds this month is the robin, which is far less tolerant of others as temperatures drop.

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WINTER WILDLIFE

territorial birds and can be highly aggressive… to another bird they’re hardly the friendly little fellow we’re used to seeing on our Christmas cards!

“Walk off your Christmas pud in one of the area’s patches of woodland this month!”

Wildfowl

Rutland Water is one of the UK’s most unique bird habitats, and quite aside from its well-known osprey population, it’s eight lagoons have all been designed to suit different species such as the 25,000 ducks, geese, swans, wintering grebes, divers and egrets who create a winter spectacle for birders.

during the autumn. Most simply die. Those that do survive the ravages of winter will either do so in a comfortable nook in our houses or outbuildings (some that live in our centrally-heated homes may continue to be active if there’s sufficient food) or in torpor in the leaflitter.

Insects

If you’re handy with a camera, winter interest isn’t simply limited to mammals and birds… walk off your Christmas pud in one

People often question what happens to spiders during the winter, having seen so many

Flora and Fauna

of the area’s patches of woodland will enable your to appreciate the range of under-appreciated mosses and lichens that create startling displays on the forest floor.

Meanwhile mistletoe, a parasitic evergreen species, adorns the branches of other trees this month and holly is a regular bedfellow of oak and beech trees.

Mature holly bushes can be 300 years old but with a deft swipe of a pair of secateurs, you can take just a little to adorn your Christmas table, or to make a DIY festive wreath.

Finally, for a boxing day walk, Clipsham’s 200-year old Yew Tree Avenue comprises 150 clipped trees tended by the Clipsham Yew Tree Avenue Trust. n

For inspiration and advice on where to find wildlife in the area and what species you can expect to see, the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust manages 35 reserves and is assisted by over 30 members of staff and 700 volunteers. For more information see www.lrwt.org.uk.

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DAVID GREAVES LANDSCAPE DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION

THE TIME TO MAKE THE MOST

OF YOUR GARDEN Grey skies and gloomy weather? The perfect time to fantasise about an amazing garden in which you can make the most of next summer... if your outdoor spaces don’t reflect your desire to relax in your own personal paradise, now’s the time to have a chat with David Greaves!

Words: Rob Davis.

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GLOOMY WEATHER & GREY SKIES might not put you immediately in mind of a space that’s as close to paradise as it’s possible to create in your own back garden, but now is definitely the time to begin the process of creating a stunning outdoor area to enjoy all summer long in 2022.

fresh air entertaining. And of course, folk have also been sitting on the fund that was set aside for enjoying an international holiday in 2021.

All of these factors have led to a huge increase in enquiries for David, who heads up his 20-strong team, as one of the leading domestic landscaping companies across the East Midlands, creating both domestic and commercial gardens and outdoor areas – anything from small traditional cottage garden spaces to large contemporary areas for some pretty incredible homes.

“Garden design as a profession is enjoying a real surge in interest and in creativity,” says David Greaves of Leicestershire-based David Greaves Garden Design.

“The pandemic has seen fewer people going away on holiday and more people enjoying their own garden. That’s enabled them to appreciate and make the most of all the good elements of their outdoor space but also envisage how they could improve the areas that aren’t so conducive to the way they use the space.”

The pandemic has also led to a huge trend towards outdoor kitchens which create areas for

Above: Thoughtful design means creating space which maximise the enjoyment of your garden.

Our images show some of the most interesting projects the firm is currently working on, but David and the team are keen to ensure that good garden design should be available to all, and so they work with all budgets and all types of space. >> 97

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DAVID GREAVES LANDSCAPE DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION

“A really good consultative process and collaborative design journey is really important. No site is the same, no family is the same, so no two gardens should be created to be the same either...”

>> “We provide a design service to create both 2D concept and 3D visual designs, along with video walk arounds. Once the garden design is finalised, we supply a no obligation quotation to ensure you’re as fully informed as possible as to how to create your new garden.”

“From there we can also assign a dedicated team to construct and commission your garden, incorporating lighting and heating to extend the hours you can enjoy your garden, outdoor kitchens for entertaining, areas for children to safely play in, water features, pools and hot tub areas, and different areas to take advantage of both sun and shade at different times of the day.”

“We also implement designs for other leading RHS garden designers and have worked with some really high-end names in the industry to create their breathtaking designs.”

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“Everything begins with what the client wants.

It’s no good designing a space entirely using hard landscaping if the client is keen to plant up their own areas, nor to create gardens that are more time consuming because of elaborate planting schemes if that’s not what suits someone’s lifestyle.”

“That’s why a really good consultative process and collaborative design journey is really important.”

“We’re finessing designs now ready to begin construction for completion in the spring, so beginning a consultation now could mean you’re enjoying a brand new outdoor space in late spring or early summer of 2022.”

“We’ve some super projects underway, and we can’t wait to see them when they’re completed!” n

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Find Out More: For a free, no obligation discussion about your project David Greaves Garden Design is based at Old Dalby in Leicestershire and works across the East Midlands Call 07852 371873 or 01664 823588 or see www.davidgreavesdesign.co.uk.

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WEDDINGS

A Christmas Wedding It was an especially Merry Christmas for Lindsay and Darryl when the Rutland couple enjoyed their Christmas wedding in the county. Their special day made the festive season even more enjoyable for their family and friends!

Wedding Photographer: Whitehouse Photography for studio portraits, headshots and lifestyle shoots, in association with Christian Thompson, for wedding day photography, 07989 796875, www.christianthompson.co.uk.

ONE OF THE ASPECTS that couples worry about on their wedding day is whether the weather will hold out. Rutlanders Lindsay & Darryl, though, were quite pragmatic about the prospect of poor weather on their wedding day, which took place just prior to Covid.

“We figured that if you’re booking a wedding in spring or early summer, you probably have to cross your fingers and hope to avoid showers,” says Lindsay.

WEDDING SUPPLIERS LINDSAY & DARRYL

“If you plan a wedding in late December, though, you’re able to anticipate lower temperatures, and the probability of rain or snow, and plan accordingly. Besides, we’ve always loved Christmas and we thought this would make our day extra special.”

“The first thing we booked was Barnsdale Lodge, our wedding venue,” says Lindsay.

“We thought it’d be an ideal venue for a winter wedding. We also knew that we wanted our ceremony to take place at Knossington’s St Peter’s Church.”

Next came the search for a wedding dress, and with the couple planning a winter

“We’d always been intrigued by Abigail’s Vintage Bridal, on Oakham’s Cold Overton Road,” says Lindsay. “We’d gone past the place often and planning a wedding gave myself, mum, and my auntie Sarah the perfect opportunity have a look! She took us on a bit of a journey though time and showed us lots of different wedding dresses from the late Edwardian era right up to the 1960s.”

“The dress I fell in love with was from 1947, which was unusually luxurious given that it was a frugal time, generally. It had a zip-up back which was relatively new and on trend at the time... but impractical for a wedding dress, so Abigail replaced the zip with a button back and shortened the sleeves to a three quarter length. She also changed the neckline and made it fit me a little better.”

Lindsay & Darryl both grew up in the village of Knossington and have since moved just a few miles away. Lindsay works as a teacher at a local primary school whilst Darryl enjoys working to maintain high end sports and performance cars for Rutland Prestige.

Lindsay returned home one Monday evening to find that Darryl had been on an unexpected shopping sortie... for a ring!

“He went down on one knee at home, it was totally unexpected but absolutely wonderful!” says Lindsay. The couple began planning their wedding straight away and thought the idea of a Christmas wedding would make the festive season even more special.

wedding, Lindsay soon realised that she was going against that year’s wedding dress trends, soon struggling to find a dress with anything but short or lacy sleeves.

“She was wonderful, and with a petticoat too it was really comfortable and warm.”

Wedding Ceremony: St Peter’s Knossington, www.achurchnearyou.com Wedding Reception: Barnsdale Lodge, Exton, 01572 724678, www.barnsdalelodge.co.uk.

Wedding Dress: Abigail’s Vintage Bridal, 07729 888751, abigailsvintagebridal.co.uk Bridal Makeup: Rachel Liney, 07984 455784, www.rachelliney.co.uk.

Wedding Entertainment: 2 Gentlemen Play The Pops 07976 161626. n

“My bridesmaids wore red dresses and faux fur shrugs, and the groomsmen wore grey suits and accessorised them with red buttonholes that a friend created using pine needles and cones.”

“My mum, Alison, was a huge help throughout, and created our wedding cake. She’s a super baker but puts so many hours in that she couldn’t do it professionally because she’d never make a profit from the length of time she spends! She took ages to craft sugarart pine cones, which were really intricate but looked absolutely incredible!”

“She’s used to work in Melton Mowbray as a florist so she created my bouquet and flowers for the church.” >> 103

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WEDDINGS

>> “My friend Sarah Hatherly did the buttonholes and bridesmaids’ bouquets as well as the main table arrangements for the reception. Mum and I also knitted the Christmas stocking wedding favours, and we made home made fudge to go inside them.”

“We had about 100 guests so we were both very busy in the run up to the wedding knitting away with the TV on in the background!”

“Christian was an obvious choice, too, as our photographer. We’d seen his low light work and because we were marrying between Christmas and New Year we wanted someone who was good at working in those conditions, during shorter days or if it was a dull day.”

“As it happens we were very lucky with the weather. We had about four inches of snow, the day before, but then the sun came out so we had a crisp winter day but with a lovely blue sky, too.”

“One of the other advantages of a winter wedding is very few people RSVP-ing to say they can’t make it as they’re on holiday. Most people tend to be around at that time of year, and luckily there was nobody suffering with any winter colds, which was a concern.”

“In fact, we think it was the perfect time of year to hold a wedding. We were really pleased with how the day went and we think it was a good call to have a winter wedding instead of a mid-summer one!” n Wedding Photographer: Whitehouse Photography for studio portraits, headshots and lifestyle shoots, in association with Christian Thompson, for wedding day photography, 07989 796875, www.christianthompson.co.uk.

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FASHION

Back to Black Centre Image: Florentine Velvet top £89, trousers £89, www.phase-eight.com. Above, Clockwise: Aspinal signature shield silk scarf, 90cm, £140 www.aspinaloflondon.com; Reiss Xena strappy open back cocktail dress in black or wine £188 www.reiss.com; Black Concertina Tuxedo clutch by Paul Smith £595, www.paulsmith.com; Aspinal midi Mayfair bag in silver metallic double croc, £650 www.aspinaloflondon.com; Monolo Blahnik Lurum black satin mules, £925, www.manoloblahnik.com; Aspinal black enamel bracelet, £95, www.aspinaloflondon.com; Dior Diorissimo EDT perfume, £79.90/100ml, John Lewis, www.johnlewis.com; Karen Millen structured stretch ruffle detail dress £185 www.karenmillen.com; Christian Louboutin Kate 10cm heel, in Disco Queen silver, £565, christianlouboutin.com; Pickett of London fur and cashmere lined gloves £175, www.pickett.co.uk; Jazz drop earrings from Rubirox of Stamford £2,095, www.rubirox.co.uk.

Opposite: Left Jacinda Velvet Shift Dress, £99; right, Angelina Ruched Mini Dress, £110, Phase Eight, www.phase-eight.com.

NB: Prices are RRP and may be subject to change/promotion.

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FASHION

The Night Before Christmas Centre Image: Barbour Ellery pyjamas for ladies, in 100% grey marl, also available in pink blush, £84.95, www.barbour.com.

Clockwise from top left: Cashmere white hot water bottle from White Company, Stamford, £70; Newgate alarm clock with traditional two bell design, in chalk, £25, www.johnlewis.com; Personalised Santa sack, polar bear design, 75cm x 50cm, 100% heavy cotton £23 from local designer-maker Loveli, www.loveli.co.uk; Local designer/maker Laines eye mask, as seen in Harrods, Selfridges and Liberty of London £20, www.laineslondon.com; Neals Yard of Stamford lavender pillow mist £15/45ml; White Company of Stamford bed socks, £36; Laines slippers with Drinks Chic brooch motif, £75. Opposite: White Company, Stamford, brushed cotton pyjama set in blue stripe, £75, 01780 769192, www.thewhitecompany.com. NB: Prices are RRP and may be subject to change/promotion.

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HOLISTIC HEALTH

THE BLIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS On the night before Christmas (and certainly after it) if your tummy is of a sensitive disposition, all of that rich food – and there’s plenty of it around the festive season – can leave you feeling uncomfortable and lethargic. Maybe it’s festive over-indulgence... or perhaps it’s a symptom of IBS? Words: Ali Hutchinson.

LOOKING FORWARD to the festive season?

Turkey and all the trimmings, festive toasts with fizz and more than the odd canapé or chocolate? You’re obliged to socialise and to over-indulge, after all. That being the case, if you’re one of the estimated 20% of the UK population which suffers from IBS, you’ll know that the festive season can be a trigger and that the condition is, at best, an inconvenience. At worst, though, it’s lifechanging, stressful and debilitating.

You’ll also know that Christmas is a time when all that socialising over food and drink can wreck havoc with the condition, and that’s if you’ve already been diagnosed.

But if you haven’t been diagnosed, and have just come to accept suffering over the festive season as part and parcel of Christmas then perhaps, instead, it’s your body’s way of telling you it’s rather more sensitive to your indulgences than you believe.

After suffering with symptoms of IBS since her teens it was in her mid-40s, Ali got to grips with her issues and learnt how to manage them through diet and lifestyle.

“Around twice as many women as men experience IBS and I speak to a lot of women who experience discomfort on a daily basis. While no two people suffer the same IBS symptoms I’ve noticed some common similarities and treatments which can help.”

“Symptoms of IBS range from bloating, to diarrhoea, constipation, cramps and pain; or an intermittent mix of all of these.”

“IBS can be seen as a bit of a mystery.

There’s no single test for it and a GP will most likely diagnose it by ruling out any other potential issues, which can add to the frustration if you’re looking for answers and treatment.

If you are worried then always consult a GP before undertaking any alternative treatment as it’s important to speak to your doctor to get a proper diagnosis of IBS and to rule out anything potentially more serious.”

So where does it all begin?

“Your gut is a complex place, home to trillions of bacteria and many neurons which are constantly communicating with your brain. We often talk about ‘gut feelings,’ which is why experts in the field sometimes call the gut the ‘second brain.’

Many IBS sufferers will say that their emotions, particularly stress (and there’s plenty of that over Christmas), can make their symptoms worse. If you feel tense and stressed, it could make your digestive system tense and stressed too and exacerbate IBS symptoms. Factors such as emotional issues, diet, lifestyle and intestinal flora balance could all be playing their part too.”

How to support your gut

“Peppermint oil supplements are well documented by NHS England as helping to

alleviate IBS symptoms and could help calm muscle spasms in the gut. I also find a herbal tea containing peppermint and other gut supporting botanicals like liquorice root to soothe and calm the stomach, dandelion root to help the kidneys and sweet fennel to support the gastrointestinal tract can really help.”

Probiotics are essential to health

“Our digestive tract is the window to our health and wellbeing and adding a probiotic can make a huge difference to general health and IBS. I take a gut health product daily that contains prebiotics, probiotics and enzymes and if I go a week without it I really know about it!”

Do you get enough fibre?

“It sounds contradictory I know, but for some IBS sufferers the addition of a fibre supplement can help symptoms. Adding fibre really is trial and error in my experience. Even in a plant based diet it isn’t always possible to eat enough fibre on a daily basis so I like to supplement too. Try eating 30 different fruits and vegetables each week and see how your digestion changes.”

Eat slowly and mindfully

“Eating regular meals and being aware of every mouthful so that you slow down and chew slowly and effectively may also help sufferers. Although there is no one ‘cure’ for IBS, these tips can make a real difference over time… and perhaps lead to a happier new year.” n

Find Out More: If you’re experiencing gut issues and would like to have an informal chat to see how we might work together, please get in touch. Or if you’re struggling with perimenopause or menopause, or need support with energy levels, weight loss or weight management, book a free call via my blog www.ali-hutchinson.co.uk or email: hello@ali-hutchinson.co.uk or call 07973 843020.

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COSMETICS

As Good as Gold

ALL THAT GLITTERS REALLY IS GOLD THIS SEASON AS WE ENJOY A FINE SELECTION OF CHRISTMAS COSMETICS

1. Lip colour for kissing under the mistletoe...

5. Shimmering all season long thanks to Sisley...

Ideal for when mommy’s busy kissing Santa Claus, underneath the mistletoe, as The Ronettes saw back in 1963. If she was wearing this limited edition colour from Nars, we’d hardly blame him. Available in five stunning shades and enveloped in limited edition gold cases, the brand promises long-lasting colour, moisturising formula and a beautiful soft shimmer, £26/3.5g.

Shine like a Christmas star this season with Sisley, creators of this very pretty lip gloss.

Wear it on top of your lip colour for a glossy boost and extreme shine along with a real infusion of moisture and continuous nutrition.

Le Phyto Gloss is available in Moon, shown here, or nine other pink/red shades, in shimmer or shine formulas, £39/6.5ml.

2. Ol’ Mac is Back!

Ol’ Mac is back in town this season in the form of this super gold and plum encased palette of eight stunning eye shades. Mac’s Feast Your Eyes is a range of rich, highly pigmented pressed-powder shadows ideal for Christmas parties, £35. Mac blending brush, £22.

3. Smooth & Light...

This stunning compact will ensure you radiate a light, luminous glow all season long. Sisley’s Phyto-Poudre is available in three shades, for medium coverage and a natural finish.

Designed to blend with other products, it’s long-lasting yet lightweight, £75/12g.

6. A trio of treats for Dolce & Gabbana...

If you’re looking for the perfect festive gift the sensuous and timeless scent of Dolce & Gabbana’s The One is a gift that’ll be appreciated with every hint of bergamot, peach and lily of the valley.

This lovely set comprises 75ml EDP, plus 50ml of rich and creamy body lotion, as well as an EDP travel spray. Lovely, long lasting and feminine, £93.

4. Worth its Weight...

You’ll have to have been very good this year for Santa to treat you to La Prarie’s Pure Gold Radiance Cream, with its steep price tag. But the formula is worth its weight in gold, providing anti-ageing properties, £683 / 50ml.

n All our beauty products are available from local independent stockists unless otherwise stated, please note that prices stated are RRP and may vary.

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Residential Care

Dementia Care

Nursing Care

Quality of life in the heart of Oakham...

Residential, dementia, nursing or respite care.

Aspen Manor Care Home Barleythorpe Road Oakham LE15 6GL info@aspenmanorcarehome.co.uk www.aspenmanorcarehome.co.uk

Luxury facilties including cinema and library.

Landscaped gardens and café/bistro/bar.

Outstanding, personalised care, no hidden costs.

For a personal, no obligation tour around our beautiful new home, call 01572 494770

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ASPEN MANOR CARE HOME

Fifth Home, First Class CARE HOME NUMBER FIVE FOR ALYSIA CARING OPENS AS PRIDE GOES TO PRESS...

IT’S AN EXCITING TIME for Alysia Caring.

Founded in 2013, the company had a vision for a different kind of care home.

Eight years later, it’s proved a vision which has consistently paid off and this month the company prepares to be given the green light by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to open its fifth home, Aspen Manor, on Oakham’s Barleythorpe Road, welcoming in 80 residents and 100 members of staff.

“Our first home in Peterborough opened in 2015, followed by our Suffolk, Ipswich and Stamford ones,” says Joel Inbakumar, at the new home.

“Because we’ve built our homes from the ground up, our layout, facilities, fixtures and fittings are all chosen to suit.”

“We’re now home to 366 residents and offer everything from respite and residential care to nursing and dementia specialisms.”

“The new home will allow residents to live on the ground floor with doors out onto beautifully landscaped grounds, whilst our first and second floors are designed for residents requiring dementia care and those requiring nursing care respectively.”

“That means we can move residents up and down through our floors to adapt their care and provide access to specially trained staff like our Registered General Nurses.”

“But care is only one element of what we provide. We don’t want to create places that feel ‘clinical.’ Our new home comprises a library, cinema, café and bistro. There’s a room available for our residents to entertain up to 12 people, and the whole property has a feel more akin to a luxury hotel than a residential home. It’s a place with comfort and quality of life at its very heart.” n

Find Out More: Aspen Manor Care Home will be commissioned by the CQC on 18th October and will begin allowing residents to move in from that date.

The property is based on Barleythorpe Road, Oakham LE15 6GL. Call 01572 494770 or see www.aspenmanorcarehome.co.uk for a personal tour.

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Pride Magazine is available to read, for free, on your phone or tablet...

Enjoy the area’s finest magazines, using our App, free to download now!

Read online now at

w w w.p ridemagazi nes.co.uk You can now enjoy Pride Magazine with our app on your smartphone or tablet... completely free of charge!

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AK SPORTCARS PETERBOROUGH

Make Your Own Motor Probably the most thoughtful gift I could give the present Mrs Davis this festive season is 400 hours away from me... but how to spend that time? How about spending winter tucked up in a nice cosy garage, building your own sports car? This month we meet Wendi Freeman, who can help make work for idle hands and get all of those husbands out from under their wives’ feet...

Words: Rob Davis.

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BUILD YOUR OWN CAR

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT. Sometimes it can be quite problematic. “He was absolutely adamant he wanted the car,” says Wendi. “He wouldn’t leave the stand until we’d promised he could have it. It was our only demonstrator and it was still having some finishing touches added, I was practically begging him to reconsider, but his mind was made up.”

August 2021 saw the first British Motor Show for 13 years taking place in Hampshire.

Alongside brands like Ford (8,000 employees in the UK; £11.8bn turnover) and Vauxhall (4,029 employees in the UK; £3.1bn revenues), were Wendi Freeman, husband Jon, and fellow Director of AK Sports Cars, Dr Neil Johnson… and the car their company had made, by hand, in their Peterborough workshops. Total number of employees? 10. Annual output, about 40 cars a year for the past 30 years, making this car number 1,200… give or take.

Almost all of the company’s cars have been based on the AC Cobra, an American muscle car made for retired racing driver Carroll Shelby. But now the company is producing another Great British Le Mans car, which bears a striking resemblance to an XKSS, plus its absolutely brand new AK40 model, a beautiful homage to the Ford GT40 which broke Ferrari’s five-year Le Mans winning streak in 1966, leaving the Italians choking on their cappuccinos and using expressions significantly less polite than “Mamma Mia!” The Cobra has always been regarded with fondness by creators of sporting replicas given its many different permutations, engines and styling tweaks. The other two models are somewhat rarer subjects for reinvention and Wendi and the family hope that their triumvirate of sports cars will represent two more unique and appealing options for enthusiasts.

The customer in question, meanwhile, wouldn’t leave AK Sportscars’ motor show stand before Wendi had agreed to sell him the car they were displaying, and so they’ve had to create another demonstrator, their latest AK-427 Cobra, to replace it.

Main: Yaxley-based AK Sportscar produces its bespoke AKSS, GT40 and Cobra AK-427 models.

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It’s the car I found myself in. It felt absolutely phenomenal at first glance and just got better and better thereafter. The deep bucket-ey seats are huggy retro racing thrones with proper harnesses, not the squishy armchairs most cars come with these days. The comparatively narrow footwell is like putting your feet deep into a cosy, snug sleeping bag. Making work for idle hands is a thin-rimmed glossy polished timber steering wheel and a proper metal gear stick. Most car manufacturers these days use plastic in their cars, gussied up to look like metal but this is proper machined metal, cool to the touch.

‘Apple’ (all of Wendi’s cars get silly nicknames) is so-called because its body has been given no fewer than 13 coats of a pearlescent shade of paint for a lustrous finish which glistens from a chartreuse yellow to acid green depending on the light.

Its midnight black Bride of Weir leather is embellished with green contrast stitching.

Hidden underneath the bonnet, meanwhile, (and colour coordinated with green highlights and gold metallic ‘bling’ bonnet hinges) is a seven litre eight-cylinder engine.

That’s seven litres… or to put it another way, more than two Range Rovers worth of displacement. Um, wow.

The seeds of AK Sports Cars were sown in the mid-80s when Ken Freeman wanted to create a replica car.

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For three decades, the AK-427 Cobra has been the company’s mainstay, but the company now makes an homage to the XKSS and a new Ford GT40 model, too...

Left: The 1,000bhp engine of ‘Timmy Twin Turbo,’ is an upgrade to the ‘standard’ 500bhp AK-427!

At the time the only choices were ‘kit cars’ which use existing donor mechanicals and graft these onto new chassis and bodies. Ken wasn’t happy with the quality of any of those and decided instead to create his own pattern and moulds.

Ken enlisted his friend Alan Frew, who was in the fabrication business. He created a chassis for Ken, and the two teamed up to sell that design as a starting point to allow others to build their own car, hence AK Sportscars was born, and the company had created their own homage to the classic Cobra. Alan had other business interests and later left Ken to run the business. By the time Ken retired in 2009, his son Jon and daughter-in-law Wendi were running the

business, with Dr Neil Johnson, one of the company’s satisfied customers, also joining the team two years ago.

For three decades, then, the AK-427 Cobra has been the company’s mainstay, but in 2019, the company began production of a second model, resembling another iconic sports car, this time British, baring a passing resemblance to the XKSS, a road-going version of Le Mans’ D-Type. November 2021 will see the arrival of a new jig to begin production of a third model, based on the Ford GT40.

The company moved to a new, larger premises in September and now have a capacity to produce about 100 cars a year, about twice their current output. >> 121

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Road Legal

Roadsters >> Almost all of the company’s customers want to purchase their car in kit form to build themselves, although it is possible to order any one of the company’s three models either part-built (as a rolling chassis) or complete and ready to get in and drive.

Wendi and Jon use their AK-427 models as ‘daily drivers.’ Every one of AK Sportscars’ models must go through Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) tests to obtain their V5 documents.

“We didn’t expect the surge in business,” confesses Wendi. “In week one, all of the men in lockdown did the jobs their wives had been nagging them to do. Week two, they spent time with the kids. Week three and they began to crave a new project! Orders went through the roof, and those cars have been at various stages of construction ever since.”

“Happily we can stagger production and distribution of components to send out to our those building their cars at home – there’s about 170 ongoing builds right now. The pinch-point in our customers’ 122

journey now is at the paint shop. Many of our current customers are now ready to have their cars painted but paint shops are all so busy now.”

Prices for the company’s cars vary as enormously as the specification and scope for customisation. It is possible – with some compromises on options – to put an AK-427 Cobra in your workshop for £35,000, or have one fully built for you for about £65,000. AKSS and the new AK40 will command a bit of a premium, and if you specify engine upgrades, firmer suspension or other tweaks, it is possible to spend

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BUILD YOUR OWN CAR

Above: The cars’ chassis are fabricated in the first of three workshops, before the body shop next door creates fibreglass shells and the drivetrains are added in the third and final workshop.

between £70,000 and £100,000. Enter the dealerships of most mainstream German car makers these days and you only have to trip up over the welcome mat to incur that sort of list price, so an AK Sportscar is rather well priced, not least because they’re unique... and of course, hand-built. If you complete the build yourself, it’s even more special… it’s not your car because your purchased it; it’s your car because you made it.

Should you choose to build your car yourself, you’ll immediately become the proud owner of a slightly less sexy lever-arch file; AK Sportscars’ build manual, which is rich in pictures and instruction. >>

Prices & Options... n AK-427 Cobra: Price for self-build approx £35,000, factory builds from £65,000. n AKSS Replica: Price for complete kit approx £70,000, turnkey motors from £99,000. n Ford GT40 Replica: Price for complete kit approx £70,000, turnkey motors from £110,000. >> 123

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BUILD YOUR OWN CAR

>> You’ll also have about 400 hours of work ahead of you, tackling chapters five to 12 of the aforementioned manual. The company meanwhile, will be getting cracking in the first of three workshops.

Workshop one is where straight lengths of steel are cut and welded into one of two chassis (the later generation version is lighter and stiffer, aiding handling). The finished chassis is delivered to the customer along with a reconditioned differential and assorted donor parts from a Jaguar XJ40 series car (a 1980s or 1980s Jaguar) which required reconditioning.

Creation of the chassis takes a week per vehicle and – by design or perhaps coincidence – that’s the same time it takes for the workshop next door to fabricate a car’s bodywork from an apothecary’s potion of fibreglass, acetone and resin, finished in a sort of off-grey gel finish.

The nearside and offside flanks, bonnet and boot are completed, along with the interior floorpan and dashboard, plus ancillary body elements such as bonnet air scoops, glove compartment and so on.

Joined together, the completed composite body shell is then delivered to the customer for assembly or it’s taken to a third workshop, where assembly of the company’s own vehicles is also completed.

In-house, assembly is known as glassing on. It’s essentially the marriage of body to chassis, but between shell and chassis there’s all of the good stuff. It’s here that the company can install the engine and gearbox into the chassis, and where wheels, brakes, steering and so on are fitted, should the owner wish to forgo those jobs.

There are many engines that can be specified, from donor units from existing XJ40 cars from Jaguar models or V8 Rovers, to brand new LS-series engines made by American manufacturer Chevrolet.

Whether AK Sportscars engineer your car or you roll up your sleeves, each car must pass an IVA (Individual Vehicle Approval) test for the government to green-light its roadworthiness. If you’re using a new engine, you’ll then receive a V5 registering the vehicle as brand new. If your engine is a reconditioned one, your registration will adopt that unit’s original year of origin.

Right: Wendi & Jon’s very talented daughter Danielle can turn her hand to anything from fibreglass body creation or to welding. Most young girls have tattoos of boys’ names, but much to the couple’s relief, Danielle has chosen a tattoo of one of the company’s cars. After all, compared to young men, an AK-427 is much less likely to let her down!

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Once complete, each vehicle that XK Sportscars produces will weigh in at a modest 1,100kg and for reference a Ford Fiesta weights about the same, albeit without a potent V8 Chevy under the bonnet.

In other words, any engine you put in an AK Sportscar model will ensure it shifts… which brings us to ‘Timmy.’

Silly name and a silly amount of power.

Remember that car we mentioned, at the British Motor Show? Its moniker was Timmy (short for ‘Timmy-twin-turbo’).

The naughty boys at XK Sportscars waited until Wendi’s back was turned and strapped a couple of Xona turbochargers to the already gutsy AK-427 Cobra’s engine.

The result is a boost in engine power from around 500bhp for a ‘standard’ AK-427 to over 1,000bhp. >>

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Above: A Chevrolet LS engine on the firm’s third generation chassis, powder-coated in blue, with power steering, rack and suspension in place. Top picture shows ‘Apple.’

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>> For context, I drove to see AK Sportscars in a very ordinary car that has about 120bhp, so that’s the equivalent of having eight vehicles’ worth of power in a single car, a fraction of the kerb weight to move around, and of course, no ABS, traction control or driver aids to temper the insanity.

modern convertible car, but otherwise, the cars are easy to drive, easy to park, very usable. You can even fill the boot with more than a week’s worth of shopping or a weekend’s worth of luggage.”

I’m minded to raise the subject of electrification with Wendi, though. The overwhelming trend everywhere else in the motor industry is the replacement of combustion with current, engines with electricity. Surely muscular V8 engines run contrary to that?

“The customer insisted that we kept the power, and arrived to inspect their vehicle in a modern Ferrari that was already good for about 800bhp,” says Wendi.

“If they hadn’t been acclimatised to driving a car with such a whopping amount of power already, we’d have been very reluctant to watch them drive away in such a savage car.”

“Timmy was to have a twin (Tilly) that we would use as a technical proof of concept and a demonstrator. But when the boys returned from a test drive euphoric and our daughter Danielle – who’s a glass-fibre technician and welder with the company – just giggled after a test drive... well, being the voice of reason, I made them take the turbos off Tilly, reasoning that it was just too much power to handle. They say that ‘more is more and less is much less’ but in this case, there really is a limit to the amount of power you need, and I’ve already promised the customer that we’ll turn the boost on the turbos down, should they come to the same conclusion in the future.”

Danielle’s first taste of an AK-427 was in a car seat as a baby. Mum and dad dropped her off at school in their Cobras, and of course, she’s been thoroughly indoctrinated into the family business ever since. But the cars are hardly daily drivers… are they?

“In a modern car, you steer. In an AK, you drive. You have to feel when the car is at the limits of grip, finesse your use of throttle, gear change and clutch to drive smoothly and quietly – or to make the most of all that power on a track day. It’s back-to-basics in terms of its demand on the driver, but that’s not to say it’s uncivilised. The steering is power-assisted, and with a new engine that power delivery is still very well-engineered.”

“They’re actually really easy to live with,” says Wendi, in whose garage there’s a fast Audi estate with the typical bells and whistles, right next to an AK-427.

“On a Sunday morning, the only question I ask is whether it’s going to rain because the tonneau cover isn’t as easy to fit as pressing a button to raise a roof electrically, as on a

“Because we’re a small-volume maker, we’re more adaptable,” says Wendi. “Electrification – even of our models – is definitely coming. In fact, we’ve a few customers who have already built electric versions of our cars.

They’ve shared their insights and development with us, and we’re confident that we could already produce an electric version of any of our three models, but for now we’re holding off because the technology and experiences that our plug-in customers had had is maturing all the time. I think we’re prepared though, and it’s technically feasible to power our cars with electrified drivetrains.

In fact the instant power that electrification delivers actually quite suits the cars… the only thing missing is that V8 soundtrack.”

Of course, it’s not just the looks or oldschool power that ensures AK Sportscars’ customers fall in love with their cars.

Purchasing a car is easy. Too easy, perhaps.

Imagine, though, labouring happily over the creation of your car for 400 hours, and finally opening the garage door, turning that key and making that maiden voyage.

Anyone can buy a car… some can restore a car. But to build your car? That’s something so special that few motoring experiences can compare… one with a sense of exclusivity and visceral driving pleasure that no modern mass-produced car will ever satisfy. n

Find Out More: AK Sportscars is based on Eagle Business Park in Yaxley, Peterborough. The company produces its AK-427 Cobra, AKSS and AK40, with bespoke specification and configurations, and prices from around £35,000 to £100,000. Self-build and turnkey models available, call 01733 267633 or see www.aksportscars.co.uk for details.

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A Celebration of Multum in Parvo at the

Discover Rutland Ball THE BEST THINGS come to those who wait. For example, it’s been two whole years since the last Discover Rutland Ball.

This is the third such event and it serves as a celebration for those in the hospitality and tourism industries to get together and celebrate the county. This year, of course, it was also a chance to reflect on the past 18 months and how they’ve affected local businesses in Rutland.

“Tourism plays a very important part in the Rutland economy,” says Discover Rutland Chair Jason Allen.

“Pre-Covid it was worth £142m to the local economy and our 1.9m visitors a year directly support some 1,700 jobs. This evening is not a time to dwell too long on recent events but rather to celebrate what’s wonderful about our county. Many thanks to the Discover Rutland committee, to Tourism Officer Mary Copley and to the many individuals who have helped support the group.” n Words & Images: Rob Davis.

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The Directory To advertise here call our friendly team on 01529 469977

Kerry Stamp

INDEPENDENT

CELEBRANT WEDDINGS VOW RENEWALS HAND FASTING BABY NAMING FUNERALS MEMORIALS

CARING, PROFESSIONAL GUIDANCE

01522 887782 07533 384094 kerrystampfe@gmail.com Trained with the International College of Professional Celebrants

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