Henley and Marlow Lifestyle Nov - Dec 2021

Blaser Mills Law set to open 

new office in the heart of Marlow 

Blaser Mills Law is set to expand its local and national 

operation into Marlow in November of this year, with a strong 

focus on continuing to bring its wide range of expertise and 

experience to the local community. 

The 150-strong firm has established 

local roots in Marlow over many years, 

both in terms of advising clients and in 

the fact that many of its team, including 

CEO Dave Matthews, are residents of 

the town; reinforcing these strong local 

connections was the logical next step. 

“Marlow is an area that has always 

been of high importance to us,” said 

Matthews, “We have served Marlow 

clients from our High Wycombe office 

for many years but having an actual 

physical presence – a Marlow face if 

you like – will enable us to deliver our full 

capabilities to the local community from 

the heart of the town”. 

The office will be based in Liston 

Exchange, in the gardens behind 

Liston Court, just off the High Street in 

central Marlow, and will be headed up 

by Partner Jonathan Gallop, a Marlow 

resident and Head of the Wills, Trusts 

and Probate team. 

The office will also house Lucinda 

Holliday – Partner and Head of the 

Family & Divorce team who has spent 

many years living and working in the 

town and Samantha Bellia - Senior 

Associate in the Residential Property 

team who worked for many years at a 

firm on Marlow High Street. 

Holliday said: “We are extremely excited 

to be opening a base in Marlow and we 

are very much the advance party. We 

plan to increase our number in the new 

office over the next several months to 

build a team that is highly approachable 

and always professional. As the firm has 

continued to expand in recent years the 

range of services we are able to deliver 

has also increased, meaning our clients 

in Marlow can benefit from our depth of 

experience and resources across the 

wider business. We can’t wait to bring 

the people-focused approach we have 

become known for to the town, and to 

build further on the strong roots we have 

within the community.” 

Dave Matthews added: “We are a firm 

that genuinely values a local focus but, 

unlike most local law firms, we are able 

to back that up with nationally-ranked 

expertise and depth – as well as helping 

local people and businesses we also 

act for household-name companies, 

political parties, major sporting 

institutions and sports stars”. 

But it is not just a professional presence 

the firm is looking to build. We have a 

proud record in diversity and inclusion 

within Blaser Mills – our statistics speak 

for themselves - and we look to support 

and engage with a similarly diverse 

range of local causes and initiatives. 

Our teams are looking forward to 

welcoming you to the office and 

connecting with the local 

community, a few of us are even 

dusting off our running shoes 

for the Marlow Fun Run!” 

About Blaser Mills 

With existing offices in London, 

High Wycombe, Amersham, and 

Silverstone, Blaser Mills Law has 

become recognised as one of the 

top full-service law firms in London 

and the Southeast. 

The firm consistently ranks in the 

Legal 500 and Chambers UK 

Guide and, last year, secured a 

spot in the Legal 500 rankings for 

the seventh year running, with 

10 practice areas listed and an 

additional 31 lawyers recommended. 

For more information, 

visit www.blasermills.co.uk 

or call +44 (0) 20 3814 2020 

@BlaserMillsLaw blaser-mills BlaserMillsLaw

Contents 

A Note 

from the EDITOR 

22 

Guest 

A Culinary Journey through 

Northern Ireland bedroom perfection 

It’s certainly the challenge of 

publishing that you always have your 

head in the wrong season - each year, 

Christmas begins for us in July, which 

is about the same time as I start to 

ask my friends and family what they’d 

like as a present or if they’re free for a 

meal in December - each year I’m met 

with the same furrowed brows and 

a ‘my god, I haven’t started thinking 

about that yet!’ 

Forward planning aside, it is a rather 

lovely, smug feeling to know that I’m 

mostly sorted for the festivities - my 

only issue being losing said gifts 

between July and December 25th. If 

your industry doesn’t quite prepare 

you in the same way though, we’ve 

got a bevy of festive features to help 

get you prepped. 

Our competition 

page returns 

04 

Alongside Christmas features, 

we’ve got a lovely interview with 

The Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda 

Owen, plus some delicious recipes 

from her new book. 

If you’re receiving guests this year, 

we’ve got some inspiration on 

creating the perfect guest room 

sanctuary. And if festive madness all 

gets too much, you can always slip in 

there yourself! 

Yorkshire Shepherdess 

Amanda Owen 

12 

Key Account Manager Ben Hollis 

e ben.hollis@minervapublications.co.uk 

d/l 01225 984503 

twitter: @HenleyMarlow 

Editor Katie Thomson 

e katie.thomson@minervapublications.co.uk 

16 

Recipes from 

Amanda’s new book 

Publisher Sally Thomson 

Pre-Press Manager Kate Norris 

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

Angela Cave and Pete Lawrence. Front cover courtesy of Amanda Owen 

MINERVA PUBLICATIONS HQ 

Paxcroft Farm, Hilperton 

Trowbridge BA14 6JB 

t 01225 984 550 

visit our website www.minervamagazines.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. 

The news has been all doom and 

gloom of late, but I think it’s important 

that, toy shortage/turkey drama/fuel 

crisis or not, this year’s Christmas is 

looking so much brighter than 2020’s, 

and there’s so much to be thankful 

for. This quote from the legendary Bob 

Hope really captured that for me: 

“My idea of Christmas, whether 

old-fashioned or modern, is very 

simple: loving others. Come to 

think of it, why do we have to 

wait for Christmas to do that?” 

We are looking forward to seeing 

you again in January - we are doing 

away with the New Year, New You 

nonsense and instead focusing 

on what 2022 can offer you. Until 

then, take care, have a very Merry 

Christmas and a peaceful New Year. 

Katie 

www.minervamagazines.co.uk | 3

COMPETITION 

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Find the competition and enter on that post, 

using the appropriate keyword. 

T&C’s apply and no cash alternatives available. Winners chosen at 

random - entries made after closing date will not be accepted. 

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4 | www.minervamagazines.co.uk

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CHOOSING A NEW SIXTH FORM 

The Good Schools Guide offers some suggestions to take into consideration when making the change 

Whether you want to change from a 

single sex school to co-ed or from day to 

boarding, private to state, A levels to IB - 

or vice versa there are plenty of reasons to 

move schools post - GCSEs. 

When to start looking 

We’d advise getting the ball rolling 

towards the end of their year 10 in time 

for sixth form open days and applications 

which generally take place the following 

autumn. 

Discussions about post-GCSE options 

will already be taking place at your child’s 

current school by then and looking at 

other sixth forms will widen your options. 

Maybe the broader based curriculum 

of the IB would suit them better than 

specialising at A level? Maybe they want 

to pursue a more practical, less exam 

based, route? Or perhaps your child 

simply feels ready for a fresh start and 

new faces. 

Choosing a new sixth form 

The decision needs to be a joint effort 

between parents and children, based as 

much on personal preference as objective 

research. Your child may have formed 

opinions about other schools via friends 

and social media but however popular a 

particular sixth form may be, it’s no good 

if it doesn’t offer the subjects they want 

to study. 

Guide your child to consider the areas 

of study they genuinely enjoy or find 

interesting. Also bear in mind that the 

demands of some A levels, such as 

maths, are a big jump from GCSE and 

most schools will set higher GCSE grade 

requirements for these. 

It may seem too early when your child 

hasn’t even finished their GCSE courses 

to start talking about university subjects 

and destinations, but if they are going to 

change school for sixth form it’s important 

to at least start thinking about the ultimate 

goal. For instance, if Oxbridge or medical 

school is the aim then A level choices 

need to be made accordingly and a 

potential school’s record of Oxbridge and 

medical school places taken into account. 

If university isn’t part of the plan then you’ll 

need to ask the school or college about 

provision for pupils who are interested in 

alternative post-18 options such as degree 

apprenticeships. 

You can find latest information on a 

school’s Oxbridge, medical school and 

non-university destinations in the ‘Exit’ 

section of The Good Schools Guide 

reviews. 

Day to boarding 

A move to boarding school for sixth form 

- see this article for more - is often said 

to be a good preparation for university. 

But manage your expectations – in our 

experience most sixth form boarding 

accommodation is more luxurious than the 

average university hall of residence! 

Most boarding schools have separate 

provision for sixth formers where they can 

live more independently and with fewer 

restrictions than younger pupils. If you 

are looking at full, as opposed to weekly, 

boarding then find out how many sixth 

formers are in school at weekends and 

what activities are on offer (our writers 

suggest looking at boarding house 

noticeboards to see sign-up sheets for 

weekend activities). 

While it’s usually possible, with 

permission, for boarding sixth formers to 

attend day pupils’ parties for instance, 

it’s unlikely that any school will allow the 

same freedom to socialise (particularly 

with regard to sexual relationships) as day 

school pupils. Discuss school rules and 

regulations frankly with your child - if they 

(or you) are horrified then maybe boarding 

isn’t the right choice. 

Independent to state 

A move from independent to state school 

is often determined by family finances, but 

we wonder whether it could also now be a 

strategic decision. 

State school sixth forms or sixth form 

colleges often have exam results that are 

comparable to independent schools and 

they may also offer a wider range of post- 

GCSE choices. 

And as the UK’s top universities strive to 

rebalance their admissions procedures to 

correct what was (rightly) criticised as an 

independent school bias, will this prompt 

more independent school parents to send 

their children to take A levels at state sixth 

forms? Time will tell. 

State to independent 

If you think your child would benefit from 

taking A levels at an independent school 

but are worried about affording the fees, it 

could be worth checking whether you can 

apply for a bursary. Some schools offer 

bursaries specifically for pupils joining the 

sixth form from the local state sector. 

Entry requirements 

These differ considerably but five or six 

GCSEs including English and maths at 

grade 6 or above, with grade 7 or higher 

in subjects to be studied at A level (can 

be 8 or 9 for maths/further maths), is the 

minimum for most selective schools. 

Many schools set the sixth form entry 

bar much higher and in addition to a 

full set of GCSEs at grades 9-7, also 

expect candidates to sit papers in their 

prospective A level subjects. Schools will 

usually interview prospective sixth formers 

too. 

The Good Schools Guide is the UK’s 

number one school guide, helping 

parents in every aspect of choosing 

the best education for their children 

using their unbiased and impartial 

school reviews, alongside a host of 

articles advising on all aspects of 

school life. Find out more at www. 

goodschoolsguide.co.uk 


Herries Co-Ed Preparatory 

School & Nursery from 2 - 11 years 

REBECCA KINGWELL 

FINANCIAL PLANNER 

Comprehensive, bespoke, financial advice & planning 

Rebecca Kingwell 

BSc (Hons), DipFA 

Would you like to start making 

better provision for your future and 

retirement? 

Do you need help understanding 

your existing pension 

arrangements? 

I offer specialist advice on pension 

planning, investment planning, 

savings, tax efficiency and life and 

critical illness protection. 

Promoting 

Sportsmanship 

From cheering on the sidelines to leading the pack, 

children at Herries learn good sportsmanship at 

Bisham Abbey’s world class National Sports Centre. 

e: rebecca.kingwell@sjpp.co.uk t: 0330 053 6797 

www.rebeccakingwell.co.uk 

Oxfordshire . Berkshire 

Rebecca Kingwell Financial Planner is an Appointed Representative of and represents only 

St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial 

Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the Group’s wealth management products 

and services, more details of which are set out on the Group’s website at www.sjp.co.uk/products 

Skills which last a lifetime. 

To take a tour of Herries visit 

www.herries.org.uk/admissions/make-an-enquiry 

11+ Centre • Music Suite • Weekly outdoor activities at 

Longridge • Wraparound care from 7.30am - 6.00pm 

01628 483350 | admissions@herries.org.uk | www.herries.org.uk 

KIND HEARTS | FIERCE MINDS | STRONG SPIRITS 

OPEN MORNING 

Friday 19 November 

BOOK NOW AT: 

qas.org.uk 

Day places & full/flexi boarding 

Transport network including Henley and Marlow 

Queen Anne’s School is an independent day and boarding school for girls aged 11-18 


PREPARE TO PASS 

Our unique small-group tuition courses will maximise 

your child’s potential to pass the 11+ exam 

Dynamic teaching techniques 4 

Year 5 and Year 4 courses 4 

Excellent success rates 4 

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Established 25 years 4 

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BOOK NOW 

FOR 2021 - 2022 

T 01494 452025 

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Abingdon, Abingdon Oxfordshire 

Visit Us 

Individual visits available on request 

Next whole school Open Day 

Wednesday 10 November 

Please book via our website at 

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or email admissions@manorprep.org 

Challenge. Cherish. Inspire. 

An outstanding independent day school for boys and girls aged 2-11 


Kaloo Lapinoo Rabbit, 

£17.99, jojomamanbebe.co.uk 

Guide 

The gift 

Unisex Mouse 

Babygrow Set, £45, 

magnetmouse.co.uk 

Woodland Nesting 

Creatures, £22, 

rosaandbo.com 

Help children 

learn to 

code with 

Blockly, Snap!, 

JavaScript, 

Python and 

C++ 

Exploding 

Kittens, £15.99, 

amazon.co.uk 

Artie Max, £110, 

amazon.co.uk 

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond + 

Shining Pearl (Nintendo Switch), 

£89.99, amazon.co.uk 

Nila Nepp Top, 

£22 and Kieran 

Kneepatch 

Joggers, £28, both 

welovefrugi.com 

Organic 

cotton and 

amazing 

colours and 

prints 

FOR KIDS 

GOTS Organic 

Cotton 

Pyjamas, £26, 

polarnopyret. 

co.uk 

Everhot 

Electric Stove 

£1,295, 

everhot.co.uk 

Luigi Starter Course 

Currently priced at 

£46.98, 

amazon.co.uk 

Available 

in a host 

of fab 

colours 

WHEN THEY HAVE EVERYTHING 

Le Creuset Evolution 

Oval Deep Teal Casserole 

Currently priced at £241, 

amazon.co.uk 

Aranya Hmong 

Cushion, £32, 

hauslife.co.uk 

Cuisinart Precision Stand Mixer, 

£275, cuisinart.co.uk 

Hand-Sliced Side of 

Smoked Salmon, £54.95, 

formanandfield.com 

Truffle Guys 

Experience Box, 

£119.95, 

truffleguysuk.com 

Gusbourne Brut 

Reserve 2017, £39, 

gusbourne.com 


Tabitha Ribbed 

Cashmere Socks, £32, 

pantherella.com 

Candle Discovery Set, 

£18, floralstreet.com 

ESPA Jewels of Nature Collection, £195 

(Worth £365), espaskincare.com 

Perfect 

Christmas 

party 

make up 

Star Sheepskin 

Slippers, £39, 

onaie.com 

ILLAMASQUA 

Skyrocket Artistry 

Eyeshadow Palette, 

£39, lookfantastic.co.uk 

Alpaca Super 

Soft Hot Water 

Bottles, £45, 

chilcottuk.com 

FOR HER 

Great for 

deeply cleansing 

the skin and 

soothing 

stressed eyes 

Cashmere Sweatshirt 

in Emerald, £179, 

loopcashmere.co.uk 

Luxury Heavyweight 

Merino Scarf, £90, 

pantherella.com 

Mulo Slippers in Blue Corduroy, 

£124, muloshoes.com 

UBUNA Refresh 

Water Hydration 

Cream, £160, 

net-a-porter.com 

BeGlow Tia All-In-One 

Sonic Skincare System, 

£199, johnlewis.com 

Micro Merlin 

Japanese Knife 

Trio, £99, 

souschef.co.uk 

Eco Sports Cloak 

Long Sleeve, £119.95, 

charliemcleod.co.uk 

The Micro Explorer 

Electric Scooter, 

£349.95, reduced 

from £449.95 

micro-scooters. 

co.uk 

Amazing 

for the 

chef in 

your life 

FOR HIM 

18 mile range, 

foldable and 

ultra light 

weight with 

15mph top 

speed 

Scrivner For 

Men 5 Step 

Skin Strategy 

- £127, 

janescrivner. 

com 

Perfect if 

they love 

outdoor 

pursuits or 

sports 

Andrée Jardin Sneaker Care Kit, 

£33.50, souschef.co.uk 

Off White Sneakers, 

£175, muloshoes.com 


REAL RESULTS IN THE FIGHT 

AGAINST "HAIR LOSS" ADVERTISING FEATURE 

I wanted to write a review to let people know how 

brilliant Joycelyn is so more people can benefit from 

her expertise - By Jenna, a customer of Hair Health 

& Vitality Clinic... 

All my life I’ve had fine hair and it has always made me very 

insecure. I would be anxious about it when going out, my best 

friend said I had wispy thin hair and that stuck with me each 

and every single day. I decided to seek help as I thought it was 

hereditary and was so fed up with feeling so unhappy with my 

hair. I found Joycelyn and she changed my life. I have always 

been sceptical of people and had bad experiences in the past, 

but she completely put me at ease, her knowledge was endless, 

she took one look at me and knew exactly how to help, I hoped 

my hair would change, but she changed me too. 

In as little as 4 weeks my hairdresser commented on how great 

condition my hair was now in, it was not dry at the ends and my 

scalp was not oily and angry like it was, also noticed that it was 

appearing to look thicker, I didn’t expect to see any results for 

months but in 4 weeks I was shocked. 

I decided to get help with my skin and nails along side my hair 

and again quick results were noticed by my nail technician and 

my beauty therapist, how much plumper, toned and hydrated 

my skin looked, along with my nails being stronger and whiter 

on the tips. I am incredibly grateful to Joycelyn because she 

has genuinely changed my life, I actually like my hair which 

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Amanda Owen 

The yorkshire Shepherdess 

Tells us about her life in the Dales 

Known to millions as The Yorkshire 

Shepherdess, Amanda Owen is the author 

of five best-selling books about her life 

on Ravenseat ,one of the most remote 

farms in the country, where she lives with 

her husband Clive and nine children. She 

currently stars in Channel 5’s popular TV 

show Our Yorkshire Farm and her latest 

book is Celebrating the Seasons includes 

stories, recipes and photos from the farm 

and is out now. 

I understand that you had had no 

previous links to farming, may I ask 

how you became so involved in this line 

of work? 

I grew up in Huddersfield and no one in 

my family is from a farming background. 

I loved the James Herriot books when I 

was a child, and watched the TV series. 

Because of James Herriot I loved the idea 

of being a vet, probably like most other 

children of that era, but was told at school 

that I was not academic enough to make 

the grades. One day in the school library 

I picked up a book called Hill Shepherd. 

It was a photographic documentary of 

hill farming in Yorkshire and Cumbria. 

Reading that book was an epiphany for 

me, the pictures of the hill shepherds on 

the moors with the sheep made me realise 

it was where I wanted to be. It ticked the 

box of wanting to work with animals in 

the countryside and importantly it also 

ticked the rebellion box as it was so the 

opposite of my townie life up until then. 

Years later after I had married my husband 

Clive, we realised that there was actually a 

photograph of him in Hill Shepherd! So it’s 

a very important book to me. 

How did you learn your crafts? One of 

the many things I learnt from your book 

was how important it is to get the grass 

in - in good time. 

I started out as a farm hand, and then 

moved on to being a contract shepherd, 

working on different farms all over the 

country. But really, I learnt everything as I 

went along. 

Most of my crafts came through natural 

progression, learning to ride a horse 

by riding it, learning to clip a sheep by 

clipping my first one, learning to work a 

dog, by taking the dog out with me for the 

first time. 

You can only learn what to do by doing it, 

you have to get practical on the ground 

experience. Nothing comes close to 

learning how to be a shepherd, other than 

actually doing the work of a shepherd and 

it’s not just about learning about sheep, 

it’s about learning about the land. 

With the grass it starts with the sheep. 

You’ve got to have your sheep in good 

order - we grow hardy stock through the 

winter, so it’s absolutely vital that you grow 

your crop well, so they have food to eat 

throughout the winter. 

You enjoy sheep shearing - were you 

nervous when you cut your first fleece? 

Of course, but you know, you have to be 

nervous in order to be any good at what 

you’re doing. If you’re lambing sheep you 

are dealing with nature first hand, but 

there is no room for you to have time to 

be nervous as you have to get on with the 

job. It’s you alone in that moment and it’s 

not optional to be nervous. That pressure 

makes you work fast. 

The first time I clipped, I would clip the 

sheep while the professional shearers 

were having their dinner, and they 

would encourage me or discourage me 

depending on what I was doing, and then 

the more you do it you get faster. You 

keep practicing and eventually you will 

get there. 

How do you spread yourself between 

9 children - it must quite a noisy 

household at times? 

It is a noisy household. But we’re very 

privileged to live where we do which 


Traditional Farm Produce 

Christmas Turkeys 

Beef | Lamb 

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Open Friday 9-5 | Saturday 9-1 

Tel: 01628 473 781 

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Bakery | Patisserie | Tearoom | Chocolatier 

Family owned craft bakery and 

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Burgers of Marlow Ltd, The Causeway, Marlow, SL7 1NF 

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means that there’s plenty of room for 

everybody to get some space outside. I 

enjoy the busyness and noise of family 

life in the house. But I can get away from 

it by walking out my front door. Plenty 

of people can’t as they leave their front 

door and if they live in a city, it’s still loud 

and busy when they get out. We’re lucky 

here to have the wide open spaces and 

the kids spend a lot of time outdoors. 

We’re working farm and that means that 

everyone mucks in - no matter what 

the age, it could be collecting hen’s 

eggs, feeding the horses, or helping find 

uniforms for everyone, also cooking. Real 

dough is just as good as playdough and 

the kids love learning to cook. The only 

time when we all come together is tea time 

at the farm, when we all come together to 

eat, it’s my favourite time of day, when I 

get to hear what everyone’s been up to on 

the farm and school. 

Your children must have a wonderful 

time and appear to have no fears with 

any of the animals. Do they each have a 

special one? 

I suppose they do. Quite a lot of the girls 

loves the horses. Violet loves the cows, 

she was excited recently that our pet cow, 

Ciara has now come in from the fields. 

Violet hand reared Ciara from a calf, so 

she thinks she belongs inside the house 

and doesn’t like the other cows. Miles is 

very taken with the hens and his flock of 

30 sheep. Through the winter and up to 

lambing time Miles looks after his flock of 

sheep after school. Sidney has his own 

dog, Nell a sheep dog and she runs for 

him, so that’s quite a big thing for a young 

lad to be able to work his own sheep dog. 

It’s a level up from being a pet. The terriers 

are wonderful they are real characters, 

they are source of frustration as they 

will have fights with each other, or they 

wander off from the farm to the local pub 

quite a few miles away! The terriers, are 

Chalky and Sprout, sadly we lost Pippin at 

the beginning of lock down. Tony the pony 

(pictured above right) is loved by Annas, 

Clemmie and Nancy, they look after him, 

feed him, brush him and ride him. They 

also love the bigger horses Josie and 

Princess. Princess is very good with the 

kids and often two of them ride her around 

the fields. They also like to take the horses 

down to the river and give them a bath 

and wash and comb their tails. 

Will any of them follow in your 

footsteps? 

Yeah, I think so, at the moment Miles and 

Sidney are very keen on farming and Edith 

is a good shepherdess. That said I never 

place any expectation on any of them 

to follow me into being a farmer and a 

shepherd. You don’t know where life will 

take you. I’m not sitting here going: “I want 

you to be a shepherd”, because life goes 

through stages, and what you want to do 

changes, so I’d rather they make their own 

choices, they can do whatever they want 

to do. It’s a difficult thing to ask a child 

what they want to do with the rest of their 

life. They’ll figure it out as they go along. 

What is your favourite season and why? 

Summer. But really I mean June. June is 

my favourite month, because all the sheep 

have had lambs and been turned back 

out onto the moor and it’s before hay time 

and clipping, so there’s a lull and a pause 

in the farm work, and at the same time 

everything comes to life - the flowers, the 

birds on the moor. In June, the Curlews 

are back, as are the Lapwings, Golden 

Plover, Black Grouse. All you can hear 

is birds, wherever you’re walking. There 

are woodcock and snipe too - they are 

all ground nesting birds up here on the 

moor, so you get to see their nests as 

well - and it’s just beautiful. The flowers 

you see in June are marsh marigolds, 

globe flowers, all the hay meadow 

flowers, rare orchids - it’s really pretty. 

What made you decide to write this 

book? It is a delightful read and the 

recipes are a treat…. 

Celebrating the Seasons, came about 

because I wanted to answer some of the 

most frequently ask questions, how do 

you cater for such a big family? Tell us 

about the practicalities? What do you 

cook? It was really difficult selecting 

recipes for the book. I wanted to include 

forgiving recipes. Recipes that it was 

totally fine to get distracted in the middle 

of and would still turn out good. Recipes 

that were achievable with the most 

basic of ingredients, simple feel good 

food, that was nutritionally good too. My 

absolute favourite is the Tagine recipe, 

it’s a people pleaser, for me its so easy 

and the smell always brings everyone 

to the kitchen - which is helpful! Every 

time I cook it it’s different, sometimes 

chick peas, sometimes wild rice, some 

times couscous - it always comes out 

slightly different each time. In addition 

to the recipes, people have told me they 

loved my photos and images of the farm 

that I post on twitter and would always 

suggest I do a photograph book. If you 

go back to basics it was a photography 

book - Hill Shepherd - that inspired me 

to become a shepherd. So it’s nice to 

go full circle. I know how inspiring a 

photography book can be - how it can 

really steer you and how a picture can 

tell a thousand words. I really hope that 

when people buy the book, that they 

look at the pictures over and over again 

and still find something new in them, as I 

have with Hill Shepherd. 

What would you like to tell our readers 

about your life? 

I want people to know that Celebrating 

the Seasons is a book about going your 

own way. It’s not a blueprint for how you 

should live your life, it simply says this 

is what we do as a family this is how we 

do it, feel free to follow the recipes, or 

do them your own way. I want people 

to not let themselves to be stereotyped, 

to know that all things are achievable if 

you really want to do it. So many people 

said you won’t have time to write a book, 

you won’t achieve that. But I believe you 

can do anything you just have to start 

doing it. If you want to write a book, 

start writing. I got an E in GCSE English, 

and this is my fifth book. Anything is 

possible. 

Celebrating 

the Seasons with The Yorkshire 

Shepherdess by Amanda Owen by Pan 

Macmillan, £20. 


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Dinner is served 

Tasty recipes from Amanda Owen 

Wild Mushroom Soup with 

Wood Sorrel & Hazelnut Pesto 

Prep time 10 minutes 

Cooking time 35 minutes 

Serves 4 

2 tbsp Yorkshire rapeseed oil, plus extra for 

garnish 

1 medium onion, finely chopped 

1 large clove garlic, crushed or grated 

450g wild mushrooms, such as yellow 

chanterelle, roughly chopped 

50ml Madeira or sweet sherry 

850ml hot vegetable stock 

3 sprigs fresh thyme 

200ml double cream 

1 tsp mushroom powder 

Salt and black pepper 

Pesto 

25g chopped toasted hazelnuts 

1 small bunch wood sorrel 

2 tbsp olive oil 

10g Parmesan 

Garnish 

Handful of wild mushrooms 

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add 

the onion and garlic and fry gently for 5 

minutes, until softened but not coloured. 

Next, add the mushrooms and fry on a 

16 | www.minervamagazines.co.uk 

medium heat for 8 minutes, until they are 

golden. 

Pour the Madeira over the mushrooms and 

cook on a high heat for about a minute until 

the alcohol evaporates. 

Lower the heat and pour in the hot stock, 

then add the sprigs of thyme. Bring to the 

boil then cover and simmer gently for 20 

minutes. 

Remove the pan from the heat, blitz with 

a hand blender or in a liquidizer until the 

soup is smooth. Return the soup to a clean 

pan, stir in the cream and sprinkle over the 

mushroom powder, then season the soup 

and gently reheat over a low heat. 

Meanwhile, place the pesto ingredients into 

a small food processor and blitz for a few 

seconds until combined. Add extra oil if the 

pesto is a little thick and season to taste. 

For the mushroom garnish, drizzle some 

oil in a small frying pan and gently fry the 

remaining mushrooms for a couple of 

minutes until golden. 

To serve, ladle the soup into warm bowls, 

scatter over the whole fried mushrooms, 

and top with a spoonful of pesto. 

Tip 

Try serving with homemade spelt bread. 

Moroccan Lamb Tagine with 

Jewelled Couscous 


Cooking time 1 hour 15 minutes 

Serves 4 

Tagine 

2 tbsp olive oil 

600g lamb shoulder, diced 

1 large onion, sliced 

2 cloves garlic, crushed 

1 tbsp ground cumin 

2 tsp ground coriander 

1 tbsp hot smoked paprika 

40g tomato purée 

400g can cherry tomatoes 

1 cinnamon stick 

50g dried apricots, chopped 

2 large pieces orange peel 

285ml lamb stock 

1 small bunch coriander, chopped 

Jewelled couscous 

200g couscous 

200ml hot vegetable stock 

1 red onion, chopped 

100g pomegranate seeds 

1 small bunch mint, leaves roughly chopped 

1 small bunch coriander, chopped 

3 spring onions 

20g almonds, toasted 

Salt and black pepper 

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ gas 4. 

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large 

heatproof casserole dish, then add the 

lamb and sear and brown on all sides for 

about 5 minutes. Remove the lamb from 

the casserole dish with a slotted spoon and 

set aside. 

Return the casserole dish to the heat and 

add the remaining oil. When hot, add the 

onion and fry gently for approximately 8 

minutes until golden. Add the garlic and fry 

for a further minute. 

Sprinkle over the ground spices and stir 

in the tomato purée then fry for a further 

minute. Return the meat and any juices 

to the pan with the remaining Tagine 

ingredients (except the fresh coriander), 

bring to the boil then cover with a lid and 

transfer to the middle shelf of the oven. 

Cook for 1 hour, or until the meat is tender. 

Meanwhile, while the Tagine cooks, put the 

couscous into a bowl and pour over the 

hot vegetable stock. Cover the bowl tightly 

with cling film and set aside for 10 minutes 

until the couscous has absorbed the liquid. 

Season the couscous, then stir through 

the remaining ingredients, saving a few 

almonds and herbs to garnish. 

To serve the Tagine, remove the cinnamon 

stick and check seasoning, then sprinkle 

over the chopped coriander. Serve in warm 

bowls with the jewelled couscous. 

Tip 

This recipe can also be cooked slowly in a 

Tagine over a barbecue.

And time for pudding... 

More tasty recipes from Amanda Owen 

Rhubarb & Custard Crumble Cake 



Serves 4-6 

Rhubarb 

250g Yorkshire rhubarb, cut into 2cm 

chunks 

50g caster sugar 

Crumble 

50g plain flour 

25g butter, cut into cubes 

40g chopped mixed nuts 

25g demerara sugar 

Cake 

170g butter, softened, plus extra for 

greasing 

85g caster sugar 

85g soft brown sugar 

3 medium eggs, beaten 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

170g self-raising flour 

1 tsp baking powder 

30g custard powder 

Icing sugar to dust 

Custard to serve 

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 

Grease and line a 21cm round spring-form 

cake tin. 

Put the rhubarb into a saucepan and 

sprinkle over the caster sugar. Heat very 

gently until the sugar dissolves into a syrup. 

Simmer for 6–8 minutes until the rhubarb 

just begins to soften. Set aside to cool. 

Meanwhile make the crumble. Place the 

flour into a mixing bowl and rub in the 

butter with your fingertips until it resembles 

breadcrumbs, then stir in the chopped nuts 

and sugar. 

Next make the cake. Beat the butter, caster 

sugar and soft brown sugar in a bowl using 

an electric mixer for 2–3 minutes, until light 

and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract 

with 2 tablespoons of the flour, beat for 

a minute until combined, then fold in the 

remaining flour, baking powder and custard 

powder. 

Drain any excess juices from the rhubarb 

and discard the syrup, then gently fold the 

18 | www.minervamagazines.co.uk 

cooled rhubarb through the cake mixture. 

Transfer the cake batter to the prepared tin 

and gently smooth the top with a spatula. 

Sprinkle the crumble over the cake and 

press down lightly with the back of a spoon, 

then bake on the middle shelf of the oven 

for 40 minutes, until the cake is golden, firm 

to touch, and when a skewer is inserted it 

comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly in the 

cake tin, then transfer to a plate. 

Dust lightly with icing sugar before serving 

warm with custard. 

Tip 

Also delicious served with ice cream or 

single cream. 

Hedgerow Nutty Crumble 



Serves 4 

Fruit filling 

40g butter 

40g golden caster sugar 

2 Braeburn apples, peeled and sliced 

200g Bramley apples, peeled and sliced 

300g foraged berries or any mixed berries, 

such as blackberries and wild raspberries 

Crumble topping 

125g plain flour 

85g unsalted butter, diced 

85g demerara sugar 

50g rolled oats 

30g chopped toasted hazelnuts 

Custard or ice cream to serve 

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. 

For the fruit filling, melt the butter in a 

pan, add the sugar and apples and gently 

simmer for 5 minutes. Add the berries and 

simmer for 2 minutes, then transfer to a 

23cm round oven-proof dish. 

Meanwhile prepare the crumble topping. 

Put the flour into a mixing bowl and rub 

in the butter with your fingertips, until the 

mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir 

in the sugar, oats and hazelnuts. 

Sprinkle the crumble topping over the 

fruit, then place the dish on the middle 

shelf of the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes, 

until the crumb is golden and fruit 

bubbling. 

Allow to cool slightly before serving with 

custard or ice cream. 

Tip 

Try using other seasonal fruits such as 

damsons or gooseberries.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE 

sit back and relax with 

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We caught up with one of our new clients, Neil Dickins, 

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Within three weeks of the house purchase 

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Tell us a little about yourself? 

I fell in love with theatre whilst at 

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Excellent from the outset. I’m 100% 

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Call me to invest in some crazy risky early 

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Ultimately you have to work with what 

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The more things you can put in the room 

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from the family home you’ve lived in 

for years to somewhere which provides 

security and care if and when you need 

it, but which also allows you to keep 

your independence and connections to 

the local community, and which has a 

range of activities and facilities to keep 

you busy. 

It’s this middle ground, this golden 

mean, combining independence with 

care and support, which housing-withcare 

settings across the country are 

offering to older people in increasing 

numbers. Sometimes called retirement 

communities, retirement villages or extra 

care housing, these settings give older 

people the opportunity to rent or own 

a flat or apartment, on a site with 24/7 

staffing, high-quality care provision if 

needed, and facilities like restaurants, 

bars, cafes, gyms, activity rooms and 

much more. 

While long-standing options for older 

people like care homes and traditional 

retirement housing will continue to have 

a vital place, there is a growing need 

for middle options like housing-withcare 

which allow older people to stay 

independent and healthy for longer. 

The evidence is clear: housing-withcare 

improves health and well-being, 

drastically cuts down hospital and GP 

visits, and reduces feelings of loneliness. 

Not only do older people themselves 

benefit, but so too does the NHS and 

whole social care system. 

Housing-with-care settings can be in 

either rural or urban locations, giving 

older people the chance to choose the 

lifestyle they want. Often, they are closely 

connected with the town centre, and 

people of different ages are able to use 

the facilities at the retirement community 

and mix with older residents. Far from 

being ghettos of the elderly, housingwith-care 

settings can be hubs of 

intergenerational connection. 

ARCO’s role as the representative body 

for the housing-with-care sector is to help 

our members provide the best possible 

service to their older residents, and to 

ensure the sector thrives and grows in 

the way that it should. An important part 

of ARCO’s work is helping members 

set high standards through the ARCO 

Consumer Code, a new edition of 

which was launched in September this 

year. The code upholds the principles 

of transparency and fairness, giving 

customers and residents confidence that 

housing-with-care operators achieve 

high levels of consumer protection in 

everything from marketing, sales and 

lettings, and resident relations. 

Because, ultimately, housing-with-care is 

all about the residents. About responding 

to the growing demand from older 

people for housing options that combine 

independent, active living with care 

and support if needed. About allowing 

residents to live the life that they want 

to live. 

For further email please visit 

www.arcouk.org 


ADVERTISING FEATURE 

Separating from your spouse? 

Sue Andrews, family partner, B P Collins, firmly believes that letting the courts 

decide on child arrangements and finances should be a last resort. Here she explains 

some pitfalls and other options available if you’re thinking of separating... 

A recent Channel 4 survey on the family 

courts and the resolution of arrangements 

for children reported that: 

• Among those whose cases had 

concluded, over 70% of mothers 

and fathers were unhappy with the 

outcome. 

• 67% of parents agreed or strongly 

agreed that their children’s 

mental health had been affected 

by participation in the court 

proceedings. 

• Court proceedings were reported to 

have taken on average 18 months 

to complete, with 1 in 10 cases 

lasting more than 5 years. 

• The average cost of proceedings 

was said to be around £13,000, 

though 1 in 20 claimed they had 

spent over £100,000. 

These findings demonstrate why court 

proceedings should be a last resort for 

separating couples. They are a blunt 

instrument which can be clumsy, lengthy 

and costly. Where possible, couples 

should aim to reach an agreement/ 

compromise acceptable to them both 

since how you deal with the issues, 

as well as the outcome, will affect you 

and your children for many years to 

come, and for some people, a lifetime. 

Communication, which includes listening, 

is key. Where feelings are running high, 

counselling can help a couple deal with 

the emotional fallout of the separation 

and how and what to communicate to 

their children. 

Giving each other time to come to terms 

with what is a complete life-change 

is likely to help, as is respecting each 

other. This, and remembering what 

brought you together, should prevent 

the adoption of extreme and polarised 

positions, and instead enable, at least, 

some understanding of a former partner’s 

viewpoint – which may be driven by fear, 

grief and uncertainty. 

It is also essential, if a good ending is 

to be achieved, to be honest with each 

other both about why the marriage has 

broken down as well as about finances 

and future plans. 

What if direct communication is 

difficult? 

If direct communication is difficult, then 

discussions in mediation can be helpful, 

since a mediator will help to neutralise 

the discussion by reducing the emotion 

in the room and, where the issues are 

the child arrangements, ensuring that the 

needs of children are the key focus. 

If a determination by a third party is 

needed, arbitration can be considered as 

an alternative to the court process. While 

the arbitrator’s fee is an additional cost, it 

can be less expensive and quicker than 

the courts in the long run, because it can 

enable a more streamlined procedure 

involving fewer hearings. The arbitrator 

will be an experienced family lawyer 

selected by both former partners, who 

will set aside the whole time allocated, to 

deal with your matter, rather than having 

to juggle a number of matters as a judge 

usually has to do. An arbitrator’s decision 

is final, in the same way as a court 

decision, with both being subject to very 

limited grounds for appeal. 

If the issue is about child arrangements 

thought could be given to the instruction 

of an independent social worker (ISW). 

In many such cases, a report from 

CAFCASS (Children and Family Court 

Advisory Service) will be ordered by 

the courts, however the time allocated, 

and resources available to them, is 

often too limited to comprehensively 

investigate and assess the family 

involved and get to grips with the issues 

and the inter-family relationships. So, 

again, while the instruction of an ISW 

will involve an additional cost, they 

will be able to provide a thorough and 

detailed assessment to the court and 

to the parents, which could facilitate an 

agreement and the suspension of the 

court proceedings. 

In short, only consider court proceedings 

after other avenues have been explored 

or where absolutely necessary, since the 

court process will mean that you both 

will no longer be in charge of the final 

decision, which, according to Channel 4’s 

survey, only 30% of parents were happy 

with. 

For professional advice and support, 

please contact B P Collins’ family partner, 

Sue Andrews on 01753 279046 / 

01844 397397 or email 

sue.andrews@bpcollins.co.uk. 

B P Collins can also help if you are 

a victim of domestic violence and 

direct communication is not possible. 

Support is also available by calling the 

National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 

0808 2000 247. 


REIMAGINED. 

OUR CHAMPAGNE 

ON ICE 

YOUR EXPERIENCE 

REIMAGINED 

Level 1, The Oracle Shopping Centre, Reading

Henley and Marlow Lifestyle Nov - Dec 2021

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