Surrey Homes | SH26 | December 2016 | Interiors supplement inside

PRICELESS
DECEMBER 2016
Interiors Supplement • Fabulous Fashion • Delicious Dishes
A Wealden Times Magazine

LUXURY INTERIOR DESIGN FOR
DISCERNING PRIVATE AND
COMMERCIAL CLIENTS
THE OLD PARLOUR, UNIT 6, OCKLEY COURT FARM, COLES LANE, OCKLEY, SURREY RH5 5LS, UK
www.iggi.co.uk | T: 01306 712262 | E: info@iggi.co.uk

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Contents
December 2016
THE WINTER EXHIBITION
110 86
10
17
HO HO HOMES
Isobel Mackay is
dreaming about perfect
Christmas houses
DECEMBER
NOTEBOOK
Fun and interesting things
coming up this month
109
110
HEALTH
Top tips for avoiding the
post-Christmas slump
NOT CHRISTMAS
PUDDING
Scrummy and inspired
alternatives to the
traditional festive fare
Opens 3 December 2016
34
61
WALL TO WALL STYLE
A renowned wallpaper
designer has transformed
a wreck into an oasis
of refined elegance
GET THE LOOK
Give your home a
pastel make-over
117
119
SOUP AND A
SANDWICH
The perfect winterwarming
combination
DECK THE HALLS
Jo Arnell creates
beautiful, natural
Christmas decorations
62
INTERIORS
SUPPLEMENT
16 pages of ideas and
inspiration for your home
122
THE WINTER
GARDEN
A few creative projects to
add colour to the garden
64
86
101
107
FAMILY FAVOURITE
Snuggle down and
immerse yourself
in the cosiness of
this family home
RUG-UP, SNUGGLE IN
Wrap-up and keep
warm this winter
IN THE MOOD
FOR PERFUME
Jo Fairley gives advice on
buying the perfect scent
WEALDEN BEAUTY
Samantha Stone talks
yoga and coconut oil
124
127
129
130
SUGAR SHOCK
Susan Elkin speaks
out on sugar
WHAT’S ON IN
DECEMBER
Festive fairs, carols
and ice-skating
COMPETITION
Win a Clarkes sofa
worth £1000
FABLES FROM
THE FARM
Christmas at Coopers
Farm means showtime for
the fat pigs and porkers
Full Colour Exhibition Catalogue
Available From The Gallery
McALLISTER THOMAS
117 High Street
Godalming
Surrey GU7 1AQ
T: 01483 860591
www.mcallisterthomasfineart.co.uk
Published by JPS Media Ltd, Kettle Chambers, 21 Stone Street,
Cranbrook, Kent. TN17 3HF. Tel: 01580 714705 Fax: 01580 715983.
Email info@wealdentimes.co.uk wealdentimes.co.uk
copyright JPS Media Ltd 2016©
5 wealdentimes.co.uk
McAllisterThomasFineArtS26-V.indd Half Page.indd 1 1 24/11/2016 13:25 14:14

Surrey, Sussex & Hampshire’s
Premier Oak Framed Specialist
Surrey Oak Barns is a specialist oak frame contractor offering
a complete and seamless multi-trade service, from simple
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We offer a complete service from design, planning and
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achieve their aspirations for oak buildings from a single source.
Surrey Oak Barns is the only oak framed contractor to be
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service, integrity of conduct and concern for client’s needs.
We are currently offering a free planning service for detached
barns up to four bays to all prospective clients
To find out about our special offers please call 01483 420258
email info@surreyoakbarns.co.uk or visit www.surreyoakbarns.co.uk

Warlingham - Surrey
ElM HOuSE - £1,100,000
A brand new development of two detached luxury houses
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Maple House and Elm House are around half a mile from
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of local amenities. Mainline Railway Stations are around a
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Junction 6 of the M25 is around 4 miles away.
MaplE HOuSE - £895,000
Maple House • four bedroom detached house • family bathroom • master bedroom suite with dressing
room • ensuite bathroom / shower room • living room • kitchen / dining room • study • cloakroom
• reception hall • large single garage • landscaped gardens.
Elm House • large four bedroom house • family bathroom • two ensuite bathroom/shower rooms • entrance hall
with full height two storey atrium • living room • open plan kitchen with dining area • snug • utility room • study
• cloakroom • large single garage • landscaped gardens.
CONTACT US TODAY TO BE ADDED TO OUR VIP MAILING LIST
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HOMES OF DISTINCTION
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96 High Street, Godstone, Surrey, RH9 8DP T 01883 744344 E enquiries@raynerstc.com

Are you paying too much for your mortgage?
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Opal Mortgage Solutions. Advice as individual as you are.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
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OpalMortgageSolutionsS26.indd 1 28/11/2016 16:43
Making a house your home
...and for whatever life brings
The Riverside Centre, 40 High Street, Kingston upon Thames KT1 1HL Tel: 020 8974 7490 www.roselegal.co.uk
wealdentimes.co.uk
8
QualitySolicitorsRose&RoseS25.indd 1 31/10/2016 11:03

If an outside play
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Put your feet up, enjoy a mulled wine and let
Lawrence & Rutstein take away your administrative hassles
Property
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Contact our team for details
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At Private Property Search, we don’t give “no” as an answer. We’re
an independent buying consultancy of Strutt & Parker who will keep
searching until we find exactly what you’re looking for on (or indeed
off) the market. Then we’ll negotiate a price you’ll like too.
Contact Victoria Hall, our experienced buying
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victoria.hall@ppsearch.co.uk
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Where every search is a find
LawrenceAndRutsteinS26.indd 1 18/11/2016 PrivatePropertySearchS23.indd 16:50
1 30/08/2016 12:43
DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY – Guide price £800,000
Sheepstreet Lane, Etchingham, East Sussex TN19 7AY
A STUNNING BRICK AND STONE BUILT BARN SET IN A RURAL LOCATION,
DESIGNATED AS AN AREA OF OUTSTANDING NATURAL BEAUTY. PLANNING
PERMISSION EXISTS FOR THE CONVERSION TO PROVIDE A 6 BEDROOM
DWELLING, CIRCA 6,297sq.ft. IN GROUNDS OF APPROXIMATELY 1.75 ACRES (tbv)
New House Farm
Granary as the name
suggests is a former
granary building
of part brick and
stone construction
with elevated views.
The barn has full
planning permission
to provide
approximately
6,297sq.ft. of living
accommodation
arranged over three
floors.
ACCOMMODATION
Ground Floor: Reception Hall • WC • Drawing
Room • Living Room • Dining Room • Kitchen
• Walk-in Larder • Further WC • Boot Room
• Laundry Room
1st Floor: Master Bedroom Suite with walk-in
wardrobe and en-suite bathroom • 5 further
bedrooms • 2 further bathrooms • Bedroom 6
with en-suite with shower and dressing room
Basement: Utility room • Wine cellar • Cinema
room • Gym with changing room, shower and WC
Customer SJD 1-2
9 wealdentimes.co.uk
SJDprojectsWT178.indd 1
Publication The INDEX Magazine - December 2016 - Issue 253
10/11/2016 11:16
Date sent 09 November 2016

HOUSE OF THE MONTH
1.
Ho ho homes
Isobel Mackay is dreaming about perfect Christmas houses
S
Claus Esq. is an extremely flexible chap considering his legendary girth,
presumably the result of scoffing the mince pie mountain left on British
hearths on December 24th by hysterically overexcited small people.
Despite a BMI which must alarm his GP, Mr Claus is able to get down the
narrowest of chimneys and even to enter those – increasingly numerous –
sitting rooms where a smart wood burner fills the open bit where he used to
shoot out, boots first.
The really amazing thing about him though, is that he’s able to deliver
stocking swag even to houses that don’t have chimneys, let alone any kind of
fireplace… What a guy.
But while Santa, Prancer, Blixen, Rudolf etc seem able to cope with whatever
roof/fireplace scenario they encounter, for we more earthbound beings a house
that feels all set up for Christmas, without needing to put so much as a strand
of tinsel in place, is magical in itself.
So what’s on our collective letter to Santa for such a house? A fireplace big
enough to get several small children into (and one fat man out of) has to be
at the top, with a generous mantle from which to hang at least one symbolic
stocking (the real things these days seem to be the size of king size duvet
covers). A hall large enough to take a towering tree and accommodate crowds of
wassailers for a Yuletide cup is another essential. The lobby of the Columbia Inn
in Pine Tree, Vermont, as featured in White Christmas, is a handy benchmark,
i.e. big enough to stage a small Broadway musical.
Other considerations for our Christmas dream home would be a generous
drawing room for present opening, an Aga to cook the feast, a big dining room
to eat it and plenty of bedrooms to accommodate extended family. Perhaps in
discreet smaller writing, lower down, we might request from Mr Claus, a quiet
nook to sneak away for post-prandial naps. Possibly a separate wing.
1. Chantersluer Farm
Where? Chantersluer Farm sits in
rolling countryside near Horley, with
Dorking and Reigate within easy reach.
What? The best kind of English
house made up of bits added on from
the 16th Century onwards, with many
fine features intact from each period.
The ground floor rambles around a
large kitchen/breakfast room with a
walk-in pantry, three sitting rooms, a
study and dining room. Upstairs there
are six bedrooms and two bathrooms.
As well as a barn, stabling and further
outbuildings, there is a separate two
bedroomed cottage on the 12.5 acre
property, which also boasts two lakes
and an all-weather tennis court.
How much? Chantersluer Farm
is priced at £1.95 million with Jackson
Stops in Dorking. Call 01306 887560
or look at jackson-stops.co.uk
wealdentimes.co.uk
10

2.
3.
4.
2.
3.
4.
2. Edgeworth
Where? Edgeworth is situated in the
most desirable enclave of St George’s
Hill, handy for Esher and Cobham.
What? Built by St George’s Hill
creator GW Tarrant, the only word
for Edgeworth is mansion, but while
it covers 7479 sqft, within superbly
landscaped grounds and to-die-for
views, with rich bespoke woodwork, it
maintains the feeling of a family home.
As well as a huge kitchen/breakfast
room, the ground floor has no fewer
than five reception rooms, including
a study, a library, drawing and dining
rooms, and most breathtaking of all;
the Grand Reception Hall, with its
minstrels’ gallery. Handy for carol
singers. Upstairs are four bedrooms
on the first floor, the master bedroom
with en suite, plus another bathroom.
Another three bedrooms and a
bathroom are on the second floor.
How much? Edgeworth
is on the market for £8.95
million, with Savills Weybridge
01932 838000 or visit savills.co.uk
3. Osborne House
Where? Osborne House is located
in the Southborough conservation
area of central Surbiton.
What? A grand Victorian semidetached
villa with high ceilings and
many other original period features,
which has been thrillingly updated with
an ultra modern kitchen treatment –
who says Santa can’t get with the times?
(The mince pies might have to be
gluten-free…). The entrance hall retains
beautiful original cornicing and leads to
principal reception rooms including a
sitting room with French doors out to a
balcony, a dining room, TV room and
the open plan kitchen/breakfast room,
plus utility room and loo. The lower
ground floor has two guest bedrooms
and a shower room. The first floor
houses two large double bedrooms and a
family bathroom, and the entire second
floor is given over to a spacious master
suite, with an open plan bathroom,
dressing room and additional shower
room. The rear garden has an artificial
grass lawn, a brick summer house/
playroom and a terrace for entertaining.
How much? Osborne House
is priced at £1,995,000 with Knight
Frank, Esher. Call 01372 464496
or look at knightfrank.co.uk
4. Lower Farm
Where? Lower Farm sits amidst
beautiful grounds of around five
acres in a semi-rural setting near
Effingham Common, under a mile
from Effingham Junction station with
its excellent connection to London.
What? A Grade II listed Georgian
tile-hung Surrey house with
accommodation over three floors. A
large welcoming reception hall opens on
to the triple-aspect drawing room with a
large open fireplace and views across the
gardens. The formal dining room has an
inglenook fireplace with log burner and
space for a large dining table. A large
family kitchen incorporates a sitting
area with another log burner, leading
on to the terrace, plus a bootroom,
a utility room, wine store and loo.
Upstairs the master bedroom has an
en suite, dressing room and a sitting
room, with two more bedrooms and
bathrooms and a study. The third floor
has two bedrooms and a bathroom. On
the five acre plot there’s a tennis court
and swimming pool, with a pool house
and play room and a guest cottage.
How much? Lower Farm
is priced at £3.75 million with
Savills Cobham. Call them on
01932 586200 or visit savills.co.uk
11 wealdentimes.co.uk

Vision Design Projects
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VisionDesignProjectsS26.indd 1 22/11/2016 17:29

Purchase buy-to-let property
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RDO
Kitchen Studio
Offering the
combination of
contemporary
and classic kitchen
design using fine
furniture made
in England by
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Bancroft Road, Reigate, Surrey RH2 7RP 01737 240403

Bah! Humbug...
Chapterhouse Theatre Company is thrilled to be reviving
its popular adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens story,
A Christmas Carol. Carefully created for the stage by awardwinning
writer Laura Turner, this traditional production is
filled with stunning period costume, magnificent dancing
and a fantastic original musical score. Follow Ebenezer
Scrooge as he’s taken on a journey through the past and
into the future, accompanied by three fearsome ghosts
determined to make him realise the true meaning of
Christmas. To find a date and venue, and to book your
tickets visit chapterhouse.org or call 01522 569222.
December
notebook
Exhibitions & events
near you this month...
Freeimages.com/EnzoBovenzi
Rooted in history...
Be a part of a very special event at Langley Vale
Wood this month. On Saturday 17 December from
10am, you can come and help the Woodland Trust
team plant trees to create a living, growing tribute to
the First World War. Be sure to wear warm clothes,
as it may be muddy and chilly. Refreshments will
be available throughout the day. To find out more
contact centralevents@woodlandtrust.org.uk
leftfieldimages.com
Smooth sailing...
Throughout December, Hampton Court will be
home to a fabulous ice rink for another season of
skating. With a back drop of the stunning palace,
this is an event not to be missed. Quiet morning
sessions are perfect for children and families, and
busy, bustling evenings are fun for groups of friends.
The day starts at 11am and ends at 9pm. Booking
is essential so visit hamptoncourtpalaceicerink.co.uk
for further information.
A seasonal affair...
Visit Castle Street in Farnham on Sunday 11
December and experience a wonderful Christmas
market. The street, car park and even the
Bush Hotel will be filled with 200 stalls selling
handmade, locally produced, ethically sourced and
organic gifts and treats to make this Christmas extra
special. Enjoy seasonal music, visit Father Christmas
and meet the animals in the live Nativity from
10am to 4pm. Find out more at farnham.gov.uk
Freeimages.com/FokkoVeenstra
Magical tale...
The delightfully festive tale, The Nutcracker, is the
perfect performance to enjoy this season. Clara is
whisked away on an adventure by her nutcracker
prince into a magical world of swirling
snowflakes, sugar plum fairies, and toys that come
to life. The exquisite technique and artistry of
this much-loved Russian ballet is complemented
by a full orchestra and outstanding soloists.
To book your seats on Monday 26 or
Tuesday 27 December visit glive.co.uk
Freeimages.com/PiotrBizior
Candy-coated craft...
The Friary Guildford will be holding a series of
children’s Christmas chocolate craft days in their Elf
Workshop. Between 11am and 4pm on Saturday
17 and Friday 23 December, with the help of their
parents and friendly elves, the younger shoppers
will be invited to decorate and customise their very
own chocolate bar to take home and enjoy. Visit
thefriaryguildford.com to find out more.
A lasting impression...
Co-curated by Cath Kidston, this exhibition
will feature work by British linocut artists,
alongside historical heroes of the genre, such as
Edward Bawden. It will be a stunning display
of a fascinating range of works, all made using
linoprint techniques. Entry is free, and the
exhibition is running throughout December at
Watts Gallery in Compton, Guildford. Visit
wattsgallery.org.uk for more information.
17 wealdentimes.co.uk

Give someone a really exciting
Christmas present this year, a flying lesson!
Different types of aircraft available from £90
Visit our website www.wlac.co.uk or
Give us a call to discuss the options 01628 823272
Big Cat Experiences
Encounters | Overnight Stays | Photography
WestLondonAeroClubS14.indd 1 25/11/2015 16:43
Photographic Workshops
Receive expert tuition from
our onsite photography team
throughout the day, photographers
of all levels are catered for,
from amateur to professional.
Big Cat Encounter
Enjoy a 2 hour tour of the beautiful
sanctuary, see and learn about
a diverse cross section of the cat
family and hand feed a big cat!
Ranger for the Day
Spend the day helping our
rangers take care of our cats
including feeding time!
Overnight Big Cat Safari
Get up close and personal with
our amazing cat collection. Enjoy
afternoon tea, a sumptuous 3
course meal, and spend the
night listening to the roaring
of our African lions!
Charity Reg No.1104420
www.whf.org.uk
The Big Cat Sanctuary, Headcorn Road,
Smarden, Kent TN27 8PJ | 01233 771915
wealdentimes.co.uk
18
WildlifeHeritageFoundationWT178.indd 1 23/11/2016 14:09

BUMBLES
for that special something?
For a special occasion or a special person, come in and browse
our bespoke, hand picked collection of beautiful gifts.
90 The Street, Ashtead KT21 1AW
01372 276 219 • info@bumblesonline.co.uk • www.bumblesonline.co.uk
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Also offering an impressive selection of Gins, Cuban cigars and cocktails.
Memberships on sale now.
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01372 277 713 • info@liquidgoldonline.com • www.liquidgoldonline.com

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UNTIL 24TH DECEMBER
For more ideas on what to do this Christmas, visit:www.experienceguildford.com

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ABBEY CHASE A4 FINAL 14/11/14 08:58 Page 1

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Picture by Adrian Peacock
Editor’s
Letter
IIt only seems a minute since I was writing my
first editor’s letter – and suddenly it’s December
and I’m sad to be writing my last one.
But sweetening my imminent farewell is doing it at
my favourite time of year, with all the hustle and bustle
of the lead up to Christmas. I love the busyness and
excitement, party fun, getting weepy at carol services,
decorating the tree and house – and necking way
too many mince pies and glasses of mulled wine.
All of which you will find reflected in this month’s
magazine. There’s a perfect Christmas family house
(page 64), ideas for festive desserts for those who don’t
like the traditional figgy pud (page 110), inspiration for
decorations you can gather in your own garden (page
119) and cosy fashion to snuggle up in (page 86).
And to fill those odd empty days after December
25th and before January 1st, you will find plenty
in our Interiors Supplement (page 62) to inspire
you to plan some New Year redecorating.
It’s been a joy being your editor on Surrey Homes
and I wish you the very happiest of Christmases.
Surrey Homes Team
Editor .........................................................................................Maggie Alderson
Fashion & Beauty Editor ................................................................ Helen Barton
Design ...........................................................................................Powerful Pierre
Design Team ................................................................................Anthony Boxall
Rob Cursons
Phoebe Gilbert
Tanya Goldsmith
Managing Director ..........................................................................Julie Simpson
Commercial Director ................................................................. Colin Wilkinson
Sales Manager ......................................................................Lisa Gordon-Hughes
Sales Team ..................................................................................Hayley Biddulph
Liz Copping
Sarah Norwood
Lisa Smith
Distribution .......................................................................................Jude Brown
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Words: Jennifer Stuart-Smith
Photographs: David Merewether
Styling: Helen Barton
wealdentimes.co.uk
34

Wall to wall style
Ten years of DIY and the refined eye
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35 wealdentimes.co.uk

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Previous page: The mural in the sitting room is a lino cut called
Poppy Tree, which Louise’s mother did in the 1950s. Louise
found the 1960s Scandinavian Troeds sideboard on eBay.
Above: The wall behind the dining table is papered with Louise’s
design ‘Midnight’ from her Forest range. The dining chairs were
a Dunelm find, £5 each Right: The ‘tiles’ behind the cooker are
actually Louise’s wallpaper ‘Old Blue’
Tea and DIY are considered by many to be two very
British obsessions - and, it’s true, the two do go very
well together, perhaps with the addition of some
decent biscuits. At least, biscuits are what some of us need to
muster the strength and enthusiasm for home improvement.
Unless, that is, you are the wallpaper and fabric designer
Louise Body and her husband Jonny, whose Hastings home is
testament to ten years of ‘doing it themselves’ and to Louise’s
incredible creative talent. They wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Most things, we have done ourselves,” says Louise. “We’re
both pretty practical and, if this doesn’t sound big-headed, I
always think no-one will do as good a job as I can do!” When
it comes to design and decor, it would be hard to disagree, and
Louise’s work, as we are to find out, is dotted around every
room. “Jonny can do a bit of plumbing, a bit of electrics,
most things really, so we’ve hardly had to employ anyone.”
Returning to the talk of tea and DIY, it’s perhaps
worth explaining that Louise’s career in wallpaper design
and manufacture began with a wallpaper design called:
‘More Tea Vicar’. After a fine art degree and time spent
living in India, Louise moved to Brighton, became part
of the Maze studio group, and put on an exhibition
called ‘Housebound’ - where her screen-printed design
of teacups and hands went down a storm.
37 wealdentimes.co.uk

Above: The Ercol table in the kitchen is from Glass Etc in Rye. The shawl was a gift. The watercolour of Louise’s grandparents’ cat
Bumper was painted by her grandmother, Granny Jean
wealdentimes.co.uk
38

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Christmas Invitation
30% discount on all rugs
Up to 50% on selected items
Trew Art Gallery is delighted to announce an open invitation to all our past
and future customers as part of our Christmas festive gatherings this season.
We hope you can join us and look forward to welcoming you and your guest.
Friday December 9th. Drinks and canapés 5:00pm to 8:00pm
Remember to enter our prize draw competition to win a special piece worth
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Art,Sculpture &
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Weekdays 10am to 5.30pm
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wealdentimes.co.uk
40
LyneKitchensS26.indd 1 23/11/2016 15:09

“Soon after the Housebound exhibition, I was involved
in a show called 100% Design - a big interiors trade
show in London. At the time there were very few doing
wallpaper - perhaps me and a couple of other girls. That
was it.” Though she is unlikely to say it herself, Louise
was a major player in the ‘wallpaper revival’. “A few of
us were starting to do exciting things with wallpaper
which hadn’t been done before,” says Louise, whose
innovative and fresh approach continues to this day.
As we walk through to the kitchen of this large, Victorian
semi, we are met with a delicious display of Louise’s designs.
The wall next to the kitchen table features ‘Midnight’ from
her Forest wallpaper range, while those with an eye for
Louise’s designs will also notice the ‘Old Blue’ Tile wallpaper
behind the cooker and on the teatowels hanging on its rail.
“The kitchen chairs were my bargain of the century,”
says Louise, who cleverly mixes a few budget brands with
her own high-end designs and gorgeous family heirlooms.
“I got them from Dunelm Mill for £5 each - and they’ve
since been discontinued.” The chairs are a simple, classic
design which fits nicely with 1950s and 60s items dotted
around the room, including a wooden 1960s starshaped
clock which Louise found in a junk shop.
The white kitchen units are wonderfully retro, with pale
blue crackle-glaze Formica tops tying in with the pale blue
walls and grey-painted floorboards. It is a far cry from what
the couple discovered when they first saw the house: “It was
in a complete state when we bought it,” says Louise. “There
was no real kitchen - just a sink hanging off the wall and all
the woodwork was orange pine. Every single thing... skirting
boards, door frames, walls, everything. It was hideous!”
Thank goodness for the house that it was bought by a couple
with such good taste... generations of good taste, in fact.
“I’m slightly embarrassed,” says Louise, “because so much of
our stuff is either from family or from junks shops.” The fact
that her relatives had more than their fair share of creative flair
and that Louise lives in Hastings - a hotbed of ‘junk shops’
and architectural reclamation - all adds up to a lot of potential.
“Both my grandmothers were artists,” says Louise,
before pointing to a pretty drawing on the opposite wall.
“Granny Jean did that pencil drawing and watercolour
of Bumper, our old cat.” Such personal touches add
an immeasurable sense of homeliness to the place.
I’m dying to look around the rest of the house...
Out into the lofty hallway and stairwell we go, and are
instantly reminded of the generous proportions of Victorian
homes. Space was one of the main attractions for Louise and
Jonny: “We were living in a three-bedroom cottage on
Above: The walls in the dining room are painted in Farrow &
Ball Pale Powder. The drinks cabinet was £16 from Courthouse
Mews reclamation yard in Hastings Old Town, the menorah was
from another Hastings antique shop. The low armchair by Ercol,
covered in Louise’s fabric Left: The wallpaper is from Louise’s
Murals collection, this one is called Still Lake. The painting
propped against the wall is by Oskar Barblain
41 wealdentimes.co.uk

Whiskey the cat guards a display cabinet of china treasures
wealdentimes.co.uk
42

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Pictured - Mark Demsteader, Passage, Oil on Canvas, 140 x 120 cm

Previous page: The wall sconce is from Butlers Emporium in
Hastings Old Town, rewired by Philip Oakley Above: The dining
chairs are from various junk shops Left: The lampshades in the
sitting room are from the range Louise used to sell at Liberty, in
her designs Autumn Leaves and Erotica, which was inspired by
the work of Aubrey Beardsley
West Hill in Hastings, but quickly outgrew it,” says Louise,
who now shares the house, not only with her husband Jonny
but also with their two children, Isaac, 10, and Marney, 7.
Louise grew up with her two siblings in a huge Victorian
house in Surrey (the house was split between five families)
so feels very at home with high ceilings and big windows.
But it does make for a very large blank canvas. “We’ve
worked on it gradually, over ten years,” says Louise, as we
head into the open-plan living room-cum-dining room.
The couple knocked through to create one huge room, as
opposed to two, with complementary decor linking the two
areas. A large dining table occupies the rear of the room,
next to a modest fireplace and overlooking the garden.
“The wallpaper is from my new Murals collection and is
called ‘Still Lake’,” says Louise, when prompted, “and the
walls are painted in Pale Powder by Farrow & Ball.”
45 wealdentimes.co.uk

Louise gilded the fireplace with copper leaf herself. “It’s really easy
to use - but then you want to copper leaf everything!”
wealdentimes.co.uk
46

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47 wealdentimes.co.uk
RichmondOakS26.indd 1 24/11/2016 14:53

Previous page: The painting over the woodburner is by Oskar Barblain Above left: The wallpaper in the porch is Louise’s design
Grapevine, from the Paper Tiles collection Above right: The foldaway table belonged to her grandfather
Beautifully arranged, select items, dot the surfaces. What
looks like a cylindrical copper vase is in fact a shell case,
saved and polished by her grandfather Peter after the war.
And this is not the only copper-coloured decoration;
elsewhere there is a large copper vase, a partially coppered
vase... and in the living area next door, the entire
fireplace has been gilded, with the same warm metallic
hue. I was unaware that you could buy copper leaf, I
remark. “Yup, you can buy copper leaf, just like gold
leaf,” says Louise. “It’s really easy to use - but then you
just want to copper leaf everything!” she adds. Louise
was clearly ahead of the trend for copper homewares.
On the wall, gilded sconces add a classical, rather than
retro tone and tie in with the original plasterwork on the
ceiling: “The sconces were from Butler’s Emporium on
George Street, then my friend Philip Oakley re-wired them
for me,” says Louise. Beside the dining-room table are two
simple, 1950s style chairs including an Ercol chair which
Louise bought on eBay and had covered with her own fabric.
Looking through to the living room area, at the front
of the house, I catch a glimpse of the copper-painted
fireplace. That, and the smell of scented candles, is
enough to tempt me through, to sit on the plush, shagpile
rug and admire the room. It’s hard not to immediately
start looking for Louise’s handiwork, although it’s not
always immediately obvious what is her work and what
has been created by talented friends and family.
By the fireplace is a huge standard lamp and next to it, a
lower table-style lamp. The latter’s shade features a design with
echoes of Aubrey Beardsley... but is in fact a design that Louise
sold at Liberty, called ‘Erotica’. Perhaps Aubrey did have some
influence? The other, a pretty design featuring ferns, leaves
and flowers, is more modestly titled ‘Autumn Leaves’. “The
ferns and flowers were ones I found in a sketchbook of my
grandmother’s about 15 years after she died. So I literally
just put them on to a silk screen and exposed the screen.”
Opposite the fireplace, and overlooking a huge sofa
scattered with plump cushions covered in vintage fabric, is
another of Louise’s murals, this time called ‘Poppy Tree’. It’s a
suitably dramatic backdrop for a 1960s Scandinavian Troeds
sideboard, bought on eBay by Louise and topped with a spaceage
lamp from Snooper’s Paradise in Brighton. A spindly,
spiky Dracaena plant, which stands where the dividing wall
used to be, adds a touch of 70s kitsch to this light and airy
living area. The 70s flavour is repeated as we continue the tour
upstairs, passing a print of a Swiss Cheese plant, with Louise’s
signature in the corner... before arriving on the landing.
The landing not only links the upstairs bedrooms,
49 wealdentimes.co.uk

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Above: On the landing. Louise made the paper dresses out of old maps Below left: On the stairs up to the attic, Louise’s wallpaper
Traily Plant. On the wall opposite, strings of shells hang down Below right: The landing wall is painted in Downpipe by Farrow &
Ball. The lampshade is Louise’s design
wealdentimes.co.uk
50

4-COLOUR (CMYK)
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Above: The wallpaper over the bed is a work in progress for
a new line Miss Match, which Louise will hand finish with
metallic leaf. The bedside table is another Hastings Old Town
find Below: The print over the fireplace is by Eric Ravilious, a
birthday present from husband Jonny. The footstool belonged to
Louise’s grandparents and has been recovered in her fabric Dotto-Dot.
The jug vase is from Snoopers Paradise in Brighton
but also works as an uncluttered gallery space for
Louise’s art works, her grandmothers’ pictures and a
recent picture of a fox, created by Isaac: “It’s a dry point
etching, which he made on a lovely course in Hastings,”
says Louise, with justifiable pride. It’s clear he’s got the
family talent. Opposite, on the stairwell which leads
to the attic rooms, I notice a rather different style of
wallpaper. Could this be by someone else? “No, that’s one
of mine too,” Louise chuckles, “called ‘Traily Plant’.”
It’s clear that being a wallpaper and fabric designer
comes in handy when doing up your own home, but the
proliferation of Louise’s work also has a lot to do with the
fact that she uses her home as a testing ground and also
for photoshoots. “They always give me a push. The other
day a friend needed to do a shoot for a new interiors book,
called Creative Country, and that gave me a push to get
a few more things finished. So, every time I have to do a
photoshoot, something else gets done in the house!”
53 wealdentimes.co.uk

It’s not always immediately obvious what is Louise’s work and
what has been created by talented friends and family
wealdentimes.co.uk
54

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MAKE BackfromBlackWT176.indd YOUR 1 CHRISTMAS
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wealdentimes.co.uk
56
GrayshottPotteryS25.indd 1 18/10/2016 09:49

Left and below: Daughter Marney’s room. The picture over
the desk was a birthday gift from a friend. The perspex ‘illusion
table’ by the bed is by Essey and was bought online ten years
ago. The cushions on the bed are Louise’s designs. The print of
The Tiger Who Came to Tea was free in The Times and Louise
had it framed
A perfect example of this can be seen in the master
bedroom, which features one of Louise’s latest designs
behind the bedstead: seemingly misaligned rolls of
wallpaper featuring colourful splodges of paint. “It was
meant to be a mural, and then I thought ‘actually, I quite
like not hanging it in sequential order’, so you get those
mismatched panels. They don’t join up, but I prefer it.”
The wallpaper is going to be a new line, which Louise is
working on at the moment: “It’s called ‘Miss Match’ and
I’m going to hand-finish it with metallic leaf.” Seeing it insitu,
in this high-ceilinged, period room brings it to life.
Tranquil tones proliferate in the main bedroom, starting
with the ‘Miss Match’ wall. Cushions covered in Louise’s
and vintage fabrics adorn the bed and she has worked her
magic on the little rendered fireplace at the foot of the bed,
lining it with her Buttercup Blue Tile wallpaper. On the
wall beside the bed hangs an ornate, gilded picture frame,
decorated with fairy lights but lacking a picture within: “It
had one of my ancestors in it,” says Louise. “It’s an amazing
picture, a pastel, I just don’t really like it. She’s in the junk

CL Advert_Artwork OL.indd 1 18/10/2015 13:15
CuratedLivingS13.indd 1 22/10/2015 12:58
44 Bridge Street, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 1HL Tel: 01483 418013
www.theweygallery.com
wealdentimes.co.uk
58
WeyGalleryS26.indd 1 29/11/2016 10:51

Above: The chair is from Louise’s grandmother. Louise made the rag doll for Marney’s first birthday. Jonny bought the fabric cat from
a shop in Brighton after Louise spotted it in the window
room now.” In such a beautifully decorated house it’s easy to
see how an unattractive relative might not make the cut!
Last but not least, we take a peek into Marney’s bedroom,
which occupies a prime spot at the back of the house, looking
out over a long garden, the gardens of neighbouring houses
– and the sea. This little room is full of thoughtful touches
and family pieces, including a rag doll made by Louise for
Marney when she was just a year old, and pretty watercolours
by both grandmothers, above the bed. I miss the ‘invisible
table’ by the bed, which apparently is a design classic, before
my eyes settle on a woodblock of letters, spelling out Marney’s
name. “It’s usually spelt with an ‘ie’ but I wanted her to
have a ‘y’ in her name as it’s much more fun to sign your
name with a ‘y’ at the end, isn’t it? And a sweeping ‘y’ looks
pretty cool, I reckon.” It’s no wonder, given such an acute
visual sense, that Louise’s house is as pretty as a picture.
Address Book:
Louise Body Wallpaper, Fabric & design
07889 465552 louisebody.com
Butlers Emporium butlersemporium.com
Collins and Hayes collinsandhayes.co.uk
Farrow & Ball farrow-ball.com
Glass Etc 01797 226600
Jane pritchard 07812 146120
Made made.com
philip Oakley illuminations oakleyilluminations.co.uk
Shimizu Flowers shimizuflowershastings.com
Snoopers paradise snoopersattic.co.uk
teresa’s Fabrics 01424 422001
59 wealdentimes.co.uk

Quality | Variety | Integrity
The most Comprehensive selection of Stoves, Fireplaces & Gas Fires in the South.
Fireside Accessories. Flues, Chimney Systems & Liners.
Woodburning Stoves in Contemporary & Classic designs.
Elegant Marble Chimneypieces. Antique & Modern Grates & Firebacks.
Sleek & Efficient Gas Fires. Traditional Fireplaces & State of the Art, Modern schemes.
A stunning variety of Fires. Genuinely knowledgeable & helpful staff.
DORKING Stoves
No. 4 South Street,
Dorking RH4 2EL
Telephone 01306 883201
www.dorkingstoves.com
GUILDFORD Stoves
Pew Corner, Old Portsmouth Road
Guildford GU3 1LP
Telephone 01483 571026
www.guildfordstoves.com

Bartleet & Sons
mortar and pestle
Amaroni Home
£25 amaroni.com
Chasseur cast iron
casserole dish in chilli
red, £120, Amaroni
Home amaroni.com
Velvet ombre cushion
in green £27, Oliver
Bonas oliverbonas.com
Arlo mosaic rug
in denim, £69
The Rug Seller
therugseller.co.uk
Get the look
Cloud grey Velvet Cushion,
£32, The French Bedroom Co
frenchbedroomcompany.co.uk
Recycled bottle vase
Abode Living, £45
abodeliving.co.uk
Felicity floor lamp
Argos, £79.99
argos.com
Green Tea velvet
cushion, £32, Idyll
Home idyllhome.co.uk
Sky Blue velvet cushion, £32
The French Bedroom Co
frenchbedroomcompany.co.uk
Concrete gold brass hanging
planter, £14.95, Made With Love
madewithlovedesigns.co.uk
Wooden star
Christmas
lights, £30, The
Contemporary
Home
tch.net
Truman table lamp, £35
made.com
Jefferson armchair in
Granite Grey, £349
Swoon Editions
swooneditions.com
61 wealdentimes.co.uk

schmidt-kitchens.com
schmidt-kitchens.com
Here at Schmidt Dorking, we have a
passion to exceed expectations and
fulfill our customer’s wishes - our
design team will always strive to
make your dream kitchen a reality.
We believe that we can offer a
different, personalised and memorable
service. Our kitchens now have
a 10 year guarantee on all of the
furniture and an amazing 25 years
on hinges and drawer runners.
Our showroom based on the wellknown
‘West Street’ in Dorking
boasts a range of colours, ranges
and styles. We have seven display
kitchens to view, as well as living
room furniture and storage.
Our team of designers will be more
than happy to talk you through the
product to ensure you understand
exactly how brilliant Schmidt is.
We look forward to meeting you soon!
KITCHENS
AND INTERIOR
SOLUTIONS
KITCHENS
AND INTERIOR
SOLUTIONS
NOT A SINGLE INCH OF WASTED SPACE
The new Perfect Fit solution from Schmidt allows the units to adapt perfectly to any space in the room.
NOT A SINGLE INCH OF WASTED SPACE
The new Perfect Fit solution from Schmidt allows the units to adapt perfectly to any space in the room.
40 WEST STREET
DORKING RH4 1BU
01306 735 735
dorking.schmidt-kitchens.com
A4_NOTORIETE_COULEUR_HORIZ.indd 1 20/01/2015 14:32
A4_NOTORIETE_COULEUR_HORIZ.indd 1 20/01/2015 14:32

Interiors
A Surrey Homes Supplement
Sponsored by
Dorking

COBHAM FURNITURE
43-47 Cobham High St • Cobham • Surrey • KT11 3DP
Tel: 01932 865 814
enquiries@cobhamfurniture.co.uk
www.cobhamfurniture.co.uk

WT Interiors Supplement sponsored by
Contents
Dorking
TWO FLOORS OF INDOOR AND OUTDOOR LIVING
CUSTOMER CAR PARK AT REAR OF STORE
44 Portsmouth Road Cobham Surrey KT11 1HY
01932 865505 · www.no44.furniture · info@no44.furniture
No44FurnitureS25.indd 1 19/10/2016 14:53
What better way to spend cosy winter evenings than
curled up on your sofa planning how you’re going to
redecorate the room...? Whether it needs just a few
new cushions, or a full makeover, you’ll find lots of
inspiration in our Interiors Supplement
5 Insider information
Expert insight on what’s new in decorating
9 Top tables
Celebrating the dining table
14 Lush plush
Lots to love in gorgeous velvets
Cover: Kitchen by Schmidt
Above: Pinter chair by Huutt
LUXURY FAUX FLOWERS AND GREENERY
Christmas Arrangements, Wreaths, Garlands
& Gifts Now In Store
rtfactflowers.co.uk
22 The Parade Claygate Surrey KT10 0NU 01372 470580
3 wealdentimes.co.uk
RTFactFlowersS26.indd 1 07/11/2016 11:20

Rose Gold
A6 Light Box
£13.99
Be Gin Mug /
Be Fizz Mug
£14.99
Prosecco
Doormat
£19.99
Precious Pink Bath
And Shower Gel
Gift Set £10
Pink Neon Heart
£195
Get ready for Christmas with
The Life Changing
Magic Of Not Giving
A F**K Book £12.99
this year!
From decorations and lighting
to the perfect gift this Christmas
we have you covered
3-5 Church Street, Reigate
Surrey RH2 0AA UK
www.taylorjayne.co.uk
01737 221438
Party Tropics Parrot
Ornament £8.99

WT Interiors Supplement sponsored by
Dorking
Inside information
It’s an exciting time in interiors with lots of new ideas – so we asked five
leading designers to tell us what they’re loving now
Belinda Benton of Evernden Interiors
“We’re very excited by the new collection from Mulberry Home.
We love Rain Dance, a beautiful textured, appliqued fabric. We
also like less well known designers like Penny Morrison, Veere
Grenney and Blithfield, who do beautiful fabrics. I know when I
really like something because I want to put it in my own home!
“Blue is supposed to be a big thing this year, but I think what’s
coming is dark green - and I also feel there’s a gentle move back
towards soft pink. I like that and feel comfortable with it.
“What we do is a contemporary take on classic, but we are
seeing eclectic use of pattern - quite strong patterns. Kit Kemp
of Firmdale Hotels has created a style that people want. We
work on a quieter, less is more basis, but I like what she does.”
Evernden Interiors, Stone Street, Cranbrook
01580 713778 everndeninteriors.co.uk
“Curtains don’t need to be a big statement.
They should enhance a space, not be the
subject of it.”
Rain Dance by Mulberry
Home, available from
Evernden Interiors
Curtain poles by Bradley,
available from Bell House
Fabrics & Interiors
“Interiors are following the fashion industry
ever more closely – and soft pink is the
emerging colour right now.”
Paul Jenner of Bell House
Fabrics & Interiors
“We’re excited about the new possibilities technology
is opening up in interiors. The French company
Somfy has a new system for motorising blinds, so we
can get the price down now to £120 for automated
roller and Roman blinds. That’s getting very popular.
“We also love what’s happening in curtain
poles. The main company we use is Bradley and
they are developing beautiful finishes, so your
hardware becomes part of your design scheme.
They do about five different blacks, copper, high
gloss, matt, so we can really play about with that.
They are also very good technically with things
like bay window, so there are design solutions.
It’s so important to get curtain hardware right.
“We now stock Paint Library, a fantastic
range of beautiful paint. They have a big
following with the London designers for their
architectural colours – 15 or 16 shades, graded
in order of intensity, to be used together.”
Bell House Fabrics & Interiors, High Street,
Cranbrook 01580 712555 bellhousefabrics.co.uk
5 wealdentimes.co.uk

WT Interiors Supplement sponsored by
Dorking
Sue Thomas-Richardson, Design Director
Jenny Blanc Interior Design
“Dining tables seem to be moving on. We’ve just introduced a new look
into the showroom with a new table, not quite refectory, but grained
wood with a nice wash on it. Before we would have gone for metal base
with a glass top, so this is a little bit more friendly and cosy – less formal.
“Something that’s really exciting us at the moment is
the fabulous variety of textured wallpapers, so versatile,
so interesting. There is stronger colour coming through,
with bold pattern, which is great fun to work with.
“We enjoy trying to gain clients’ confidence to be bold with things
like lovely rich teals, aubergine/claret, contrasting with cooler papers,
or vice versa. People are very happy to use strong colour and texture as
long as it’s balanced and that’s great fun for us when we’re designing.”
Jenny Blanc Interior Design
59 High St, Teddington 020 8943 4144 jennyblanc.com
A tablescape by Jenny Blanc
“Everybody wants it to be more
homey now, but elegant too.”
Colefax & Fowler
Melisande, available
from Rectory Interiors
Emma Goodsell at Rectory Interiors
“We love the printed velvets which are coming through,
they’re glorious. Colefax & Fowler, Romo and Mulberry have
all done them and GP & J Baker were granted access into
the archives of the Royal Palaces charity at Kew Gardens.
“We’re excited about more relaxed and less formal
curtains – a lot longer, lovely loose relaxed elegance,
sometimes not lined, floaty and flowy, they feel luxurious.
“In lighting it seems to be anything that’s had a life
somewhere else beforehand – perhaps it’s been in a
London club, or started life as something else entirely.
Table legs are being made into great lamp bases.”
Rectory Interiors, 26 Wish Street, Rye
01797 222511 rectoryinteriors.co.uk
Lisa Evans, Sarah Clarke and Jo Vincent
– designers at Ensor Interior Design
“There has been a tropical influence: pineapples, ferns
and palms seen on wallpaper, lighting, accessories.
We love this pineapple lamp. Moving on from
that, we are now seeing really large scale dramatic
floral designs, often on moody backgrounds.
“There is also a move towards bigger pieces of furniture
and lighting, as well as very large scale designs on wallpaper,
as clients become braver at using pattern and colour.
“Texture is also a major consideration, cushions being used
to bring different textures into a scheme – knitted wools,
sumptuous velvets, printed linens, embroidered fabrics,
sheepskin and fur throws, and more recently we’ve seen an
increase in use of trims such as Robert Allen’s brushed fringe.
“The love of copper that we saw in 2015/2016
is beginning to wane and we are seeing a move
towards more timeless tones of brass and gold.”
Ensor Interior Design, 37 High Street, Frant and 45 High
St, Cuckfield 01444 417000 ensorinteriordesign.co.uk
“Buyers are looking for those one-off
quirky pieces to add interest to a room,
sourced from small local businesses or
global artisan products.”
Wallpaper by Ashley
Woodson Bailey, available
from Ensor Interior Design
“There was a hint of the dreaded swags
and tails coming back – but it doesn’t seem
to have come to fruition.”
wealdentimes.co.uk
6

The perfect place for your Christmas shopping.
An inspiring selection of home furnishings, fashion
and accessories sourced from around the world offers
something for everyone in your life. Park outside
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lunch or afternoon tea in our own café.
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Open 7 days a week including most bank holidays
Find the Lavender Goose at
55 Station Road, Gomshall GU5 9NP
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Telephone 01483 202433
lavendergoose
Park Shop Eat Enjoy

WE BELIEVE
That every room should feel like Christmas
Christmas at home is so much more than fir trees and festive tables. A frosted wreath is as much for your
bedroom wall as it is the front door. A garland of greenery can be draped on a shelf, just as it can over a
fireplace hearth. And candle-lit lanterns make every corner glow.
Francis king bed base, £880 and George king headboard upholstered in Angus Flint, £480.
Aldwych side table in Snow, £175. Fairfax lamp with Lucile shade, £120. Ferne wreath – large, £51.
Cotswold check throw in Aqua, £115.
neptune.com
Neptune Tonbridge, 1-2 Tannery Road, TN9 1RF, 01732 351866, info@neptunetonbridge.com

Team7 Tak table,
£8,650,
Wharfside
wharfside.co.uk
Top table
Cherish your dining table and choose it with care - Isobel Mackay
believes they’re the foundation of civilisation as we know it
A
table is much more than a piece of furniture.
It can be the very heart of a home. We’re not
talking about coffee tables here, or the kind
you have next to an armchair to put your glass of wine
on, but the table around which you eat your meals.
Or at least I hope you eat them at a table… there have
been too many press reports in recent years of an alarming
rise in the number of families where everyone eats their meals
separately, on their laps, in front of their own particular
screens. And worse – of homes that don’t even have a table
everyone could sit at together if they wanted to, so low are
shared meals on their priorities. What a sorry state of affairs.
Households – not just families, but any group of people
who live together – are brought together by sharing food. Our
caveperson ancestors scoffed the hunted feast together around
the fire, surely one of the things which helped to bond family
groups into tribes, which led on to organised society and
civilisation as we know it. We abandon it again at our peril.
The Italians know what they’re doing with those
long tables seating several generations together, from
silver-haired nonnas, to tiny tots, to enjoy a hearty
home-made meal. It bonds the famiglia together.
For those of us who enshrine that ritual every
evening, even if we still have a dining room for ‘best’, it’s
increasingly done at a table in the kitchen. But while it
may be a table in a kitchen, this is very different from the
old idea of a kitchen table as the cook’s work horse.
Chopping, grating, mixing and kneading are
mostly done now on kitchen work tops and central
islands at ergonomic height – for the eating part
Ercol
Romana
dining table,
£1,835, Clarkes
clarkesfurnishers.
co.uk
Team7
Mylon dining
table, from
£2,384, Wharfside
wharfside.co.uk
9 wealdentimes.co.uk

Team7 Tak table,
£8,650,
Wharfside
wharfside.co.uk
Albero
pedestal
dining table,
from £1,485, David
Salmon Furnishers
davidsalmon.
co.uk
Team7 Nox
dining table, from
£2,500, Wharfside
wharfside.co.uk
it’s all taken over to the table, chosen for aesthetic
virtues, rather than rolling pin compatibility.
This reinvented kitchen table is also where breakfasts
are eaten – rushed in the week, leisurely on Sundays -
homework is done, school projects assembled, newspapers
spread out, tea and sympathy shared with friends
(sometimes segueing straight on to wine and sympathy…)
and hilarious games of cards, Bananagrams etc played. For
many households it’s also where entertaining is done.
A piece of furniture of such central importance – to
both décor, family and social life – is not something
to be chosen lightly, in haste, nor is it a purchase to
make by remote control, online. You need to choose
your new table in person, somewhere you can touch
it and sit at it, try it for size. Make sure it will feel
like part of your family and reflect who you are.
Such an important piece of furniture is worth
making a serious investment in – both financial
and emotional. Civilisation depends on it.
Team7 Yps
dining table, from
£2,250, Wharfside
wharfside.co.uk
Team7 Flaye
dining table, from
£3,164, Wharfside
wharfside.co.uk
Yask
dining
table, from
£1,700, David
Salmon Furnishers
davidsalmon.
co.uk
10

Exclusively made for You
Established in 1962. Wharfside is the
world-leading supplier of European
Furniture. From dining to living, office,
kitchen & bedrooms - all is made to your
chosen specifications, woods and sizes.
EST. 1962
Shoreditch & Leatherhead
020 7253 3206 or 01372 379810
www.wharfside.co.uk

10%
Discount on
All Orders
With this advert
Beautiful Marble,
Granite & Quartz
• Stairways
• Kitchen Worktops
• Bathroom Surrounds
• Hearths
Engineered to perfection
using Natural Stone
Testimonials and case
studies to view
Epsom Marble Ltd
49 High Street Ewell Village KT17 1RX
epsommarbleltd@aol.com
Call now for a free quotation
020 8394 1397
www.epsommarble.com

Tavola dining
table, £1,395
Trading Boundaries
tradingboundaries.
com
Handmade
solid oak dining
table, £3,498
Deacon & Sandys
deaconandsandys.
co.uk
Forza
cluster table
with Jupiter chairs
table from £400
Cobham Furniture
cobhamfurniture.
co.uk
Faux bamboo
dining table, £295
Eras of Style
erasofstyle.com
Ash
and walnut
country dining
table, £1,700, Oliver
Manning Press
olivermanning
press.com

Mitford sofa,
£1,155,
HUUTT
huutt.com
Matthew Williamson
Mirage, from £1185,
Cobham Furniture
cobhamfurniture.co.uk
Matthew Williamson
Cushions, from £55,
Cobham Furniture
cobhamfurniture.co.uk
Lush plush
Soft, warm, rich, luxurious and just gorgeous
to touch… it’s no surprise velvet is back
Blotto navy cotton velvet
cushion, from £65,
Oyster Hill Interiors
oysterhillinteriors.co.uk
Antique velvet chair,
upholstered in Zoffany
‘The Gondolier’ in
Twilight, £120/m, Skinners
of Tunbridge Wells
skinnersoftunbridgewells.co.uk
Blighty sofa, £1,600, ottoman,
£380, Tenterden House Interiors
tenterdenhouseinteriors.co.uk
Voluptuous Velvets in
18 colours, HUUTT
huutt.com
Adelphi double bedstead,
£1,285, Lenleys
lenleys.co.uk
Ferdinand Chair in Ava
velvet, £1,495, Respire Living
respireliving.com

STUNNING HANDLES FOR DOORS & DRAWERS
www.theseplease.co.uk
A small, consumer friendly,
interior design service.
We offer a first class
curtain making service,
plus re-upholstery and
carpet fitting by experts.
• A simply stunning range of over 600 gorgeous handpainted
cupboard knobs, mortice handles and hooks •
• Our original designs. Mix and match styles. Transform
kitchens. Upscale furniture •
• Online store www.theseplease.co.uk 01435 817153 •
• Trade accounts www.thesepleasetrade.co.uk •
COACH HOUSE INTERIORS
Telephone 01959 565787
www.coachhouseinteriorsltd.co.uk
ThesePleaseWT178.indd 1 10/11/2016 CoachHouseInteriorsS22.indd 10:13
1 25/07/2016 15:55
Interior Design Showroom
Fabric & Wallcovering Library
Designer Furniture
Bespoke Joinery & Specialist Cabinetry
Doors, Flooring & Tiles
Gift & Home Store
Interior Design Services
Comprehensive Interior Design Services
Project Management
Spatial Planning & Home Staging
Upholstery & Re-upholstery Services
Colour Planning & Decorating Services
Contact us now to book your free design consultation or showroom appointment 01372 389372
Oyster Hill Forge, Clay Lane Headley, Surrey KT18 6JX sales@oysterhillinteriors.co.uk www.oysterhillinteriors.co.uk
63 wealdentimes.co.uk
OysterHillInteriorsS26.indd 1 30/11/2016 16:58

Family favourite
Jennifer Stuart-Smith relishes the snugness of
the perfect Christmas house
Words: Jennifer Stuart-Smith
photographs: David Merewether
Styling: Lucy Fleming & Helen Barton
Assisting: Jane Barton & Peggy Alderson-Popovic
wealdentimes.co.uk
64

65 wealdentimes.co.uk

A clever use of space
Available on lease purchase.
Personal loans also available*
Ever
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Woodmansterne Lane, Wallington,
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0208 773 2332
Open Seven Days a Week
enquiries@gardenbuildingswoodcotegreen.co.uk
*All finance is subject to status. Lease purchase is available from Anglo Scottish Finance.

Previous page: In the book room, a roaring fire in the perfect fireplace to hang the family stockings
Above: The mural in the entrance hall was painted by Sue Fields
Sometimes, it’s easier to describe something by describing
what it’s not. This house, down a rough farm track
near Staplehurst, is not a show home, neither is it a
designer home full of the latest interior trends. It’s not bling
and doesn’t have electric gates with an intercom where visitors
have to request permission to enter. For all these reasons,
what it is, is a truly special family home – and one where
the current family intend to stay for the foreseeable future.
This family, made up of Tim and Eve – plus three grownup
children and three grandchildren who regularly come to
stay – has already lived here for 23 years and has no plans
to move. “We were living in Frittenden,” says Tim, “which
we just adored, and weren’t thinking of living anywhere
else.” Then one day, a brochure came through the door
from a local estate agent, with the details for this house.
“I thought ‘it’s not in Frittenden. I won’t even bother
looking at it’, and put the brochure in my bag before
driving over to my business partner’s house.” Having spent
the journey thinking about the weatherboarded farmhouse
and 12 acres of land, Tim couldn’t help but tell his
67 wealdentimes.co.uk

“We’ve tuned this house into how we want to live as a family,” says Tim
wealdentimes.co.uk
68

CPLKitchensS26.indd 1 17/11/2016 10:50
If you are thinking of re-covering a chair, have decided to repaint the hall, or
you need inspirational ideas for a complete home revamp - we can give you hints
and tips on design features, fabrics, and help with colour schemes and styling.
info@colourfieldinteriors.com 98 Station Road East, Oxted, Surrey 01883 716696
69 wealdentimes.co.uk
ColourfieldS26.indd 1 28/11/2016 14:32

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
Schmidt Kitchens helping to transform a new home
David and Raine wanted to transform their new home by knocking three rooms
together and making a modern kitchen and dining area.
The challenge was choosing
the right kitchen, with the
right look, the best quality,
at an affordable price. It also
had to work well functionally
in an open plan setting.
David says “to make it more
challenging, Raine had seen
her dream kitchen at the Grand
Designs exhibition. But it turned
out to be extremely expensive.
I took a look at the Schmidt
range and thought this could
be the answer and arranged an
appointment with Renee. I can’t
say that Raine was too keen on the
idea so we went to the Dorking
showroom in some trepidation!”
The visit could not have gone
better and in the space of a couple
of hours, there was a clear idea
of what the kitchen needed to
look like and an understanding
of how it could be achieved
within an agreed budget.
“Renee’s attention to detail, truly
listening and working with what
we were trying to achieve with
our project instilled confidence
and trust. She was able to get to
grips, not only with our ideas and
needs, but just as importantly
with how our kitchen would
impact on the whole project.”
“We wanted a fair bit of storage,
a feature island, and state of the
art accessories like the Quooker
hot tap. We also wanted our
lovely Miele appliances to look
at their best and be positioned
with functionality in mind. And
all with a sense of space so that
when we have guests, there
is ample room to cook and
socialise at the same time.”
“Schmidt’s combination of German
engineering strength with French
elegance does actually deliver in
practice and explains why they are
able to give 10 year guarantees
on furniture and 25 years on
internal mechanisms such as
drawers, runners and hinges.”
“The installation had to be timed
with our builders and all just before
Christmas. Thankfully, Schmidt
Dorking’s fitters were brilliant
and everything came together!
So we would highly recommend
Schmidt Dorking to anyone
seeking a high quality solution
for a new kitchen.”
40 West Street, Dorking RH4 1BU | dorking.schmidt-kitchens.com | 01306 735 735

Above: The snug was created as a room for the kids to watch
television, while their parents enjoyed quieter time next door
in the book room Right: The tiger wearing a red hat is by
Cranbrook ceramic artist Marie Prett
business partner all about it. “I was rabbiting on, and his
wife overheard. She said, ‘I know that house. It’s in the most
fantastic location’.” And that was the second twist of fate.
“So, I arranged to look at it,” says Tim. “I drove down
the drive and, when I saw it, I just had this extraordinary
feeling that this was a house we could live in for the rest of
our lives.” The next day he took his wife Eve to look at the
house and the feeling was mutual. Plus, says Tim: “Eve had
always wanted to live in ‘the last house, down a track’.”
Being the ‘last house down a track’ doesn’t really do
the place justice. “Most days you can sit outside, or open
a window, and all you will hear is the sound of running
water and birds,” says Tim. In 1586, someone must have
had a similar thought, when deciding to build a house
here (though perhaps their reasons were more prosaic,
like the convenience of the two natural ponds).
The five-bedroom house, a classic timber-frame
and brick building, clad with white weatherboard is
typical of the Weald. It sits between the ponds and a
weatherboarded barn of the same age – and is surrounded
by paddocks, ancient hedgerows and mature oak trees.
From this starting point, Tim and his family have
created the perfect home – for them – inside and
71 wealdentimes.co.uk

Instead of wallpaper depicting the spines of books, Tim and Eve have a wall
of children’s books dating from the First World War to the mid 1950s
wealdentimes.co.uk
72

SHOWROOM OPEN
MON - SAT 9AM - 5PM
The Hersham Centre
Molesey Road, Hersham
Surrey KT12 4HL
SUPPLY, DESIGN AND INSTALLATION
OF LUXURY BATHROOMS
Walton Bathrooms offer 6,000sq ft of showrooms
with over 60 new displays, a dedicated tile studio
and experienced in-house designers.
All products shown are by Villeroy & Boch from the decadent
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the MEM range in the colour Cyprum.
SHOWROOM TEL: 01932 224 784 | CONTRACT SALES TEL: 0208 481 7970
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out: “We’ve tuned this house to how we want to live
as a family,” says Tim, who converted the barn into a
home office and a space where the family could “play
games and loud music”. Stables, a pretty greenhouse and
a home cinema have also been added over the years.
Tim was a television producer for over 30 years and
his eldest son is a film director, so the home cinema isn’t
purely a luxury. It came about when the couple were rebuilding
and enlarging their garage and were left with a
large roof space: “When Eve suggested a home cinema,
I needed no more encouragement than that,” says Tim.
“I could visualise the Empire Leicester Square on a small
scale. And that’s what we tried to do.... for nine people!”
The home cinema is also especially popular at Christmas:
“The two younger children have what they call pyjama
days, where they come downstairs, grab something to
eat, grab a handful of films and head over to the cinema.
They’ll then reappear when they’re hungry, fill up a
plate and go and watch more films,” chuckles Tim.
As we head indoors, through a timber-framed hallway
full of wellies and outdoor jackets hung on pegs, it’s easy
to see how lovely this house must be at Christmas. Tim
agrees: “The children, who now all live in London, hold
this house in such deep affection... They gravitate
Previous page: Looking from the book room into the snug. The
angels are from the Singing Soul Gallery in Cranbrook Above
right: They bought the Fornasetti cushion online Above left:
Tim and Eve’s collection of vintage children’s books Right: A
painting by Rosalind Lyons Hudson
75 wealdentimes.co.uk

The plant-filled conservatory was added about 18 years
ago and is where big family feasts are eaten
wealdentimes.co.uk
76

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Above: Upstairs, Tim and Eve use the large space outside the
bedroom as a dressing room Below: Eve’s collection of glass jelly
moulds is displayed on a shelf over the stairs
back here, especially at Christmas, when they want
all the Christmas rituals that they grew up with.”
At this point, Tim’s wife Eve arrives back with the
horsebox, having taken one of her Highland ponies to
a local event. It might help to complete the picture, to
explain that Tim and Eve, as well as having the pleasure
of visiting children and grandchildren, share the farm
with three ponies, two dogs, three cats, a selection of
ducks and chickens, and a lone bantam cockerel.
As Eve slips off her boots and comes into the kitchen, she
joins in the conversation about Christmas: “We have a very
full house, with our three children, their partners and our
three grandchildren, plus various visitors. It’s very cosy but
noisy too,” she laughs. The extra accommodation in the barn
comes in handy, apparently, for those who want to escape the
noise and excitement. Or there is always the home cinema...
On a day-to-day basis, the kitchen, where we are standing,
is where Tim and Eve spend a lot of time and where they
eat. Dotted around there are original, homely, works of art
as well as books...well, everywhere. Who is the book addict?
“Me!” says Eve. “Tim bought me a Kindle in the vain hope
that I would stop buying books. It didn’t work!” Just as the
home cinema is a clue to Tim’s former profession, so the
books hint at Eve’s career as an English and drama teacher.
Leaving the warmth of the kitchen, we amble to the other
end of the house, to sit down for a cup of tea in the snug,
or TV room. Soon after buying the house, Tim and Eve
separated this room from the next door ‘book room’ by
79 wealdentimes.co.uk

adding wood panelling, so that the children could watch
television while their parents enjoyed some quieter time.
Rarely has a snug been so worthy of its name. Dark red
flocked wallpaper, plush sofas and heavy curtains all give a
visual sense of snugness while a wood-burning stove does
the real work. Complementary pictures line the wall, two
with gilding that reflects the warm glow of the fire.
On the subject of art, it’s hard to find a picture in the
house that Tim can’t tell you about. It’s clear that he and
Eve are not only art enthusiasts but also keen supporters
of local artists: “We’ve got a number of paintings by the
late Frittenden artist Anne-Catherine Phillips and several
by Richard Adams, who’s from Playden just outside Rye,”
says Tim. I also notice a ceramic tiger on the mantelpiece
by local ceramic artist Marie Prett. “Yes, we’ve got lots of
things from Marie’s Singing Soul Gallery,” adds Eve.
Next door, in the book room, you’ll find artwork and
decoration in a more unusual form. Instead of wallpaper
depicting the spines of books, Tim and Eve have a wall
of children’s books, collected over many years from book
fairs, jumble sales and second hand bookshops: “They date
from about the First World War to about the mid 1950s,”
says Tim. “They have these fabulous illustrated spines, so
together they are a complete decoration in themselves.”
Opposite the book shelves is an enormous inglenook
fireplace, home to a blazing log fire. Unlike many such
fireplaces, it actually puts out some heat. “When we
light the big fire it just envelops the whole room,”
Above: The bathroom was recently refurbished by their builder friend, Steve Moss. Eve chose the wallpaper, by Colefax & Fowler,
because it looks as though it has been painted onto the wall
wealdentimes.co.uk
80

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TJ Bathrooms
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Open: Mon to Fri 8am-5pm Sat 9.30am-3pm
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Tel: 01932 866471/868523 | tjbathrooms@hotmail.com | www.tjbathrooms.co.uk
FREE DESIGN & PLANNING SERVICE
wealdentimes.co.uk
82
TJBathroomsS23.indd 1 16/08/2016 11:20

The large painting in the master bedroom is a depiction of Eve’s favourite poem,
‘The Lady of Shalott’, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson – by Lizzie Riches
83 wealdentimes.co.uk

NEW YEAR SALE
35 Woodbridge Hill, Guildford GU2 9AA
www.cplbathrooms.co.uk ● 01483 537131
Showroom Open Monday - Saturday 9.00 - 17.00
Suppliers of Villeroy & Boch, Hansgrohe, Keuco, Matki, Victoria & Albert and many more.
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CPLBathroomsS26.indd 1 29/11/2016 13:08
What we do...
Natural stone, Porcelain, Ceramic, Glass, Mosaics,
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Porcelanosa and Villeroy & Boch stockists,
Full installation service available.
Visit our new showroom to view our collection
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wealdentimes.co.uk
84
TheTileEmporiumS19.indd 1 13/04/2016 15:17

Above: The teddy on the bedroom mantlepiece was given to Eve when she was three days old. The painting is ‘An Angel Watches
Over Me’ by John Afflick
says Tim. The inglenook also provides the perfect place
for the family to hang their Christmas stockings. These
days there are nine stockings – which keep the family
going until ‘official’ present unwrapping after lunch.
Across the room, double doors lead out into a large
conservatory which was built about 18 years ago. The
additional room has had a transformative effect on the
way the family enjoy the house, with large family meals
including Christmas lunch now eaten in this verdant,
plant-filled space where lemon, bougainvillea, hibiscus
and jasmine plants encircle the long dining table. Views
are of the garden, pond and neighbouring fields.
You’d think that there couldn’t be a nicer spot to
enjoy a family meal, but there is a new addition to
the home, that Tim is eager to show me. We head out
into the chill of the garden, a low wintry sun offering
a touch of warmth, and stand on the new timber deck,
which partially covers the pond. Two olive trees and a
tree fern add to the continental feel of the sun deck.
“We built this this summer,” says Tim. “It hadn’t really been
planned, it was just a sort of organic thing that happened...”
As well as offering a tranquil spot to sit – it’s true that all
you can hear is running water and birds – the deck also
offers an entirely different view of the house and barn.
Standing back, we admire the 16th-century structure,
with its almost invisible Victorian extension on one
end, and Tim’s more recent addition on the other end,
of larder, porch and utility room. Family members are
laying the table in the conservatory, oblivious to the
pair of us watching from the garden. It’s the perfect
scene – an historic, Kentish family home – and I rather
wish I was coming to join them for Christmas.
Address Book:
Artworks by the late Anne-Catherine phillips
annecatherine-phillips.co.uk
Lizzie riches portalpainters.co.uk
Marie prett of the Singing Soul Gallery marieprett.co.uk
richard Adams ryeartgallery.co.uk
Steve Moss all-purpose builder 07952 994531
85 wealdentimes.co.uk

Rug up, snuggle in
Photos: David Merewether Styling: Helen Barton Model: Gina Michel
Embrace the seasonal shift and drape yourself in the softest, most
luxurious fabrics. Snuggle up in cashmere at home, or slip on hardy
boots and a woolly hat for winter adventures
wealdentimes.co.uk
86

Powder knitted bobble hat, £21, Treasure Found
shawl, £27, Ochre top, £58, Spice, Cranbrook
spicecranbrook.co.uk 01580 714156; Alpe brown
suede boots, £110, Manuka Shoes, Westerham
manukashoes.com 01959 565644
87 wealdentimes.co.uk

Sparkle this Christmas
For amazing designer and bespoke
hats and fascinators as well as seasonal
hats, umbrellas and pashminas.
We also stock Rainbow shoes which can
be dyed to any colour imaginable.
Swattenden Lane | Cranbrook | TN17 3PS
01580 713189
www.charityfarmcountrystore.co.uk
THE MAD HATTER
12 Castle Street, Guildford, Surrey GU1 3UW
01483 566845
www.themadhattermillinery.com
CharityFarmS26.indd 1 29/11/2016 TheMadHatterS25.indd 10:11
1 31/10/2016 17:21
QUALITY CLOTHING AND A PERSONAL SERVICE
CHRISTMAS AT COUNTY CLOTHES
As the festive season approaches we
are pleased to be able to offer our
usual range of quality gift ideas.
Fine quality socks by
PANTHERELLA of Leicester,
TOOTAL silk scarves, Cotton
and Irish linen handkerchiefs
and hand sewn gloves from
DENTS of Warminster.
Our BARBOUR ranges include
a large varied selection of
scarves in Lambswool, Merino
wool and Cashmere.
As always, we are pleased
to offer in all our stores a large
collection of TAYLORS of
Bond Street shaving products
and toiletries.
We look forward to the opportunity
of welcoming you to our stores and
showing you our ranges.
19 St. Margarets St,
Canterbury,
Kent CT1 2TH
Tel: 01227 765294
2 East Cross,
Tenterden,
Kent TN30 6AD
Tel: 01580 765159
6 High St,
Reigate,
Surrey RH2 9AY
Tel: 01737 249224
Follow us
CountyClothes
wealdentimes.co.uk
88
CountyClothesWT166.indd 1 17/11/2015 15:54

Miss Short Hair shawl,
£38, Spice, Cranbrook,
spicecranbrook.co.uk 01580
714156; Hand block-printed
Dewari dress, £120, Nila
Rubia nilarubia.co.uk; boots,
model’s own

Hand block-printed Sufiana dress, £125, Nila Rubia nilarubia.co.uk; Goose Island jacket, £65, Spice, Cranbrook
spicecranbrook.co.uk 01580 714156
wealdentimes.co.uk
90

A Professional Matchmaking Service

Experience
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GU51 4BE | 01252 621035 |
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Pure wool shawl jacket, £139, Nila Rubia nilarubia.co.uk;
jersey pyjama set, £28, Blackspade blackspade.co.uk

Stegman house clogs, £65, Fire & Felt fireandfelt.com; Wilde lounge pants, £37, Blueblancmange blueblancmange.co.uk

Stockist of
Spring 2017
collections
arriving now!
and
many more
Autumn / Winter ranges at
Open Monday—Saturday 10am—5pm
64 Station Road East, Oxted, Surrey RH8 0PG
www.visagesurrey.com Telephone 01883 730635
Surrey’s Premier
stockist of Condici
and John Charles
Leading The Way For Mothers Of The Bride and Groom
www.melitaboutique.co.uk
57 High Street, Chobham, Surrey GU24 8AF
Tel: 01276 856308
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95 wealdentimes.co.uk
JeremyHobbsS23.indd 1 16/08/2016 10:02

Powder knitted bobble hat, £21, scarf, £26, Ginger
Toby top, £58, Spice, Cranbrook spicecranbrook.co.uk
01580 714156; fairy light sets, from £23.95,
Cable & Cotton cableandcotton.co.uk

AW16
collections
Riani
Luisa Cerano
Marc Cain
Nicole Farhi
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360 sweater
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D1961
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Guildford
01483 452825
www.courtyarduk.co.uk
Open seven days a week.

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Jersey pyjama set, as before; Bronte lounge pants, £37, Blueblancmange
blueblancmange.co.uk; Powder poncho, £39, Spice, Cranbrook
spicecranbrook.co.uk 01580 714156

At The Clinic
LONDON | PARIS | SOUTH OF FRANCE
Sssshhh...
The Secret
LIFT
If you look in the mirror and all you can see is
someone who looks like an older, grumpier version
of yourself, but which disappears when you smile,
then you probably have marionette lines.
The procedure is exclusive
to The Harley Street Clinic
and is suitable for all ages,
so come and see us for a
FREE CONSULTATION
and full information,
and say hello to a
younger-looking,
happier new you.
COST £1500
Also known as puppet lines,
these are the lines that run
from the side of the mouth
downwards along the chin,
and they develop as you get
older, due to the natural
ageing process, hormonal
changes and genetics. When
BEFORE
AFTER
combined with naso-labial lines
(which run from the corner of
the nose to the mouth) the
overall effect is not a good look
and apart from a surgical face
lift there’s nothing you can do
about it.
Not so fast! That might have
been the case in the past, but
advances in cosmetic surgery
mean that those pesky lines
can be erased by the PDO Lift…
a gentle-yet-effective lift,
conducted under local
anaesthetic… using mini threads
combined with a light
touch of muscle - relaxing
injections and filler. The
procedure takes just
under an hour and there
is minimal downtime. It
costs £1500.
The PDO Lift has been
developed by Dr Aamer
Khan, who is renowned
for his delicate touch in
rejuvenating tired faces. In fact,
so gentle is his technique that
no-one will know that you have
had anything done, so no need
to tell anyone… just wait for
the compliments!
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Tel: 01737 247246
16 Bell Street Reigate, RH2 7BG
reigate@harleystreetskinclinic.com
www.harleystreetskinclinic.com

Beauty
for perfume
In the mood
There’s more to scent than a pretty smell… Josephine
Fairley explains how you can use it to get in the zone
What you’re about to read is deeply unscientific.
Not a scrap of evidence exists for what I’m
about to say. But nevertheless, I defy any
perfume-lover to deny that the fragrances we wear have
a definite impact on our mood – and our ‘awakeness’,
too. A little bit of research has been done into
aromatherapy oils (the scent jasmine, for instance, has
been definitively found to aid sleep), but perfume? Nada.
I’ve always reached for fragrance to ‘put me in
the mood’. I can be yearning for a night on the sofa
with a box set of Suits – and a spritz of something
glamorous will have me reaching for my party
shoes. If I want to feel ‘cosy’, I’ve scents for that,
too. And for feeling that bit more ‘professional’ and
pulled-together. A delusion? I don’t think so.
Having set up The Perfume Society two years
ago – a website that works as a hub for perfumelovers,
with events all over the country, including
this neck of the woods – I hear an endless stream of
feedback from women (and increasing numbers of
men) who turn to perfume as… well, a mood-altering
substance. (One that’s entirely legal, of course.)
In my ‘arsenal’, then – for I truly think of it that
way – there are some very specific scents I turn to.
And here are so me of my suggestions, for you.
When the last thing you want to do is go to a party…
Time to reach for something elegant, grown-up, infused
with invisible glamour. Try the new Chanel No.5 L’Eau,
£68 for 50ml Eau de Parfum, a dazzling, almost sparkling
and modern spin on the classic, or Sisley Eau du Soir,
£81 for 30ml, a classic Chypre (the most sophisticated
of the fragrance ‘families’ – you can read more about
all that on the Perfume Society website, link below)
which almost demands its own chauffeur, it’s so classy.
I often spray myself (and my dress – fabric’s a great
‘carrier’ of scent) with Guerlain Shalimar, £50 for 30ml
Eau de Parfum: sweet-yet-fresh, an enduring classic
for very good reason. Jimmy Choo Eau de Parfum,
from £41 for 40ml, is the equivalent of slipping on
a pair of those shoes, in terms of getting you partyready,
with a wonderfully woody sexiness.
101 wealdentimes.co.uk

The Good Surgeon Guide
This is Sally’s Concept Facelift story
I work in sales with a major property developer in London. I certainly
don’t feel anywhere near my 62 years of age, but I’d certainly started
to look it!
Sally
62, Sussex
For quite a while I’d been concerned about how the ageing process
had started to affect my face and that I’d acquired a constant ‘tired’
look due to saggy eyelids. Also, this sagginess seemed to have spread
to my neck to the extent that I would worry about going out. I first
met Amir when I attended an open evening. After the presentation
we all had an opportunity to ask questions, which was helpful as other
people raised queries that I hadn’t even thought of.
Carol Age 63
Christine Age 58
I feel so much more confident and love
the natural results…
After a week, I’m thrilled with my new-look face! Looking in the mirror
in the morning is no longer a scary experience and I’m constantly
being told how well I look! I feel so much more confident and love the
‘natural’ results; very subtle, not stretched. Thanks Amir!
Angie
Age 48
Before
Age 70 Age 73
+7 days Before
+7 days
Julia
Age 49
If your skin is loose and crepey, developing moderate to deep
lines, sagging around the mid-face or creating the appearance
of jowls due to dropped fat deposits, you might be a good
candidate for a facelift.
The Concept Facelift difference
Debbie Age 49
UKAAPS
UK Association of Aesthetic
Plastic Surgeons
The Royal College of Surgeons of England
Featured surgeon on
‘Facelifts & Fillers’
Mr Amir Nakhdjevani
MBBS, MRCS, FRCS (Plast.)
Consultant Plastic & Hair Transplant Surgeon
British Association of Plastic
Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgeons
• Procedure takes just 2-3 hours
• Minimal bruising, swelling and
recovery time
• Uses local anaesthetic
• Minimally invasive short-scar
• Return home the same day
• No hospital stay or GA
• Back to work within days
Visit us online to find out more, book a
consultation and read more patient stories
Bella Vou, Pantiles Clinic
45-47 The Pantiles, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 5TE
T: 01892 257 357 W: bellavou.co.uk E: hello@bellavou.co.uk
Copyright © 2016. Before you consider any procedure you should consult with a physician to check your medical suitability. The above information is only a brief overview and typical of most patients’ experiences. Errors and omissions excepted.

Beauty
When you need to be the duracell bunny – and your
energy’s flagging… Got 87 presents to wrap, a turkey
to stuff and a long drive ahead of you? This is the time
for energy in a bottle (because an espresso’s just going
to send you into a slump, later). I like to spritz and
re-spritz a classic Eau de Cologne like the just-launched,
sunlight-drenched Maison Francis Kurkdjian Petit Matin,
£140 for 70ml Eau de Parfum – or if you’re on a budget,
good old 4711 Eau de Cologne, £6.49 for 25ml, has
been functioning as an antidote to slumpiness for 300
years or so. Jo Malone Basil & Neroli, from £43 for 30ml
Cologne, is also wonderfully uplifting and invigorating.
When you need something for a ‘hygge’ moment… The
buzzword-of-the-moment, borrowed from the Scandinavian,
is ideally expressed via hunkering down by an open fire,
sipping hot chocolate, watching re-runs of Wallander. I
think gourmand scents are great for this, with their
almost-foodie notes.
New Angel Muse, £45
for 30ml Eau de Parfum,
is wonderfully cocooning,
while if you’re more of
a clean sheets type, try
The Library of Fragrance
Fresh Laundry, £15 for
30ml Eau de Toilette. I’m
personally mad for the
seriously ‘foodie’ Agonist
Vanilla Marble, £115 for
50ml Eau de Parfum,
and Tom Ford Noir de
Noir, £148 for 50ml Eau
de Parfum – as dark and
mysterious as any Scandi
drama, and wonderfully
‘snuggleable’, I find.
Join the perfume Society!
An online hub for perfume lovers - combined with the
fragrance equivalent of a wine club, offering expertly
curated Discovery Boxes of perfume samples and
exclusive events - a VIP subscription to The Perfume
Society is a great Christmas gift itself. Membership
includes a welcome Discovery Box of eight gorgeous
perfume samples, accompanied by smelling notes for
each one, an embossed notebook and other treats.
VIP subscribers also get discount at selected perfume
boutiques and can buy all the curated discovery boxes
at a discounted price. Why not sign up for the next
‘How to Improve Your Sense of Smell’ workshop,
which will be hosted in Hastings on Saturday
28th January 2017? The price is £10 redeemable
against a box purchase for VIP Subscribers to The
Perfume Society, £20 for guests or non-subscribers.
perfumesociety.org
DID YOU KNOW ON AVERAGE
PEOPLE IN THE UK GAIN
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Text PURE to 60777
to receive a FREE copy of
my festive season survival guide
and avoid piling on the pounds
without ditching the fun food
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Our clients range from age 8 to
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103 wealdentimes.co.uk
WalpoleS24.indd 1 08/09/2016 17:20

Beauty
fragrance
The gift of
Josephine Fairley asks scent buyer extraordinaire Lorna McKay for
her expert tips on how to choose the perfect perfume for a friend
At this time of year, many of us will be thinking about
giving fragrance as a gift – something that’s fraught
with peril, actually. It’s really, really hard to get right.
So I thought I’d seek some advice from my Perfume Society
cofounder, Lorna McKay; she’s certainly got the credentials
for it... Lorna was formerly the head fragrance buyer for
Harrods and later set up the amazing Perfumery at Liberty –
and knows more about buying fragrance than anyone I’ve ever
met. She also likes buying it for herself!
How can i hint which perfumed gift i’d like without
actually demanding it outright?!
“As a child my parents called me ‘Mrs Hinty’ when Christmas
approached and as an adult it’s far better to tell than be
disappointed. I have another friend who gives a list of three
things she’d love, so it’s still a surprise when she opens her
present as she doesn’t know what will be chosen for her.”
How should i choose a perfume for a friend/relative?
“Do your research – look on their shelf to see what types of
fragrance they wear. Are they drawn to fresh scents, or the
more sensuous Oriental fragrances…? Are they an outdoorsy,
country-loving type? This person might enjoy a woody/green
scent. Snoop around! The fragrances they really love will be
the bottles which are half-empty, not the full ones.”
rather than buy another bottle of someone’s signature
scent, how can i find something else they’ll like?
“Ask FR.eD (short for Fragrance Editor), our virtual fragrance
consultant on the Perfume Society website - it can almost
psychically help choose a new fragrance for someone. Click
on the ‘Find your next fragrance’ tab, then type in the name
of what they like/wear – and FR.eD will recommend six
fragrances that share either similar notes or create a similar
ambience. He’s very clever!”
How can i find a really knowledgeable consultant?
“Independent perfumeries tend to have very highly trained
and passionate staff, but in a department store, look for
consultants wearing badges which indicate they’re fragrance
experts, having completed specialist expert training from The
Fragrance Foundation.”
My perfumista friend already has lots of fragrances. What
other gifts would you suggest?
“Body creams and bath/shower gels are a great way to layer
luxuriously and always a real treat to receive. They don’t
have to match a perfume someone already has, but could be
of the same family. Scented candles are a good choice – but
remember they might not want that favourite smell on their
skin to be surrounding them in their home, so consider
whether the scent suits the style of their decor. If they have
velvet cushions and strong colours they may love a heavier
cocooning fragrance. Modern and minimalists may prefer
lighter, fresher scents. And don’t forget that fresh flowers or a
fragrant plant is always a welcome scented gift, too.”
perfumesociety.org
Mrs Hinty’s Christmas List 2016
What Lorna McKay is hoping to find
underneath her tree this year
Tom Ford Patchouli Absolu
Prada La Femme
Guerlain Mitsouko
Narciso Rodriguez Eau de
Parfum Poudrée
Liz Earle No 15
Clinique Aromatics
Berdoues Vanira Moorea
YSl Opium
Chanel No 22
Agent Provocateur Eau de Parfum
wealdentimes.co.uk
104

Do you or your
child need
straighter teeth?
Book a HALF PRICE
consultation for bespoke
braces in December!*
At Elmsleigh House Dental Clinic in Farnham, Kostas
Spathoulas is our Specialist in Orthodontics who can
straighten or move most adults’ and children’s teeth with
a range of bespoke brace systems tailored to your needs
l Damon l Insignia l Invisalign l Incognito brace systems
l Addressing myofunctional treatments in young children
(e.g. effects of thumb sucking, reverse swallow)
During December, Kostas is offering a HALF PRICE
customised orthodontic consultation to all ages*
Call 01252 713797 or email info@elmsleighhouse.co.uk
To see all our treatments, visit www.elmsleighhouse.co.uk
Elmsleigh House Dental Clinic -
a private practice offering clinical excellence
6 Station Hill, Farnham, Surrey GU9 8AA
*This offer is not applicable to patients referred to us
by their dentist, where our usual fees apply
Outlet Shop
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ElmsleighHouseS26.indd 1 24/11/2016 Heyland&WhittleS26.indd 12:38
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105 wealdentimes.co.uk
TandridgeTrustS26.indd 1 11/11/2016 14:26

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Delight in December
Wealden Times talks to yoga teacher Samantha Stone...
Health & Beauty
do you have a beauty
regime? Every morning I
cleanse with Dermalogica
Daily Microfoliant which
is fantastic for gently
brightening my skin. I don’t
like too much make-up so
I use Garnier BB Cream
which evens out my skin
tone and gives me a glow
but still looks like my own
skin. In the evening I am
devoted to Liz Earle Cleanse
and Polish as I don’t feel
clean unless I’ve washed my
face and this stuff feels and
smells heavenly. I follow
this with Dermalogica
Skin Smoothing Cream to
nourish my skin overnight.
is there a particular
product you couldn’t
live without? Coconut
oil! It’s not just brilliant
for cooking or using as a
hair treatment, I also use it
to practise oil-pulling, an
ancient Ayurvedic cleansing
technique for oral hygiene.
Every morning I pop a
teaspoon of coconut oil in my
mouth, allow it to melt and
gently swill it around my teeth
for 15-20 minutes. It draws
out toxins, freshens my breath
and whitens the teeth. I’ve
definitely noticed a difference.
What’s your ultimate
pampering treat? I do love
a good massage. I’ve recently
found a fantastic therapist in
Ashford called Hannah Guy
at Nourish, and book myself a
regular back, neck and shoulder
massage. As I teach yoga classes
on top of a full time job I tend
to spend most days hurtling
from one place to the next. At
first it felt like a treat but now I
see it as necessary maintenance.
do you have a style icon? I
favour a more relaxed style so
I don’t have a particular icon
but I do use Instagram for my
inspiration. My wardrobe is split
into two halves; one is filled
with brightly coloured yoga
wear, the other is full of neutral
colours and simple dresses,
shirts and skinny trousers in
navy and cream. I then add
some unusual jewellery, or
metallic or leather accessories
to give my outfit an edge.
Samantha Stone is a yoga
teacher specialising in Hatha and
Vinyasa yoga in Ashford. She
teaches both privately and for
Kent Adult Education. You can
find out more about her classes
via her website samstoneyoga.com
pep it up...
This wrinkly little seed
appears on dinner tables
across the globe, is
sprinkled liberally over
many a dinner and is an
absolute staple in the
spice drawer. Its potential
however, is totally
underestimated. Black
pepper is nutritionally
dense, and its active
ingredient, piperine
enhances the bioavailability
of vitamins A and C,
selenium and beta
carotene. This improves
our absorption of nutrients
and our overall wellbeing.
It’s a digestive aid and the
essential oil can relieve
rheumatic and arthritic
pain. Beat the congestion
this winter by popping
some black pepper and
eucalyptus oil in a bowl
of steaming hot water.
Put a towel over your
head and relax, whilst
inhaling deeply through
your nose, breathing in the
spicy scents and clearing
those nasal passages.
Freeimages.com/DoraMitsonia
tropical treat...
Create your very own fruity
spa treatment every morning
with grapefruit and mandarin
body wash and mandarin
and geranium hand and
body lotion from Elemental
Herbology. Let the shower
steam immerse you in the
sweet scent of mandarin,
beautifully balanced with
sour grapefruit and be
transported to an exotic
paradise away from the
wintry December chill. Use
the lotion after a hot shower
to invigorate and protect skin
for the day ahead or keep it
on hand to massage into dry
and weather-beaten knuckles.
The convenient pump action
pots sit perfectly by a wash
basin or bath tub. Helen
keeps hers on her office desk,
ready to be grabbed for a
moment of calm in a hectic
day. Find this perfect gift set
for £38 at elementalherbology.
com, and don’t forget to
order in time for Christmas.
107

THE HOME OF INNOVATIVE SKINCARE
4 High Street, Oxshott, Surrey KT22 0JP
Tel. 01372 576772
www.clayspa.co.uk

Health
Beat the bloat
Hang up the Christmas hangover and combat the uncomfortable
bloat with a few simple, natural tips from Helen Barton
We all know that feeling. the post-dinner, one glass too
many sluggishness that inevitably follows the festive
overindulgence. it’s not just Christmas day that has
this effect. it’s the accumulation of the office party, drinks at the
neighbours’, an extra mince pie at the school’s Christmas carols.
Before you know it, you’re slumped on the sofa, headache setting
in, not wanting to move until next year.
Let me tell you, however, that you don’t need to feel like this.
there are a few really simple ways of naturally alleviating this
feeling, without an added cocktail of pharmaceutical drugs.
the H2O hero - Upping your liquid intake is vital (wine
definitely doesn’t count I’m afraid). You should aim to drink
around two litres, if not more, per day. This is even more
important if you’re drinking alcohol. Try to have a glass of
water in-between cocktails to prevent the thundering headache
the next morning, and keep drinking plenty the following day.
Getting water through your system will aid in flushing out those
toxins from your body leaving you feeling fresh as a daisy.
Let food be thy medicine - If you know you’ll be partying this
evening, eat a proper dinner. Alcohol on an empty stomach is
a recipe for disaster. A healthy, wholesome meal will not only
do your body good, it will mean you’ll be the last one standing
on the dance floor. Eat plenty of veg, raw if possible, to get
maximum nutrition in, and top quality protein and fat.
Wonder root - If you are feeling queasy, then a cup of ginger tea
will settle an upset stomach. Peel a thumb-sized piece of ginger
and chop it up, squeeze some lemon into your favourite mug and
add the ginger with hot water. Take this with some milk thistle -
a great natural supplement that helps to cleanse the liver, as it’ll
be working overtime. Tuck yourself back in bed and remember
the reasons why you don’t drink that much anymore…
An apple a day - Consuming lots of rich foods can make our
bodies into an acidic environment, causing acid reflux, heartburn
and indigestion. A simple way of dealing with this, is to
up your intake of apple cider vinegar. Despite being an acid,
it has an alkaline effect on the body and can reduce those
unpleasant after-dinner symptoms. Take a tablespoon of organic
apple cider vinegar in a glass of water before or after a meal.
Work it out - I’m sure the last thing you’ll want to do after an
indulgent few days is move too much, but some exercise can work
absolute wonders. Your mind and body will definitely thank you
for it. You don’t have to slog away on the cross trainer or fling bars
around. A gentle walk will do. The fresh air in your lungs and newly
oxygenated blood pumping round will make you feel brand new.
Green Goddess Smoothie
To release the post-party hangover goddess
from within, try this super green smoothie
for a nutritional alkaline boost.
Ingredients:
• 1 handful of fresh baby spinach
• juice and zest from half a lime
• coconut water
• a thumb sized piece of fresh ginger
• half an apple
• a few sprigs of parsley
• a chunk of cucumber
• half an avocado
You can alter the quantities of each
ingredient, according to your taste. Pop all
the ingredients in a blender and add a good
amount of coconut water to get the smoothie
to a consistency you like. Blend until smooth,
enjoy, and proceed to feeling fabulous.
Freeimages.com/FlorinBleiceanu / Adem KAYA / Satendra Mhatre
109 wealdentimes.co.uk

Not
Food
Christmas pudding!
(nicer...)
Not everyone loves the traditional figgy pud, so
here are three delicious festive alternatives
Recipes: Juliet Bidwell Photographs: David Merewether
Styling: Helen Barton
Champagne Jelly
Serves 6-8. Prep time 30 mins. Cooking time 1 hour 30 mins.
Serve in glasses or a 1.25 litre dish
• 750ml bottle of
Champagne or prosecco
• 7 ½ large sheets of
gelatine
• 150g caster sugar
• 140g blueberries –
washed
1. Pour two-thirds of a bottle of Champagne
with the caster sugar into a saucepan and bring
to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
2. Soak the gelatine in cold water for about five minutes
until soft. Drain and squeeze out the excess water.
3. When the Champagne is hot, remove from
the heat and add the gelatine, whisking
until dissolved and leave to cool.
4. Once the jelly is cool, stir in the remainder of
the bottle of Champagne and pour over the
blueberries in your chosen dish or glasses.
5. I like to serve this Champagne jelly with
an exotic fruit salad in a ginger syrup.
6. This dish is a good choice for those
with a dairy-free diet.
This month’s scrummy recipes were provided for us by
Juliet Bidwell, who runs a catering company, providing
canapés and dishes for weddings and parties of all sizes.
For more information call 01797 270347 or visit
julietscatering.co.uk
wealdentimes.co.uk

Food
Queen of Christmas Puddings
Serves 8-10. Prep time 40 mins. Cooking time 1 hour 30 mins.
• 900ml full fat milk
• 40g butter
• 2 lemons – zested
• 80g caster sugar
• 5 egg yolks – whisked
• 160g panettone
• 12 red plums – stoned
& quartered
• 6tbsp brown sugar
• 2tbsp sherry or water
• 4 egg whites
• 220g caster sugar
1. Pre-heat oven to 170˚C.
2. Roast the plums, sprinkled with brown sugar and a
little sherry till they are soft; then leave to cool.
3. To make the custard base, place the milk, butter,
sugar and lemon zest in a saucepan over a low heat,
and stir till the butter and sugar are melted. Crumb
the panettone in an electric blender and sprinkle the
crumbs over the base of a 2 litre pudding dish. Add
the whisked egg to the milk and pour over the crumbs.
Leave until the crumbs have absorbed the custard.
4. Next bake the custard in a bain marie
for 30-40 minutes till set.
5. Set oven to 150˚C.
6. Whisk the egg whites till stiff, add a spoonful of sugar
and continue to whisk before adding the next spoonful
and continue until all the sugar is incorporated.
7. Spoon the roasted plums over the baked custard, but do not
add any of the plum juices. Next, spoon or pipe the meringue
mixture over the plums and bake for 40-50 minutes.
8. I would serve this with cream.
wealdentimes.co.uk
112

A Festive
Ding Dong
Step inside The Bell in Ticehurst
this Christmas and New Year for
Christmas parties
Sunday lunch with Santa
Christmas Day lunch
New Year’s Eve with Bare Groove
Or simply Christmas dinner with
friends and family throughout December
● Christmas hampers & gifts
● Freshly baked bread
● A large selection of cheese & charcuterie
● Ready-made ‘cook’ meals
● Jams, chutneys & sauces
● Cottage tea garden serving
homemade sandwiches & cakes
● Vintage treasures, gifts and plants
● Vintage furniture
Find out more
Christmas@thebellinticehurst.com
www.thebellinticehurst.com
or 01580 200300
BellinTicehurstWT177.indd 1 10/10/2016 BucklandDeliS13.indd 15:20
1 22/10/2015 14:26
Cookery Courses ▪ Chef’s Table ▪ Private Parties ▪ Corporate Events ▪ Hosted Meetings
Vouchers for Christmas
Chef's Table Exclusive Dining Experience
with ever-changing menus created by Michelin trained chefs
Day & Two Day Weekend Cookery Courses
with Rosemary Shrager & Iain More
Telephone: 01892 528700
Email: school@rosemaryshrager.com
RSCookerySchool RSCookerySchool
www.rosemaryshrager.com
113 wealdentimes.co.uk
RosemaryShragerWT177.indd 1 07/10/2016 11:22

AWARD WINNING GIN FROM THE SILENT POOL IN SURREY
Now available at Majestic and Waitrose stores nationwide.
www.silentpooldistillers.com

Hazelnut Meringue Gateau
Serves 12. Prep time 30 mins. Cooking time 1 hour 15 mins.
Food
• 9 egg whites
• 500g caster sugar
• 3tsp ground cinnamon
• 200g hazelnuts - toasted &
chopped finely
• 600ml double cream -
lightly whipped
• 200g dark chocolate, plus
extra for decoration - melted
• 2 x 444g tins of stoneless
black cherries
• 4tbsp Kentish cherry brandy
liqueur
1. Pre-heat oven to 150˚C. Marinate the drained cherries
in cherry brandy liqueur, preferably overnight.
2. Prepare three baking trays with parchment
and mark a 26cm circle in each tray.
3. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and add a
tablespoon of sugar and keep whisking. Repeat this,
having added the cinnamon to the sugar.
4. When completed, fold in the hazelnuts and spread the mixture
equally over the three trays and then bake for 1¼ hours until firm.
5. To assemble mix the 200g of melted chocolate into the whipped
cream and spread over 2 discs of meringue. Drain the cherries
of the liqueur and scatter them over the chocolate cream.
6. Place one meringue disc on the other, top with the third,
and decorate with the remaining melted chocolate.
7. The gateau can be put together quite a few hours in advance.
8. This dessert is a good choice for those who need a gluten-free diet.
New dates for our popular
bread making courses
There is still time to book a
course as a Christmas present for
that special baker in your life.
Jan 7 - Bread Making for Beginners
Jan 14 - Mediterranean Bread
Jan 28 - British Bread
Feb 4 - European Breads
As well as teaching you to make
your own fantastic breads, we will
make sure you have a relaxing
and enjoyable day out, we provide
an excellent, home cooked lunch
and do your washing up for you.
Class sizes are small, with
3 - 8 participants, so there is
plenty of time to ask questions
and all our classes are taught
by Claire, an experienced
caterer and home baker.
Mince pies and mulled
wine: the perfect end to a
winter walk
A Taste of the Past
Call Claire on 07999 871053 to check availability
Full details at www.tasteofthepast.co.uk
Contact: atasteofthepast@gmail.com
Squirrel Hill, Newlands Corner GU4 8SE
01483 222659 info@squirrel-hill.co.uk
Booking advisable - please see our website for full details.
115 wealdentimes.co.uk
ATasteOfThePastS26.indd 1 22/11/2016 SquirrelHillCafeS26.indd 14:08
1 29/11/2016 11:47

EAT, DRINK, ENJOY
Cullenders delicatessen & kitchen has been serving the people of Reigate great coffee and food for eight years
and we have been awarded best independent retailer of the year 2016 by Surrey Life magazine.
13 Bell Street, Reigate, Surrey RH2 7AD | 01737 240 800 | www.cullenders.com
CullenderS26.indd 1 29/11/2016 15:45
New Years Eve
Why not see the New Year in at Frasers this year with a good old
fashioned New Years Party. Join us for a night of music, food and
laughter, with a delicious 2 course hot buffet, then dance the night
away to our resident DJ. £30 per person.
Contact us to make your reservation.
wealdentimes.co.uk
116
FrasersWT177.indd 1 21/10/2016 11:18

Soup
sandwich
a
At a time of year when meals can start to feel like endurance events, this new book – by Masterchef’s
Hannah Miles – is full of brilliant combinations for warming light bites with style
Horseradish Borscht with Whipped Cream
Cheese and Chive on Rye
Serves 4
• 450g fresh beetroot
• 2 onions
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 100g new potatoes or
white potatoes
• 1 cooking apple
• juice of 2 oranges
• 1 tablespoon creamed
horseradish sauce
• 800ml beef or vegetable
stock
• salt and pepper, to
season
• cream, to swirl
(optional)
For the rye toasts
• 100g cream cheese
• 50ml natural yogurt
• 1 tablespoon finely
chopped chives, plus
extra to garnish
• 4 slices dark rye bread
• black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C, Gas 4.
2. Begin by peeling the beetroot and onions and then
chop both the onion and beetroot into wedges and
place in a roasting pan. Drizzle with a little olive oil
and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 30
minutes until the beetroot are just soft. If the onions
start to brown before the beetroot are cooked, remove
them from the oven and set aside until the beetroot
are ready. You can tell they are cooked when a sharp
knife slides out easily.
3. Place the roasted beetroot and onions in a large
saucepan. If you are using new potatoes, cut them in
half and place in the pan without removing the skins.
If you are using larger white potatoes, peel them and
cut into pieces and place in the pan. Peel and core the
apple, chop it into pieces and add to the pan. Add the
orange juice, horseradish and stock to and simmer for
about 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
4. Pour the soup into a blender or food processor and
blitz to a smooth purée. Return the pan and keep
warm until you are ready to serve.
5. For the rye toasts, whisk the cream cheese and yogurt
until thick and smooth in a mixing bowl. Stir in the
chopped chives. Lightly toast the rye bread. Spread
the cream cheese mixture over the slices of rye,
decorate with some extra chives and sprinkle with a
little freshly ground black pepper. Pour the soup into
bowls, swirl a drizzle of cream over the top, if using,
and serve with the rye toasts.
117
Soup & A
Sandwich by Hannah
Miles, photographs
Steve Painter, published
by Ryland Peters &
Small £9.99

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Garden
Deck the halls
Jo Arnell celebrates the Yuletide tradition – and fun – of decorating your house with evergreens
Traditions surrounding mid-winter celebrations have
been wreathed in evergreen foliage down through
the ages. The Romans decorated their villas with
evergreens to mark the winter festival of Saturnalia, the Pagans
celebrated the winter solstice with holly and ivy and the
Vikings decorated evergreen trees at Yuletide.
It seems that the ancients knew a thing or two about winter
and how to get through it with greenery. Long-lasting green
leaves were linked to immortality; they kept the essence of
warmer days alive and symbolised the hope of spring’s return.
Indoor evergreens were even thought to be safe places for
friendly woodland spirits to hibernate.
So decorating our interiors with fresh and fragrant foliage
is a natural thing to do (except for the hibernating spirits, I’m
thinking – there are enough woodland creatures in my house
already). It’s also ecological, economical – and healthy.
Gathering is good for you
The amount of daylight we directly experience affects the
levels of serotonin, which drop when natural light levels are
low. This can cause depression, suppress our immune system
and affect our appetite and metabolism – so called SAD
(Seasonal Affective Disorder).
This month can be full of tensions and too much indoor
activity as it is, so it’s vital to try to get outside and into
natural light as much as possible. Going out for a walk in
winter is cheek-warmingly good for you and if there’s a
purpose to the walk – as in festive foraging – so much the
better. Added to this is the dopamine effect of picking and
gathering (dopamine is a mood-lifting chemical released in the
brain’s reward centre).
Also, if you want to get the children outside and exhausted,
they might be more willing if the walk is a quest for Christmas
decorations (I only said might). The gathering process can take
hours and hours if needed and can be cunningly spread out
over several expeditions.
Long-lasting leaves
Many evergreens are suitable for bringing into the house and
some will stay looking fresh long past Christmas Day. Some
useful garden evergreens:
Holly – very traditional, but can be a bit prickly and hard on
the fingers, so wear gloves when handling.
ivy – is still one of the best Christmas evergreens, as it has
Viburnum davidii
pliable stems, attractive leaves, flowers and fruits (small clusters
of black berries). The variegated forms add a touch of white or
gold and look good against other dark leaves.
Spotted Laurel (Aucuba japonica) – can be used as a wreath
base, or to line a plain bowl piled with nuts or clementines.
Conifer foliage is wonderful as a wreath or swag base and
many varieties are scented. (Christmas is about the only time
of the year when I don’t curse the huge conifers that tower
behind our house.)
viburnum tinus – is completely overlooked in the garden
for much of the year, a dark green blob that blends into the
background, but it lasts very well inside and often has flowers
too which look effective on wreaths and in table decorations.
Herbs – are lovely fragrant additions and the leaves of bay and
rosemary dry well.
Other long-lasting leaves to try: Ruscus, Pittosporum,
Osmanthus and Euonymus – these have small leaves and are
useful as fillers in table decorations and on wreaths or swags.
natural decorations
While you’re out on your foraging trip, look around at some
of the other plants. You’ll find that there are plenty of other
living (and dead) things to make decorations with: berries,
seed-heads and interesting twigs (just watch out for anything
sharp or poisonous).
Skeletal forms and the tracery of stems and seed-heads
make delicate and understated decorations that last really
well. Look out for the faded bracts of Hydrangeas, which can
look impressive on wreaths or just in a vase. The flowers of
ornamental grasses can be used to good effect too.
Husks and cones are particularly effective: beechnuts and
alder cones can be left on the twigs and added to vases of
flowers or paperwhite narcissi. Some twigs and branches
119 wealdentimes.co.uk

Garden
Foliage, berries and seed-heads
foraged from the garden
are very effective tied loosely together with a few baubles or
fairy lights hung from them, especially those with coloured or
dramatic stems, like birch, willow or dogwood.
Seed-heads from poppies, alliums, honesty, physalis and
teasel make brilliant decorations, either lightly sprayed with
metallic paint, or left looking beautiful and natural.
practicalities
Don’t pick too early – lush and glossy evergreens should
be picked as close to Christmas as possible. To prolong the
display, or if you’re incorporating lots of fresh material, wet
florists’ foam can be used. A quick spray twice a day with a
mister is often all that’s needed to keep leaves perky.
Cut stems of plants with berries and store them in a bucket
of water in a cool shed or garage.
Be considerate – when cutting foliage, especially from
garden shrubs. Try not to hack great chunks
out of them – cut from the back and thin the
stems out carefully so that you don’t leave obvious holes
and gaps that will look odd for months.
Pick delicate seed-heads and stem tracery in advance if you
can, before they’re battered by the weather.
Compensate wildlife – birds and small mammals depend on
berries and winter fruits for their survival over the winter, so
don’t pick too many and put out some extra food on the bird
table in recompense.
Equipment – you won’t need much: a pair of secateurs and
gardening gloves (if you’re rummaging through the hedgerows
and pi cking prickly bits), some florists’ wire and ribbon for
hanging things. A glue gun is useful if spherical fruits and
seed-heads can’t be wired on.
Once you start looking in the garden it’s amazing to
discover how many plants are naturally decorative in winter
and it’s creatively satisfying (in a hunter-gatherer sort of
way) that so much of the garden can come inside to cheer
us through the dark days. The other great thing about using
evergreens and natural decorations is that after Christmas they
don’t go into the loft, but onto the compost heap (woodland
spirits and all). Hooray.
For information on next year’s gardening courses contact
Jo on 01233 861149 hornbrookmanor.co.uk
Patios and Drives • Fencing • Turfing • Decking • Water Features • Planting • Hedging • Brick and Dry Stone Walls
Andrews Landscaping
Specialists in Garden Design and Construction
Contact: Andy Stuttard BA (Hons) 01483 546228 | 07736 804961
Free Initial Consultation and Advice
www.andrewslandscaping.co.uk
wealdentimes.co.uk
120
AndrewsLandscapingS21.indd 1 30/06/2016 11:39

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121 wealdentimes.co.uk
JustFasciasS17.indd 1 02/03/2016 ChilstoneWT178.indd 18:28
1 22/11/2016 14:15

Garden
The Winter
Garden
Colder weather doesn’t have to mean the
end of decorative pots and hanging baskets –
Emma Hardy’s book shows how
Hanging Basket of Heucherellas
Hanging baskets usually make me think of summer when
they are planted up with floral bedding plants, but this
striking basket with heucherellas and heuchera in subtle
colours will survive freezing temperatures and look good all
year round. The heucherellas will tumble beautifully out of
the basket as the plants grow.
You will need
• Hanging basket with liner
• Potting compost (add
water-retaining granules
if the basket will be hung
in a sunny spot, to help
prevent it drying out)
• Sharp craft or DIY knife
• Old newspaper
• Heucherella ‘Gold
Cascade’, ‘Copper
Cascade’, ‘Sweet Tea’, and
‘Burnished Bronze’
• Heuchera ‘Marmalade’
(coral bells)
• 3 x Muehlenbeckia
axillaris (creeping wire
vine)
• 2 x Hedera helix (ivy)
1. Place the liner inside the hanging basket and stand the
basket on top of a plant pot or bucket to keep it stable.
Half-fill the basket with potting compost, spreading it out
evenly.
2. Using the knife, cut a slit in the liner about 4 in (10cm)
long, making sure that you keep the rim of the liner intact.
3. Soak the root balls of all the plants in water for at least 20
minutes. Take a heucherella plant out of its pot and carefully
remove some of the potting compost to make the root ball
smaller. This will allow more plants to be planted in the
basket. Fold a sheet of newspaper into a strip approximately
8 x 12 in (20 x 30cm) and wrap it round the plant very
carefully, enclosing the foliage.
4. Working slowly and gently, push the newspaper through the
Aftercare
Hang the basket
in its position and water
thoroughly. Heucheras and
heucherellas do not like to sit in
very wet soil, so make sure that
the basket is not overwatered.
They are hardy and will
withstand frosts.
slit in the liner from the inside of the basket to the outside,
foliage end first. Stop when all the leaves have been pushed
through the liner.
5. Again working carefully to avoid damaging the plant, remove
the newspaper and gently ‘fluff out’ the leaves, making sure
that none of them are squashed. Spread the roots out a little
inside the basket.
6. Cut another two slits in the liner. There will be three slits
in total so position them accordingly. Push two more
heucherella plants through the slits in the same way as before.
7. Plant the remaining heucherella in the top of the basket,
removing any excess potting compost from the root ball.
8. Plant the heuchera in the top of the basket in the same way,
making sure that the surface of the root ball sits inside the
basket and does not protrude.
9. Use the knife to cut three more slits in the liner between the
heucherella plants, positioning the slits a little lower in the
basket sides. Plant the muehlenbeckias, using the newspaper
technique as before. These will help to hide the liner and
basket.
10. Add the ivies to the basket, removing them from their pots
and planting in the top of the basket, looking at the basket
as a whole to find the best positions for them. Add a few
handfuls of potting compost to the basket to fill it and make
sure that the surface is even.
wealdentimes.co.uk
122

Garden
Underplanting an Ornamental Tree
This sweet little prunus tree with bare twiggy branches
looks cute on its own, but underplanting it with senecio
and cyclamen transforms it into a garden feature.
Winding outdoor fairy lights around the branches gives
it a frosty, twinkly look.
You will need
• Small tree in a
tub—this is a Prunus
incisa ‘Kojo-no-mai’
(flowering cherry)
• Gardening fork
• Potting compost
7 x Senecio cineraria
(silver ragwort)
4 x Cyclamen
persicum (cyclamen)
• Fairy lights suitable
for outdoor use
1. Using the fork, dig over the soil around the tree,
removing any weeds. Fork a few handfuls of
potting compost into the top 4 in (10 cm) of the
soil. Soak the plants in water for 20 minutes.
Plant the senecio around the edge of the tub.
2. Plant the cyclamen in the same way, in a
ring inside the senecio. Firm the soil around
the plants, adding a few handfuls of potting
compost to fill any gaps. Wind the string
of fairy lights around the bare branches.
The Winter Garden by Emma Hardy, Photographs © Loupe
Images/Debbie Patterson, published by CICO books £14.99
FOR ALL YOUR TREE
SURGERY NEEDS
Aftercare
Once the cyclamen
are past their best, remove
them and add other bedding
plants. Or plant bulbs around
the base of the prunus
in autumn to give you
blooms right through
into spring.
Crown reduction, lifting
and thinning
Stump grinding
Deadwooding of tree canopies
Hedge trimming and reduction
Supply, planting and aftercare of new trees
& hedges
Removal and responsible recycling of
green waste
Tree Protection Order (TPO) research,
application for planning consents with local
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Bespoke design & build treehouses, playhouses
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Commercial & International commissions welcomed
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123 wealdentimes.co.uk
AlpineS26.indd 1 22/11/2016 CheekyMonkeyWT173.indd 16:48
1 13/06/2016 17:13

Education
Sugar shock
Susan Elkin gnashes her teeth at teachers who use sweets as classroom rewards
Sugar is not good for you, your child or anyone else. Most
doctors and nutritionists are now agreed – although the
evidence presented by John Yudkin and others in the
1970s was suppressed for fear of upsetting the sugar industry –
that it is a major contributor to obesity, heart disease, diabetes,
some forms of cancer and a terrifying range of other illnesses.
Not forgetting calamitous tooth decay.
So how are we to break the deadlock and ease people away
from their lifelong addiction? Not easily, but there’s a great
deal that schools could do to establish different habits for the
future. Some, however, seem to go out of their way to promote
sugar rather than doing everything possible to discourage it.
It is quite wrong – immoral in fact – for teachers to
reward children with chocolate bars, lollipops and the like.
The child who gets full marks for this week’s spellings or
mental arithmetic test should never be given a celebratory
KitKat or Mars bar but it still happens frequently.
Responsible teachers give stars, stickers or little non
edible prizes. Every school should have a no sugar prizes
rule made firmly clear to staff, parents and pupils by
heads and governing bodies. No sensible person wants
children to associate sugar with congratulation.
If teachers personally dish out sugary junk to children
it conveys the subliminal message that whatever lip
service is paid in lessons to healthy eating, at the end
of the day it’s fine to eat trash. It condones unhealthy
habits and children are very susceptible to such ideas.
School dinners have a long way to go too. Jamie Oliver
has tried. So has Leon co-founder Henry Dimbleby, who
was commissioned in 2012 by the Coalition government to
spearhead improvements. Yes, there are fewer chips around
now in school dining rooms than when I taught in a girl’s
school in Kent and the (obese) Head defended the right of
her students to have fried food and puddings every day. My
lone voice attempts to change her views failed dismally.
But if you offer fruit and salad it has to be made
attractive so that the children actually want to eat
it. Manky apples are not the answer. Neither are
limp lettuce leaves and weary bits of cucumber.
Schools are in a unique position to chip away
(pun half-intended) at the sugar culture and give
their pupils a better chance of a healthier future.
It is scandalous that so many still don’t take this
responsibility as seriously as they could and should.
Cranmore School
Independent Preparatory School
for girls and boys 2 ½ - 13
Paint, Play, Party!
Taster activities for Reception
entry September 2017
Friday 27th January 2017
1.30pm - 3.00pm
Contact Admissions Dept. to register a place
01483 280340 www.cranmoreprep.co.uk
admissions@cranmoreprep.co.uk West Horsley, Surrey KT24 6AT
wealdentimes.co.uk
124
CranmorePrepS25.indd 1 27/10/2016 09:50

Join the Nursery at St George’s Junior School, Weybridge
(for girls and boys aged rising three upwards)
We offer a happy and vibrant atmosphere that encourages, stimulates and supports
development throughout the important first years of education.
Children are encouraged to explore, discuss and interact with a wide range of learning
materials, whilst getting used to sharing and caring within a group environment.
To find out about available spaces, email admissions@stgeorgesweybridge.com
or call 01932 839437.
A Registered Educational Charity No.1017853

What’s On In December
Fairs & Markets
Sun 11 Dec 10am-4pm
Castle Street, Farnham GU9 7PZ
Farnham Christmas
Market
Find the perfect Christmas gift
from hundreds of stalls offering
decorations, treats and plenty more.
Info: 01252 712667 / farnham.gov.uk
Fri 16 - Tues 20 Dec
Town Square, Woking GU21 6EP
woking’s Christmas
market
The town centre will be transformed
into a magical Christmas shopper’s
paradise. The stunning tree will be
the centrepiece of the market.
Info: 01483 720103 / woking.gov.uk
Fri 16 - Sun 18 Dec 9am-5pm
The Friary Guildford, North
Street, Guildford GU1 4YT
Giftmas
The perfect opportunity for
Christmas shopping. Get your
hands on a gift card when
you spend over £50.
Info: 01483 563562 /
thefriaryguildford.com
Family & friends
Sat 3, 10, 17 & 21 Dec
Denbies Wine Estate, London
Road, Dorking RH5 6AA
Santa’s Cellar Grotto
Enjoy a warm welcome from Santa’s
elves, followed by an outdoor train
ride to see Father Christmas.
Entry: £7.50
Info: 01306 876616 / denbies.co.uk
Sat 10 Dec 9am-5pm & Sun
11 Dec 10.30am-4pm
Ashtead Park Garden Centre,
Pleasure Pit Road, Ashtead, Epsom
& Ewell, Surrey KT21 1NA
Festive fun
Meet Santa in his grotto and enjoy
face-painting, craft activities, a
bouncy castle and sing along with
the local choir. Proceeds are for
the Oak Centre for Children.
Entry: £5
Info: 01372 273891 / ashteadpark.com
Sat 10 Dec 1-3.30pm
Wharf Road, Guildford GU1 4RR
Mince Pie March
Enjoy a circular walk from Town
Lock in Weybridge and warm
up with a mince pie and glass of
mulled wine at the White Hart.
Info: 01483 531667 /
nationaltrust.org.uk
Sat 17 - 24 Dec 10.30am-7pm
Godstone Farm, Tilburstow Hill
Road, Godstone RH9 8LX
Meet Father Christmas
Father Christmas will be returning
to his festive cabin this year. Join
him and his team of elves to
choose a special gift and make
some wonderful memories.
Entry: £8.50
Info: godstonefarm.digitickets.co.uk
Music & Theatre
Sat 10 Dec - Sun 8 Jan
New Victoria Theatre, The
Ambassadors, Peacocks Centre,
Woking GU21 6GQ
Snow White & the
Seven dwarfs
This year’s fairest pantomime
of them all is sure to melt
everyone’s heart this Christmas.
Info: 0844 871 7645 / atgtickets.com
Sun 11 Dec 7.30pm
The Great Hall, Charterhouse,
Godalming GU7 2DX
Carmina Burana
and Messiah
Godalming Choral Society
present their lively and varied
December concert with a selection
of choruses from Handel’s everpopular
Messiah, as well as some
well known seasonal carols.
Entry: Adults £15, students
£8, children ages 5-16 free
Info: 01483 444334 / tickets.
visitguildford.com
Sun 11 Dec 3-5pm
St Peter’s Church, Windsor
Street, Chertsey KT16 8AT
Family christmas concert
Come and celebrate Christmas
with the Bourne Concert Band.
This concert will be followed
by coffee and mince pies to
get you in the festive spirit.
Entry: Free
Info: 01483 854706 /
bourneconcertband.org.uk
Tues 13 Dec 7-9.30pm
St Nicolas Church, Bury
Street, Guildford
GU2 4AW
Christmas Gala concert
Join the Halow Project for a
fantastically festive evening with
a programme of classical and
contemporary pieces from the
wonderful Guildford Chamber Choir,
and a special performance from
Halow’s music group. Price includes a
glass of mulled wine and a mince pie.
Entry: Adults £10, under 16s £3
Info: 01483 444334 / tickets.
visitguildford.com
Thurs 15 - Sat 17 Dec 7.30-10.30pm
Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall,
Woodfield Lane, Ashtead KT21 2BE
Alice in Wonderland
The Woodfield Entertainers are
returning this December with
their fun-filled pantomime. Alice
has to help the good people of
Wonderland defeat the evil queen.
Entry: Adults £10, children £5
Info: 07941 105612 /
woodfieldentertainers.co.uk
Wed 14 - Sun 18 Dec
Gate Street, Bramley,
Guildford GU5 0LR
Wintershall Nativity Play
This nativity will take place in and
outside the Barn Theatre, and will
be complete with shepherds, sheep,
donkeys and three wise men on
horseback. Come warmly dressed and
enjoy tea, coffee and mince pies.
Info: 01793 418299 /
wintershall-estate.com/events
Sat 17 Dec 6-8.30pm
St Barbara’s Church, Deepcut
Bridge Road, Deepcut,
Surrey GU16 6QX
Surrey Police Band’s
Christmas Concert
In support of Shooting Star
Chase, enjoy a wonderful evening
with the Surrey Police Band.
After a sell out event last year,
early booking is advised.
Entry: Adults £7, under 16s £5
Info: 07849 675627 /
surreypoliceband.org.uk
Sun 18 Dec 12-1pm
Hatchlands Park, East Clandon,
Guildford GU4 7RT
Festive sing-song
Sing along to your favourite carols,
enjoy festive family readings and
handbell ringing by the Arford Bells.
Entry: Adults £8, children £4
Info: 01483 444334 / tickets.
visitguildford.com
Listings are correct at time of
going to press but may be subject
to change. Readers are advised to
check with venues before making
arrangements. We can list your event
in the next issue of Surrey Homes
for only £15! Please supply up to
50 words that should include date,
time, venue, and any entry price to
whatson@wealdentimes.co.uk or send
with payment (cheques payable to
JPS Media) to What’s On, Wealden
Times, Kettle Chambers, 21 Stone
Street, Cranbrook, Kent TN17
3HF. Wealden Times reserves
the right to edit text to fit space
allocated. If you would like your
event listing to be accompanied by
a full colour reproduction (42.5
x 62.5mm) of a poster or other
pictorial image, the total charge will
be £95. Deadline for the January
issue is 5 December 2016.
127 wealdentimes.co.uk
JulieWattsS15.indd 1 01/12/2015 10:03

Win A
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Simply answer the following question:
When was
the Clarkes showroom established in Maidstone?
HOW tO EntEr: For your chance to win a two-seater sofa bed and scatter cushions, enter your answer with your contact
details* in the online form at wealdentimes.co.uk/competition or post to: Clarkes Competition, Wealden Times, 21 Stone Street,
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Congratulations to Mr P Hedges from Tonbridge who wins our October competition for a Two-Piece Knife Gift Set
129 wealdentimes.co.uk

Jane Howard’s
Fables from the Farm
Christmas at Coopers Farm means fat pigs and porkers (we don’t mean the humans)
Iso love Christmas or more correctly
the run-up to Christmas. By the
time we get back from Midnight
Mass I’ve more often than not peaked
and would happily skip the next few
days. But the build-up is an altogether
different prospect and one I embrace
with huge enthusiasm, much to the
amusement of the rest of my family.
In the world of livestock farming,
early December is traditionally the time
for Fatstock Shows. While the Summer
Agricultural Shows are an opportunity to
showcase breeding animals, the Fatstock
Shows are where farmers
take their fattened beasts
to sell to butchers who
used to come from far and
wide. Buying the prize
winners – and especially the
champion – was a big deal
as the butcher could then
display the rosette during
the all-important Christmas period.
While there are of course far fewer
independent butchers and even less
Livestock Markets it is wonderful
that those that remain still hold these
seasonal celebrations and this year it is
the 175th Hailsham Fatstock Show.
Despite many attempts to pull down
the market and turn it into another
supermarket (just what Hailsham needs)
thanks to a band of very committed
people the Livestock Market remains; it is
the only one in Sussex, and the Fatstock
Show is the highlight of the year.
“An abundance
of vegetation is
a great way of
hiding cobwebs
and dust”
With classes for steers and heifers, old
cows, pairs of cows, lambs in groups of
three, four and five, fat pigs and porkers
(not sure of the difference between the
two) there is plenty to see and buy. It
promises to be a great way to spend a
crisp and frosty morning helped along
by a bacon butty and a glass of sherry!
By the middle of the month I’ll get
going with the decorations and the halls
at Coopers will be decked out big time.
It was the pagans who started the idea of
bringing greenery into the home and I
think they would approve of my efforts.
In comes the ivy, in comes
the holly (hot tip No 1:
for perfect berry laden
branches pick your holly
in November before the
blackbirds strip them
and store in a bucket
of water in an outdoor
shed) and perhaps,
surprisingly, in comes the oak.
You can usually find some oak
branches that still hold a few leaves and
so keep up another ancient tradition
– the seasonal battle between the oak
and the holly kings. For the pagans
these two trees represent the height
of summer and the height of winter
and were always brought together in
the middle of winter to slug it out.
With the house overtaken by
greenery (hot tip No 2: an abundance
of vegetation is a great way of hiding
cobwebs and dust) thoughts turn to the
Christmas table where we make a point
of serving as much home-grown produce
as possible. We usually have pork, not
the traditional boar’s head with an apple
stuffed in its mouth, but a slow roast
shoulder put into the Aga on return
from Midnight Mass the night before.
We can’t manage a home produced
pudding (which no one really likes)
so opt instead for cheese (which no
one really wants) but it provides the
opportunity for husband Adrian to
bring to the table his home-grown
walnuts. For years the walnut tree we
planted when we first came here didn’t
deliver the goods but having read that
you should beat your walnut tree if
you want it to bear fruit, every spring
he gives it a good thrashing and every
Christmas we get about 12 nuts! A result.
Follow Jane Howard – and the farm
– on Instagram @coopersfarm
wealdentimes.co.uk
130

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