LandScape

LandScape - Life at nature’s pace Moated garden | Lavender | Cosmos | Picnic food | Rock pooling | Nettles | Canal restoration | Swan upping | Lynmouth to Porlock | Limestone pavement July / Aug 2017
Life at nature’s pace
On sale 14 June-1 August
Issue 40 | July / Aug 2017 | £4.50
Rocks of Solitude on a wild Scottish river
Imprinting the countryside in clay
A haven among nature’s needles
www.landscapemagazine.co.uk
£4.50 July / Aug 2017
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Contents
July / August 2017
38
10
In the garden
In the kitchen
28
Craft
10 Seas of scented lavender
18 A Norfolk moated garden
34 The garden in July and August
38 A picnic feast
48 Fruit-filled jellies
54 Regional & Seasonal:
Applecross Walled Garden
28 Blithely beautiful cosmos
60 Patchwork picnic blanket
62 Imprinting the countryside in clay
4

90
60
98
Country matters
70
History and heritage
Regulars
56 Rock pooling for seaweed
70 The beneficial nettle
90 From castle ruins to the
Rocks of Solitude
114 Nature’s pavements
76 Restoring a canal
84 Ancient tradition of swan upping
98 The Severn’s last heritage fishery
104 On the edge of Exmoor
6 Readers’ letters
8 Our LandScape
26 In the garden
46 Subscription offer
52 In the kitchen
68 In the home
120 UK events
5

Lavandula x intermedia
‘Grappenhall’ with
Lavandula angustifolia
‘Elizabeth’ and ‘Little
Lady’. They grow happily in
terracotta pots surrounded
by grit-enhanced compost.
A pollinator bee on nectar-rich, longflowered
L. x intermedia ‘Sussex’.
Spikes of up to 1½in (4cm) long deep purple
Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’.
SCENTED SEAS IN BLUE,
PURPLE AND WHITE
Billowing waves of cool-hued lavender lend their sweet
fragrance to the flourishing summer garden

LIGHT AND FRESH
Packed with fruit, these recipes turn traditional
jelly into flavour-filled summer desserts
Raspberry jelly
Serves 8
325g raspberries
8 sheets of gelatine
650ml clear apple juice
Pour the apple juice into a large saucepan and heat until
simmering. Simmer for 1 min, until warm. In a bowl, cover
the sheets of gelatine with cold water and leave to stand
for 5 mins. Drain, squeezing the water out of the gelatine
sheets, and add to the apple juice. Stir, then allow to cool
to room temperature.
Pour the apple juice into a 1 litre jelly mould, then add
the raspberries. The fruit should not fill to the top of the
jelly. It floats in the liquid, so when the jelly is turned out,
the top quarter is just jelly.
Chill for at least 5 hrs. Turn out onto a plate, giving the
top of the mould a tap to release the jelly. If removing the
jelly is a problem, place the mould in a bowl of boiling
water for 2 secs, then turn out. Serve straightaway.
48

Fruity
yogurt jelly
Makes 6
250g mixed berries, such as strawberries,
blueberries and raspberries
200g natural yogurt
4 sheets of gelatine
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp rose essence
2 tsp honey
Strawberry and cream jellies
Makes approximately 4 x 250ml desserts
1kg strawberries, hulled, plus 4, including stalks, for decoration
350ml whipping cream
9 sheets of gelatine
4 tbsp caster sugar
Transfer the yogurt to a large measuring jug and add
the lemon juice. Stir, then add the rose essence and
honey. Pour in enough boiling water to make the liquid
up to 500ml, or the combined amount of the six
serving glasses, in total.
While it cools, soak the gelatine sheets in a small
bowl of cold water for 5 mins. Drain, then squeeze the
excess water from the now soft sheets. Mix in the
yogurt mixture and stir thoroughly.
Set out six individual glasses on a tray which fits in
the fridge and freezer. Fill the bottom of the containers
with half of the berries, then divide half of the liquid
between them. Freeze for 20 mins, then divide the
remaining liquid between them. Chill for 2 hrs. Top with
a scattering of the remaining berries before serving.
Blend the strawberries together in a food
processor until a smooth puree. Drain the
juice into a small saucepan through a
sieve, stirring the pulp to extract the liquid.
Transfer the strawberry pulp into a separate
saucepan and set aside.
Add enough cold water to the strawberry
juice to make the liquid up to 480ml in
total. Warm 240ml of this juice mixture with
half of the sugar for 3 mins, until the sugar
has dissolved and the mixture thickens
slightly. Allow to cool a little.
Place seven of the gelatine sheets in a
small bowl of cold water and leave to stand
for 5 mins. Drain and squeeze excess water
from the sheets, then add two to the
thickened mixture. Divide this between four
serving glasses and freeze for 30 mins.
Bring the pan of strawberry pulp to a
simmer on the hob, stirring. Simmer for
1 min, then allow to cool slightly. Add the
remaining soaked gelatine sheets to the
pulp and stir.
In a large bowl, whisk 250ml of the
cream for 4 mins, until soft peaks form. Mix
a third of the pulp into the cream and stir
thoroughly. Add a layer of the pulp to the
glasses, using half of the mixture. Follow
with a layer of strawberry cream, using half
of the cream mixture. Freeze until needed.
Heat the remaining strawberry juice
mixture and remaining sugar for 3 mins,
until warm. Place the remaining two sheets
of gelatine in cold water to soak for 5 mins.
Allow the strawberry juice mixture to cool
slightly, then add the softened gelatine,
after draining and squeezing out the excess
water. Stir, then divide between the glasses.
Return them to the freezer for 30 mins.
Add a layer of the remaining strawberry
pulp on top of the jelly layers and smooth
over with the back of a metal spoon which
has been dipped in boiling water. Do the
same with a layer of the cream mixture.
Whisk the remaining 100ml of cream into
soft peaks and layer on top of each jar.
Allow to chill for 2 hrs. Add a single
strawberry to the top of each before serving.

SEASIDE TREASURE
A beach outing becomes a day of discovery
for Nicolas and Lauren as rock pools reveal
an array of seaweed to collect and admire
Billowing seaweed is displayed
to full effect in water-filled
containers. Jam jars or
glasses with a rim allow a
simple string and twig or shell
handle to be attached.

CHILDREN ARE NATURAL explorers, and
seashores are teeming with interesting plant life as
Nicholas and Lauren discovered on a summer day
out on the seashore. Fun and educational, rock
pooling is an ideal way to keep young ones occupied for a
few hours during a summer day at the beach.
Rock pools are home to a diverse variety of seaweed.
Coming in a range of shades of brown, red or green, it can
have delicate, spiked filaments or large slippery fronds.
A bucket and net are enough to collect any finds.
Nicholas and Lauren made simple carriers from clear glass
jam jars so they can be displayed and viewed from all
angles. Before setting off, it is important to check the
weather and tides, and ensure tough waterproof footwear is
worn for clambering over barnacle-covered rocks. ›
Nicholas and Lauren excitedly check
their bucketful of finds.
An enamel bowl can also be used for
collecting and examining large clumps of
colourful seaweed varieties.
Rock pools closer to the sea’s edge prove more
fruitful when looking for sea creatures as they
contain more pure seawater and less weed.
57

FRAGILE IMPRESSIONS
In her Cornish garden studio, Emma West creates ceramic tiles
filled with subtle details of plants and landscapes
62

A rolling pin is passed over
sprigs of splayed cow parsley,
gently pressing their white
umbels and tiny leaves into
the soft, smooth clay.
Sitting on the path
to her studio, Emma
draws inspiration for
her ceramic designs,
among the aquilegias.
AT THE END of a cottage garden filled with
geraniums, aquilegias and self-seeded poppies sits a
sun-filled wooden studio overlooking Cornwall’s
Tamar Valley. On a path in front of it sits ceramic
artist Emma West, making notes and sketches in a book that
will be used to help create her delicate tiles. These depict both
the delicate flowers from her garden, the countryside’s animals,
birds and fish as well as the surrounding landscape.
Born and bred in Cornwall, Emma started her professional
life as an archivist in Birmingham. While there, she started
creating ceramics as a hobby. Eventually, the pull of working
with clay was so strong that, in 2000, she decided to do it full
time. “I realised I needed the countryside more than the city,”
she says. “I wanted to come back to the West Country, so I
made an enormous leap and gave up my job.”
Sixteen years later, she is still passionate about clay and the
whole process of working it. “It starts as shapeless wet earth
and takes you along a little journey. You feel it, you work it,
and something eventually emerges from it,” she says. ›
A finished ceramic reveals the
muted effect of Emma’s work. She
finds cow parsley ideal to work with,
as it is sturdy enough to withstand
the pressing process while
possessing a dainty beauty.
63

GAME OF
SWANS
For five days every July, the
800-year-old spectacle of
swan upping takes place
on the River Thames
A
JULY AFTERNOON, AND six wooden skiffs make
their way along the River Thames. Each holds a team of
oarsmen dressed in resplendent scarlet, deep blue or
black, together with a marker who has the added
flourish of a swan feather tucked into his cap. Watchful eyes scan
the waters ahead. A family of mute swans glides into view,
prompting a cry to ring out: “All up! All up!”. The rhythmic
splash of the oars comes to a halt.
This scene, known as swan upping, has been played out along
the Thames for more than 800 years. The annual census of the
river’s swans, it is undertaken by the Queen’s Swan Marker and
swan uppers from two of London’s ancient livery companies.
A Royal bird
Upping time was once observed across England. It was an
important event, designed to count the number of swans on rivers
and lakes, determining ownership of the year’s new cygnets.
Mute swans were valuable birds in the Middle Ages and for
some time afterwards. Admired for their grace and beauty, they
84

A mute swan is
taken to be checked.
Soft ties are
used to prevent
flapping wings
injuring either the
uppers or the birds
themselves (top).
David Barker’s role
of Marker of the
Queen’s Swans,
once known as
master or keeper,
dates from the 12th
century (centre).
A cygnet’s head is
measured (bottom).
A flotilla of rowing skiffs
encircles a brood of swans and
their cygnets during the annual
swan upping on the Thames.
were kept on moats and lakes in aristocratic households and were
often given as gifts. Their feathers were used for decoration and as
quills for writing, and their down was used to fill quilts and
pillows. They were also table birds, cygnets in particular being a
popular dish. At Christmas 1251, Henry III held a banquet at
York with 125 swans on the menu, which he requisitioned from
landowners across the North.
An 1186 manuscript about Bishop Hugh of Lincoln is
probably the earliest reference to the mute swan as a Royal bird.
This meant that, although they could be kept privately, any swan
living on open, common waters such as the Thames belonged to
the Crown. The monarch could give permission for another person
or institution to keep swans on these common waters. Those
swans, however, had to be marked to distinguish them from the
Crown’s birds.
The Master of the King’s, or Queen’s, Game of Swans was
responsible for the care of the Royal swans. He also oversaw
swan-keeping throughout England. Deputy swan masters
supported him, serving their own districts. The swan master ›

Glinting in the sun, the limestone
pavement at North Yorksire’s
Malham Cove contrasts with the
surrounding countryside.

NATURE’S PAVEMENTS
Formed under the sea then weathered over millennia by glaciers, Britain’s
distinctive limestone outcrops are spectacular, natural curiosities
115

WOODED CLIFFS AND
SPARKLING WATERS
On the north Devon coast, wild Exmoor gives way to steep cliffs,
colourful harbours and villages linked by a water-powered railway
104

Discover more
with LandScape
www.landscapemagazine.co.uk
LandScape - Life at nature’s pace Moated garden | Lavender | Cosmos | Picnic food | Rock pooling | Nettles | Canal restoration | Swan upping | Lynmouth to Porlock | Limestone pavement July / Aug 2017
Life at nature’s pace
Rocks of Solitude on a wild Scottish river
Imprinting the countryside in clay
A haven among nature’s needles
£4.50 July / Aug 2017
WIN
A LUXURY 2-NIGHT
BREAK IN THE
MALVERN HILLS
*T&Cs APPLY
Click here
to order the
latest issue
directly to
your door
On sale 14 June-1 August
Issue 40 | July / Aug 2017 | £4.50
LAYERS OF
SUNSHINE
GORGEOUS GARDENING, INSPIRATIONAL COOKERY,
WONDERFUL HERITAGE, EXQUISITE CRAFT AND MUCH MORE
Live life at nature’s pace