Absolutely Buckinghamshire October 2023

Over 30 pages of inspiration and insight

Time to CHANGE

MOVE INTO AUTUMN WITH JANE AT AMBERS OF AMERSHAM

PLUS

Buckinghamshire STYLISH / INTELLIGENT / ELEGANT

FAMILY AFFAIRS The Beaconsfield dads on their touching surrogacy journey GERRARDS CROSS Mixing with the A-list at the county's mini Hollywood SPEAKING OUT Bucks-born Malin Andersson on Love Island, trauma and crystals

NEW KOLLEKTION

DESIGN YOU CAN FEEL

LOCATED AT BATTERSEA REACH, HARRODS, FINCHLEY ROAD, NOTTING HILL, TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD, WESTFIELD LONDON, GUILDFORD, BENTALLS KINGSTON, FENWICK BRENT CROSS AND ST ALBANS

STAY IN BED

The ultimate luxury is taking time to unwind in a bed so comfortable that you never want to leave

Bed: Sandö I Fabric: The Romo Group’s Jackie Dalmatian I Rug: Light Beige I Bed Linen: Vindstilla I Bedside table: Holme I Headboard: Rivö I Bed legs: Reling MADE BESPOKE WITH FABRICS FROM AND

WIGMORE STREET I LONDON W1U 1P I

MARYLEBONE@CARPEDIEMBEDS.CO.UK I +44 (0) 20 3982 3252 I CARPEDIEMBEDS.CO.UK

COPENHAGEN GOTHENBURG LONDON SEOUL STOCKHOLM ZURICH AND OTHER FINE LOCATIONS

: Doctor Nyla is a skin specialist, trusted by TV personalities, well-known celebrity figures and some of Britain’s most familiar faces in the media industry. Founder and Medical Director of Doctor Nyla Medispa is a

WHY DR NYLA : Doctor Nyla is a skin specialist, trusted by TV personalities, well-known celebrity figures and some of Britain’s most familiar faces in the media industry. Founder and Medical Director of Doctor Nyla Medispa is a highly respected and much sought after cosmetic Dermatology GP. Dr Nyla is a winner of Best Cosmetic Clinic 2019 to 2020 and a nomination for Best Cosmetic Doctor 2021.

treatments with truly exceptional results, she has gained the admiration of the industry. Over

With the largest Exilis Elite skin tightening in the UK, alongside the 2nd largest CoolSculpting clinic in Europe. Dr Nyla is considered one of the top cosmetic doctors in the country. Having practised medicine for over 20 years and having personally delivered over 200,000 treatments with truly exceptional results, she has gained the admiration of the industry. Over her 20 years in medical aesthetics.

GET YOUR SKIN AUTUMN READY

GET YOUR SKIN AUTUMN READY

During seasonal changes our skin gets affected, with a sharp drop in temperature marking the start of the change in seasons, autumn weather can wreak havoc on any skin type. What our skin needs during the summer is different to what the skin needs during the winter.

During seasonal changes our skin gets affected, with a sharp drop in temperature marking the start of the change in seasons, autumn weather can wreak havoc on any skin type. What our skin needs during the summer is different to what the skin needs during the winter.

My Dr Nyla skincare range has been designed to be used all year round it combines a range of targeted skincare and electronic devices. Combining the latest skincare science and leading UK dermatologist Dr Nyla’s renowned expertise. The perfect fusion of science, medicine and creativity, underpinned with a meticulous precision. All ingredients have been carefully considered and chosen to work together to create a strong overall efficacy. Consciously created results-driven products by one of the UK’s leading Dermatologists to compliment the Dr Nyla Medispa treatments.

My Dr Nyla skincare range has been designed to be used all year round it combines a range of targeted skincare and electronic devices. Combining the latest skincare science and leading UK dermatologist Dr Nyla’s renowned expertise. The perfect fusion of science, medicine and creativity, underpinned with a meticulous precision. All ingredients have been carefully considered and chosen to work together to create a strong overall efficacy. Consciously created results-driven products by one of the UK’s leading Dermatologists to compliment the Dr Nyla Medispa treatments.

EDITOR

MARK KEBBLE

ART DIRECTOR

PAWEL KUBA

SENIOR DESIGNERS

MIKE ROBERTS

SUZETTE SCOBLE

MIDWEIGHT DESIGNER

CARMEN GRAHAM

JUNIOR DESIGNER

JOE MUNSEY

PRODUCTION MANAGER

DANICA BRODIE

GROUP SALES MANAGER - SOUTH

ABIGAIL GARDNER

MEDIA CONSULTANTS

LOUISE PEARSON, STELLA ADAMS

FINANCIAL DIRECTOR

JERRIE KOLECI

CREDIT CONTROL MANAGER

ALEXANDRA HVID

DIRECTORS

CRAIG DAVIES, LEAH DAY, JAMES FUSCHILLO

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

ALEXANDRA HUNTER

MANAGING DIRECTOR

SHERIF SHALTOUT

LETTER Editor’s

My honeymoon to St Lucia, just over a decade ago now, was memorable for a host of reasons. There was the fact I was completely drained on a post-wedding comedown, the night we were nearly swept out of cliffside hotel room when a hurricane struck, and the main event – being able to see the Pitons in the flesh. Why? Because they played a key scene in Superman II. Visiting locations that have been in some of my favourite films has always been something of a hobby. Think of my excitement, then, when to mark this month's Absolutely Home special I ventured to the windmill from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which you can now actually buy. If only I had a spare £9m lying around...

That forms just one part of our bumper special, which covers everything from designer interviews to the latest must-have trends, with plenty of local businesses offering up their top tips too. It's not all looking to the future, either, as a new book shows how Victorian design is in demand.

Next issue we turn our attentions to weddings, and just in case my introduction has made you question St Lucia, it shouldn't. It was stunning and everything that a honeymoon should be. Anything that's good for Superman is fine by me

5

Stuart & Francis

On why they shared their surrogacy journey (p20)

4

Interiors Products

Handsome damson inspiration (p101)

MARK KEBBLE EDITOR

Wish LIST

10 things we Absolutely love

COMPILED BY PENDLE HARTE

GREEN LIGHT

IKKS' pledge to stop using virgin polyester by 2025 is part of the brand's commitment to improving its carbon footprint in pursuit of real responsibility

in the fashion industry. ikks.com

MELLOW YELLOW

Eberjey's pyjamas are offi cially the so est and most comfortable. We love this yellow set in jersey. eberjey.com

LIPS INC

Anya Hindmarch has designed a delightfully dinky and highly collectible leather Carmex coin purse, perfect for storing your lip balm, £225. anyahindmarch.com

LIME LIGHT

Zou Zou is a compact cross-body bag with two tassles for extra pizazz. It fits all of the essentials and is handcra ed by skilled European artisans using the fi nest nappa bubble lambskin.

tissafontaneda.com

Brodie is a boundary-pushing luxury clothing brand. Originating in Yorkshire, from a long family lineage steeped in cashmere manufacturing, the focus is on a responsible supply chain. brodiecashmere.com

ON THE NAIL

Chanel's new Codes Couleur limited edition Mirror, Brush Set and Nail Files have been created in the brand's bright nail polish, Le Vernis Colours. chanel.com

LEMON AID

This Lemonade Ceramic vase brings an amazing pop of colour to any room and is perfect for both fresh and dried fl owers. thehappyblossoms.com

GOLDEN HUE

Shine in this stunning, scalloped edge lacey bodysuit with deep, plunging neckline, low back and ribbon neck ties. Sizes XS-L, £120. odettelingerie.co.uk

WAVE HELLO

We love this fun and cheerful yellow mirror with its statement wavy edge. Use on its own to brighten up a wall, or style with prints and other mirrors. roseandgrey.co.uk

BEACH CLEAN

Reina Olga is a female-led luxury swimwear brand using mostly recyled fabrics, biodegradable fabrics and small runs. reinaolga.com

CULTURE

QUITE THE FRIGHT CHALK

Celebrate Halloween at Chalk, a wicked night of devilish entertainment. Themed inside and out with ghosts, ghouls and things that go bump in the night. With live performance and music, there is something to capture the interest of everyone. Their guest DJ will keep the horrifying party going until early hours, and guests should dress to impress. chalkrestaurants.com

The Agenda

OCTOBER'S HOTTEST EVENTS

COMEDY

Jen Brister

14 OCTOBER, THE CONCERT HALL, READING

If middle age has taught Jen Brister anything, it’s that optimism does not come naturally to her. In fact it’s fair to say that her cup is very much half empty and she’s making no attempt to fill it. Can Jen work against her natural instincts and finally see the light? Don't miss the chance to see one of the UK's brightest comic talents.

jenbrister.co.uk

FAMILY

Buzzwangling Beasts

21-29 October

ROALD DAHL MUSEUM

Discover some buzzwangling beasts this October half-term. Join in with storytelling from Revolting Rhymes, make your own beast battlecards as you explore the museum and join in with clay and junk modelling workshops. You can also pop into the Ideas Zone to help test out some potential new museum displays. roalddahlmuseum.org

FAMILY

The Panto Express

25 November-17 December

BUCKS RAILWAY CENTRE

Enjoy a visit from Father Christmas on board the steam train - Santa's Grotto with a di erence! All children receive a gift personally from Father Christmas. Plus, enjoy the mini family pantomime Beauty and the Beast, brought to you by a professional touring theatre company. Pre-booking is essential for this event, see more on their website. bucksrailcentre.org

EVENT

Maidenhead Comic Con

1 October

BRAYWICK LEISURE CENTRE

A super fun, family friendly event full of all things film, TV, comic con and toys, including plenty of people in costume and much more. There will also be retro gaming, face painting, board and card gaming areas, movie cars on display and lots of exhibitors selling everything from Star Wars to Stranger Things. strikingevents.com/maidenhead

Spills & THRILLS

Local Halloween events that have the kids and adults covered

ART

CRAFTED

Until 7 October

DISCOVER BUCKS MUSEUM

CRAFTED is an exhibition of unique contemporary crafts. Discover a fabulous collection of designer-led art works exclusively handmade using a wide range of materials and techniques. The airy art gallery will provide the perfect backdrop for each maker to display the best of their work and, for some makers, their much larger pieces or collections. discoverbucksmuseum.org

Month’s Must See

HALF TERM FUN

THROUGHOUT OCTOBER, CORN EXCHANGE NEWBURY

This half term at Corn Exchange Newbury there’s something for everyone.

Young music fans can experience the joy of a live concert at Pop Princesses (Sun 22 Oct) or join them for wizarding fun at Spontaneous Potter Kidz/Adults (Mon 23 Oct, 2.30pm & 7.30pm). There is family ballet in Ballet Cymru’s Roald Dahl’s Little Red Riding Hood & The Three Little Pigs (Thu 26 Oct) and conjuring capers in Morgan & West’s Massive Magic Show for Kids (Sat 28 Oct). cornexchangenew.com

Stonor Park’s spine-tingling Halloween event, The Moon Witch’s Halloween Adventure, takes place from 18-29 October. The 850-year-old estate near Henley-on-Thames encourages brave explorers to follow the trail at Tumblestone Hollow adventure playground, where they can decipher clues and uncover secrets, completing the trail in Stonor’s formal gardens and receiving a spook-tacular edible prize. Visitors can also sink their teeth into traditional Halloween pumpkin carving, choosing their favourite from the dedicated Pumpkin Patch.

Pumpkin Parade, at Lowndes Park on 28 October, will feature autumnal games, competitions, and great food. The Pumpkin Parade is a fabulous chance to have some family fun in the green heart of Chesham. The highlight of the afternoon will be the Illumination Ceremony at sunset, when everyone is invited to light their carved pumpkins, and place them along the main avenue in Lowndes Park

At Stubbings Nursery from 26-28 October, Professor Fredericks, will guide you on a journey with tales of ghosts and supernatural sightings. Join him on a walk around the grounds of the old Manor house. Included in the ticket price will be a light dinner in the Café, along with a 25-30 minute walk round the Stubbings’ private grounds. Book online at stubbingsnursery.co.uk.

And one for the older crowd, on 28 October the High Spirits Cocktail Company in Reading host a Harry Potter Halloween. Prepare to be enchanted as the bar transforms into a bewitching haven straight out of the Harry Potter universe to cast a spell on your senses.

“It's been an amazing emotional and spiritual adventure”

His name is RIO

Beaconsfield-based YouTube and TikTok stars

Stuart Armfield and Francis Haugen on the joys of family life after struggling to become legal parents of their son

By NATALIE LI

The simplicity of building sandcastles and searching for bees and bugs with their son Rio is pure bliss for Stuart Armfield and Francis Haugen. They knew from early on in their relationship that they wanted to raise a child together, but the couple were under no illusion about how complicated the surrogacy journey would be.

Their dream finally came true in November 2021 when they welcomed Rio into their Beaconsfield home. “We’ve had the best two years of our life and learned a lot about ourselves,” says 36-year-old Francis.

“The main thing is being able to experience the first of everything – going on holiday, the developmental stages, seeing through Rio’s eyes is magical. It’s been an amazing emotional and spiritual

adventure – sharing our journey online has opened us up to the world.”

Stuart nods. “The unexpected thing about parenting is that no-one prepares you for running your whole life with just one hand! But we only see the positives, we wanted this so much. You enjoy the hard days, the good days – we are grateful that we’re in a time where a gay couple can have a family.”

The couple, who adore living near Beaconsfield, joined social media platform TikTok in 2019 and have since amassed over a million followers. Their endearing and light-hearted videos on YouTube provide a glimpse into their surrogacy journey, daily adventures with Rio and their experience of same-sex parenting – it’s easy to see why they’ve touched so many hearts.

“Our daily vlogging kicked off when Rio was born. I love documenting how he has grown. Suddenly the channel exploded,” remembers 39-year-old Stuart. “We started sharing our story online because when we

were investigating the surrogacy process, we couldn’t find anyone speaking about it. I would love to help other people, it’s a topic that the LGBTQ+ community would love to explore, but maybe have no idea where to start.”

The couple have since inspired and supported many gay couples including former Made in Chelsea star Ollie Locke and husband Gareth who have twins. “We had a bigger story to tell, it’s not just about our daily lives. It’s about representation in our space. We get so much love; it really has shocked me,” says Stuart. “Of course, we receive negativity, but we understand that everyone is looking at life through different goggles, so these comments don’t affect us.”

“It’s been an uplifting experience and even if comments are negative, we are not here to be controversial – we’re here to be joyful. Social media is just a snapshot. The biggest compliment is when people meet us and say we’re the same as we are on social media. It’s important to be authentic,” adds Francis.

“If I were younger and saw a couple like us it would have been inspiring,” adds Stuart. “Neil Patrick Harris was the first gay man I felt I could relate to – he had twins via a surrogate in 2010. If people see and hear these stories, they’ll believe they can do it too.”

The former musical theatre performers met through work and left West London for Buckinghamshire in 2020 and embarked on their surrogacy journey in America. “The whole process is a minefield, we were scared,” admits Stuart. “We decided to do the process in the US because of the UK laws, we wanted to be more in control. We created our embryos in the US and while we were halfway through the process our good friend Sam said she’d love to be our surrogate. We were both shocked. We flew Sam over to the US to have the embryo transfer and Rio was born in Wrexham, Wales.”

Their second child was born in August after their friend Carly offered to have the embryo transfer. “We have such wonderful women in our lives, they are unbelievably selfless, kind humans as well as their husbands – they made our dream happen.”

Their journey hasn’t always been the smoothest, with the couple enduring an eight-month battle to gain a parental order to become legal parents of Rio. Current UK laws state that an intended parent must apply for a parental order to become the legal parent of the child. “It was a real challenge. We are lucky to live in the UK where the surrogacy laws are far more progressive than European countries, but the laws are still archaic,” explains Stuart.

“A surrogate is classed as the birth mother and her husband as the father. Rio had an infection in his first six months and the doctors wanted to do a lumbar puncture. Thankfully it wasn’t needed, but if it had our surrogate Sam would have had to travel from Wales.

“We attended three hearings, and it was honestly a scary process to gain legal responsibility of our son. In a way we’re glad it happened so we can shed light on this issue and share our story to help others.” Planned reforms to surrogacy laws are in review to ensure that the child’s parents be given legal responsibility from the moment the baby is born.

Today family life in Buckinghamshire is everything the couple dreamed of. “There’s plenty of great schools and we’re only a short train ride to London,” smiles Stuart. “We didn’t realise just how great it was until we lived here. It’s our favourite place and perfect for this point in our lives. We love doing an activity with Rio every day – he loves the local parks, gymnastics and visiting a trampolining park in High Wycombe.”

The couple reveal that they play to their own strengths: Francis is “more

organised” and “structured”, while Stuart is better at “being in the moment”. As we chat the pair are optimistic that the arrival of their second baby will be much easier. “I feel like last time we had all the gear and no idea,” smiles Stuart.

Their plan is to continue sharing their journey, travels, and adventures on social media platforms, but they believe there is a “bigger story to tell”. “Our main priority is that our children are always safe and while we love sharing content about our daily lives, we feel we have to raise awareness around surrogacy and its challenges,” says Francis.

“By sharing our story we hope to allow people to see the beauty of surrogacy. The intention is to change people’s hearts and minds by just ‘being’. When something is visible, I feel it becomes less scary.”

See more on TikTok @stuartandfrancis

STUART ARMFIELD AND FRANCIS HAUGEN

HAPPY FAMILIES

“We hope to allow people to see the beauty of surrogacy”

BEACONSFIELD IS HOME

Poggenpohl has 17 points of sale throughout the UK & Ireland · uk@poggenpohl.com

For your nearest Poggenpohl Studio please go to www.poggenpohl.com

Get to know… MIKE BAGSHAW

CO-FOUNDER OF CITIZEN SPRITZ – A BRAND NEW INNOVATIVE, ALCOHOL FREE SPRITZ BRAND – AND NEWBURY LOCAL

Interview by MARK KEBBLE

Q What inspired you to launch Citizen Spritz?

A The idea and inspiration for Citizen Spritz was sparked during lockdown. I'm a keen craft brewer, and I've been brewing beer as a hobby for many years. During lockdown, my wife pointed out that, like many others, we were perhaps drinking a little bit too much beer and wine. I didn’t want to stop drinking alcohol completely, but I thought it would be great to have a fantastic alcoholfree product that you could use to moderate your intake. That was where it all began.

I’ve known my business partner Mark for years, and this was something we both felt the market needed. We were both completely underwhelmed and disappointed with the quality of alcohol-free products available at the time. Things have improved a lot, especially beer, but we found that the majority of the alcohol-free options, such as cocktails and spirits, were just not great and felt like a disappointment. We found that the majority just didn’t have the complexity of flavour that alcoholic drinks tend to have, and they were often laden with sugar too. We believed we had the knowledge, passion and expertise to create something better, using flavour technology and building it from the ground up using natural essences and extracts. Citizen Spritz was born and Mark and I got to work!

Q How do you come up with the flavour combinations?

A We have a portfolio of four Spritz Mix flavours that deliver a range of tastes from bitter, zesty and fresh, to sweet and sharp. The first flavour was our signature, the Bitter Orange. This was really about Aperol and the popularity of

THE AWARD-WINNING BITTER ORANGE

spritzes and the bitter notes. We started with the prosecco flavour, which we built on to create the ultimate bitter orange spritz. The next flavour to be developed was Cool Lime, inspired by your classic Mojito or Cuba Libre kind of drink. We loved the addition of Pink Grapefruit because it was such a refreshing flavour that still has a grown-up twist and is very on-trend. Passion fruit is very popular in the flavour industry and adding a sweet option to the range made sense, so our Passion Fruit Spritz mix was the last one to complete the range, inspired by the equally popular, Pornstar Martini.

Q What did it mean to you to win Gold at the World Alcohol-Free Awards?

A We were absolutely delighted when we were awarded Gold for the Bitter Orange flavour. We really believe in our products and the Bitter Orange is my personal favourite. We love what we have created and we were confident that we had created something special when we launched the brand at the start of the year, but it is so rewarding when others love it too!

Q Are there places in or around Newbury you head to for getting away from it all?

A I love to get out in nature and tend to choose local places to visit as I've got some very nice walks near to me. Wash Common,

where the Battle of Newbury was, is one of my favourite spots. I love the freedom of the sprawling meadows, and really enjoy walking there. I also like to go up to Thatcham and walk around the lake to get away from it all. Another favourite is Combe Gibbet, which is the highest point around Newbury. It's lovely to go up there, enjoy the views and chill out.

I really love going up to Yattendon, which is just about 15-20 minutes from where we live and is absolutely fantastic. I love going to the Bull, The Bladebone and The Pot Kiln. I like The Tap Room too, which is a fantastic bar at independent brewery Renegade, and also happens to stock Citizen Spritz.

My other favourite spots are my local cricket club, which is within walking distance and lovely in the sunshine on the weekends. I'm a passionate rugby player, so I play a little bit of touch rugby a couple of times a week. I spend quite a lot of my time at my rugby club on Monks Lane and I'll go up there to watch the first team play and participate in the odd old boys game myself.

My son also plays in the under-15s, so it’s great to be involved together.

Q Where do you want to take Citizen Spritz?

A We really believe in the product and we would absolutely love to see Citizen Spritz in every bar around the world one day. We think Citizen Spritz plays an important role in helping people to moderate, as it provides people with that lovely little adult sophisticated ‘in-between drink’ when you’re saving yourself for a glass of wine with your dinner. It’s also perfect for those who are abstaining entirely from alcohol, which is becoming more common.

We are delighted with the range we have created, but we know it’s important for us to not sit still. As an independent brand, we've still got lots of work to do to continue to build the brand and to get it out to as many people as possible. Creating a brand is a journey with many steps, however, it's been really well received so far. The numbers to our website are steadily growing and we have had some amazing feedback. We are working to secure further stockists to ensure Citizen Spritz is available far and wide and we have lots of other exciting plans for the brand in the next 12-18 months.

citizenspritz.com

“We would love to see Citizen Spritz in every bar”

THERE'S LOT TO ENJOY IN THE AREA

THE POT KILN IS A FAVOURITE

NEWBURY

THE CITIZEN SPRITZ RANGE

THERE’S SEEING SPARKLE FROM YOUR WINDOW, THEN THERE’S

WATCHING THE MAGIC ABOVE

KIDS GO FREE

FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR FAMILY RACEDAY SATURDAY 4 TH NOVEMBER

AN EXHILARATING FAMILY AFFAIR, THE JUMPS SEASON RETURNS WITH A BANG AT THIS POPULAR RACEDAY WITH PLENTY OF EXCITEMENT ON AND OFF THE TRACK.

VISIT ASCOT.COM FOR TICKETS

Glitterati & GREEN SPACES

Absolutely

By ROSALIND SACK

It was the height of the Swinging Sixties and the streets of Gerrards Cross were heaving with excited pop fans and press photographers, keen to glimpse the famous bride and groom. Scottish songstress Lulu was marrying Bee Gee Maurice Gibb and all eyes were on St James’s Church, where they would take their vows. While the marriage lasted a mere four years, the striking Byzantine-style church remains a prominent landmark in the Buckinghamshire town, which has seen an evolving clientele of celebrities walk in its shadow over the years. The close proximity of Gerrards Cross to leading film and television studios including Pinewood Studios and Ealing Studios, as well as the former Denham Film Studios and the old Television Centre in White City, once earned the area its standing as a ‘Mini Hollywood’.

HOLLYWOOD ROSTER

Acclaimed Oscar-winning actors Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier made their home in the town, as did actress Dame Margaret Rutherford who, alongside her husband actor Stringer Davis, is interred at the graveyard of St James’s Church. Since then, musicians, presenters and actors including the likes of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, Noel Gallagher, Cheryl Cole, Fern Britton and Cilla Black have all lived in the area. While barrister and human rights activist Amal Clooney and former deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab grew up in Gerrards Cross.

With its charming backdrop of historic houses, beautiful woodland and picturesque countryside, Gerrards Cross and its neighbouring towns and villages have also provided filming locations for many muchloved British films and television series. Nearby Stoke Park estate in Stoke Poges – a commanding white Georgian mansion house, championship golf course and Capability Brown landscaped parkland – is one such location. In his 1910 book, The Golf Courses of the British Isles, Bernard Darwin (grandson of the great Charles Darwin) wrote of the 18th century mansion: The clubhouse is a gorgeous palace, a dazzling vision of white stone, of steps and terraces and cupolas, with a lake in front and imposing trees

in every direction. Now a luxury hotel, the estate is temporarily closed for renovation.

From action movies Layer Cake (2004) and RocknRolla (2008), to romcoms Wimbledon (2004) and Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001), Stoke Park has featured. Although it was its appearances in James Bond classics Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and Goldfinger (1964) that are most fondly recalled. Notably, the infamous golf battle between Sean Connery’s Bond and Goldfinger, which culminated in typical 007 drama on the 18th hole.

Stoke Park has become synonymous with both drama and glamour. Next year marks the 20th anniversary of The Boodles tennis event, held in an intimate, purposebuilt stadium on the estate every June. Here, the world’s top players prepare for Wimbledon, while spectators can mingle with the tennis elite, sip champagne and browse Boodles’ luxurious jewellery.

Also attracting its fair share of notable actors over the years is Bulstrode Park; a 38-acre estate featuring an imposing Grade II listed mansion dating back to the 17th century. It has appeared in the likes of Maleficent (2014), starring Angelina Jolie, and cult classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1971), as well as longrunning television series Midsomer Murders. Prior to this it served as a military hospital during the First World War, before becoming the training headquarters for the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force during World War II.

THE BRIGHTON OF BUCKS

In fact, it is alongside Bulstrode Park that the first signs of a settlement were found in Gerrards Cross. The double-ramparted Iron Age hillfort of Bulstrode Camp – the

looks at how Gerrards

Cross and its surroundings areas has become highly desirable to many

GOLDFINGER

BURNHAM BEECHES

THE BOODLES

largest hillfort in Buckinghamshire – is thought to date back to 400 BC and has been preserved as an ancient monument and open space for public use.

Evidence suggests that during the Roman period, the Gerrards Cross area was used for manufacturing pottery. While throughout the Anglo Saxon and Medieval ages, the land was divided between several manors and was largely rural, dominated by the Common, with a few dispersed farms and cottages. By the late 18th-early 19th centuries, Gerrards Cross and Chalfont Common was becoming a sought-after rural haven for the wealthy, earning its nickname, the ‘Brighton of Bucks’.

In 1861, Gerrards Cross was recognised as a place in its own right when a new parish was formed, carved out from several neighbouring parishes. And when the train line arrived in 1906 and, with it, the opening of the station at Gerrards Cross, the town’s development surged, aimed at London’s upper middle classes.

Dubbed by The Times as a ‘bastion of Middle England’, it’s easy to see why Gerrards Cross remains a popular town for commuters into the capital. With fast transport links and a village feel, it offers a leafy escape from the city, not to mention some excellent schools. The woodland and charming ponds of the town’s East and West Commons are picture postcard pretty, while the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is on the doorstep. Picturesque country parks and gardens are in rich supply here too, including Langley Country Park with its serpentine lake and arboretum; Denham Country Park, part of the vast and varied Colne Valley Regional Park,

with the rivers Colne and Misbourne flowing through it; and Black Park with its woodland trails and Go Ape treetop ropes course. The beautifully manicured Grade I listed Stoke Poges Memorial Gardens is also a popular spot, as is nearby Burnham Beeches nature reserve, which is especially beautiful in autumn.

A CUT ABOVE

Back in the heart of the town, Gerrards Cross Sports Club provides both tennis and cricket facilities, while the town’s ‘high street’ along Packhorse Road is thriving. The likes of Winser London, Blush and Heidi & Hudson boutiques sit alongside the ever-popular and ubiquitous COOK shop and Gail’s bakery. While the Gerrards Cross bookshop was reopened this summer after refurbishment by comedian and children’s author David Walliams.

On the culinary front, Gerrards Cross’ Malik’s Express Kitchen was crowned the Best Takeaway in the country at the most recent British Curry Awards. While the town’s charming Three Oaks pub has been recognised for serving fantastic food at reasonable prices and awarded a Bib Gourmand by the Michelin Guide.

Living up to its ‘Mini Hollywood’ moniker, Gerrards Cross is also home to Buckinghamshire’s oldest cinema, the Everyman, which first opened in 1925 and was originally known as The Playhouse. Its luxurious sofa seating and extensive food and cocktail menu sets it apart from your typical multiplex. And, who knows, settle in for a showing and you might just spot the local neighbourhood on the big screen.

WHAT’S ON IN October

Chiltern Kills Crime Writers Festival

7 OCTOBER

This inaugural crime writers’ festival at Colston Hall features some of the biggest names in UK crime writing, celebrity TV moderators and plenty of entertainment. Ticket sales in aid of Centrepoint young homeless charity. chilternkills.com

Cooper’s Markets

8 OCTOBER

Visit and buy from an array of artisan food and drink producers from in and around the Chilterns at this market on Station Road. Takes place on the second Sunday of every month. coopersmarkets.com/the-chilternsartisan-markets/gerrards-cross-market

An Evening with Jonas Kaufmann

12 OCTOBER

Experience this charismatic tenor’s gala concert recorded live in the magical setting of Arena di Verona at this one-off showing at the Everyman cinema. everymancinema.com

Gerrards Cross Christmas Extravaganza

18 NOVEMBER

Taking place along Packhorse Road, this annual event features the Christmas lights switch on, as well as a funfair, Christmas market, food and drink stalls, late-night shopping and Santa’s grotto. gerrardscross.gov.uk/council_ events/gx-christmas-festival

ST JAMES’S CHURCH

TASTY FARE FROM MALIK’S

Autumnal glow

A look at what’s on this month at National Trust sites across Buckinghamshire and Berkshire

WADDESDON

Waddesdon’s summer bedding plants last well into autumn, o ering bright pops of colour on the Parterre and at the Aviary. Tropical planting in Tropical Mound and at Red Lion Steps will also keep colour and greenery in the gardens and be sure to visit the proud 3D pheasant at the Aviary.

As October approaches, collect conkers from the magnificent horse chestnut trees and see the grounds transform as the trees blaze with magnificent hues of orange, gold and red.

WHAT’S ON

Catherine Goodman –

Do you remember me…

Until 29 October, Wed-Sun 11am-5pm

New works by Catherine Goodman

displayed in the Coach House Gallery, inspired by the island of Corfu.

Alice’s Wonderlands

Until 29 October

Exhibition showing how Alice put her own stamp on Waddesdon both before and after she inherited the house from her brother Ferdinand.

Haunted Half Term

21-29 October - 10am-5pm

Free entry to children throughout half term. They can take part in a fact-filled Trick or Treat Skeleton Trail and collect a spooky prize. Join Zoolab for their Creepy Critters show on 21/22 October, or watch some classic family films in the Powerhouse. Face painters in residence on 28/29 October.

STOWE

WADDESDON

CLIVEDEN

CLIVEDEN

The hot and cold borders in the Forecourt in front of the hotel at Cliveden and also the borders in the Long Garden look wonderful well into autumn. The specimen trees in the Water Garden flame into life and then the colour transitions to the woodlands on their plateau high above the Thames. The avenues and paths become framed with bright oranges, reds and yellows with far-reaching views over the Thames and beyond.

WHAT’S ON Autumn Trail

Until 30 November

Be an autumn explorer and grab a free, self-led trail map. Become a leaf detective, look out for animals and birds, and help gather the leaves for compost.

Half Term Scarecrow Festival

21-29 October

Cliveden’s Scarecrow Festival is returning for its second year. Pick up a free trail sheet and enjoy the display of imaginative scarecrows created by local community groups, based on the theme ‘nature in autumn’.

HUGHENDEN

The beech woods of the Chilterns turn bronze in autumn and Hughenden is a cherished place for a woodland walk at this time of year. In the Victorian era, Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli was responsible for shaping the Hughenden we see today – the red-brick manor, formal

and walled gardens and orchards. Disraeli loved trees, planting many specimen examples in the garden and parkland. Autumn is a great time to appreciate them.

WHAT’S ON Watercolour workshops

Beginners 4 October - 10.15am-3pm; Intermediate 1 November - 10.15am-3pm Take a short walk around the grounds with talented volunteer, Paul, for inspiration. Then expand your knowledge of techniques and create an artwork featuring Hughenden’s autumn garden to take home.

CLIVEDEN

Enchanting Herbs and Potion Trail

21-29 October - 10am-5pm

Find out about the magical properties of herbs in the walled garden at half term. Storytelling, folklore, potion making and more interactive fun.

Salt Dough Craft Workshop

27 & 28 October - 1pm-3pm

Capture a piece of autumn by making your own leaf from salt dough. Go on a woodland hunt to find a leaf perfect for a print, or come and make your own with their leaf cutters and tools..

“The specimen trees in Cliveden’s Water Garden flame into life”

HUGHENDEN

STOWE

The landscaped gardens of Stowe are aglow in autumn as trees across the garden and park burst into colour. Look out for the larch, a deciduous conifer turning bright orange in October, spindle trees which have red leaves and pink and orange seeds and liquidambar. You get a double hit at Stowe as the autumn colour is reflected in the lakes, creating a fiery glow all around.

WHAT’S ON

Gothic Temple Open Days

28-29 October - 10.30am-4.30pm

With scenic views from the top floor, take a look inside Gothic Temple, which was modelled on medieval buildings.

Monthly Dog Walk

Third Wednesday of every month – 10.30am-12.30pm

Meet your volunteer dog walk guide at the garden entrance to enjoy socialisation with other dogs, meeting other dog owners, and exploring di erent areas of the garden.

Gaia at Stowe House

15-26 October

Step into the magnificent Marble Saloon of Stowe House and take in the spectacle of the universe. Here is displayed the threedimensional, six-metre floating sculpture of Gaia by internationally acclaimed artist, Luke Jerram. Visitors will be able to enjoy timed entry to the 18th century historic house, allowing plenty of space to explore this multi-sensory experience.

Halloween Half Term at Stowe

21-29 October – 10am-5pm

Experience something spooky this October half term at Stowe. Do you dare enter the hidden depths of Lamport Garden?

BASILDON PARK

You don’t have to venture far to find yourself enveloped by warm, golden woodland at Basildon Park. Ash and field maple turn golden yellow, the Capodocian maple is a deep red/green and contrasts with the rusty brown beech trees, with views of the Georgian Mansion.

WHAT’S ON

Carr 300 exhibition

Until 5 November

Exhibition to mark the 300th anniversary of the birth of John Carr of York, architect of Basildon Park. Carr was one of the most prolific and significant architects of the mid-18th century.

India & Me exhibition

Until 28 October

The sensory installation, India & Me, brings to life the historic Zuber wallpaper of the Garden Room with stories from

our local Indian Community in Reading. Live Rangoli creation

14 October (during the Festival of Light and Colour) & 11 November (for Diwali)

A local artist will create a traditional rangoli decoration live in the Garden Room surrounded by the India & Me exhibition. A rangoli is a large scale, brightly coloured, temporary artwork created on the floor from powdered materials such as rice flour, coloured sand or flower petals. Take part in a family-friendly, rangoli craft activity.

Festival of Light and Colour

14-21 October

As the days are dimming, Basildon Park is turning up the colour and light. Find colourful lanterns, diyas, tealights, torans and projections. There is a children’s trail and craft activity to create their very own rangoli bookmark.

Find out more at nationaltrust.org.uk

STOWE, PHOTO BY ANDREW BASKOTT

BASILDON PARK, PHOTO BY JOHN MILLER

BASILDON PARK’S GEORGIAN MANSION

PHOTO BY HUGH MOTHERSOLE

“The landscaped gardens of Stowe are aglow in autumn”

SURVIVE FIGHT TO

Anew war film following the untold story of Gurkha soldiers cut o from their platoon behind enemy lines has just celebrated its international premiere in Leicester Square in September.

Gurkha Warrior, directed by award–winning Milan Chams, produced by Suman Rai, is set during the Malaya Emergency, when British troops were deployed to combat a Communist insurgency against colonial rule. The film is based on a true story from memories passed down through the families of survivors involved in the original

mission, corroborated by historian and author Gordon Corrigan MBE, FRAS.

The director, executive producer and leading actor are all former Gurkhas. Gurkha Warrior director, Milan Chams, says: “This story is one that had to be shared with the world before it is lost to history. We have a saying that ‘Gurkhas are born in Nepal, but made in Britain’ – so it’s only fitting that we had the worldwide premiere of this new feature length film in London.”

The film follows the untold story of an event during the Malaya Emergency, where Gurkhas fought alongside the British Army. Corporal Birkha Bahadur Rai is played by ex-Gurkha and Reading local, Ritesh Chams, who was himself shot whilst on patrol in

The inside story on a film that highlights the bravery of Gurkhas - and the connection to Reading

“This story is one that had to be shared with the world”

Afghanistan in 2010. Driven by the love of his family in Nepal, his platoon embark on a mission to rescue comrades who are missing following an ambush by the insurgents.

When asked about lead actor Ritesh Chams, the director says: “I wanted to cast a real Gurkha to portray the character in the story. During the research we contacted the families of former soldiers who served at the time to bring this incredible story to life. The film showcases the unique history and culture of the Gurkhas through an extraordinary story of love, sacrifice and survival.”

During the Malaya Emergency, which lasted from 1948 to 1960, tens of thousands of Gurkha soldiers were deployed. The

Gurkhas’ expertise in jungle warfare proved invaluable in overcoming the insurgency.

On taking the lead role, Ritesh Chams says: “It’s a privilege to be part of this film that gives viewers an insight into the bravery, integrity, loyalty and honour that defines the Gurkhas. Following over 200 years of history, and having served in the Brigade of Gurkhas, we all felt a great responsibility to share with the world this incredible story of the Gurkhas. There is still an air of mystery around the Gurkhas. This made it more important for me to embody Birkha’s character.”

Ritesh has been acting since he was a child, with live performances on stage along

with theatre dramas. Ritesh graduated from the Hollywood Acting Pinewood Studio in London with a Masters in acting. He left the aviation industry and his passion for mountain climbing to pursue acting, and has supported various charities, including Prince Harry’s “Walking with the Wounded” during expeditions to Mount Everest.

The East India Company recruited Gurkhas after being impressed with their fighting skills during the AngloNepalese war of 1814. They have since then been part of the British Army and fought in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, both World Wars, and almost all wars, including Iraq and Afghanistan.

Gurkha Warrior, in Nepalese and Hindi with English subtitles, was shot in Nepal and Malaysia by London Cine Eye and Chams Entertainment. The film is being launched in partnership with four charities, with proceeds going to Film + TV Charity, The Gurkha Museum, Walking with the Wounded and The Gurkha Welfare Trust.

Milan Chams finished by adding: “After the premiere, the film is set for public release at Vue, Cineworld and Showcase Cinemas across the country on 10 November, just in time for Remembrance Day.”

For more information visit gurkhawarrior.co.uk

written and directed By plested Brown and wilsher produced By corn exchange newBury

Flamenco & FOLKLORE

Welsh National Opera brings a colourful spectacle of music and dance to Milton Keynes Theatre

By DIANE PARKES

Flamenco and poetry meet opera as Welsh National Opera’s Autumn Season opens with Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar. Reimagining the life of one of Spain’s most famous poets and playwrights – Federico García Lorca – the story follows this artist as he is targeted by the Fascist forces during the Spanish Civil War.

The opera not only explores Lorca’s life and death through the memories of his friend and muse actress Margarita Xirgu, it also highlights Lorca’s great love of Andalusian folklore, history and music – particularly flamenco. And it is the multi-faceted nature of Lorca’s character which ensures he is such a pleasure to portray, says Polish mezzo-soprano Hanna Hipp, who plays the poet in the opera.

“It’s always a big treat for an artist to be given a role which is so complex,” she says.

“Lorca is a historical character and yet he speaks at a very loud volume, particularly in the political context of today’s world.”

The part of Lorca is what is known as a ‘trouser’ role in which a male character is performed by a woman. Hanna has built up a strong reputation for trouser roles including Cherubino in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and Hansel in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel

Directed by Deborah Colker, best known for choreographing dance and Cirque du Soleil shows, Ainadamar requires the singers to pull on their dance shoes and perform flamenco alongside professional dancers. For Hanna it is a challenge – but one she relishes. “This is the first time I’m doing something like this with such specific dance in an opera. It’s quite a big task as it’s not my culture at all, but we want to stay true to the piece and really dive into it.”

The whole experience has been a new discovery for the singer. “I was quite surprised when I listened to it for the first time. The score is fabulous, it’s so alive with its rhythms and instrumentation. One really wants to dance to it, but it also has gravitas. There are moments of light and hope, but ultimately everything leads towards an ending which is truly tragic and mysterious...”

Ainadamar opens at Milton Keynes Theatre on Thursday 16 November as part of WNO’s Autumn season, alongside Verdi’s La Traviata on Saturday 18 November. ATGTICKETS.COM/MiltonKeynes

“The score is fabulous, it's so alive with its rhythms and instrumentation”

JAQUELINA LIVIERI AS MARGARITA XIRGU AND HANNA HIPP AS FEDERICO GARCÍA LORCA

PHOTOS: JOHAN PERSSON

Get the PARTY STARTED

THE RETREAT AT ELCOT PARK

Immerse yourself in Christmas magic at The Retreat at Elcot Park this December, as you sit back, cosy up by the firepits and enjoy all the simple pleasures that will make the festive season a laughter-filled and memorable one, whether it’s a family gathering, team party, or an end-of-year escape with someone special. Oozing with laid-back festive luxury, The Retreat is an ideal base for exploring endless local attractions and the stunning countryside of the Kennet Valley, at the heart of the North Wessex Downs.

The Retreat is perfect for Christmas festivities too, from intimate get-togethers to spectacular parties. Their dedicated events team will create a perfect Christmas celebration tailored to your requirements, or you could attend one of The Retreat’s Big Christmas Party Nights (7 & 14 December). For the ultimate celebration and a decadent evening of fabulous food and live music, The Retreat’s Christmas Ball is the place to be on Saturday 9 December. For a Christmas filled with magic, tradition and surprises, look no further than The Retreat at Elcot Park. retreatelcotpark.com

HOBBS OF HENLEY

Celebrate the festive season in style by setting sail on Hobbs of Henley’s stunning Mississippi style paddle steamer ‘The New Orleans’ on a Thames Christmas Party Night in December. Whether it is a festive get together with friends, family or work colleagues Hobbs of Henley have your Christmas party all wrapped up for you. Choose whether you would like either a delicious two course buffet style menu or a slightly more formal three course served meal for your Christmas party night, something to suit everyone’s taste and budget. Hobbs of Henley’s Party Nights will

have their resident DJ on board who’ll get you up and dancing on the dancefloor.

All the cruises include a welcome drink on arrival of either a festive cocktail or a soft drink and there is a cash bar available. hobbsofhenley.com

ROYAL WINDSOR RACECOURSE

Join the magic and surreal world of the Dream Circus... where glamour meets curiosity, reality and dream worlds merge. Head to the big-top bar for a glass of prosecco or a classy cocktail. Relax with the laid-back soundtrack and admire the awesome aerial performance.

Roll up, roll up, as the Ringmaster invites you to take your seats under one giant, twinkling, star-lit ceiling, as the award-winning caterers serve three courses of delicious fine dining. Standby for the return of our world class performers for a dazzling finale of daring feats and mesmerising skill.

With dinner served and the drinks flowing, the fun has only just begun as a DJ will get you showing your moves on the dancefloor... windsor-racecourse.co.uk

Now is the time is plan your Christmas event, and here are three suggestions to make it one to remember

HOBBS OF HENLEY

DREAM CIRCUS

THE RETREAT AT ELCOT PARK

£7.95pp Ticketsallowentry for12months!

21 to 29 October

Great Missenden

roalddahlmuseum.org

Storytelling, clay and craft workshops, Museum trails and drop-in crafts.

FAIRIES in BOOTS

Black Sabbath and ballet may seem like unlikely partners, but a spectacular new production proves otherwise

The idea of a Black Sabbath ballet has been on Carlos Acosta’s mind since he first arrived in Birmingham at the start of 2020, just before the pandemic hit. Black Sabbath played their first ever gig in The Crown pub just a stone’s throw from Birmingham Royal Ballet’s base on Thorp Street. The pub was recently saved from demolition and is deemed a heritage site by fans.

He says: "Black Sabbath is probably Birmingham’s biggest export, the most famous (and infamous) cultural entity to ever emerge from the city – so I was naturally drawn to the idea of a collaboration between what most people might think are the most unlikely of partners. The band’s enthusiasm for the project is a huge endorsement. They are putting their trust in us to deliver something completely new and original, and that’s quite a responsibility, but one that we are beyond excited to take on. Everyone in the BRB company is thrilled to be involved and we cannot wait to share the vision for the show in more detail in the coming months. I have hand picked the creative team and will work closely with them to make a spectacular show."

A full-length, three-act, Ballet

Now commission, this brand-new work brings together a host of international creatives including

lead Swedish choreographer Pontus Lidburg, Cuban designer Alexandra Arrechea, Tony Award winning composer Christopher Austin with additional choreographers Raúl Reinoso and Cassi Abranches and composers Marko Nyberg and Sun Keting. Black Sabbath co-founder, lead guitarist, co-songwriter and local resident Tony Iommi says: "Black

Sabbath have always been innovators and never been predictable, and it doesn’t come any more unpredictable than this! I’d never imagined pairing Black Sabbath with ballet, but it’s got a nice ring to it."

Black Sabbath: The Ballet heads to Sadler’s Wells from 18-21 October sadlerswells.com

Words EVE HERBERT Photography PEROU

Halloween House Party

Saturday 28th October

Champagne, Four-Course Menu, Fire Performance

Caricaturist, Burlesque, Magician, DJ

Family Early Seating 5:30pm - Ticket at £49.95 per adult | Face Painting, Magician, Caricaturist, (Kids menu available)

Party Late Seating 8:30pm –Ticket at £84.95 per adult | Dinner and Full Entertainment

To book any one of our events, Call 01189 798 805 or Email enquiries@chalkrestaurants.com

Chalk Restaurant, 31 Broad Street, Wokingham, RG40 1AU

FOOD & DRINK

SERVE UP A TREAT

ATUL KOCHHAR

What do Vaasu, Hawkyns and Riwaz all have in common? Yes they are all Atul Kochhar's restaurants, and yes they are all some of the county's finest establishments. However, what's exciting us at Absolutely the most is that they are now offering a delivery service. Michelin star standard cooking at home? Yes please... Read more over the page.

WHAT TO DRINK

GRAPE news

Wine recommendations for the month

By ABBOTTS & DELAUNAY

‘Les Fruits Sauvages’ Grenache Rosé 2021, France  £9.99

The grapes for this wine come from two terroirs: the Hérault plain which lends richness and roundness and the Aude area which gives character and freshness. Aromas of wild strawberry and raspberry enhanced by mineral notes. Very fresh and round on the palate.

‘Les Fruits Sauvages’ Malbec 2020/21, Languedoc  £10.99

The grapes, with their aromas and flavours of tangy red berries, lend finesse and freshness to the wine. Ruby colour enhanced with red highlights. Aromas of liquorice and both red and black fruits, with spicy notes.

The vines of the Ormarine cellar overlook the Etang de Thau, a Natura 2000 classified area, and the Mediterranean Sea, which act as a thermal regulator and guarantee the freshness of the wine and the characteristic saline notes.

Available at majestic.co.uk

NOTES

The latest launches and news from across the county

By MARK KEBBLE

TASTING One to take away

ATUL KOCHHAR

Three of Atul Kochhar’s restaurants in Buckinghamshire are now serving takeaway options, o ering outstanding Indian dishes to be enjoyed at home. Each of the respective restaurants’ various styles are reflected through the takeaway options, cooked in the restaurant kitchens to the same exacting standards as the dishes eaten in the restaurant. A selection of bundles are also o ered to help customers recreate the restaurant experience from Vaasu, Hawkyns and Riwaz.

atulkochhar.com

Ormarine Picpoul de Pinet  £10.75

PERFECT

BREW

Three fine independents to mark UK Co ee Week in October

TEA TIME

THE RUNNYMEDE ON THAMES

World on a plate

UNITY PLACE

September saw the highly anticipated opening of Unity Place – a dining and entertainment venue in the heart of Milton Keynes. An Urban Food Market will be a key attraction in the heart of Unity Place. Guests can expect the likes of authentic sourdough street pizza from Ra aele, fresh and healthy poke bowls, tantalising Greek souvlaki plates with homemade tzatziki from Meraki Soul Food, pasta specialties from Campione, tasty burritos from Cantina Carnitas and more... unityplace.co.uk

Join Franki and Maxwell in Haddenham for an expertly-made coffee using their own grind of espresso. They are also fully licensed with changing cra beer selections and thoughtfully chosen wines. norsklifestyle.com

To mark the change of season, The Runnymede on Thames' classic Champagne afternoon tea has had a makeover. The menu will feature traditional finger sandwiches, homemade scones and themed cakes such as spiced pumpkin choux and matcha, cardamom and kiwi macarons, all served with a glass of rosé Champagne. runnymedehotel.com

Pie in the sky

FOX & HOUNDS

This local favourite in Englefield Green is launching some delicious homemade pies, with one flavour using venison from Windsor Great Park. That’s not all: due to popular demand for their (amazing) pizzas, they are also launching a regular Non-Stop Pizza Night monthly, where diners are invited to enjoy a variety of pizza flavours (4-5) over the course of an evening, limitless in terms of slices at a cost of £20 per person. thefoxandhoundsrestaurant.com

COFFEE UNDER PRESSURE

Coffee Under Pressure believe that great coffee is an affordable luxury, but also an everyday need. Which is why, when visiting their Reading outlet, you will find passionate and knowledgeable Baristi. coffeeunderpressure.co.uk

Just desserts

CREAMS CAFE

This is an intimate coffee house set in a gorgeous old station booking hall in Windsor. They are proudly independent and it shows in the quality of the coffee (and pastries), plus the exemplary service you receive every time you visit. cinnamoncafe.com

The summer is far from over yet, as the UK’s go-to dessert destination Creams Cafe is set to launch a range, featuring two nostalgic Ice Cream Floats and five fresh Bubble Teas. This series of showstoppers will let you keep the sunny vibes alive in the most refreshing of ways, available at stores in Reading, Windsor, and High Wycombe. creamscafe.com

NORSK CAFE

CINNAMON CAFE

Prime CUTS

Dave Mothersill, chef-patron at Furna restaurant, on how to make the most out of Herdwick lamb

Herdwick lamb is one of the oldest and hardiest breeds of lamb in the UK. It is by far my favourite breed of lamb, owing to its well developed flavour, which is due to its diet of solely foraged foods and resulting slow growth.

At Furna we receive all of our protein whole and all butchery happens in house. We have two himalayan salt dry-ageing fridges, which allow us to mature the cuts and produces a better flavour. I recommend asking your butcher for cuts that have been aged for at least 28 days. Whole animal butchery does tend to produce a lot of ‘waste’ and therefore we make sure to utilise as much of the animal as possible.

Rump is my favourite cut as it has a fantastic fat to meat ratio, it is protected by a generous layer of fat which renders beautifully during cooking and acts to baste the meat. I much prefer cooking over binchotan charcoal, although my sous chef would say that cooking over wood is best. Both methods lend a wonderful smokey flavour to the meat, and it is the oldest and most primitive way of cooking. Season well with salt and pepper and keep it turning on the BBQ, brushing with its rendering fat, until the centre reaches 62c. Rest the meat in a warm place for at least the amount of time it took to cook.

Spring Lamb, Morels & Asparagus

This dish showcases the incredible produce that comes available when spring begins. It has a few different components that allow us to use as much of the animal as possible. We serve it with some beautiful asparagus from the Wye Valley, which produces some of the best asparagus in the UK.

Lamb stock and sauce

Every chef differs when it comes to making stock, but the best method I’ve found is rooted in classical French cookery. It uses a classic mire poix, which refers to the base vegetables in the stock. It is best not to use potatoes or green vegetables such as broccoli as the starch and the chlorophyl can make the stock bitter.

STOCK INGREDIENTS

• 2 white onions

• 2 sticks celery

• 2 carrots

• 1 head garlic

• 1 tsp black peppercorns

• 2 bay leaves

• Generous sprig of thyme

• 4kg lamb bones

METHOD

1 Roast the lamb bones and the mire poix in the oven till golden brown.

2 Deglaze the tray with a small amount of white wine or water, and tip the whole thing into a big pot and cover with cold water. You can add basic aromatics here; black peppercorns, star anise, bay leaves, garlic, thyme, but any other additions should wait until the end of the process to keep the flavour fresh.

3 Bring the stock to the boil, then turn it down to an extremely gentle simmer. Regularly skim the surface to remove any fat or impurities.

4 Once the stock has had 4-5 hours on the heat, pass it through a sieve and reserve the liquid. Here you can reduce the stock to a demi glace and use it as is, or you can add more favour before reducing.

SAUCE INGREDIENTS

• 1 banana shallot

• 4 cloves garlic

• 1 stick celery

• A few sprigs of thyme

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 bottle of good quality dry white wine

• Lamb stock - see previous

METHOD

1 If you desire you can brown off some more mire poix before adding a whole bottle of good quality white wine and

reduce until fully evaporated, add your stock and reduce until it reaches a sauce consistency. The best way to test this is if the sauce coats the back of a spoonit’s ready. I use white wine for lamb as it results in a much lighter sauce than red. Here is where you can infuse any flavours you fancy. Whilst the sauce is still warm you can add anything from lavender, black tea, lemon thyme etc, letting it infuse off the heat for about an hour before passing it through a muslin cloth. This will make more than you need, but I recommend freezing your finished sauce in ice cube trays for easy portioning for future meals.

Morel stuffing - offal

An excellent way of using offal – kidneys, livers, sweetbreads, hearts etc – is to make a farce. A farce is essentially a meat mousse, using egg whites and cream to stabilise. Here we use the sweetbreads, which we heavily caramelise before adding to a chicken mousseline, and stuffing inside some of the finest morel mushrooms we can get our hands on.

Morels are a fantastic ingredient, with an incredibly unique texture and flavour. We are l ucky enough to work with an amazing local forager, but cultivated ones are much more readily available, safer than picking your own wild mushrooms, and tend to be much more consistent.

This recipe will make more than enough for 6but it makes an excellent tortellini filling, and it freezes well.

FARCE INGREDIENTS

• 200g chicken breast

• 100g egg whites

• 200ml double cream

• 200g lamb sweetbreads

• Salt

METHOD

1 The key here is to keep everything as cold as possible. I would recommend using a high powered blender and putting the blender jug in the freezer for half an hour before starting.

2 Dice the chicken breast and put it in the freezer for 20 mins, before blending with your egg whites and salt. Do this in small batches, making sure to keep everything cold and even putting the blender jug back into the freezer between batches.

3 Pass this mixture through a fine sieve (using the back of a spatula will help, this is not easy), and fold in your double cream.

4 Soak the sweetbreads in milk overnight to draw out any bitterness, and after patting them dry, caramelise them in foaming butter. Chop them up into small cubes and, once cold, fold them through your chicken mousse. You can add other flavours here, we use pickled wild garlic stems for a touch of acidity to cut through the richness of the mousse.

5 Stuff the morels just before you plan on cooking them, and poach them gently in lamb stock until the mousse is cooked. We always finish our morels on the BBQ, but you can serve them as is or colour them in some foaming butter.

Braise and Pancake

The shoulder is one of the best cuts to braise, but you can also use the leg or shin.

BRAISE INGREDIENTS

• 2 white onions

• 2 sticks celery

• 2 carrots

• 1 bulb garlic

• Salt and pepper

• Vegetable oil

• Lamb stock to cover

• 1 tbsp tomato puree

METHOD

1 Start the braise in a similar way to the stock. Season the meat and fry in a hot pan for a nice golden crust.

2 Instead of water, cover your roasted veg and meat with lamb stock, season with salt and pepper and a touch of tomato puree (the best you can get your hands on) before covering and braising either on the stove top on a very gentle simmer, in the oven or in a slow cooker until the meat is tender and falling off the bone.

3 Once cooled enough to handle, pass the liquid and reduce until glossy and thick, blend this with the cooked veg and mix this back into the shredded meat. This will make your braise more flavourful, juicier and absolutely delicious.

PANCAKE INGREDIENTS

• 35g sorghum flour

• 1.5g salt

• 2g sugar

• 50g plain flour

• 1 egg

• 200g milk

• 25g melted lamb fat

• 15g melted butter

METHOD

1 We use this lamb braise as a filling for a lamb fat sorghum pancake, along with a vintage cheddar and IPA fondue. Sorghum is a fantastically versatile ancient grain. Used in baking and as a natural syrup sweetener - it is full of nutrients, low in fat, and has a beautiful nutty flavour. We make and cook it like a crepe before stuffing it with the braise and fondue, and brushing it with local honey. Blend all of your pancake ingredients together and pass through a fine sieve. Leave to rest in the fridge for a couple of hours before cooking like a normal crepe in a greased non-stick pan.

SAUCE INGREDIENTS

• 300g good quality aged cheddar

• 1 tbsp cornflour

• 150ml IPA

• 1 tsp lemon juice

METHOD

1 Grate the cheese and mix with the cornflour. Bring the beer to a boil and whisk in the cheese slowly and off the heat. Season with lemon juice to taste.

2 To assemble, spread the braise over half the pancake, top with the warm cheese sauce and fold over. Brush the top with honey and serve.

3 You will have braise and fondue left over - I highly recommend making a baked ragu pasta with the cheese fondue in place of bechamel. This is one of our favourite family meals here at Furna.

furnarestaurant.co.uk

FASHION

Radiating BEAUTY

BERRY'S JEWELLERS

Perfect for layering, the new Verve Collection from Berry’s Jewellers seamlessly blends contemporary design with fine jewellery. The blend of diamonds and curve-inspired designs celebrate the beauty in simplicity, fluidity, and the eternal brilliance of diamonds, making this a collection that not only radiates sophistication and luxury, but that can be worn both day and night. Discover the collection at your nearest Berry’s showroom or berrysjewellers.co.uk

Malin Andersson 56 • The Shoot 60

Spread the MESSAGE

Bucks-born reality TV star Malin Andersson on the personal story behind teaming up with Say It With Diamonds

MALIN ANDERSSON

The affordable and on-trend jewellery brand Say It With Diamonds has teamed up with Love Islander turned campaigner Malin Andersson on an exclusive 17-piece collection: “Meanings by Malin”

The healing crystal range includes rings, bracelets and add-on crystals plus necklaces. Designed by Malin, she shares her favourite symbols and crystals which represent different stages in her life. Each piece comes with a personal message from Malin on why that crystal and symbol mean so much to her. Here, she tells Absolutely more about the range and why crystals have helped her get through difficult times.

Q When did you first come across Say It With Diamonds?

A Personalised jewellery to me has always been a timeless classic and very

sentimental, so the fashionable and affordable jewellery from Say It With Diamonds has always been on my radar.

Q Why were you keen to partner with them to launch your own collection?

A Whenever I’ve gone through something, I’ve bought a piece of jewellery with a crystal. I’ve been focusing on myself recently, I’ve been doing a lot more exercise, meditation and channelling power through crystals. I specifically wanted a healing crystal range with Say It With Diamonds to be a physical reminder for those wearing the jewellery that no matter what you are going through you are loved and you have the strength to get through it.

Q How did you go about creating ideas for each piece?

A I’ve got lots of crystals in my house, including huge pointed quartz, tourmaline, obsidian, amethyst and a rock salt lamp. Sometimes I’ll hold one while I do a

breathing exercise, or I’ll wear a quartz necklace if I’m feeling anxious. It's such a personal collection with a mixture of my favourite symbols and crystals, which represent different stages in my life.

Q Was it fun, or even cathartic, to work on?

A Although it’s unimaginable trauma, everything is a learning curve. When you’re at rock bottom, it feels like everything is over but you have to have hope. This is probably the first time in my life where I’ve felt physically and mentally strong, without covering anything up and putting on a brave face. It’s a weight off my shoulders.

Q When did you first fall in love with crystals?

A My love of spirituality and crystals started when I hit my lowest in 2017.

Q Do you have a favourite piece in the final collection?

A I love everything, but I really love

“This is probably the first time in my life I have felt physically and mentally strong”

the “Mixed Crystal” bracelet, it has all the crystals from across the whole collection: rose quartz, opal, malachite, amethyst and turquoise.

Q What are some of the messages you come up with for each piece?

A Turquoise helped me open up a new chapter and represents the work I did to emotionally heal from that dark period. Opal is my birthstone, rose quartz relates to love and finding peace, and amethyst is a crystal which is in every room of my home, as it gives me a sense of protection. Malachite is good for fertility and healing around your womb, a stone I was very drawn to after

baby Consy passed away [Consy was born seven weeks premature in December 2018 and was being treated at Great Ormond Street hospital, but sadly passed away aged four weeks on 22 January 2019]. The necklace symbols were to help others to be confident and rewire any limiting beliefs. I’m a big believer that when you do that inner work, you’ll start to see positive energy flow.

Q How important is the campaigning side to your life today?

A Extremely, I want anyone reading this who is going through domestic abuse [one of Malin’s ex-boyfriends was jailed for abusing her] to know there is a way out,

and there is help and more support than ever. I really do praise the government for introducing more awareness around different types of abuse. Change is coming and I want people to break free from abuse.

Q Are you a very different person from the one we saw on Love Island?

A Back then, I had no clue where I was going or what I was doing and where my mind was – it’s like I was a different person. Being a mum is so rewarding, it’s a love like no other. Before, I felt like I was walking through life with no purpose. Now, Xaya [her daughter born in 2022] has given me a reason to wake up in the morning. She makes me want to push myself and has completely given my life meaning again. The minute I found my purpose and what I wanted to do, everything kind of fell into place.

Q What are your links to Buckinghamshire?

A I’m originally from Milton Keynes and live in Bedfordshire so right on the cusp of Buckinghamshire. I’m finding exercise is really having a positive impact on my mental health, I feel lighter, quicker, stronger, fitter, and mentally just completely different. It's like it's been a missing piece of the puzzle for me so I love getting out and walking in the open countryside.

Q What’s next for you?

A I really want to do more writing and op-eds, and, of course, continue my motivational speaking and mental health and body confidence advocacy.

sayitwithdiamonds.com/pages/ meanings-by-malin

“The necklace symbols were to help others to be confident and rewire any limiting beliefs”

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P R I V A T E G P C L I N I C

E l e v a t e y o u r h e a l t h c a r e e x p e r i e n c e a t T h e D o c t o r ’ s L o u n g e , w h e r e l u x u r y m e e t s w e l l n e s s a n d d i s c o v e r a w o r l d o f p e r s o n a l i s e d h e a l t h c a r e

HEALTH & BEAUTY

CLEAN DREAM

GLOW RECIPE

This hydrating, skin barrier strengthening cleanser is packed full of ceramides and pre and post-biotics. Avocado oil helps to break down make-up, whilst also nourishing the skin, £25. cultbeauty.co.uk

TOP TIPS TO GET YOUR SKIN AUTUMN READY TOP TIPS TO GET YOUR SKIN

AUTUMN READY TOP TIPS TO GET YOUR SKIN AUTUMN READY TOP TIPS TO GET YOUR SKIN

AUTUMN READY

During seasonal changes our skin gets affected, with a sharp drop in temperature marking the start of the change in seasons, autumn weather can wreak havoc on any skin type. What our skin needs during the summer is different to what the skin needs during the winter see my top tips for getting your skin autumn ready.

1

REVIVE AND RESTORE WITH DR NYLA SKINCARE

The sun might be hiding behind the clouds, but some UV rays can still reach and interact with your skin, damaging cells and contributing to premature against. To help prevent this continue to apply SPF daily. Also during the autumn months increase your exfoliation to twice per week to prevent your skin from becoming dull and dehydrated. My two go to

The sun might be hiding behind the clouds, but some UV rays can still reach and interact with your skin, damaging cells and contributing to premature against. To help prevent this continue to apply SPF daily. Also during the autumn months increase your exfoliation to twice per week to prevent your skin from becoming dull and dehydrated. My two go to products are

Reveal exfoliating cleanser.

A new-age exfoliator-cleanser hybrid; combining make-up removal and effective daily cleansing with the brightness-revealing, skin-softening power of an exfoliator. Designed to deftly remove every last particle of dirt, pollution, serum and make-up, to ensure pores remain clear and uncongested to enhance the absorption of active ingredients.

A new-age exfoliator-cleanser hybrid; combining make-up removal and effective daily cleansing with the brightness-revealing, skin-softening power of an exfoliator. Designed to deftly remove every last particle of dirt, pollution, serum and make-up, to ensure pores remain clear and uncongested to enhance the absorption of active ingredients.

Radiance Day Cream SPF 20

Transform the skins tone and texture, restore radiance and luminosity. Leaves the skin looking visibly brighter, smoother and more even toned. Rich in essential fatty acids, cold-pressed Raspberry Seed Oil helps to protect the skin from free radical damage and increases skin hydration after two hours. UVA & UVB filters offer broad spectrum SPF20.

During seasonal changes our skin gets affected, with a sharp drop in temperature marking the start of the change in seasons, autumn weather can wreak havoc on any skin type. What our skin needs during the summer is different to what the skin needs during the winter see my top tips for getting your skin autumn ready. follow us on @doctornyla | 0162 552 3307 | 0800 009 6661

Transform the skins tone and texture, restore radiance and luminosity. Leaves the skin looking visibly brighter, smoother and more even toned. Rich in essential fatty acids, cold-pressed Raspberry Seed Oil helps to protect the skin from free radical damage and increases skin hydration after two hours. UVA & UVB filters offer broad spectrum SPF20.

follow us on @doctornyla | 0162 552 3307 | 0800 009 6661

For FREE consultation please contact Medispa or visit www.doctornyla.com

For FREE consultation please contact Medispa or visit www.doctornyla.com

1 REVIVE AND RESTORE WITH DR NYLA SKINCARE

2 CLEAN AND CLEAR

2 CLEAN AND CLEAR

Hydration is one of the most important autumn skincare tips. Autumn weather is dry, with low humidity and cold, dry air removing all the moisture from your skin. If you skin has lost its glow, then why not try our Diamond Glow Facial.

Hydration is one of the most important autumn skincare tips. Autumn weather is dry, with low humidity and cold, dry air removing all the moisture from your skin. If you skin has lost its glow, then why not try our Diamond Glow Facial.

Perfect for treating dry and dehydrated skin, reducing the appearance of fi ne lines and wrinkles, improving the appearance of acne and evening out skin tone. And M22 laser for skin resurfacing. It uses the latest super technology for brightening and polishing the superfi cial dermis but also removes pigmentation, acne, scarring and broken capillaries as well as improving the elasticity and collagen formation of the skin and it also serves

Perfect for treating dry and dehydrated skin, reducing the appearance of fi ne lines and wrinkles, improving the appearance of acne and evening out skin tone. And M22 laser for skin resurfacing. It uses the latest super technology for brightening and polishing the superfi cial dermis but also removes pigmentation, acne, scarring and broken capillaries as well as improving the elasticity and collagen formation of the skin and it also serves to reduce fi ne wrinkles.

3

3 TIGHTEN AND TONE

Unique to the Medispa group, Dr Nyla has created her trademark Transformation Facelift this treatment, combines a variety of incredible treatments to help with a variety of different skin concerns for all seasons. It is the next generation, multiplatform transformational facial. This treatment offers non-surgical skin tightening and lifting to treat all concerns – from textured, dull skin, to deep wrinkles and loss of laxity.

Unique to the Medispa group, Dr Nyla has created her trademark Transformation FaceliftTM this treatment, combines a variety of incredible treatments to help with a variety of different skin concerns for all seasons. It is the next generation, multiplatform transformational facial. This treatment offers non-surgical skin tightening and lifting to treat all concerns – from textured, dull skin, to deep wrinkles and loss of laxity.

The treatment program can combine several super technologies dependent upon your specific concerns such as Ultracel, Exilis Elite radio frequency, skin needling. The skin will begin to feel smoother and tighter after the first treatment and results will continue to improve for up to six

The treatment program can combine several super technologies dependent upon your specific concerns such as Ultracel, Exilis Elite radio frequency, skin needling. The skin will begin to feel smoother and tighter after the first treatment and results will continue to improve for up to six months.

WHY CHOOSE MEDISPA

WHY CHOOSE MEDISPA

The largest Skin Tightening clinic in the United Kingdom.

The

The largest Ultracel Clinic outside of London.

The

The only Diamond Premiere Coolsculpting clinic outside London and the second largest Coolsculpting clinic in Europe

“Clinic of the year 2019/20” at the safety in Beauty Awards.

BOOK A COMPLIMENTARY CONSULTATION TO SEE HOW HERE AT THE MEDISPA GROUP. WE CAN ALLEVIATE ALL OF YOUR SKIN CONCERNS.

BOOK A COMPLIMENTARY CONSULTATION TO SEE HOW HERE AT THE MEDISPA GROUP. WE CAN ALLEVIATE ALL OF YOUR SKIN CONCERNS.

Medispa Mayfair : 32 Dover Street, Mayfair, London W1S 4NE

largest Ultracel Clinic outside of London.

only Diamond Premiere Coolsculpting clinic outside London and the second largest Coolsculpting clinic in Europe

TIGHTEN AND TONE

Winner of the prestigious “BTL Face of the year” award.

TOP PICKS

ACCESSORIES FOR STRENGTH AND BALANCE

FITNESS NOTES

By CARLY GLENDINNING

STRENGTH TRAINING

A modern and stylish take on old school weights, the Heavy Kit from Bala Bangles is designed to help you increase strength, agility, endurance, and balance, £148.82. shopbala.com

PERFECT FORM

STRETCH OUT

The Duality Yoga Strap From Alo Yoga can be used to carry your mat and also as a support in practice. Yoga straps can be used to create resistance, improving balance, and increasing muscle strength, £39. aloyoga.com

Absolutely heads to the capital to try Reformer Pilates with leading expert in the industry, Pete Pallai

hen I arrive at the My Pilates London Studio in Putney on a rainy Friday morning, the first thing I do is warn founder Pete Pallai that I’m not very flexible. “My range of motion is terrible,” I say.

I’m here for a one-on-one session and I’m feeling a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

Reformer Pilates is having a huge surge in popularity right now, and it’s my very first time trying it out.

Wthe process of learning to move your body with more strength, control, and awareness.

Pete is a two-time Olympian bobsledder and former rugby player. He discovered Reformer Pilates late into his career and is extremely passionate about its benefits for both women and men.

strengthening my core. I slide up and down the machine, working my whole body – from my legs and glutes, to my arms and chest. At points, my legs are burning and trembling, but I actually surprise myself in the range of movements I can do.

ON THE MAT

This natural rubber mat from Lululemon has a grippy top layer to help you find balance in your practice. Stretching can have positive effects on your gains in muscle mass, £78. lululemon.co.uk

Pete explains that although flexibility is often the thing people tend to think about when it comes to Reformer Pilates, it’s actually only one part of it. He tells me that Pilates was initially called ‘Contrology’. He prefers this name as it better describes

Now an experienced Balanced Body (the largest Pilates company worldwide) trained practitioner, people of all levels come to Pete for his expertise. He divides his time between running courses for Pilates instructors, leading advanced level classes, and giving one-to-one sessions.

Pete takes me through some basic moves, modifying them as we go to make the session uniquely bespoke to my needs. Pregnancy and life with a toddler has left me with pain in my left hip, and I’d like to work on

The challenge is concentrating on my breathing whilst making sure I’ve got the correct form. Pete explains that you really have to focus.

He tells me that this is another thing that people really enjoy about Reformer Pilates – it’s time where you have to leave the day’s stresses behind.

At the end of the session, I might be leaving with slightly wobbly legs, but I think Pete’s enthusiasm for Reformer Pilates might have just rubbed o .

mypilateslondon.com

GRIN Times

How CrownWood Dental & Medispa will put a smile on your face

Agreat smile is a wonderful asset – improving our confidence and making a powerful impression on people. It can even help us succeed socially and professionally. For many couples a new smile is part of planning a ‘big day’ and as we are now in the autumn wedding planning season, what better time to be looking forward to some amazing photos on that day.

To achieve the smile of their dreams, people are increasingly turning to Invisalign braces, also called Invisalign clear aligners, for straight teeth. With a safe and virtually undetectable journey, Invisalign completely transforms your smile without anyone knowing you’re having treatment. The

perfect smile that you’ll want everyone to see. So, what are the options?

Invisalign Full is the most popular treatment simply because it can be used for even the most complex cases. Allowing for maximum flexibility in your treatment, dentists can create a fully personalised treatment plan depending on the severity of your case and the number of aligners needed.

Invisalign Lite can achieve straight teeth in as little as six months and is a fast-acting invisible brace that perfects minor orthodontic issues. Bespoke aligners are custom created using digital imaging to fit perfectly around your teeth.

Invisalign i7 braces are the super quick option with straight teeth in as little as three months. These aligners are for very minor imperfections, but with all the usual benefits of the Invisalign system.

Invisalign Teen provides the alternative to “train track” metal braces and your teenager can also easily remove their braces at any time to allow for easy cleaning, brushing, flossing and eating. They can also take their aligners out for confident smiles in those allimportant Instagram and Snapchat poses.

To help you make the right decision, CrownWood Dental & MediSpa is hosting an Invisalign Discovery Day on Saturday 14 October at their modern, state-of-the-art clinic in Crown Wood, Bracknell. Dr Chi-Yuen Wong, a Platinum Invisalign Provider (which means he has treated A LOT of patients) and the team are looking forward to welcoming you between 8am-5pm. It’s the chance to meet and discuss your teeth straightening options and there’s also an exclusive ‘on the day’ o er too. Patients attending can enjoy savings of over £1,175* with a special package that includes a free initial 30-minute consultation, free Whitening (worth £350), free Removable Retainers (worth £250), free 12 months aftercare (worth £200) and even a free iTERO 3D scan – a very clever way to see your new smile in advance. As with all Invisalign treatments at CrownWood, 0% finance* and other payment schemes are available with a ordable monthly payments.

Due to the popularity of their Invisalign days, the event will be by appointment only. To avoid disappointment, they invite people to call Lisa, the Patient Care Co-ordinator, on 01344 300 417 or 07765 333 768 or you can email her on pc@crownwooddental.co.uk. For more info, go to crownwooddental.co.uk

“A great smile improves our confidence and makes a powerful impression”

BEAUTY NOTES

The latest in luxury makeup and skincare

By CARLY GLENDINNING

FOCUS

The Organic Skincare Revolution

ISHGA

A blend of clean and natural ingredients, the Balancing Marine Cream from ishga contains seaweed extract and Hebridean spring water, which together yield 86 vitamins and minerals, £54. ishga.com

SEA POWER GLOW GETTER

EDITOR’S PICK

SUPER SKINCARE

EIGHTH DAY

Eighth Day’s supercharged Regenerative Serum was formulated by Dr. Anthony Nakhla in a clinical setting. The magical blend of high-potency, nutrient rich ingredients is designed to stimulate your own cells, promoting healing, repair, and renewal, £270.

Tamryn Stowell, Branding Director of Willow Organic, on a key issue in the industry

TROPICOLOGY

The long-standing quest for radiant and healthy skin has led many to turn to organic skincare. With an ever-expanding range of products and a growing awareness of the benefits of natural ingredients, I’m pleased to say that the organic skincare revolution is here to stay. So, what makes it so appealing? Well, we’ve moved on a considerable amount from the cottage industry of the past. Modern organic skincare o ers a harmonious blend of science and nature, providing products free from harmful chemicals and toxins that are scientifically proven to improve skin tone, texture, and with targeted products to reduce appearance of fine lines. Products which are as e ective as their synthetic counterparts. However, as with all things, there is a catch. Greenwashing. And misleading claims. Unfortunately, there are always some who will try and take advantage of people’s goodwill. The label “organic” isn’t well regulated in the UK with some brands having as little as 5% organic content in their products but still making organic claims on their packaging. The only way you can be truly sure you are getting a genuinely organic product is to look for the Soil Association mark. This means that at a bare minimum the content is 75% organic

use the healing and restorative

Australian brand Tropicology use the healing and restorative powers of antioxidantrich organic avocado oil. Suitable for all skin types, the range is cruelty, soap, paraben, and sulphate free. tropicology.com.au

WILLOW ORGANIC 01590 670483 willowbeautyproducts.co.uk

PHILIP

WWW.CIENTE.CO.UK

Medical Skin Clinic in West Berks & Oxfordshire

Trained at Kings College London and awarded a post-graduate diploma in clinical dermatology, Dr Louise Reed o ers expert dermatological advice and treatments including:

• Minor skin surgery service which includes removal of sebaceous cysts, lipomas, benign lumps and earlobe repair.

• All skin conditions

• Full body mole and blemish checks

• Wart treatment

Please visit www.thebraeclinic.co.uk to book online, or email hello@thebraeclinic.co.uk @thebraeclinic on &

MARTIN - EXCLUSIVE TO CIENTE HAIR HEALTH SPA BERKHAMSTED

GLOSSIER Skywash in Pool, £18 uk.glossier.com

ESTÉE LAUDER

The Summer Look

Eyeshadow Palette, £45 net-a-porter.com

GLISTEN COSMETICS

Split Liner, £11.50 sephora.co.uk

GLOSSIER

PAT MCGRATH LABS

Luxe Eyeshadow Quad: Passion Fleur, £55 patmcgrath.com

Skywash in Pool, £18 uk.glossier.com

EDITOR’S PICK

MAKEUP BY MARIO Master Metallics Eye Palette, £50 makeupbymario.com

RARE BEAUTY Discovery Eyeshadow Palette, £30 rarebeauty.com

ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS

Mini Norvina Pro Pigment Palette Vol.3, £33 beautybay.com

COLOUR SWIPE

Get creative with popping pastels and rainbow lids

By CARLY GLENDINNING

MILK MAKEUP Color Chalk 3G, £17 spacenk.com

SISLEY PARIS Les Phyto-Ombres Eyeshadow, £40 net-a-porter.com

Mask, £18.99 upcirclebeauty.com

EMOLYNE Eyeshadow Crème in Bwindi Forest, £24 emolyne.com

‘Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication’ Leonardo da Vinci.

AIMING HIGH

SAMANTHA BARTLETT

Samantha Bartlett Interiors specialises in the high-end residential sector. With over a decade of experience in the industry, Samantha has access to the most skilled artisans in the business, her dedicated studio complete each project with the care it deserves, producing inspiring results. Read more on p80.

inside this section

THE LATEST IDEAS AND DESIGNS p78

THE INTERVIEW: p80

SAMANTHA BARTLETT

INSIDE AN ICONIC BUCKS WINDMILL p84

THE LATEST MUST-HAVE TREND p95

NOTES INTERIORS

Ideas, designs and styles for your home

By PENDLE HARTE

SHELF LOVE

JOHN LEWIS

The beautiful Foxmoor display cabinet is perfect for storing your best dinner service, your collection of object d'art, or even your favourite books. It features a roomy cupboard space, fitted with a fixed shelf and three adjustable shelves in the cabinet top. With a depth of just 37.4cm it will fit unobtrusively into most spaces.

johnlewis.com

ANTHROPOLOGIE

Designed by French designer Nathalie Lete exclusively for Anthropologie, this luxurious velvet curtain lends instant charm to any interior with its array of artful and inviting motifs. anthropologie.com

PLEATS PLEASE

HAY X LIBERTY

Hay's exciting new collaboration with Liberty merges Inga Sempé's iconic Matin Lamp with timeless prints. The shade's classic pleated construction features Liberty's distinctive prints as a contrast to its steel-wire frame in polished brass. hay.com

TAKE FIVE

Salad bowls

TOP SHOT

HENRY HOLLAND X GRIND

Grind's collaboration with Henry Holland features a stylish limited edition Grind coffee tin, printed with his signature marble print, and a special limited edition hand built mug. The partnership brings together two East London brands that are each celebrated for their cra . grind.co.uk

ETERNAL FLAME

DIPTYQUE

Diptyque's Glass strives upwards while summoning up the iconography of antique lamps. Lovingly, the flame candle lids extol the memory of fire dancing in the darkness, like replica flames blown into being by the heat. diptyqueparis.com

TOM RAFFIELD Mylor Bowl, £95 tomraffi eld.com

MICUCCI INTERIORS Watermelon Salad Bowl, £80 micucci.co.uk

ROCKETT ST GEORGE Dark Green Cabbage Salad Bowl, £38 rockettstgeorge.co.uk

KATE WELTON Bowl, £30 katewelton.com

V&A SHOP Salad Bowl Schizzato, £55 vam.ac.uk

MEET the MAKER

Interior designer Samantha Bartlett on the inspiration behind her business, evolving with the times and stand out projects

Q What was your route into interior design?

A Interior design has followed me throughout my life, it has always been a joy of mine. My Grandmother kept my first mood board, which consisted of magazine cut outs, glued onto a sheet of card and then wrapped in cling film.  During college, interior design at AS or A-level didn’t exist. I took part in an art foundation where you learn a number of artistic mediums and soon after joined University. As part of the degree, the first year we followed the same course as the architecture students so I developed a good base knowledge of buildings and construction. I eventually graduated with a first-class honours in interior design, something I was very proud to achieve.

Q Did something inspire you to go it alone?

A Yes, lockdown. Having two children under the age of two and living away from my family without an immediate support network I needed the flexibility. I had always aspired to having my own business, but the need to support my family both financially and also as a parent gave me the final push.

Q How did you want to be different?

A The construction industry as a whole can be quite daunting for clients who have no knowledge of that world. I want to make the process easy to understand and enjoyable. I like to work with people who want to work together and create a strong team dynamic. I believe this is the key to successful projects.

Q From day one, what did you want to offer?

A I have always wanted to prove that interior design is more than the stereotyped perception of ‘wallpapering and window treatments’. I want to showcase the benefit of using an interior designer. It was a challenge starting out on my own, I have delivered many prestigious projects, but all whilst working for other companies and you are not allowed to showcase this. You are starting from scratch and asking clients to put a lot of faith in what you say and so I was keen to always give the best account of myself and develop that trusting relationship. I want clients to receive the benefit of my design knowledge, the skills of my trusted supply chain and the trade relationships I have developed.

Q How do you like to work with clients?

A I like to get to know my clients, this helps me to understand their character and what is important to them. I have a preferred style, but I don’t try to force this on clients, the design process should be collaborative. I am honest in my approach and work closely with the client to ensure that the project exceeds their expectations. For me trust is imperative.

Q Have you evolved in any way?

A As designers we grow every day, that is what keeps our profession interesting. As a business we have evolved from myself working at the dining table, to a small studio. I have had to develop my management skills as I am now responsible for the wellbeing of our team. Like most I don’t have a business background so I am always learning about the rules of running a successful business. I like to dive in and test myself, I built my first website, designed and developed all the branding and marketing and generally try to keep pushing myself all the time.

Q Can you pick out three projects that really show what you are capable of doing, from brief to completion?

A 1. CHELSEA PROJECT

This project demonstrates how we can work with complex refurbishment projects. This house was taken back to its core, we worked with the contractor to make this house compliant, more sustainable and become a comfortable place to live with a homely sense in the centre of London.

2. SURREY PROJECT

This project demonstrates how we can work to most budgets, with understated luxury. We upcycled most of the house and made the house work for the growing family and their needs.

3. HAMPSTEAD PROJECT

This project is a good example of how well we manage our larger scale projects. I presented the concept designs to the client in May and we installed and completed this extensive refurbishment project in November. The project has just won best ‘Luxury Residence in London’ by Design Et Al 2023 award, my first award since setting up on my own and something I am extremely proud of.

Q Would you say there is a Samantha Bartlett design style?

A We are understated luxury, making a luxurious home liveable and not a show home. We do not have a set style, this is governed by the client and their needs, but our ethos does help drive this in our design and approach.

Q What’s next for you?

A On a fun level, we continue to celebrate our award win, we currently have a number of projects coming to an end periodically over the coming months and are looking forward to the next opportunities that come our way.

Find out more by visiting samanthabartlett.com

SAMANTHA BARTLETT

Top things to consider when choosing tiles for the bathroom

When selecting tiles for your bathroom walls or floor, there are many elements to think about. From the design and colour to the material and shape, it’s best to take your time to get the best result. Here, Leanne Robey (pictured) from Ripples Newbury offers her advice.

MATERIAL MATTERS

Bathrooms need tiles that are non-porous, so look for ceramic or porcelain designs. These are the most popular choices whether it’s for walls or floor and there are so many options for colour, pattern, size, shape and style. Porcelain is durable, hardwearing and easy to clean with a luxurious look and feel. Ceramic is less expensive and easier to lay, as it’s not as weighty as porcelain, but is still a great option for longevity. Both materials are compatible with underfloor heating and for a good slip resistance, look at the R rating. You can use natural stone, especially for the floor – think slate, limestone and marble – but it will need to be fully sealed or treated before and in some cases after installation.

COLOUR CHOICE

When it comes to colour, think about whether you want subtle or stand-out. Do you want your tiles, whether wall or floor, to have instant impact or to complement their surroundings? Some of the latest looks for 2023 include statement stripes, terrazzo designs, pink in all its rose and blush tones and earthy hues such as dusky browns and warm ochres. You may want a trend-driven tile or something that’s more timeless and enduring, but whatever you choose, make sure it’s something you absolutely love, as tiles are not something you can change that easily.

SHAPE AND STYLE

Gone are the days when the choice was limited to square or rectangular tiles. Now you can find scallops and hexagons, penny rounds and mosaics, subway styles, pickets, arabesque and more. You can also create interest with the laying pattern too, and this applies to both walls and floor. A brick pattern using subway or metro wall tiles suits both classic and contemporary bathrooms, while a herringbone layout on the walls or floor offers instant impact and is a trend that’s set to last.

“Latest looks include statement stripes and terrazzo designs”

ORIGIN POOLS

BUILDING AWARD WINNING POOLS FOR OVER 40 YEARS

WE DO IT ALL

FROM CONCEPT TO COMPLETION

WHERE THE

WIND

BLOWS

Iconic Buckinghamshire windmill from ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ launches to market

Words MARK KEBBLE

Arguably the most famous windmill in the world is up for sale. Cobstone Mill is internationally renowned for being the location for the filming of the much-loved 1968 musical-fantasy, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which starred Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes. In addition, the film was produced by Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli – one of the 20th Century’s biggest film icons.

Launching to the market with a guide price of £9m, Cobstone Mill is situated overlooking the village of Turville (a location for the Vicar of Dibley) in Buckinghamshire and is thought to have been originally built around 1816 as a smock mill, which reportedly ground cereal until 1873. In 1967 film producer Cubby Broccoli’s team searched the

English countryside for a picturesque windmill to become the exterior location for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

After an extensive search, Cobstone Mill was chosen and Broccoli’s team cosmetically restored the windmill’s exterior for filming. It is believed that Broccoli moved the team that had just wrapped filming on Bond film You Only Live Twice straight to Turville to start work on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

After the film became a major hit, actress Hayley Mills and her film director husband, Roy Boulting, bought the mill at auction in 1971 and then undertook a major restoration project. It was then owned by others including David Brown of Aston Martin, who sold Cobstone Mill in the 1980s to the current owner. Today, the pretty brick and flint main house features a grand double-height drawing room with floor to ceiling doors

that open on to a large terrace overlooking the sheltered swimming pool. Meanwhile, the Grade II listed windmill itself had the sails restored fully by the current owner in the last 18 months. Internally, the original mill workings are a key feature, with a winding staircase leading from the ground floor reception room to bedrooms on the first and second floors. The views from Cobstone Mill are unparalleled, taking in the full splendour of the Hambleden Valley, stretching away to the south and east. Planning consent was granted in 2016 to substantially extend the house to create three further bedrooms, three bathrooms, a new kitchen, family room and study. This permission as good as doubles the size of the existing house.

The pretty brick and flint house and Grade II listed mill stand in 36.7 acres of prime and beautiful Chiltern countryside in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, occupying one of the highest points in the valley. Turville Hill is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, designated by Natural England for its fine chalk grassland with wildflowers and rare butterflies.

“The Grade II listed windmill has had the sails fully restored”

PHOTOS: ED KINGSFORD PHOTOGRAPHY

Surrounding the mill are beautifully landscaped gardens and outdoor spaces, perfect for enjoying the countryside. A private terrace provides an ideal setting for al fresco dining or simply basking in the natural beauty of the surroundings. The outdoor heated swimming pool sits closely to the main house and benefits from being sheltered by it. In the grounds there is a large tractor barn, workshop, store, and stable building.

The surrounding area has very good recreational facilities, with a selection of golf courses, including the Oxfordshire

Golf and Country Club, Waterstock Golf Course and Thame. Horse racing can be enjoyed at Newbury, Ascot and Windsor, with Cheltenham also being within easy reach. There is also a local network of walks and rides with nearby footpaths and bridleways across the surrounding Chiltern Hills.

There are great leisure amenities in Henley-on-Thames including access to the River Thames for boating, the River and Rowing Museum, theatre and cinema. Henley is of course home to the annual Royal Regatta and the Henley Festival.

Excellent schools are in abundance locally with St Edwards, The Dragon School, Summer Fields, Headington, Oxford High School and Magdalen College School in Oxford, as well as Abingdon, Moulsford, Cothill House, Radley College, Wycombe Abbey, Eton College and Harrow School. There is also the Royal Grammar School at High Wycombe and Sir William Borlase Grammar School in Marlow.

Stephen Christie-Miller, head of Savills Henley who launched the property to market, comments: “From the moment you arrive at Cobstone Mill it becomes immediately clear how special this property is and for many it will be instantly recognisable. From the beautiful architecture of the windmill to the spectacular views down the Hambleden Valley, Cobstone Mill has to be seen to be believed and this is even before you bring into consideration the home’s extensive film history. I am sure that the home’s unique heritage combined with today’s offering, in a prime Buckinghamshire location, will appeal to both domestic and international buyers that are looking for the best of the best. Yes some homes claim to be iconic, however nothing comes close to Cobstone Mill.”

Cobstone Mill in Turville has a guide price of £9m. For more information, contact Savills Henley on 01491 843000 or visit savills.co.uk

“Some homes claim to be iconic, but nothing comes close to this”

Build with ORIGIN

Ready to dive in and install an indoor pool? You need a company that will take on everything from planning to construction

The idea of finally taking the plunge and deciding to go ahead with the indoor pool you’ve always dreamed of can be daunting, especially if you’re unsure about the process. After starting their own business, the Langleys had reached a stage where maintaining their health, enjoying life and everything they have worked so hard for was becoming even more important. An indoor pool would offer all of this and more so the search for a contractor began.

Building swimming pools is a specialised field, out of the many companies the Langleys researched some could offer the design and build of the pool and others could build the pool house, but what about a company that could do it all?

Knowing they wanted a company that could take care of everything and alleviate

the hassle of dealing with separate contractors, the Langleys decided on Origin. Origin drew up the preliminary designs and handled the planning applications, working around any potential risks or challenges. Once approval was granted, the build began.

Origin arranged for the Langleys to visit a variety of their recently finished projects to provide inspiration for the style, pool size and atmosphere they were looking for.

This type of invaluable experience sets Origin apart from the rest and shows the type of relationship they maintain with previous clients.

The Langleys were eager to be as environmentally conscious as possible and were delighted with Origin’s knowledge and variety of low carbon heating and running options. Like many people, the Langleys had some unpleasant experience

with builders in the past, but having Origin show complete professionalism as well as plan, design, manage and build their indoor swimming pool has shown just how different they are.

Origin pride themselves on their communication, believing it to be one of the hallmarks of a successful project. From the beginning of the project and throughout the build, Origin maintain frequent meetings which alleviate any stress from the client as they’re always kept in the loop.

The Langleys now have their dream pool, their daily routines have changed and their health is better than ever thanks to swimming, and Origin provide all the aftercare, maintaining their clients pools for years to come. What advice would the Langleys give? “Use Origin! Seriously though, look at previous projects and talk to previous clients, use a company with extensive experience – Origin offer all of this and more.”

Scan the QR code to see more of this project... originpools.co.uk info@originpools.co.uk

01895 453996

TABLE TALK

Words JO LEEVERS Photography RACHEL SMITH

Decorum reigned in the Victorian dining room, which would be decorated in rich colours and lined with family portraits. In the contemporary version, this space can still conjure up a sense of occasion, but with far less formality. Now, it is more common for the eating area to work in conjunction with other rooms of the house, such as an adjoining living space or as part of an open-plan kitchen. Large or small, these spaces offer plenty of scope to bring together the best of old and new.

With affluent Victorians enjoying meals that could last up to nine courses, the dining room was where guests would have had plenty of time to sit and admire their host’s taste, and

the decor needed to impress accordingly. At the time, the dining room was often the first space to be decorated, in a style that tended towards darker, richer and what were seen as more ‘masculine’ colours. Shades such as claret and deep green were also practical, as they hid the sooty residue left by gas lights, candles and open fires. The intricate patterns of plaster ceiling roses were also both decorative and functional, catching the worst of the soot; some designs even included flues to direct the smoke outside. Traditionally, the dining room would have an austere and imposing black fireplace, balanced by a lighter version in white marble in the drawing room. A mahogany dining table, upholstered chairs and a sideboard displaying the best china were standard; on the floor, a rug might have been topped by a drugget,

The Victorian dining room might seem outdated –but interior designer Susannah Parker has transformed hers into a contemporary space

Interior designer Susannah Parker’s long antique table complements the mid-century Ercol dining chairs

a simple woven cloth for catching crumbs or spills. A dado rail would have run around the room to protect wallpaper from scuffs when chairs were pushed back against the wall. Naturally, the pattern-loving Victorians took the opportunity to use the dado rail as a visual divider, with different decoration above and below, while the rail itself might also be painted with small decorative motifs.

Every part of the dining experience was carefully considered, from the ornaments to the dishes that were served. Isabella Beeton is associated with cookery today, but her books and magazine columns also included plenty of advice on how the mistress of the house should conduct herself and maintain a harmonious home. The rise of such manuals was a sign that society was in flux. The middle-class wife – not to mention her servants – was slotting into a changing urban world, where information was handed down in the form of a book or newspaper article rather than from mother to daughter.

Of course, in the Victorian home the hard work that went on in the kitchen remained behind closed doors, and the layouts of our 19th-century houses attest to this. But today we prefer our dining rooms to be connected

to the kitchen, rather than separated from it. Cooking has become a social activity, making the kitchen-diner the hub of family life.

The rear kitchen-diner extension is a common feature of many updated urban Victorian homes, often with rooflights and glass doors opening onto the garden. When sensitively done, extending into the side return or back garden can create extra space that works harmoniously with the proportions of the original layout. If you’re planning an extension with lots of glazing, a solar-control coating on the glass will prevent it from getting uncomfortably hot in summer; in colder months, double- or triple-glazing will reduce heat waste. Acoustic layers can also be laminated between panes of toughened glass to provide sound insulation – useful in busy city locations.

Interior designer Susannah Parker’s dining room comes into its own in the evening, when the candles are lit and reflective surfaces catch the light. The proportions of the furniture are also important, with the long antique table complementing the mid-century Ercol dining chairs surprisingly well. The original shutters have been painted in the same shade as the walls for a seamless continuity.

This feature is an edited extract from Victorian Modern: A Design Bible for the Victorian Home, Thames & Hudson, Jo Leevers and Rachael Smith, £30

“Today we prefer our dining rooms to be connected to the kitchen, rather than separated from it”

Susannah Parker’s dining room comes into its own in the evening, when the candles are lit

An extensive palette of pigment rich, premium paint colours. Made to order in six beautiful, water-based finishes:

RIPPLES Bold Coloured Taps, £POA ripplesbathrooms.com

DRENCH

Burlington Gold Riviera Basin Pillar Taps, £168.99, drench.co.uk

DOWSING & REYNOLDS

Tinkisso Colour Pop Kitchen Tap Miami Pink, £146.99 dowsingandreynolds.com

CROSSWATER Beck Cloakroom Basin and Tap, £520 crosswater.com

GROHE Minta Blue Pure Filtered Water Tap, £615 grohe.co.uk

BIG BATHROOM SHOP

Milano Elizabeth Traditional Crosshead Basin Pillar Taps, £99.99 bigbathroomshop.co.uk

WATER SUPPLY

It's all in the details: here are some of the finest taps

By PENDLE HARTE

PLANK HARDWARE Armstrong Kitchen Tap, £139.95 plankhardware.com

BATHROOM MOUNTAIN

Trent Brushed Brass Wall Mounted Basin Mixer Tap, £89.99 bathroommountain.co.uk

CROSSWATER Beck Cloakroom Basin and Tap, £520 crosswater.com

UK BATHROOMS

Amara Runswick Mono Basin Mixer in Brushed Brass, £147 ukbathrooms.com

FIRE SIDE

WINTER WARMER MORSØ

Morsø cast iron stoves can generate plenty of heat even in the tightest space, thanks to its ergonomic design and sleek chimney, plus it has a handle that always stays cold. From £1,999. morsoe.com

TURN IT UP HUNTER STOVES

With easy-to-control settings that can turn up the heat in moments, this effi cient stove is suitable for fi replace or freestanding installation and would be a classic addition to any living space. From £1,129. hunterstoves.co.uk

SMOKE FREE ROWANDALE

The ACR Rowandale is a handsome multifuel design with an air wash feature to make sure the glass stays clean. This stove is suitable for wood burning in smokeless zones. From £1,799 in cream. directstoves.com

ECO READY ARADA

The Solution 5 (S4) has traditional styling, but is available in a variety of contemporary colourways, including a rich Miami blue. All of Arada's stoves meet the latest eco-ready credentials. From £849. aradastoves.com

COSY NIGHTS CHARNWOOD

Designed and made on the Isle of Wight, the Regency-inspired Cranmore 5 comes in matte black or coloured fi nishes and has a large picture window for cosy evenings fi reside. From £1,864. charnwood.com

FIVE OF THE BEST WOOD-BURNING STOVES

hues

The new season is nature’s planting season

Now really is the best time to get planting. The soil temperature is at its peak after the summer sun, which creates the perfect environment for root growth. With additional moisture from autumn rain, plants and trees use the autumn months to get established before winter sets in. This is good news for the gardener as it means watering isn’t as necessary as the drier months in spring and summer.

Herbaceous perennials might look a little worse for wear at this time of the year, but plant them now and they will reward you next year with very little effort.

The autumn is also the perfect time for planting fruit, both soft fruit (including raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries and rhubarb) and fruit trees (such as apples, pears, plums and cherries). If you need help and advice choosing trees and plants for your outdoor space, Stubbings is a great place to call or visit. This hidden gem (with fantastic café) is located just to the west side of Maidenhead off the A404M, 5-10 minutes from both the M4 and M40.

Plant new trees and shrubs directly in the ground or in large containers. They’ll give

you seasonal interest with vibrant foliage for years to come. As they spend less time growing new leaves and seeds at this time of year, their efforts are focussed on creating a solid root system, ready for withstanding the colder winter months. The Woodland Trust website has some wonderful inspiration including a pick of the best UK native trees to add a glow to your garden this autumn. It’s not just plants and trees that benefit from the autumn climate. Autumn is also the natural time to replace or repair your lawn. Whether you are seeding a new lawn or returfing, the autumn rains will ensure it gets the best start in life.

Don’t forget that autumn is also the ideal time for planting spring flowering and summer flowering bulbs. These include daffodils, crocus, hyacinths, alliums, and lilies.

45 Days’ Notice Account

• Interest calculated daily and added annually

• Minimum balance £1,000 up to £250,000

• No withdrawals without notice

• Accounts can be opened online, in branch or by post

SCHNEID Eikon Circus Pendant Lamp, from £191 nunido.co.uk

WHERE SAINTS GO Burgundy Eucalyptus Stems, £39 wheresaintsgo.co.uk

JYSK End Table, £30 jysk.co.uk

johnlewis.com

EICHHOLTZ

Trapezium Chair, £1,124 sweetpeaandwillow.com

PLUM PICKS

Damson is the new shade of the season

By PENDLE HARTE

RIPPLES

Bespoke Painted Rolltop Bath, from £2,510 ripplesbathrooms.com

VICTORY COLOURS

About Damson No 50, £44.95 victorycolours.co.uk

BEAUTIFUL WALLS

Floral Impressions Leaves and Berries, £42.98 beautifulwalls.co.uk

EARTHBORN PAINTS Lady Bug, £54 earthbornpaints.co.uk Murphy table lamp, £110

pooky.com

FLOS Captain Flint Outdoor Wall Light, £799 inspyerlighting.co.uk

LIGNE ROSET Taru One Arm Settee, £3,620 ligne-roset.com

Garden Centre - Café - Events

A HAVEN FOR GARDEN LOVERS & GATHERINGS

Forward PLANNING

Now is the time to plan and plant - and go big - at home

ith the colder winter months on their way, it’s the perfect time to look at your garden with a critical eye, and plan how you would like your garden to look next spring and summer. The floral blooms are in decline, and deciduous plants are becoming dormant, so you will now be able to see the bare bones and structure of your garden.

Getting the foundation of a garden right is important, and that really does start with the structure – in fact, it’s the secret of all good gardens. Using trees or hedges in varying heights can establish that structure, creating a framework for the rest of your planting.

WHY PLANT TREES OR HEDGES?

Planting a tree, even in a small garden, immediately brings vertical interest. If you have room for just one tree, consider one that will bring interest every season, from spring blossom to autumn berries or attractive bark.

WTrees can also frame a view, or provide a focal point for your garden, and can be used for screening, providing privacy in your garden. If space allows, woodland planting is a charming addition, providing welcome shade during hot summers and an ideal location for early flowering plants.

As well as aesthetics, trees and hedges are good at muffling noises, and cleaning the air; some are particularly good at filtering air-borne pollutants. They can also support wildlife, providing a source of food and a habitat location, from insects to birds and small mammals.

Position such plants well and they can be enjoyed now and for many years to come.

WHEN TO PLANT?

Most professional landscapers will plant trees and hedges in the autumn and winter months. The plants are in their dormant stage and require minimal maintenance. This means that by spring and early summer, they will have had the opportunity to establish their root system and be ready for the start of the growing season.

Planting new trees and shrubs is not a difficult job, but one to get right if you want your new plants to have the best start in life. The most important considerations are soil conditions, planting at the correct depth, support if required and aftercare –particularly watering.

Practicality Brown have been supplying high quality semi mature trees and instant hedges since 1989. At their nursery in Iver, Buckinghamshire, they grow Practical Instant Hedge™, a mature ready-toplant hedging range and showcase stunning specimen trees, both evergreen and deciduous. They can also offer a complete planting service.

pracbrown.co.uk

LIGHTBULB MOMENT

All the best table lamps

By PENDLE HARTE

HOUSEOF Olive Green Marble Column Table Lamp, £199 houseof.com

MICUCCI INTERIORS Firefl y Portable Table Lamp Lotus, £320 micucci.co.uk

FRENCH BEDROOM

Toile Blue Table Lamp, £295 frenchbedroom.co.uk

NICHOLAS ENGERT INTERIORS Table Lamp Sorry Giotto, £975 nicholasengert.co.uk

J ADAMS Luna Table Light, £1,500 jadamsandco.com

HOUSEOF Charcoal Grey Tube Table Lamp, £199 houseof.com

J ADAMS Spot Desk Light, £588 jadamsandco.com

HOUSEOF Teal Xou Table Lamp, £299 houseof.com

RV ASTLEY Irwell Table Lamp, £291 limelace.co.uk

SAZY Oron Dome Table Lamp, £110 sazy.com

RED OCTOBER

Autumnal accessories in leafy shades

By PENDLE HARTE

Autumn Leaves LED lights, £39.95

WILDFLOWER BOTANICALS Autumn Luxury Candle, £22 wildflowerbotanicals.co.uk

ERCOL Marlia Armchair in Red Rust, £1,060 ercol.com

OKA Holda Rug in Rust, £2,595 oka.com

MONOWARE Autumn Tablescape monoware.com

LIGNE ROSET Saparella Modular Sofa Corner Unit Rust, £POA miliashop.com

LULU GUINNESS X BELL HUTLEY Mushroom Magic Placemat, £30 luluguinness.com

CARRIÈRE FRÈRES Scented Taper Candles, £32 for six carrierefreres.co.uk

DONNA WILSON Bird Figurine, £240 scp.co.uk

LEAF ENVY Windsor Rust Pot, £20 leafenvy.co.uk

This kitchen uses a combination of ‘Natural Nut Tree’ and ‘Blossom White’ doors alongside the exquisite Neolith ‘Himalayan Crystal’ worktops.

With a soft and elegant palette, it embodies a sense of tranquility and warmth, perfectly reflecting the client’s desire for a clean and inviting space.

The customer wanted a natural and organic feel to the kitchen. The warm tones and distinctive grain patterns of the ‘Nut Tree’ doors lends a touch of rustic charm, whilst the matt lacquered ‘Blossom White’ provides a clean and modern backdrop. Together they create a harmonious balance that is visually appealing and soothing. The porcelain worktops in Neolith’s Himalayan Crystal finish add a luxurious touch that is enhanced by its satin finish. The combination of the durability and stunning aesthet-

Sense & SERENITY

Poggenpohl presents a kitchen that marries simplicity, elegance and functionality

ics makes them an ideal choice for a kitchen that aims for both style and practicality – which is just what this client ordered. Ensuring a modern finish, the LED lighting is adjustable and integrated into the kitchen, allowing the client to easily control the mood of the space, from bright and vibrant to soft and relaxing, depending on the occasion and personal preference. The play of light and shadow further accentuates the textures and tones of the materials, creating a captivating visual experience.

The client’s request for a muted colour palette that still exudes warmth is achieved with this design. The soft and elegant tones create a serene ambience, fostering a sense of tranquility and comfort in the kitchen. The clean lines and uncluttered layout further allow for easy navigation and smooth workflow. This kitchen goes above and beyond meeting the client’s expecta-

tions as it harmoniously blends aesthetics, functionality and the desired ambiance. The use of the warm finishes and modern Siemens appliances achieves a balance between visual appeal, practicality and the desired serene and inviting atmosphere.

This kitchen design captures the essence of simplicity, elegance and efficiency. The choice of materials, colour palette, lighting and appliances all contribute to a space that is both visually stunning and highly functional. Whether the client is cooking, entertaining or simply enjoying a quiet moment, this kitchen offers a quiet and inviting environment for the client and their loved ones to gather and create lasting memories, all while ensuring an ergonomic design that will stand the test of time.

To find your nearest Poggenpohl dealer, visit poggenpohl.com or phone 01737 728 100

CREATIVE REVIEW

MAKE OVER JOHN LEWIS

John Lewis's in-house design studio are responsible for bringing an array of unique, iconic products to the store this season. There's a fantastic range of sofas and many of them are available in time for Christmas. johnlewis.com

IN THE GROOVE ERCOL

Ercol's Bellingdon sideboard is a beautiful statement piece with a nod to mid century design. A spacious storage cabinet, it has four statement doors with routed groves creating a striking effect ercol.com

NEW WAVE BED THREADS

A modern classic, Bed Threads' scalloped pillowcases are made from 100% fl ax linen, combining a timeless fi nish with decorative fl air thanks to curved edge trimmed in a contrasting shade, available in 10 colourways. bedthreads.com

LIGHT ANGLE LEE BROOM

Vesper is inspired by the simple geometric lines of Brutalist sculpture and modernist cathedral lighting with its rectangular cubes that are seamlessly connected by illuminated spheres. leebroom.com

RISE AND SHINE THE LACQUER COMPANY

The Lacquer Company has opened a new showroom in Pimlico, where renowned designers collaborate on furniture, lamps and mirrors, and decorative accessory collections. thelacquercompany.com

RUG STORE specialise in a wide selection of new, old and Antique Persian, Turkish, Caucasian and Turkmen Carpets. Various antique, old and new Kilims are available. We o er a professional hand-cleaning and restoration service. We buy old and antique carpetseven damaged rugs. Part exchange and evaluations.

312 UPPER RICHMOND ROAD WEST, EAST SHEEN, RICHMOND, LONDON, SW14 7JN Tel: 020 8876 0070 • wwww.rugstoreonline.co.uk

Welcome ... ...to Englefield Garden Centre

OUR MISSION

To enable people with learning disabilities to pursue active and fulfilling lives, gain increased independence and achieve equal rights as citizens

Opening hours

Monday to Saturday 9 - 5 | Sunday 10 - 4

Tel 01189 930 4898 englefieldgardencentre.com

Englefield Garden Centre, The Street, Englefield, Theale, Berks, RG7 5ES

Built to LAST

Do you remember what you doing in 1978?

Grease was the must-see film that year. The Ford Cortina was the UK’s bestselling car. Kate Bush was in the charts with Wuthering Heights.

In spring, 1978, Alison from Whitley Bay visited the Delcor showroom in Newcastle to buy her first sofa. She recalls: “We were impressed by the design, the comfort and the fact the furniture was made for you.”

Looking back this time, Alison said: “My husband Andy and I had trawled round all the shops in Newcastle. Up until then we had made do with handme-downs and secondhand furniture. We didn’t believe in buying cheap items – we saved up (as you did in those days) and then bought something we thought would last.”

Here in Northumberland, Delcor has been creating handmade upholstered

furniture – sofas of distinction – to their customers’ individual specifications since 1967.

One of their early marketing lines described them as “the manufacturer who sells direct to the customer.”

They soon became well known throughout the North East. Later, through other showrooms in the UK, Delcor solidified its reputation as a high-quality specialist manufacturer and retailer of the very best furniture.

Alison recalls choosing the sofa and a matching chair, and then waiting for them to be made while her lounge was decorated. She had her first child in 1981 and moved to a larger home. She loved the sofa and chair she had but wanted to enlarge the set, so they returned to Delcor to purchase another chair.

They have always offered a refurbishment service for older Delcor furniture. People come back to them to

have their well-loved Delcor furniture fully restored.

Alison reflected: “The suite lasted very well, in 2020 my husband died, Covid came, and life stopped. At the beginning of this year, I decided to redecorate, I realized my wonderful Delcor settee was really looking like it needed renewing as the fabric was starting to show its age. I must admit I won’t need my new sofa bed to last another 45 years but now I’ll have a fantastic piece of furniture to leave to my children knowing it will give many years of good service.

“I was so well received during my visit. I felt like I’d come ‘home’. I knew your products were excellent and really didn’t need any persuasion to think about buying from you again.”

Visit the showrooms in Seaton Delaval, Stamford, London, Altrincham or Witney.

delcor.co.uk

Delcor: the finest furniture hand crafted in Northumberland

“Sofas of distinction since 1967”

ALISON ON HER SOFA WITH DELCOR'S CHRISTOPHER HOPKINS

SEATON DELAVAL SHOWROOM, 1970S

Enjoy the journey

Based in the heart of Windsor, Upton House is a thriving Nursery, Pre-Prep and Prep School for boys and girls aged 2-11 years

With high academic standards, high calibre staff and excellent pastoral care, Upton House children blossom and have a zest for life, continually learning and developing their abilities, interests and talents within a caring and supportive environment. Our children thrive in the modern world and we invite them to think outside the box.

Our enhanced curriculum is rich with cross-curricular digital innovations and our pioneering live-streamed events run by our Broadcasting Club share our activities with our global family online. A proven track record with outstanding scholarship success each year.

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EDUCATION

SOMETHING TO BROADCAST

UPTON HOUSE SCHOOL

What does it mean to live in a digital world and for our children growing up in it? Upton House School has embraced a digital broadcasting programme to connect their students’ learning to the evolving world and on a personal level with their global community. Children embrace the art of what is possible creating live digital productions such as Mary Poppins. Digital broadcasting brings life skills, relatability and much joy.

Read more about Upton House School on page 121.

s

GUIDE

By LIBBY NORMAN

Nobody ever said growing up was easy, but these days it can be particularly tough –especially for girls. That’s where Dr Zoe Williams comes in, with a desire to create a new guide for the 9+ age group – not just focusing on the physical changes of puberty, but the social and emotional pressures of 21st life. You Grow Girl! The Complete No Worries Guide to Growing Up is the result.

Dr Zoe Williams is a well-placed voice of authority, a GP, with day-to-day experience of the issues young people encounter. She is also a trusted medic on our screens. Her schedule includes roles with the Royal College of General Practitioners and British Society of Lifestyle Medicine. Oh,

A working GP, and a familiar face on TV, Dr Zoe Williams has written a new book designed to guide girls through the physical, mental and social trials of growing up

girl

’

PHOTO: CHARL MARAIS

ZOE WILLIAMS’ GUIDE BALANCES SOUND HEALTH INFORMATION WITH INSPIRING TIPS AND CASE STUDIES

and she’s a former rugby player (Blaydon Women’s RFC) and appeared as ‘Amazon’ on Sky 1’s Gladiators. By anyone’s lights – but especially if you’re a girl growing up – that last bit adds up to pretty cool. She is clear about the challenges girls face today – and they go way beyond the physical changes that make puberty such a confusing time. “It was really important to me to make sure we included topics that young people are not only interested in, but should be aware of,” she says. The book gives all the sound advice you’d hope for (looking after your body and healthy eating), but also covers o everything from building body confidence to being empowered to speak up when something doesn’t seem right.

Zoe thinks that the information children are exposed to in real time makes trusted sources and sound guidance more important than ever. “If I think about myself, I had limited access to information. I could ask my parents, my teachers, find a book or magazine or ask my friends. Whereas now young people can find information on anything online. And they may get good sources of information, or they find information that is incorrect or misleading or dangerous,” she says.

She believes young people today are more attuned to the society in which they are growing up. “I think when we were young, we didn’t feel war and global issues were any of our business, whereas young people do now – and rightly so. They are not just feeling the weight of their personal experience of growing up on their shoulders.”

While You Grow Girl! focuses mostly on supporting children through their own individual journey, it also provides inspiring

case studies and guidance to reflect these bigger-picture concerns. These include topical issues such as poverty (food insecurity and period poverty). Zoe felt it was important for the book to acknowledge and support people with the most challenging lives.

The book provides thought-provoking analysis around bullying. “It’s not just about the person being bullied or the bully, we all have the responsibility and an ability to support both the bully and the person doing the bullying. It’s important, at a deeper level, for young people to feel empowered and to know they have the permission to speak out and do the right thing.”

Sex, mental health and consent are all covered in a sensitive and age-appropriate way, but also with that ‘dip in’ tips and pointers approach that is so useful in helping young people absorb information without feeling overwhelmed. Zoe is also excellent on inspiring case studies, including drawing on her own recollections as she was growing up. She gives a great account of how she learned to improve her own body confidence on Gladiators and o ers advice on adopting a gladiator name and stance in testing situations.

Body confidence is a major issue for girls as they grow, and she delivers insights about this by talking about her own teenage insecurities and her game-changing moment – in the communal showers after her first competitive rugby game. She had prepared for anything, bringing along a bikini. Then everyone just stripped o and got in the shower. “And there was this sudden realisation that nobody cared what I looked like,” she says. “Everyone is di erent, there is no normal. I wish I could go back and

tell my younger self that, and that’s why I’m telling the young people reading my book.” She thinks that, as adults, we have a duty to approach the whole business of dispensing advice to young people with care, and also due respect for their intelligence.

“We have to give young people credit for the knowledge they already have,” she says. On areas such as consent and sexual identity, she suggests young people are often more aware than we realise.

“As a parent, teacher or grown up, it’s about saying: ‘you know what, you might know more than me on this. I’ll share what I know, and I’d really appreciate it if you’d share what you know, and then maybe we’ll both end up with more knowledge and be empowered’. What a wonderful thing to do, rather than us always being the educator and the young person always being the recipient of knowledge.”

“Young people are not just feeling the weight of their personal experience of growing up on their shoulders”

An education where they can grow beyond expectations

LVS Ascot is an independent day and boarding school for boys and girls of all ages, from Reception through to Sixth Form. Located in 26 acres of secure parkland, we are close to major motorways and Heathrow airport.

Whole School Open Day

Saturday 18 November 2023

Best start IN LIFE

Upton House Head, Rhian Thornton, on how the school sets their pupils up for what lies ahead

Q How long have you been Head at Upton House?

A I have been Headmistress at Upton House School for seven years. I fell in love with Upton. It has a very special warmth and family feel, in the heart of Windsor.

Q How would you describe the school’s setting?

A Upton is fully co-ed from age 2 to 11. The beautiful main house dates to 1936 surrounded by newly designed creative and innovative spacious areas including the new broadcasting studio, the new music recording studio, a purpose-built

Nursery, drama studio and art studio. We are very proud to be a town school set beautifully between a two-minute walk to Windsor Castle and a two-minute walk to The Long Walk. We are a big part of the Windsor community and town. Sport is an important part of life at Upton with healthy competition, fixtures and fun taking place at the York Club in Windsor Great Park.

Q Could you give us a snapshot of the school’s history?

A Mrs Gladys Handcock established Upton in 1936. She decided there was not a school in Windsor good enough for her children

and that was the start of Upton House on St Leonards Road, Windsor 87 years ago!

Q How privileged do you feel to be overseeing the start of a pupil’s educational journey?

A Being a Headmistress is the greatest privilege. Parents trust in me to ensure their children are safe, loved, happy and successful. For me this is a very personal mission and commitment. I thoroughly enjoy working with all our families and talking to parents. As a working mum of three children aged 11, 13 and 15, now in three different Senior schools, I live and breathe school life and understand the importance of getting it right for every child.

Q At an early age, how do you look to inspire a love for learning?

A Fun, fun, fun! Children love a challenge and a problem to solve. They have a natural thirst for knowledge and a wonderful curiosity. Knowledge is important, but needs to be delivered by the very best teachers providing creativity and challenge, in an engaging way. The knowledge is only part of the learning, the other key part being skills for life and social skills. Learning to question, challenge each other, debate, respect, make mistakes

“This year we had over 60 offers between 27 children for Senior school places and 14 scholarships”

PHOTO: GILL HEPPELL

HEAD RHIAN THORNTON

and learn from them, not give up and of course work hard are all so important.

Q How would you say the curriculum evolves through the year groups?

A We have an innovative, bespoke curriculum. It carefully and successfully blends the creative elements of art, drama, and music with sport and academic success.

Little Upton provides incredible building blocks for the future Upton years and the children happily move from EYFS into PrePrep knowing us all and keen to replicate the talents and skills they have seen from the older children. With subject specialists from Form 3 for all subjects and from Nursery for Mandarin, French, music, and sports lessons!

As the children move through Prep, they begin Latin, broadcasting, debating and study skills. Alongside the innovation and wide-ranging activities, a key part of our role is to prepare the children for Senior school, including exams in the older Prep years. The children have more responsibility as they move through the school culminating

in their Senior responsibility roles in Form 6 where they may organise anything from a Careers Fair to the Eco award. We are also a NACE school which recognises that we challenge all children academically and in all areas of the curriculum through problem-solving and higher-order thinking.

Q What do you o er outside of the classroom?

A We o er a rich and extensive variety of clubs including broadcasting, coding, ballet, lyrical jazz, hockey, judo, chess, football, rugby and netball. LAMDA is part of the curriculum from Form 1 upwards and all children do LAMDA (100% success rate and 87% distinction – 2023 results). Music lessons – over 76% of our children have peripatetic lessons –orchestra, debating… The list goes on.

Q When pupils leave you, what are they prepared for?

A Our children leave us as confident, capable but humble young people, very astute and

ready for Senior school life. This year we had over 60 o ers between 27 children for Senior school places and 14 scholarships.

Q What are you looking forward to most as the new school year begins?

A Seeing our first cohort of Upton boys finish their Upton journey, and appointing Upton’s first Head Boy! Watching Form 6 take on their new roles, developing new and insightful initiatives, and developing even further our digital broadcasting productions and events which are a big part of Upton life. We currently live-stream our key events to many countries and this extended family is a huge part of Upton life, with those from all over the world joining us in assembly or for end-of-year extravaganzas such as Mary Poppins. Wonderful Upton traditions such as carols around the Christmas tree, waving to the King on the Long Walk, welcoming new families into Pre-Nursery to start their Upton journey… and watching our children perform at many events all over Windsor and the wider area. uptonhouse.org.uk

Performing Arts

What’s On

Oct 2023 – Feb 2024

20 Oct

17 Nov

29 Nov – 1 Dec

6 – 7 Dec

8 Dec

26 Jan

7 – 9 Feb

All events are open to the general public. Proceeds go to the Wellington College Arts Fund to support local schools’ arts projects.

World Arts Concert

Involving 9 local schools

Choral and Concerto Concert

Featuring Brahms Requiem & Tchaikovsky piano concerto

Jack Absolute Flies Again

A comedy by Richard Bean and Oliver Chris

Dance Show: The Quad, the Chapel and the Dorm Performances taking you on a journey through life at a boarding school

Orchestral Gala Concert

The best of Wellington’s ensemble music

Montgomery Recital

The senior instrumental competition

Les Misérables performed by the Wellington Theatre Collective

Book now: wellingtoncollege.co.uk/boxoffice

Educating for the FUTURE

In January 2020 the World Economic Forum published its ‘Schools of the Future’ report. The result of a global consultation seeking to identify a model of education which “more closely mirror[s] the future of work [and provides] children with the skills to thrive in the new economy”. Global citizenship, innovation and creativity, technology and interpersonal skills such as empathy, leadership and social awareness were all deemed critical, as were learning which was personalised and self-paced, accessible and inclusive, problem-based and collaborative. Markedly, the emphasis was not on gaining specific subject knowledge, but on the development of key skills

Likewise, in June 2022, following a year-long project evaluating ‘how to unleash the potential of every child’, the Times Education Commission called for the implementation of a baccalaureate curriculum as the first recommendation in their 12-point plan.

“We knew that the rapid pace of change and uncertainty around the future job market required a bold change of strategy,” says Emma Adriano, Deputy Head and Head of Pre-Prep at St George’s School Windsor Castle, who spearheaded the roll out of the International Baccalaureate at the school. “Rather than learning subjects by rote with the sole goal of passing exams, IB students have the opportunity to reflect upon what they already understand, identify their own knowledge gaps and areas of interest, and explore how to research and develop a deeper understanding of each topic across a range of subject areas and practical applications.

“This approach develops exceptionally well-rounded students who understand the relevance of what they are learning to the real world and will be able to adapt to a rapidly evolving and increasingly interconnected future. Fundamentally, alongside imparting knowledge, the curriculum teaches not what to think, but how to learn,” she adds.

The International Baccalaureate develops fundamental study skills in addition to broad subject knowledge. Skills such as communication, having an inquiring mind and the ability to think critically are actively nurtured – competencies which the Future Skills Report, published in November 2022 by the IB Schools and Colleges Association of the UK and Ireland (IBSCA) and ACS International Schools, found were the most desired by small and medium sized enterprise leaders.

Driven by a vision to ensure students become ‘Real World Ready’, St George’s School Windsor Castle’s new IB World School status was achieved following a two-year candidacy period that saw the school fully embed the curriculum framework from Kindergarten up to the end of Year 6. This is a move parents have already seen the benefits from, with 100% of families surveyed by the Independent Schools Inspectorate as part of the school’s ‘excellent’ recent inspection agreeing or strongly agreeing that ‘the school equips my child with the team working, collaborative and research skills they need in later life’.

The school was also recently named as a finalist in the Independent Schools of the Year 2023 awards. Something the school suggests is yet more proof that whilst proudly one of the oldest schools in the UK, it is now also o cially one of the most forward looking.

stgwindsor.org

As St George’s School Windsor Castle becomes the first standalone prep school in the UK to be certified as an IB World School, we find out more

“This approach develops exceptionally well-rounded students”

The End is just the START

Rachael Cox, Head of Eton End Prep School in Datchet, shares her joy after a successful first year leading innovative changes

Eton End is proud to be the first Prep school in the UK to unveil a new whole school re-design of our classroom layout, which puts children’s needs firmly at the heart of the learning experience. The traditional classrooms have gone, replaced with calm, comfortable learning spaces offering flexible seating and space for self-regulation.

This radical approach was recognised when we won the Talk Education Innovation in Education award for Pastoral Care and Wellbeing 2023 after being shortlisted for our endeavours in supporting our pupil’s mental health at our thriving, long established co-ed Nursery and Prep School.

In the forthcoming school year, we are looking forward to utilising the new Digital Media and Robotics Lab complete with VR headsets, robots and a green screen. This new facility, alongside our 1:1 device policy, will enable staff to equip their pupils with the full set of digital skills needed in the 21st century. Alongside this, we have also launched the Eton Endeavour Award, which will see our pupils engaging in an entrepreneurial, economic and social education alongside their academic progress.

Eton End’s approach to teaching and learning is through a holistic and aspirational curriculum; we ensure our pupils have enjoyable childhoods both in

and out of the classroom, ones in which they can achieve highly, but also feel the joy of play, laughter and friendship. The Prep school years are the core of childhood days and, at Eton End, we ensure they are full of experiential learning that will create memories to last a lifetime.

Eton End is encouraging and developing the skills and attitudes pupils require to forge ahead throughout their education and the world beyond. To do this, we are constantly evaluating whether what has traditionally been done in classrooms is still the way it needs to be approached today – often with many different answers and solutions to meet the needs of individual children.

Come and see why we are an awardwinning school at our Open Morning on Thursday 9 November; visit and register on our website to find out more

01753 541075

etonend.org

HEAD RACHAEL COX

EDUCATION NEWS

The latest news from schools across the county

STEPPING UP

It has been a fabulous start to the new year at Queen Anne’s. New students always start the new academic year with an induction day as this smoothes the transition to Senior School; starting to make new friends, meeting teachers and orientating themselves around the campus, gives everyone a head start and eases those ‘first day’ butterflies.

The first days back were followed by the Community Fun Day, an event which helps bring the whole school together. This year it was held on the first Sunday of term for both boarding and day families and included inflatable challenges and slides followed by a barbeque for the whole school. It was a wet, but very enjoyable day! qas.org.uk

Multiple choice

With the deadline looming for state school applications and open days in full swing in the independent sector, Henry Knight, Head of Senior Prep at St George’s School Windsor Castle, has authored a guide titled ‘Choosing a Senior School’. Aimed to demystify the process of finding and applying for an independent Senior School place, the guide covers the key points to consider, such as Year 7 or Year 9 entry, single sex or co-ed, day or boarding. stgwindsor.org

Great outdoors

At Coleshill Infant School near Amersham, their Reception and Year 1 class have been busy at Forest School playing in the mud kitchen, making dens, exploring the grounds, finding minibeasts and making elaborate water constructions. They are out in all weathers learning through play and using a wide variety of equipment including tools. They learn how to be safe, especially around the campfire where they celebrate with hot chocolate and toasting marshmallows at the end of each term. coleshillvillageschool.co.uk

WARM WELCOME

It has been a great start to the academic year for the Reading Blue Coat School, with the arrival of their first ever co-educational Year 7 intake, along with bumper crops of new students in Years 9 and 12 and several in Years 8 and 10 too. “The weather has shone brightly to celebrate their arrival and we warmly welcome all our new students, and their families, to this very special community,” says Pete Thomas, Headmaster. rbcs.org.uk

“The induction day smoothes the transition to Senior School”

Ebb & Flow

are dedicated to empowering the local and existing community by partnering with independent brands and spots throughout the Thames Valley. Enjoy exclusive discounts at some of the finest businesses in Reading with your Ebb & Flow card –exclusive to residents – including Thames Lido, Siren Brewery, Oracle Shopping Centre and Blue Collar Corner.

Unlike most apartments currently available or under construction in Reading, Ebb & Flow offer more than somewhere to live, but a vast community of like-minded people. The 24-hour concierge will ensure you feel consistently secure, while maintenance and home repairs are no bother, with the onsite team on call should you need them. The building is also pet-friendly – something you wouldn't usually see in a rental property. Multiple green areas have been introduced, including the Pocket Park adjacent to the station with areas to play, socialise and rest. Other outdoor spaces will host restaurants, cafes and a supermarket, among other leisure hubs.

The newest addition to Reading’s lively neighbourhood is Ebb & Flow, a duo of luxury build-torent apartment buildings, situated right in the heart of town. Boasting community events, multiple green spaces, and a wellconsidered place to call home, Ebb has now welcomed its first set of residents, and Flow is due to open in December 2023.

The concept of build-to-rent is growing year on year as individuals look for more from their home environment. Ebb & Flow are at the forefront, driving community living. From wellness classes to book clubs, vibrant social spaces to roof terraces, Ebb & Flow understand that renters are looking for more from their homes than

just a place to live. Build-to-rent is the centre point between buying and renting property; it offers residents a long-term place to live, with the added opportunity to personalise and create a space fit for them. With apartments suitable for young professionals, couples and families, Ebb & Flow – aptly named after the geographic coming together of the rivers Thames and Kennett – creates a whole new neighbourhood in the centre of Reading. The apartments offer bright, airy, contemporary spaces for residents, with soundproofed walls to ensure your apartment remains peaceful. Most apartments are offered fully furnished, with furniture provided by Vawdrey House, a UK based interior design agency.

Although the development offers all new community spaces, these aren’t restricted to residents only. Ebb & Flow

The world of build-to-rent is taking off, and Ebb & Flow are ahead of the pack.

ebb-and-flow.co.uk

Reading’s latest community driven apartment development opens the doors and welcomes its first residents

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