Abingdon Living Mar - Apr 2020

Courses and Holiday Camps 2020 

Led by qualified, 

experienced and 

DBS checked 

coaches 

Book your child’s place 

online now 

For further information: 

www.abingdon.org.uk/sports-and-leisure 

Course and booking enquiries: 

Email: ase.info@abingdon.org.uk 

Telephone: 01235 849 062 

Abingdon School, Park Road, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 1DE 

Activities are run by Abingdon School Enterprises Limited on behalf of Abingdon School. 

Company No. 04442429.

Contents 

A Note 

from the editor 

Hello Spring – I’ve been waiting for your arrival 

like a lovelorn maiden, excitedly hopping out 

of bed to look out the window for signs of new 

life and sunny skies. I know that in recent years 

March weather has been…unpredictable, but 

nevertheless I’m hopeful and cheery. 

A Culinary is nearly Journey here, through so we celebrate 

Northern 19Easter with a weekend Irelandof 

recipes! 

Avid readers might remember reading about 

my new year’s pledge last issue – to walk, run 

or cycle 5km every day of 2020. Not having a 

bike, or access to a stationary one continues 

to be slightly problematic, but apart from a 

particularly grim night during a storm (I can’t 

remember which given name, we’ve had so 

many of late), I’ve done it! I’m not sure yet if 

I’m fitter or slimmer, but I’ve really enjoyed 

carving little moments out of my usually hectic 

day to go for a head-clearing walk. It’s never 

too late to start! 

In this issue... 

Fabulous UK 

staycations 

04 What’s On 

As spring comes into its swing we 

touch on the best local events for 

the whole family 

14 Easter Gifts 

25 

Not just chocolate (though there is 

just a little bit...), we check out some 

lovely Easter present ideas 

17 Mitch Tonks 

We catch up with the renowned fish 

chef on where his passions lie and his 

love of his community 

22 Foodie Santa Barbara 

We journey to the Golden State of 

California to sample the famous Santa 

Barbara food scene 

28 Amazing Glazing 

Architectural glazing elevates 

any home - we explore the best 

investments and new technologies 

44 Care Needs 

How to stay happy and healthy in your 

autumn years and identifying care 

needs when they arise 

09 

Alan 

Titchmarsh 

That, plus some fantastic interviews and a 

bumper crop of home inspiration, makes this 

issue a great read. 

30 

We will see you back in May! 

Bathroom 

& Tile Guide 

Editor Kate Thomson | e katie.thomson@minervapublications.co.uk 

Publisher Sally Thomson 

Pre-Press Manager Kate O’Connell 

Contributors Rebecca Rose, Peter Thomson, Sue Cooke, Matthew Biggs 

Angela Cave, Lucy Saunders and Pete Lawrence. 

Key Account Manager Marcus Hawke 

e marcus.hawke@minervapublications.co.uk 

d/l 01225 308 094 

twitter: @AbingdonLiving1 

This issue we have really turned the focus 

on Easter, with cracking pressies and some 

egg-cellent recipes – hey, if you’re running five 

kilometres a day, you go ahead and enjoy that 

hot cross bun pudding! There’s also lots to 

look forward to in the calendar, with some of 

our favourite attractions opening again. 

Continuing the foodie note, we have an 

interview with top Devon chef Mitch Tonks – 

you’ll probably recognise him from a supremely 

popular show he presented with rugby star 

Matt Dawson a few years back – he’s a 

titan in the fish industry and is passionate 

about sustainability. We caught up with him to 

discuss his role in creating a community feel 

and growing his business. 

Katie 

MINERVA PUBLICATIONS 

County Gate, County Way 

Trowbridge, Wiltshire BA14 7FJ 

t 01225 308 128 

w www.minervapublications.co.uk 

visit our website www.abingdonliving.co.uk 

Disclaimer: The publishers shall not be held liable for any loss occasioned by failure of an 

advertisement to appear, or any damage or inconvenience caused by errors, omissions and 

misprints. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission from the 

publishers. The opinions expressed within are not necessarily those of the publishers. 

www.abingdonliving.co.uk | 3

EVENTS GUIDE 

Finally, the days are getting longer and 

spring is just around the corner. 

Looking for the best local places to visit and 

things to do at this time of year? 

Then make the most of the season with our 

extensive guide... 

Abingdon Market 

Place 

Abingdon OX14 3HG 

01235 522642 

www.abingdon.gov.uk/town-councilservices/market-place 

Saturday 29 February, 10am - 3pm 

Abingdon Local Excellence Market 

The first Excellence Market of the year with 

good local produce and gift items from the 

region around Abingdon-on-Thames is on 

Leap Year Day. 

Saturday 21 March, 10am 

Abingdon Model Railway Exhibition 

An excellent event for enthusiasts with at 

least eighteen railway layouts all unique and 

stalls and refreshments to suit all the family. 

At the Abingdon campus. 

Saturday 21 March, 10am 

ATOM Technology Fair 

ATOM Festival has dozens of events with 

guest speakers. One of the final attractions 

is the technology day on Market Place 

which is free to visit and with subjects and 

demonstrations of interest to all ages. 

Amey Theatre 

Abingdon School, Abingdon OX14 1DE 

01235 849063 

www.abingdonschool.savoysystems.co.uk/ 

AbingdonSchool.dll/ 

Thursday 19 March 

Spring Concert 2020 

This, their main concert of the term, will 

feature their three orchestras and senior 

bands in a range of repertoire, including 

Chopin’s Piano Concerto No 2 with Upper 

Sixth soloist, David Bicarregui. Please 

purchase your tickets from the school’s 

website in advance. 

Wednesday 1 April 

ROH Live - Swan Lake (2020) 

Liam Scarlett’s glorious production of 

Swan Lake, new in 2018, returns for its 

first revival. While remaining faithful to the 

Marius Petipa/Lev Ivanov text, Scarlett’s 

additional choreography and John 

Macfarlane’s magnificent designs breathe 

new life into what is arguably the bestknown 

and most-loved classical ballet. 

Blenheim Palace 

Woodstock OX20 1PP 

01993 810530 

www.blenheimpalace.com 

Sunday 29 March 

OX5 Run 

Runners and walkers of all abilities (aged 

14 and over) are all welcome to run, jog 

or walk the five-mile course around the 

4 | www.abingdonliving.co.uk 

Parkland. It’s their biggest annual fundraiser 

for the Oxford Children’s Hospital, which 

looks after thousands of children. 

Friday 10 - Monday 13 April 

Easter Entertainment 

The Pleasure Gardens will transform into an 

Easter wonderland with lots of interactive 

experiences, family-friendly activities, 

Easter trails and shows to enjoy. 

Sunday 19 April 

Blenheim 7K Fun Run 

Run for fun or support your chosen charity 

with this 7km run. 

The 1-mile Junior race, open to under 15s, 

starts before the main 7k and makes the 

event a great family day out. Race entry 

entitles you to entry to the palace grounds, 

enjoy the surrounding Parkland after the race. 

Thursday 23 April - Sunday 5 July 

Cecily Brown Art Exhibition 

Made up entirely of new works inspired 

by the Palace’s collection, the Blenheim 

Art Foundation will unveil a major solo 

exhiibition by acclaimed British Artist Cecily 

Brown. 

Bodleian Library 

Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BG 

01865 277162 

www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk 

Friday 27 March - Sunday 5 April 

FT Weekend Oxford Literary 

Festival 

This annual event is held at the Bodleian 

Libraries and, as a cultural partner to the 

Festival, many talks take place in Bodleian 

sites the Lecture Theatre, in the Weston 

Library and in the Divinity School. 

For full information and to book tickets 

visit oxfordliteraryfestival.org 

Saturday 28 March 

The Art of Advertising Activity Day 

Drop-in for a day of ephemeral fun based 

around their new exhibition - The Art of 

Advertising. Meet the exhibition curators, 

researchers and printing experts to 

discover something unexpected about 

those pieces of paper most people just 

throw away. 

Cornerstone Arts 

Centre 

25 Station Road, Didcot OX11 7NE 

01235 515144 

www.cornerstone-arts.org 


Gary Delaney - Gagster’s Paradise 

A Mock The Week regular and recent star 

of the new Live At The Apollo series, Gary’s 

shows are renowned in the business for 

a near unrivalled volume of high-class gags. 

You should expect no different from this 

highly acclaimed show. 

Please note Coolio will not be appearing. 

Friday 20 March, 7.30pm 

Magical Bones - Black Magic 

Following a totally sold out run at the 

Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the star of 

international stage hit Impossible takes to 

the road with his much-anticipated debut 

solo UK tour. 

Wednesday 25 March 

Dead Good 

Let’s start...at the end - Bob and Bernard 

have only two things in common they’re 

both dying and they’re not going down 

without a fight. 

So, with a bottle of Bollinger and the keys 

to Bernard’s Bentley in hand, they decide 

to hit the road, and take on one final, 

death-defying adventure. 

Tuesday 31 March, 7.30pm 

Outrageous Fortune 

(Hamlet as told by Gertrude) 

Gertrude Wife. Mother. Queen of Denmark. 

In the 400 years since Hamlet was written, 

what if anything has changed? 

Welcome to purgatory. Where everything 

we know about Gertrude is torn apart, 

reimagined and reclaimed by one woman 

and a jazz drummer, in a funny and fierce 

act of revolution. 

Saturday 4 April, 7.30pm 

Voodoo Room - A Tribute to 

Hendrix, Clapton & Cream 

Packed with an incredible high energy 

& performed by some of the UK’s finest 

musicians. This powerhouse performance 

will transport you back in time to the 

original concerts, delivering the true spirit of 

these legendary superstars. 

Thursday 16 April, 7.30pm 

Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect 

Nonsense 

. 

Take your seats with caution! Aristocratic 

buffoon Bertie Wooster has hired the 

theatre for the night to present his oneman 

show detailing a recent and rather 

spectacular series of misadventures, 

including the theft of a novelty cow creamer 

and a narrow escape from unwanted 

matrimony. The only trouble is Bertie hasn’t 

worked out who’s going to play the parts. 


Roald Dahl and the Imagination 

Seekers 

All around the world Roald Dahl’s words 

are disappearing, not only from books but 

children’s minds too! 

continued

Now only an organisation known as the 

ancient guild of tale tenders can save the 

stories - and they need your help. 

Harcourt Arboretum 

Oxford Lodge, Peacock Gate, Nuneham 

Courtenay, Oxford OX44 9PX 

01865610305 

www.obga.ox.ac.uk/visit-arboretum 


Family Craft 

Join them for spring-themed children’s craft 

activities in magnificent surroundings! 

Look out for spring plants like crocus, 

scilla (which look a little like bluebells, and 

can be found at the base of some of the 

larger oaks), and lesser celandine. 

Discover some of the oldest redwoods in 

the UK and meet the local wildlife. 

Saturday 25 April, 11am - 4pm 

Spring Fair 

Enjoy traditional music, craft activities and 

taste delicious local produce at Harcourt 

Arboretum, the best collection of trees 

in Oxfordshire with some of the oldest 

redwoods in the UK. 


Forest Bathing at the Arboretum 

A three-hour event, giving you the chance 

to connect with the unique environment at 

the Arboretum in a new and mindful way. 

New Theatre Oxford 

George Street, Oxford OX1 2AG 

0844 871 3020 

www.atgtickets.com/oxford 

Saturday 29 February 

The Illegal Eagles 

Described as ‘flawless’ by The Express, 

The Illegal Eagles are internationally 

renowned for their outstanding ability to 

recreate the Eagles’ distinctive sound with 

both flare and incredible authenticity. 


Sing-A-Long-A The Greatest 

Showman 

Cheer on Hugh Jackman, lust after Zac 

Efron and hiss Rebecca Ferguson as you 

experience The Greatest Showman in the 

greatest way possible - with lyrics on the 

screen so you can join in as loud as you want. 

Wednesday 11 March 

AJ Pritchard’s ‘AJ Live 2020’ 

‘AJ Live 2020’ will combine the best 

moments from the Strictly you know and 

love, intertwined with new energy and 

packed choreography for all the family. 


Elvis Costello & The Imposters 

This superlative ensemble - bassist and 

vocalist Davey Faragher, Steve Nieve on 

keyboards and Pete Thomas on drums are 

once again augmented by singers Kitten 

Kuroi and Briana Lee. 

Monday 6 - Saturday 11 April 

Priscilla Queen Of The Desert - 

The Musical 

Based on the Oscar-winning film, Priscilla 

is the hilarious adventure of three friends 

on a heart-warming journey story of selfdiscovery, 

sassiness and acceptance. 

Monday 13 April 

The Joe & Dianne Show 


Together for their first ever joint tour, The 

Joe & Dianne Show will give audiences 

a fantastic evening of performance, full 

of glitz, magic and plenty of laughs, 

guaranteed to leave fans of all ages 

spellbound. 

Newbury Racecourse 

The Racecourse, Newbury RG14 7NZ 

01635 40015 

www.newburyracecourse.co.uk 

Friday 20 - Saturday 21 March 

Be Wiser Jumps Season Finale 

The 2019/20 Jump season at Newbury 

draws to a close with two days of 

competitive racing and a chance to see 

some promising young horses perform in a 

relaxed, informal atmosphere. 

Friday 17 - Saturday 18 April 

Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials 

Two days of exciting Flat racing kick off 

what will be a momentous 2020 season at 

Newbury. 

Oxford Playhouse 

11-12 Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2LW 

01865 305305 

www.oxfordplayhouse.com 

Tuesday 10 - Saturday 14 March 

Pride & Prejudice (sort of) 

This is an adaptation like no other. 

Six young women have a story to tell. 

Men, money and microphones will be 

fought over in this loving and irreverent 

all-female adaptation of Jane Austen’s 

unrivalled literary classic. Let the ruthless 

matchmaking begin. 

Monday 16 - Saturday 21 March 

The Woman in Black 

Susan Hill’s acclaimed ghost story comes 

dramatically alive in Stephen Mallatratt’s 

ingenious stage adaptation. This gripping 

production, directed by Robin Herford, is a 

brilliantly successful study in atmosphere, 

illusion and controlled horror. 

Tuesday 24 - Saturday 28 March 

Alone In Berlin 

Based on Hans Fallada’s bestselling novel 

about true events in wartime Germany, 

Alone in Berlin is an enthralling portrait of a 

society gripped by the fear of a night-time 

knock on the door. 

Tuesday 31 March - Thursday 2 April 

Doctor Faustus 

Faustus - a brilliant scholar and man of 

learning. So clever he can conjure up the 

devil. Absolute knowledge, infinite 

power, sorcery and magic are all 

within his reach. But in return, 

he must give up his soul. 

Saturday 4 - Sunday 5 April 

Room on the Broom 

Jump on board the broom with the 

witch and her cat in Tall Stories’ funfilled 

adaptation of Room on the Broom, 

the best-selling picture book by Julia 

Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. 

Tuesday 21 - Saturday 25 April 

The Birthday Party 

Harold Pinter’s most popular and widely 

performed play comes to Oxford in this 

dramatic new re-imagining. 

Set in a dilapidated seaside boarding 

house, the mysterious Stanley Webber 

receives a visit from two sinister strangers, 

Goldberg and McCann. They arrive on 

Stanley’s birthday - or is it? What do 

they want and why do they want to turn 

Stanley’s quiet world upside down? 

Pendon Museum 

Long Wittenham, Abingdon OX14 4QD 

01865 407365 

www.pendonmuseum.com 

Wednesdays 8 April and 15 April 

Junior Modelling 

Each child leaves with a completed model 

diorama and new modelling skills. 

Free school holiday Wednesday events on 

a ‘drop-in’, ‘first come, first served’ basis. 

These 30 minute sessions are suitable for 

children from 5 years upwards. We require 

that a parent be present throughout the 

session. 

The North Wall Arts 

Centre 

South Parade, Summertown OX2 7JN 

01865 319450 

www.thenorthwall.com 

Friday 27 March, 8pm 

Rhys James - Snitch 

Mock The Week regular and star of his own 

BBC Radio 4 series, Rhys James heads out 

on his first national tour. 

As also seen on Comedy Central’s Roast 

Battle, Russell Howard’s Stand Up Central, 

and heard on Radio 4’s The News Quiz. 

Wednesday 8 April, 11am & 2pm 

Arthur’s Dream Boat 

A magical playful children’s show with 

breath-taking puppets, so enchanting 

that everyone will want to sail away with 

Arthur’s in his dream boat. Brought to 

you by the makers of Penguin and Out of 

the Hat, with music by Tom Gray, of the 

Mercury Award winning band Gomez. 

Waterperry Gardens 

Near Wheatley OX3 1JZ 

01844 339254 

www.waterperrygardens.co.uk 

Saturday 28 March - Tuesday 21 April 

Big Easter Bunny Hunt 

Join the Big Easter Bunny Hunt around 

the ornamental gardens. Find them all and 

claim a special Easter prize. 2.50 per child - 

children must be accompanied by an adult 

for whom the garden entrance fee applies. 

We take great care in compiling the 

listings, however, we recommend that 

you contact the venue in advance as 

events and activities may be subject to 

change

BUSCOT PARK & THE FARINGDON COLLECTION 

One of Oxfordshire’s best kept secrets 

Open from 

1st April - 

30th September 

2020 

Contact Info Line 

01367 240932 

or website: 

www.buscotpark.com 

for opening times 

Open Mornings 

Wednesday 29 April 2020 

Saturday 26 September 2020 

Wednesday 25 November 2020 

Meet the staff and pupils 

Explore our Nursery 

and Reception, Junior 

and Senior Schools 

www.olab.org.uk/Open-Morning 

Our Lady’s Abingdon School | Independent Day School for 3–18 

Radley Road | Abingdon | OX14 3PS | 01235 524658 

admissions@olab.org.uk | www.olab.org.uk 


The Gardens at Waterperry 

are springing back into life 

with our daffodils in bloom in our new daffodil meadow 

and the fritillaries in our wildflower meadow, and with 

the National Collection of Porophyllum Saxifrages at 

their best during March, spring really is the perfect time 

to visit the gardens. 

There will also be lots of family fun to be had 

in the gardens during the Easter holidays 

with the Big Easter Bunny Hunt running 

from the 28th March till the 21st April. 

In other areas of Waterperry the Gift Barn 

has some lovely Mothers Day gifts, for an 

extra special Mother’s Day, treat mum in the Teashop with freshly 

prepared home cooked food including hot and cold lunches and 

a fantastic selection of cakes. Afterwards enjoy a stroll around the 

gardens with free entrance for all mums on Mothering Sunday. 

There is always something to see or do at Waterperry with the gallery, 

gift barn, garden shop, plant centre, museum and teashop. The plant 

centre and garden shop are a garden lovers paradise, with a large 

selection of plants, garden sundries, tools, bulbs, seeds, Waterperry 

apple juice and cider. 

Not I by Samuel Beckett 

“Jess Thom gives Beckett’s motormouth extra bite” 

The Guardian 

18 - 21 March 7.30pm 

Waterperry is more than just a beautiful place to come and explore, 

with year round events and arts, crafts and gardening courses on offer, 

there is something for all the family. Don’t miss Gnometastic during 

May half term or the Rare Plant Fair on the 14th June visit - 

www.waterperrygardens.co.uk 

Waterperry Gardens – A place to explore, relax and shop in beautiful 

surroundings all year round. 

ADVERTISING FEATURE 

Amsterdam 

A strikingly original and audacious play by 

award-winning Israeli playwright Maya Arad Yasur. 

23 - 24 April 8pm 

Art Heist 

“A cleverly choreographed comic crime caper” 

The Scotsman 

28 - 29 April 8pm 

Spring 2020 

Tickets On Sale Now 

T: 01865 319450 | www.thenorthwall.com 

South Parade, Oxford OX2 7JN 

8 | www.abingdonliving.co.uk

Alan Titchmarsh... 

on some of his favourite things 

Sally Thomson recently had 

a chat with Alan Titchmarsh 

MBE, DL, HonFSE and 

discussed some of the many 

passions he enjoys - extending 

far beyond gardening. 

He has written more than forty 

gardening books, memoirs and 

his latest creation is a book on 

poetry which illustrates the love 

he has for not just plants, but 

all of life... 

You still do Saturday mornings on 

Classic FM. Of all the music that 

you enjoy, what is your favourite? 

It’s fairly classic, although I like a lot 

of stuff! Whether it’s Handel or Mozart 

or Tchaikovsky. It’s part of my life. I’ve 

always loved light opera. I love The Merry 

Widow and Fledermaus and things like 

that, as well as the heavier stuff. But I 

think sometimes Operetta is overlooked. 

It has the most glorious melodies and it 

tends to fall between two categories; it’s 

not a musical and it’s not an opera and so 

I feel that at the moment Operetta seems 

to fall in the dark. 

Do you endeavour to put them forward 

a little bit on the show? 

Oh, I do! I do suggest it to the producers. 

I’ve been listening to some snippets on 

your show on gardening and there are 

such useful tips. I mean, I don’t fancy 

going out there at the moment because 

it’s so wet. But when Easter arrives how 

should we start in the garden? 

The great thing about the winter months 

is that everything moves so slowly, so 

when Easter arrives it gives us time to 

catch up in the garden. We can get stuff 

cut back, fed, mulched. 

Mulching is probably one of the best 

things to do this time of year isn’t it? 

Well it is because the ground is moist and 

the weeds haven’t started growing yet so 

you can spread it now and it will keep the 

weeds down. 

Yes, obviously the bulbs are coming up 

now and I’m dreading a frost that will 

knock down my narcissus… 

Oh, frost won’t knock them down! They’re 

tough as old boots. They might bow 

down for a night if it gets really frosty, but 

they’ll pick up as the day progresses. The 

thing about narcissus and snowdrops 

is that they are not susceptible to frost. 

They really are hardy. 

That’s good to know! I’m really 

interested in your 50 shades of Green - 

the programme. Tell me all about that, 

how did it happen? 

ITV very sweetly said they wanted to 

mark my seventieth birthday, which was 

very kind, and they wanted to do it in a 

very engaging way, so they had me name 

my top 50, and they went from there. 

Were they difficult choices to make? 

Oh yes! It was like Desert Island Discs! 

But we covered all the main things you 

know, like trees, water, roses, and the last 

one was my garden which has not been 

seen on telly before. 

I know. A bit special! One of the things 

is about you visiting the National 

Gallery, and how the masterpieces have 

inspired you. Which were the paintings 

in particular that inspired you? 

Oh gosh, well for me it’s so difficult 

to choose, I mean there’s Mr and Mrs 

Andrews by Gainsborough, then you see 

Whistlejacket by Stubbs. Just walking 

past them all and the feeling of joy that 

it was open for us to see them all, it was 

like being a boy in a sweet shop! When 

you manage to see them without bodies 

all around you, and it’s one-to-one with 

you and the painting. It’s such a treat. 

What about going into where the 

Queen’s perfumer was working? 

That was wonderful! I use the aftershave 

now! I was terrified of course, when I 

arrived there. 

You cannot hide your emotions can 

you? 

No, I’m not very good at that! It was a joy 

though. 

Of the gardens that you’ve visited, do 

you have a special one? Or do you find 

that different gardens affect different 

moods, a bit like music? 

They do. There are aspects of every 

garden where you think ‘Oh I like that’, or 

‘I wish I had that’. I love Chatsworth, I’ve 

always loved Chatsworth, it’s a special 

place. The Prince of Wales’ garden at 

Highgrove. Sissinghurst is another one. 

Gardens that reflect the soul of their 

makers are really special. 

You are attending Highgrove again 

aren’t you? For Talking Gardens. Are 

you excited about that, as you go there 

quite regularly don’t you? 

I seem to go there every year. I’m a 

regular! I will be discussing the way we 

look at our gardens and the way they can 

help us and we can help them. It’s not 

just analytical, it’s getting to grips with 

a garden and what a garden can offer. I 

get so dispirited when I see gardens laid 

to paving blocks. I know that cars are 

precious, but you don’t have to pave the 

whole thing. There are all kinds of things 

you can do to make room for nature. 

When we spoke last time, you talked 

about your poetry with Debbie 

Wiseman from Classic FM. 

Yes, the book is coming out! Well I’ve 

written poetry for years before that 

but mainly for Christmas. But Debbie 

suggested I write something about 

plants, so we did The Glorious Garden 

which happened to go to No.1 in the 

classical charts - not that I like to boast! 

So that’s what got me going on writing 

poetry other than just for Christmas. 

So yes, I have put all these poems plus 

a load of new ones into a book called 

Marigolds, Myrtle and Moles. 

Do you think you have any more 

poems up your sleeve? 

Well I really enjoy writing them, so we’ll 

see how this one goes down. I might do 

another one! 

Will we be seeing any more of ‘Love 

Your Garden’? 

We’ve got four episodes that will be 

coming out in the Spring, and we will 

start filming more in April. We filmed half 

the series last year in September and 

the other half will be done in Spring as 

they split the recordings, and they have 

commissioned another two series which 

is very nice! 

Marigolds, 

Myrtle and 

Moles by Alan 

Titchmarsh 

is published 

by Hodder & 

Stoughton 

Alan will 

be at BBC 

Gardeners’ 

World Live on 

Saturday 20th 

June 2020 


Why it's 

never too 

early to 

put STEAM 

on the 

curriculum 

Dr Katie King, science subject leader at Headington Prep 

School, outlines the importance of studying STEAM at a 

young age - particularly for girls... 

What’s the point in focusing on STEAM 

when children are still mastering the 

basics of learning to read and write? Is 

there really any advantage to spending 

time, energy and resources on concepts 

likely to be alien to Prep or primary-aged 

children? In short, the answer is yes, 

particularly when we’re talking about 

girls’ education. 

Stereotyping is perhaps at its strongest 

at this age group. Girls are surrounded by 

pink princesses and expected to enjoy 

caring and nurturing play while boys are 

encouraged to get stuck into construction 

toys and physical play. Many will already 

confidently say what they want to be 

when they grow up. 

Fast forward a few years and while the 

girls may be out of their pink princess 

dresses, the proportion of girls studying 

Physics to A Level is a fraction of that 

of boys. Minuscule proportions of 

engineers are female and women are 

under-represented at the highest levels in 

challenging STEAM-related careers. 

Does this mean that fewer women have 

the skills and inclination? Highly unlikely 

– far more likely that they perhaps never 

even considered this as a possible career 

path. Thus opening their eyes to the 

world of STEAM at the earliest possible 

opportunity becomes that much more 

appealing. 

At Headington Prep School we have just 

finished our Year of Science, Technology, 

Engineering, Art and Maths. It has 

been thrilling, exciting, challenging and 

genuinely inspiring. It was a celebration of 

all that the subjects offer, from problemsolving 

and teamwork, to the traits of 

perseverance and resilience. Whether 

these girls eventually follow careers in 

these fields or pursue other options, 

these will be invaluable skills both now 

and in the future. 

If you work with role models who are 

passionate about their field of learning 

then you can share their enthusiasm and 

excitement – and an intangible career 

concept becomes a real opportunity 

worth considering. In Oxford we are 

lucky enough to benefit from countless 

professionals working either in the city’s 

two universities, the world-leading 

research hospital the John Radcliffe or 

the nearby Science Park. When we bring 

in people like Oxford University professor 

of molecular genetics and metabolism 

Prof Anna Gloyn to show children as 

young as 7 or 8 how to extract DNA 

from strawberries, or challenge 11 year 

olds to break codes with teams from 

Bletchley Park, or invite researchers from 

the Oxford Vaccine Group to unpack 

the spread of disease and the purpose 

of vaccines with Key Stage 2 children, 

it feels real. It’s no longer a distant and 

incomprehensible thing that ‘somebody 

else does’ but something they have 

actually experienced in action. It also 

shows them that women work in these 

critical industries – so too could they. It’s 

a cliché but if you don’t plant the seeds 

of ideas then they will never germinate 

into fully-fledged realities. 

Children of this age are less likely to 

have already decided they ‘can’t’ do 

something. They have less experience 

of failure and disappointment, of being 

told it’s not for them. It is as they grow 

older and they suffer setbacks or get 

things wrong that it becomes harder to 

take risks in their learning. They become 

less likely to take on something new and 

exciting if it comes, psychologically, with 

a risk of failure. 

If we start at this age and take advantage 

of these enquiring minds, the thirst for 

knowledge and new things which is 

such a wonderful trait in so many young 

children, then they will grow up armed 

with everything they need to make an 

educated decision on what they truly 

want to be – and what they CAN be. 


Prep School Open Morning 

Friday 20 March 2020 10.00 – 11.30am 

Senior School Open Morning 

Friday 2 May 2020 10.00 – 12.30pm 

Rye St Antony is an independent Catholic boarding 

school for girls aged 3–18 and boys aged 3–11. 

Set in 12 acres of woodland, less than a mile from the 

centre of Oxford and well served by both private school 

and public buses. 

Rye prides itself on knowing and nurturing pupils as 

individuals, recognising their unique talents, personal 

strengths and extraordinary potential. 

The next Open Mornings will be on Friday 20 March 

for Prep and Friday 2 May for Senior. To arrange a 

personal tour at another time please call our Registrar, 

Fern Williams on 01865 762802 or email enquiries@ 

ryestantony.co.uk. 

01865 762802 

Pullen’s Lane, Oxford OX3 0BY 

SatNav postcode for parking, Franklin Road entrance OX3 7SA 

enquiries@ryestantony.co.uk | www.ryestantony.co.uk


STAY AHEAD OF THE TRENDS AND SPRING 

INTO STYLE WITH THE LATEST INTERIOR 

DESIGN TRENDS AT LETCOMBE GARDENS 

For those looking to bring some brightness into their homes now the 

January blues are over, David Wilson Homes is offering its top interior 

design tips on how to get ahead of the spring trends for 2020... 

The housebuilder’s Manning and 

Cadleigh style homes are giving house 

hunters some interior design inspiration 

ahead of the season, and are available to 

view at Letcombe Gardens in Grove. 

The Station Road show homes provide 

house hunters with a first look at the 

quality and style of a David Wilson home 

and offer inspiration for homebuyers on 

how to give their own homes the designer 

touch. 

The developer has also announced that 

it will open a brand new show home at 

Letcombe Gardens on 22nd February, 

giving buyers the chance to step into a 

five bedroom Henley style property. 

Rob Allen, Sales Director at David Wilson 

Homes Southern, said: “Design trends 

constantly change throughout the year 

and as we are now approaching spring 

time we are seeing much more colour 

being used throughout homes and lovely 

patterns that really help to brighten your 

mood and reflect on the sunshine. 

“Spring definitely represents new life 

with plants coming in to bloom, things 

are beginning to grow again and we 

see much more sunshine, it can be 

very uplifting after a few cold and grey 

months. 

“The show homes at Letcombe Gardens 

showcase the home’s potential while 

creating a memorable viewing for house 

hunters that makes them feel like their 

dream home is a reachable goal.” 

1. Use bold shades to brighten 

your home 

Each room in the show homes at 


Letcombe Gardens boast brightly 

coloured feature walls which are a 

great transition from the darker, more 

atmospheric colours used in winter. Bold 

feature walls are also great for layering, 

meaning that you don’t have to stick with 

one colour and can use a few different 

shades in one room. 

2. Brighten your home with patterns, 

plants and perfumes 

Bright, botanical prints are currently very 

trendy for the season, turning your home 

into a tropical paradise that will take 

you into the summer months. The most 

popular feature colour is green pantone, 

which can be mixed with other tones 

of green to create a fresh and uplifting 

look in your home. The colour green is 

symbolic of new beginnings, making 

spring the perfect time for using it as the 

outdoors starts to bloom. 

Various house plants are also very 

popular at the moment and will really 

brighten up the home. House plants are 

a great way to celebrate the season of 

new beginnings and are easy to look after 

whilst also looking great in your home. 

Spring is also the perfect time to give 

your home a bit of a pamper, so why not 

invest in some reed diffusers to bring the 

scent of spring indoors? 

3. Swap out your accessories for 

colour and sparkle 

Swap your cushions around or trade in 

any dark, rich coloured accessories for 

light pastels and brighter colours. Buy 

a mix of accessories in different pastel 

colours and use chrome and glass 

accessories to inject a bit of sparkle into 

your home. And to brighten up your walls, 

why not invest in some bright artwork 

and colourful canvases that you can hang 

around the house? 

Surrounded by uninterrupted views of 

Oxfordshire, the development is situated 

in an area where families can take 

advantage of both town and country 

living. 

There’s plenty of time to spend with 

the little ones in the morning, as an 

abundance of schools is within walking 

distance. Wantage town centre is just two 

miles away providing an abundance of 

shops, bars and restaurants, meaning a 

great family day out is never too far from 

home. 

Working professionals can also benefit 

from the nearby commuter links 

that Letcombe Gardens offers. With 

convenient links to the A338 and A34, 

no matter where residents are going, the 

travel is made simpler. 

To register an interest in any of the 

properties at Letcombe Gardens, visit 

the marketing suite and show homes on 

Monday from 12:30pm until 5:30pm or 

from Tuesday to Sunday between 10am 

and 5:30pm. 

For more information about any David 

Wilson Homes developments in the 

area, visit the website at www.dwh. 

co.uk or call the sales line on 

033 3355 8487.

Waitrose & Partners No.1 Dry Aged Sirloin of Beef Roasting Joint 

Rubbed with French wet salt, sea salt and three types of pepper, and served bone-in for a more intense flavour. 

SRENTRAP NODGNIBA 

& ESORTIAW

A rainbow of delicious 

sweets, all in biodegradable 

packing, from £2.95, 

askmummyanddaddy.com 

Turn your little person into a 

bunny with this cute cardigan, 

£34.99, kitandkin.com 

A milk chocolate egg 

burnished with gold and 

a very low added sugar, 

£18.50, chococo.co.uk 

We love the Easter carrots Low sugar chocolate - 

yes please 

4 Lemon Fondant 

Fancies, £9, and Hazelnut 

Chocolate Egg, £6.50, 

bettys.co.uk 

AN EGGCELLENT 

EASTER 

Perfect pressies for all your 

loved ones this Easter 

Small White 

Ceramic Hen 

‘Glug Jug’, £7.50, 

giselagraham.co.uk 

Give them their own 

bunny to cuddle with 

this cute cushion, £15, 

bizzigrowin.com 

Easter Lamb Bowl, £30, 

sweetpeaandwillow.com 

Bonnie The Bunny 

Umbrella, £8.95, 

rexlondon.com 

Great for plants or as 

an Easter centrepiece 

You can also buy materials to 

make floral wreaths 

Reduce your carbon footprint with 

these long-lasting, contemporary 

bouquets. Preserved at the height of 

their beauty, they guarantee a year of 

bloom. We love the soft feel and look 

of fresh foliage. From £29, shida.florist 

Charming Easter 

designs from 

illustrator Sophie 

Allport, from £8, 

sophieallport.com 

Bunny Pom Pom Bum 

Easter Name Place 

Cards, £3.99 for 6, 

gingerray.co.uk 


30 acres of wonderful riverside gardens I Unique indoor and outdoor ceremony spaces 

15 th Century characterful buildings I Intimate and large celebrations I 104 bedrooms 

01865 334417 

oxfordthames.weddings@ihg.com 

www.oxfordthames.vocohotels.com 

Oxford Thames Hotel I Henley Road I Sandford-on-Thames I Oxford OX4 4GX 

The perfect space for celebrating those special times. 

30 acres of wonderful riverside gardens | 15th Century characterful buildings 

| Intimate and large celebrations | 104 bedrooms 

+44 (0)1865 334444 

oxfordthames.reception@ihg.com | oxfordthames.events@ihg.com 

www.oxfordthames.vocohotels.com 

voco Oxford Thames Hotel | Henley Road | Sandford-on-Thames |Oxford | OX4 4GX

NATIONAL BUTCHERS' 

WEEK 2020 

National Butchers’ Week gives us the 

opportunity to celebrate and support a 

mainstay of the British High Street 

One of the most popular events in the butchery calendar, 

National Butchers’ Week takes place 9-15 March 2020. National 

Butchers’ Week highlights the great work being done by butchers 

from around the UK that sets them apart from the competition. It 

also focuses on the fantastic innovation that takes place within 

butchers’ shops across the land. 

Never has it been more important to understand our food 

provenance - especially as more of us are reshaping our diets to 

eat meat less often, but crucially eating better quality when we 

do. That means engaging more with the process of buying meat 

- selecting carefully reared livestock, butchered properly. It’s not 

always possible to get that information from the supermarket. 

This engagement with our food chain is essential, and should 

start in the butchery shop - a butcher can not only tell you where 

your meat has come from (usually a farm whose name you will 

likely recognise!) but also can advise on the best cuts for certain 

dishes, give you great value for money on cheaper cuts and 

impart their wealth of knowledge with ready cooking tips. 

Throughout the awareness week, butchers across the area will 

be participating in events and putting on offers to help educate 

and inform potential customers of the benefits of shopping 

with them. The key takeaway is that consumers don’t need to 

feel intimidated about shopping there - far from needing an 

extensive knowledge of each and every cut available, shoppers 

can ask advice and can learn about cuts not commonly 

available in the shops. As well as in the shops, lots of online 

butchers will be running specials in this time, so it’s well worth 

looking out for those - premium meat with all the convenience 

of your regular weekly shop. 

So, when you’re planning your meals this week, why not carve 

out 10 minutes to go and visit your local butcher - you’ll come 

away with a lot more than the ingredients for tonight’s dinner. 

Open weekend 

28/29 March - Markets stall and lambing 


THE CHEF 

that rocks 

Famed for his growing group of fabulous fish restaurants, 

Rockfish, Mitch Tonks is a chef, author, restaurateur and a 

passionate, lifelong advocate for all the morsels that emerge 

from the deep blue sea. Sally Thomson caught up with him 

to discuss expansion plans, career motivations and why his 

heart will always belong to the kitchen... 

Sally: I hear you have another book 

on the horizon? 

Mitch: I do! We’re doing another 

Rockfish book. It will be published 

October. All very exciting! 

Fantastic! How many Rockfish 

Restaurants have you got 

now? 

At the moment there are 

seven but there will be 

nine by the end of the year. 

They will be in Poole, Lyme 

Regis, and Sidmouth. Poole 

opened in January, Lyme 

Regis will open in June 

and Sidmouth will open 

in October. We then have 

two or three sites ready 

for 2021 that we are just 

negotiating on. 

That is incredible, 

when you think about 

where you’ve come 

from. 

It’s kind of been an 

up and down journey, 

because we had 

Fishworks, which 

grew to thirteen, 

but it was a public 

company and the 

wrong environment 

to grow restaurants 

in and ultimately 

the project failed. 

But since 2009 

Seahorses has existed down in 

Dartmouth, and Rockfish is ten years 

old, so we’ve done well to rebuild over 

that period. 

When we last had a chat you’d 

opened Joe’s Bar, how’s that going? 

It’s going really well, and since May last 

year we actually moved the entrance to 

the restaurant through Joe’s Bar, and 

that’s been a real success as people 

enter the restaurant through Joe’s 

Bar, have a drink and start their dining 

experience off with something more 

special and fun. 

So how do you stretch yourself with 

everything going on? 

Well the business is over three hundred 

people, with a really good senior team, 

finance, marketing, and then over four 

hundred in the summer. So, I obviously 

work very closely with my senior team 

and I am clear about what I want to 

achieve in a period of time and helping 

other people to achieve those goals. 

Sometimes its challenging but when you 

work as a team and you are supporting 

each other you can make stuff happen. 

That’s it really! 

Managing those people, helping them 

manage others, then I spend my time in 

the restaurants, as well as consistently 

looking at the business as a whole and 

thinking ‘How can our business provide 

better solutions for jobs, how can we 

be better than anywhere else to work 

"I tend to think of the restaurants like a 

community now. Everybody who works for 

us belongs to the community. We talk a lot 

about family but of course family are hard to 

get rid of and communities are made up of 

people all contributing" 

17

"I think when Fishworks 

failed…well it gives you 

plenty of time to reflect on 

what’s really important to 

you and what’s not" 

So I made a phone call to my agent who 

was on the train on the way up. He was 

mortified! All I could say to everyone was 

that 'I’m sorry, I just don’t want to do 

it'. Financially it was suicide as it was a 

very well paid job but it was prime time 

television and all the things that go with 

it and I didn’t want to be known as a guy 

on telly. I wanted to build my reputation 

as a restaurateur and a chef which is 

what I actually really enjoy. 

I think when Fishworks failed…well it 

gives you plenty of time to reflect on 

what’s really important to you and what’s 

not and allowed me to make my own 

choices, not get swept along with ‘this is 

a great idea’. It was a great idea, it was 

magnificent. The TV show would have 

been great but it just wasn’t for me. So 

the answer is I am regularly asked to do 

television bits and I will 99% of the time 

turn them down and occasionally I might 

do the odd thing but I don’t wake up 

thinking ‘I’d like to do more television’. 

18 

for, how can we have a really amazing 

strategy over five years that gives people 

top pay, freedom, how can we create a 

development programme so that people 

can develop in the organisation.’ 

I tend to think of the restaurants like a 

community now. Everybody who works for 

us belongs to the community. We talk a lot 

about family but of course family are hard 

to get rid of and communities are made up 

of people all contributing, so when people 

don’t contribute they move out of the 

community and new people move in. 

One thing I didn’t realise is that you 

made significant changes to your menu 

with regards to being gluten-free. That 

must have been a big change? 

Yes! About ten years ago we set about 

rebuilding all of cooking ranges and 

changing all of our practices so that offer 

everything gluten-free. We committed to 

the business being gluten-free, not just 

by saying ‘here’s a gluten-free menu’. 

Everything we do is gluten-free. If we 

have to swap a bun for a gluten-free bun 

we do, and it basically means that the 

whole menu is available to somebody 

with a gluten intolerance rather than 

them feeling in a minority and only being 

able to choose from say five things on 

the menu. 

Going back, I first met you at the 

beginning of the century! 2000, a 

long, long time ago! Since then you’ve 

appeared on TV, most notably with 

Matt Dawson, the rugby player, but 

do you find yourself too busy to make 

room to do any shows as of late? 

The television career took off back 

around 2008/09. The series Mitch and 

Matt’s Big Fish became very successful 

and Denham Productions and the BBC 

wanted to do series two. So there was a 

lot of euphoria and excitement from Matt 

and the team, and they were on their way 

to London to sign the deal. 

We had agreed it, gone through it all and 

I started to get cold feet. I was sat in the 

restaurant having a brandy and a coffee 

and I was just thinking to myself ‘I don’t 

actually want to be a television chef, I 

want to be in this restaurant cooking’. 

Surely your heart has to be in it if it’s 

what you are going to do? 

I think you are either on telly to drive 

people to your restaurants, well I’ve been 

there when you are in a restaurant and so 

many people want to talk to you because 

they’ve seen you on telly but never for 

the right reasons, and the thought that 

somebody comes to the restaurant just 

to catch a glimpse of the person they’ve 

seen on telly is just the wrong motivation. 

I want people to restaurants because 

they are really great places socially to 

go and they have importance in the 

community and they like your food and 

that it’s somewhere they want to come to 

celebrate birthdays and all of that stuff! 

Absolutely, and you’ve done so, I mean 

The Seahorse is just brilliant I’ve got 

to be honest. It’s just delightful the 

minute you walk in there, it’s such 

a lovely place to be and I absolutely 

love coming down there and hopefully 

when the weather brightens up I’ll be 

back. One last question; are you doing 

Salcombe Crab Festival this May? 

I’m still not sure if I’m going to do it this 

year. I didn’t do it last year, but I did 

the year before, but I am hoping to do 

a fish festival in Brixton, a crab festival 

in Dartmouth which we always do, and 

also Dartmouth Food Festival in October 

which is always great. 

www.mitchtonks.co.uk

EASTEr 

eats 

The next big cooking fest after the festive feast, we think cooking for 

Easter should be easy. So we've gathered some seasonal favourites with 

minimal fuss, all from the fantastic cooking app cookwithmands.com 

GRIDDLED 

ASPARAGUS 

with citrus hollandaise 

The perfect starter, light and delicious - it 

also lets seasonal hero asparagus shine! 

Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 20 mins 

Serves: 4 

INGREDIENTS 

450g asparagus 

1 lemon 

1 dash olive oil 

For the hollandaise: 

2 large egg yolks 

1 tbsp fresh orange juice 

half a lemon 

2 tsp lemon zest 

125g cold butter 

METHOD 

Juice the half lemon, grate the lemon 

zest from the whole lemon, then cut that 

lemon into slices. Dice the cold butter. 

To make the hollandaise, in a medium 

heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg 

yolks, orange and lemon juice, lemon 

zest, and some salt and freshly ground 

black pepper. Sit the bowl over (but not 

touching) a pan of gently simmering 

water and add 2 or 3 pieces of butter, 

whisking continuously until melted. 

Continue adding the remaining butter in 

this way, whisking until the sauce is thick 

and smooth. Remove from the heat. 

Heat a griddle pan until hot. Drizzle the 

asparagus and lemon wedges with a 

little olive oil and griddle for 2-3 minutes 

each side, until just tender. Season with 

salt and pepper, and arrange on a platter. 

Drizzle with the hollandaise to serve. 

CHEDDAR & 

ONION seeded rolls 

Something about Easter makes baking 

feel right. This is great for the main meal or 

as a sandwich with any leftover lamb. 


Makes: 10 

INGREDIENTS 

3 tsp black onion seeds 

375g seeded bread mix (from M&S) 

200g mature Cheddar 

180ml lukewarm water 

flour, for dusting 

olive oil 

METHOD 

Heat a frying pan over a medium-high 

heat and add the onion seeds. Move 

them around the pan for 1 minute, until 

they produce an oniony aroma. Set aside. 

Tip the bread mix into a large bowl. Stir in 

three-quarters of the cheese, two-thirds 

of the onion seeds and the lukewarm 

water. Mix to form a ball of dough. 

Turn out onto a floured surface and 

knead for about 10 minutes until soft and 

elastic. Shape into rolls, then put on oiled 

baking sheets, well apart. 

With a knife, slash the tops of the rolls. 

Loosely cover each sheet with lightly 

oiled cling-film and leave in a warm 

place for 40 minutes, until the dough has 

almost doubled in size. Heat the oven to 

220°C/425°F/gas 7 (200°C for fan ovens). 

Once the rolls have risen, scatter them 

with the reserved cheese and onion 

seeds. Bake for 12-15 minutes until 

golden and hollow-sounding when 

tapped underneath. Delicious served 

warm with butter. 

19

4 (160°C for fan ovens). Transfer the 

potatoes to a roasting tin, drizzle with the 

oil and sprinkle with the seasoning. Roast 

the potatoes for 40 minutes, turning 

occasionally, until tender and crisp. 

SLOW-ROAST 

LAMB 

The Easter centrepiece - this one is meltin-the-mouth 

delicious and just needs 

low, slow cooking. 

Prep: 30 mins | Cook: 4 hours 10 mins 

Serves: 8 

INGREDIENTS 

2kg leg of lamb (bone in) 

400g shallots 

2 whole garlic bulbs 

150ml Madeira/Marsala or other sweet 

fortified wine 

2 tsp plain flour 

2 tsp butter 

Seasoning paste 

2 lemons 

4 sprigs rosemary 

4 garlic cloves 

8 anchovies 

1 tbsp olive oil 

METHOD 

To prep: If large, peel and half the 

shallots. Half crossways the whole garlic 

bulbs. Soften the butter. Zest and half 

the lemons. Finely chop the leaves of the 

rosemary. Finely chop the garlic cloves. 

Chop the anchovies. 

Heat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/gas 3. 

To make the seasoning paste, put the 

lemon zest, rosemary, garlic cloves, 

anchovies and freshly ground black 

pepper in a bowl. Use a fork to mash 

together into a chunky paste. Stir in the oil 

and set aside. 

Heat a roasting tin on the hob and brown 

the lamb for a couple of minutes on each 

side. Remove the lamb from the tin and 

place on a board. 

Cook the shallots in the roasting tin (add 

a little olive oil if necessary) for 5 minutes 

or until golden, stirring occasionally. 

Remove and set aside. 

Meanwhile, use a thin, sharp knife to 

make deep, angled incisions all over the 

lamb. 

Push the seasoning paste into the cuts. 

Return the lamb to the tin. Add the 

shallots, garlic and lemon halves. Pour 

the Madeira and 100ml water around the 

lamb. Cover the roasting tin tightly with 

foil and roast for 3 hours. 

Remove the foil and return to the oven 

for a further hour. Meanwhile, mix the 

flour and butter to form a paste. When 

the lamb is ready, transfer it to a carving 

board or platter, with the garlic, lemons 

and shallots, and loosely cover with foil. 

Strain the juices from the roasting tin into 

a small saucepan and bring to the boil. 

Whisk in the flour and butter paste, then 

simmer until the sauce is thickened and 

glossy. Serve with the lamb. 

ULTIMATE 

ROAST 

POTATOES 

Perfect roast potatoes with a flawless, 

crisp crunch. 


Serves: 6 

INGREDIENTS 

1kg potatoes 

1 tbsp Seasoning for Roast Potatoes 


METHOD 

Peel and cut the potatoes in half, or into 

quarters if large. Boil the potatoes in 

salted water for 5 minutes and drain well. 

Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 

WHOLE SALMON 

with roasted squash and 

tarragon olive mayonnaise 

The perfect celebratory fish dish for 

Good Friday. 

Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 1 hour 5 mins 

Serves: 8 

INGREDIENTS 

1 lemon 

2kg whole Lochmuir salmon, cleaned 


8 sprigs tarragon 

20g unsalted butter 

1 large butternut squash 

8 whole garlic clove 

2 tbsp pumpkin seeds 

200ml mayonnaise 

2 tbsp pitted green olives, chopped 

METHOD 

Heat the oven to 190°/170°C fan/gas 5. 

Halve the lemon, set one half aside and 

slice the other into rounds. To cook the 

salmon, start with two large sheets of 

foil, one on top of the other, in a roasting 

tin large enough to hold the whole fish. 

Brush the foil with 1 tablespoon oil and 

lay the salmon on top. 

Stuff 4 tarragon sprigs, the lemon slices 

and a little salt and pepper in the cavity. 

Dot the butter over the surface of the 

salmon and bring the foil around it in a 

loose parcel, sealing the edges tightly. 

Roast for 1 hour, then set aside to rest for 

15 minutes before opening the foil. 

Meanwhile, slice the squash into wedges, 

skin on, and toss with the remaining olive 

oil and the whole garlic cloves on a large 

baking tray. 

Roast for 45 minutes, until the squash 

is golden then scatter with the pumpkin 

20

seeds and return to the oven for a final 5 

minutes. 

To make the mayonnaise, strip the leaves 

from the remaining tarragon sprigs and 

finely chop. 

Stir into the mayonnaise with a squeeze 

of lemon juice from the remaining lemon 

half and the chopped olives. 

Season with black pepper only. Serve the 

baked salmon with the roast squash, soft 

garlic and tarragon-olive mayonnaise. 

HOT CROSS BUN 

PUDDING 

A great alternative to bread and butter 

pudding - and a way to use up any 

leftover hot cross buns and Easter eggs! 


Serves: 6 

INGREDIENTS 

2 eggs 

8 mini hot cross buns, or four large 

1 pear, peeled, cored and cubed 

4 tbsp hazelnut chocolate spread 

25g dark chocolate, chopped 

150ml double cream 

25ml whole milk 

25g caster sugar 

METHOD 

Cut each bun in half, then sandwich 

together with the chocolate spread. 

Arrange in an ovenproof dish and scatter 

over the pear cubes and chocolate. 

Whisk together the eggs, cream, milk and 

sugar. Pour the mixture over the buns 

and leave for at least 30 minutes to allow 

it to soak in. 

Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 

(160°C for fan ovens) and bake for 35-40 

minutes until golden and just set. Stand 

for 5 minutes before serving. 

RHUBARB AND 

MASCARPONE 

meringue cake 

Another seasonal favourite - rhubarb. 

Meringues can be made ahead, but eat 

on the day you assemble with cream. 

Prep: 1 hour 25 mins | Cook: 2 hours 

Serves: 8 

INGREDIENTS 

For the purée: 

400g rhubarb, cut into 2cm pieces 

2 tbsp caster sugar 

1 vanilla pod, deseeded 

4 tbsp orange juice 

For the meringue: 

225g caster sugar 

4 egg whites 

For the filling and topping: 

50g icing sugar 

350g mascarpone 

30g shelled pistachios, roughly chopped 

METHOD 

Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. 

Toss together the rhubarb, sugar, vanilla 

pod pieces and orange juice. Spread 

out the mixture in a small baking dish 

and roast for 15 minutes, or until tender. 

Remove from the oven and set aside 

to cool. 

Turn the oven down to 110°C/90°C fan/ 

gas ¼. Reserve 10 pieces of rhubarb 

for decoration, and purée the rest in a 

blender. Only add the juices from the 

baking dish if the purée seems too thick. 

Set aside. 

Trace 4 x 18cm circles on baking paper 

as a guide for the meringue discs. Put 

the sugar and 90ml water into a heavybased 

saucepan. Carefully swirl the water 

around to ensure the sugar is covered. 

(Do not stir after swirling as this will 

encourage sugar crystals to form on the 

sides of the pan.) Put the pan over a high 

heat until the mixture bubbles. 

Reduce the heat to medium and allow 

the mixture to bubble away for about 

10 minutes. If using a thermometer the 

syrup is ready when it reaches 116°C. 

Otherwise, test the mixture by dropping 

a small amount into a cup of cold water, 

lift it out and if it can be rolled into a soft 

ball, it’s ready. If it’s still slippery and loose, 

bubble a little longer. 

Meanwhile, in a clean bowl, whisk the 

egg whites to stiff peaks using an electric 

whisk. When the syrup is ready, add it 

to the whisked egg whites, whisking 

continuously until the mixture is glossy 

and the syrup is fully incorporated. 

Pipe or spread the mixture onto the 

prepared baking sheets, filling in the 

circles. Bake for 2 hours, then keep the 

oven door ajar with a wooden spoon and 

bake for another hour to crisp up the 

surface. Turn the oven off and leave the 

meringues to cool in the oven for a further 

hour. 

To make the filling, beat the icing sugar 

into the mascarpone, adding more if you 

prefer a sweeter flavour. Then gently fold 

about two-thirds of the rhubarb purée 

into the mascarpone. 

To assemble the cake, spread a meringue 

disc with a third of the mascarpone and 

top with some of the reserved purée, 

gently rippling it with a table knife. Repeat 

these steps with the other discs and 

decorate the top with the reserved pieces 

of rhubarb and the chopped pistachios. 

21

a 

Slice 

of 

SANTA 

BARBARA 

Kate O’Connell tackles 

the culinary scene of 

Santa Barbara. One 

mouthful at a time... 

Harbor View Inn Hotel 

22

When it comes to traveling, shockingly enough I had yet to actually 

get round to visiting the USA. This also came as a surprise to my 

fellow journalists on this trip. Our two nations are bound together 

by much history, an overlap in religion, a common legal system and 

language, so how had I not visited at least one state at one time or 

another? 

Who knows. Our family holidays didn’t stretch that far I guess. Which 

may explain my eagerness when I was offered the chance to explore 

Santa Barbara. Quite the destination for a first time visitor to the USA! 

Aptly nicknamed ‘The American Riviera’, Santa Barbara is situated 

90 miles (a 2 hour car journey) north of Los Angeles, tucked within 

a south-facing pacific coastline on one side, and the rolling hills that 

stretch into the Santa Ynez Mountains on the other. But it is its charm 

and sense of style that makes this small city so tempting - indeed it is 

a hotspot favourite for the rich and famous, with a whole host of A-list 

celebrities calling Santa Barbara home. 

If there’s one things that strikes you, it’s that Santa Barbara doesn’t 

really feel like a city at all. There’s no hustle and bustle here, instead 

just a wonderfully laid-back, chilled vibe. Infused with the spirit 

of Spain, we were informed that 6.8 magnitude earthquake near 

enough flattened the city back in 1925. Devastating yes, but like a 

phoenix from the ashes, this proved the making of the city in terms of 

architecture, as the city planners were convinced to rebuild the city in 

a unified, Spanish Colonial Revival style inspired by the historic Old 

Mission (founded by Spanish Franciscans in 1786). Red-tiled clay top 

roofs and white washed walls litter every building, and in addition to 

the climate, give the city its Mediterranean charm. 

Our first stop; checking in to the newly developed North Wing of 

Harbor View Inn hotel. A premier beachfront hotel, Harbour View Inn is 

centrally located within the city, and made for a fabulous base to start 

our trip. My room featured a very inviting king size bed, complimented 

by gorgeous modern Spanish Colonial furnishings, and to top it off - a 

balcony view, a chance to sip on a morning coffee and watch the 

world go by. But not yet. First; dinner! 

We made a short walk around the block to Loquita Restaurant for 

some authentic Spanish tapas. Created as a love letter to the Spanish 

origins and history of Santa Barbara, Loquita’s showcases a medley 

of paellas, charcuterie, cheeses and seafood. We were offered a 

sample of a variety of dishes on the menu, with the squid ink seafood 

paella being a personal favourite of mine. 

After a restful nights sleep in my luxuriously comfy bed, I was ready 

for a day of exciting activities. To get us started, we required a hearty 

breakfast, and Goat Tree was just the place to go. A gourmet cafe 

with a relaxed vibe, Goat Tree offers everything from fresh pastries 

and baked goods cooked in-house by their resident pastry chef, 

through to cooked breakfasts with a Mediterranean twist. I opted 

for the classic Shakshuka, accompanied by homemade flat bread. 

Possibly the best, tastiest start to a morning ever. 

Feeling suitably energised, it was time for a spot of kayaking down 

at the harbour front, courtesy of Santa Barbara Adventure Company. 

Kayaking is a great way to view a side of Santa Barbara that perhaps 

few visitors get to see, so it felt like such a treat. Not only this, it was a 

perfect opportunity to spot some of the resident wildlife. 

Loquita Restaurant 

23

Kayaking around Santa 

Barbara harbour 

24 

It was perhaps my enthusiasm at this 

opportunity that had me labelled a 

‘Twitcher’ on this trip. On every dock 

we manoeuvred around brought hoards 

of enormous pelicans, gangly herons 

and rather amusing loons to name but a 

few. We even managed to paddle right 

up to a raft of sealions. So much of the 

wildlife on show were species that I had 

never seen out of captivity, it was a very 

special morning indeed. I can’t say I am a 

particularly experienced kayaker, having 

only dabbled on holidays in the past, but 

I needn’t have worried. The Adventure 

Company specialise in providing tours for 

all abilities, so I was in safe hands! 

A great way to experience the harbour 

front is to sample some of the 

specialities, and so with this we took a 

stroll over to Stearns Wharf; California’s 

oldest wharf named after builder John 

P. Stearns. There we took some seats at 

Santa Barbara Shellfish Company, and 

were served an array of locally caught 

seafoods, all washed down with some 

local beer. 

To garner more of an overview of the city, 

we then took a ‘trolley tour’ via Santa 

Barbara Trolley Co. This 90 minute tour 

is lead by a highly insightful guide, who 

relays all sorts of interesting facts about 

the city, as well as a little local celeb 

gossip on the side! 

After a quick freshen up it was time for 

a bite to eat. Cue...Cubaneo! Californian 

Cuban cuisine served alongside cocktails 

from Shaker Mill who neighbour within 

the same premises. It is easy to see how 

you could happily waste away an evening 

here, and we did just that! With a cubano 

sandwich in one hand and a ‘Bay of 

Santiago’ cocktail in the other, you could 

have easily fooled us into thinking we 

were in Havana! 

After another restful night's sleep, I 

skipped breakfast in order to make room 

for the immense amount of food we 

would be sampling on the Eat This, Shoot 

That! Funk Zone Food & Photo tour. A 

three-hour expedition, this is a chance to 

sample some of Santa Barbara’s finest 

fodder, as well as learn a little more about 

the city’s history, all while discovering 

how best to maximize your photo-taking 

ability, achieving the most Instagramworthy 

images that will make you the 

envy of all your friends. 

The tour is also a great chance to get to 

grips with the layout of the city. Santa 

Barbara is made up of several districts, 

one of which, The Funk Zone, has seen 

its popularity boom in recent decades. 

Comprising of a series of converted 

warehouses, this contemporary district 

is very much the place to be to sample 

artisan foods from up-and-coming chefs, 

and out-of-this-world Santa Barbara 

Country wines. Shop fronts and walls 

are adorned with graffiti murals and art 

pieces; this district really is an everevolving 

artistic neighbourhood that is 

well worth a visit. 

It was then time to travel up into the 

foothills to our next hotel. And what an 

iconic hotel indeed. The Belmond El 

Encanto. Recently renovated in 2013, 

Belmond El Encanto offers stunning 

views of the American Riviera and a 

whole heap of Hollywood glamour on 

the side. This resort manages to feel 

relaxed and low-key, while at the same 

time feeling like the most exclusive place 

on earth. Sitting poolside whilst sipping 

a glass of ‘Belmond El Encanto Cuvee’, 

life truly feels timeless up here. It’s little 

wonder that it was a favoured getaway of 

the Hollywood elite. 

We made our way back down from the 

hills to State Street for an Italian feast 

at Due Lune Cucina. Serving fresh 

ingredients and hand-made pasta, I 

would have been mad not to order the 

Linguine alle Vongole. This was paired 

with some fabulous local wines, and the 

staff couldn’t have been more friendly 

and attentive. We topped off the night 

with a nightcap at Pearl Social; an 

intimate and beautifully furnished cocktail 

bar. The night felt like a very classy affair 

indeed. 

Somehow, our final day had sadly rolled 

around already! It was time to do a spot 

of botanical sight seeing. Lotusland was 

our destination. This 37-acre estate and 

botanic garden is situated in the foothills 

of Montecito, which is located to the 

East of Santa Barbara. Purchased by 

the rather marvellous socialite Madame 

Walska (Google her, honestly!), she spent 

43 years designing the gardens to her 

liking. To say they were breathtaking is 

an understatement. Home to all sorts of 

exotic, rare collections of plants, this is 

truly a garden like no other. 

After another spot of wine tasting at 

some of the local establishments (it 

would be rude not to!), we made our 

way to Bibi Ji for dinner. A modern take 

on traditional Indian cuisine, Bibi Ji are 

experts at pairing quality, local wines 

with the most brilliant of dishes. The 

moment came when the aptly nicknamed 

‘Californian Gold’ was bought out; Santa 

Barbara’s locally caught sea urchins. 

Beautifully presented, and filled with 

biryani rice, I couldn’t lie...I was a little 

hesitant to try them. After all, my only 

knowledge of them was to avoid standing 

on them when on sandy beaches abroad. 

I needn’t have worried. Creamy and 

indulgent, they were fantastic. 

What a dish. And what a trip. 

Sea Urchins at 

Bibi Ji Restaurant 

At a glance 

2 nights at harbor view inn 

hotel, 2 nights at belmond 

el encanto hotel, private 

transfers and return 

flights with Norwegian air. 

Parking and lounge access 

with holiday extras. 

No1 Lounge at Gatwick 

Airport (South Terminal) 

from £26 PP 

Harbor view inn - Nightly 

Rates vary from $268.00- 

$400.00 

belmond el encanto - 

nightly room rates start 

from $560 (inc tax), 

suites from $811 (inc tax) 

www.santabarbaraca.com

Glorious walks from the Highbullen Hotel, Devon 

STYLISH Staycations 

Whether you want the buzz of the city or a 

complete country retreat, here are our pick of 

UK staycations... 

the best of the city and west end at 

THE STRAND PALACE, LONDON 

Having welcomed guests since 1909, the Strand Palace is surrounded by 

the best London has to offer - located just minutes from Covent Garden. 

Having recently undergone a large-scale multi million pound renovation, 

myself and my partner decided to tie in a spot of winter shopping/ 

sightseeing in with a stay in what is most definitely the heart of London. 

The Strand Palace creates a fabulous impression the minute you meet the 

doorman! The front entrance, lobby and reception are one large, bright, 

open spaced hub, featuring art deco influences that create a very relaxed 

and sophisticated atmosphere. We checked in and made our way up to 

our room, which was a tranquil, comforting retreat from the hussle and 

bustle of the street below. 

It is at this stage that I feel I must confess: I am a bit of a tourist when it 

comes to London. In the past I have found myself booking into hotels that 

seem to be on the other side of the city in location to all the spots I wished 

to visit, and although there’s the tube, it’s still nice to be situated near 

the action. This is what makes The Strand Palace so perfect. Its location 

is brilliant - right in the heart of the West End, and with Covent Garden 

a mere two minutes away you really have got it all on your doorstep. 

I couldn’t believe our luck when a trip to The National Portrait Gallery 

took....seven minutes on foot! 

We made our way back to the hotel after a spot of lunch, opting for the 

pre-theatre menu which is brilliant value for money if you are trying to 

keep costs down. Pre 7pm, you can indulge with 2 courses for £20, so 

we tucked into some crispy lime squid, followed by fish and chips, with a 

lovely light batter. All washed down with a bottle of red. Delightful! 

The city felt like ours for the taking! We took ourselves off for a stroll around 

Covent Garden, closely followed by a visit to a couple of ‘proper’ London 

pubs. If you are after a weekend away in the city and want to make London 

your own, The Strand Palace offers a truly unbeatable location. 

Sam Norris | strandpalacehotel.co.uk, rooms from £175 per night 

escape to the country at 

UPPER TETCHWICK 

HOUSE, NR AYLESBURY 

There is surely no better ointment for the weary 

soul than a weekend in pristine countryside 

with your closest friends. I found that sense of 

reatreat at the beautiful Upper Tetchwick House, 

booked through holidaycottages.co.uk. 

With a whole host of different holiday 

accommodation options to suit couples, families 

and large or small parties, holidaycottages.co.uk 

was the perfect site through which to book our 

little staycation. We settled on Upper Tetchwick 

House, which sleeps 12. 

In a rural location on the outskirts of Aylesbury, 

the property is a home away from home - if your 

home is a resplendent country pad complete 

with six bedrooms, a swimming pool, a billiards 

room and a duck pond, with far reaching views 

across the countryside! It’s a house that would 

cater in any season - with a huge garden and 

pool for the warmer months and a wonderful 

wood burning stove when the chill sets in. 

The whole process was easy as anything - 

meaning we all felt immediately on holiday - that 

was in part thanks to the lovely locally-sourced 

welcome hamper waiting on the counter. 

The house had the added benefit of being dog 

friendly too, meaning my pooches didn’t miss 

out on any of the holiday action. 

Katie Thomson | holidaycottages.co.uk, 

a three night stay costs £1,568 total 

25

take time out at 

DONNINGTON VALLEY 

HOTEL & SPA, BERKSHIRE 

It really does go without saying that a visit to the 

spa is a great way to relax, de-stress and unwind 

from the day-to-day. However we should never 

need an excuse for a little pampering. After all, 

many of our modern-day spas have deep roots, 

dating back thousands of years. Hence my 

lack of guilt in booking myself and Mum in for a 

weekend stay at Donnington Valley Hotel. 

A privately owned hotel, spa and golf club, 

Donnington Valley is located just off the M4. 

Arriving in the surrounding beautiful Berkshire 

countryside, this truly felt like a retreat. 

Sharing an Executive suite, we were graced with 

gorgeously comfy beds and a rather spacious 

bathroom! We quickly put on the robes provided 

and made our way to the spa. There we had 

a luxury 55 minute Sonoma Aromatherapy 

Massage. Melting our tensions away, my 

thoughts drifted to the hustle and bustle of 

life, and what a rarity it is to have 55 minutes 

to yourself to just…be. It occurred to me how 

important it is to take time for yourself. It’s a 

win-win for everyone too surely, as by feeling 

and looking your best, you are better able to take 

care of your loved ones without feeling burnt out. 

We took ourselves off to the capacious pool, 

and made use of the indulgent sauna and 

steam rooms, not to mention a quick lounge 

in the jacuzzi, before quickly freshening up for 

our dinner reservations. On the menu: scallops 

on a bed of pea purée, black pudding and 

smoked pancetta, followed by a juicy sirloin 

steak, all complimented beautifully by some 

well-recommended wine, and last but not least 

followed by a delectable espresso martini. 

Naughty? Yes. But perhaps we all need to take 

a weekend every once in a while to look after 

number one. 

Kate O’Connell | donningtonvalley.co.uk, 

rooms from £135 per night 

find sanctuary in the city at 

PARK PLAZA LONDON RIVERBANK 

As a former Londoner who now resides in the countryside, there is always a 

thrill when returning to the capital. The beauty of being a visitor, instead of a 

resident, is getting to appreciate the wealth of culture, architectural marvels 

and general buzz of this sprawling metropolis. And there is nowhere better 

located to explore it all from than the Park Plaza London Riverbank. 

Located on the south side of the River Thames, it sits near many of 

London’s most legendary tourist attractions. The Houses of Parliament, the 

seat of England’s political authority, are just across Westminster Bridge, and 

the London Eye, the city’s enormous Ferris wheel, is only a 15-minute walk 

away. My room had an uninterrupted view out to Big Ben and the Palace of 

Westminster. Being so central might feel chaotic, but the hotel really does 

feel like a sanctuary away from it all. 

I visited with my small niece and nephew in tow - travelling with children 

is never easy, but the London Riverbank hotel has taken a huge step 

toward making it a breeze - it has just launched the capital’s first hotel 

room designed by families, for families - featuring elements such as chalk 

board walls, neon lights, a bunk bed for the kids, and chic décor and iconic 

London view for the adults, along with bespoke services. The suite is 

available from just £179 per night and can be booked by visiting 

parkplaza.com/ultimatefamily 

Daniel Weston | radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/park-plaza-Londonriverbank 

Rooms from £119 per night 

sleep like a royal at 

HARTWELL HOUSE, NR AYLESBURY 

I would call myself an explorer, but it isn’t often that I can feel as I’m back 

in the 17th century and living as the royals once had. That is exactly how 

this weekend felt, exploring the warmth, romance and delicious cuisine that 

Hartwell House had to offer. 

The hotel makes an impression straight away - the exquisite drive to the 

front entrance, greetings from smiling staff and the aroma of a burning stove 

made us feel we were somewhere very special. 

As we settled in our large room, with far-reaching views across the fields we 

were very pleased by the little touches - the room’s decor transporting you 

to an era of vintage style. History oozes from every pore of this house and 

there is so much to be explored - even the walk to dinner took us past the 

characterful staircase - each spindle of the bannister is hand carved into a 

caricature - we delighted in spotting famous historical figures, including a 

grave-faced Winston Churchill. 

The house has both Jacobean and Georgian features with outstanding 

decorative ceilings and panelling, fine paintings and antique furniture. It has a 

remarkable history too: its most famous resident was Louis XVIII, exiled King 

26

soak in the views at 

THE HIGHBULLEN HOTEL 

& COUNTRY CLUB, NORTH DEVON 

Arriving after nightfall to a hotel destination is always a bit of a treat - 

there is something exciting about waking up to an undiscovered view 

- pulling back the curtains to reveal the surprise. 

This delight surely hits its peak at the Highbullen Hotel, nestled in the 

rolling hills of North Devon. As I ambled, sleepily, from the sumptuous 

seven-foot bed in our suite, I opened the curtains with a cup of tea in 

hand, I was greeted by the most glorious, expansive views - rolling hills, 

a view down the Mole Valley and out towards national parks. From the 

hotel’s high vantage point on a ridge between Dartmoor and Exmoor, on 

a clear day you can see for 18 miles across pristine British countryside - 

it really is something to behold. 

An opportunity to enjoy these views is never missed - as well as a 

lovely reading nook in our own room, the elegant drawing rooms and 

sun terraces offered chances to sit and soak it all in. The hotel’s Devon 

View Restaurant also offers these panoramas, alongside its 2 AA 

rosettes - making for a very special dining experience. With a changing 

daily menu featuring the best local, seasonal produce, the restaurant 

is a foodie destination in its own right. We dined on the house-smoked 

salmon with avocado, a deliciously light leek and cheddar tart and 

perfectly succulent lamb cutlets with a perfect umami punch. The 

portions are perfect, leaving just enough room for a shared dessert of 

treacle tart with clotted cream - simple dessert pastry at its best. This is 

also the restaurant where residents can enjoy breakfast - 

it’s a great spread with lots to choose from. 

If the dishes in the restaurant gets you in the indulgent 

foodie mood (and they will) you can also head down to 

the lovely Laura Ashley Tearoom on site for a classic 

Devon cream tea or a more indulgent offering with fizz. 

As well as the main hotel, guests have accommodation 

options in self catered cottages - meaning the facilities 

of the whole resort are still on their doorstep. An 18-hole 

USGA golf course set within richly wooded parkland, 

tennis courts, a multi-sport simulator, a leisure centre, 

fishing, shooting, snooker - the list is expansive and 

caters for every member of the family, making it a 

wonderful holiday destination. Keen walkers can also 

make the most of miles of local country walks, Exmoor or 

the nearby South West Coast path. 

Katie Thomson | highbullen.co.uk, 

B&B from £110 per night 

of France, for five years from 1809 - no wonder we felt like royalty. 

That evening we shared a decadent three course dinner. The food was 

wonderful and the ambiance pure romance - with a piano playing in the 

background. I would highly recommend a starter of scallops or smoked 

salmon, the cod for a main and a trio of the delicious sorbets to finish it off. 

The majestic tone set the night before continued at breakfast - the 

spread pure elegance - hand polished silverware, white table cloths and 

loose leaf earl grey tea. Then it was out to explore the grounds. Hartwell 

House is a National Trust owned property with Capability Browninspired 

landscapes - we pretended it was all our domain as we strolled 

from one spectacular vista to another. 

Then it was time to relax even further in the beautiful spa - with its 

stylistic echoes of a Roman bathing house. Our treatments were 

sublime - taking away all the strain of a working week. 

From the first sights of history, to the genuine comforts of a homely room 

and stunning food, I arrive back in the big city, relaxed, romanced and so 

full of fond memories. Hartwell House comes highly recommended and I 

can see why - it is the perfect weekend away, only if you wish to get lost 

in time and take a moment to enjoy your surroundings. 

Lucy Elamad | hartwell-house.com, B&B from £250 per night 

27

AMAZING 

GLAZING 

When we think about our homes, it’s really the windows 

and doors that create the wow factor. We are all so 

keen to flood our properties with natural light and the 

constantly evolving technology in the world of glazing is 

making some truly astonishing designs achievable, not to 

mention more affordable than ever. 

Whether you are self-building, extending or even 

renovating your home, apportioning budget to windows 

and doors is a savvy move. As well as making your home 

more valuable - 69% of people say that light rooms make 

them more inclined to buy - investing in clever glazing can 

make you fall in love with your space once more. 

BI-FOLD vs SLIDING 

DOORS 

Bi-fold: 

PROS - for those looking for that wonderful sense of a 

garden room that brings the outside in, bi-folds can help 

create the sense of one open-plan space as the panels 

fold away fully to the walls. 

CONS - an expensive option - poorly constructed bi-folds 

can also suffer from air-tightness issues around the joins 

so do your research and get guarantees. 

Sliding: 

PROS - generally cheaper than bi-fold doors, sliding 

doors also have fewer frame elements, meaning when 

they are closed your view is less obstructed. 

CONS - you won’t get the full, uninterrupted view of the 

garden - instead only a portion of the doors are openable. 

Bi-fold 

Sliding 

69% of people say that light rooms make 

them more inclined to buy - investing in 

clever glazing can make you fall in love with 

your space once more... 

28

Roof Lanterns and Skylights 

Compared to windows of the same surface area, skylights and 

roof lanterns can increase light in a room by up to five times. 

They are particularly good in extensions and for channelling 

light to darker corners of the home and adding opportunities 

for ventilation. These additions are no longer considered just a 

luxury and can be used in a wide variety of scenarios: 

• In a loft extension, tucked beneath sloped rooflines, the 

presence of skylights may spell the difference between a 

bright, friendly space and a murky cave. 

• In a home built between closely adjoining neighbouring 

houses where overlooking might be an issue, skylights may be 

the best solution for introducing good natural light into rooms. 

• In a single storey house build or extension, built with an open 

floor plan, skylight shafts can bring much needed natural light 

into the centre of large spaces. 

Many of the issues experienced in the past of rooms 

overheating or being hard to clean have been mediated with 

a tranche of new technology, including glass panels with heat 

regulatory and storage abilities and self-cleaning glass. 

SINGLE STOREY EXTENSION? 

In a single storey house build or extension, built with an 

open floor plan, skylight shafts can bring much needed 

natural light into the centre of large spaces. 

Energy Efficiency 

Our homes are one of the biggest energy wasters out there and 

traditionally windows are the biggest energy leakage point, so 

with any renovation, it can really pay to invest in glass tech to 

ensure the best temperature regulation - creating huge savings 

down the line. We all know that double glazing is much more 

efficient than single, but newer technologies like triple glazing 

are making windows nearly as efficient at energy retention as 

the walls they are installed within. 

As well as the glass, it is important to do you research into 

frames and opt for the most airtight models. 

With great green credentials, triple glazed units have the 

added benefits of better thermal comfort, noise reduction and 

a reduced risk of condensation between panes – so for the 

self-builder or home improver looking for a premium finish with 

added benefits, it’s a natural choice. 

29

2 

1 

dark ARTS 

3 

The trend for sleek black finishes 

continues, with lots of companies 

now supplying dark taps, shower 

enclosures, towel rails and tiles 

Dark tiles and fixtures look amazing - the only thing 

to be aware of is living in a hard water area and the 

effects that will have on the finish of taps over time. 

For a sleek look, pair large-scale dark floor tiles with 

white tiles on the walls, framed by black hardware. 

5 

Images: 1. Aquaglass Velar 8mm Black Crittall Corner 

Entry Enclosure, frontlinebathrooms.co.uk; 2. Original Style 

Tileworks Steel Midnight Blue, originalstyle.com; 3. Merlyn 

Black Showerwall With End Panel, merlynshowering.com; 

4. Duravit - Stonetto (Sand) Shower Tray, duravit.co.uk; 

5. Contour Radiator, frontlinebathrooms.co.uk; 6. Pitch 

Bluetooth Mirror, purebathroomcollection.co.uk; 7. Finissimo 

Black Bath Filler, bathroomdealsuk.co.uk; 8. Valverdi Iguazu 

Tile, londontile.co.uk; 

8 

4 

7 

BATHROOM 

TECH 

With homes becoming 

smarter in the main, it 

makes sense that similar 

technology would be 

extended to the bathroom. 

We love this bluetooth 

mirror which can play 

your favourite songs and 

has automatic demisting 

technology 

6 

30

THE BATHROOM 

& TILE GUIDE 

A roundup of the trends that can beat the bathroom blues 

and turn your bathroom into your own slice of heaven 

1 2 

3 

ensuite DREAMS 

According to a survey carried out by Nationwide 

Building Society, an ensuite can add as much as 5% 

to your home's market value - if you have the space, 

it's a great investment which is luxurious too 

If space permits, a roll top or freestanding 

bath looks wonderful in an ensuite and 

gives a true sense of luxury. If your space 

is more modest, the smaller scale is a great 

place to experiment with some interesting 

tile combinations and colours. There are 

some fabulous examples of encaustic tiles 

out there at the moment, but if you do opt 

for those, be aware and prepared for more 

maintenance than printed tiles. 

Images: 1. products from Original Style; 2. String 

lights from Lights4fun.co.uk; 3. image from 

carleyrowena.com; 4. Floris tile from Boniti 

4 

31

1 

TILE STYLE 

THE way to add style and personality to 

your bathroom - choices are limitless. 

Avoid following trends too closely and pick 

something you really love 

3 

4 

2 

When choosing 

tiles, functionality 

is key - tiny mosaics look amazing, but you 

don't want them in high traffic areas of a family 

bathroom. Try to keep floor tiles low maintenance 

and add decorative flourishes in smaller spaces. 

Ceramics aren't the only option either - vinyl tiles 

and laminates can work effectively. 

5 

6 

Images: 1. Selection from Ripples; 2. Havana Dawn Self 

Adhesive Vinyl Floor Tiles, zazous.co.uk; 3. Odyssey 

- 8051V Seville Tile, originalstyle.com; 4. 3D Offset 

Hexagon Tiles, bakedtiles.co.uk; 5. Original Style Living 

Spirit Tile, originalstyle.com; 6. Windmill Geometric 

Tile, tonsoftiles.co.uk; 7. Odyssey - Persian Floor Tile, 

originalstyle.com 

7 

green SPACES 

Houseplants are taking over - and 

we love it! If you have natural light 

in the bathroom, lots of plants can 

thrive in the space! 

The best plants for bathrooms are 

moisture lovers - these are our 

favourites: - 

Zamioculcas zamifolia (the eternity 

plant - so named because it is hard 

to kill!), the spider plant, most ferns, 

snake plant, aloe vera, cast iron plant 

and orchids. 

Image, left, from Dobbies - plants and 

plant pots available. 

NO WINDOW? 

No problem! LED growing lights can be 

easily installed to help your plants grow, 

even without natural light. 

32

Family run business 

20% 

OFF 

all full and transformation 

kitchens with this advert. 

Offer valid until 30 April 2020 

Subject to t&c’s. 

The kitchen is often the most important room in the house, so as well as 

stunning looks, you also need it to be practical. Whether preparing dinner for 

the family or cooking that all important dinner party we can supply and install 

a wide range of quality kitchens that work for you. 

01235 810029 

sales@m-g-kitchens.co.uk 

www.m-g-kitchens.co.uk 

80-82 Broadway, Didcot, OX11 8AE 

Kitchen & Bedroom Showroom 

Tuesday - Friday 9.30-5.00pm 

Saturday 10.00-4.00pm

Didcot Calor & Paving Centre Ltd 

• Indian Natural Stone paving from £19.95m2 

inc VAT & Free Delivery 

• Rolawn Medallion Turf stockist 

• Bradstone, Natural Paving, Stonemarket stockist 

• Sand, Ballast & Shingle (bulk loads available) 

• Grange Fencing, Gates, Pergolas & Trellis 

• Now stocking Growbags 

For deliveries call: 

01235 814186 

Monday - Friday 8.30am-5pm 

Saturday 9am-4pm 

visit us at: 

Rich’s Sidings, Lower Broadway, Didcot 

sales@didcotcalor.co.uk 

www.didcotcalor.co.uk 


Look Before You Leap 

While the SPAB warmly encourages people to take the 

plunge and make an old building their home, it’s easy 

to be swept away by romance. SPAB Director Matthew 

Slocombe offers a checklist of key considerations to 

help potential buyers make the right choice – both for 

themselves and for the building of their dreams. 

Think with head and heart 

Old buildings are more than a space in 

which to live. If all that really interests you 

is location or floor area, an old building is 

unlikely to be right for you. If you appreciate 

style and character, and are keen to 

embrace the quirks and idiosyncrasies of an 

old building, the potential rewards are great. 

Compromise to get what you want 

For the majority of buyers, historic interest 

is a desirable factor but not the key. If your 

number one aim is to live in an interesting 

old building, but your means are limited, 

compromising on other requirements can 

sometimes help. 

Authenticity can’t be re-created 

If you want something genuine and 

authentic, recreation of lost parts is unlikely 

to act as a fitting or worthwhile substitute. 

Look for genuine survivals. It may be that 

fireplaces have been boarded up and plaster 

overlaid with modern materials, but if the 

originals survive behind this offers a much 

better starting point than a gutted interior. 

Choose something that will fit your 

longer term needs 

Look a few years ahead and try to consider 

whether the building is likely to fit your plans. 

If you think you might need more bedrooms 

or a bigger kitchen, consider whether the 

building is likely to be able to accommodate 

this without major change. In a modern 

house, adding extensions or knocking down 

walls may be relatively straightforward. In an 

historic building it may not. 

Consider auctions 

Many old buildings needing work are sold 

at auction. This can be a way to find an 

interesting project, and perhaps also a 

bargain. But the buyer must beware and it 

is especially important to do your homework 

seeking specialist help in advance. 

Purchase is not the only possibility 

If living in an old building is your goal, but 

prices are unaffordable, other options 

may exist. The commercial rental sector 

general lets buildings that have been heavily 

updated, but estates, farms and some 

private owners may offer old buildings to 

rent in a more rustic state. 

Distinguish between decorative and 

structural needs 

This is vital. Small cracks are normal in old 

buildings and can be easily remedied as part 

of the redecoration process; larger cracks 

may hint at structural movement. 

Get good advice 

The cost of professional advisers can 

seem off-putting, but sound advice is 

an investment. There are accreditations 

schemes run by the RICS, RIBA and AABC 

and the Society can offer suggestions 

via its Technical Advice Line (0207 456 

0916 weekday mornings). The advice of a 

structural engineer, conservator (see ICON’s 

accreditation list), quantity surveyor or 

historian may also be invaluable. 

Put together the right team 

If work is needed, the right team will be 

crucial. Consider not just price, but the 

expertise of team members. Listen to 

craftspeople - good ones know exactly 

what they’re doing and the expertise is often 

under-appreciated. 

Adjust your lifestyle 

Occupying an old building brings huge 

benefits to your quality of life, but don’t 

expect it to be the same as a perfectly level, 

hermetically sealed modern box. Floors 

may slope, windows may be draughty, and 

elaborate modern services may be difficult 

to accommodate. 

Research and understanding 

Understanding an old building includes 

knowing how it’s put together and what 

it’s made from, as well as the uses it’s had 

over time and the changes previous owners 

have made. Combine this with background 

research, advice from organisations like the 

SPAB, and knowledge from neighbouring 

owners and a rounded picture of the 

building should emerge. 

Don’t ignore consents and other statutory 

requirements 

Planning consents and building regulation 

requirements should always be adhered 

to. This is particularly so in the case of 

listed buildings. If you buy a listed building 

that has been altered without permission 

you inherit the liability and enforcement 

action could be taken against you. If you 

alter or demolish a listed building without 

permission you could be prosecuted. 

Don’t count on grants 

Grants for private owners were once 

relatively common. They are now rare and 

should not be counted on. 

Settle in before making big changes 

A vacant house offers an opportunity 

to tackle problems without upheaval to 

occupants, but avoid the temptation to do 

too much, too fast. A period of occupation 


often brings realisation about what’s 

necessary and what’s not important. 

Deal with the boring things first 

Kitchens, bathroom and decorative works 

may be most fun, but they should be bottom 

of your list. Fixing the roof and making sure 

the gutters, drains and electrics work will 

provide you with a sound basis from which 

to make other changes. 

Scratches and Witches 

Loving the lumps and bumps is all part of 

old building ownership. Appreciate them 

as part of the building’s character and 

history and avoid erasing them for the sake 

of tidiness. Think too about witches! Old 

surfaces often carry superstitious markings 

designed to ward off bad spirits. 

Repair is good 

Building conservation is a branch of 

environmental protection and sustainability: 

repair is better than replacement. Decay 

is rarely uniform and repair can allow 

the undamaged parts to remain. An old 

window with 20% new timber is better for 

the environment and our history than a new 

window with 100% fresh timber. 

Make sure materials are compatible 

New, innovative building products can 

be valuable, but historic buildings are not 

generally the place where they should be 

tested. The potential for side effects is great 

if incompatible materials are used. 

Get involved but know your limitations 

The SPAB has always encouraged a handson 

approach. There is no better way to get 

to know your building than through practical 

work. However, it is important to know the 

limitations of your own skills, to consider 

safety issues, and to get training if you are 

unsure. The SPAB and others run practical 

conservation courses. If in doubt, call on an 

experienced craftsperson. 

Good new design 

Where a strong and justifiable case exists 

for a change or addition, sympathetic 

new design offers the best approach. 

This requires good design advice and a 

thoughtful choice of materials. 

Enjoy it! 

An old building deserves to respected and 

cared for, but it should be enjoyed rather 

than revered. 

Call the SPAB Technical Advice Line on: 

020 7456 0916 


T: 01235 376003 M: 07510888620 

E: info@aldersecurity.co.uk 

www.aldersecurity.co.uk 

l @aldersecurity 

intruder alarms | cctv | fire alarms 

access control | security lights 


Specialist Designers & Makers of 

Curtains & Soft Furnishings 

“Come and see our fabulous new fabric collections or 

arrange a free home consultation” 

at 1 Mill Street, Wantage. 

T: 01235 799914 | www.hazelinteriors.co.uk 

BOTANICALS COLLECTION 

N O W O N L I N E 

STERLING SILVER AND GOLD VERMEIL JEWELLERY WITH 

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Children: getting them 

interested in gardening 

Here our resident gardener and radio personality, Matt Biggs 

aka The People’s Gardener, explains the benefits of getting 

children involved in the garden and how it provides them with 

skills to help their development. 

You and your children will enjoy every stage of the process. We 

hear a lot about children not knowing where their food comes from 

and, of course, if we don’t give them the info then, with all of the 

distractions of modern living, it is not surprising if they think a chip 

comes from the freezer aisle and kohlrabi is a character in the latest 

Star Wars film! 

Gardening for kids is just such a great thing - exercise, knowledge, 

fun and hopefully an interest that will last them a lifetime, what more 

do we need? Many garden centres offer kids activity days, whether 

that is pumpkin carving, seed sowing or making animals out of fruit 

and veg. there is a lot you can get them involved with and much of it 

is free too. Many garden centres have clubs for children, and this is 

a good option if you have one near to you. It is good for socialising 

and excellent for learning the basics and having fun. 

If you have a garden marking them out their own space is an easy 

thing to do. It gives them a sense of responsibility and you can 

make a bug hotel out of recycled bits and bobs, plan to grow some 

herbs or mini veg, write down their favourite colours and hunt 

through plant catalogues or online for suitable plants to match. 

There are lots of skills involved in all of these activities, from maths 

- how many plants do we need for the space, to practical skills 

in making things, to research and planning skills - so one small 

space can lead to a lot of learning! If you have a local country 

show or fayre there will probably be a few children’s classes in that 

too - making a miniature garden or a dinosaur from fruit and veg. 

whatever it is take advantage of it - country 

shows are a great day out! 

So, having got the kids organised it is time 

to do our own planning for summer, whether 

you have a window box, a court-yard or 

acres of space there is summer colour for 

every option. If you are fortunate enough to 

have a greenhouse then you can start early and bring on your own 

plants, you can share with neighbours or garden clubs which is a 

very economical way of gardening or you can visit your local nursery 

or garden centre to see what choices are available - and there is a 

lot of choice. 

Every year Chelsea highlights a new favourite plant or colour 

scheme, gardening magazines and books have so many ideas 

- one of the most pleasurable jobs in the year is planning your 

garden - and then - best bit of all, enjoying the fruits of your labour! 

To discover more about Matt and his books please 

visit www.mattbiggs.com 


A NATURAL 

curiosity 

The 'Planet Earth II Live in Concert' 

arena tour will be hosted by science 

and natural history TV presenter Liz 

Bonnin. With a masters in wild animal 

biology, Liz has presented over 40 

primetime programmes including 'Blue 

Planet Live', 'Super Smart Animals', 

'Galapagos' and 'Horizon'. 

With her recent landmark BBC One 

documentary 'Drowning in Plastic', Liz 

investigated the ocean plastic crisis, 

with her hard-hitting environmental 

reporting raising the level of public 

debate on this important topic. 

Here Sally Thomson was able to 

discuss with Liz her passion for our 

planet prior to the start of the tour. 

Sally: When did your love of the world 

and all it’s creatures begin? 

Liz: Well it definitely started when I was 

a kid. I grew up in the south of France in 

the hills above Nice and we had a little 

wood beside the house. Myself and my 

sister used to play outdoors all of the 

time. There were snakes and hedgehogs 

and spiders and birds…and we had a 

ball! I knew that, without thinking about 

it then, that that’s what set me off with 

this passion for wildlife. I used to stare 

at the birds for hours, wondering how 

their eyes moved in their sockets and I 

really wanted to just understand how it all 

worked, down to the chemical equations 

that make up all of these reactions. 

So that was a natural progress for you 

then, to go into biochemistry? 

Exactly! It all started in the woods in 

the south of France! That’s why when I 

give talks in schools, I make sure to tell 

that story because it doesn’t take a lot 

to remember our connection to nature 

and what’s important, you just have to 

be in amongst nature to be inspired and 

to reignite your natural curiosity that 

we’re all born with, and with that comes 

an inherent want to protect our natural 

world. It reminds you that we’re all 

connected to it. 

What you are doing is highlighting the 

dangers that the world's creatures are 

facing, particularly when you went on to 

do ‘Drowning in Plastic’. I know when I 

watched it my heart bled, but being so 

close to it when you made to programme, 

you must have found it difficult? 

I wish that as a communicator of the 

natural world, I could just be celebrating 

it and continuing to inspire people about 

all of these incredible creatures that we 

share the planet with, but unfortunately 


I am living through a time where we are 

experiencing the greatest existential 

threat to our future, and it is very clear 

that the way we live on this planet is not 

sustainable and is damaging not only the 

health of the wildlife we share the planet 

with, but is ultimately damaging our 

health and threatening our future. 

I feel a responsibility to communicate 

those things. As we set off making the 

plastics film, I knew what we were going 

to be filming, but it really did hit me like 

a ton of bricks to see it with my own 

eyes. It’s hard to describe. It’s been 

really moving and difficult, but also I 

feel like I have a very well-stoked fire in 

my belly now that feels like it won’t be 

extinguished. It is my responsibility to 

engage with the public in order for us all 

to become part of the solution. 

I recently watched the trailer for Planet 

Earth II Live in concert. Isn’t that going 

to be fantastic on the big screen?! 

It’s going to be magnificent; I can’t 

wait! Obviously it’s an extension and 

adaptation of the iconic series, but I 

think bringing it to a ginormous screen 

like that and then having a 74 piece 

orchestra playing the music of Hans 

Zimmer, it’s going to be a very emotive 

and very powerful experience. I think we 

are desperately in need of those types 

of experiences to help remind us of the 

beauty of the natural world, and the 

beauty of humanity as well. Our ability to 

write music and to be capable of making 

those types of programmes, and for us 

to be all together in these huge arenas 

having that connection is a much-needed 

experience, and I for one am very much 

looking forward to it. 

Some of the things we see in these 

programmes can be shocking, such as 

the killer whales going after the seals. 

But we of course have to remember 

that they have to survive too! 

You see for me I don’t find any of it 

shocking, isn’t that strange? And it’s 

really weird but I’m always rooting for the 

predator! Obviously there’s tension and 

it’s quite a powerful experience to watch, 

but I’m always rooting for the predator 

because from my studies I’ve seen just 

how difficult it is for a tiger to get its prey. 

It’s something like 1 in 100 attempts are 

successful. So I celebrate that, that’s part 

of nature and I think it’s a beautiful thing. 

There is an iconic moment in Planet 

Earth II with the iguana and the 

snakes… 

Ah that one! Okay, I have watched that 

sequence four times, and every time I find

my screaming ‘COME ON’ at the camera. 

Funnily enough with that one I really want 

the iguana to escape! That’s so funny, 

with me saying I root for the predators. 

That is one of the most magnificent 

scenes I have ever seen, not least 

because of this almost inconceivable 

situation, with all these snakes coming 

out of the crevasses of the volcanic 

rocks, but how it was shot! You can not 

underestimate how difficult it is to make 

that sequence work. The smoothness 

of how the camera works was absolute 

perfection. So not only is it a celebration 

of the magnificent wildlife we share the 

planet with, it’s a celebration of these 

incredibly talented film makers, who 

sit there for days and days to get the 

magical shots that will affect us to our 

very core. It’s just wonderful. 

Am I right in hearing that you went a 

kilometre underwater in the Galapagos? 

Yes! We were on this research vessel for 

two weeks, joining all these scientists 

at the tops of their fields who were 

investigating different aspects of these 

islands and how to better protect them. 

At one point we got into this submersible 

and went down to a thousand meters, to 

a part of the Galapagos that nobody had 

ever been to before, so I truly felt like an 

astronaut of Earth’s inner space, rather 

than its outer. Everything I pointed to the 

scientists would say ‘Yep. New species... 

Yep, don’t what that is, never seen one 

of those before’. So we were discovering 

new life at those depths. It was the most 

incredible experience. 

It must be dark down there? 

It’s pitch black, so you have these types 

of sharks down there called Chimaera, 

who do have these big, bulbous eyes. 

There’s no iris, it’s just this big, white 

circle of an eye, which is supposed 

to help it absorb any smidgen of light 

that there might be down there, and it’s 

just a surprisingly colourful place in the 

crevasses of all the rocks. Galapagos 

are all volcanic islands, so what we 

were doing is following the flanks of the 

volcano all the way down to the depths. 

We were down there for seven hours and 

it passed by like we were down there for 

an hour, time sort of stands still down 

there. It was a thrilling experience. 

I was watching you recently talking 

about the African jungle, and you spoke 

about chimpanzees, and how much 

they fight. You showed how much the 

alpha male will fight to protect what is 

his, and it is a bit sinister! 

They’re not the only species that have 

to fiercely protect their place in the 

hierarchy. The males often are exhausted 

having to protect their females from 

usurpers to the throne as such, but 

chimpanzees in particular can be very 

violent and because we are so closely 

related to them I suppose it shouldn’t 

be a surprise that they all have different 

personalities, and sometimes you just 

get a really nasty character. At the end 

"it’s a celebration of these incredibly 

talented film makers, who sit there for 

days and days to get the magical shots 

that will affect us to our very core" 

of the day you can argue that the nastier 

the male, the more successful he will be 

because it all boils down to him and his 

offspring and protecting his gene pool. 

I suppose it’s like when male lions get 

rid of any cubs that aren’t their own 

There is infanticide in many species. It’s 

all about making sure you have as many 

offspring as possible, so if you kill a 

female's offspring then you can mate with 

her straight away. 

Are there parts of the world or 

creatures that you would like to visit/ 

see for the first time? 

Yes. Snow leopards. I need to see a 

snow leopard. And part of it is because 

it is so difficult to see them now. They 

are extremely elusive and live in an 

extremely inhospitable part of the planet. 

They’re probably the most elusive cat, 

so that’s the dream. I will fall crying if I 

ever see one in the wild. They are the 

most glorious animals. Actually, it was 

on Planet Earth II, and again it is a scene 

that I’ve watched about three times and 

it always brings me to tears; the first 

time I heard the vocalisation of a snow 

leopard. I had never heard that before. 

And the fact that because our technology 

is improving, Planet Earth II was able to 

capture this glorious snow leopard at the 

top of this mountain that was vocalising. 

It brings me to tears every time I hear it, 

it’s the most glorious sound in the world. 

Are they as endangered as other 

leopards and big cats? 

Yes. I mean, the Amur leopard is the 

most endangered cat, but all big cats are 

facing extinction. They are all incredibly 

threatened and their populations are 

dwindling. 

We’ve spoken about the man-made 

situation with plastic. But is there 

anything else in the natural world that 

you have seen that has shocked you? 

In terms of the natural world, I think it 

is all magnificent. I really do. Even with 

something that might look to us to be 

violent, or a little bit uncomfortable 

to watch, I think that the more we 

understand how animals live and all of 

their adaptations that have allowed them 

to find solutions to all of their problems in 

order to survive - the more I understand 

it, the more I am in awe of it and the more 

it makes me humble and very small in 

comparison. So I find it all too wondrous 

to ever think that something is too much 

or too shocking. 

The dates for Planet Earth II Live in 

Concert are as follows: 

Thursday 6 March 

Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff 

Friday 27 March 

Manchester Arena, Manchester 


First Direct Arena , Leeds 


O2 Arena (matinee), London 


O2 Arena (evening), London 


3Arena, Dublin 

Friday 3 April 

Resort World Arena Birmingham 

Saturday 4 April 

SSE Hydro Arena, Glasgow 

Tickets are available from 

www.planetearth2live.uk. 


Happy & healthy in your autumn years 

Social care seems to be in the 

news a lot at the moment, often, 

unfortunately, in conjunction with 

the word ‘crisis’. Given that if you 

need care it’s a necessity, it makes 

sense to understand the basics – well 

before that time might come. 

Social care is there to support you because 

you need some extra help with daily living 

or are caring for someone who requires 

additional help themselves. There are a 

wide range of social care services, including 

care in your home or in a care home, live-in 

care services, day centres, home adaptions 

like handrails, and technology of various 

kinds. 

The first step if you or your loved one 

needs some extra help and support is 

to ask your local authority to carry out a 

needs assessment. You might have to wait 

several weeks at least for this, because 

councils are strapped for cash and staff, 

but it’s important to have it because it’s the 

gateway to the wider system. Someone 

from the council usually visits to establish 

the type of support you might need. There’s 

no charge and the assessor will create a 

care plan specific to your needs. 

When the type of care you need is decided 

and agreed the next stage is to establish 

how it will be paid for through a financial 

means test - which can be complex and 

quite confusing. Social care isn’t a free 

service provided by the NHS as many 

people think. Most of us have to pay for 

all or some of our care and the amount 

depends on the level of need and the value 

of any assets we have. 

Your home will not be included in the means 

test if you’re arranging care and support 

at home but other capital assets, including 

savings will be. Currently, if you have more 

capital that £23,250 you will have to pay all 

your care fees. If you have under £23,250, 

you’ll get financial assistance but may have 

to contribute from your income. 


The cost of care varies by area but it is not 

unusual to have to pay about £20 an hour 

for a care worker to come to your home 

(domiciliary care) to help you with, say, 

getting up, washing and dressing, if that’s 

what you need. You can see how the bills 

add up if you need more than one visit 

every day. 

It is also possible that rather than 

‘personal care’ you need a different kind of 

support, such as companionship, because 

you are very alone and lonely. If so, in 

some places the council may refer you to 

a scheme run by a charity like Age UK, 

where you might have to pay a modest 

amount to take part. 

If your needs are such that it is best for 

you to move permanently into a care home 

your property, if you own one, will be 

included in the means test at its present 

market value, but less any mortgage 

or loan you may have on it. However, it 

will not be included if your partner still 

lives there or, in certain circumstances, a 

relative. Your home is also not included if 

you need a temporary or short-term stay 

in a care home. Two in five of all the older 

people living in care homes now pay for 

their own care. 

To avoid property or other assets being 

counted in the financial means test, some 

people consider giving them away to a 

child or grandchild. However, this could 

be interpreted as ‘deliberate deprivation 

of assets’, and your local authority may 

still ask you to pay the same level of care 

fees as if you still owned your home or 

the other assets you have given away. It 

is really important to take advice if you are 

thinking of doing something of this kind. 

If you do have to pay towards a care 

home place it is possible to avoid selling 

your property during your lifetime in order 

to release the money required, namely a 

deferred payment which endures while 

you are alive. The council provides a loan 

for your care costs secured against your 

property and this is repaid either when 

the property is sold or from your estate 

after you have passed away. There is an 

interest charge if you choose to do this 

but every council is supposed to offer a 

scheme of this kind, even though relatively 

few people take advantage of it, possibly 

because they do not know it exists. 

If you have care needs and you are 

not already claiming a benefit called 

Attendance Allowance it is always 

worth doing so. This benefit is there for 

older people, to help offset the costs of 

disability. In practice, many older people 

use their AA to help fund their social care. 

Your local Age UK can help you fill in the 

forms and will be pleased to help. AA 

is paid at two rates, £58 or £87 a week, 

depending on your needs. 

As you can see, finding social care and 

paying for it is not straight forward and 

there are lots of questions to ask, but Age 

UK can guide you through the process 

and provides independent information and 

advice. If you are online there’s a lot about 

care on our website, or there’s a free 

advice line if you prefer to talk to someone 

instead. Visiting your local Age UK is a 

third option. 

Social care has a bad reputation at the 

moment, largely because it is underfunded 

and there isn’t enough to go round. You 

may also have read horror stories in the 

press of care workers being neglectful. 

Please don’t be put off seeking care 

though - there are many wonderful care 

workers. It pays to get advice and go 

into it with your eyes open, but there are 

hundreds of thousands of older people 

whose lives are immeasurably better 

because of the good care they receive. 

Caroline Abrahams 

Charity Director, Age UK 

www.ageuk.org.uk/ 

information-advice/care

ABINGDON 

Business Directory 

Attractions 

Abingdon County Hall Museum 

Run by Abingdon Town Council, the aim 

of the museum is to present the history 

of Abingdon and the surrounding locality 

in the most informative, exciting and 

accessible way. 01235 523703 

abingdon.museum@abingdon.gov.uk 

www.abingdon.gov.uk/partners/ 

abingdon-county-hall-museum 

Abingdon School Sports Centre 

Situated within the grounds of Abingdon 

School, it’s the perfect venue for business 

and sporting activities and events. 

01235 849 062 

sports.centre@abingdon.org.uk 

www.abingdon.org.uk/sports-and-leisure/ 

Denman College 

WI’s centre for learning, offering a wealth 

of opportunities to learn new skills on day 

schools and residential courses in the 

field of cookery, craft and lifestyle. 

01865 391 991 | info@denman.org.uk 

www.denman.org.uk 

Music at Oxford 

An artistically curated annual concert 

season, utilising a diverse array of 

buildings across the city to bring highquality 

live music to wider audiences. 

01865 244806 

info@musicatoxford.com 

www.musicatoxford.com 

Education 

Rye St Antony School 

Independent Catholic school in Oxford 

providing first class education to pupils 

aged from 3 to 18. 01865 762802 

www.ryestantony.co.uk 

Food & Drink 

Horsebox Coffee Company 

Independent coffee roastery based in 

South Oxfordshire with sustainability at 

the forefront. 01491 598520 

hello@horseboxcoffeeco.com 

www.horseboxcoffeeco.com 

Lamb Catering 

Oxford based catering company 

specialising in weddings & funerals, 

business & corporate catering, and 

private parties. 01865 772446 

info@lambcatering.co.uk 

www.lambcatering.co.uk 

Marcopolo Bakery 

Family run artisan bakery passionate 

about hand crafted bread using 

age old traditional techniques. 

07917043594/07827918180 

www.marcopolobakery.co.uk 

The Mole Inn 

Countryside 2AA rosette tavern with 

sprawling gardens, serving a seasonal 

menu of globally influenced cuisine. 

01865 340001 | info@themoleinn.com 

www.themoleinn.com 

Nut Tree Inn 

Traditional village pub with a thatched 

roof serving refined seasonal modern 

British food. Michelin Star since 2008. 

01865 331253 | www.nuttreeinn.co.uk 

The Railway Inn 

A traditional pub and restaurant offering 

delicious home-cooked food and bed and 

breakfast accommodation. 

01235 528046 | info@railwayinnculham. 

co.uk | www.railwayinnculham.co.uk 

Health & Beauty 

The 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight 

Plan with Pavlina 

The perfect way to achieve rapid weight 

loss through meal replacement shakes, 

soups and snack bars, with Pavlina, a 

dedicated consultant to help guide you 

along your way. 07818 881624 

pavlinanewman@gmail.com 

www.facebook.com/PavCWP/ 

House & Home 

Admiral Windows & 

Conservatories 

Double glazing and bespoke 

conservatories in Oxford, Kidlington, 

Abingdon, Didcot, Aylesbury, Banbury, 

Bicester, Buckingham, Chipping Norton, 

Newbury and more! 01865 788333 

sales@admiralwindows.co.uk 

www.admiralwindows.co.uk 

David Wilson Homes 

David Wilson Homes Southern are 

currently building in Oxfordshire, 

Berkshire and Hampshire and have been 

a 5 star builder for 10 years in a row. 

01488680300 | www.dwh.co.uk 

AsNew Upholstery 

High quality furniture re-upholstery, 

repairs and modifications, made to 

measure curtains and blinds and more. 

01235522770 

info@asnew-upholstery.co.uk 

www.asnew-upholstery.co.uk 

Didcot Calor & Paving 

Extensive and stylish range of natural and 

manufactured stone paving, walling and 

edging products, as well as our garden 

and landscaping supplies and, of course, 

Calor Gas and other fuels. 

01235 814186 

sales@didcotcalor.co.uk 

www.didcotcalor.co.uk 

Family Furnishings 

A family run business with a passion 

for interior design, it’s their goal to 

help you turn your house into a home. 

07920438216 

ahfamilyfurnishings@gmail.com 

www.family-furnishings.co.uk 

Finders Keepers 

First class property letting and 

management agent with eight offices in 

Oxfordshire. 01235535454 

www.finders.co.uk 

abingdon@finderskeepers.co.uk 

Milton Property Maintenance 

Trained specialists in high quality roofing, 

from repairs and restoration to a new roof. 

01235 884188 | roofersinoxford.co.uk 

Swedemade UK 

Offering bespoke kitchens and bathrooms 

at high street prices! Also offer bedroom 

storage options and building renovation. 

01865 864636 | info@swedemade.co.uk 

www.swedemade.co.uk 

Instil Design 

Bespoke bathrooms designed to 

reflect your style and personality, from 

contemporary through to traditional spa 

bathrooms. 01865 368810 

info@instil-design.co.uk 

www.instil-design.co.uk 

Motoring 

Lodge Hill Garage 

Long established family business 

that has been supplying quality used 

cars in Oxfordshire for over 12 years. 

01865326666 | cars@lodgehillgarage.com 

www.lodgehillgarage.co.uk 

Motorline Nissan Oxford 

Featuring the latest models in the 

Japanese marque’s car and van ranges, 

as well as a large number of Approved 

Used models. 01865 849700 

www.motorline.co.uk/nissan/dealerships/ 

oxford/ 

Later Life 

Abingdon Court Care Home 

A care home offering nursing and 

dementia care. A professional team 

ensure your loved one is well cared for. 

01235 535405 | www.mmcgcarehomes. 

co.uk/care-homes/abingdon-court 

Stowford House Care Home 

A beautiful purpose-built nursing home 

situated in the village of Shippon, 

providing nursing, residential, dementia, 

respite and palliative care. 01235 538623 

stowford@futurecaregroup.com 

www.stowfordhousecarehome.co.uk 


Your hearing is as 

important as 

your vision... 

Isn’t it time you 

got your 

ears checked? 

WE CAN 

HELP WITH: 

• Ear wax advice and removal 

• Full audiological assessment 

• In the ear monitors 

• Repair & servicing 

• High specification hearing instruments 

• Personalised Hearing Healthcare 

• Custom made noise reducing ear plugs 

• Bluetooth connectivity/transmitting systems 

contact directly to smart phones and TV. 

TO FIND OUT MORE CALL: 01865 861861 

Email: info@oxfordhearingcentre.co.uk | oxfordhearingcentre.co.uk 

Oxford Hearing Centre, 5 Farmoor Court, Farmoor, Oxford OX2 9LU 

Open Monday - Friday, 9am to 5.30pm FREE PARKING

LUXURY HOMES WITH FANTASTIC 

SAVINGS UP TO £25,000 

Letcombe Gardens offer a range of beautiful homes perfect for for 

first time buyers, down sizing and growing families. Selected plots now 

offer stamp duty paid and flooring included throughout. Book your 

appointment now. 

That’s the David Wilson Difference. 

Station Road, Grove OX12 7FP 

2, 3, 4 and 5 bedroom homes from £300,000 

Show Homes open daily from 10.30am to 5.30pm. 

See the Difference at dwh.co.uk or call 0333 305 3291 

Limited availability, selected plots only. Subject to status, terms and conditions apply. See www.dwh.co.uk for full details. BDW Trading Limited (number 03018173) whose registered 

office is at Barratt House, Cartwright Way, Forest Business Park, Bardon Hill, Coalville, Leicestershire LE67 1UF (“BDW”) BDW is a subsidiary of Barratt Developments PLC. Calls to 03 numbers 

are charged at the same rate as dialling an 01 or 02 number. If your fixed line or mobile service has inclusive minutes to 01/02 numbers, then calls to 03 are counted as part of this inclusive 

call volume. Non-BT customers and mobile phone users should contact their service providers for information about the cost of calls.

Abingdon Living Mar - Apr 2020

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