Tresco Times 2020 Yearbook

TRESCO TIMES

2020 YEARBOOK

WELCOME Our paradise awaits

Lucy, Robert, Marina andTristan Dorrien-Smith at thenew Penzance Heliport

Tresco is precious, inimitable and utterly unique because, far from just a business, it is a living, breathing community of islanders, owners and guests; a true family estate. My family has a proud history of shaping the community and modern economy of Tresco – and indeed much of Scilly. To that end, it makes me immensely proud that my children have now joined me in forming the Tresco Estate Partnership. This will ensure our family stays at the heart of the island into the future – that all-important thread running through all we do here. Of course, the most exciting development this year is the long-awaited return of the Penzance to Isles of Scilly helicopter service. As I write, final preparations are underway for the first flights in March. Our journey to this point began back in 2012; even before the thrum of rotor blades faded from the Scillonian skies, a small but dedicated group were at work planning the replacement. It is no small feat for a small group of islands just off the coast of Cornwall to become the destination for one of the world’s few scheduled helicopter services. Penzance Helicopters is the culmination

of many years of hard work, dedication and perseverance from so many – and in particular to our island community and diaspora that have so passionately supported the revival of this vital route. The difference this service will make to the social and economic future of the islands cannot be overstated. I look forward to welcoming you onboard!

Robert Dorrien-Smith

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Tresco Island

SOMEWHERE ELSE ALTOGETHER

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This year, we’re celebrating ‘40 years of Islandshare’ on Tresco - a unique opportunity to own a piece of the island. Since launching four decades ago, more than 3,500 families have made Tresco home for a week in their favourite cottage. Read on for island insights from some of our longstanding visitors...

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Cool, calm & collected

Sitting in a stunning spot overlooking Old Grimsby harbour, Seabreeze offers the perfect combination of contemporary class and breezy, beachfront living

Images: David Butler

Seabreeze is everything you could possibly wish for in a beachfront pad. It’s light, bright and airy – and boasts some of the most spectacular interior design features – making the most of its undisturbed views over Ravens Porth beach and the islands beyond. Its location, luxurious living spaces and alfresco dining opportunities are just some of the reasons Seabreeze is Tresco’s latest and greatest property.

Sitting on the water’s edge with the Ruin Beach Café and Tresco’s sailing centre just a stone’s throw away, the property’s outside space is just as important as what lies within. The private rear garden is home to a large pergola with dining area, an outdoor kitchen with barbecue and firepit, and a yoga deck perfect for sunset wellness sessions. To the front, you’ll find a first-floor balcony and ground-floor patio with a pathway sitting between Seabreeze and the golden sands.

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Inside, a maritime mood board is effortlessly mixed with modern furnishings and fabrics, with its very own Tresco wallpaper as a major talking point. Think open-plan living, plenty of entertaining space and beautiful, breezy designs everywhere you turn. Tania Streeter, interior designer at Amelia McNeil, was the brains behind the look and feel of the place. “Adam Dorrien-Smith had seen some of my work at Amelia McNeil,” says Tania. “We joined forces and created a mood board for Seabreeze. The client brief was based on casual and flexible open plan living – with the Tresco coastline as the main inspiration. “It was important to retain the cosy and charming feel of many of Tresco’s cottages – but with contemporary design features running through,” she adds. Throughout the project, Tania’s inspiration was sitting right in front of her. “There’s something oh-so magical about seawater – it makes you feel

supercharged. And with that in your eyeline, there’s so much you can do to make use of the space and views,” she says. “As you can imagine, spending time on the island triggered lots of inspiration, and the mood board came together quite effortlessly. “A statement table with poured resin and shells running through the middle of it stands centre stage in the kitchen-diner. To achieve this I worked with Richard Becher, a very talented furniture designer. Shells were gathered from the beaches of Tresco by Lucy Dorrien-Smith, along with a bag of sand. These components were then sent to Richard, who brought the vision to life. It is now one of the cottage’s main talking points and forms the heart of the home.” Other highlights inside include the Tresco-themed wallpaper by Hugo Dalton. Hugo’s creations stem from life drawings using pencil, bridging the gap between conceptual and applied art, taking the natural beauty of a landscape and transforming it into a familiar pattern. The clarity and calmness of Tresco and the surrounding Scilly islands have been a source of inspiration for Hugo for some time, so working

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on the Seabreeze project seemed like the perfect partnership for Tania. “Hugo’s wallpaper was one of the first things I ear-marked for the house,” she says. “I used the Lighthouse Palm Chelsea Green in the downstairs WC. Paired with bold, brass fittings – it looks great. I used Archipelago Tide for the upstairs landing and staircase – a beautiful abstract design encompassing island silhouettes surrounded by gently rippling water. It’s wonderfully serene and works really well with the huge window at the top of the landing looking out to sea.” Another important aspect of design in Seabreeze was the use of natural light – and carefully considering the artificial light used inside.

“The light on Tresco is ever so special – and it was important that the house reflected it in the best way possible,” says Tania. “I had seen work by Lucy Martin, founder of LightFantastic, in Quo Vadis and Barrafina in Soho and absolutely loved it. “Her lighting design is subtle and effective – and just works wonderfully in the big, breezy open spaces at Seabreeze. “When I found out her favourite place to holiday was Tresco, I just knew she would understand the project and deliver.” The wooden staircase is another design feature with a nautical nod. Its pristine beams bend round the big landing window looking out over the beach.

“The light on Tresco is ever so special – and it was important that the house reflected it in the best way possible”

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“Seabreeze was a fantastic project to work on because suppliers were singing from the same hymn sheet,” says Tania. “Nick at Llewellyn Harker Lowe designed the staircase. It looks great from every angle and its open treads and vertical oak banisters play around with the light to create some great shadows and shards of light. “This was something Lucy at LightFantastic was able to pick up on and work with.” Seabreeze effortlessly blends the inside with the outside spaces. Bi-fold doors in the open-plan living space lead out to the al-fresco dining deck and entertaining areas can be found around the firepit and in the garden itself. It’s a garden that perfectly represents life on Tresco. Calm, colourful and captivating. “The garden is a serene sanctuary of its own,” Tania smiles. “The planting was designed by Abbey Garden Curator, Mike Nelhams – as it was important to bring some of the unique plants that grow on Tresco into the grounds. “The garden also boasts an outside kitchen with a fridge, sink and BBQ.

It was built using granite boulders and a huge piece of Cornish slate for the worktop. “There is also a courtyard garden tucked away and designed as an outdoor yoga studio, complete with hidden rock speakers and bespoke shell art by Lucy Dorrien-Smith. “At the back of the garden is a firepit, perfect for after dinner drinks in the summer months. There are additional seating areas in the front garden, where guests can enjoy an early evening tipple as the twilight colours cast their glow across the Eastern Isles on the horizon.” Tania’s tasteful designs – paired with the property’s breathtaking views of the beach, seascape and beyond – make for the ultimate cottage getaway on Tresco.

For more information and rental availability, visit: tresco.co.uk/staying/seabreeze

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ISLAND EATS

Ruin Beach CaféWe lift the lid on a Ruin favourite

TRY THIS AT HOME...Creamy crab linguine with chilli and lemongrass

Serves 2

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INGREDIENTS For fish stock 1kg fish bones - flat fish, if available 1 bulb of fennel, roughly chopped 1 white onion, roughly chopped 2 sticks of celery, roughly chopped 2 star anise 1 large bunch of parsley

For the pasta dish 250g white crab meat (cooked) 500ml double cream 1 stick of lemongrass Small red chilli, finely chopped Handful of spinach 150g linguine pasta Salt and pepper to season

METHOD 1. Make a fish stock using fish bones, fennel, onion, celery, star anise and half the bunch of parsley, saving the other half for later

2. Cover ingredients with water, simmer for an hour, strain, bring to the boil and simmer again until reduced by half

3. Add double cream and lemongrass to the fish stock - simmer further until the consistency is thick and creamy and the volume has reduced by approximately half again

4. Meanwhile, cook the linguine in a separate pan

5. Remove the lemongrass from the fish stock, add the white crab meat, spinach, parsley and chilli

6. Mix together and season

7. Add the cooked linguine to the sauce mixture, fold well and serve

For more information, visit:tresco.co.uk/ruin

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AT THE HELM

James Jones, Head Chef at Ruin Beach Café

Laid-back Scilly vibes meet modern Mediterranean flavours at the wonderfully rustic Ruin Beach Café, where James Jones heads up the kitchen

THE SOUTH WEST HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF MY DNA…I’ve always worked in hotels in the South West. I was in Cornwall beforeI made Tresco home three years ago. When I took the job, I had no ideahow to get here. In the end it took me eight hours on the freight boat -something I now realise is far from a regular occurrence, but wascertainly an adventure!

I MADE MY STAMP BY…Gradually changing the menu and experimenting with produce andrecipes. Island life requires lots of flexibility and creativity – particularlyin the kitchens. You have to be clever with ingredients as deliveries donot come thick and fast on a daily basis, as they might in other situations.

WE DON’T TAKE OURSELVES TOO SERIOUSLY AT THE RUIN…We champion ourselves on creating laid-back, sharing dishes for sociabledining – with a touch of Mediterranean style. Guests can expect platters,pizzas, English classics and seafood specialities such as the crab linguine –a real crowd favourite.

THE LAID-BACK, BEACH VIBE IS EVIDENT IN EVERYTHING FROM THE DISHES TO THE DECOR…The Ruin is a place you can stumble into straight from the beach, kickoff your flip-flops and indulge – whether that’s with a colourful cocktail,a salad bowl in the sun or a pizza party with friends as the sun setsover Tresco.

OUR PRODUCE IS FRESH, FEEL-GOOD AND WE FIND MUCH OF IT HERE ON THE ISLES OF SCILLY…We get as much as we can from Bryher when it comes to fruit, vegand seafood such as crab and lobster. We also source what we canfrom our very own Abbey Garden - pumpkins, courgettes, rocket,parsley and what have you.

WHEN I’M NOT WORKING IN THE RUIN KITCHEN…I like to fully embrace life on Tresco. The Low Tide Events in the springand summer months is a great thing to get involved in. You’ll often findme out in the channel in my chef whites, shorts and wellies.Sometimes we’ll cater for celebrations, barbecues and private parties too;and in the school holidays we’ll host pizza-making workshops and handsonactivities for the kids.

FAMILY TIME MEANS…Beach days! We always make an effort to enjoy our fantastic surroundings,and I guess I get to enjoy that in the workplace too – the Ruin is in anenviable location.We’re very lucky with the climate throughout the seasons here, so asa family we like to spend much of our free time out in the garden orexploring the other islands.

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A gin thing

Westward Farm, Tresco Abbey Garden Gin, St Agnes, Isles of

Scilly, 40% vol, 35cl

Our Tresco Abbey Garden gin is inspiredby the diverse array of beautiful plantsfound in the sub-tropical island gardens.We worked closely with WestwardFarm to select aromatic and exoticspecies and distilling them alongside

more conventional gin botanicals.The hero ingredient is the tiny,

fragrant foliage of the handsomeSouth African confetti bush,

Coleonema - deliveringlingering savouring notes ofpine and citrus, both uniqueand delicious. The result is asophisticated and complexgin, perfect in a Martini or

with tonic.

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Tresco tipples

Try this at home…

Trescotini

INGREDIENTS 60ml Tresco Abbey Garden gin 10ml white vermouth (Martini

Bianco/Noilly Prat) Lemon peel

Coleonema sprig

METHOD 1. Cool a Martini glass with ice

2. Add Tresco Abbey Garden gin and Martini to shaker

3. Shake and fine strain into the cooled Martini glass

4. Garnish with a twist of lemon peel and colonema sprig

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