Country & Town House - November 2019 by Country & Town House Magazine

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

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Emeli Sandé’s bucket list

WHISKY GALORE Liquid is your best asset

SNOW PATROL Ski special

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CONTENTS N O V E M B E R 2 019

COLUMNS 18 20

THE GOOD LIFE Alice B-B goes off-grid in Iceland THE RURBANIST Toby Huntington-Whiteley

UPFRONT 25 26 28 30 32 36 38 40 41 42

RAKISH RALLY Fast fashion SARTORIAL SEASON Live for layering STYLE NOTEBOOK Maximalist maxis MY STYLE Huntsman’s Campbell Carey WELL GROOMED Men’s style news BODY LANGUAGE Big up the up-do BRIGHT YOUNG THING Chloe Pirrie POWDER ROOM Urban Retreat returns BODY & SOUL Should you join the CBD spree? SLEEPLESS NIGHTS What to do when the Sandman doesn’t call? Lucy Cleland undergoes a full-body reboot LUCIA LOVES New kids on The Row

THE GUIDE 49 52 54 56 58 60 62 64

THE DIARY Asprey reinvents exhibitions ARTIST’S STUDIO Sculptor Mel Fraser THE EXHIBITIONIST Ed Vaizey finds artistic merit to our tech obsession GOOD READS History repeats itself THE OLYMPIAN Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson ROAD TEST Nissan Leaf e+ SEEDER’S DIGEST All about alliums CONVERSATIONS AT SCARFES BAR Jay Rayner lets out his inner critic

FEATURES 69

BEHIND EVERY MANN Marcus Scriven meets Amanda Mann to find out what life means after a coup A GREAT ESCAPE Jeremy Taylor relives a bit of movie magic on the back of an exact replica of the motorbike used by Steve McQueen to film that jump CIGAR SAFARI Nick Hammond puffs his way around the world LIQUID ASSETS Put your money where your mouth is: Alice Lascelles reveals the whisky distilleries worth a punt

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www.tasaki.co.uk

170 New Bond Street 020 3967 3730

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CONTENTS N O V E M B E R 2 019

FEATURES 82

ON THE RIGHT FOOT British shoemakers make for fancy feet. Matt Thomas selects the shoes with real savoire-faire

Prepare yourself for the première neige with Felix Milns’ comprehensive guide to the ski season ahead. From Bond-style chalets to the five-star resorts opening their doors for the first time. The only thing that you have to remember is the way home from the après bar

ON PISTE

INSIDER 111 112 114 114 114

HOW’S IT HANGING? A fabulous floral chandelier THINK PINK Join the blush rush DESIGN NOTES Coffee table books CHILD’S PLAY Design for your mini me DESIGN Q&A India Whalley

FOOD & TRAVEL 145 SONG OF ICE AND FIRE Caiti Grove

goes ice fishing with a drill 145 SEVILLE WITH JOSÉ PIZARRO

A chef’s eye view of the Spanish city 150 FLYING THE NEST Scotland makes

the perfect escape from the children 152 THE WEEKENDER Umeå, Sweden 150 THE HOTEL WIZARD All the fun 156 160 161 162

of the forest THE BUCKET LIST Emeli Sandé GASTRO GOSSIP A £500 cuppa SEOUL FOOD Judy Joo’s seafood soup FORK & FIELD Theatreland favourites

ON THE MOVE 165 PROPERTY OF THE MONTH 166 BUDGET ALPS How to do a chalet

on the cheap(ish) 168 MY HOUSE Valerie Messika 169 FIVE OF THE BEST Detached townies

Gunter & Co

ON THE COVER Lisa Fratani @ Le Management wears jumpsuit and baselayer by Fusalp @ Net-a-Porter.com. Goggles by Smith Optics. Photography by Christine Kreiselmaier. Fashion direction by Nicole Smallwood. Hair and Make-up by Marisol Steward at Frank Agency using NARS and EVO hair

REGULARS 12 EDITOR’S LETTER 14 CONTRIBUTORS 164 STOCKISTS

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25 EDITOR’S PICKS

REDECORATE Bringing blooms inside thanks to Cole & Son, on my interiors wish list

EDITOR’S LETTER

’m often asked about the future of print magazines and whether there is one. My considered answer is the following: yes, we have our challenges (the digital takeover; change of traditional advertising model; economic uncertainty; the ‘B’ word); however, I point to the success of podcasts (basically radio for the Millennial age, when everyone thought radio was dead) and the fact that there were queues to buy Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments, a printed book (yes, printed!). A tangible product that has been crafted with consideration, tells stories written and edited by some of the most experienced journalists in the business, shares ideas relevant to its audience and is beautifully designed,

most definitely still has a place. The printed word on paper is a respite from the frenetic pace of social media and the exhausting scrolling of thumb. A magazine becomes a hot bubble bath, a glass of wine at the end of the day, a wonderful bit of escapism. It does not mean though that we have become complacent. To date, we have one of the most successful interiors podcasts, The House Guest (now on BA inflight entertainment), a great weekly newsletter to help you plan your weekend; a dynamic culture hub in our What’s On by Country & Town House website, not to mention our portfolio of supplements. This month, we are introducing our first special ski section, On Piste, edited by Felix Milns. And while distressing news of funerals for glaciers filters through, I have learnt that Vail Resorts, which owns over 37 ski resorts worldwide, has pledged to become completely carbon neutral by 2030, which is incredibly heartening in an industry that has a lot to suffer from global warming and should hopefully poke a ski pole up the rear of other players. For all your ski news and more, turn to page 85. One role of a magazine is to root out people with a story to tell (who haven’t told it all over Twitter already). With that in mind, Marcus Scriven meets Amanda Mann, the wife of the mercenary Simon Mann who, along with Margaret Thatcher’s son, botched a coup attempt against the president of Equatorial Guinea in 2004, ending in his incarceration. Interesting stuff (p69). Enjoy reading this issue wherever you are – @countryandtown in the bath, on the slopes, /countryandtownhousemagazine /countryandtownhouse with a cup of tea... n

BUY I don’t know why but Acne Studios’ Musubi bag makes me smile

DRINK Boost your gut flora with Symprove for a happy tummy

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READ The Yellow House, Sarah Broom’s debut about life before and after Hurricane Katrina

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Bill Amberg

CONTRIBUTORS

FELIX MILNS

Who was your male role model when you were growing up? Robert Smith for music and poetry, Bryan Robson for sport and bloody-minded determination. I have a split personality. What is it to be a modern man? A delicate balancing act. Who would you most like to smoke a cigar with? Ernest Hemingway, talking Cuba on the veranda of Lookout Farm, his Finca home in Cuba. Where do you go to have fun on the ski slopes? All over the world!

NICK HAMMOND

savoirbeds.com

London

New York

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Paris

Shanghai

Hong Kong

Singapore

Who was your male role model when you were growing up? Probably some strong, silent type from a TV cowboy movie. I used to love Westerns – still do – and spent hours dreaming of drifting from town to town with only a six gun for a friend. Funny thing is, I’ve only ever ridden a horse once. What is it to be a modern man? A lot easier than it was to be a historical man, I suspect! I know we like to moan, but we’ve never had it so good. Who would you most like to smoke a cigar with? Jimmy Stewart. My favourite actor and, according to all I’ve read about him, a lovely man. Where do you go to have fun on the ski slopes? The nearest bar! Skiing has thus far escaped the scrutiny of the Hammond household.

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53 JERMYN STREET, LONDON | 118 HIGH STREET, ETON | 970 LEXINGTON AVENUE, NEW YORK NEWANDLINGWOOD.COM

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CONTRIBUTORS

MARCUS SCRIVEN

Who was your male role model when you were growing up? Clement Freud. He was impressively fat and seemed always to be eating. Obviously, recent disclosures have ripped the gilt from that particular gingerbread. What is it to be a modern man? I must ask one. Who would you most like to smoke a cigar with? Bill Clinton. Obviously. Where do you go to have fun on the ski slopes? Essex. Doesn’t everyone? The Brentwood Park Ski & Snowboard Centre – just 25 minutes from Rayleigh Karting Stadium – irresistible après ski.

MATT THOMAS

MADE IN ENGLAND | SINCE 1879

140th Anniversary Collection

CROCKETTANDJONES.COM

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Who was your male role model when you were growing up? Andy Warhol and Lou Reed. They represented strange glamour, weird genius and escape from suburbia! What is it to be a modern man? It is to be conscious, caring and careful. Who would you most like to smoke a cigar with? David Hockney. He’s a big, unreconstructed smoker, a great wit and an all round legend. I’d also ask for style tips. Where do you go to have fun on the ski slopes? To Chel-Ski in London. Less air miles, warmer, safer and a great Alpine bar!

26/09/2019 17:21

140 years have passed since Charles Jones and Sir James Crockett joined forces to create what is now regarded as one of the finest shoemakers in the world - Crockett & Jones. The story of a shoemaker (Jones) and a businessman (Crockett) unfolded, resulting in an incredibly successful shoe manufacturing ‘firm’ that has remained in the careful hands of a Jones ever since.

140th

BY APPOINTMENT TO HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES MANUFACTURER AND SUPPLIER OF FOOTWEAR CROCKETT & JONES LIMITED, NORTHAMPTON

Anniversary Collection MADE IN ENGLAND | SINCE 1879

CROCKETTANDJONES.COM

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CO U NTRYA N DTOW N H O U S E .CO.U K

EDITOR Lucy Cleland EDITOR-AT-LARGE Alice B-B ASSOCIATE EDITOR Charlotte Metcalf MANAGING EDITOR Anastasia Bernhardt SUB EDITOR Belinda Bamber FEATURES ASSISTANT & SUB EDITOR Sofia Tindall FASHION DIRECTOR Nicole Smallwood BEAUTY DIRECTOR Nathalie Eleni FASHION EDITOR Lucy Bond LUXURY EDITOR Lucia van der Post INTERIORS EDITOR Carole Annett JEWELLERY EDITOR Annabel Davidson EXECUTIVE RETAIL EDITOR Mariella Tandy PROPERTY EDITOR Anna Tyzack MOTORING EDITOR Jeremy Taylor ONLINE EDITOR Rebecca Cox ONLINE WRITER Ellie Smith ONLINE ASSISTANT Daniella Saunders CREATIVE & PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Parm Bhamra JUNIOR PRODUCTION DESIGNER Samuel Thomas LUXURY LIFESTYLE ADVERTISING MANAGER Ellie Rix ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER Eleanor Selby ACCOUNT MANAGERS Shanna Whaley and Bianca Maraney DIGITAL MANAGER Adam Dean TECHNICAL MANAGER Hannah Johnson TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Mark Pearson DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL STRATEGY Wil Harris ACCOUNTS & CREDIT CONTROLLER Aimi Nicastro SALES & OFFICE MANAGER Daisy Orr-Ewing FINANCE DIRECTOR Jill Newey PROPERTY & MARKETING ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Gemma Cowley GROUP PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Tia Graham MANAGING DIRECTOR Jeremy Isaac CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Stephen Bayley, Simon de Burton, Fiona Duncan, Olivia Falcon, Daisy Finer, Lydia Gard, Avril Groom, Richard Hopton, Emma Love, Mary Lussiana, Anna Pasternak, Caroline Phillips, Holly Rubenstein, Marcus Scriven, Gabriella le Breton, Abigail Butcher

Celebrate Christmas with a BANG! ‘Tis the season to start thinking about those all important Christmas presents. West London Shooting School has a wide range of gift vouchers, that will cater for everyone’s shooting needs. From novice to experienced shot, our gift vouchers will allow for an exciting experience that won’t be forgotten!

THE EDITOR editorial@countryandtownhouse.co.uk FASHION fashion@countryandtownhouse.co.uk ADVERTISING advertising@countryandtownhouse.co.uk PROPERTY ADVERTISING property@countryandtownhouse.co.uk ACCOUNTS accounts@countryandtownhouse.co.uk SUBSCRIPTIONS subscribe@countryandtownhouse.co.uk COUNTRY & TOWN HOUSE is a monthly magazine distributed to AB homes in Barnes, Battersea, Bayswater, Belgravia, Brook Green, Chelsea, Chiswick, Clapham, Coombe, Fulham, Holland Park, Kensington, Knightsbridge, Marylebone, Mayfair, Notting Hill, Pimlico, South Kensington, Wandsworth and Wimbledon, as well as being available from leading country and London estate agents. It is also on sale at selected WHSmith, Waitrose, Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury’s stores and independent newsagents nationwide. It has an estimated readership of 150,000. It is available on subscription in the UK for £29.99 per annum. To subscribe online, iPad, iPhone and android all for only £24.99 visit: exacteditions.com/read/countrytownhouse. For subscription enquiries, please call 020 7384 9011 or email subscribe@countryandtownhouse.co.uk. It is published by Country & Town House Ltd, Studio 2, Chelsea Gate Studios, 115 Harwood Road, London SW6 4QL (tel: 020 7384 9011). Registered number 576850 England and Wales. Printed in the UK by William Gibbons and Sons Ltd, West Midlands. Paper supplied by Gerald Judd. Distribution by Letterbox. Copyright © 2019 Country & Town House Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. Materials are accepted on the understanding that no liability is incurred for safe custody. The publisher cannot be responsible for unsolicited material. All prices are correct at the time of going to press but are subject to change. Whilst every care is taken to ensure information is correct at time of going to press, it is subject to change, and C&TH Ltd. takes no responsibility for omissions or errors.

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HANDMADE IN ENGLAND E T T I N G E R .CO.U K +44 (0)20 8877 1616

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COLUMN

what a stressful, time-wasting experience shopping can be. But is something else at play? Have we reached peak stuff? I probably wear just ten per cent of what’s in my wardrobe. But for occasional treats and gifts I’ll be looking to beauty brand Kjaer Weis, certified organic and encouraging zero waste by selling refills for all its chic ‘for-life’ packaging. Net-aPorter, which has launched Net Sustain, a platform that heroes environmentally-friendly brands. While Bamford’s new fragrances are 80 per cent certified organic with recycled packaging. My shade of green isn’t envy. APPARENTLY IT’S ABOUT SHAVING FACE. I recently met two women who regularly shave. Which sounds terrifying but they assure me it’s the answer to fluffy sideburns. I need Alice B-B on Icelandic elves, more research peak stuff and fluffy chops before I take a blade to my chops. But in other great beauty news, I’ve T DOESN’T GET BETTER discovered facials that incorporate THAN… floating in a geothermal body treatments. Waterhouse Young pool in remote Iceland, sipping offers a fully bespoke HydraFacial hot buttered rum while overhead the (the glowy results are instant), sky dances with mysterious Northern dialled up by lying on the Seqex Lights. Welcome to Deplar Farm, a electromagnetic bed (my yoga/ 13-room hotel in the Troll Peninsula, boxer’s elbow felt miraculously where winter days are spent heli skiing, better). While facialist Tarryn cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, Warren, formerly at Vivamayr clinic Viking-style axe throwing or skidoo in Austria, has taken up residency at racing across the mountains. Then Bodyism in Notting Hill. My tailored it’s back to the former-sheep farm facial included micro-needling with transformed into the cabin of my copper and hyaluronic acid followed dreams, with cosy bedrooms, food by LED light therapy and infusion by Iceland’s top chef and the most with ultrasound, all while beautiful spa I’ve ever seen; saunas, wearing a Body Ballancer an icy outdoor plunge, flotation tanks lymphatic drainage suit, and massage with a belching shamanic inflating and deflating for healer, while every room has floora full de-puff, which lowers to-ceiling views across the dramatic cortisol and sets the body landscape. And just to top it all, 54 into rest and digest for per cent of Icelandic people believe cellular, organs and skin in elves. The magic is infectious. repair. It’s time to double AROUND 14 SHOPS CLOSE up and work on the whole EVERY DAY IN THE UK. shebang – not just the Obviously clicking ‘buy’ from boat race. n the sofa at home has highlighted

LU XU RY & N ECESSIT Y

SKI-SUIT SORTED Cosy cashmere at madeleine-thompson.com DOUBLE UP Face and body as one tarrynbespokeskincare.com

THE GOOD LIFE

Chilling at -110°C in London’s first medical grade cryotherapy chamber. apogiiclinic.co.uk

Strolling across Cotswolds fields for lunch at The Swann at Ascott under Wychwood. country creatures.com

Feeling smugly non-slip on my eco-friendly cork yoga mat. corkspace.co.uk 3

PROTECT AND HYDRATE Silver Skin. omorovicza.com

REFILL AND REUSE Sensible beauty. kjaerweis.com ELVES AND TROLLS Snow time at Deplar Farm elevenexperience.com

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES; © JANE MCLEISH-KELSEY

THIS MONTH I’LL BE

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Change your morning ritual.

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INTERVIEW

THE RURBANIST

Toby Huntington-Whiteley needs a daily workout and a good night’s sleep When I travel, I’ll be wearing my favourite Love Brand swim shorts and linen shirts every day I can. Last book you read? The Daily Stoic. It gives you daily insight and exercises to help with day-to-day life. Most valuable piece of advice you’ve received?

Not to take myself too seriously. What brings out the worst in you? Lack of sleep is a killer for me. I really can’t function properly if I don’t sleep well. What was the last song you listened to that made you dance? I only dance when I’m drunk, so I can’t remember,

but I can tell you the last time I was out drunk; watching the Formula E race in Monaco earlier this year. We ended up in a very fancy club – it was an incredibly fun and messy night. Favourite game? I love playing Backgammon and always take a mini board with me when I go on holiday. What would really improve your life? A dog. I’m desperate to get one but I can’t justify having one in London and having a busy work schedule. Especially as I would love a Great Dane. Signature dish? I make a mean aubergine parmigiana. Where was the last place you ‘discovered’? I was in

Ibiza early this year shooting a swimwear range for Love Brand & Co. We were driving all over the island finding amazing beaches and small fishing villages to shoot. I loved it so much I’m going back out later this summer. n

Where’s home to you? It will

always be Devon. It’s where I grew up and my parents still live there. Where do you go to lose yourself?

I love to escape to my family home near Bordeaux. It’s in the middle of nowhere and days revolve around dog walks and the next meal. Daily ritual? To work out. When I can’t fit it in, I really notice the difference in my mood. Secret place for a good night out?

What never fails to bring a smile to your face? FaceTiming my little

nephew Jack, he makes me laugh. What item in your wardrobe do you wear the most? My gym

kit, which I wear daily for work.

FROM ABOVE: Shooting the Love Brand & Co campaign in Ibiza; Toby escapes to Bordeaux; Love Brand & Co shirt and trunks; daily meditations on life; Toby pines after a Great Dane

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES

My local pubs, the Wolfpack and The Alice House, in Queen’s Park.

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STYLE BEAUTY JEWELLERY PA RT I E S

UP FRONT

RAKISH RALLY

PHOTO: JAMES MCNAUGHT

Connolly is to racing cars what Ralph is to polo, so it’s no surprise that it’s partnering with Goodwood for a capsule collection. Inspired by Lord ‘Freddie’ March (and a handful of other racing legends), each of the 19 pieces comes with their own story, making them all the more unique. connollyengland.com

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UP FRONT

Brunello Cucinelli Knit, £1,190

Moscot Sunglasses, £285

Hackett Coat, £575

New & Lingwood Coat, £1,250

Richard James Socks, £18

Grenfell 1923 Jacket, £350

Mackintosh Coat, £1,195

Belstaff Trousers, £160 Nanushka Coat, £590

Turnbull & Asser V-neck, £395

Baudoin & Lange Loafers, £960

S T Y L E

SARTORIAL SEASON Transition like a boss, says Rosalyn Wikeley

Billy Reid Cardigan, £530

Connolly Cable knit, £395

Forget the awkward, ‘transitional spell’ stigma, autumn is the optimum season for men’s wardrobes. There’s enough of a chill to warrant that structured, statuesque coat, while this crisp, leafy time of year summons chunky boots and polished loafers out of storage and onto the pavements. Layering can have its moment, as can the woolly jumper, whose allure with a pair of specs, shaggy hair and off-duty jeans knows no bounds. Scandi and British macs have morphed into a handsome hybrid: less Inspector, more fancy fisherman. n

Smythson Satchel messenger, £1,695

Edward Green Galway cap-toe boots £1,175

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T I M E L E S S I TA L I A N M E N S W E A R F O R T H O S E W H O A P P R E C I AT E C R A F T S M A N S H I P D I R E C T LY F R O M T H E M A K E R S

LUCAFALONI.COM Proudly Made in Italy

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UP FRONT MICRO TREND

WOOLLY TALES

Richard Quinn

HADES Jumper, £220. theplace london.co.uk

PUMP UP THE VOLUME

Now that the merry-go-round that is London Fashion Week is over, what can we glean about what we’ll be wearing next spring? Big dresses, if some of our favourite Brit designers have anything to say about it. Molly Goddard (made famous for that dress in Killing Eve), Richard Quinn and Simone Rocha all embraced the max factor. So whatever you do this season, go large.

TAKE THREE

AUTUMN BAGS

BRORA Mohair houndstooth tank, £139. brora.co.uk

Molly Goddard

F A S H I O N

N E W S

STYLE NOTEBOOK Recycling wool and updating your bag

BURBERRY Merino wool and cashmere blend cape, £490. net-a-porter.com

KNITSS Trousers, £248. knitss.com

THE ROW’S WAR ON WASTE

Savile Row’s youngest tailor, Cad & The Dandy, has rebooted The Row’s age-old custom of recycling its wool off-cuts, which was stalled 20 years ago. Kicking off in Wool Week (28 Sept to 6 Oct), it’s expected to save thousands of tonnes from the bin. cadandthedandy.co.uk

The Row’s first female tailor, Gormley & Gamble, has always made sure to recycle its excess materials

1 Mulberry Iris, £1,250 2 Paradise Row x Venetia Berry, £425 3 Zadig & Voltaire x Kate Moss, £555

THE PERILS OF FAST FASHION Dana Thomas’ Fashionopolis exposes fashion’s toxic relationship with the environment in its pursuit of ‘unbridled capitalism’. If anything can persuade you to change your habits, this will. Apollo, £20

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UP FRONT Campbell Carey

Q & A

MY STYLE

Sharp tailoring is key for Huntsman’s creative director, Campbell Carey Dressing up? I’m going to the Fashion Awards and I’ll be wearing something tartan. Wardrobe anxiety? Getting the shoe choice right. It can really finish a look – or not. Style failsafes? George Cleverley loafers, they’re perfect for travelling, especially at the airport. Everyday uniform? As Creative Director at Huntsman, it’s always a three-piece suit. Unless it is dress down Friday, when it’s a blazer or tweed sports jacket. It’s a perk of the job getting to wear the finest tailoring in the world. Style crush? French architect Robert Couturier is the most stylish gentleman – effortless elegance, every day. Power dressing? A navy blue suit with a white shirt has been scientifically proven to be the most trustworthy of suit looks. I’d pair this with one of our exclusive grenadine ties from Japan, which are woven on

traditional kimono silk looms. Lounge lizard? A Raglan sleeve shirt by La Paz with a pair of five wale corduroys. Finishing touches? Shoes and scarf are the most interchangeable. Hidden labels? Porto-based La Paz takes inspiration from the Atlantic coast. The choice of cloth is crucial and these guys get it spot on. Favourite online retailer? The right fit for cycle clothing is paramount. Rapha has made it so easy to achieve perfect fit with free returns. Trend? It’s all about Alpine allure, so I’m making a Huntsman Tweed ski jacket with matching plus twos inspired by a 1920s bespoke version I saw recently at the V&A archives. Style cheats? One of our hopsack blazers will see you dressed up or down from daytime through to evening. n

1 Rapha Commuter jacket, £100. rapha.cc 2 Huntsman Linen shirt, £230. huntsmansavilerow.com 3 La Paz Raglan shirt, £110. johnlewis. com 4 Cordings Corduroy trousers, £110. cordings.co.uk 5 George Cleverley Loafers, £525. georgecleverley.com

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THE HOME OF COUNTRY CLOTHING

Wh ere el se i n t h e worl d woul d you p ay £ 3 5 0 f or a t h ree- p i ece t weed sui t ? Masterfully tailored in British pure new wool Shetland tweed, this handsome three piece suit is representative of the impeccable attention to detail that you’ll find throughout our country clothing collection. The classic jacket features twin back vents and four-button cuffs, while the new double-breasted waistcoat flatters with its satin back panel and sculptured shawl collar. The practical and hardwearing trousers, with their flat front, French bearer and back hip pockets, complete this iconic suit in a unique combination of quality, value and style. Buy all three pieces together for an added discount of £50 off.

TWEED JACK ET TR4 05 7 5 | £ 19 9 .9 5 D B TWEED WAISTCOAT TR4 067 5 | £ 9 9 .9 5 TWEED TROUSERS TP 3 0100 | £ 9 9 .9 5 (all available in five British tweeds)

Ex p eri ence t h e v ery b est i n cont emp orary count ry cl ot h i ng . Vi si t our web si t e t od ay:

www.h ouseof b ruar.com To req uest our l at est mai l ord er cat al og ue p l ease ri ng 017 9 6 4 83 23 6

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UP FRONT

TIME TO GLOW

Jaeger-LeCoultre has reinterpreted its Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon Céleste, with a sleek new-generation case and subtle refinement of the dial, which now gives a heavenly glow to the hour markers and constellations thanks to the use of Super-LumiNova™. £POA. jaeger-lecoultre.com

M E N ’ S

COOL ENCAPSULATED Mr P, the own-label capsule from style destination Mr Porter, returns with its tenth and largest collection yet, spanning 112 autumnready pieces. Oversized raincoat, £475; sweater, £140; houndstooth trousers, £175. mrporter.com

S T Y L E

WELL GROOMED Royal caps and belts with a conscience. By Matt Thomas

TOP HATS

The UK’s oldest hat brand Lock & Co has created a luxurious new collection using Escorial wool (once reserved solely for Spanish royalty) and working with Europe’s premier felters to produce stylish and sustainable collection. Escorial Tremelo brown check cap, £145. lockhatters.co.uk.

K N I T T E D W I T H CR A F T John Smedley is celebrating 235 years of craftsmanship by showcasing British skills on a global scale, working with makers from across the British Isles at a series of events in addition to launching a special three-fibre collection to commemorate the milestone. johnsmedley.com

SEASON TO SEASON Not just for the beach, transition into winter with this snug green number from Orlebar Brown, which now offers gear to span all seasons. Hilgard coat, £445. orlebarbrown.com

GREEN BELT

Pioneering luxury British eco accessories brand Watson & Wolfe presents the first ever traditionally constructed, cruelty-free belt, made from ingenious eco leather (more than 50 per cent sustainably sourced bio plant material). £50. watsonwolfe.com

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THE FINEST BRITISH COUNTRY WEAR Discover the new collection in-store and online now

9 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5NP

T: +44 (0)207 484 1000

E: info@farlows.co.uk

www.farlows.co.uk

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UP FRONT

MIND & M ATT ER

SIP 15th Degree JetFuel Travel Supplements. Energising and calming mircodose sachets of punchy vitamins for frequent flyers to take the edge of travel fatigue and jet lag. £40. netaporter.com

R E V I E W

BODY LANGUAGE Olivia Falcon on how to have a good hair day

PAINT Dr David Jack’s colourful face peels. Red with retinol acid for acne, blue with ceramides for dry skin and rosacea, while yellow diminishes pigmentation with Kojic acid. £139. spacenk.com

DOWNLOAD Yr.no is a brilliantly precise weather forecast app used by the most canny hikers and also, it is said, the Queen’s household.

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES

hairbands and how to move my childish ponytail into hen it comes to hair styling, I have zero skills. something more chic and French looking. Be it my own hair or my daughters’, I’m She also has tonnes of practical advice. My hair had rubbish. My last attempt at school-gate styling been looking particularly dire of late and I couldn’t seem ended in tears and me having to cut a dreadlock out of my to shake an untamable halo of frizz. Zoë explained, as you younger one’s mane, so when my friend, Zoë Irwin, John reach your forties, hair – like skin – tends to get drier and Frieda Salons’ new Creative Director and international less moisture means a frizzier texture. She showed me a trend guru, invited me to come and road test her new flash cooling technique that she picked up at Princeton Masterclass in Styling (£100) at the Alford Street Salon, University where they study the science of hair. The idea Mayfair, the kids practically pushed me out the door. here is the quicker you take hair from hot to cold with Tucked away from the buzz of the dryers, Zoë has an a hairdryer, the better it sets and more control you have amazing Aladdin’s cave of grown-up hair accessories. over it. It also looked far shinier too. There’s buttery soft, nude and pastel Corinne leather bands Rather than dowsing my head to wrap round pony tails, Born In The Sun with volumising spray as I usually velvet and corduroy hairbands to smarten do, Zoë also schooled me in art of up your work look and, for the Christmas precision product placement. This party season, Gucci-inspired ’70s turbans involves dabbing a couple of different and hairbands embellished with green, products on the back of your hand amber and ochre coloured crystals. I like a make-up artist, dipping your wanted to swipe the lot. It’s hair heaven. fingertips in and then raking them through The Masterclass is designed to teach different areas of scalp. Zoe has masses of people how to style their hair around products to hand but she whisked Colour accessories – yes there is more to just Wow Raise The Root through my crown, clipping something in. Zoë often and then raked Virtue’s 6-in-1 Styler over references the old school ways of the Styling ideas from the flyaways on my forehead. It worked 1960s and ’70s. She showed me how to a John Frieda masterclass a treat. Bring on the wind machine. n tease my hair for volume, tong it around 36 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | November 2019

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Experience Vitamin C skin care at its most potent. Dr Sebagh Pure Vitamin C Powder Cream delivers a stabilised and highly concentrated dose of pharmaceutical grade Vitamin C which is only activated on contact with your skin. Mix with any Dr Sebagh serum, exfoliating mask or moisturiser for an instant and powerful brightening boost with antioxidant protection against external aggressors. It can also be applied directly on its own to help lighten brown spots. Available in-store and at drsebagh.com

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UP FRONT

Q & A

BRIGHT YOUNG THING

Actor Chloe Pirrie spends a day with the Met What did you love most about playing Karen in Temple? It was really

TEAM Make-up: @Nathalieeleni_beauty Hair: Chloe Sandoz Photo: @RVDS Styling: Helen Sykes Chloe Pirrie wears dress by Amanda Wakeley and rings by Nanis

GET THE LOOK

fun to play a police officer, and I love my character’s no-nonsense persona. My character is one half of a police duo who spend their days driving around trying to solve crime together, so working closely with one person like that and trying to find the power dynamics between one another was really interesting. The humour in the writing is fantastic, and coupled with the traits of my character, made it a really fun thing to play with. Any funny on-set stories? In the name of research, we spent the day with the police, which involved a ride-along in Southwark. We went from grabbing a bite to eat at Sainsbury’s to tearing down alleys at 80mph, which made one of the cast members sick. Just when we thought the day was over, we got a call to say that a horse had escaped from a circus in Peckham. Luckily, by the time we got there, the horse had been caught. Carnival Row is on Amazon Prime and Temple on Sky One and NOW TV n

Ruby red blurred lips

Prep your skin with Quantum Botanika Hydrating Gel, a silky, lightweight gel blended with organic Bulgarian Rose Oil, Aloe Vera and Acmella Oleracea extract to instantly plump and smooth to make skin glow, a perfect pre-make up prep. £65. nataliyarobinson.co.uk

2 3 4 5

For a soft-focus finish, apply Guerlain L’Essentiel Natural Glow Foundation 16h Wear SPF20, a breathable formula that provides a glowing and natural, long lasting finish. £44. harrods.com

Apply Shiro Shea Cheek Butter to the apples of your cheeks for a delicate pink flush of colour. £40. shiro-shiro.uk

For loose, luxurious, yet ‘un-done’ waves, use T3 Bodywaver Styling Wand. Using state-of-the-art technology that keeps hair healthy, while holding a curl longer than most, creates a do that looks just as good the day after. £125. t3haircare.co.uk For a beautiful blurred lip press Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips 2 Patsy Red onto lips, adding layers and blend around the lip line with a small fluffy brush. £28. spacenk.com

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UP FRONT TEAM Make-up: @nathalieeleni_beauty Hair: Paul Edmonds Photo: @RVDS Model: @lizagulyaewa Wears Rodial Skin Tint and Tropic Colour Palette

SKIN CLINIC

Luminous Skin

RODIAL Skin Tint + SPF20. £45. rodial.co.uk

MEDIK8 Clarity Peptides. £40. medik8.com

DR SEBAGH Pure Vitamin C Powder Cream. £79. drsebagh.com

NEW RELEASES

HOT OFF THE PRESS

1 The new St Tropez Purity Bronzing Water Gel is a clear and lightweight gel-to-water formula that develops into a natural, golden tan in just three hours. £33. sttropeztan.co.uk 2 Thameen Royal Sapphire eau de parfum will make you feel like a queen. From bergamot to dry woods, this head-turner of a fragrance creates both a sweet and smoky aura. £195 for 50ml at selfridges.com 3 The Biotin Hair Care Plan keeps hair in tip-top condition, adding shine, health and vitality. From £130 for one month’s supply. simonethomas wellness.com

B E A U T Y

POWDER ROOM

Nathalie Eleni sniffs out the scents of the season

HEAVENLY SCENT

WARMING SCENTS FOR YOUR HOME

1 Floris Ginger & Sandalwood Scented Reed Diffuser is an energising and uplifting scent, leading with fiery ginger and swirling into the creaminess of sandalwood. £70. florislondon.com 2 Elm Rd Studio Collection Candle in Secret is inspired by Manhattan’s secret bars and speakeasy. Think vintage leather, tobacco and expensive cologne. £34. elmrd.com 3 Create a sacred space with JOGB MOJO Sensual Candle, an eco-loving, plant-based soy and rapeseed wax candle. Blended with pure essential oils of musky ambrette seed, warming sandalwood and rose absolute oil. Bliss! £65. jogbliving.com

NEW TO TOWN

Set across five floors at The White House (no, not that one), on Hans Crescent, you’ll find Urban Retreat’s new beauty-meets-hospitality concept. urbanretreat.co.uk

PALETTE PERFECTION

TREAT YOURSELF

Curate your make-up with the customisable Tropic Colour Palette with refillable pan. From £8. tropicskincare.com

To the most beautifully designed manicure from a choice of their newly launched designs from DryBy London. dryby.co.uk

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UP FRONT W E L L N E S S

BODY & SOUL

DAILY DOSE

Camilla Hewitt harnesses the power of CBD

BD is short for cannabidiol, which is one of more than 80 chemical cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. The secret to its apparent success lies in its interaction with your body’s natural endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is the largest biological system of receptors in the body, its job is to maintain homeostasis, or balance, regulating numerous bodily functions from appetite, fertility and stress and pain response to immune system function. CBD is believed to bring stability and order by supplementing the ECS, activating the body to use more of its own cannabinoids. Kim Smith, founder of CDB brand Kloris, explains that finding the lowest effective dose for you depends on a variety of factors to do with strength of oil, body mass, metabolism and age. You will only receive the right ‘minimum’ after two weeks of daily use, administered under the tongue.

After this time, you should feel some form of enhancing effect using the lowest possible amount. Once you find a dose that feels like it’s working, bear in mind that your body is a dynamic system and changes in sensitivity may occur. Intermittent symptom tracking will help you know when to adjust your dose. Kim recommends you start low and go slow, allow two to three days before working your way up. This process is called micro-dosing, meaning you are in charge of finding the optimal dose for you. Whether you choose to add a few drops of CBD oil to your morning coffee or apply a soothing CBD lotion to your skin before bed, I have complied the ultimate CBD hotlist (right) to help you find calm amid everyday chaos.

TH E TR E ATM ENT

COWSHED SPA

London W1

Cowshed Spa has teamed up with MariPharm to create two bespoke CBD treatments. An anti-inflammatory version of the signature Cowshed facial, using CBD-infused cream, addresses issues such as hormonal acne, rosacea, psoriasis and eczema. The de-stressing Moody massage has been enhanced with MariPharm’s essential oil that has the topical benefits of the cannabis plant. cowshed.com

THE ONE-STOP SHOP The Chillery boasts a sharply curated selection of CBD products from around the world. Divided into five key treatment areas, this CBD e-commerce platform provides education and premium product recommendations for sleep, stress, pain, beauty and intimacy. thechillery.co

THE RESTURANT Farmacy in London’s Notting Hill uses the cannabis-derived superfood in a selection of drinks, such as the OMG Syringe Shot, Grass Me Up smoothie and Something About Mary cocktail. Perfect for pre-gym or post-yoga. farmacylondon.com THE DRINK Each can of TRIP has been infused with 15mg full spectrum CBD to aid better sleep and relieve anxiety. The drinks also contain natural adaptogens, such as turmeric, ginseng and lemon balm, which help sooth stress while improving immunity and focus. drink-trip.com

THE GIFT The perfect gift for a friend in need, the Daylesford CBD ten per cent Bliss hamper has been curated to relieve anxiety and help you unwind. daylesford.com

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UP FRONT Unable to sleep, just like Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation, Lucy found help from Dr Sabine Donnai (below right)

H E A L T H

SLEEPLESS NIGHTS

’m not at death’s door, not yet anyway. That’s reassuring. Plus I have good DNA from my parents (thank you), which means that my genes are not predisposed to cancer or Alzheimer’s. Two biggies, though of course lifestyle has its part to play. However, and there is a big however, I do have some health red alerts. Everyone’s default state nowadays seems pretty much to be utter exhaustion (or is that only me?), but I wanted to know exactly why, however much sleep I had, however much I stopped drinking, exercised and ate well, I was still completely shattered the whole time. Where was the joy, the spring in my step? Why was I constantly pushing uphill? I needed some answers. I needed my spark. Cue Viavi. Former Medical Director of Nuffield Health, Dr Sabine Donnai and her crack team, including co-founder and applied physiologist Oliver Patrick, give clients (mostly master of the universe types who want to control every aspect of their lives) what must be the most comprehensive health check there is (and yes, it’s expensive). The tests are all done

and then analysed together, so they form a complete, holistic view of the health of your body and, crucially, your mind too. From saliva, urine and faeces sampling, a smear, mammogram and a musculoskeletal assessment to psychological testing, an ECG and CNS (central nervous system) assessment, just for starters, the process is intense. But the time saved by having everything done at once, instead of being batted from here to there by either the NHS or a series of specialists who don’t necessarily look at your whole health picture, it’s a chance to really dig deep. Health is a journey, after all and the way to bad health begins weeks, months and even years before we notice it. Symptoms are the cries for help but knowing your health past and its forward trajectory gives you the power to intervene and to see where things might potentially go wrong in the future. It’s empowering – and overwhelming. My health was put as ‘dysfunctional but well’, meaning that while I wasn’t exhibiting symptoms that needed acute or urgent intervention, Dr Donnai wanted to change

PHOTO: REX FEATURES

Fed up of feeling exhausted, Lucy Cleland underwent the most intensive health check possible with Viavi to better understand why

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the narrative to ‘functional and well’. Apart from a few deficiencies – calcium, Vitamin D (everyone should take this as we get so little sunlight), Vitamin B and Omega 3s, just to reel off a few, it was my hormone imbalance (the happiness ones in low supply; the stress-inducing ones having a field day), bad gut bacteria and acute stress, sleep and lack of energy that sent the alarm bells ringing. Shockingly my sleep monitor revealed on a normal night (i.e. no alcohol and 10pm bedtime), I only recouped three hours of proper restorative sleep; when I was drinking, I got nothing, zero, zilch. I was digging into my reserve supply and topping up energy levels with trans fats. The final test, and the most revealing, was the CNS assessment which mapped my brainwaves. Normal, functioning brains display balanced brainwaves. My graph was all over the place. ‘Your brain is in a hyper-vigilant state,’ said Dr Donnai. ‘The tests show that you sustained three or four gross head injuries as a child [that will be the falling off horses, then] and emotional trauma. It shows your brain is in complete disarray; it’s functioning but always looking for trouble.’ My brain sounds like a gunslinging cowboy... But here, finally, was the physiological evidence as to why I was feeling so lacklustre – proved by medical science, but also the backstory as to how my body had arrived there. The crucial question came next: was there a wand that could be waved to fix all this and stave off future degradation. As disease is a sequence of events leading to symptoms and illness, explained Dr Donnai, so is good health. ‘A lot of support needs to take place to restore damage done and imbalances achieved. We need to get as close as possible to that first domino that toppled over to repair the rest and get to robust health again. Not addressing this would mean a slippery slope to autoimmune disease [genetic vulnerability combined with inflammatory markers raised already], chronic fatigue and increased risk of depression and brain fog.’ Jeez. Luckily, I’m not yet a write-off. Now that the connection between the brain and gut (the ‘second brain’) has become far better understood, I can start by getting my gut back on track (blast the bad bacteria with garlic capsules) and hold off dairy and provocative foodstuffs for a few weeks (deciphered through tolerance testing), then repopulate with good bacteria (by drinking Symprove which delivers live bacteria direct to your gut in a much more direct way than a probiotic capsule), and go for some sessions of Neurofeedback – a non-invasive therapy that can change the brain and decrease the tone around trauma. This is just the start of the journey, of course. But until I get the basics working and my brain is receptive and able to process, says Dr Donnai, there’s no point in trying to support myself through psychotherapy. ‘It would be like watering a flower that’s planted in the sand.’ One step at a time. Viavi Health Assessment, from £10,000. viavi.com

FIVE HE A LTH H ACK S MEDITATION It has been scientifically proven that meditation reduces stress, controls anxiety, promotes emotional health and lengthens attention span. Read The Effortless Mind by Will Williams, £9.99

CARDIOVASCULAR EXERCISE This is the best type of exercise for the brain thanks to its impact on reducing excessive stress hormones and enhancing the ‘calming’ parasympathetic nervous system. The good news is that this calming benefit is a baseline change, so affects even non-exercise days. Book in for personal training with Body Doctor. bodydoctor.com SUFFICIENT MAGNESIUM High stress levels are strongly associated with excessive muscle tension. Sufficient cellular magnesium has a key role on reducing muscle tone and stopping a message to the brain to be hypervigilant looking for dangers and stresses that actually never arise. Take supplements or relax in a hot bath with Verdant Alchemy’s Mineral Bath Salts packed with magnesium. £26. verdantalchemy.co.uk

DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING In layman’s terms, belly breathing. It works to stimulate the vagus nerve – the action arm of the calming parasympathetic nervous system. It’s a real time switch to turn down stress and boost energy recovery. REDUCE CAFFEINE AND ALCOHOL Caffeine is a chemical equivalent of stress hormones. When busy, caffeine is petrol on the fire of stress. Alcohol, sold as a stress reliever, is the exact opposite of a stress reliever. A muscle relaxant – hence why a glass of wine feels good after a long day – alcohol disrupts sleep recovery and leaves you hanging for a morning coffee to buy back the natural energy lost.

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UP FRONT

L U X U R Y

LIFE’S LIT TLE LU XURIES

LUCIA LOVES

Shaking up Savile Row. By Lucia van der Post

FROM TOP: Model on right wears Serie shirt with bespoke suit, model on left wears Cadogan jacket and Grosvenor trousers; Cadogan jacket; knitted polo; model on left wears Rallison shirt and handmade trousers. Model on right wears Cadogan jacket with Serie polo

and slightly different from the smart/ casual clothes that were around. We were both obsessed with ’50s and ’60s style and are much inspired by that period. We felt there was room for a more romantic approach to men’s clothes.’ The Cadogan jacket (£900) is a riff on the classic safari jacket, except Yuri & Yuri has ‘Anglicised it a little bit – we’ve made it from waxed cotton and it is hand-made, down to the button-holes, using classic Savile Row tailoring techniques’. Also much soughtafter is its bespoke knitwear. Made in familyowned Korean workshops, it is all created to order and hand-stitched with lots of options for materials (including its patented fabric, Serie, which looks and feels like silk but is much more robust). Coming up – just in time for Christmas – is a range of dressing gowns made in silk linen echoing 1930s glamour. Look out, too, for super comfortable boxing pants designed for sleeping in. There is also a fully bespoke option. yuriyuri.co.uk n

BANGLE JANGLE Dinosaur Designs, that lively Australian company that makes delicious jewellery and homeware out of resin, has a beautiful new collection out for autumn. Prices start at £60 for the thinner bangles but I like best the big, bold ones (£85). dinosaurdesigns.co.uk

SOFA SLEEPOVER Ligne Roset has come up with a brilliant design for a sofa bed. It calls it the Clam and while it looks serenely elegant as a sofa, it can also be turned into a day bed. In appearance it is much lighter and less clumsy looking than most convertibles. Not cheap at £3,692 but cheaper than moving house. ligne-roset.com

FOOT SPA Favourite shoes looking a bit down at heel? Shoe Spa will come to the rescue. I still have a pair of Yves Saint Laurent shoes that a very generous friend gave me in the 1980s. I couldn’t bear to throw them away and yet the strap on one was wearing too thin for them to be wearable. They’re off to Shoe Spa this very week. Its motto is ‘Repair, reuse, restore’, which sounds about right for these eco-conscious times. shoespa.co.uk

PHOTOS: © SIMON LESLEY

uri & Yuri is so new that it seems somehow extraordinary that already some of its designs (in particular its Cadogan jacket), have become cult products. Launched just this March by Korean Yuri Choi and Will Field, who met while working for established Savile Row tailor Maurice Sedwell (he was a fabric supplier and she was a cutter), they decided to aim for the smart/casual niche. ‘Today, even places like Goldman Sachs have relaxed dress codes,’ says Field, ‘but it doesn’t mean that those who work there can afford to look scruffy. Our range is for professionals who don’t need to wear a suit.’ They decided that to make beautiful casual clothes, all would be hand-made from fine materials. Everything would be designed so that pieces could work together. Almost everything (except the knitwear) is made in London. ‘We thought,’ says Field, ‘that we could provide something better

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LEATHER FOOTWEAR & ACCESORIES FAIRFAXANDFAVOR.COM

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UP FRONT S O C I A L

S C E N E

HIGH SOCIETY People, parties, places

David Gandy and Anne, Princess Royal

Tim Blanks and Trino Verkade

Hannah Redmayne and Eddie Redmayne

Craig McGinlay

David Gandy and Paul Sculfor

John Gardiner and Kelly Hoppen

TAILOR MADE

There’s yet to be an event that’s left us wondering whether David Gandy and HRH Princess Anne had a chat in the cloakroom – until the book launch of Henry Poole & Co: The First Tailor Of Savile Row at Coutts. If we’d been banking with them for 200 years, we’d feel like throwing a lavish bash too.

Char Evans, Lady Tatiana Mountbatten and Jemima Cadbury

Mark Hix and Florence Walker

Jackie Sinclair

Gary Lineker

Kate Hobhouse and Michael Hue Williams

Rupert Friend and Aimee Mullins

Zia Zareem-Slade and Alice Channer

Sarah Bourghardt and Mat Collishaw David Remfry and Mark Hix

Artists and tastemakers celebrated Fortnum’s collaboration with Zhang Enli with canapés of roast duck with marmalade glaze and green tea macaroon. The culinary efforts were the perfect pairing to 19 paintings created by Enli specifically for Fortnum & Mason (whose work hangs in the Tate, no less).

GALA GOSSIP

Zhang Enli and Shanyan Koder

ARTY PARTY

Maggi Hambling

Guy Weston and Ina Weston xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx

In addition to a staggering imprint on fashion, Alexander McQueen established the Sarabande Foundation. Raising a glass of Gusbourne sparkling wine to the late design legend - Sarah Burton, Eddie Redmayne and Nicholas Kirkwood remembered his legacy in suitable style, with a showcase and immersive dinner.

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Gentleman wears Pembroke Smoking Jacket, Marcella Dress Shirt and Dinner Trousers

OLIVER BROWN C H E L S E A

E N G L A N D

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Colony Collection: Wallpaper, Print and Woven Fabrics

www.thibautdesign.com tel: 020 7737 6555

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Tiger Reserve Wallpaper. Curtains in Tiger Reserve. Cushions in Makena, Floral Gala, Timbuktu, Mombasa. Pasadena Chair in Grassmarket Check.

ART CU LT U R E BOOKS PEOPLE

THE GUIDE

NEW VIEW Simon de Pury and Asprey present a series of exhibitions as you’ve never seen before. Against the backdrop of Asprey’s eight private rooms, the atmosphere is ‘neither one of a gallery, nor of a store’, in de Pury’s words, but emulates the experience of living with the art. Comprising of Guillermo Lorca’s work – the inaugural exhibition is one for the little black book. 30 Sept to 3 Nov. asprey.com

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THE GUIDE

PHOTOGRAPHY

MODEL BEHAVIOUR

COUNTRY LIFE

CIRCUS

PUPPET MASTER

The Greatest Showman has left us hankering to roll up ringside but how to do the circus post-woke awakening? Brought to you by the puppeteers behind War Horse, Circus 1903 takes animal cruelty out of the equation, pulling strings to give life to full-sized elephants. Take the family to enjoy this stupendous show of strong men, contortionists and acrobats on their tour of Birmingham, Salford and Dublin before landing in London just before Christmas. 25 Oct to 5 Jan. circus1903.com

Wellness by the water. By Alex Bloom-Davis Roll up for a circus with a crucial difference

EXHIBITION

HORSE PLAY

One of the great animal painters, George Stubbs is most renowned for his portraits of horses. MK Gallery in Milton Keynes will show works including Stubbs’ most famous painting of Whistlejacket, as well as Eclipse, the undefeated forefather of today’s most pedigree thoroughbreds, next to the skeleton of Eclipse himself. 12 Oct to 26 Jan. mkgallery.org

Stubbs’ masterpiece, a portrait of Whistlejacket

MUSICAL

Dress to Impress A fairytale for our times, The Boy in The Dress enchants young readers about how brilliant it is to be different. Adapted from David Walliams’ highlyacclaimed book for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers soundtrack will stick in your head for the rest of the week. This is a mustsee modern classic. 8 Nov to 8 March. rsc.org.uk EXHIBITION

Renaissance Man As we head for the 500th year since Leonardo da Vinci’s death, museums across Europe are scrambling to create exhibitions to commemorate the ultimate Renaissance man. A collection of his sketches move from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Holyrood – A Life In Drawing is the largest collection of his work to ever come to Scotland. Now is your chance to get to know ‘Leonardo, the man’, in the Queen’s official Edinburgh residence. 22 Nov to 15 March. rct.uk

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THE J. PAUL GETTY MUSEUM, LOS ANGELES © ADAGP, PARIS AND DACS, LONDON 2019; ©MARTIN PARR; ©NOBBY CLARK; © JILLIAN EDELSTEIN

Pokot Dancers, Vanishing Africa collection by MirellaRicciardi

E V E N T S

DON’T MISS

PHOTOS: © MANUEL HARLAN; © LAURENT LIOTARDO

Witness worlds collide in an exciting collaboration between photographer Mirella Ricciardi and Augustus Brandt. Past and Present will celebrate Ricciardi’s 65 years capturing and recording East African tribal life, offering a never-before-glance at her film and fashion career. No wonder the supermodel elite (like Iman), hankered to work with her. 21 Sept to 20 Nov. augustusbrandt.co.uk

ART

SURREAL SNAPS

Dora Maar had an eye for the unusual, blazing new trails with her Surrealist photomontages and garnering commercial success in fashion and advertising. Tate Modern presents the largest retrospective of her work; a fitting tribute to the woman who inspired Picasso’s Weeping Woman. 20 Nov to 15 March. tate.org.uk

THE J. PAUL GETTY MUSEUM, LOS ANGELES © ADAGP, PARIS AND DACS, LONDON 2019; ©MARTIN PARR; ©NOBBY CLARK; © JILLIAN EDELSTEIN

PHOTOS: © MANUEL HARLAN; © LAURENT LIOTARDO

E V E N T S

TOWN LIFE

Dora Maar, Model in Swimsuit (c.1936)

PHOTOGRAPHY

Food on film and London lights up

EAT WITH YOUR EYES

If you’re frustrated by seeing your Instagram feed dominated by what people are having for lunch, take a deep breath and relax. Food has been the subject of photography for much longer than you might realise, as revealed at Feast for the Eyes at The Photographers’ Gallery, Soho. Don’t visit on an empty stomach. 8 Oct to 9 Feb. thephotographersgallery.org.uk

Martin Parr turns baked beans into art

My Brilliant Friend comes to The National Theatre

THEATRE

FRIENDS FOREVER?

Elena Ferrantes’ four Neapolitan novels examining female friendship in its most honest and searing way, took the literary world by storm when they were published in 2011. One HBO mini series and a theatre production at the Rose Theatre in Kingston later, the stage adaptation of My Brilliant Friend now comes to The National’s Olivier Theatre. 12 Nov to 22 Feb. nationaltheatre.org.uk

DON’T MISS EXHIBITION

Full Speed Ahead Even people who profess not to be into motoring still have a ‘dream car’, such is the attraction of the automobile. In Cars: Accelerating the Modern World, the V&A steers through 130 years of motoring history, from the world’s first flying car in 1953 to Graham, the crash test man evolved to naturally withstand car accidents. 23 Nov to 19 April. vam.ac.uk

PANTOMIME

Jack’s Makeover Grown-up kids, this is for you: this year, the Interior Designers’ Pantomime involves a magic ‘bling stalk’ lifting Jack up to lofty heights, and costumes designed by renowned fashion names (Vivienne Westwood is on the alumni). Even better, the production will raise money for William Yeoward’s charity, Screw Cancer. 3–7 Nov. designerspanto.com

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THE GUIDE Mel’s outdoor workshop

A R T I S T ’ S

S T U D I O

MEL FRASER

Caiti Grove finds that materials matter

or any artist, the search for authentic materials is tough. During a holiday to find Carrara marble, Cambridgeshire sculptor Mel Fraser was up against some bullish competition. ‘We camped out on the beach the night before,’ she recalls, ‘and next morning we drove to the yard and fell out of our beaten up old camper van, more or less at the feet of Franco Barattini,’ the quarry owner famous to sculptors and interior designers. Tuscany’s Carrara has served for centuries as the source of brilliant marble. Mined for the Pantheon and Michelangelo’s statue of David, it now attracts hotel owners and architects of Dubai palaces. ‘There were people there who wanted a new frontage for a bank, and I just wanted a scrap. He looked at this crowd in suits and said to his assistant, “You have them,” then pointed at us, “I’ll take you”.’ Mel got her marble. Nine years ago, the owners of her previous studio wanted to redevelop. Mel found a family a mile away with an enormous walled garden willing to house her entire workshop, ‘I knocked on the door and they said yes immediately, as though they were waiting for me.’ A dismantled conservatory strewn around the garden became her workshop, and an outhouse was refurbished to present finished pieces. ‘I always want to hurry the process – I can see in my head what

will eventually emerge in front of me, but I mustn’t be greedy.’ Alabaster is a stone so sensitive that it bruises into opaque flatness if it gets too hot, so the work demands a lengthy, cool process. Her playful experimentation with shapes and genre – abstract, portraiture, horses and languorous bodies – suggests she has never had to define her practice. This might be because she didn’t get into art school, a rejection she initially found very hard. She decided to teach herself. ‘I found a stone near a local quarry, and that was basically it,’ she says. Someone showed her how to use a chisel and later a saw, and after that an electric saw, but experimentation taught her how different stones react and how to compromise with a stone’s fault lines. Now, she has a piece in Frank Gehry’s Opus building in Hong Kong and is showing her work in Venice next year. A critical moment came at 11, ‘On a school trip to Calais and I found myself alone in a park,’ she says, ‘I looked up and saw Rodin’s The Burghers of Calais. I was so shocked and in awe, and immediately thought, “I want that in me, in my life”.’ Mel Fraser will exhibit work at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice. 23 May to 29 Nov 2020. melfraser.com n

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PROMOTION

ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR

Rare and unusual finds await you at The Winter Art & Antiques Fair

he last important art and antiques fair before Christmas, The Winter Art & Antiques Fair, returns to Olympia London between 5–10 November. Attracting thousands of visitors from the UK and beyond, the event appeals to collectors, interior designers, Christmas shoppers and anyone looking for that ‘one of a kind’ piece. It runs alongside the Spirit of Christmas Fair and will host an exclusive Outstanding preview evening on 4 November. objects galore Seventy top dealers from across the UK use the fair as an opportunity to unveil their rarest and most recent finds in an event which is known for its breadth of stock. Expect to find works by designers and artists such as Asprey, Gillow, Warhol, Lalique, Matisse, Meissen and Cartier. Shoppers can choose from jewellery, furniture and 20th century design, art (from 20th century prints to 17th century oils), lighting, silver, glass, textiles, decorative objects, Art Deco, sculpture and ceramics. Prices range from £100 to hundreds of thousands of pounds. Long standing Fair Director, Mary Claire Boyd says, ‘Our regular visitors are drawn to the variety of works on sale but also to the passion and expertise of the exhibitors who can bring those pieces to life. Their years of experience also mean they can often provide interior design advice as well, helping clients to mix the old and new in their homes to dramatic effect.’

Lounging about

Expect works from the likes of legendary artists

The fair will display over 20,000 unique objects of outstanding quality – all checked before opening by independent trade experts to ensure that every piece for sale is authentic. Included in the ticket is a respected talks programme, which this year includes subjects such as ‘Sound in Paintings’ and ‘Value Investing in the Decorative READER OFFER Arts’ plus Judith As a Country & Town House reader you Miller discusses ‘40 can purchase two standard or preview years on – how the tickets for the price of one*. Simply visit olympia-antiques.com and use code COUNTRY antiques world has changed.’ The ever The first 20 C&TH readers to contact Maria.Payandee@clarionevents.com will popular highlights receive free preview invitations. tours of the fair will *2 for 1 offer based on on-the-door ticket also return. prices. Transaction fee of £2.50 applies per booking. Offer ends 11pm, 3 November 2019

Two Views of Mother and Child Sculpture, Henry Moore (1981)

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THE GUIDE

FROM BELOW: Douglas Coupland, Slogans for the 21st century (2019); Ted Hunt, Sense of Time (2019); Tatsuo Miyajima, Life Palace (tea room) (2013)

C U L T U R E

THE EXHIBITIONIST

old on. Just a minute. Gotta reply to this text/email/ WhatsApp/finish this YouTube video. We all know about the tyranny of tech, it’s a well-worn cliché, and one of the key subjects around the dinner table (assuming we’re not looking at our phones), alongside Brexit, houses and schools. You know you’re old when you can remember getting your first mobile phone. I was in my late 20s, and, oddly, got it to make my life easier as a parliamentary candidate, rather than for work. That was 1996. I can also remember seeing my first iPad, in the hot sweaty hands of a friend just off the plane from New York. That was in 2010, and less than a decade later, tech is ubiquitous. Art has tried to address the march of tech. The almost-asubiquitous-as-tech playwright James Graham wrote Privacy in 2014, at the Donmar, and willing participants in the audience gave themselves up to have their private information exposed. Tim Price worked with serious hackers to produce Teh Internet is Serious Business at the Royal Court in the same year. I met the hackers, and just being in their presence felt exposing. Now Somerset House is having a go. Built when America, the home of tech, was rebelling, more recently, it was the home of the Inland Revenue, not averse to prying into your private life, and a large car park. Now it is an arts and tech centre, stewarded into 21st-century relevance by the entrepreneur William Sieghart and the former head of Aldeburgh Music Festival, Jonathan Reekie.

This month it is home to 24/7, an exhibition which looks at our inability to switch off. There are some handy tips on how to detox. For example, you could take inspiration from the copper blanket. Wrap yourself inside it, and no electromagnetic signal can get through. Alternatively just get on a (windowless) train. There’s a posh name for this phenomenon, the Faraday cage. Say it out loud when you are at the exhibition. Alternatively you can sympathise with the Finnish artist Nastja Sade Ronkko who lived for six months – six months! – without internet access, in a studio at Somerset House. Her basic form of communication was the long-form letter. Perhaps that’s why the Finns have a reputation for hard drinking. Actually, the exhibit, consisting of letters and videos, is a lot of fun and food for thought. You can visit Japanese sculptor and installation artist Tatsuo Miyajima’s red-leather clad tea room, with room for one person only, to drink in his somnolent LED display and meditate (not too long, other people are waiting); sit in the all-women’s collective HyphenLabs photo booth of people yawning (warning: it’s contagious); or track worldwide insomnia with Tekja’s clock of sleeplessness. If all this switching off is too exhausting, the beauty of Somerset House is that you can pop into the Courtauld Institute for some very Instagrammable Cezannes, and then repair for a wonderful lunch at the brilliant Spring – no looking at your phone while eating. 24/7 runs from 31 October to 23 Feb 2020. somersethouse.org.uk n

PHOTO: © DOUGLAS COUPLAND; TATSUO MIYAJIMA; COURTESY LISSON GALLERY; © TED HUNT

Tech is proving fertile ground for the next generation of artists, finds Ed Vaizey

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THE GUIDE B O O K S

GOOD READS

‘The Past is a Foreign Country’: Richard Hopton reviews three recent history books and a rediscovered novel PRINCE ALBERT: THE MAN WHO SAVED THE MONARCHY A.N. WILSON

Prince Albert, who was born 200 years ago this year, died aged just 42. In his short life Albert was a force for improvement and progress. Many of his achievements were lasting: in conjunction with Sir Robert Peel, he helped to lay the foundations of our modern constitutional monarchy. His crowning achievement, the Great Exhibition of 1851, bequeathed the cluster of buildings at South Kensington which enriches the nation’s cultural and intellectual life to this day. ‘In British history,’ Wilson writes, ‘no other public figure of comparable ability, breadth or benign influence even touches him.’ Wilson’s new biography of Albert, the first comprehensive one since the 19th century, is the companion volume to his Queen Victoria. As in that work, Wilson displays a deep but lightly-worn knowledge, his witty, immensely readable prose carrying the reader joyfully along. The

KING OF THE WORLD: A LIFE OF LOUIS XIV Philip Mansel Louis XIV was Europe’s longest reigning monarch, his power forever commemorated at Versailles. Yet in this wonderful new biography, Louis emerges as a flawed, contradictory figure. The early promise of his reign gradually dissipated; by 1710 Louis was ‘no longer the arbiter of Europe’ and France was all but bankrupt. His vanity, poor judgment and love of war had brought France to her knees. He was a deeply religious man who sired countless illegitimate children; he was a pre-eminent patron of the arts who loved gardening yet sent his armies to ravage great swathes of Europe. Allen Lane, £30

THE ANARCHY William Dalrymple The East India Company’s ‘conquest of India,’ writes William Dalrymple, ‘almost certainly remains the supreme act of corporate violence in world history’. This book tells the story of the company’s political, military and economic impact on India, the baleful effects of its ‘regime of unregulated plunder’. Cast as villain in its own piece, between 1757 and 1800, the EIC progressed from ‘a trading company of dubious solvency to a privately owned imperial power’. Engagingly written, this book stands as a stark warning of the dangers of corporate licence and untrammelled greed. We ignore it at our peril. Bloomsbury, £25

effect is rather like reading an extended letter from an urbane, erudite uncle. Albert was an earnest, hard-working man who came to know his adopted home better than many of its own leaders. Fascinated by the myriad new technologies of the Victorian age, he clocked up ‘huge successes… in the fields of art, craft and industry.’ He took an active – some might say overactive – interest in domestic politics and foreign affairs, corresponding with crowned heads and ministers. But his vision of a stable, peaceful Europe governed by enlightened, liberal constitutional monarchs and bound together by ties of family and marriage was doomed to failure. But it is as Victoria’s husband that Albert remains best known. Often portrayed as an idyllic love story – she called him ‘my angel’ – and certainly portrayed as such by his grieving widow after his death, it was in fact a turbulent marriage. Victoria was needy and demanding, Albert was frequently cold and controlling. This and much else comes out in this entertaining biography. Atlantic Books, £25

BERLIN FINALE Heinz Rein The action of this spellbinding novel takes place in April 1945 during the final weeks of Hitler’s Reich. Originally published in 1947, the novel vividly conveys the devastation wrought on Berlin by the Allied bombing raids – ‘an inhabited Pompeii’ – and the terrible, almost subhuman existence endured by its surviving citizens. It tells the story of four very different men struggling to survive in an atmosphere of pervasive fear and suspicion. As the Russians close in on the city, the Nazi regime is dying but its paranoia, self-deception and cruelty remain undiminished. Penguin Classics, £9.99

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A different perspective… Your sitting room’s bar-meets-display cabinet, your kitchen’s freestanding feature piece, your study’s wall-to-wall bookcase, your bedroom’s chest of drawers, your utility room’s ‘everything’ cupboard… Our challenge was to design one piece of furniture that could do it all. Meet Chawton. Discover the possibilities at your local Neptune store. neptune.com/stores

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THE GUIDE Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson’s work off the track has been as vital as her efforts on it

S P O R T S

THE OLYMPIAN Tanni Grey-Thompson is a champion, both on and off the track, says Sebastian Coe

While still competing, she was a board member of the National Disability Council, the Sports Council For Wales and UK Sport. Born with spina bifida and a defiant streak of independence, she tried a range of sports but soon discovered wheelchair racing to be her forte. Between the bronze medal in the 400m she won in her first Paralympic Games in Seoul and her last appearance for Team GB in 2007 in the Paralympic World Cup, she swept all before her… Since her track days, she has undertaken a Herculean work load, much of it with disability rights in her cross hairs, including

board memberships of Transport for London and the London Marathon. I was flattered to have been one of her two sponsors in 2010, when she joined the House of Lords as a non-partisan crossbencher, assuming the title Baroness Grey-Thompson of Eaglescliffe in Durham. She is an assiduous contributor in the Second Chamber, where her forthright (I’ve seen ministers blanch!), but well-articulated views hold sway in Welfare Reform Disability Rights and, of course, sport. The House is a better place for her. Disability sport would never have been the same without her. n

PHOTO: REX FEATURES

ne of the challenging downsides for former competitors joining the ranks of sports administrators is not only the change of pace literally, but the necessity for accommodation and compromise. Both are characteristics that are anathema to athletes, and equally alien to their hardwiring. Good coaching is all about unvarnished assessment, requiring a microscopic eye for detail and the other permanently focused on the road ahead. Having said all that, occasionally you are joined in these communal endeavours by truly inspirational people. Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson is one of them. And she comfortably sits alongside our pantheon of Game Changers this series. Trying to capture her contribution to sport at almost every level, must inevitably start with her competitive career – there are few better. A more detailed chronicle of her exploits on the track and road would leave little space for much else in this month’s edition. Added to her list of honorary doctorates to the sporting role call of honour, it would run into next month’s too. In a snapshot, she took home 16 Paralympic medals – 11 of them gold – and set 30 world records. Throw in six London Marathon wins and we are looking at somebody who not only has done more than anyone to elevate Paralympic sport on the global stage but, along the way, took a flame thrower to the consensus that there were no-go areas for young people with disability and impairment.

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C A R S

ROAD TEST

Europe’s best-selling electric vehicle just got better. Jeremy Taylor plugs in to the Nissan Leaf e+

More power to the Leaf e+

VITA L STATS Nissan Leaf e+ Tekna PRICE £35,895 POWER 62 kWh battery (217PS) MAX SPEED 98mph 0-62MPH 7.3 seconds RANGE 239 miles (combined)

TOWN

COUNTRY

The original Leaf breezed in almost ten years ago and was an instant hit with drivers who didn’t want to bust their bank accounts. A hugely improved version arrived in 2018, with a modest 40 kWh battery pack and a range of 168 miles. It’s still a big seller but Nissan has upped their game with the e+. As Hyundai, Kia and Tesla muscle in on the budget market, the e+ offers more power, featuring a 62 kWh battery and an extended range of 239 miles. Even with the government’s Plug-In Grant it will set you back almost £36,000. However, London drivers can wave two fingers at Congestion and ULEZ charges. It looks the same as the standard Leaf but all the critical stuff is going on underneath. The e-pedal, for instance, slows the car to a standstill when the accelerator isn’t pressed and uses wasted braking power to regenerate the battery. Steering is light at low speed and the Leaf has exceptional, all-round visibility when parking, including myriad cameras. Annoyingly, the electric hook up point is under a flap beneath the bonnet, the charging cables are stored in the boot. RATING: 4/5 HANDBAGS

Owning an EV means learning a new way to drive – especially if you live in the country. Extended journeys may require a charging stop and suddenly the dreaded range anxiety rears its ugly head. With extra miles to play with, the e+ does a lot to dampen those fears. Although until you live with an electric car for a length of time, the concept of stopping to re-charge can seem alien. This latest Leaf is quite zippy across country. The steering is precise and the extra weight of the battery keeps it firmly on the road. On a motorway it keeps up with traffic but high speeds eat through battery life. The nerve centre of the car is that big touchscreen display. It’s loaded with information about how the Nissan is performing and can direct you to charging stations when required too. A range of safety features includes emergency braking with pedestrian recognition, blind spot warning in the door mirrors and a lane departure warning system. In fact, it proves how close we are to fully autonomous cars already. The fancy Tekna trim includes cool suede seats, air conditioning – with timer for cold morning starts – and a touchscreen that includes navigation and a rear-view camera. It also supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – even your kids will love that. RATING: 3/5 WELLIES

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THE GUIDE

Want to make a dash for Calais before 31 October? The Honda CR-V has plenty of room for wine

THE DRIVE

VITA L STATS Honda CR-V 2.0i-MMD Hybrid SR PRICE £34,470

The Honda Insight looked like something from the Jetsons when it landed in Britain 20 years ago. The quirky coupé had just two seats – oh and a massive battery pack squeezed in the back! Now nearly every mainstream manufacturer offers a hybrid – a combination of combustion engine and electric motor that work together to produce a cleaner, vastly more efficient car. This is the fifth generation of Honda’s mid-size people carrier. Spacious, comfortable and practical, it’s something of a mystery that it has taken this long The Pig at the Bridge

ENGINE 1993cc petrol/ electric motor POWER 181bhp 0-62MPH 8.8 seconds ECONOMY 53.3mpg (combined)

for Honda to give it the hybrid treatment. The new CR-V doesn’t plug in to a wall socket, unlike other hybrids. The 2.0-litre petrol engine powers a generator to top-up an on-board battery. Equipped with an automatic gearbox, it’s delightfully simple, if unexciting to look at or drive. Bundling through the hop fields of Kent, the CR-V flits between drive modes, as it changes from battery to engine and does its best to perform like a conventional SUV. Unfortunately, this involves a lot of noisy whining from under the bonnet. At least the interior is plush and in SR spec has a ‘sporty’ feel, although that doesn’t quite translate to the driving experience. Never mind, battery technology has moved on since that first Prius, so at least there’s tonnes of room in the boot. First stop is the Pig at the Bridge – the latest in the expanding litter of boutique hotels. The Grade II listed building has enjoyed a colourful past, including a spell as a raunchy nightclub in the Sixties, once hosting The Kinks and Led Zeppelin. The kitchen garden is delightful and could have been planted by Mr McGregor. Beyond the potting shed treatment rooms and main house sit a dozen wooden cabins that are supremely sumptuous. Expect a double bath in the bedroom and warm, fluffy blankets on the veranda. After a hearty breakfast, it’s back in the Honda as I head for Dover. I want to put the luggage space to good use with a day trip to the wine merchants of Calais. After all, things could change after 31 October. Most people opt for the tunnel but I’m boarding a DFDS ship. It’s a 90-minute crossing but after a long drive through the Home Counties, most people relish a chance to relax. Guests in the ship’s premium lounge are pampered by French waiters, who do their best to keep the food and drink flowing. Most importantly, the spacious room has plenty of squidgy chairs to wind down before tackling French roads. The Honda CR-V may not be the most exciting car for a journey like this but it quietly tackles SUV duties in a workmanlike manner. If only the engine didn’t sound quite so exasperated… RATING: 3/5 n

HOM E IM PROV EM EN TS EASY FIXES

PLUG IN BABY Running a plug-in electric or hybrid car really requires a home charging point. A BP Chargemaster Home EV Point starts from around £500, including government grant. It can be operated from a mobile phone, very simple to use but off-street parking is a must. bpchargemaster.com

GARAGE CLASSICS The ultimate man cave for high-net-worth individuals, Auto Cave solves the problem of space for supercar and classic collectors by digging out a subterranean garage. Sadly, this money-no-object solution doesn’t include the cars… autocave.co.uk

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THE GUIDE GROWING WINTER SALADS

G A R D E N I N G

SEEDER’S DIGEST

It never ceases to amaze me that, even in winter, I can still walk into my garden and pick a trug full of salad and a handful of herbs. You would think that they would taste horrible after a night out in -5˚C, but they don’t, they’re delicious. Kale is a miraculous plant, 100 per cent cut-and-come-again, and quickly too. If you have room, go for three: Kale ‘Redbor’, Kale ’Cavolo Nero’ and Kale ‘Red Russian’. Coriander is also an invaluable winter herb. In summer it’s a washout as it bolts almost instantly. But sow it any time after August, until April and it’s a different story.

Plant three types of kale to make a hearty winter salad, says Sarah Raven FLORAL FIREWORKS Alliums are incredibly perennial and flower for ages, but I love them for their full-on firework display, adding late spring and early summer pizzazz. They bring strong colour and shape to the border, plus they are excellent for cutting as flowers and seedheads. Allium schubertii (from £7.50) and ‘Globemaster’ (from £14.50) are my favourites. They have crazily whopper flowers and seedheads, which are as good dried and brought inside, as they are growing in the garden. If you’re looking for an easy option, Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ (from £7.50) is the one for you. It’s a deep, rich purple and flowers as the tulips finish, from May. Allium schubertii: They’re also sensational sprayed silver for decorating the Christmas tree.

Allium ‘Purple Sensation’

PLANTING IDEAS Cultivate healthy plants from the off

Large ribbed planter, £109

salads and hardy herbs for placing right outside your kitchen door.

» Sow pea tips into boxes and harvest them straight from there. » »

Plant shallots, onion sets and garlic.

Lift root vegetables, e.g. carrots, beetroot and celeriac, and store in a vegetable clamp for eating throughout the year.

Strulch mulch, £9.95

Plant the last of your bulbs and put some in pots as well as in the garden.

» Plant Paper White narcissi for Christmas by the middle of the month – they take four to six weeks to flower.

Hand bulb planter, £34.95

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NOV EMBER IN THE GA R DEN » Sow boxes of cut-and-come-again

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THE GUIDE

Nice work if you can get it, but the work of a restaurant critic is a writing job, not an eating job, as Jay Rayner tells Matthew Bell Portrait by ALEXANDRA DAO

hat would be your last meal on earth? It’s a question to which Jay Rayner, restaurant critic, MasterChef judge, and one-man stage performer, has given some thought. So much so that he has just published a book, My Last Supper, which takes the idea as a springboard from which to dive into his gustatory past. It came about because so many people would ask him the question at the end of his live show. Once he began to think about this, it led to thoughts of life and death, which he comes close to 70 times an hour (Rayner suffers from sleep apnoea, which means he frequently stops breathing in the night). ‘I’m 53, my parents are both gone, my eldest is off at university – you get to that point when you’re having not necessarily the mortality thoughts, but questions about who you are.’ The book follows his exploration of his condition, threaded together with the planning of a final blow-out. Readers of The Observer will know Rayner as a formidable but fair critic, who will occasionally demolish a restaurant like Le Cinq in Paris. In that review he memorably recorded his companion’s Country or observation that a canapé was ‘like eating a town? Town condom that has been left lying about in a dusty Dog or cat? greengrocer’s.’ The article went viral, and was Cat – if I have to. read by 2.4 million people, supporting his thesis We’ve lost four to traffic. that people read reviews to be entertained. ‘Nobody ever reads me to know if the lamb Rolling hills was overcooked,’ he says. ‘Ninety-seven per cent or seaside? Seaside, near The of the time, they are reading for the vicarious Seaside Boarding pleasure or displeasure.’ Does he fear for the House at Burton Bradstock. future of the paid critic, now that everyone can voice their opinions on Tripadvisor? ‘No I don’t. Cosy knits or I think the problem with Tripadvisor is that you sharp suits? I aspire to sharp do not even have to prove you went. You can suits, but I’m think I’m a tosser, but at least you know it’s me closer to cosy knits. giving the opinion.’ His tastes are reassuringly traditional: his favourite restaurants are Bentley’s Languorous on Swallow Street, for the oysters, and if he wants lunch or power breakfast? to celebrate a big family occasion, it’s The Ivy. Lunch. A power He makes a point of never accepting a free breakfast is normally meal when reviewing a restaurant, because he suggested by hates to be beholden. The biggest challenge, he someone who thinks they’re too says, is when a writer comes along who is better. important. ‘Mine is a writing job, not an eating job,’ he says.

IN BRIEF

‘And if someone comes along on social media who is better than me then, very soon, if they are good, they will get paid for it.’ His own forays on social media have led to some juicy spats, like the time he called out ex-Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger for mismanagement of the business. ‘The Times had watermarked some photographs, and I remember he tweeted them saying it seemed an ugly business to be watermarking photographs so that nobody else could use them. I tweeted back saying: “I don’t know Alan, trying to protect your financial assets and trying to make a profit doesn’t seem to be so ignoble.” He wrote me a private email to say how wounded he was, but the fact is a lot of people lost their jobs because of financial decisions he made. I mean, he was buying brownstones in New York…’. Rayner says he owes nothing to Rusbridger, having always worked for The Observer, The Guardian’s sister paper. He became its restaurant critic in 1999, having written on every other genre of journalism except sport. His mother, Claire Rayner, was the agony aunt and sex therapist for The Sun, then Sunday Mirror, which gave him the idea to go into writing. But he hates the suggestion, which has always haunted him, that he got into journalism through nepotism. In fact, he got his break by blagging his way to New York on a press junket and landing an interview with Sammy Davis Jr, which made the front page of The Observer’s arts section. The then arts editor, Roger Alton – ‘less a person, more a random series of events’ – gave him a chance but, years later, when editor of the paper, would try to block him from becoming the restaurant critic. ‘He said I would get lost in the world of food writing. But after 12 years of being a generalist, I was ready for a specialism.’ He still carries a notebook at all times, and approaches every review with the thought, ‘What’s the story here?’ Because, he says, ‘basically we’re talking about a table, a chair, a plate of food and a glass of wine. That’s not going to propel you through 1,100 words.’ And yet it has been said that food is the rock ’n‘ roll of our generation – does he agree? ‘No, but food has come a long way. We lived for a long time in a puritanical culture which was suspicious of an overt interest in food. So I don’t think it’s surprising that out of that should have emerged a very frothy approach. We are like children who were never allowed chocolate, finally given a tin of Quality Street. You can take it as a mark of affluence, though worryingly it’s also the sign of a divided society, because it seems to be a middle class fetish. But no, sex is still sex, music is still music, but,’ he reiterates, ‘food has definitely come a long way.’ My Last Supper: One Meal, a Lifetime in the Making, by Jay Rayner is out now. Guardian Faber, £16.99 n

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Jay Rayner takes to the piano at Scarfes Bar

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15/08/201911:44 11:31 25/09/2019

BEHIND EVERY MANN Famed for her racy, chaotic life with a British mercenary, Amanda Mannâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new venture is all about home, she tells Marcus Scriven Photography by ALEXANDRA DAO

Amanda Mann: keeping an eye out for home

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manda Mann has lost her phone – and credit cards and a wad of cash, all of them inside her purse, which plunged into the Solent as she returned from lunch on the Isle of Wight. ‘The boys are diving for it,’ she explains on the landline. ‘That’s the good thing about being married to the SAS.’ By the following day, preliminary scouring of the seabed has yet to yield success. But, as crises go, this barely registers on the Mannometer. She’s been chased (while working front of house in the early Nineties at Christopher’s, then arguably London’s most dazzling restaurant; first in pursuit was Taki – ‘one of the sexiest men,’ she says appreciatively; stalked (by an obsessive who gave the Mann family address as his own and persuaded the courts to start evicting tenants from houses on their land); and staked out by the gentlemen of the British media – among them, journalist Tom Bradby. ‘I opened the door in my… kit. I said: “I’m terribly sorry, the lady of the house is in the South of France.” ’ Bradby took the hint and left. At the time, Amanda was living with three young children and a newborn baby at the end of a long track, high above the English Channel, in what she describes as a castle. ‘It was a phenomenal protection at a really difficult time,’ she remembers. Her husband was otherwise engaged. ‘On his MBA course,’ she says, in what proves to be an habitually unhurried manner, before capitulating to laughter. It is, perhaps, as good a shorthand as any for ‘The Wonga Coup’ of 2004, with its fabulous cast list – ‘Smelly’, aka Lebanese tycoon Ely Calil; ‘Scratcher’, aka Mark [Sir Mark, if you please] Thatcher; and Amanda’s husband, Simon Mann, an Old Etonian, former Scots Guards and SAS officer and eternal mercenary, whose father, George, and grandfather, Frank, had both captained England at cricket – and its irresistible intended target, Teodoro Obiang, President of Equatorial Guinea, who had come to power via a stint running the notorious Black Beach prison, where he’d had the previous president (his uncle) executed. The wheels came off rather early in the operation, resulting in Mann’s detention in Zimbabwe, where he remained in prison for nearly four years, before being spirited to Equatorial Guinea, where Obiang was promising to eat his testicles before dragging his naked body through the streets. At that point, Amanda says, she broke cover. She recalls ‘knocking on everyone’s door’ and taking Simon’s case to the House of Lords, convinced that he had either been murdered or had – more likely, she thought – escaped. On the school run at home, she turned up one morning wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan: ‘A man is for Christmas, not for life’ – evidence, said a friend, that ‘Amanda has always had a sense of humour’. Blessed with big, blue, playful eyes, a Krakatoa of auburn hair, and an Avengers figure, Amanda Mann is now 54 but looks a decade younger: the sort of woman who subliminally semaphores that life should be fun – possibly a disconcerting message for her less selfassured female acquaintances. ‘They don’t like me because I’m a mercenary’s wife,’ she acknowledges, adding that, when Simon was

tackling his ‘MBA’, there were those who dropped her from their dinner parties. ‘They thought I was going to run off with their husbands.’ They really needn’t have worried. ‘None of their husbands,’ she reflects, ‘are that exciting.’ It’s characteristic mischief, the sort that secures her many devotees, among them those she calls ‘the yoga ladies’, who presented her with the Buddha statue that greets visitors to the south coast house where she and Simon now live. Then there are the women – all wives – who’ve fallen for her and her latest project, which involves crystallising a family home into a trophy book. It’s nothing as prosaic as a conventional album, says Amanda – and not just because each page is about an eighth of an inch thick and quite possibly designed to withstand high velocity rounds of the sort that Simon has periodically been obliged to dodge. It adheres to the precept that in trivia there is truth. So it’s the bric-a-brac of possessions – the coat hanging on a hook, the contents of a larder or fridge – that draws her eye, every bit as much as the showpiece staircases and sumptuous drawing rooms. ‘The sort of things you can’t remember when you move onto the zimmer frame,’ she says, explaining she’s constructing a time capsule that becomes a family treasure. ‘A proper piece – not something that’s going to fade. Instead of buying a piece of art for your wall, you’re buying a book full of mementos, which trigger memories you’ve forgotten.’ In retrospect, this passion for capturing something and bequeathing it to posterity stems, she thinks, from childhood. She says her father’s prowess lay in what initially sounds like ‘the grain’ market. An East Anglian barley baron, perhaps? No. He was a cockney, a member of the Jewish diaspora which had settled in, and immeasurably enriched, first the East End and ultimately the whole of Britain – a master of ‘the grey market’. ‘My dad today would have been in the pound shops. He used to sell Kodak film, Wilkinson Sword razor blades – hundreds and hundreds of thousands: buy them in Canada, ship them to Poland, make half a penny on each.’ The reward was ‘a fantastic home, off The Bishop’s Avenue’, in Hampstead, close to the stately splendour of Kenwood House. But it vanished with her parents’ divorce – the consequences of which are now manifesting themselves in a legal battle, decades later. ‘I can’t talk about it. I would have loved to have had pictures. You search for those memories, and you can’t retrieve them.’ She pointedly donates five per cent of her sales to the homelessness charity, St Mungo’s. Marriage to Simon – 13 years her senior, with two previous wives and three children under his belt – led to a life that generated its own cascade of brilliant images, though these too are now elusive. Their first house, in 1993, was on Portobello Road, a Stygian den of cramped, airless rooms which Amanda – entirely untrained – transformed, guiding her builders with plans ‘drawn on the wall’. It was featured in World of Interiors – including a photograph of Amanda in her bath. ‘I only wish I could have carried on doing that, because I would have just gone all round Notting Hill [transforming houses].’ Simon’s professional commitments dictated otherwise. She recalls a weekend they were meant to spend together in London. Simon didn’t appear; instead, his business partner telephoned. ‘He said, “There’s a first-class ticket at Heathrow. He’s expecting you tomorrow morning.” It was a ticket to Jo’burg.’

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‘INSTEAD OF BUYING A PIECE OF ART FOR YOUR WALL, YOU’RE BUYING A BOOK OF MEMENTOS, WHICH TRIGGER MEMORIES’

They bought ‘a carbuncle of a house’, in Cape Town, but ‘with amazing views, on the beach’ – abandoned when they were ‘offered silly money’ for it. A flat in Kensington followed, then the ‘castle’. That went after nine years, just before Simon’s release, when they received an offer they could not refuse (an entirely financial expression, of course). None was photographed, still less accorded the scrupulous creative attention which her clients’ houses receive. But their current home, wisteriaclad, with its views to the Isle of Wight and its pleached crab-apple trees and copper beech hedge – artfully planted by Amanda to mask the cock-eyed swimming-pool – has finally received the full treatment. The Mann Book includes a photograph of an African trip. To Equatorial Guinea. ‘As a guest of the President. That’s his red carpet. An all-expensespaid holiday.’ A breath of laughter. Simon, she adds, has been back to Equatorial Guinea ‘many times’. His testicles remain intact. Find out more about Amanda Mann’s photographic book service at myschlos.com; 020 3239 0656 n November 2019 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 71

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A GREAT ESCAPE

Jeremy Taylor putt-putts to the German location of Steve McQueen's famous jump scene in The Great Escape Photographer RICHARD BRADBURY

t was the inspiration for one of the most iconic war films of all time. Confined to Germany’s infamous Stalag Luft III prison camp, RAF hero Roger Bushell conceived an escape plan that would later be immortalised by Hollywood – and provide a soundtrack once whistled, never forgotten. His jailbreak was the inspiration for The Great Escape – one of the top-grossing films of 1963 and the film that made Steve McQueen a superstar. His role as the ‘cooler king’ Virgil Hilts is still best remembered for THAT jump scene, the best-known motorbike moment in cinematic history. Bushell devised a plan in which: ‘Three bloody deep, bloody long tunnels will be dug – Tom, Dick and Harry. One will succeed!’ It worked but at a high cost. Only three escapees made their way to freedom; 50 were captured and shot, including Squadron Leader Bushell himself. Seventy-five years on from the Stalag Luft breakout, I’ve travelled to the German Alps on a replica of McQueen’s bike to visit the location of the stunt. As it turns out, there are no commemorative markers or plaques denoting the spot and few people know exactly where the jump took place. Füssen is about 90 minutes south of Munich, a picturesque region bordering the Alps and one that also captured the imagination of the visiting filmmakers producing The Great Escape. During the summer of 1962, sleepy Füssen was abuzz with excitement as Hollywood’s finest descended on the town. Lederhosen-clad locals rubbed shoulders with the likes of Charles Bronson, James Coburn and Richard Attenborough. The real star though was McQueen, ruggedly handsome and already famous for his blockbuster western The Magnificent Seven. I’ve gained celebrity status by arriving in Füssen on an exact replica of the bike McQueen used in the film. It belongs to Triumph and is based on a T110 model – a classic British motorcycle ridden by rockers in the 1960s, complete with the troublesome kick-start and

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CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Jeremy with Triumph’s exact replica of the bike used in The Great Escape; the bike is based on a T110 model; Josef ‘Seppy’ Kern helps Jeremy to find the exact filming spot; the Triumph TR6 Trophy was used in filming because the BMW model was too heavy to manage the jump; Steve McQueen in the 1963 classic

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On the bucket list of bike rides, this is near the top

plentiful oil leaks. On the bucket list of bike rides, this is near the top. In the film, Hilts steals a BMW R75 motorcycle in a bid to cross the border to neutral Switzerland. But the machine lacked power and proved too heavy for the legendary jump scene, so the lighter Triumph TR6 Trophy was used, disguised as a German army bike. McQueen, already a celebrated motocross rider, was so fast in the chase scenes that the director had to do countless reshoots. In the end, McQueen himself donned a German officer’s uniform and chased himself across the countryside, thanks to some clever editing. I’m enjoying a more leisurely putt-putt around the medieval old town on my Triumph, where Gothic gabled roofs rub shoulders with the remains of Füssen’s ancient city walls. The High Castle overlooks the scene and was once a summer residence for local dignitaries – below that is the baroque splendour of a former monastery. It’s all impossibly beautiful, even through fly-splattered goggles. However, nothing prepares visitors for their first glimpse of Neuschwanstein Castle, a 19th-century Romanesque palace of mesmerising grandeur. Commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria, in honour of composer Richard Wagner, it attracts more than a million visitors a year. Bizarrely, the SS considered blowing up the building in 1945 to prevent it falling into enemy hands. Precariously set on a rugged hillside, the palace served as inspiration for Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty castle and also appeared in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. In America, The Great Escape jump location would have become a theme park by now, with a Starbucks, fairground ride and gift shop. Here in Füssen, the townfolk are strangely ambivalent. Determined to find the actual spot, I turn to the local tourism office. Here, Stefan Fredlmeier knows just the man and soon I’m delivered to a field a few miles outside of town, where a tractor is muck-spreading across undulating hills. This looks like the place – but where exactly? Choosing our moment to approach,

I’m introduced to Josef ‘Seppy’ Kern, who has farmed here all his life. Kern was 16 in 1962 and his father owned the land where the jump took place, just a few hundred yards from where we are standing, with a glorious Alpine backdrop. ‘I think my father was paid a lot of money for the location,’ he says. ‘The crew was there for more than a month putting up the replica barbed wire that represented the German border. It was actually rubber bands tied around ordinary wire.’ Although McQueen rode bikes in the film, he was considered too valuable an asset to attempt the fence jump himself, so the production team turned to celebrated American stuntman, Bud Ekins. ‘They built a ramp and Bud jumped it time and time again, maybe 50 times. But what people don’t know is that McQueen also made the jump himself – although it wasn’t seen on camera and I doubt the director ever found out,’ says Kern. Now 72, he remembers that summer with fondness. McQueen’s son Chad visited the site in 2013, equally determined to find the exact location. ‘He told me that his father spoke many times of my father. During breaks in the filming, my father rolled cigarettes for Steve McQueen and they would chat. ‘When the filming was done, he gave my father a hug and presented him with the chair that he sat on to relax. I still have that chair in my shed. It reminds me of a happy time, when Hollywood came to Füssen and Steve McQueen smoked cigarettes with my father.’ Few people know the exact location of the iconic Great Escape jump scene and I’m not going to reveal it either. At least you don’t need to ride like Steve McQueen to enjoy motorcycling. Füssen Tourism (fuessen.de); Sankt Ulrich Guesthouse (gaestehaussankt-ulrich.de); flights to Munich with British Airways from £84 return (britishairways.com). For more information contact the Motorcycle Industry Association (mcia.co.uk). n

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PROMOTION

TUSCAN ELEGANCE

LEFT: Giovanni’s Tuscan heritage informs his work BELOW: Maui Double necklace, £200

Unique jewels, handmade in the heart of Italy

ucked away in Mayfair is the London boutique of silverware and jewellery brand Giovanni Raspini. A chic Tuscan import founded by the eponymous architect and designer, it’s only fitting that the store sits in one of the capital’s most fashionable districts, on the everstylish South Molton Street. Inside you’ll find its recently launched Autumn/Winter jewellery offering, which is made up of five collections – four for women and one for men. Every piece is conceived, created and packaged in-house, ‘handmade with great care and infinite passion’. Drawing on one of the brand’s classic motifs, Crocodile offers an elegant selection of silver pieces featuring detailed crocodile textures, with necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings, all available in silver or silver gilt. Bamboo, meanwhile, is a nod to the classic silver bangle. Here Giovanni Raspini creates a selection of pieces which combine the timeless texture of bamboo with the electroformed tubular element, creating a range of bold yet light and luminous jewels. For slightly quirkier shapes there’s the elegant Moon Flower collection, which features floral decoration alongside azure, blue and grey moonlight stones. Inspired by the bestGold-plated Crocodile hoops, from £150

Tuscan designer, Giovanni Raspini

selling Perlage collection, the jewels in Mini Maui take the shape of luminous spheres in burnished silver, interspersed with mother-of-pearl and hyaline quartz. And finally, Bond: the aptly named men’s collection, which offers silver thread decorations wrapped around the length of the jewellery. The use of elongated stones like lapis lazuli and black onyx creates a striking effect, while remaining both minimalist and youthful – fashionable jewellery for the contemporary man. Fifty years on, Giovanni Raspini continues to excel and grow. Alongside the London flagship there are numerous stores across Italy, everywhere from Naples to Venice to their newest opening in Milan – all working towards the brand’s motto, ‘To make beautiful things and make them known to the whole world.’

Moon Flower ring, £170

Crocodile Light necklace, £580

Moon Flower earrings, £180

5 South Molton Street, Mayfair, London W1; 020 7629 1401. giovanniraspini.com

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CIGAR SAFARI

Author Nick Hammond’s love of a handrolled smoke has accompanied a lifetime of weird and wonderful adventures

Most people take photographs of their travels – Nick remembers his by cigars

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES

hen I think back to some of my more crazy exploits – and I’ve found myself in some pretty unique places, it has to be said – the best way I can remember them is by recalling the cigar I had with me at the time. I know that sounds weird, but it’s true, nevertheless. You see, wherever I go on my travels as a roving writer and reporter, one of the first things I pack – probably the first thing, if I’m honest – is a stash of good handrolled cigars. It’s a strange obsession. These dried, rolled bundles of leaves are, on the face of it, just that – dried leaves. Nothing added. Just time and love. But a few years back, in a contemplative moment, I realised they’d become much more than that to me. They’re beacons in my travelling timeline, marking a crisscross, chaotic cluster of destinations around the globe. Every single one carries a memory. Along my travels, I’ve been lucky enough to visit the world’s major cigarmaking nations: Cuba, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and beyond, each with its unique terroir and taste profile to offer. And, just like wine, the more you learn about this fascinating subject, the more you realise there is to learn. Did you know, for example, that Cuban farmers, who struggle at times to find the funds for fertiliser, often grow brassica crops and plough them in to re-nitrate their ochre, volcano-enriched soil?

Handrolling Cuban-style

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Sometimes they’ll use fruit pulps, coffee grounds and husks to do the same. And it’s just possible that some of the great Cuban cigar’s commonly-tasted keynotes – vegetal, wood, earth, coffee – are in part caused by this diversity of minerals and composted organics in the soil. Cuba’s a hell of a place to visit. Let’s face it, when you hear the name Cuba you think of cigars and rum and classic cars and music and more rum… and beautiful girls. At one of the city’s best-kept-secret nightspots, there’s an almighty doorman who used to be an Olympic heavyweight boxer. He’s certainly no bigger than your average barn door, and only about half as wide. He’s called Tiny. Once Tiny is convinced you’re okay to pass, he’ll enclose your miniscule mitt in his, and may even envelop you in a mighty bear hug. (Imagine getting clobbered by the man.) Then he’ll usher you inside. The door swishes open into darkness beyond and you’re suddenly inside a Raymond-Chandleresque den of iniquity, where some of the most incredible live music you’ll ever hear is about to follow. You’re not going to bed until the Cuban cock crows. Here comes another rum… Ironically, it’s expat Cubans who are more often than not behind the cigars that now are giving the little Caribbean island a run for its money in the world cigar market. After Castro’s polarising revolution in 1959 they took their families and their generations of tobacco lore and found Nicaragua. Last year it overtook Cuba as the world’s biggest exporter of handrolled cigars. I know a bit about this great volcanic land, straddled as it is on either side by the Caribbean and the Pacific, because I was commissioned to write a book on Nicaragua's tumultuous history – specifically on its short but illustrious dynasty of cigars. Cinco Décadas: The Rise Of The Nicaraguan Cigar, commissioned by Joya de Nicaragua, the country’s oldest cigar factory, tells how Cuban émigrés came across the mountains from Honduras and found a garden of Eden, perfect for growing their dangerously smuggled Cuban black tobacco seeds. Nicaragua is one of the world’s most actively volcanic countries and it’s something of a shock to the system if you stand, as I did, on the rim of a smouldering one to see the roiling, burping, obscenely crimson lava flow past like plasma from under the earth’s skin. As well as providing memory beacons of my travels, cigars have given me the chance to do something useful to help others. While in Nicaragua doing research for the book, I was taken to the startling Belén School in the one-horse

Cuba: ‘a hell of a place to visit’

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES

Cigars are the memory signposts of Nick's travels

Cuba is synonymous with cigars

Nicaragua’s volcanic-rich soil is perfect for growing tobacco

town of Estelí, centre of the country’s cigarmaking operations. It’s funded by a Christian charity called Fe y Alegría, or Faith and Joy, and opens its gates to some of the city’s poorest kids, offering each a better chance of making their life a happy one. In the poorest parts of Nicaragua many children don’t get the chance to remain at school much past 12 years old. Their families need them to work. And equipped with scant knowledge, either worldly or educational, they’re ill-equipped to fend off a hard life, which enforces a vicious cycle of poverty. Belén School is staffed by nuns and, thanks to continued support from cigarmakers and their friends around the world, new classrooms have been built and fitted and a basic but new playground has been installed. These smiling, raven-haired children have hope written all over their faces: they deserve their time in the sun. I’ve pledged ten per cent of the profits from my new book, Around the World in 80 Cigars – The Travels of an Epicure, to Fe y Alegría. The book marks some of the travels I’ve mentioned, from finding myself on the end of a tug of war with a Nile crocodile in the Limpopo River to sailing serenely over the vineyards of Cognac in a hot-air balloon. These, and many more tales, are recounted with a knowing smile – and every single one is accompanied by another of those fragrant, meaningful cigars that keep these memories alive. There are lot of places left to signpost. I need to start packing my cigars again. Nick Hammond’s new book, Around the World in 80 Cigars – The Travels of an Epicure, is out now (Red Door Press, £19.99). nick-hammond.com n November 2019 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 77

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PROMOTION

SEASONAL SHAPESHIFTING Really Wild’s Autumn/Winter collection will see you through the tricky transition

he transitional season is well and truly upon us, but we’ve got a secret weapon up our sleeves for dressing for the unpredictability of autumn – and there’s not a dowdy fleece in sight. Step in Really Wild, the British fashion house whose timeless modern designs will not only see you through the seasons but from the grouse moors straight to the King’s Road. We find that the best businesses are often those that spring up to answer a problem. For Natalie Lake that was trying to find something to wear that would take her from country to town without having to change in between. And although her designs are always grounded in her love of the great British countryside, it’s the versatility, attention to detail and razor-sharp tailoring that keeps us coming back for everything from beautiful basics to statement pieces. Pembridge coat, £395; This season, layer up beautiful Utility shirt,£175; skirt, £215; merino pieces woven in Scotland, necklace stylist’s own with creatively coloured cashmere roll-necks; lambs’ wool cable knits with the brand’s trademark tweeds, and top it off with a Liberty print to bring some personality to your winter wardrobe, or with a pair of beautifully crafted Spanish boots. New this year is a menswear collection with classic tailoring at its core complemented by cosy chunky knits and perfectly

Hoxton mohair coat, £475; cashmere-blend crew neck, £195

Cashmere-blend turtle neck,£225;Liberty silk shirt, £195; Liberty silk skirt, £215; Italian enamelstudded belt, £149

fitting fine cotton shirts. Taking home one of these pieces feels like joining an exclusive club, as all production runs are limited to retain exclusivity. Aston coat, £395; tie neck shirt, £195; Check out the wide leg velvet trousers, £225 new collection at Really Wild’s newly refurbished Chelsea boutique, where you’ll find the celebration of the British outdoors continues. Styled up with House of Hackney wallpaper and Andrew Martin furniture to kick back on, it’s easy to spend hours here without realising. Drawing on wild landscapes and the great outdoors, it’s a slice of the countryside on Sloane Square. For a Really Wild British winter, make a visit to the new boutique to find classics that will slip into your Autumn/Winter wardrobe with ease. 53 Sloane Square, London SW1W 8AX reallywildclothing.com

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Liquid Assets As a single bottle of Macallan sells for ÂŁ1m, Alice Lascelles distills the complicated world of rare whisky into some straight-talking advice

Hanyu Ichiroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Malt Full Cards series on sale at Bonhams Hong Kong

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FROM ABOVE: The Macallan 18-year-old ‘Verticals’: 44 bottles in total at Sotheby’s Ultimate Whisky Collection auction on 24 October; Jonny Fowle joined Sotheby’s to manage its growing high-profile whisky sales; going, going gone! The 60–year-old Macallan that went for £1m at Christie’s

f you’re having a clear-out of your cellar this winter, make sure you take a jolly good look at that dusty old whisky bottle before you throw it away – it just might be worth something. Last year, more than 100,000 bottles of rare single malt scotch were sold at auction in the UK, totalling over £40m – that’s an increase of 63 per cent by value and 29 per cent by volume on the previous year. The average bottle price was £377.91 (up 26 per cent) but the highest was the £1m hammer price for a 1926 Macallan 60-year-old – a new world record for a single bottle. Overall, the Apex 1000 index shows the top 1,000 bottles at auction delivered a 30.1 per cent return, making them a better investment than both wine and gold. The secondary market for whisky is still young, compared to wine – it only really got going in earnest about ten years ago. But thanks to booming demand for old and rare whisky, particularly in Asia, as well as a shortage of mature stocks, an increase in the number of (often heavily hyped) limited edition, old and rare expressions being released by distilleries, plus the democratising effect of the internet, it’s a market that’s now experiencing phenomenal growth. The pioneers in this area were specialist auctioneers like Scotch Whisky Auctions (scotchwhiskyauctions.com), but the big auction houses have recently been getting in on the act. Earlier this year, Sotheby’s appointed its first dedicated spirits specialist, Jonny Fowle, to manage its growing number of high-profile whisky sales.

‘The best bottles to look for are those that were released in limited quantities, often single cask expressions, with bottle numbers and vintage statements,’ says Fowle. ‘While older whisky doesn’t necessarily mean better whisky, it does usually mean it is more limited, more expensive and invariably more attractive to collectors wishing to invest.’ Some of the most sought-after malts at auction are those from distilleries that are no longer in production – Port Ellen and Brora are two ‘silent distilleries’ that have seen prices rocket in recent years. If you’d been lucky enough to buy a Port Ellen Special Release 1979 when it launched in 2001 for £110, you’d now be sitting on a whisky worth £4,500.

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Another silent distillery that consistently achieves astonishing prices at auction is the Japanese distillery Karuizawa. De-commissioned in 2000, it was originally designed to make whiskies for blending, but these days you won’t find its broad-shouldered, heavilysherried single malts selling for much under £4,000 – many times that for the very top expressions. Limited-edition Lalique decanters and artist labels may be pooh-poohed by whisky anoraks, but they can also add a big premium to the price – a rare Macallan 1926 60-year-old with a label by pop artist Sir Peter Blake sold for £615,000 at Bonhams in Edinburgh earlier this year. When it comes to style, rich, sherried single malts like the aforementioned Macallan (which accounts for around a third of all whisky sold at auction) are very much in vogue right now, says Fowle. But peaty whiskies such as Laphroaig and Ardbeg are also picking up. And as the number of collectors increases, so too does the number of really incredible collections coming up for sale. Bonhams Hong Kong sold a remarkably rare, complete set of 54 Hanyu Ichiro ‘Playing Card’ Japanese single malts to a female collector in August for HK$7,192,000 (£755,000), achieving a new world record. Scotch and Japanese whisky still dominate the market. But other whisky nations are starting to cut through. ‘Midleton Very Rare from the Midleton Distillery in County Cork is doing really well,’ reports Sukhinder Singh, founder of both The Whisky Exchange (thewhiskyexchange.com) and the auction site whisky.auction. Mature American rye whiskies from the likes of Van Winkle and Sazerac are also highly collectible. If you want to think big there’s also whisky by the cask. Rare Whisky 101 are specialists in this area – last year they brokered or sold almost a thousand casks with prices ranging from £1,500 to almost £800,000. Investing in a

FROM ABOVE: Silent distillery Brora is much in demand; Karuizawa Japanese single malts fetch top prices via The Whisky Exchange; a rare ‘Peter Blake’ 1926 Macallan 60-year-old fetched £775,000 at Bonhams Hong Kong and £615,000 in Edinburgh; Andy Simpson and David Robertson at Rare Whisky 101 are the names to know for casks; Midleton Very Rare flies the flag for Irish whiskey

cask with friends may sound fun, but the vagaries of maturation are unpredictable. Don’t risk it unless you really know your stuff. If you’re dipping your toe in for the first time, Jonny Fowle recommends the whiskies of Highland distillery Glendronach. ‘Its core range as well as limited vintage statements have been making major waves over the last few years and offer a comparatively accessible entry point for those beginning their collection.’ Japan’s Chichibu distillery is another rising star. A 200-bottle run of Chichibu Imperial Stout Cask was released by The Whisky Exchange earlier this year at £199 a bottle, and within just 24 hours it was on auction sites selling for nearly ten times that. But investing isn’t without risks. Quality goes up and down over the decades, styles change and distilleries close, factors which can all impact a whisky’s value. So it pays to do your research – or get an expert to do it for you – before you buy. Perhaps unsurprisingly, counterfeiting has become more of a problem as the market has grown. So be sure to take expert advice if you don’t want to be lumbered with a fake, and only go with a reputable auctioneer. Not everyone is mad about the way the whisky market is going – cut-throat competition for bottles means many of the top drams are now priced far beyond the reach of most whisky consumers. Among aficionados, buying to invest rather than to drink is often still thought to be taboo. ‘Some people buy purely on investment potential, some just based on the packaging, but in the end what you’ve got to buy on is the quality of the liquid,’ says Singh. ‘That way, if the market crashes, you will still have something amazing to drink, even when the money’s gone.’ n November 2019 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 81

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Traditional shoemaking at Crockett & Jones

Shoe trees from Crockett & Jones’ 140th Anniversary Collection

ON THE RIGHT FOOT

In uncertain times, British men’s shoemakers are diversifying to attract customers, finds Matt Thomas

PHOTOS: REX FEATURES

ne hundred and forty years have passed since brothers-in-laws Charles Jones and Sir James Crockett joined forces to create Crockett & Jones (crockettandjones.com). The partnership between talented shoemaker (Jones) and enterprising businessman (Crockett) resulted in a successful shoe manufacturing firm that has remained in the careful hands of a Jones ever since. This anniversary year still finds Crockett & Jones working to the hum of skilled craftsmen and women in the same factory in Northampton that the company built in 1897, standing as a proud symbol of the endurance of British shoe manufacturing. In the early days, Crockett & Jones was a tiny business of hand makers that expanded rapidly. Moving to the premises that remain the brand’s current home, just before World War One, gave it the perfect location to continue its growth. As with many manufacturers during that turbulent time, the boot and shoe trade benefited from wartime contracts and millions of pairs were produced. World War Two, however, saw harder, politically tough times for a number of decades. ‘Crockett & Jones has managed its way through

Perry shoes in black calf, by Crockett & Jones, a brand beloved by Daniel Craig (left)

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PHOTOS: REX FEATURES

Billy Tannery The Sneaker

two world wars, four British monarchs, 35 prime ministers, joining forces with Europe and countless recessions,’ says brand director James Fox, married to Philippa Jones (fifth generation). Since the shoes are made entirely in the UK, and are relatively sustainable, flying in the face of fast fashion, Fox is optimistic they’ll survive Brexit and consumer confidence will remain high. Perhaps it also helps that one of their champions is another of Britain’s global icons: Daniel Craig, aka James Bond. ‘Our relationship with Daniel Craig has been a great success story for the company,’ says Fox. ‘The beauty is that it was totally organic, as if he were just a normal Saturday customer coming in to buy his trusty pair of suede Chukka boots. We will forever be thankful to him for demanding to wear Crockett & Jones on set.’ Another five-generation brand that’s been boosted by media association is Cheaney Shoes (cheaney.co.uk), which has been supplying its vintage styles, including the Brixworth ankle boot, black King Derby boot and Edwin two-tone Oxford brogues, to the hit BBC series Peaky Blinders. The latter, so-called ‘co-respondent’ shoes, were originally deemed too loud for British gentlemen, but slowly became fashionable through jazz music and gangster movies and are now bang on trend (and socially acceptable). Embracing contemporary trends while still building on tradition is the key challenge for the luxury shoe market. Church’s recently took Church's Shanghai glacé a step towards sports loafer luxe, launching beautifully

LEFT: Edward Green Cranleigh boot RIGHT: Tricker’s 190 Tramping boot

Loake Sprint sneaker

crafted sneakers such as its Shanghai glacé calf and nubuck numbers (church-footwear.com). And innovative new British goat leather brand Billy Tannery (billytannery.co.uk) has teamed up with another fifth generation shoemaker, Crown Northampton, to offer The Sneaker, in madeto-order leather, customised with a choice of white, black or gum soles, and offering a resoling service in line with its sustainable ethos. Loake offers richly patinated, hand-painted Sprint leather sneakers (loake.co.uk), while John Lobb has translated its classic boot silhouette into the Howell suede plimsoll, which John Lobb Howell features its triple palladium suede plimsoll buckles (johnlobb.com). Tricker’s marks its 190th anniversary with a commemorative edition of its classic country Tramping Boot, each pair painstakingly handmade over 260 individual stages (trickers.com). And Edward Green’s new rugged field boot, the Cranleigh, was inspired by its hand-sewn Dover and offers a choice of black, dark brown, burgundy or mink suede (edwardgreen.com). And while Crockett & Jones has yet to enter the sneaker market or embrace e-tailing, it is poised to open its 14th store in Europe, and its second in New York. ‘We have been slow off the mark,’ Fox admits, ‘but not because we are Luddites, mainly because we have simply been too busy!’ You can’t say fairer than that. n November 2019 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 83

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Luxury Ski Chalets & Lodges since 1882.

We offer an exceptional array of properties and individuallytailored experiences across the Alps and beyond. To find out more visit our website or contact our travel team on: +44 (0)203 004 8750 www.leotrippi.com

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ONPISTE Edited by Felix Milns

POLE POSITION Get a head start on the ski season

Sloping off in style with Perfect Moment

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SKI SPECIAL

106 EDITOR’S PICKS

EDITOR’S LETTER

88 FRESH TRACKS

The latest news from the mountains

90 PISTE PERFECT

Colour code your outfit to the slope

92 CHALET GIRL

Make the run your runway

100 ON LOCATION

Behind the scenes of our ski style shoot

FRENCH FANCIES For slope-led savoirfaire try French brand Fusalp’s new shop on Draycott Avenue. fusalp.com

88 102 LET THE RESORT

RIVALRY COMMENCE Aspen vs Whistler

105 EAT SLEEP SKI

REPEAT The chicest slope-side beds to rest your head

elcome to ‘On Piste’, our inaugural guide to luxury on the slopes. This month sees the ski industry shake off its ski poles and go into a hard tuck towards Première Neige, that tantalising first week of the season where resorts open up their runs like a Pandora’s box of powdery delights. To help you prepare, we have gazed into our wintry snowglobe to bring you a preview of the best new openings and events, while expanding our review pages to bring you more insightful reviews of the best mountain addresses. The indefatigable Abi Butcher has lined up North American heavyweights Aspen and Whistler against each other, rather like two alpha males in a chairlift queue (p102), and Rosalyn Wikeley has picked out the most stylish suits, boots and accessories to be seen in this winter (p90). And never has skiwear looked quite so stylish as in our ski fashion shoot, shot in the ever-glamorous Lech (p92). As ski areas become ever more luxurious, there has been a clear shift in the perception of the ski holiday from hardcore sporting break to more of a lifestyle choice. Nothing illustrates this better than haute couture brands like Chanel offering branded skis. Warm up your ski legs at Chel-Ski in Fulham, get ready for alternating après with mindful mountain meditation, take a great big lungful of fresh Alpine air and join us as we leap into our first tracks of the season. Bon ski tout le monde! n

PHOTO BOMB Add your snaps to your skis. £1,675. nixsnow sports.com

HOT TO TROT Globe-Trotter X Leo Trippi ski case. £8,500. globe-trotter.com

Felix

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Perfect Pistes Aspen Snowmass is one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most prestigious ski resorts. Enjoy four exceptional mountains and a charming ski town, with internationally renowned hotels, restaurants and aprĂ¨s ski.

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Les Chalets du Mont d’Arbois, Megève

OF F-PISTE

CHEZ VRONY, ZERMATT Quite possibly the best mountain restaurant in the Alps. With stunning Matterhorn views from its tripletiered terraces, lunch here is an Alpine rite of passage. chezvrony.ch

Chalet Alice, one of Les Chalets du Mont d’Arbois

LA FOLIE DOUCE, AVORIAZ Now an Alpine institution, the Folie launched its latest outpost last winter. Book an outside table at the adjoining La Fruitière for lunch, then join the après, Avoriaz-style. lafoliedouce.com

The latest buzz on the slopes, from hotel openings to the best après spots

he renaissance of the luxury Alpine hotel continues apace, with France this winter’s indisputable hotel hotspot. While 2018 saw the Four Seasons join high-end hotel brands such as the Chedi, W Hotel and Aman in the Alps, this season sees them continue their collaboration with the de Rothschild family, with the reopening of the family’s historic five-star hotel, Les Chalets du Mont d’Arbois, in Megève. The three interlinking chalets vary in style, from traditional to bohemian chic, and can be rented individually or by the room (fourseasons.com). There are two significant launches in Val d’Isère. The Mademoiselle is a ski-in, ski-out ‘castle’ on the Place de Neige, inspired by an aristocratic Haute Époque residence, with 41 bedrooms and suites (airellescollection.com). And the Refuge de Solaise will become France’s highest hotel when it opens in December. This converted cable car station is perched 2,500m up the Solaise, claiming the best views as well as a slick restaurant, cocktail bar and swimming pool (lerefuge-valdisere.com). Francophiles familiar with the hip hotels created by the Pariente family in Saint Tropez and Provence will be delighted they’re also launching in Méribel. Hotel Le Coucou, just above the Rond Point, is set to hit all the minimalist, laid-back-luxury notes the brand is famous for (lecoucoumeribel.com). In neighbouring Courchevel, the renowned Sivolière has been completely refurbished by British designer Sara Copeland (hotel-lasivoliere.com), and Le Chabichou is reopening under new management (chabichoucourchevel.com). Stateside, there is a new W Hotel in Aspen, its first ski property in North America, risen like a phoenix from the ashes of the famed Sky Hotel: bigger, better and taller than before, with rooftop bar, dance floor and pool overlooking

France’s highest hotel: Le Refuge de Solaise

JAGDHOF, STUBAI VALLEY Spa award of the winter goes to the Jagdhof Spa Chalet, 3,000 sq/m of immersive spa indulgence featuring 20 different wellness experiences. Perfect for a ski spa break. hotel-jagdhof.at

PHOTOS: CHRISTOPHE HASSEL; OLIVER GODBOLD; GIUSEPPE GEPPO DI MAURO

FRESH TRACKS

Restaurant with a view at Le Refuge de Solaise

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SKI SPECIAL Heli-ski with Leo Trippi

PHOTOS: ©CHRISTOPHE HASSEL; ©OLIVER GODBOLD; ©GIUSEPPE GEPPO DI MAURO

Spa time at La Sivolière

Aspen Mountain (marriott.com). Fly there with United Airlines’ new direct London-Denver flights. Direct flights to Salt Lake City are also back for this winter with Delta, perfect for Deer Valley and the famed powder of Utah. For all the comforts of a hotel, it can be hard to beat the intimacy of a chalet. Cutting-edge style and contemporary art lovers should add the freshly-built Bella Rocca in Verbier to their bucket lists, and if you like contemporary design with your stone and timber, plump for Chalet Machupuchare in Val d’Isère (brambleski.com). Reconnect with your inner child at Chalet Tataali in Morzine, complete with indoor corkscrew slide and a swing over the pool (oxfordski.com). Chalet Tango in Tignes is a genuine one-off: a wild, wacky flight of imagination from four-time world ski champion and rally driver Guerlain Chicherit, complete with furnishings from a 1950s military plane and the best children’s playroom in the ski world (gc-kollection.com). For those seeking extreme adventures, it’s all about Antarctica. When Aurora Expeditions sets the pioneering Greg Mortimer on her maiden voyage this November, the 100 passengers will enjoy ski touring, snowshoeing and camping on the ice cap (auroraexpeditions.com). Meanwhile,

W H E N

T O

The Greg Mortimer embarks on her maiden voyage this winter

polar exploration specialist Quark Expeditions is offering heli-skiing with a side of polar cruising on the soon-tolaunch, 199-guest, Ultramarine (quarkexpeditions.com). If you prefer not to share, charter the 252-foot La Datcha expedition yacht. This six-deck splendour comes with two helicopters, two snowmobiles, a spa and 25 crew, and is available for charter in Antarctica (ladatcha.com). Closer to home, Leo Trippi is launching the ultimate heli-ski safari, an exhilarating ten-day cross-border, deep powder adventure in Switzerland, Italy and France (leotrippi. com). Or try Scott Dunn’s ultimate round the world ski experience, taking in five countries and three continents over 33 days (scottdunn.com). n

G O

24–26 JAN

5–8 MARCH

12–15 MARCH

30 MARCH TO 3 APRIL

Sport simply doesn’t get more glamorous than polo on snow. Don’t miss St Moritz’ Snow Polo World Cup. snowpolo-stmoritz.com

Compete with wounded veterans at Supporting Wounded Veterans Ski Challenge in Klosters. supportingwounded veterans.com

Join stellar chefs, including Tom Kerridge and Claude Bosi, at Courmayeur’s Mountain Gourmet Ski Experience. momentumski.com

Tim Minchin (above) was in last year’s live comedy line-up in Mayrhofen. Marcus Brigstocke heads 2020. altitudefestival.com

14–18 APRIL 2020 , Soak up acoustic performances from stars such as Passenger and James Bay at Zermatt Unplugged. zermatt-unplugged.ch

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SKI SPECIAL

PISTE PERFECT

Begg & Co Cashmere beanie, £115

KJUS Ski pants, £409

Slope off in style, says Rosalyn Wikeley

John Smedley Sweater, £165

Perfect Moment Ski suit, £650

Following a lengthy hiatus (arguably since Princess Diana graced the Alps), elegant ski get ups are back. First there was the baggy sports gear, a foggy hangover from the ’80s. An aggressive retro resurgence followed. Then the noughties came and, furry-hooded puffas painted the slopes in black and brown gloss. Whether you’re a black runner, a red or a blue, warmth, protection from the changeable elements and a helmet are key, but so is looking like a Bond girl, so listen up.

Moncler Jacket, £740

Peregrine Sweater, £95

Yves Salomon Jacket, £1,430

Fendi Headband, £290

N. Peal Scarf, £119

Snow Finel Merino midlayer, £145

Dior Sunglasses, £309

Finlay London Sunglasses, £160

Fusalp Ski pants, £126

Chanel Skis, £POA

Globetrotter’s new St Moritz collection

House of Bruar Fur top boot £225

Get cosy in Madeleine Thompson cashmere

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PRESTIGE 1.qxp_Layout 1 23/09/2019 14:54 Page 1

PRESTIGE Discover the Prestige Skiwear Collection at Ellis Brigham

LIVE. BREATHE. SKI.

SHOPS NATIONWIDE | ELLIS-BRIGHAM.COM

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Discover our luxury skiwear collections from Henri Duvillard, Goldbergh, Schöffel, Spyder, Peak Performance, Eider & Goldwin. Your Bespoke Boot Fit in your own time. Book your personal ski boot fit at one of Ellis Brigham’s SUREfit boot labs. More details: ellis-brigham.com/bootlab

BOOT LAB

23/09/2019 16:10

CHALET GIRL The slopes are this seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s catwalk Fashion director NICOLE SMALLWOOD Photographer CHRISTINE KREISELMAIER

Jacket and trousers, Rossignol. Boots and skis, Rossignol at Strolz. Goggles, Sun God

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Salopettes, Perfect Moment. Base layer, Hanro. Sunglasses, Carrera. Boots, Moon Boot at Net-a-Porter.com

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All in one, Goldbergh at Ellis Brigham. Gloves, Salomon. Helmet, Kask. Boots, Rossignol at Strolz

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Jacket and trousers, Templa. Gloves, Canada Goose. Base layer, Helly Hansen. Glasses, Max Mara. Skis and boots, Rossignol at Strolz

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Hat, Canada Goose. Trousers and gilet, Peak Performance. Base layer, Fulsap. Glasses, Smith Optics

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Jumper and scarf, Chanel. All in one, Goldbergh at Ellis Brigham. Goggles, Sun God. Hat, Canada Goose. Boots, Rossignol at Strolz

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Jumper, jacket and boots, Bogner. Shorts, Nike. Glasses, Tommy Hilfiger TEAM Video/digital: Cory Sheets Hair and makeup: Marisol Steward at Frank Agency using NARS and EVO hair Model: Lisa Fratani at Le Management Location: The team stayed at Severin*s – The Alpine Retreat (severins-lech). Lech tourist board (lechzuers.com). Transfers (taxilech.at). Ski passes (skiarlberg.at). Team’s ski equipment, courtesy Strolz ski hire (en.strolz.at). STOCKISTS: PAGE 138

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Severin*s in Austria proved the perfect place for our fashion team to unwind after a long day shooting our November ski style feature on the slopes

ON LOCATION Our fashion team give you an exclusive look behind the scenes of the November ski shoot

Doubles from around, £610 severins-lech Lech Zurs Tourism (lechzuers. com). Airport Transfers (taxilech.at). Ski Hire (en.strolz. at). Lift Passes (skiarlberg.at).

PRICES SUBJECT TO CURRENCY FLUCTUATIONS

BOOK IT

everin*s A-list credentials read like the guest list of the Oscars – for decades, royalty and the jetset have been flocking to Lech to bask in the village’s laidback, stylish charm. The C&TH team discovered why for themselves, when they went on location for the November issue ski shoot. Just an hour from Innsbruck airport, the Alpine retreat is a modern take on a traditional mountain chalet, with nine decadent suites and a two-storey ‘Residence’, emulating the uber-luxe seclusion of a private chalet. Situated in the idyllic ‘cradle of skiing’, St Anton, it’s just a stone’s throw from the Ski Arlberg slopes. While it’s not a ski in/ski out destination, a driver is on hand at any time to take you the short fiveminute journey to and from the lifts (handy, as it turns out, when it came to carting photography equipment up the mountains.) The feeling of being granted celebrity status starts the moment you step off the plane, as a private driver

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SKI SPECIAL

PRICES SUBJECT TO CURRENCY FLUCTUATIONS

until the final click of the camera. Luckily, when it came to food, Severin*s more than delivers. Kevin Szalai has taken the helm as Head Chef and you can expect modern pan-Austrian cuisine, delivering traditional Alpine flavours with a modern twist (altogether far more pleasing to devour after a hard day’s skiing). You can also book to dine in the hotel’s 3,000-bottle strong wine cellar, where a small dining area is screened off from the cellar by a glass wall. With just a final few hours left on the clock, the only thing left to do was unwind, but like everything in Lech – this too, has been turned into it’s own professional sport. Downtime can be spent enjoying the hotel’s art collection, and even catching a viewing in the private cinema. But the true highlight is the hot tub – filled at 4pm every evening it’s the perfect way to enjoy unrivalled views of the mountains, with a mandatory glass of champagne in hand. The only problem is, when check-out time arrives you won’t want to leave. n

greets you at the airport and delivers you to the terrace for a glass of champagne. On arrival – and still full of bubbles – the team were led to the Residence where, upon entering via its own private entrance, they were greeted by vast openplan living areas, a slick kitchen and a self-playing grand piano. Italian design company Minotti masterminded the interiors, which combine a classic Alpine lodge feel with state-of-the-art technology – meaning that while sinking into your Louis XVI-style feathery bed, you can also conjure some mood lighting with one of the iPad controls. In the morning, a private driver was on hand to deliver the team to the slopes of the Arlberg mountains – though with breakfast served until 1pm, the slow risers (and those less apt on skis) enjoyed a leisurely start. A day navigating cameras around skiers, snowboarders and snowmobiles ensued – as it turns out, stabilising your shots in the snow as snowsports enthusiasts whizz past, is a Goliathan task, requiring patience and the bribe of fondue at the end to keep our stylists, photographers and model motivated November 2019 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 101

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SKI SPECIAL

LET THE RESORT RIVALRY COMMENCE...

Snowmass strolls in Aspen

Are you more active in America’s Aspen or cooler in Canada’s Whistler? Abi Butcher helps you decide

ohn Denver wrote Annie’s song after it came to him on the Ajax chairlift in Aspen, Colorado, and we’ve been loving this old mining townturned-ski resort ever since. If you only hit the slopes in America once in your lifetime, make it Aspen Snowmass.

Seafood on the slopes

Restaurant Clark’s oyster bar, one of the latest openings in Aspen, serves oysters from Maine, Prince Edward Island and Massachusetts, as well as lobster rolls, crab and fruits de mer. clarksaspen.com

Dance off those ski legs Aspen’s first supper club, 7908, is a restaurant, bar and nightclub all in one. Head chef Byron Gomez spent 13 years working in New York, including several Michelin-starred restaurants, and the resident DJ Bryan Normand knows exactly how to get the wild crowd dancing on tables. 7908aspen.com

Aprés-ciating the views

Slope to scale

ASPEN

It’s not so much downhill as uphill these days in Aspen; join the 100 or so locals who ski-tour up the mountain every morning before the lifts open. It’s on-trend right now across the world, and nowhere more than in this fitness-mad ski town. The snow is always good in Highland Bowl so boot pack 45 minutes up to the peak at 3,559m, take a selfie at the top sitting on the chair and pick your gnarly route down. The steepest is Go-Go Gully, 48 degrees.

THE OUTFIT get your warrior on: the perfect way to warm up for skiing.

Entertain the kids Take them to the Wapiti Wildlife Center at the top of Elk Camp lift in Snowmass, where they can learn about the different animals living around the resort – from elk to bobcats. Free, and a great break from skiing (and to warm up).

Spa bunny It’s not exactly a spa, but start your ski day with a $5 yoga class in Sundeck at the top of Aspen Mountain overlooking the Elk Mountain Range. Strip off your ski wear and

Adrenaline junkie

Gear up with Coloradobrand Spyder’s 2019/20 FallLine GTX Infinium Down Jacket (¤700), and Winner GTX Pant (¤300). spyder.com

ABOVE & BELOW: Hotel Jerome

Take a private helicopter to ski Colorado’s legendary Silverton Mountain. It’s a 45-minute flight to Silverton, over the San Juan Mountains, and when you land there are 26,000 acres to explore – and non-skiing clients are welcome to join, too.

PHOTOS: ©MATT HARRINGTON © MIKE CRANE

Test yourself

Hotel to bag Hotel Jerome, while not on the slopes, is the most historic in Aspen. Opened in 1889, it was the favourite hotel of Hunter S Thompson, and the ‘Aspen Crud’ was invented here at the J-Bar during Prohibition. aubergeresorts.com

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Restaurant The Bearfoot Bistro is the ultimate fine-dining experience, complete with champagne lounge, champagne sabering classes in its underground cellar, resident jazz pianist and vodka bar made entirely of ice (Canada Goose jackets supplied). bearfootbistro.com

he largest ski area in North America – with 8,171 acres of terrain – is now part of the Epic Pass, thanks to its takeover by Vail Resorts a few years ago. As well as endless cruising, steep lines and fantastic dining, this Canadian classic offers the real deal.

Dance off those ski legs Just a few steps away from where you take your skis off at the base of Whistler Mountain, The Longhorn has live DJs at après and later in the night, live bands. gibbonswhistler.com

Bearfoot Bistro

Ready, set, snow

Slope to scale At 11km, the Peak to Creek is Whistler’s longest run and boasts the most incredible views of the surrounding Southern Pacific peaks of the Coast Mountains. Load your pockets with energy bars for the 1,530m vertical drop.

Test yourself

WHISTLER

Head down the Saudan Couloir, a doubleblack diamond ‘experts only’ run from beside the Horstman Hut on Blackcomb’s Horstman Glacier. At 2,330m, the snow’s reliably good up here and with a pitch hitting 42 degrees, the Saudan is a reliable test of skills, too.

Entertain the kids Snow tubing (essentially like toboganning on a giant inflatable) is the thing to do in North America. Whistler does it in style at the Coca-Cola Tube Park in the Base 2 Zone at Blackcomb Mountain.

THE OUTFIT

Spa bunny

PHOTOS: ©MATT HARRINGTON © MIKE CRANE

Nita Lake Lodge

Hotel to bag The boutique Nita Lake Lodge at Whistler Creekside is repeatedly voted one of the best hotels in Canada and its organic spa voted Canada’s top destination spa. nitalakelodge.com

It’s a serious skier’s resort, so Jöttnar’s Ragnarök Waterproof Down Ski Jacket (£845) and Vanir Hard Shell Mountain & Ski Pant (£375) are just the ticket. jottnar.com

Immerse your weary muscles in hydrotherapy at Scandinave Spa, set in quiet forest just outside Whistler. A range of hot and cold installations include Eucalyptus steam baths, wood-burning sauna, Nordic waterfalls, cold plunge baths and outdoor fireplaces. scandinave.com

Adrenaline junkie Reach speeds of more than 80kph with a ride on the 2010 Winter Olympic Games Bobsleigh — or if you’re feeling really brave, take your own skeleton. n

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Camel Snow Not Just Another Holiday Agent

We’re not just any old ski holiday provider. We don’t have office hours and we’re not nine-to-five kind of people. We’re specialists in sourcing and curating the best luxury chalet experiences for our clients. WE LIST CHALETS, LODGES AND HOTELS from a wide range of operators, but WE WORK FOR YOU, rather than for any particular hotel or resort, which means you benefit from our impartial, honest property and destination knowledge.

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SKI SPECIAL

EAT, SLEEP, SKI, REPEAT The coolest places to get your Alpine fix

PHOTOS: ©DIN; PRICES MAY VARY DUE TO CURRENCY FLUCTUATIONS

Schweizerhof, Zermatt

Grandes Alpes, Courchevel 1850

LAID-BACK COCKTAILS AND FUNKY BEATS

EXCLUSIVE HIDEAWAY IN FRANCE’S GLITZIEST RESORT

A Zermatt landmark for over 50 years, the Schweizerhof has had a radical transformation, courtesy of new owner Michel Reybier, of La Réserve fame. Parisian designer Kristian Gavoille has dramatically opened up the ground floor, creating a magnificent open-plan lobby, bar and restaurant space. The back-lit onyx marble bar is reminiscent of Annabel’s Jungle Bar and the whole space oozes sophisticated savoir faire. A short walk through a library-cum-wine store leads on to La Muña, serving Peruvian-Japanese fusion. It’s already one of the top restaurants in the village. Rooms have been refitted rather than remodelled, with ultra-cool white marble bathrooms and ‘minimal chic’ bedrooms. A triumphant reinvention of a Zermatt classic. BOOK IT: Doubles from £421. schweizerhofzermatt.ch

The Grandes Alpes is a little piste-side jewel on the famed Rue d'Église, right in the centre of glamorous Courchevel 1850. Dating back to 1948, it is one of the oldest hotels in the resort, and sits right at the upper echelons of its 22 five-star hotels. Its USP is its low-key exclusivity, plus its hybrid chalet/hotel concept. During high season the hotel comprises just nine apartments, each with three or four bedrooms, sumptuous living areas, dining rooms and private butler service. Outside the peak weeks, three of the apartments divide into deluxe rooms and one-bed suites. Most guests live and eat in their apartments, with every whim catered for by their butler. Opulent without being ostentatious. BOOK IT: Doubles from £854. grandesalpes.com

Chalet Überhaus, Lech

Hotel Jagdhof, Stubai Glacier

LORDING IT IN LECH

SKI & SPA WEEKENDS AND GUARANTEED SNOW

It’s hard to find a chalet that better encapsulates today’s crossover of lifestyle and skiing than ÜberHaus, set on the pistes above the genteel resort of Lech. It blends all the hygge, reclaimed timber, and roaring open fire charm you want from a winter getaway. Spanning four floors, the chalet sleeps up to 14 guests and comes with a small army of staff, including a professional chef and ski butler. The latter will soon become your best friend as he sorts out the kids’ ski lessons while you enjoy breakfast in bed, secures the best tables for lunch, and quietly tips off the ÜberHaus team when you’re heading back from the slopes – so the champagne is on ice by the hot tub. BOOK IT: Seven nights from £ 3 4 , 5 7 5 (sleeps ten adults, four children), including five days of ski guiding. uberhaus-lech.com

The pride of the Stubai Valley, the Jagdhof is a perfect blend of traditional Tyrolean heritage and contemporary mountain luxury, all hand-carved wood panelling and snug stübli nooks for cosy tête-à-têtes. It’s also home to the jSPA: at over 3,000sq/m, it's one of the best mountain spas in the Alps. There are more than 20 differently themed saunas, steam and relaxation rooms, plus the new Spa Chalet, including a spacious Private Spa Suite especially for couples. A sophisticated sanctuary for the senses, you could spend a long weekend here without ever leaving the spa – but that would be a crime, since the skiing on the nearby Stubai glacier rises up to 3,600m. Also, you can’t leave without a tasting in the wine cellar. BOOK IT: Doubles from £ 3 9 4 . hotel-jagdhof.at November 2019 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 105

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Riffelalp Resort 2222m, Zermatt

Le Massif, Courmayeur

ROMANTIC MOUNTAIN HIDEAWAY

GOURMET SKI WEEKENDS

High up on the Riffelalp plateau sits this ski-in, ski-out bastion of old-school charm and rarefied Hautes-Alpes luxury. Accessible only by cog train, this is a traditional mountain retreat in every sense. Set back from the piste and flanked by pine forests, most rooms have gloriously unbroken Matterhorn views, as does the heated outdoor pool – the highest in Europe. Fully renovated in 2016, the look is a blend of traditional country house and classic five-star hotel. You can take the train down to Zermatt in the evenings but will more likely hunker down and eat fondue in the cosy Walliserkeller or go five-course gastro at Restaurant Alexandre. As well as a billiards room, there’s a two-lane bowling alley for post-prandial shenanigans. The complimentary l’Occitane lip balm and hand cream at turndown are a lovely touch. BOOK IT: Doubles from £310. riffelalp.com

Nestled below the imposing flanks of Mont Blanc, Courmayeur is one of the prettiest of all mountain towns, making it the ideal choice for the Italian Hospitality Collection’s first ski property, the aptly-named, five-star Le Massif. Two-dimensional corten steel trees flank a building that has risen like a phoenix from a site that had been closed for 30 years. The location is perfect. A two-minute walk from the Bar Roma end of the street, it’s the same distance again to the cable car taking you up to the ski area, where they've squared the circle with their own mountain restaurant, lodge and boot room (so all your ski gear stays safe and warm up the mountain). It's the ideal base for the renowned gourmet ski weekend, with two gourmet dinners in resort and one dinner on the mountain, by UK-based, Michelin-starred guest chefs. BOOK IT: Three nights B&B from £1,400pp, including private transfers and full gourmet ski experience. momentumski.com

Hide Hotel, Flims

Hotel Bellevue Terminus, Engleberg

ARCHITECTURAL AFICIONADOS

POWDER WEEKENDERS

The Hide Hotel is a feat of engineering. Where once there was just a bridge, now there is the Stenna building, all low-slung contoured concrete and glass, containing not only this super-funky hotel but also bars – one themed around a madcap inventor – restaurants, a four-screen cinema, fashion boutiques and Kindercity, a wonderfully imaginative, interactive installation for children. The hotel rooms are on the penthouse floor, with expansive valley views both southwards, and over the home run to the north. Flims is linked to Laax and together they form one of Switzerland’s best and most underrated ski areas. Designed by Swedish design house Stylt Trampoli AB, who did such a fantastic job on the HUUS hotel in Gstaad, the look is industrial luxury, giving traditional Flims a welcome shot in the arm. BOOK IT: Seven nights B&B from £1,825pp, including Swiss flights from London, transfers and full in-resort services. powderbyrne.com

Sitting right in the heart of town, opposite the train station, the Bellevue Terminus more than lives up to its billing. While it presents outwardly as a classically grand, late nineteenth-century Swiss building, the interior has been pared back to dramatic effect. The original staircase has been replaced with a modern timber stair and solid steel balustrade, while the walls in the main bar and lounge have been peeled away to expose the original wallpaper. The designers have subtly picked out the revealed palette of red, blue, gold and green and matched it in the comfy velvet sofas you gratefully sink into after a long day's skiing. With a similar vibe to Soho House and the eat, ski, repeat style of Sibuet’s Terminal Neige hotels, it’s absolutely the right personality for Engleberg and its legendary ‘Big Five’ off-piste descents. BOOK IT: Doubles from £230. bellevue-terminus.ch

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SKI SPECIAL

Chesa El Toula, St Moritz

Chalet Sapphire, Morzine

UNDERSTATED ENGADINE ELEGANCE

CHALET SPA LOVERS

If St Moritz is Switzerland’s most glamorous ski resort, then the Suvretta hill is its most exclusive suburb, with property values to match Belgravia. Chalets are hard to come by here, so the newly launched Chesa el Toula is a rare, and rarefied, find. Backdropped by woods, it has a cosy, private feel. Top marks go to the games room with full bar, big enough to host your own nightclub. Next to it is a cinema with Roche Bobois daybeds to sprawl on. And who needs skiing when the spa comes with a steam room, jet current pool, indoor and outdoor hot tub and gym? Run by Leo Trippi, the rental includes comprehensive service but the fun is in the bespoke extras. Whether that’s three chefs for rolling 24-hour gourmandise, or flying in a baby grand piano at a day’s notice, nothing is too much trouble. BOOK IT: Seven nights' exclusive hire from £88,550 (12 guests). leotrippi.com

Spiralling off a glorious sweeping central staircase with a cascade of Bocci pendant lights, Morzine’s latest super-chalet is a haven from the snowstorm in modern rustic luxe. The double-height lounge has exposed timber beams and a supremely comfortable feel, while deep inky velvet chairs guard a huge Balinese teak dining table. Spa bunnies will have their snowy tails up here, with a Bamford Spa comprising glowing cobalt pool, hammam and ice/steam chambers, topped off with a Bamford trained therapist on call. Rooms are timber-clad, simple yet stylish, with statement porcelain pendants, chunky wool throws and textured Porcelanosa tiles and waterfall showers. Don’t miss the six-course Kaiseki experience, though you will need to dance off the fabulous house cocktails in the basement bar. BOOK IT: Seven nights chalet board from £ 23,500 (sleeps 12); an adjacent chalet for four is also available. thechaletedit.com

Chalet Floralie, St Martin de Belleville

Chalet Beluga, Avoriaz

SECLUSION IN THE TROIS VALLÉES

FAMILIES AND WINE LOVERS

Far away from the glitz and glamour of Courchevel and the boisterous Brits of Meribel, St Martin is not only the prettiest village in the Trois Vallées but also home to some of the best ski restaurants. Stay right in the centre of the village – and 50m from the base of the lift – at Floralie, a beautifully tasteful chalet by entrepreneurs John Ayton and Annoushka Ducas, founders of Links of London and Annoushka jewellery. The heart of the chalet is the enormous firstfloor living room, where each corner is almost a separate living space in itself; along with the home cinema downstairs, there’s acres of space to lounge (and there's a separate penthouse to rent, for groups larger than 14). In the bijou spa a space-age giant hot tub glows in UV light, complete with sauna, enormous flat screen tv and chill-out area. Perfect for secluded séjours in the Trois Vallées. BOOK IT: Seven nights from £16,890 (sleeps 14). skifloralie.com

Until recently it was near-impossible to rent a catered chalet in futuristically fantastical Avoriaz, where self-catered and geometrically diverse apartment buildings sprout like extensions of the cliffs below, creating the most architecturally spectacular resort in the Alps. Enter VIP Ski with four new chalets that take pride of piste just above the Prodains Express. The chalet spreads out over six floors, which are topped by living space and the master suite, and tailed by the indoor pool and spa (but don’t worry, there is a lift). The VIP chefs specialise in healthy twists on mountain classics, amply washed down with a wine list curated by Xavier Rousset, once the world’s youngest sommelier. Aside from some excellent complimentary bottles, there’s a magnificent selection sold at cost price. Bottoms up! BOOK IT: Seven nights chalet board from £13,690 (sleeps ten), including flights and transfers. vip-chalets.com November 2019 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 107

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SKI SPECIAL

Andermatt has done a full 180, with a raft of new openings

ANDERMATT’S AWAKENING A once-forgotten Alpine village is now firmly back on the global piste map

ast season not only saw the opening of the four-star Radisson Blu in Andermatt, but also the Schneehüenerstock-Express gondola linking Andermatt with Sedrun, the final piece in the massive £1.2bn redevelopment jigsaw. Andermatt has boasted visitors as diverse as Queen Victoria, Sir Winston Churchill and Elvis in its past, yet until recently had been starved of investment, its potential as a world-class ski destination hamstrung by the large army base next to the village. The collection of small two- and three-star guest houses on the pretty cobbled streets were kept alive by freeriders drawn to the lauded steeps of the Gemsstock mountain, whose epic off-piste skiing is still served by two ancient cable cars – but family-friendly it was not. Things were looking bleak when the army base closed, until the Swiss ambassador to Cairo briefed Egyptian developer Samih Sawiris on the opportunity. He wasn't looking to buy a ski area, but on a helicopter flyover in 2005 he was smitten. His pitch was simple – sell me the army base to develop, and I will pay for the transformation of the ski area too. The government backed the idea, exempting the development from the usual strict rules on foreign investors, but Sawiris would only take it on with the support of locals. In a public vote 96 per cent overwhelmingly backed his plans. Construction started in 2009, with the 2013 opening of the five-star Chedi hotel signalling the way. To date, eight out of a proposed 42 apartment buildings have been built, along with an 18-hole golf course and all major road and rail infrastructure – but it's last year's Radisson opening that's seen as truly pivotal. The investment in the ski area is transformative, particularly on the Nätschen side that's now linked to Sedrun in both directions. Bathed in sun at over 2,650m, it's perfect for families and intermediate cruising. And with the ski area linking to Disentis this season, the future is very bright indeed.

The Chedi, Andermatt

Radisson Blu, Andermatt

STYLE SETTER

SPORTY WEEKENDS

The Chedi’s Japanese restaurant not only boasts a Michelin star and 16 GaultMillau Points but also one of Europe’s largest collections of sake; the Cigar Library is a glass treasure trove and the Wine Cave has an exclusive collection of Château Mouton Rothschild. Asian-inspired architecture toys with Swiss alpine clichés, and even the sunlight is given the modern treatment, sliced like Swiss cheese by huge vertical windows as it spills into the enormous spaces. The sheer scale of the spa is mindboggling, while the rooms, each with their own chunky balcony and extravagant Hästens beds, are sumptuously unfussy. Don’t worry about equipment hire, the ski butlers have your boot size. BOOK IT: Doubles from £550. thechediandermatt.com

Taking pride of place in the new satellite village of Andermatt Reuss, a ten-minute walk from the historic centre, the new Radisson has a typically comfortable Scandi feel. Built from local granite and timber, MBO Architecture has added warmth to the interior with cosy throws from local fabrics and a sensitive lighting scheme. Rooms are generously sized and well appointed. Next to the wellness spa and fitness centre is a 25m swimming pool complete with diving boards, which is also used by local kids as part of the holistic redevelopment plan. The cosy restaurant, is an excellent à la carte steak joint by night, with salsa, salads and sauces from local mountain herbs. BOOK IT: Doubles from £195. radissonblu.com n

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“IT ALL STARTED WITH THE SEARCH FOR A SKI JUMPER... When I tried to find the type of ski jumpers that I wanted to wear, they were nowhere to be seen, so I decided to make my own. Snow Finel was born.”

Check the website for this season’s new colours www.snowfinel.co.uk

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Get ready for...

THE PARTY ISSUE O U T 8 N OV EM B ER COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK

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LIVING INTERIORS DESIGN

THE INSIDER

HOW’S IT HANGING? Chandeliers are out, botanicals are in. Although it might look like floating, floral art (which it also is), this creation lights from within the thousands of metalwork leaves and buds. You can thank Cox London for the talking points. £42,600. coxlondon.com

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THE INSIDER Nina Campbell Chellwood wallpaper, £110 per roll. osborneandlittle.com

Bring a slice of Sketch into your home

Arteriors Rosie lamp, £453. arteriorshome.com

T R E N D

Quartz Rose Rice bowls, £48. johnlewis.com

Venoor Nesting tables, £345; sofa, £845. venoor.com

THINK PINK

Blush is the shade of the season Not just the preserve of brides, blush is the shade to turn to for an instant injection of modernity. Best used against gallery-white walls, pair it with metallics or make it more masculine by matching with matte black. Fresh and fun, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. n

Smeg Kettle, £180. smeg.com

Divine Savages Forbidden Bloom wallpaper, £150 per roll. divinesavages.com

OKA Cushion, £65. oka.com

Ceraudo Carlotta ottoman, from £790. ceraudo.com

Bisque Classic radiator, from £888. bisque.co.uk

Matthew Day Jackson Kolho chair, €1,200. madebychoice.com

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MOUNTAIN BATHING Catchpole & Rye baths start life in Kent and end up all over the world. Nickel bateau bath with charcoal exterior, £6,000. catchpoleandrye.com

SUCH A PRINCESS Loretta Caponi Queen bath towel set, £438. modaoperandi.com

I N T E R I O R S

DESIGN NOTES

Play games and sit pretty this month, says Carole Annett DEEP BLUE

POP OF PINK For her latest rug collection, Amy Kent joins forces with photographer and designer Eddie Wrey. Jinka, hand-knotted in Kathmandu with Tibetan wool and silk, 220cm x 280cm, £5,051. amykent.co.uk

LOOKING SHEEPISH Theodore armchair by Humbert & Poyet, from ¤5,500. humbertpoyet.com

A statement piece of furniture looks so chic in navy. Leather-wrapped console table with ebonised legs, stitch detailing and bronze handles, £5,200 at K&H Design. kandhdesign.co.uk

BOARD MEMBER

Alexandra Llewellyn designs bespoke backgammon boards for A-listers, hotels and private clubs. Here she translates a work by artist Tom Hammick. £18,000. alexandrallewellyn.com 114 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | November 2019

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THE INSIDER

PAGE T U R NERS

TEXTURE PLAY The new collections from Nina Campbell. Kingsley wallpaper, £69 per roll; Ashdown stripe, £72 p/m, Amberly, £89 p/m; Rodmell, £69 p/mall, all at Osborne & Little. osborneandlittle.com

HANG ON Bert & Frank Flagon pendant lights, single £295; five-light cluster, £1,515. bertfrank. co.uk

FARAWAY TREE The

designs of husband and wife Daniel and Sarah often feature wood from Dan’s native homeland. Hand-turned vessel in Australian red gum burr, £1,495. ilukalondon.com

PURE NEISHA

The Alfridi Gallery, SW3, hosts an exhibition of Neisha Crosland ‘pattern portraits’ from 29 October to November 19. Hand-painted artworks, from £1,000. shahbazafridi.com

1 In My View, Tricia Guild, £45, Merrell. amazon.co.uk 2 English Decoration, Ben Pentreath, £30. rylandpeters.com 3 Collett Zarzycki, The Tailored Home, Dominic Bradbury, £40. lundhumphries.com 4 The New Elegance, Timothy Corrigan, $60. rizzolibookstore.com 5 Extraordinary Interiors in Colour, Lucy St George and Jane Rockett, £19.99. rylandpeters.com

WATERY HUE Stool upholstered in Nympheus velvet, indigo, £129 p/m; cushion in Petropolis, emerald, £165 p/m, both by GP & J Baker. gpjbaker.com

FURRY FRIEND Begg & Co has a deep knowledge of warp and weft having been at the forefront of weaving technology since 1866. Vigo Buckley yellow stole, £110. beggand company.com

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VISIT THE NEW DEPARTMENT, THIRD FLOOR

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THE INSIDER F O C U S

CHILD’S PLAY

Dinky and adorable designs for keeping little ones snoozed and amused

1 Leander cradle with organic coco mat mattress, hangs on a tripod or with a ceiling hook, £345. naturalmat.co.uk 2 Bobby Rabbit lion

head, handmade using raffia and cotton rope, £69.95. bobbyrabbit.co.uk 3 Bear and Beau bunny wallpaper in grey or pink, £145 per 10m roll. bearandbeau.com 4 Harbouring good dreams with Peter Reed’s Junior collection, from £300. peterreed.com 5 Nofred wooden mouse chair, £155; table, £160. nubie.co.uk 118 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | November 2019

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L OL O OUURR PPE E OK O IKNI NGG FFO OR R Y YO RR F EF CETC T FFRRAAG A NNCCEE? ? GR A

Speak to a Fragrance Foundation Specialist in store wearing our pin to find the ideal fragrance for you.

Speak to a Fragrance Foundation Specialist in store wearing our pin FragranceFoundationUK to find the ideal fragrance FragranceFoundationUK @FragranceFDN_UK fragrancefoundationuk for you. www.fragrancefoundation.org.uk

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FOR THE VERY BEST OF COUNTRY & TOWN

PRINT ISSUES OF C&TH, SEVEN SUPPLEMENTS & INSTANT ACCESS TO EVERY DIGITAL EDITION FOR ONLY £20

PLUS

THREE GIFTS WORTH £78 The Organic Pharmacy blends homeopathic principles and pharmaceutical-grade herbal extracts to powerful effect. Start with the Carrot Butter Cleanser, a rich melt-on balm that will gently remove the day away. Use with the muslin cloth for best effect. Finish with the Hyaluronic Acid Serum, for a shot of intense moisture, plumping and hydrating skin to improve natural barrier function. theorganicpharmacy.com

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TERMS & CONDITIONS: Offer valid for UK subscriptions only. Free gift is available while stocks last. The free gift will arrive under separate cover to your subscription. Subscriptions may be cancelled by providing 28 days’ notice. Subscriptions may not include supplements packaged with the magazine. This offer closes on 1 November 2019. For UK subscription enquiries, please call 020 7384 9011 or visit www.countryandtownhouse.co.uk

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THE INSIDER India Whalley

D E S I G N

LIT T L E BL ACK BOOK

Q & A

INDIA WHALLEY

WALLPAPER & FABRICS Ottoline Devries. ottoline.nl

The founder of The Edition 94 never likes to throw anything away Designer of the moment: Beata Heuman

CANDLES Casa Carta. casa-carta.com

Fournier. It bring so much colour to my new home. What would you never throw away? Don’t throw anything Rainbow magic by Bertrand Fournier

Most recent find? Two very large Egyptian appliqué-work wall hangings, from the 1920s. These textile wall hangings were popular tourist souvenirs during the 1920s, particularly following the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922.

away that can be brought back to life with a layer of fresh paint or fabric. Whose home would you most like to have a nose around?

Gabriella Crespi’s. She was a genius at transforming objects.

Most extravagant purchase?

A pair of 1970s Mangani Ceramic Italian Wall lights and a Rose Wylie Work on Paper purchased from The Dot Project.

Which designers do you have your eye on? Beata Heuman

House warming present? A set

What do you collect? Paintings by

contemporary emerging artists. My other business is a arts space called The Dot Project, which identifies young talent.

Unsung design hero? Mario

Bellini – purely for his sofas. What should never have seen the light of day?

What’s beside your bed? Design and travel

Where do you find inspiration?

A painting of a rainbow by Bertrand

TILES Tile Heaven. tileheaven.uk

GLASSWARE Made in Milan. theedition 94.com ART Heath Newman. thedotproject.com

books. They double up as my bedside tables as I have a very low bed.

Shiny crushed velvet fabrics on anything.

Last piece of art you bought?

CUSHIONS Robert Kime. robertkime.com

and Lonika Chande.

of our Tahitian or Scalloped placemats.

Antique markets – wherever I am travelling I will hunt one down.

PLATES Zsuzsanna Nyul theedition94.com

Sofa of dreams by Mario Bellini

How can we live more selfsufficiently? Buying vintage or

antique pieces and buying quality and handmade pieces. Try to find new uses for old homeware rather than simply throwing them away. theedition94.com

FURNITURE Soane Britain. soane.co.uk

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TIME TO CHANGE YOUR VIEWS Come on a JC Journey

PILGRIMAGES

BATTLEFIELDS

SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA HOLY LAND ROME & ASSISI PATMOS ST PAUL IN CORINTH ST BENEDICT IN ROME MEDJUGORJE NORTHERN LIGHTS GOZO & MALTA FAITH THROUGH ART, ST PETERSBURG AND MANY MORE…

WATERLOO SOMME MONTE CASSINO ANZIO NORMANDY PALESTINE BOSNIA ARNHEM OP MARKET GARDEN COLDITZ PENINSULAR WAR ROME TO FLORENCE (44) AND MANY MORE…

VILLAS HOTELS CHALETS WINTER SUN

01886 812862 www.jcjourneys.com JC Journeys.indd 1

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EAT DRINK ESCAPE

FOOD & TRAVEL

F I N N I S H

L A P L A N D

SONG OF ICE AND FIRE Caiti Grove has an epiphany under the Northern Lights

A dawn glow heralds a few hours of light in the polar winter

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tars flicker in the jet-black sky as we walk to the end of the jetty. An owl takes flight from a fir tree and shakes snow onto the ground below. The lake stretches out before us as we step past a swimmer’s ladder and off the jetty onto the ice. We walk thirty feet to the middle of the lake, where the water is deeper, and choose a spot. Our guide presses ‘On’ – and the silence is gone. A juddering, electronic, whizzing noise whines through the air as he holds up a five-foot-long drill with more than 12 inches of a Fusilli-esque twisted blade. Its point pressed to the surface, the ice quickly turns to crystals and a dent in its glassy surface emerges. He turns off the machine BOOK IT to clear away grated slithers of new snow, before starting Doubles at again. Finally, a hole four inches wide reveals the lake’s Northern Lights dark water beneath. From a camping chair three feet from Ranch, from £243pp per cabin the hole, I thread a maggot onto a hook attached to a line (theranch.fi). and drop it through the aperture. Every so often I shake Ice fishing with it, to try and make the submerged treat tantalising to the Wild Nordic Levi (wildnordic.fi). For carp beneath – surely this wriggly meal should be an more information other-worldly treat? Looking up at the sky, I see a shooting on Finland see star and wonder if it’s time for a glass of sima, like we had visitfinland.com last night. I glance at my watch – 3.10pm. Nope – not even close. Up here in Finnish Lapland, mornings during the polar nights around Christmas begin with a dark dawn glow, brighten for a few hours and then plunge into pitch black mid-afternoon. Laplanders, now known as Sámi, don’t restrict The bed has a view of the night sky outdoor activities to daylight

hours; they think nothing of a long hike and fishing expedition beneath a glittering sky of stars. After a warming coffee in a nearby log cabin, we ride our snowmobiles back through the woods; inching carefully along a track between the trees, we hurtle across frozen lakes, everything illuminated by a moon as bright as a stadium floodlight. After handing back our weighty, hardcore, warm outerwear – a Batman-type jumpsuit, goggles, gloves and boots, we retreat to our hotel. At the Northern Lights Ranch, bedrooms stand deep in the snow and proper boots and coats are essential for the wintry walk to the hotel’s restaurant. After a dinner of roasted moose, and boar with loganberries, guests are clearly eager to return to their rooms. Simple and minimalist, with Nordic-style bleached wood and grey woollen upholstery, it’s the ceilings that are the talking point: their reinforced glass reveals a universe of stars and shooting comets that shine especially brightly because of the lack of light pollution in the area. Lapland encompasses the most northerly parts of Sweden, Norway, Finland and a corner of Russia. Historically populated by the indigenous Sámi, their languages also mix Finnish, Swedish, Estonian and, strangely, Hungarian. Reindeer are at the heart of Lappish culture, living wild in the woods – although tags reveal they all have owners, who keep them as livestock. They’re rounded up every year to be counted, often accompanied by new calves, before being let go again to roam the forests. At Levin Poropalvelu’s reindeer farm, some are caught for the winter and trained to pull visitors around an enormous lake. Sitting in the wooden sleigh full of thick

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF THE ARTISTS AND BATIA SAREM GALLERY; © ROUNRY

A cabin at the Northern Lights Ranch in Finland

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FOOD & TRAVEL

Reindeer are tagged as livestock, but live wild in the woods

rugs, the trainers tell us not to pull the reins, since the reindeer know the way and like to stick together. They set off at a canter with their friends and relations alongside, pulling more sleighs of nervous tourists. After a year of living wild in the woods the deer are timid, but fast on ice. Afterwards, their owners make us Glögi in a wigwam adorned with reindeer horns, the door shut to preserve heat from an open fire that roars in the middle, its smoke swirling upwards to a big black iron flue that draws it out of the tent. Half an hour south of Levi, in Kittilä, we step into a little wooden cave and then descend into Saamen Kammi, a restaurant run by a Sámi family who are keen to show traditional ways of eating and socialising. Another open fire burns in the centre, where sides of salmon on slabs of wood are propped up to smoke. Sautéed, rib-cut and smoked reindeer is served next to tongue and heart. Finnish children queue alongside us for dinner, eager to explain that they’re learning to shoot game and will get their own guns when they’re 15. Reindeer hides decorate the wooden walls alongside Lappish crafts – drums, rugs and art. After dessert, a loud drumbeat rings out through the restaurant and silence descends. The owner Niiles is about to perform. His song is long and haunting; the drumbeats and traditional whoops become part of the sound, as do the cries of animals. ‘The wind blows through my heart’ is a refrain that’s sad and timeless and expressive of the tough life the Sámi people have often endured. Next, a Country and Western-style set, which closes with the soft hooting of an owl, a resident A vision: the Aurorea Borealis of the woods outside for centuries. Stepping into the enchanting darkness, the sky feels somehow distant and overwhelmingly close at the same time. We return to Levi, where a karaoke bar on the high street is steamed up and full of young people crowding around songbooks. Then, just out of the village, we glimpse the green tinge of the Aurorea Borealis and rush to climb the hill in excited expectation – quickly turning to frustration as our boots sink knee-deep into the snow at each step. Reaching the top, we look down onto a lake that reflects the green swirl of the sky above us. The vision moves slowly across the landscape and back again. An hour later we’re still there, transfixed by this painterly spectacle of black, white and green. It seems a deep link to our own long-buried past is not so far away. If we want to explore a spiritual realm obscured by the noise of modern life, a long stint with a fishing rod under a vast primordial dark sky, full of stars, could be a good place to start. n

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF THE ARTISTS AND BATIA SAREM GALLERY; © ROUNRY

WE RIDE OUR SNOWMOBILES BACK THROUGH THE WOODS; INCHING CAREFULLY ALONG A TRACK BETWEEN THE TREES... ILLUMINATED BY A MOON AS BRIGHT AS A STADIUM FLOODLIGHT

Fishing through a hole drilled in the ice

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S P A I N

SEVILLE WITH JOSÉ PIZARRO

The maestro of tapas takes us behind the scenes in the Andalusian city

or a slice of Seville in the streets of Southwark, there’s no better port of call than José Pizarro’s José Tapas Bar. Transporting you straight to cobbled streets and gentle Sevillano buzz (with none of the airmiles), it’s no wonder the chef’s Bermondseybased venture – his first of several – has been a hit with hungry Londoners. Here, the master of Andalusian cuisine takes us on a tour of the Spanish city that inspired it all.

Plaza de España

Sample local jamón at Finca Buenvino

SERVED IN SPAIN a post-lunch meander to marvel at the intricate stonework. Walking back home (and stuffed to the brim, of course), make sure you detour over the Triana Bridge. Connecting the city and Triana’s neighbourhood, it's one of the most authentic off-the-beaten track areas you can visit – with breathtaking views.

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES

Let’s talk about tapas. Specifically, all the tapas restaurants you need to visit in Seville; gastronomes looking for the authentic experiences should go to traditional little bars, where the food is of a higher quality, and the freshest ingredients are used. Winding your way through the city in the afternoon – La Azotea is a perfect finishing point for crispy artichokes with Ibérico ham and migas, while tables outside Casa Román offer the best-quality people watching – and a succulent cazón en adobo (dogfish marinated in garlic). Looking for something with a little more cultural zing? At Las Teresas, you can almost dine in the shade of Seville's royal palace: the Real Alcázar. The rustic bar is perfectly located, two minutes from the historical palace, for

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FOOD MOODS Do your snacking in Sevillian style. My favourite regional dishes are Pringas or Papas Aliñás – a quintessential Cádiz tapas dish of cold potatoes, made with pepper, tomato and onion. Seville is a very traditional city, so I like to buy some tejas de Sevilla, and tortas de aceite while I’m there. If you don’t feel like making them from scratch, they're a great shortcut.

STREET PARTY Forget stopping to smell the roses – in Seville you stop to smell the orange trees. I love visiting when they’re in bloom, the smell is absolutely incredible. The end of April is feria time, where the streets are decorated and the Sevillanos get dressed up in flamenco costumes and make their way to the Real on horses or in coaches. You can hear flamenco music all over the city, it’s truly magical.

EME’s pool with a view

A ROOF WITH A VIEW The captivating beauty of La Giralda, the bell tower of Seville’s Cathedral, is best enjoyed from urban rooftop of the EME hotel. Originally restored from 14 Andalusian houses dating from the 16th century, EME’s design layers modern accents without compromising the authentic roots of the building. History

buffs should head up to the rooftop at sunset (with a glass of crisp manzanilla sherry in hand), to enjoy the ‘minaret’ which has stood in the city since the Middle Ages. Meanwhile, less vertiginous – though equally beautiful – views of the orange tree courtyard can be drunk in from the Argote Lobby Bar on the ground floor. emecatedralmercer.com

THE SLOW LANE Aracena is a mountain village with a laid-back lifestyle. I also never miss the chance to visit the Cinco Jotas bodega in nearby Jabugo – the vast dehesa where the Iberian pigs roam freely is so peaceful, and I like to hand-pick the jamón that will be served in my restaurants from the cellar. It’s all carved by hand on-site, and it’s truly the best in the world. cincojotas.co.uk

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES

Sevillanos are sure to give you a warm welcome

The people are so attentive, and always talk to you with a smile. The Andalusians have a great sense of humour and are always happy – life there goes at a much slower pace.

Order a sherry at EME’s bar

BOOK IT EME Catedral Mercer offers doubles from €195 per night based on two sharing. emecatedralmercer.com

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S C O T L A N D

FLYING THE NEST

After three decades with four children in tow, Joanna Moorhead finds freedom north of the border

y husband and I have spent many hours driving around his homeland Scotland in a sevenseater, but it’s never been like this before. Every previous journey has been accompanied by our four children, along with their noise, toys, music, banter and the recurring question, ‘How long till we get there?’. But now, 27 years after the birth of our eldest daughter, we’re doing a very different tour. We are heading off on our first trip à deux in almost three decades. Yikes! Will it be a teensy bit boring? What certainly isn’t dull is the run-up to our trip, which is crammed with the endless demands of life, so THE OUT is terrific for us. I downloaded this clever app that lets your hire a Land Rover or Range Rover at the tap of your smartphone and have it delivered to your door (if you live in London). Our Land Rover Discovery arrives on the street at the precise moment the app said it would, and a charming young man explains its features. At first it seems eerily quiet heading up the motorway, but then we discover the joys of linking our Spotify account to the in-car speaker, and from then on we stop missing the kids and start enjoying our freedom. Hell, we can even play those artists we’ve not been allowed to listen to for years – Queen, Bruce Springsteen, The Carpenters... Suddenly it feels exciting to be setting off on our own again; we can dip unashamedly into our past, while we negotiate a couple of car ferries and drive up the Mull of Kintyre to our first stop, Stonefield Castle Hotel. Stonefield is just what you want as a Londoner heading off to holiday in Scotland: it’s all dreamy turrets, comfy tartan-clad armchairs and an endless range of the

Joanna and her husband (below) enjoy their first trip together alone for 27 years, visiting The Perle Oban hotel (above) in Oban and Stonefield Castle Hotel in Tarbert (bottom) and enjoying freshly caught lobster, all while travelling in style in a Land Rover Discovery, hired through THE OUT app

country’s latest tipple, gin. Our room is slightly faded, in the coolest kind of way, and enlivened by some nesting birds right outside our window. The hotel’s pièce de résistance, though, is its glass-walled dining room which overlooks the water on three sides; our dinners of meltingly good Cullen skink and scallops from Mull are enjoyed against a backdrop of ever-changing colours, hues and climates. We purr on up to Oban, where you can enjoy a whole freshly-caught lobster on the quayside for £20, and check into the recently renovated Perle Oban hotel, centrally located to enjoy the sights of the town, with its sleek lobby and spacious bar. From our room we can see the ferries leaving for the islands; next time, we tell one another, we’ll stay longer and go to one of them. And then, much too soon, it’s time to head home. But oh my goodness, temporarily not being a mother of four has robbed me of my already-limited organisational skills. I totally misjudge the driving time to London, and am about to panic about not getting the car back in time when I remember the app. Can THE OUT pick it up a couple of hours later than planned? They’ll do better than that: how about tomorrow morning instead? Chilled, we slow down, enjoy the journey, and drive on into what feels like a rather exciting future. Stonefield Castle, doubles from £85 (bespokehotels.com); Perle Oban, doubles from £120 (perleoban.com); THE OUT rents Land Rover Discoveries for £195 for the first day, £100 a day thereafter, with full delivery and pick up included (theout.com) n

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FOOD & TRAVEL Husky sledding with Northern Soul Journeys

THE ESSENTIALS

DO Spend a night in the wild. Arctic Retreat’s eco cabins each have an essential sauna (arcticretreat.se). A husky-sled ride with Northern Soul Journeys is (literally) breathtaking (northernsouljourneys.com).

T H E

W E E K E N D E R

UMEÅ

Elk still roam free

Sweden’s Lapland city is cool in more ways than one, says Jeremy Taylor

EAT Köksbaren is an inexpensive café that offers great value. Well-hung meat is grilled in the charcoal oven, while the birch-smoked bacon burger with smoked apple cheese is a must. koksbaren.com

BOOK IT There are no direct flights to Umeå but SAS (flysas.com) and Norwegian (norwegian. com) airlines offer connecting flights from Stockholm. For more information on Umeå visit swedish lapland.com or visitvaster botten.se

Use the city as a launch pad to explore the wild

nassuming Umeå was European Capital of Culture five years ago, but few people will know of this remote city at the cold end of Sweden. A snowball’s throw from the Arctic Circle, the tree-lined streets are home to just 120,000 people. Stieg Larsson, author of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, is a former resident, while elk still roam freely in the woodland. Many locals are university students who bolster the city’s thriving arts and music scene. One in five residents is vegan – so it has a smattering of interesting restaurants in Sweden’s prestigious White Guide too. With its dark winter nights, the city has become a centre for Northern Lights hunters. The tiny airport hosts

a steady stream of travellers hoping to glimpse the shimmering spectacle. Dog-sledding and snowmobile safaris are also popular. During the summer, the midnight sun plays havoc with insomniacs but these are also the best months for a hiking or kayaking adventure. The River Umeå flows through the city centre – once a thriving port that is now host to public spaces and historic façades. The Swedes make the most of their summer weather and festivals because temperatures can drop as low as -45˚C in the winter. Most cities would sink into a cryogenic state in those temperatures but Umeå just seems to come alive. An eclectic, funky mix of stores makes for great shopping and there is a fantastic selection of bars on tap, perfect for keeping the chill out with a locally brewed vodka, or two. n

BUY The Swedes don’t simply have a break, they enjoy the art of fika. It’s a moment to slow down – usually with a cup of coffee. Wayne’s sells exceptional ground coffee and beans. waynescoffee.se SEE Apart from the Västerbottens Museum of local history (vbm.se), Umeå can claim Sweden’s biggest Guitar Museum – a must for six-string aficionados looking for a 1959 Gibson Flying V, made famous by ZZ Top (guitarsthemuseum.com).

STAY This former seaman’s mission is now a boutique hotel with a nautical theme. The funky reception area suggests all is not what it seems – hanging with chains and mad sculptures. It’s refreshingly different. From £89 per room. storahotelletumea.se

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FOOD & TRAVEL T R A V E L

N E W S

THE HOTEL WIZARD

BEAUTIFUL BEAULIEU

Fiona Duncan stays home!

FOREST FEASTS

1 Royal Southampton Yacht Club, Bucklers Hard

Simple food; mesmerising river views. Phone to book and for directions. 02380 223352. rsyc.org.uk 2 Les Mirabelles, Nomansland Classic

French food, deep in the Forest. lesmirabelles.co.uk 3 The Montagu Arms, Beaulieu Superb

Terrace Restaurant at The Montagu Arms

fine dining in the Terrace Restaurant from talented young Matthew Whitfield. montaguarmshotel.co.uk

Abbey Spring Cottage Brilliant B&B, with kitchenette, for a romantic weekend or active getaway in a converted stable building opposite the owners’ house where superb breakfasts are served. bandb-beaulieu.com

1 The Pig, Brockenhurst The original Pig: fabulous kitchen garden, shepherds’ hut for treatments, rustic-chic bedrooms, and pigs – of course. From £165. thepighotel.com 2 Lime Wood, Nr Lyndhurst Irresistible pleasure palace, now with new suites by Susie Atkinson, plus Angela Hartnett with Luke Holder in the restaurant, and Sheila Hulme’s wonderful Raw & Cured health food in the Herb House Spa. From £395. limewoodhotel.co.uk 3 East End Arms, East End Charming pub with sophisticated rooms, excellent food and black and white photos of rock stars in the restaurant, courtesy of owner John Ilsley, bass guitarist of Dire Straights. From £125. eastendarms.co.uk

Gins Barn Beautifully sited and fabulously furnished by owner Julian Chichester, sleeping eight, with its own pontoon on the Beaulieu River. ginsbarn.co.uk

Boundary House Cottage A delightful thatched cottage sleeping five with direct access to the forest. boundaryhousecottage.com

ON THE TR AVEL R A DA R FRENCH FANCY Just opened in Hackney: Mama London, the newest addition to the Parisborn Mama Shelter family of eccentric, fun and accessible hotels. mamashelter.com

PACK PERFECT Suitcase bursting at the seams? Book with luxury self-catering company Perfect Stays, and they will provide you with a comprehensive packing checklist. perfectstays.co.uk

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES

ourney to the New Forest, Hampshire’s 145 square-mile ancient heath and woodland hunting ground where ponies, donkeys, pigs, cattle and deer still freely roam, and you will everything you need for a perfect weekend (or in my case lifetime because I live there) away from the Big Smoke. Less than two hours from London, it offers both countryside and coast: you can nip across to charming Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight on the ferry from Lymington, or stroll on the beach at Milford-on-Sea, while the walk from Keyhaven to Lymington (or vice versa) across the marshes is a birdwatchers paradise, including spoonbills and avocets aplenty. Here are some of my favourite places to stay and to eat...

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PROMOTION

Island life is just a quick ferry ride away

COUNTRY FILES

Le Chameau presents an insider’s guide to the Isle of Wight

SUNDAY STYLE

e all fantasise about escaping to an island sometimes, but you don’t need to book flights to get a slice of island life. From rugged coastlines at Compton Bay to the towering cliffs of Ventnor, the Isle of Wight is the perfect place to start. Switch off your emails, pack your wellies, book your ferry tickets and let’s go exploring.

Sequestered in tiny Shalfleet, the New Inn pub provides everything required for a long, lazy Sunday lunch. Roaring Dining at the New Inn open fire? Check. Awardwinning dining? Check. Miles of local coastline for windswept strolls to alleviate food coma? Check, check, check. newinniow.co.uk

CLOVE CLUB

CLIFF NOTES

Garlic obsessives, this one’s for you. Since the Boswell family planted its first bulb over 60 years ago, the garlic farm in Arreton Valley has become firmly embedded in island lore. Ramble through the 50 acres among ‘Stinking Rose’, try your hand at garlic plaiting and don’t leave without a jar of the legendary chutney. Toothbrushes at the ready. thegarlicfarm.co.uk

Long before the iPhone, photography was labelled ‘the black art’. That didn’t deter Julia Margaret Cameron, whose former home, Dimbola Lodge, now provides the perfectly eclectic backdrop for the photos of the woman who dabbled with dangerous chemicals and composure. What better way to save data on a Sunday afternoon? dimbola.co.uk

Compton Bay

COASTAL CLIMBS

Vampires beware

Steephill Cove can only be reached on foot – but that’s just part of the fun. The tiny noise-and pollution-free fisherman’s cove is the perfect escape from modern life – with a plate of fresh crab or lobster on the side. Make sure you book a table at The Boathouse for the latter.

Wherever you go and whatever the weather, always be prepared by keeping a pair of Le Chameau in the boot of the car. When you know. Le Chameau. lechameau.com

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FOOD & TRAVEL

Q & A

THE BUCKET LIST

From Aberdeenshire to Asia, with Emeli Sandé. By Holly Rubenstein Lake lust, Cumbria

What destination most reminds you of childhood holidays? My mum is from Cumbria – the

Lake District – so for our holidays we’d always drive down from Scotland and camp there in a stunning town called Keswick. My memories are of being with my family in this little car full of camping gear, and bonding on a deep level, which I feel really nostalgic about. Sea, sun and sandé: Emeli Sandé’s travel secrets

What is your favourite city?

I love New York. It’s so exciting. I particularly like the East Village. There’s a really condensed creative area and if you go there you know you’re going to find artistic inspiration. I spent the summer there a couple of years ago and it’s got the relaxed vibe of LA, mixed with an electric creative energy. I’ve always dreamt of living there some day. Arting about in NY’s East Village

Feast your mind, body and soul on Zambia’s sunsets

If you had to recommend one destination for someone to visit, which would it be? I grew up in

Scotland in rural Aberdeenshire in the North East, and there are so many parts of Scotland that are unimaginably beautiful. As a kid, you don’t really appreciate the scenery around you and how tranquil it is, so when I go there now I don’t take it for granted.

My father is from Zambia, and I last went there a few years ago. I was so inspired by being in Africa. Everything is heightened and potent and strong, and deep - from the characters of the people, to the nature. I’d never seen the sun or the moon looking so big or so bright. Spiritually and artistically I felt really inspired to just write. There’s a song on my new album called Survivor, which I wrote in my grandmother’s village, sitting on the dry dirt floor and feeling so connected to the earth and my ancestors – when I hear it, I can hear that Aberdeen scenes coming through.

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES

Has a particular destination inspired any of your music?

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WHAT’S AT THE TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST? DEFINITELY ASIA, AS I’VE NEVER BEEN – BALI ESPECIALLY, WHICH I’M TICKING OFF SOON. I’VE HEARD IT’S TOTAL PARADISE, I PLAN TO GO THERE BEFORE MY TOUR TO GET ALIGNED.

The only place Toba-go this year

Reaching whole new levels: Bali’s garden-pond game

Soulful street food in Palma

Where do you always eat well? Palma in Mallorca. They take so much pride in their food, and everything is just so fresh. I loved the seafood when I used to eat fish, which is straight from the sea. Now I find the salads delicious.

As a musician, you’ve toured the world. Which performance location was the most memorable and why? Performing

on the island of Tobago at an open-air jazz festival really stands out. The people were so welcoming, the climate was gorgeous, and I’d never seen scenery like that before – it really was like paradise with beautiful floating islands. It was thrilling.

When you need to unwind where do you escape to? That would usually be LA. I feel like

I’m a different person when I’m there. It took me a few visits to really understand the layout of the city and the vibe of it but when I relaxed and submitted to the LA wave, I just found it wonderful and very chilled out. LA is perfect for me because you have the weather, as well as the most incredible studios in the world, and you can create at a more relaxed and peaceful pace.

Soho House Berlin

How about the best hotel you’ve stayed in?

Soho House Berlin. I felt like I’d gone back in time with its incredible design. There was even a Damien Hirst in the lobby. Everything was perfect – the smell, the lighting, it was so spot on. And I love Berlin’s night culture and artistic atmosphere.

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES

Country or town house?

Emeli likes to de-stress in LA

Her heart is in Hertfordshire

I go from polar extremes to be honest, but at the moment I’m living in Hertfordshire and really enjoying country life.

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FOOD & TRAVEL

THIS MON TH DRINK Momo Kombucha to balance your body’s ecosystem. £25 for six. momokombucha.com

TEN OUT OF TEN

How time flies: Cocktail Week turns ten this year. Head to the Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane for the knees-up (and bottoms up). 4–13 Oct. drinkup.london

N E W S

GASTRO GOSSIP

London’s best watering holes. By Sofia Tindall

ECO-MMUNITY ’Tis the season for sustainability. Not only will Church Road – Barnes’ latest eatery – do its bit to tackle food wastage using ‘imperfect’ vegetables and ‘undersized eggs’, but £2 from every £22 threecourse menu will be donated to a local community project. Guilt-free gastronomy at its best. churchroadsw13.co.uk

THAT’S THE SPIRIT

With the dry and vegan months approaching, it’s a relief Artesian bar at the Langham is showing the cocktail some love with a series of takeovers from industry experts. We’ll raise one of Public’s Oystermans to that – don’t miss Sheffield boys Jack Wakelin and James O’Hara Sunday stint on 20 October. artesian-bar.co.uk

READ Waugh On Wine, Auberon Waugh’s ode to the grape. Glass of red optional. £10. quartetbooks.co.uk

SNACK C&TH HQ’s current addiction is Proper Chips’ Sea Salt Lentil Chips. 80p. ocado.com

SPLASH OUT Actually, for £500 a pot of Ceylon Gold Tips at The Rubens, don’t splash anything at all.

HAUTE HOTEL

EAT, PRAY, LOVE Cooking is the new self-care – and more fun than meditation. Knead, roll and soufflé your way to inner zen with Caroline Waldegrave (who used to be in business with Prue Leith), at the Dudwell Cookery School. dudwellschool.com

Black Rock is a whisky bar for 2019 (think hip-hop and graffiti). Now it’s expanding into a hotel. But with a blending room for tastings and library of 250 bottles, we doubt you’ll spend any time in your room. blackrock.bar 134 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | November 2019

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FOOD & TRAVEL

FOODIE TA L ES

R E C I P E

SEOUL FOOD

Judy Joo’s Korean soup will become your winter staple

SEAFOOD SILKEN TOFU SOUP

his is by far my most favourite of all Korean soups and stews. All of my friends know this and joke with me that whenever I visit Seoul, it is the first meal that I have. I love fresh seafood in this bubbling pot, although there are many different versions to try. Shellfish works best, with whole prawns, clams and mussels adding the most flavour.

METHOD

INGREDIENTS RECIPE EXTRACTED FROM KOREAN SOUL FOOD BY JUDY JOO (£22, WHITE LION PUBLISHING)

SERVES FOUR » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » »

1 tbsp vegetable oil ½ onion, diced 2 tbsp gochugaru 2 garlic cloves, grated or finely chopped 1 tsp ginger, peeled and grated 1 small courgette, halved lengthways and cut into 1cm (½in) slices 150g (5oz) assorted mushrooms (button, enoki, oyster, shiitake), sliced 100g (3½oz) Korean or Chinese cabbage leaves, thickly sliced 400g (14oz) silken tofu, drained 4 jumbo prawns, cleaned 720g (1lb 9oz) clams, cleaned 560g (1lb 4oz) mussels 4 scallops 1 large egg Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper STOCK ½ onion, roughly chopped 4 dried shiitake mushrooms 1 spring onion, roughly chopped 13cm piece of dashima (dried kelp) 8 myulchi (large dried anchovies), heads and guts removed

TO SERVE » Roasted sesame oil » Handful of chives, cut into 7.5cm lengths

To make the stock, combine the onion, dried mushrooms, spring onion, dashima, myulchi and 750ml water in a large pan and bring to the boil over a high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 45 minutes. Strain, discarding the solids, and set aside. In a medium heavy-based pan, heat the vegetable oil over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and gochugaru and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened. Stir in the garlic and ginger, add the stock and bring to a simmer over a medium-high heat. Add the courgette, fresh mushrooms and cabbage and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for two minutes, until the vegetables are slightly softened. Carefully add the tofu in chunks, season with salt and gently stir, trying to keep the tofu intact as much as possible. Place all the seafood on top and cover with the lid. Cook for a further five minutes. When the clams and mussels have opened and the prawns have turned a pink colour, crack an egg into the pan and gently mix it into the stew. Discard any clams or mussels that haven’t opened. Remove the stew from the heat and top with a drizzle of sesame oil and a sprinkle of chives. Serve in bowls. n

JUDY JOO HAS OVER 500 CONDIMENTS IN HER FRIDGE Food philosophy? I love cooking food that hugs you back and creating meals that are memorable experiences. First dish you learned to cook? Macaroni and cheese out of a box. Most vivid childhood food memory? Making dumplings with my mum. Biggest mistake? Once I didn’t see that one of the pieces of the Thermomix was not attached properly and I turned it on causing the contents to explode all over the kitchen. I had to wash all of the goop out of my hair as well. Most memorable meal out? At one of the seafood shacks on the beaches in Sicily. On the other end of the scale, my favourite three Michelin-starred restaurant is Thomas Keller’s Per Se in New York, where Sam Calderbank, their General Manager, is the third star. When was the last time you sent something back to the kitchen? I will send back steaks if they aren’t cooked rare, particularly wagyu. When you’re not in the kitchen, where are you? On the tennis court, doing pilates or binge-watching Netflix. Do you have any unusual rules in your kitchen? No harassment, no discrimination and respect everyone. What’s in your fridge right now? Five-hundred condiments from all around the world, including about 20 mustards – I’m a mustard freak – and a lot of hot sauces! Who would you most like to take out for dinner? Tina Fey, Michelle Obama, Arianna Huffington, Madeleine Albright, Billie Jean King, Amelia Earhart, Oprah Winfrey and JK Rowling. In London I would take them to Scott’s for seafood or Rohit Ghai’s Kutir in Chelsea for Indian. I also love Chantelle Nicholson’s desserts at Tredwells.

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FOOD & TRAVEL R E S T A U R A N T

R E V I E W S

FORK & FIELD

Proud Italian Clementina Jackson is pleasantly surprised by a Japanese restaurant that pays homage to her home country

COUNTRY

OCEAN AT THE ATLANTIC, Jersey

TOWN

ANGELINA, E8

Ever heard of an Italian-Japanese fusion restaurant? No? That’s because there aren’t any. The very idea is preposterous – the two cuisines are polar opposites, one preaching restraint and precision, the other excessive by nature. So it was with a heavy heart that I dragged my heels to Dalston for the newly-opened Angelina, expecting nothing short of a hipster experimentcum-disaster. Within five minutes, I was eating my words – and eating everything I could get my hands on. The fried fish appetizer was the perfect meeting point of tempura and fritto misto, light and crisp and gone in a few seconds; a scallop ‘risotto’ (you’ll see) was elevated with a heady mix of bone marrow and turnip; and beautiful chunks of sea trout were served with sake granita and tomato water. The menu is an ode to the best of both worlds and the respect and excellence that lie at their heart – all topped with some generous Italian-style glugs of olive oil for good measure. Michelin star incoming? You heard it here first. Tasting menu from £38. angelina.london

The people of Jersey have it made: beautiful beaches, temperate climes, fresh seafood and an M&S on every corner – not to mention those notorious tax laws… Have we been missing a trick? This idyll of island life is just an hour away, and a new wave of chic mini-breakers has finally woken up to it thanks largely to the recent foodie renaissance. The ingredients have been there all along – the potatoes, lobsters, oysters and dairy are the foodstuff of legend, and they form the backbone of chef Will Holland’s brilliantly revamped Ocean at The Atlantic, which is leading the culinary charge. The chef’s modern British menu wouldn’t be out of place in a hip London establishment, but the undeniable French influence, striking views over St. Ouen’s Bay and celebration of local produce firmly root the restaurant to its rich and wonderful setting. Embark on the (not so) ‘mini’ tasting menu for a stylish taste of island life that will inevitably have you coming back for more. Tasting menu from £55. theatlantichotel.com

CURTAIN CALL THEATRELAND FAVOURITES

BUBBLEDOGS, W1 A restaurant specialising in hot dogs and champagne may sound like a fad, but Bubbledogs is a firm favourite for a reason. Creatively complex ‘dogs and addictive cheesy comté tots are taken up a notch by lashings of hand-selected grower champagnes and a chic new interior. bubbledogs.co.uk

JIDORI, WC2 One of theatretown’s best-kept secrets, this Tokyo eatery is as authentic as they come. Skewers are cooked over a proper yakitori grill, the pickles are pickled inhouse and there’s karaoke out back. The katsu curry scotch egg is a welcome break from tradition. jidori.co.uk

BUN HOUSE WC2 A bigger home was needed for this Cantonese steamed bun mecca, both for its growing horde of customers and exciting menu additions. The much-loved char siu pork belly and custard buns remain, while new streetfood style snacks and craft beers pay homage to Hong Kong’s bustling nightlife. bun.house

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Waitrose & Partners No.1 Bix Made using locally sourced organic milk, enriched with cream for a smooth, intense ﬂavour.

Waitrose & Partners No.1 Bix Cheese 100g, £5, £5/100g. Selected stores. Subject to availability. Minimum online spend applies. Prices may vary in Channel Islands, Little Waitrose & Partners and concessions. Excludes motorway service stations, Welcome Break and petrol stations. Serving suggestion shown.

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STOCKISTS BEGG & CO beggandcompany.com BOGNER bogner.com BRORA brora.co.uk BURBERRY @net-a-porter.com CANADA GOOSE canadagoose.com

FINLAY LONDON finlayandco.com FUSALP fusalp.com; @net-a-porter.com GLOBE-TROTTER globe-trotter.com GOLDBERGH @ellis-brigham.com HADES @theplacelondon.co.uk

CARRERA carreraworld.com

HANRO hanro.com

CHANEL chanel.com

HELLY HANSEN hellyhansen.com

DIOR @selfridges.com

JOHN SMEDLEY johnsmedley.com

EDWARD GREEN @mrporter.com

KASK kask.com

FENDI @harrods.com

KJUS kjus.com

KNITSS knitss.com

PEREGRINE peregrineclothing.co.uk

MADELEINE THOMPSON @net-a-porter.com

PERFECT MOMENT perfectmoment.com

MARNI marni.com MAXMARA maxmara.com MONCLER @net-a-porter.com MOON BOOT @net-a-porter.com MULBERRY mulberry.com NIKE nike.com N.PEAL npeal.com PARADISE ROW paradiserowlondon.com PEAK PERFORMANCE peakperformance.com

ROSSIGNOL rossignol.com; @strolz.at SALOMON salomon.com SMITH smithoptics.com SNOW FINEL snowfinel.co.uk SUN GOD sungod.co TEMPLA templaprojects.com TOMMY HILFIGER uk.tommy.com VARANA varanaworld.com YVES SALOMON yves-salomon.com ZADIG & VOLTAIRE zadig-et-voltaire.com

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EDITED BY A N NA T Y Z ACK

HOUSE OF THE MONTH Sell it to us in a sentence… Designed for roaring log fires and cold evenings, this cosy, contemporary property is the reason you’ll love winter. How would you describe its design? The traditional broad fireplaces and rustic materials of a Swiss lodge blend with everything you’d find in a London townhouse. How long would it take for us to get here from London? Just three hours – including the drive – from any London airport. In peak skiing season, there are flights every 20 minutes.

PROPERTY

Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland Price: c. £7.4m 7 bedrooms 6 bathrooms 2,000 m/2

What are the neighbours like? Quietly famous: there’s a blend of high-speed sportsmen, ski champions, philanthropists and the renowned suits-on-skis crew (who can be found in their droves at aprés-ski). Any good local restaurants? Slope-side L’Étable is in a charmingly converted cowshed, and Lac des Chavonnes has a beautiful ice covered lake-setting. If you’re splashing your cash? The Jardin des Alps at the Chalet Royal Hotel offers Michelin-starred dining. What is unique about it? Everything is bespoke. The flexible layout is perfect for a weekend for two, or a party of 20 – with a wine cave to back you up! Nearest slopes? Bretaye’s slopes can be reached by a quaint cog railway, which is just three minutes from the chalet on foot. At the end of the day you can ski straight to the door (the dream). … So what’s the downside? Villars used to be a well-kept secret for those in the know – but now the secret is out, so this one’s more suited to social butterflies than hermits. knightfrank.com n

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Always dreamed of an Alpine chalet? Now it could be within your reach

Austria’s Hinterglemm is just as beautiful once the snow has melted

C H A L E T S

BUDGET ALPS

home in the Alps is the dream for ski lovers: what could be better than enjoying a view of the mountains from your own balcony? Up to now the reality has often felt unattainable, owing to the excessive price tags of chalets in top resorts, says Lloyd Hughes of Athena Advisers. But these days a chalet or apartment in the Alps doesn’t have to come with a super-prime price tag. ‘Mortgage rates are low and in certain circumstances you can claim back the 20 per cent VAT levied on the purchase price,’ explains Giles Gale of Alpine Property Finders. ‘If you’re prepared to look to an up-and-coming resort, the whole process can be surprisingly affordable.’ In prime resorts a ski apartment costs from around €500,000 (£441,132) and a chalet from €3 million (£2.6m) with ‘super chalets’ in Verbier, Courchevel and Lech selling for more than €30 million (£26.4m). However, if you look to less well known resorts such as Hinterglemm in Austria or Champagny-en-Vanoise in France, prices will be at least 30 per cent cheaper – and properties eligible for a VAT rebate scheme will cost even less. ‘In the past two years we’ve claimed back more than €15 million (£13.2m)for our buyers in France,’ Hughes explains. In France, the deal is that any buyer planning to rent out their new-build ski property – be it an apartment in a managed development or a stand-alone chalet – is entitled to claim back VAT on the purchase price, as well as on locally purchased furniture

packs, two flights per year and other items that will form part of the rental. ‘Plus, for new-build properties, notary fees are 2.5 per cent for properties under €1 million (£882,164), compared to seven to eight per cent for older resale properties,’ Hughes explains. The system is slightly different in Austria, where only properties in managed aparthotels qualify for VAT rebates, although it’s still possible to claim back for furniture, travel and other items. ‘The apartment will form part of the hotel during the weeks it is not in use and buyers can expect a three to four per cent annual yield,’ Gale says. If your idea of ski property ownership is jumping on a plane to the Alps whenever the mood takes you, then being signed up to a rental scheme isn’t going to work. The reality for most buyers, however, is that they’ll only use their property for two to four weeks – so renting it out makes perfect sense. ‘We find that 80 per cent of our clients are happy to rent their properties when they’re not using them. If you’re beholden to school holidays, for example, you’re going to be planning your skiing six months to a year in advance,’ says Gale. Even the wealthiest buyers are opting to rent out their ski homes, Hughes adds, as it means they qualify for 100 per cent loan to value mortgages as long as a side investment is placed, normally at around 30 per cent of the property

Thought a place in the snow was beyond your means? Think again, says Anna Tyzack

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PROPERTY value. ‘The mood has changed, particularly with the Brits,’ he explains. ‘With currencies fluctuating it makes sense to expose as little of your own cash as possible.’ While buying into a managed development might appear to lack flexibility – particularly an Austrian aparthotel that runs your property as a hotel suite and only allows you to use it for two to four weeks per year – they can be liberating for those with limited time or other properties to run, says Gale. Not only hassle-free in terms of maintenance, owners never need worry about linen changes and washing the towels. ‘Owners are given the same welcome as hotel guests and have access to all the other services available in the development, such as pools and spas,’ he adds. And while the furniture pack has to be of hotel standard, buyers can choose from a range of styles; they’ll also have lock-ups for their ski equipment and clothing, he says. The rise of the chalet-apartment, a duplex with its own front door, ensures that even those lusting after a chalet of their own can buy into a managed development, says Hughes. When looking to purchase a ski property, Gale recommends choosing a reputable development in the best location you can afford, in a resort with modern infrastructure. ‘There should be access to plenty of skiing for all abilities, plus a lively atmosphere in the summer and shoulder seasons,’ he says. ‘It’s not good enough to have just one mountain bike track if you want to attract summer bookings,’ he adds. The Austrian resorts of Zell am See, Saalbach and Hinterglemm, near Salzburg, are good options in this respect as they offer

extensive skiing – as of this season the Salbaach Hinterglemm ski area is connected by lift to Zell am See, offering a further 140km of pistes – along with lakes, hiking trails and cycle paths. ‘The resorts around Salzburg have established summer seasons,’ he explains. ‘Hinterglemm in particular is extremely chic; the SalzburgerLand equivalent of Lech.’ In France, Hughes recommends Val d’Isère as an exciting place to invest, since it’s already a world-class resort and more cash is now being lavished on its lift system. ‘The supplydemand ratio is consistently off in Val d’Isère, which makes it a safe haven,’ he says. ‘Plots change hands very rarely and, while prices are notoriously high, prime buyers can benefit from 100 per cent loan to value mortgages.’ For those with less to spend, he recommends ‘back door’ resorts such as Champagny en Vanoise in La Plagne’s Paradiski area, which is set to grow over the next decade and is well situated for both the extensive Paradiski and Trois Vallées (Three Valleys) ski areas – Courchevel is just 15 minutes away. ‘It’s a resort that many people overlook but it’s an amazing bet given that in 2022 a new lift in the village of Bozel, a seven-minute drive away, will provide a direct link into the Three Valleys.’ The downside, of course, to renting out your ski property is that there’s no guaranteeing the weather: it could be that your weeks are a white-out and your rental guests enjoy perfect powder. A bluebird day will seem all the sweeter, though, when your ski holiday has been funded by your own beautiful ski property. n Fund your ski holidays with a savvy property investment

FOR SA L E

CHAMPAGNY EN VANOISE, FRANCE A new chalet-style development of 41 one to five-bedroom apartments just four minutes from the village centre and ski lift to La Plagne with its 225km of slopes. Traditional alpine style with high end modern kitchens and bathrooms. All properties have a cellar, underground parking and ski lockers. From €243,000 (£214,550). athenaadvisers.com

VAL D’ISÈRE, FRANCE Alaska Lodge is Savoyard-style development of three to four-bedroom chalet apartments, 300m from the Solaise slopes and a few minutes’ walk from the centre of the resort. The properties have wooden flooring, fire places and luxury bathrooms and kitchens plues generous balconies and terraces with stunning views. They also have use of a cellar, underground parking, ski locker and some have their own spa facilities. From €2.085m (£1.84m). alpine-lodges.co.uk ZELL AM SEE, AUSTRIA Elements Resort Schuttdorf is a luxury aparthotel opposite the Areitbahn Gondola with facilities including restaurant, spa and wellness, heated outdoor swimming pool and bar. There are 37 fully furnished apartments, decorated in Austrian style, with parking. The village centre is a two-minute walk and the swimming areas on the shores of Lake Zell can be reached in about ten minutes. From €242,900 (£214,480). alpinepropertyfinders.com

HINTERGLEMM, AUSTRIA The Glemm Residence will consist of 44 Austrian-style apartments with private ski lockers, saunas and outdoor spa baths. Hinterglemm offers fine dining, mountain biking and hundreds of kilometres of ski slopes, a short drive from Salzburg airport. From €239,000 (£211,000), alpinepropertyfinders.com.

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PROPERTY

H O U S E

S E C R E T S

Valerie Messika

VALERIE MESSIKA

HOM ES SW EET HOM ES THE STARTER HOME

The Parisian jeweller advocates love at first sight

French savoir-faire on every corner of Paris

Paris, €750,000 An artist’s ‘atelier’ in the third Arrondissement with open space living space, one bedroom, mezzanine bedroom and cellar. The property is accessed through a private courtyard, off a peaceful street close to Arts et Metiers metro station and many of Paris’s attractions. clefrance.co.uk

What was the first house you owned?

An artist’s studio in Paris. Best thing about it? It was quirky with great natural lighting. … and the worst? It was a little on the small side, which meant we were short of rooms for friends to stay in. Where do you live now? I’m in the process of renovating a new home in Paris and also have a house in the countryside, just outside Paris. Why did you choose to live in Paris? I grew up here and the

city is still an inexhaustible source of inspiration for me. What do you love most about it? I love admiring French savoir-

faire and craftsmanship on every corner and the design details on the buildings.

THE DREAM HOME

Where do you see yourself living in the future? My

dream is to live in the Bahamas – by the sea. What compromises are you prepared to make?

If it’s love at first sight, I’m willing to compromise on quite a lot of things. But it does have to be love. If money was no object, where would you live in London? In a

classic townhouse in Notting Hill.

What’s your ideal kind of room? In my country house I have

Describe your interior design style... Contemporary yet in

an amazing TV lounge, with an enormous, long sofa to relax on.

keeping with the soul of the property. I like to keep original walls and beams.

What do you look for when house hunting? Light and space.

Bahamas, $7.4m Four Seasons House is a four-bedroom property with cinema, gym and pool in a gated community next to the Four Seasons Resort on Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas. Ownership of the house includes access to the restaurants, pools, tennis and beaches of the Four Seasons Resort plus concierge. savills.com THE FOREVER HOME

Most extravagant purchase?

My tiny artist’s studio. Property wishlist: a house on the beach in the Bahamas

How successful have your property investments been?

I haven’t set out to make money by investing in properties – I buy with love. Whose house would you most like to see inside? Beyoncé’s

home in Los Angeles. What advice would you give to a first-time buyer? Buy your

favourite and nothing less.

Croissy sur Seine, Île-de-France, €4.9m Villa Emile Augier was built in the 1940s in the Mallet Stevens style on the banks of the Seine in Paris with its own private pontoon. Accommodation is split over two levels with large living room, dining room, kitchen and six bedrooms. There is also a gym wine cellar, cinema and office plus a swimming pool in the garden. savills.com

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PROPERTY

F I V E

O F

T H E

B E S T

DETACHED TOWNIES

You don’t need to live in rural isolation to bag a detached house with a garden; London has plenty to choose from – if you have a few million to spare EALING, £3.75m

This wonderful family home is on Park Hill, one of Ealing’s premier residential roads with a gated driveway and pretty front garden. Along with a grand hall and double reception room, there is a dining room, large kitchen, conservatory and seven spacious bedrooms. There is also a separate apartment on the top floor with its own access at the side of the house and a heated swimming pool in the extensive back garden. Ealing Broadway is within walking distance and when Crossrail services commence there will be trains to Bond Street in 11 minutes. savills.co.uk

ST JOHN’S WOOD, £25m

A charming neo-Georgian house on Hamilton Terrace, one of north London’s most exclusive postcodes. The house has undergone a chic makeover to include a contemporary kitchen, home cinema, 14m heated swimming pool, spa, gym, bedroom suite, with his and hers dressing rooms and bathrooms, and roof terrace, plus a stunning landscaped garden. There are also staff quarters, off-street parking and a carriage driveway. Maida Vale is a short stroll away, as is Regent’s Park. sothebyshomes.com

BARNES, £4m A double-fronted detached villa on sought-after Castelnau, by the river in Barnes. The house has generous open-plan living spaces and five bedrooms. The 112ft garden, though, is what makes the property so desirable; it was designed by Dan Pearson and includes a barbecue area, mature borders and a sunny but secluded lawn large enough to play football on. The property also has parking for several vehicles, with a gravelled in-and-out driveway and a garage, workshop and cellar. chestertons.com

SOUTH KENSINGTON, £7.5m This former chapel, on the exclusive Rose Square off Fulham Road, is for sale with permission to transform it into a luxury five-bedroom detached house of more than 7,000 sq/ft. The new home will have two underground parking spaces and use of the facilities in neighbouring The Bromptons development, which includes pool, gym and porter. It will be situated amid landscaped communal gardens and, by separate negotiation, enjoy access to Onslow Square Gardens. struttandparker.com

CHELSEA, £9.85m St Luke’s House is an imposing newlybuilt house on St Luke’s Street, a quiet residential road just off the King’s Road. There is expensive oak flooring and carpets throughout, a cutting-edge kitchen, cinema room, wine cellar and five bedrooms with marble bathrooms. Outside is a terrace garden and roof terrace, plus private parking. The boutiques of Chelsea Green, Walton Street and Sloane Street are all within walking distance. knightfrank.com

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Outstanding mansion with private spa.

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Norrice Lea, Hampstead Garden Suburb, N2 Located on one of the most sought-after roads in Hampstead Garden Suburb, a beautiful double-fronted detached ambassadorial mansion, built to an exemplary standard. Extending to 12,776 sq ft, the house is set over four floors occupying a plot of approximately 0.45 acres. • South-facing lateral landscaped garden • Private spa complete with steam room and sauna • State of the art gym • Car lift

Craig Draper looks forward to helping you. craig.draper@knightfrank.com 0203 589 4040

Guide price

£13,750,000 knightfrank.co.uk Connecting people & property, perfectly.

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A wonderful stucco-fronted house on a tree lined street.

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2 Palace Gardens Terrace, Kensington W8 Palace Gardens Terrace is arguably one of Kensington's more popular residential streets. It is located adjacent to Kensington Church Street between Notting Hill Gate and Kensington High Street, offering excellent shopping and transport links. • • • •

Peter Bevan looks forward to helping you. peter.bevan@knightfrank.com 020 3589 2698

A fantastic reception room arranged over the entire raised ground floor A west facing garden Presented in good order throughout Approximately 3,088 sq ft (286 sq m)

Guide price

£6,500,000

Freehold knightfrank.co.uk Connecting people & property, perfectly.

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A spacious duplex apartment adjacent to Harrods.

2 Hans Place, Knightsbridge SW1X Hans Place is an elegant garden square located between Brompton Road and Sloane Street, within moments' walk from Harrods and the international shops and restaurants of Knightsbridge. • • • •

Beautiful views Access to the communal gardens Lift and porter Approximately 2,380 sq ft

Charles Olver looks forward to helping you. charles.olver@knightfrank.com 020 3641 5930 07717 430275

Guide price

£6,250,000

Leasehold: approximately 987 years remaining knightfrank.co.uk Connecting people & property, perfectly.

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A Chelsea townhouse located just off the King's Road.

2 Sydney Street, Chelsea SW3 This elegant house, with period features is located on Sydney Street between the Fulham Road and King's Road with its many restaurants, boutiques and transport facilities. • • • •

Solid oak flooring and bespoke joinery Private garden or potential for parking Air-conditioning in principle rooms Approximately 2,904 sq ft

Sarah Brown looks forward to helping you. Sara.ka.brown@knightfrank.com 020 3641 5930 07825 732127

Guide price

£4,650,000

Freehold knightfrank.co.uk Connecting people & property, perfectly.

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An incredible apartment in Battersea.

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Aimies Street, The Village SW11 Located on Amies Street in Battersea, you are close to the eateries and shops of Lavender Hill, Northcote Road and Clapham Common, and near to the river and over to King's Road, Chelsea. • • • •

Jack Alisiroglu looks forward to helping you. jack.alisiroglu@knightfrank.com 020 3866 2925

Private parking Open plan living Approximately 4,600 sq ft Secure gated school conversion

Guide price

£4,290,000 knightfrank.co.uk Connecting people & property, perfectly.

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A stunning penthouse with panoramic views over Chelsea.

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Park Walk, Chelsea SW10 An excellent duplex apartment on the top two floors of one of West Chelsea's most discreet modern portered apartment blocks. The apartment has far reaching views across London and has the underground parking for two cars. • • • •

James Pace looks forward to helping you. james.pace@knightfrank.com +44 20 7349 4302

Penthouse Wrap-around balcony Two roof terraces Approximately 1,846 sq ft (171.49 sq m)

Guide price

£4,250,000 knightfrank.co.uk Connecting people & property, perfectly.

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The family home with exceptional lateral space.

Lowther Road, Barnes SW13 A wonderful double-fronted family house that has been developed and refurbished to the highest of standards throughout to create a light-filled home with exceptional lateral space. • • • •

Kate Cooper looks forward to helping you. kate.cooper@knightfrank.com 020 3371 3130

Landscaped garden with studio Off-street parking Approximately 3,808 sq ft Close to shops and amenities

Guide price

£3,950,000 knightfrank.co.uk Connecting people & property, perfectly.

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Homes to buy in Wimbledon. Victoria Drive, Wimbledon SW19 Period detached house with lovely proportions and a large south-westerly rear garden. • • •

Excellent entertaining space Spacious master bedroom suite Approximately 4,041 sq ft

Diana Wormal looks forward to helping you. diana.wormal@knightfrank.com 020 8946 0026

Guide price £2,375,000

Clement Road, Wimbledon Village SW19 A beautifully presented, detached house occupying a walled plot in the heart of Wimbledon Village. • • •

Lateral space arranged over two floors Modernised and extended in recent years Approximately 3,132 sq ft

4-5

2-3

Diana Wormal looks forward to helping you. diana.wormal@knightfrank.com 020 8946 0026

Guide price £3,995,000

knightfrank.co.uk Connecting people & property, perfectly. All potential tenants should be advised that, as well as rent and the deposit, an administration fee of £288 and referencing fees of £48 per person will apply when renting a property (if not an AST). (All fees shown are inclusive of VAT.) If the landlord agrees to you having a pet, you may be required to pay a higher deposit (if not an AST) or higher weekly rent (if an AST). Please ask us for more information about other fees that will apply or visit www.knightfrank.co.uk/tenantfees.

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An unmodernised house on a garden square.

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Paultons Square, Chelsea SW3 A lovely Grade II listed unmodernised family house set on the eastern side of one of Chelsea's most attractive garden squares. The house is arranged over four floors with a large private rear garden and wonderful views over the garden square. • • • •

Sarah Rose looks forward to helping you. sarah.rose@knightfrank.com +44 20 7349 4304

Unmodernised Just off King's Road Large garden Approximately 1,991 sq ft (184.96 sq m)

Asking Price

£3,850,000 knightfrank.co.uk Connecting people & property, perfectly.

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Spacious detached family home in Bedford Park.

Abinger Road, Chiswick W4 A bright detached house which benefits from a landscaped garden and beautiful period features. • • •

Edward Sainter looks forward to helping you. edward.sainter@knightfrank.com 020 3757 6231

Accommodation set across three floors Master bedroom with en suite French doors leading onto garden

Guide price

£3,400,000

Freehold knightfrank.co.uk Connecting people & property, perfectly.

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An exquisite Victorian house just off Chiswick High Road.

Thornton Avenue, Chiswick W14 A charming family home on a quiet tree-lined residential road close to the High Road. • • •

Edward Sainter looks forward to helping you. edward.sainter@knightfrank.com 020 3757 6231

Period features 5 bedrooms Private garden

Guide price

£3,200,000

Freehold knightfrank.co.uk Connecting people & property, perfectly.

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The family home close to the village green.

Melville Road, Barnes SW13 A semi-detached family house situated on a leafy road in Barnes, beautifully presented with excellent design and thoughtful consideration of accommodation arrangement throughout. • • • •

Kate Cooper looks forward to helping you. kate.cooper@knightfrank.com 020 3371 3130

Open plan kitchen/dining/family room 56 ft south-facing garden Close to shops and amenities Approximately 2,431 sq ft

Guide price

£2,595,000 knightfrank.co.uk Connecting people & property, perfectly.

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A mid-terraced townhouse in a discrete cul-de-sac.

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The Rook, Sandy road, NW3 The main reception room, first bedroom and a family bathroom occupy the first floor with a master suite and two further bedrooms on the second floor. North End is a semi-rural location with Hampstead Heath and Golders Hill Park on its doorstep.

Michael Hall looks forward to meeting you. michael.hall@knightfrank.com 0203 463 0409

• This charming five bedroom home extends to approx. 1,925 sq ft. • Incredible views over Hampstead Heath • Very Good decoration • Roof Terrace Guide price

£2,450,000 knightfrank.co.uk Connecting people & property, perfectly.

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A lovely maisonette in a prime Kensington location.

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2 Sunningdale Gardens, Kensington W8 Sunningdale Gardens is located close to High Street Kensington and Earls Court Road with a variety of restaurants, cafes and shops. The nearest underground stations are Kensington High Street and Earls Court. • • • •

Michael Sands looks forward to helping you. michael.sands@knightfrank.com 020 3589 2698

Arranged over the first and second floors A Victorian period conversion Located close to Holland Park Approximately 1,176 sq ft (109 sq m)

Guide price

£1,795,000 knightfrank.co.uk Connecting people & property, perfectly.

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Exquisite Residential Estate Ollerton, Knutsford Knutsford: 3 miles, M6 (J19): 5 miles, Manchester Airport: 15 miles An exquisite residential estate in a prime rural Cheshire location. In recent years, Ash House has been renovated and remodelled to an exceptional standard of design and quality. 6 reception rooms, 4 bedroom suites, 1 further bedroom, home office, extensive leisure facilities including a gym, steam room, spa area, swimming pool and tennis court, extensive garaging, award-winning gardens and grounds. EPC = E About 25.12 acres | Guide ÂŁ7.5 million

COUNTRY &2TOWN HOUSE_DPS_ NOVEMBER ISSUE_ ASH HOUSE.indd All Pages Savills.indd

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Rebecca Postles Savills Knutsford 01565 817 550 rebecca.postles @savills.com

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Ellis McQueen Savills Knutsford 01565 817 542 ellis.mcqueen @savills.com

23/09/2019 13:28 10:27 23/09/2019

Maids Causeway, Cambridge – Station 1.5 Miles £1,800,000 An exciting opportunity to purchase this Grade II listed classic regency townhouse in this prestigious central city location with views over Midsummer Common and the River Cam. This fine home benefits from its own enclosed front and rear gardens as well as versatile accommodation extending to about 2,850 sq. ft., offering scope for sympathetic improvement and updating. Accommodation comprising: Entrance and reception halls, drawing room, living room, garden room, cloakroom. Lower ground floor: lobby, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room. First floor: 2 bedrooms, shower room with separate toilet. Second floor: 2 bedrooms, bathroom. EER:E Contact: Richard Freshwater | Cambridge Office: 01223 214214 | richard.freshwater@cheffins.co.uk

Weston Colville – Station 4.5 Miles £900,000 A unique opportunity to acquire a substantial detached country house in a delightful rural setting, together with a most stylish barn style outbuilding which provides extensive garaging as well as offices above, all set in delightful mature grounds extending to 1.385 acres and incorporating a stunning large swimming pond and thatched summerhouse. Accommodation comprising: reception hall, principal reception room, study/family room, snug/music room, boiler room, kitchen/breakfast room, utility room, cloakroom. First floor: 5 bedrooms, bathroom. Detached barn: cloakroom, living room/kitchenette, 2 office/study areas. Outside: driveway parking, generous rear garden, swimming pond with thatched summerhouse. EER:E Contact: Martin Walshe | Cambridge Office: 01223 214214 | martin.walshe@cheffins.co.uk

cheffins.co.uk 01223 214214

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Linton â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Station 7 Miles POA Linton House is a fine example of a Grade II* Listed Queen Anne mansion house, extending in all to around 7,500 sq. ft., including cellars and loft rooms. The versatile accommodation is arranged over three floors and boasts a wealth of period features. This fine home has a variety of useful outbuildings, including former stables and coach house situated around a courtyard. The well-stocked and landscaped gardens extend to about 1.08 acres, leading to the River Granta. A further parcel of land is available by separate negotiation. The property occupies a most convenient and attractive location close to the heart of this thriving and well-served picturesque village. Contact: Martin Walshe | Cambridge Office: 01223 214214 | martin.walshe@cheffins.co.uk

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01223 214214 cheffins.co.uk

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Fryerning Essex Stock, Ingatestone CM4 Fryerning Essex Guide price £1,500,000 Guide Price £3,850,000 Guide Price £3,850,000

Nestled on the periphery of Stock village is this striking five double bedroom, reception Grade II AAstriking five double bedroom, fourfour reception Grade II charming traditionally styled family residence listed period property thought to date backback 500 years. listed period property thought to date 500 years. situated centrally on a mature landscaped plot This residence is originally thought to be 3 Thischarming charming residence is originally thought of approximately an acre. In conjunction with the to be 3 cottages, now providing a fantastic flow of interesting cottages, now providing a fantastic flow of interesting four bedroom family residence there is a vast array and family living space over twowith floors. The The andextensive extensive family living space over two floors. of outbuildings including a sizable garage 7.5 acre plot comprises formal grounds mixed 7.5 acre plot comprises formal grounds mixed adjoining cart lodge with office space above and a sympathetically with paddocks (benefitting fromfrom a detached barn. The main house has (benefitting well configured sympathetically with paddocks a second separate access), ponds and a substantial accommodation with access), ample windows to allow the lake. lake. second separate ponds and a substantial Numerous outbuildings,gardens. tennis court, double garage views of the surrounding C. double Numerous outbuildings, tennisEPC court, garage

and detached one bedroom annexe. Equestrian and detached one bedroom annexe. Equestrian potential. EPC Exempt

potential. EPC Exempt

Country && Village ce 01277 Country VillageOffi Oﬃce 01245350614 397475

Country & Village Oﬃce 01245 397475

Fryerning EssexBillericay CM12 Little Burstead, Guide GuidePrice price £3,850,000 £1,250,000

Fryerning Essex A striking unique ﬁve fourdouble bedroom property onGrade a plotII A bedroom, foursituated reception ofPrice in excess of 1.5 acres. The property is extremely Guide £3,850,000 listed period property thought to date back 500 years.

well charming presentedresidence throughout with spacious and bright This is originally thought to be 3

A striking five double bedroom, four reception Grade interiors and configured accommodation. TheII cottages, nowwell providing a fantastic flow of interesting listedand period property thought to date back 500 years. grounds surround property and two are landscaped extensive familythe living space over floors. The This charming residence is originally thought to betrees 3 incorporating many mature specimen 7.5 acre plot comprises formalshrubs, grounds mixed cottages, now providing fantastic flow and seasonal flowers. To the rear of of theinteresting property sympathetically with a paddocks (benefitting from a the beautiful veranda over-looks the far private and extensive family living space over two floors. The second separate access), ponds and areaching substantial lake. andplot secluded gardens with a large pond 7.5 acre comprises formal grounds mixed Numerous outbuildings, tennis court,enclosed double garage and detached woodland topaddocks the far rear. EPC CEquestrian sympathetically with (benefitting from a and one bedroom annexe. potential. EPCaccess), Exemptponds and a substantial lake. second separate Numerous outbuildings, tennis court, double garage and detached one bedroom annexe. Equestrian Country&&Village VillageOffice Office01245 01277397475 350614 Country potential. EPC Exempt

Country Village Oﬃce 01245 397475 Sales •&Lettings • Mortgages Beresford.indd 157 Sales • Lettings • Mortgages

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Lorien Cottage | Swalcliï¬&#x20AC;e Sleeps 4:

Dog friendly

JUST A FEW UPCOMING EVENTS Christmas Fayre in the Cotswolds 11 - 13 November Moreton-in-the-Marsh www.cotswoldfair.com

Beresfords Display.indd 1

Blenheim Palace Christmas Market 22 November - 15 December Woodstock, Oxfordshire www.blenheimpalace.com

Spectacle of Light 30 November - 30 December Sudeley Castle www.sudeleycastle.co.uk

25/09/2019 17:43

Guide Price

£1.75million

Dove House Stratford-upon-Avon, B49

•

Substantial period property and outbuildings - 6,701 sq. ft. in total

•

Perfect for entertaining

•

Peaceful location

•

Fantastic landscaped gardens

•

Triple garage

•

3.15 acres of land

watch the video online https://agllp.co/thedovehouse

T: 01905 734 735 www.Andrew-grant.co.uk

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6-7 Drumsheugh Gardens | Edinburgh 2 APARTMENTS REMAINING APARTMENT 2 3 bedroom luxury apartment in Edinburgh’s West End with private courtyard and parking space Fixed Price £745,000

APARTMENT 4 2 bedroom main door apartment in Edinburgh’s prestigious West End Fixed Price £645,000

BOOK A VIEWING TODAY 0131 243 3858 newhomes@rettie.co.uk

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South Terrace, SW7 £6,950,000 Located in the heart of South Kensington, this charming Grade II listed townhouse is abundant in light and space. Boasting six floors of luxury accommodation the property consists of five bedrooms, including a master suite with walk-in wardrobe and en suite bathroom, thee reception rooms, and two private gardens. Freehold. EPC=D • Access to Thurloe Square • Separate utility room • Wine cellar South Kensington sales: 020 8033 9034 sales.skn@marshandparsons.co.uk

www.marshandparsons.co.uk

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Trusted for generations

N ew

ev el op m en t

johndwood.co.uk

100 Sydney Street, Chelsea, SW3 A boutique development of seven impressive lateral apartments in a beautifully designed building, situated right in the heart of Chelsea. Each apartment is finished to an exquisite standard, with generous rooms enjoying exceptional natural light from floor to ceiling windows. The open-plan reception space is complemented by luxurious bedroom arrangements with en suite bathrooms and dressing rooms. Energy Rating: B to C. Apartments range from 2-3 bedrooms, 1-2 bathrooms. Sizes range from approx. 1,566 sq ft to approx. 2,443 sq ft. All apartments sold with a 998 year lease Prices from ÂŁ5,750,000 - ÂŁ7,400,000 Chelsea - 020 3151 5592

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Hamptons Guildford

HASLEMERE, SURREY Offers in Excess of Â£2,000,000 Freehold A beautiful New England style family home with five bedrooms, open plan living room, veranda overlooking the large garden and swimming pool. 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 3 reception rooms, EPC: C

HAMPTONS.CO.UK |

@HAMPTONSINT

2327 HAM Country Hamptons.indd 1 & Townhouse Magazine 2pp Advert November 2019 FINAL.indd 1

01483 905 102 | GUILDFORD@HAMPTONS-INT.COM

12/09/2019 10:38 16:17 13/09/2019

Hamptons Tunbridge Wells

BELLS YEW GREEN, TUNBRIDGE WELLS Guide Price Â£2,000,000 Freehold Enjoying exquisite views across open surroundings, a unique and newly constructed contemporary house with incredible 51ft open plan kitchen, dining and sitting room. 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 4 reception Rooms, EPC: B

HAMPTONS.CO.UK |

@HAMPTONSINT

2327 HAM Country Hamptons.indd 2 & Townhouse Magazine 2pp Advert November 2019 FINAL.indd 2

01892 640 374 | TUNBRIDGEWELLS@HAMPTONS-INT.COM

12/09/2019 10:38 16:17 13/09/2019

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