Stories 6 GBP

STORIES

STOR IES FOR W INTER

VOLUME 6 WINTER 2017

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WINTER 2017

OUR STOR ES

STOR E IN STOR E

COMING SOON Bath

Neptune by Treehouse Midmar, Aberdeen 01330 830 101

NEW Belfast 028 9691 9988 Bournemouth 01202 555 024 Bristol 0117 246 4200 Bury St Edmunds 01284 731 025 Canterbury 01227 209 300 Cheltenham 01242 330 420 Chester 01244 478 777 NEW Chichester 01243 904 417 Chiswick 020 3814 1220 Colchester 01206 212 650

STOR IES

NEW Edgbaston 0121 437 4137 Farnham 01252 713 047 Fulham 020 7371 9997 NEW Guildford 01483 345 480 Hailsham 01323 849 483 Hove 01273 458 459 Reading 0118 932 6060 Southport 01772 812 812 Tonbridge 01732 351 866 Weybridge 01932 901 234 Wimbledon 020 3362 8240 Winchester 01962 850 556 York 01904 231 870 Neptune Outlet 01793 427 439

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Neptune by Creative Classics, Ayr 01292 292 570 Neptune by Sims Hilditch, Bath 01249 783 087 Neptune by Woods of London, Blackheath 020 8852 1713 Neptune by Robert James Interiors, Coventry 02476 544 818 Neptune by Hunters, Derby 01332 349 285 Neptune by Woods Furniture, Dorchester 01305 262 666 Neptune by Richard F Mackay, Edinburgh 0131 3133 300 Neptune by Bridgewater Interiors, Gateshead 0191 477 6680 Neptune by House of Wood, Hereford 01432 820 612 Neptune by Aberford Interiors, Leeds 0113 2813 209 Neptune by Ben Heath, Newbury 01635 523 123 Neptune by Wilton Kitchens, Salisbury 01722 743 332 Neptune by Allen & Allen, Wilmslow 01625 535 255 Neptune by Sacarello Interiors, Gibraltar +(00)350 200 66423 We have Neptune stores across the whole of the UK, Ireland and Europe. To see all of our homes, visit neptune.com/find-a-store.

NEPTUNE.COM

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“I am younger each year at the first snow.

When I see it, suddenly, in the air, all little and white and moving; then I am in love again and very young and I believe everything.�

Anne Sexton, in a letter to W.D. Snodgrass

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STORIES

Foreword

What words would you use to describe winter?

How does it make you feel? We asked friends and family, and the words that cropped up time after time were magical, festive, cosy and cold. Almost everyone said that it makes them feel like snuggling up, wrapping up and curling up. Most people say they’re either a summer or winter person, but whichever camp you’re in, you need the contrast of the seasons to fully appreciate the one you love the most. We wouldn’t anticipate the cosiness of winter quite so much if it weren’t preceded by warmer climes. And vice versa. Summer feels all the more rejuvenating when winter’s spell is lifted.

We love winter, just as we do its three sibling seasons. It’s a season that begins in December, when many minds are elsewhere, busy with thoughts of mulled wine and pigs-in-blankets, carols and Christmas trees. The festive season takes over, leaving winter as a bit of an afterthought, the backdrop to the main act.

That’s why we purposefully called this volume Stories for winter. That’s why you’ll find our playlist this year doesn’t have a mere mention of the holly, nor the ivy. That’s why, when you flick through the pages, you won’t feel Christmas’ spirit all the way through. (It’s there, for sure though.) And that’s why our children’s story – the last piece in this edition – doesn’t involve Father Christmas, a nativity play or presents under the tree – because winter is enchanting enough all by itself.

Happy winter. Merry Christmas.

And here’s to the new year. stories@neptune.com

NEPTUNE.COM

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Features

HIBER NATE

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In some respects, and somewhat ironically, winter is the warmest month of them all. As winter settles in, we feather our nests to make every room that bit cosier. We go big on texture and candlelight.

We use colour as a blanket. But, if we were to choose one room alone in which we could hibernate, we’d choose the bedroom. Every time.

WE WENT TO S C A N D I N AV I A

Classic, British design is our compass. All of our designs are guided by it, they all follow its steady course. But that doesn’t mean to say we’ll never look elsewhere for inspiration. ..

T H E B E A R W H O WA S A FR A ID OF SNOW W H Y DO W E ROA ST CHESTNUTS?

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Roasted, candied or even tossed with brussels sprouts, chestnuts are one of winter’s most eagerly awaited treats. And there’s a story behind how they became so popular…

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A story to end on. A story for little ones. A story to bring to life the newest characters from our Christmas collection…

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In some respects, and somewhat ironically, winter is the warmest month of them all. As winter settles in, we feather our nests to make every room that bit cosier. We go big on texture and candlelight.

We use colour as a blanket. But, if we were to choose one room alone in which we could hibernate, we’d choose the bedroom. Every time. It’s a place of peace and quiet, of serenity and security, of rest and recuperation. Our art director and stylist, Tanya Snook, talks us through how she transformed this bedroom into something far more fitting for the season. No new furniture required.

A PL ACE TO HIBER NATE Notes from a stylist

“We talk a lot about updating our interiors to reflect the seasons, but it can feel a bit daunting.

It need not be a total overhaul though. You can do as much, or as little, as you please. Think about how to position furniture in a new way – rethink the backdrop, change the way you use lighting, update your textiles, and don’t underestimate the effect of accessories. In this bedroom, we’ve used a lot of our fabrics, and have had existing pieces reupholstered, but even if you only do this on one key piece, you’ll feel the difference in mood,” says Tanya.

Francis double bed base in Angus Flint £820 Charles headboard in Ewan Stone £425 Arthur stool in Angus Flint £440 Matilda armchair in Imogen Holkham Sand £770 Fitzroy Aged Black lampstand £85 with Lucile 15” Silver Grey silk lampshade £43

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STORIES

In spring and summer, we want to walk into our bedrooms and get a sense of light, space and fresh air. In autumn and winter, we tend to want to do the reverse. On the whole, the light is more subdued.

Instead of trying to force our interiors to be light and airy, we should follow nature’s cue, embrace the darker skies and reflect them in our homes.

“Colour is always the favourite place to start, and for good reason. It’s utterly transformative,” according to Tanya. “Because bottom-of-the-ocean hues are still having a moment – deep blues, greens and inky greys – we decided to use a less-obvious shade on the walls of our winter bedroom. Chestnut is so rich and warming, but it occupies a rarely-used part of the spectrum, largely due to it bordering into brownish tones. When you use it on a wide scale though, it lets all those beautiful secondary colours come through – the red top notes, the orange hints – but the brown base tone means it’s muted and earthy. It’s such a clever colour with majorly hidden depths. Many colourists argue that you should always paint all of the room’s architecture (skirting boards, doors, door frames and radiators for example) in the same colour. Not doing so can mean the eye has too much to read – white ceiling, white cornice, coloured wall, white window frame, white skirting board – and taking those in can make a room feel smaller. This school of thought can pressure you into bringing too much colour into your room though. It’s important to say that you don’t have to commit so fully to colour if you don’t want to. We haven’t here, and the room feels anything but small. White might be a crisp colour, but it can be warmed up, and absolutely has a place in a winter scheme.”

Tanya then picked up on the different pigments within Chestnut to echo them throughout the room. “Fox is a velvet colourway that Neptune released in 2016 and it’s one of my favourites.

We had a new set of winter curtains made, in a longer length so they pooled on the floor – there’s

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something really comforting about how this looks, and it helps to exclude draughts – and we added a lower panel of Isla Fox fabric. We then paired it with a small scatter cushion in the same fabric, placing it on the bed. The fabulous velvet eiderdown is a vintage one that we sourced for the shoot, but it’s easy to have one made using Isla Fox by the metre and asking around for local makers.

Repetition of certain colours and textiles is important so that your scheme all comes together nicely, but there should be balance and variation so that it remains visually interesting. It’s about creating aesthetic layers (texture, overlays of colour – and lighting is sandwiched between those layers too) as well as actual layers, such as the contrasting throws at the foot of the bed and the overlapping rugs. This is something I often do in my interiors, because it exaggerates softness and it’s so easy to do. And multiple rugs are a fantastic way to bring contrasting textures to wooden floorboards. I suggest placing the largest beneath the bed so your feet always touch something warm before they get in, and then layer outwards from there. Anywhere that you’ll be sitting should have softness beneath, hence the sheepskin by the footstool and armchair.

“Textiles don’t have to stop there either.

Lampshades are an easy and effective update – I’ve used Neptune’s Angus wool; a fabulous tonal complement to the Chestnut and Fox shades, as well as a textural contrast too. We’ve then repeated that by having the headboard reupholstered in the same fabric. This is, of course, more of an expense, and so it depends how much you want to invest in the new scheme. I’m a bit of a reupholstery addict.

I just love buying fabrics by the metre to reinvent existing pieces of furniture. It’s a lovely thing to do with a local upholstery business too. Using the same fabric on the headboard and the end-of-bed bench connects the two, and the bench is a little more interesting than a footboard. The footstool remained as it was – in Angus.

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WINTER 2017

“And, when it comes to lighting, if your bedroom doesn’t already have lamplight – from bedside lamps to wall lights – this is an area in which we’d always suggest investing. You can’t realistically keep buying new lamps each season though, which is why the lampshade update I

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mentioned is far more realistic and no less effective.

Along with a few candles dotted around your bedroom, the whole scene becomes one that’ll make you want to curl up, get under the covers, and realise, if you hadn’t already, that winter is really rather wonderful.”

PAGE 7-8 Francis double bed base in Angus Flint £820 Charles headboard in Angus Flint £425 Arthur stool in Angus Flint £440 Matilda armchair in Isla Otter £770 Fitzroy Aged Black lampstand £85 with Oliver 18” Angus Flint lampshade £50 Fleming round mirror, 64cm £125 Curtains (a bespoke commission)

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The shape of a

SN

WFLAKE

When we see our very-first snowflakes, we’re told by those wiser and older that no two are ever the same. It makes the frosted spectacle all the more mesmerising. In fairly recent years though, scientists found that while each snowflake is indeed different on a molecular level, they all fall into one of 35 different shapes and eight categories. This winter, if we’re fortunate enough to see snowfall, we’ll be catching them in our mittens and trying to identify which snowflake family they belong to. Here, we share with you a few of our most favourites.

Illustration by Tanya Snook

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B U L L E T-T Y P E C R Y S T A L

BROK E N S NOW PA RT IC L E

Snowflake category: column crystals How to spot it: there are four types of column crystals, but this one is often the smallest and forms a little point at the end. To us, it looks like the top of a just-sharpened pencil. They can be quite common, they’re small, they’re easy to miss, and like most column flakes, they fall at temperatures of around -6°C.

Snowflake category: irregular particles How to spot it: there are just three shapes within this category and each one comes into being once the snow has fallen and is raised again by a strong gust of wind, leaving only a bit of the original flake behind. Our favourite of the three is this stick-like formation, which reminds us of the footprint of a robin on a snowy garden, of a frozen feather, or of the steam of a leaf.

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D E N D R I T E -T Y P E C R Y S T A L Snowflake category: plane crystals How to spot it: for many, this is the iconic snowflake symbol. Plane crystals are more complex flakes and are born in areas of high humidity. This one is pretty, soft yet spiky (dendrite means ‘tree like’), with the tiniest detail at its centre that’s usually only visible for a few seconds before it begins to melt away.

AGGR EG ATION OF COLUMNT Y PE CRYSTA L S Snowflake category: aggregation How to spot it: look back at the pencil-topped snowflakes, and now look again at this one. This type of snowflake is formed of numerous column crystals, joining together, point to point, at random orientations. They’re sometimes called bullet rosettes.

GR AU PEL

G O H E I T W I N -T Y P E C R Y S T A L

Snowflake category: rimed snow crystals How to spot it: we weren’t expecting such a delicate arrangement to have such a not-so-pretty name. Rimed crystals are formed very high up in the sky when a snow crystal collides with a water droplet and freezes to create little beads called rimes. This one in particular is in the shape of a dotty circle.

Snowflake category: combination of column and plane crystals How to spot it: within this category, you’ll find nicer-named snowflakes like the seagull-type, but none of them are as attractive as this one. It’s the less fiddly, less scientific-looking in the family and looks a little like a Christmas tree lying down. They form through symmetrical growths of either columnar or bullet-type crystals in the same direction, and are named after the Japanese word for the paper strips that are hung from iconic Shinto shrines.

On certain page backgrounds, we‘ve used colours from our paint collection. They’re a close representation of their true shades, but if you want to see the real thing, we’d suggest trying our sample paint pots. This is Mist. Available in water-based emulsion or eggshell.

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Visit our online journal to find out how to recreate this setting and make your own pinwheel decorations.

Just look out for the blog called ‘Behind the scenes’.

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WINTER FLOR A

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inter is a season deserving of flora and fauna in the home. As much as spring, as much as summer. Mary Norden, floral expert, author and stylist, shares with us her insights into how to bring them into each room through winter and into Christmas, as well as her advice on making the most of life-like blooms.

Faux flowers have come on a (very) long way from the plastic dust collectors of the 70s. Many are so good it’s hard to tell whether they’re the real thing or not. Neptune calls theirs ‘life-like’ as opposed to ‘faux’ – a distinction that feels quite lovely. One of their greatest appeals is the fact that they’ll last forever and ever, and can be used again and again. They’ve become an investment piece.

And don’t think it always has to centre around flowers. A glorious mix of different faux leaves and twigs can be just as interesting.

If you want drama, choose single stems of just one flower or foliage type and use en masse. It’s all about scale. A large vase filled with hydrangeas, berried ivy or russet oak leaves is far more effective, and modern, than a display consisting of a bit of this and a bit of that. But if you like the idea of mixing, use two or three varieties of contrasting shapes and sizes. Structured flowers like roses need something light and delicate to break up the formality, while a darker flower can take a heavier evergreen leaf.

Create a style. The easiest way is by your choice of vessel: for a rustic country feel, fill an earthenware pot or an enamel jug with a mass of winter hellebores; for something more of-thenow choose glass, keep lines clean and blooms

sculptural and exotic. Delicate vintage or antique-style glass vases filled with roses or a stem of magnolia, on the other hand, are wonderfully romantic. Terracotta and earthenware pots are perfect for winter displays too. Place a pillar candle in the middle (secure with small stones or earth) and surround it with sprigs of rosemary (perfect for scenting the room), winter berries, and ivy, allowing the latter to cascade down to soften the edges. Make several and arrange in a pretty row on a window sill.

Single stems are brilliant for little touches (if you need to shorten the stems of faux flowers, use wire cutters or long-armed shears as their stems can be quite thick). Just add a sprig of foliage and stand them in a bud vase. These can either be placed individually on bedside tables, in bathrooms or in intimate corners, or grouped together on mantelpieces, on sideboards or down the length of a dining table.

For a bigger display though, place vases of different heights and shapes together, each one filled with just one type of flower or greenery to create blocks of colour and texture. If the vases are pretty, you could leave one or two empty. Group the vases on a large tray, or even better, a mirror.

This will beautifully frame the flowers.

OPPOSITE PAGE Hanley pot £53 Berry spray white £14 Hydrangea stem purple £19 Pittosporum spray £16 PAGE 13-14 Arundel four-seater dining table £1,455 Highbury glass candlestick from £24 William armchair in Emma Dove £750 William armchair in Hugo Mustard £700 Castlefield stripe throw, Mustard £200

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STORIES

Not only is the appeal of life-like flora and fauna to do with their longevity, but also with their ease, for they don’t need to be in water, making them ideal for long-term decorating that needs little tending to. For a festive table or mantelpiece, place a row of stems down the length, adding tea light holders for extra twinkle. For a centrepiece, fill a beautiful bowl with seasonal fruits and tuck in sprigs of greenery. Or group together several candlesticks on a large platter, and arrange around the base a mass of foliage and berries.

When Christmas comes, consider evolving your winter arrangements to combine stems of eucalyptus, ivy, rosehip and hydrangea to make your own displays or Christmas wreath, or to add extra interest to a ready-made wreath. Some wreaths are almost too beautiful to leave on the front door. Instead hang inside where they’ll create a focal point in a room, and where they can be appreciated. A giant wreath (a hula hoop can be used as your frame if you’re making your own) would look spectacular above a fireplace, even more so if it was in front on a mantle mirror. Or, rather than one large wreath, I also like using three smaller ones in a row (see Louise Gorrod’s article on page 41 for more ideas). If you fancy something different on your festive front door though, and are lucky to have access to lots of trailing ivy, gather a big bundle, add stems of snowball (the pretty white flowers as opposed to actual snowballs!), and secure at one end with wire or string. Add plenty of ribbon tied into a generous bow, and attach to the front door just as you would a wreath, allowing the ivy and the ribbon ends to trail down the door.

My final thing to say, for winter and indeed for Christmas, is never dismiss twigs. Look out for oversized, twisted lengths, and place in a large container. These make a great statement piece for a hall or on a table. If you feel you want something less minimal and more woodland-inspired, add some foliage, ferns, trailing ivy and berries. Smaller twigs covered with lichens or moss gathered from hedgerows will certainly look interesting stacked vertically in a shallow rectangular glass vase, or tied into small bundles and used to decorate place settings or a window sill.

MARY NORDEN is co-author with photographer, Polly Wreford, of Gathered – a book that celebrates the beauty and joy of flowers. It’s available from uspublishing.co.uk.

PAGE 18 Snowball stem white £16 Holly berry twig £14 Alderney conical hurricane vase from £64

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PR AC TIC A L S Vases. You can never have too many vases. It’s worth building a collection of different sizes, colours and textures. From simple bud vases for just one or two stems, to huge vessels for flowers in bulk.

Different shaped vases suit different flowers, and different coloured and patterned vases will add a certain style to your arrangement, as well as enhancing or adding drama to the flowers. You want vases to suit your mood and the season.

Alternative vases. Just about anything can be made into a vessel for flowers. If the container is not water tight, simply place a glass vase or jar inside to hold the water.

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STORIES

Preparation. If using real foliage, strip the stems of any lower leaves that’ll be submerged in the water (they’ll rot and start to smell) and re-cut or crush the ends. This will encourage the foliage to take up more water.

Change the water. This is particularly important if you’re using a clear glass vase. Flower water, particularly in a warm room, can start to smell and go murky, so change the water frequently.

Care for life-like flowers. And finally, to care for your faux flowers, a quick weekly dust with a clean feather duster, a make-up wipe or a hairdryer switched to a low setting to blow the dust off all work perfectly well.

Bronwyn hanging star from £2 Pinecone twig green & brown £36

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Words about home

I caught the ‘house bug’ in childhood. Renovation runs in our family, and I quickly became fascinated by the origin of the names of things connected to our homes. I have a notebook where I’ve written them down over the years, and below, I’ve shared with you some of my favourites and the ‘stories’ behind them.

Stove – Reading an account by the botanist, Joseph Banks, he described placing ‘his most precious plants in the stove’. Surely, he would not wish to cook his precious collection? So, what did he understand a stove to be? Research shows its roots are Old English, from ‘stofa’, meaning ‘an enclosed space’ (i.e. a small heated room); a term that’s now obsolete but was used widely well into the 19th century.

Threshold – The term ‘threshing’, or ‘thrashing’, originally described the act of stamping with heavy feet, later applied to the agricultural practice of separating the grain from cereal crops. To ‘hold’ the grain and prevent it spilling from the open barn doorway, a board or ‘threshold’ was used at the bottom of the door to block the opening. The term subsequently became used to describe the doorsill of a domestic dwelling.

Window pane – This term has a more complex and divided history, and still has some uncertainty surrounding its origins.

Research says that it was probably the Vikings who first introduced the word ‘window’ into our vocabulary. Its roots are from the Old Norse word ‘vindauga’ – which in turn comes from ‘vindr’, meaning ‘wind’, and ‘auga’, for the word ‘eye’.

Literally, ‘wind eye’. The word ‘window’ was first recorded in the early 13th century, originally referring to a hole in a roof.

The word ‘pane’ however is derived from the French word ‘pan’, meaning ‘section’, ‘piece’ or ‘panel’. And from Latin, ‘pannum’, translating as a piece of cloth or garment, which it’s assumed originally described a fabric that would’ve been used to cover the wind hole in the roof. It was in the 15th century that dwellings began to replace these with the far superior panes of glass.

CATHARINE BROOKING is a university lecturer in graphic communication. She emailed stories@neptune.com to suggest her article idea in summer of this year, and we thought it was a perfect fit for our winter volume.

This is Pink Peppercorn. Available in emulsion and eggshell.

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STORIES

Chestnuts roasting Roasted, candied or even tossed with brussels sprouts, chestnuts are one of winter’s most eagerly awaited treats.

Here’s the story of how they became so popular…

Foraged or not, Christmas would hardly be the same without chestnuts. They land on the shelves in November, and by January they’re gone, just as it would be in a British woodland. Glimpsed for such a short spell, they feel like a rare treat; and yet there is so much more to know about them.

Nobody is quite sure how chestnuts came to be associated with Christmas, although they’ve seen us through many a hard winter. They were first cultivated in ancient Greece, where the trees were easier to grow on rocky Mediterranean slopes than grains or cereals and could be relied on to provide enough sustenance for the cold months. Between them, the Greeks and Romans planted chestnut trees all over Europe. It’s said that Roman soldiers ate chestnut porridge to fortify themselves for battle.

The ancients may not have had nutritionists, but they were onto something: chestnuts are low in fat, high in filling starch and rich in vitamin C and minerals. As well as being fuel for warriors, by medieval times they were a staple for rich and poor alike. They were also one of the first street foods.

The tradition of roasting chestnuts over hot coals, diff using a sweet, smoky aroma to attract passers-

by, is thought to date back to 16th-century Rome; since then, it has spread all over the world. For chestnuts aren’t just enjoyed in Europe. In China and South Korea, they’re stir-fried with syrup and sold in the open air, while the Japanese roast theirs over hot pebbles so they turn evenly soft and fluff y. Britons and Americans remember Nat King Cole singing about “chestnuts roasting on an open fire”, but these days they’re just as likely to bake them in the oven at home.

The chestnut’s global appeal is matched by its versatility. It travels from the street to the realms of haute cuisine with ease. The French preserve chestnuts in syrup to make marrons glacés, while the Portuguese process them into liqueur. In Japan, they’re cooked with sugar to create a ‘gold mash’ for new year celebrations, symbolising prosperity for the year ahead. And so, far from being a fleeting pleasure, the chestnut is in fact one of nature’s most bountiful gifts.

AMY BRADFORD is the former features director of ELLE Decoration. She is now a contributing editor at the title and also writes on interiors for The Telegraph Magazine and Stella.

This is Shell. Available in emulsion and eggshell.

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Life.

Good food. Good music. And a good book.

Three of life’s loveliest pleasures.

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STORIES

The book club “A book is a gift you can open again and again.”

Garrison Keillor Books make great Christmas presents. They’re not just stories, but ‘things’ to be held and treasured. The crinkle of paper, the smell of ink, the physical weight of a book in your hands – for us, few other gifts require such careful thought and show just how well you know one another.

Not only are you giving something that can be savoured alone or shared around, but books, once read, carry on being enjoyed long after the festivities have passed. Whether stacked by your bed or jostling for space on a shelf, books go on to become part of the fabric of your home; “a room without books,” noted Cicero, “is like a body without a soul.”

So, from cookbooks to crafting companions, short stories to novellas, there’s a myriad of choices when it comes to seasonal reads. Here are five of our favourite stocking fillers from this year’s newest titles:

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W H AT SA L LY ’S R E A DI NG That Glimpse of Truth chosen by David Miller – a handpicked collection of 100 of the finest short stories ever written – from childhood favourites to Nobel Laureates – this is a fail-safe present for any fiction-lover. A sweeping, vast introduction to an entire library of acclaimed authors that’s perfect fireside reading.

Stitching by Jane Foster – sewing can be a tricky craft to master, especially for little hands, but this delightful book is a gentle introduction for five to ten-year olds. Jane’s Scandi-inspired designs have been transformed into simple sewing templates – a great gift for budding creatives. Look out for her books for babies and toddlers too.

House of Cards by Sarah Hamilton – if you’ve ever wanted to make your own greetings cards, this gorgeously illustrated guide has easy-to-follow techniques including letterpress, silkscreen printing and decoupage. You’ll also find tips, tricks and creative short-cuts to turn card making into more than just a hobby.

London in the Company of Painters by Richard Blandford – a visual delight from start to end, this illustrated guide to London, and its relationship with the artists who’ve captured it, makes for a sumptuous winter read. Pithy, well-researched text accompanies a lavish selection of paintings from the 1600s to the present day.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Quentin Blake – few tales conjure up the spirit of Christmas as deftly as Dickens’ classic, but throw in Blake’s cheerfully manic illustrations and something truly magical happens. Fizzing with good humour and wit, this latest edition will be devoured by children and adults alike.

SALLY COULTHARD is a best-selling author, designer and mum of three. She’s spent the last 20 years building and writing about homes, gardens and outdoor living.

She’s written 15 books in total, with her most recent being The Little Book of Building Fires, published in November 2017.

This is Salt. Available in emulsion and eggshell.

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STORIES

Neptunes THE SOU NDTR ACK TO THE SEASON

Throughout this volume of Stories, you’ll have noticed that we want to give winter its moment in the spotlight as opposed to being in Christmas’ (lovely) shadow. With our winter playlist though, we’ve tried to pick songs that will suit November, that can be enjoyed in the run-up to Christmas as much as they can be alternatives to classic carols, that are perfect for low-key New Year’s Eve parties, and that will sound just as wonderful and warming all the way through to February.

Enjoy them in the background over a comforting casserole or cottage pie, leave them on while you potter. And when you’re ready to feel positively festive, head to last year’s playlist – ‘noel 2016’ – for our absolute favourite Christmas songs.

I’ve got my love to keep me warm Kay Starr Mack the knife Louis Armstrong Billie Jean Jamie Lancaster and Karen Souza Let’s get lost Chet Baker You’ d be so nice to come home to Nancy Wilson, Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster Don’t stop the music Jamie Cullum My favorite things The Supremes Winter moon Hoagy Carmichael December Norah Jones Snowfall Claude Thornhill Hot toddy Ralph Flanagan and his orchestra ’Round midnight Miles Davis Under a blanket of blue Stacey Kent A foggy day (in London town) Michael Bublé New Year’s Day Stella Starlight Trio It came upon a midnight clear Ella Fitzgerald and Robert Norberg Follow the playlist on Spotify by searching @Neptune_home.

Just in case you’re having trouble finding us, try putting the following into the search bar: Spotify:user:Neptune_home. That seems to help.

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In the

KITCHEN For our foodie section of Stories, we gather recipes from different places.

Sometimes they’re our own; ones that we’ve tried, tested and amended with our own families over the years. Other times, they’re from the most incredible chefs and cooks that we’re fortunate enough to have met through friends of friends, or have perhaps worked with in the past, like The Hidden Hut’s founder, Simon Stallard, or this volume’s contributing chef – Sam Wylde. He’s the man behind one of our absolute favourite ‘café come restaurants’ in Wiltshire – Sam’s Kitchen Deli.

We first came across Sam and his delicious wares on Walcot Street in Bath, where, until earlier this year, he had the most charming and inviting independent café.

It was our go-to place whenever we were in the city, stopping by for coffee and cake, or a lunch so tasty you’d want to mop up every last morsel with a chunk of fresh sourdough. They’ve since closed the doors on Walcot Street and have opened a wood-fired restaurant in nearby Frome, where Sam lives with his partner and three young children.

It’s a place that’s thriving with independent businesses like Sam’s Kitchen Deli, not to mention it makes the school run and work-life balance that bit easier to manage.

We loved his food and ethos so much that we started working with the events side of Sam’s brand (he caters for all sorts of events across the country and weddings too), and we began visiting Frome a whole lot more…

This is Paprika. Available in emulsion and eggshell.

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STORIES

The thinking behind the dishes

by Sam Wylde For me, winter is about finding happiness in all things warm, cosy and comforting.

With three young children, we often have their friends coming around to play and parents coming in for a quick cup of tea when they pick them up, and it’s nice to be able to give them something more than a digestive while the kids play. When December comes, and Christmas draws closer, I feel like there are more knocks on the door than at any other time of the year. Neighbours drop by to deliver a Christmas card, and friends who I might not have seen for a while seem to stop off more as they’re driving through Frome. The anticipation of Christmas makes people jollier, we’re more neighbourly, we’re more likely to invite the postman in for a mug of something warm when they’re at our door delivering parcels with the end of their nose red from the cold.

That’s what these recipes are all about. Seasonal, warming bits that are super easy to make and take next to no time either. They’re the sort of things that you could quickly put together when you get that text saying, ‘I’ll be coming past yours later, will you be in?’ Or that you can speedily whip up while chatting, for those more impromptu visits.

Some are savoury, some are sweet, some are indulgent, some are much better behaved, they’re all suitable for vegetarians, and a few are vegan-friendly and gluten-free too.

Hopefully you’ll find something for everyone.

I always make extra and leave them out on the kitchen table. When everyone gets home later in the day, I love watching their grins. The kettle goes on, and we’ll all sit down as a family and, no matter if we’ve just had lunch, or if supper is going to be in an hour’s time, we’ll chow down regardless.

Corinium tray £69 Bowsley cake stand £14 Lamorran serving bowls, set of three £14

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Food for ‘popping in’ moments

6

MINI R ECIPES

Orange & ginger madeleines. Spiced date balls

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Orange & ginger madeleines M A K E S 12 Put aside: 15 minutes for making them, 30 minutes for resting the mixture, and ten minutes for baking.

W H AT YOU’LL NEED

100g butter unsalted, melted and then cooled 100g caster sugar golden, ideally 80g self-raising flour sifted 20g ground almonds 2 medium eggs free-range 2 tsp ground ginger

2 balls of preserved stem ginger in syrup finely chopped 1 orange zested 1 tbsp orange juice fresh, from the same orange A sprinkling of sea salt 12-hole madeleine tin

W H AT TO DO

1 Use a touch of the butter to lightly grease the madeleine tin. If you have some plain flour in the cupboard, sprinkle a touch over the moulds too to make it as easy as possible to ease the madeleines out of the tin later.

2 In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together until they’re pale, fluffy and a little frothy.

3 In a separate bowl, combine all of the remaining ingredients, then fold them into the egg and sugar mixture to create a smooth batter.

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4 Leave the batter to sit for half an hour, and in this time, make sure your oven is preheated to 200°C (180°C fan) or gas mark six.

5 Spoon just less than a tablespoon of mixture into each madeleine hole. Bear in mind that they’re going to rise, so you’re not looking to fill them to the top.

6 Bake in the oven for eight–ten minutes until golden brown, and if you can, serve them warm.

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Spiced date balls M A K E S 1 2 -15 Put aside: five minutes for making them, and that’s it.

No cooking is needed for these.

W H AT YOU’LL NEED

150g Medjool dates pitted 40g almonds blanched 40g cashews unsalted 20g coconut desiccated, chips or flakes ¼ tsp ground ginger ¼ tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp cardamom A pinch of ground white pepper

W H AT TO DO

1 In a food processor, tip in all of the ingredients in one go and blitz until they form a dough.

This should take roughly 30 seconds to one minute, depending on how coarse you’d like the mixture to be.

3 They taste perfect as they are, but you can roll them in a bit more desiccated coconut if you’d like to make them look as though they’re dusted with snow.

4 Store them in the fridge in an airtight container.

2 Carefully remove the blade then, taking a small amount at a time from the container, roll the dough into small balls.

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Smashed butternut, roasted garlic & pomegranate croutes M A K E S 10 -12 Put aside: 15 minutes to make them, 30 minutes for cooking and ten minutes for cooling

W H AT YOU’LL NEED

5 tbsp olive oil 3 garlic cloves 3 sprigs of thyme fresh and whole 1 large butternut squash 1 pomegranate just the seeds 1 tsp chilli flakes

1 bunch of flat leaf parsley fresh and roughly chopped A sprinkling of sea salt, cracked black pepper and grated parmesan Sourdough for serving

W H AT TO DO

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) or gas mark six.

2 Cut the butternut squash in half lengthways.

Scrape out the seeds and then place each half of the squash (skin-side down) onto a lined baking tray.

3 In a bowl, pour in the olive oil. Crush two of the garlic cloves by carefully pressing down on them using the side of a wide chopping knife.

Pull the skin away and put the flesh into the olive oil bowl. To that, add the chilli flakes and thyme sprigs, and mix.

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4 Pour the mixture over the squash and then sprinkle with a little water from your hand. Cover the squash with a layer of baking parchment, leaving it loose rather than tucking it in tightly.

5 Roast for 25 minutes, removing the parchment for the last five minutes, and then place the squash to one side to cool, leaving the oven on.

While it’s cooling, slice as many pieces of fresh bread as you need, rubbing them with olive oil and the remaining garlic clove, and place them in the oven to warm slightly – five minutes at the same temperature is plenty.

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6 As the bread is warming, scrape out the soft butternut squash flesh and the garlic mixture (removing the thyme sprigs) into the bowl you used earlier (to save washing up two bowls) and mash with a fork. Add the parsley once mashed.

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7 Take the bread out of the oven, then generously top with the squash mixture, a scattering of pomegranate seeds and a sprinkling of seasoning and the grated cheese.

Spiced beetroot dip with crispy pitta & crudités M AK ES ENOUGH FOR 4 Put aside: ten minutes for making.

W H AT YOU’LL NEED

240g Greek yoghurt 6 medium beetroot pre-cooked, but not in vinegar 3 tbsp olive oil 2 garlic cloves crushed 1 small red chilli seeded and chopped 1 tbsp maple syrup 1 tbsp za’atar

A pinch of sea salt A pack of wholemeal pitta breads toasted and cut into thin pieces A selection of raw vegetables such as peppers, carrots and cucumber, chopped into long strips

W H AT TO DO

1 Put all of the ingredients (expect the pitta and vegetables) into a food processer and pulse until blended. Scrape the mixture into a wide, shallow serving bowl so lots of people can dip at the same time.

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2 Serve alongside your favourite raw vegetables and toasted pitta breads.

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Spiced beetroot dip with crispy pitta & cruditĂŠs

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Cranberry amaretti M A K E S 18 -2 0 Put aside: 15 minutes to make them and 12 minutes for baking.

W H AT YOU’LL NEED

180g ground almonds 120g caster sugar preferably golden 60g dried cranberries roughly chopped 3 drops almond extract 2 tsp honey clear, runny

2 egg whites free-range 1 lemon zested A pinch of sea salt A dusting of icing sugar for rolling

W H AT TO DO

1 Preheat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan) or gas mark three.

2 Place the ground almonds, sugar, lemon zest, almond extract and salt in a large bowl and combine so they’re evenly mixed.

3 Beat the egg whites and honey together to form a soft meringue, either by hand or using an electric whisk. Fold this into the almond mixture – carefully, so you don’t lose the air – until you have a soft paste.

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4 Taking a tablespoon of mixture at a time, roll the paste into balls. In a small bowl, tip in some icing sugar and roll each amaretti ball in the sugar to coat them entirely. Add more icing sugar to the bowl as you go.

5 Place each of the dusted balls onto a lined baking tray and bake for approximately 12 minutes, or until they’ve taken on some colour. You want them to be pale and chewy in the middle.

6 You can dust them with a little more icing sugar once cooled if you want a snowier finish.

Store them in an airtight container and they’ll keep for three–four days.

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Sea salt truffles M A K E S 1 2 -15 Put aside: 15 minutes for making and two hours for cooling.

W H AT YOU’LL NEED

110g dark chocolate at least 70% cocoa 100ml double cream 40g light muscovado sugar 25g butter unsalted and at room temperature A dusting of cocoa powder for rolling A sprinkling of sea salt flakes

W H AT TO DO

1 In a saucepan, heat the cream and sugar together over a gentle heat, stirring occasionally to stop the sugar from sitting, until it comes to the boil. Let it simmer for a minute and then take it off the heat.

Allow it to cool for a few minutes.

2 Smash the dark chocolate into shards and dice the butter, then place them into a large, heatproof bowl. Pour the cream and sugar mixture over the top and allow them to melt the chocolate and butter. It should take a few minutes.

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3 Stir until the ingredients combine – melted, smooth and glossy. Then, add a generous pinch of sea salt and stir once more.

4 Cover and put into the fridge to set for two hours.

5 Taking a teaspoon, scoop out the truffles one by one and roughly roll them into balls – you don’t want to handle them for too long. Roll them into the cocoa, give them a shake to remove the excess and serve. Keep these in an airtight container in the fridge so the consistency stays nice and solid.

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A tip or two Medjool dates are the best variety to use for the spiced date balls because they’re naturally sweet and sticky so create a gorgeous taste and texture.

Normal dates will work too though. You can buy them pitted, or it takes moments to pit them yourself – just slice the first third away and you’ll see or feel the stone, then just pull it out. It can be helpful to soak the dates in warm water for ten minutes if you want them to be a little less sticky. And because this recipe doesn’t need cooking, you can taste a little to see if you’d prefer more spice; if you do, then just blitz the mixture again for a few seconds to combine.

For the amaretti, the dough consistency should be like cookie dough – soft and malleable. Don’t be tempted to overcook them, you only want a little light brown colour so they remain deliciously chewy when cooled.

The date balls and madeleines will keep for three–four days if stored in an airtight container. You can also freeze both of these recipes.

The madeleines can be made gluten-free if you substitute the flour for ¾ gluten-free flour and ¼ coconut flour – although the texture will be crumblier and you won’t get the shell-like definition quite so much.

For a vegetarian and vegan-friendly parmesan substitute for the croutes, try the prosociano wedge by Violife, which is available from most supermarkets.

When it comes to removing the pomegranate seeds, cut the fruit in half and then, over a small bowl with the seeds facing downwards, hit the back of the fruit with a rolling pin and they’ll start popping out. Do it as close to the bowl as possible to prevent any juice from spraying.

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?

HS

T

W N HA

G

E

Y DO W H

WREA

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AÂ

Christmas wreath hung upon a front door evokes the warmest of welcomes during the

festive season. Together with the fir trees we bring

inside at this time of year, the tradition of adorning our homes with rings of sweet-smelling evergreens has something of a multi-layered history. Its rich heritage can be attributed to a melting pot of religious and cultural beliefs and traditions from centuries gone by.

This is Charcoal. Available in emulsion and eggshell.

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STORIES

Fenella wreath £20 Kate hanging tealight holder, teadrop £50 PAGE 37 Ferne frosted wreath £51 Somerton under console medium basket £50 PAGE 41-42 Ferne frosted wreath £51 Chatto sofa with natural seat cushion £1,260 Southdown sheepskin rug £125 Herdwick sheepskin rug £135 Ennis birch small hurricane £14 Kingswood throw in Mole Grey £108

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The word wreath is drawn from an Old English word, ‘writhen’, meaning ‘to twist’. Traditionally, wreaths are made from evergreens, which symbolise strength due to their robust ability to survive the harshest of winters. The circular shape, with no beginning or end, represents eternity.

Decorating our homes with wreaths can be traced back to the ancient Romans who hung laurel wreaths to celebrate victory, and to the Celts of Europe who gathered boughs of holly for decoration during the winter solstice. The association of the wreath with Christmas dates back to the 16th century, when the Lutherans in Germany started to use wreaths as a symbol of Advent. Another three centuries would pass before the modern, more familiar Advent wreath, with its four candles symbolising the four weeks of Advent, took shape. The use of candles in wreaths can also be found elsewhere. The Scandinavians use candles in their wreaths to bring light to the dark winter nights and as a sign of hope for the light that spring will eventually bring. Likewise, the pagan rituals of midwinter are said to have featured wreaths of evergreens with four candles that represented the worldly elements earth, wind, water and fire.

Today, the Christmas wreath represents many different things, depending on individual beliefs, traditions and personal style. The Christmas wreath has become more creative and decorative. Stroll along any street in mid-December and, for every traditional evergreen wreath, you’ll see a contemporary interpretation. Wreaths made from life-like foliage dusted with make-believe snow are hard to distinguish from the real thing. Statement wreaths made from glitter-dipped feathers or neon pompoms are as individualistic as they are fun – anything goes.

Wreaths aren’t just for the front door either. As time has passed and the wreath tradition has evolved, we’ve brought them inside to find that they work wonderfully there too, hung above a fireplace, on internal doorways, or laid flat with a hurricane lantern nestled inside to form a festive table centrepiece.

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onsider giving yourself some time away from the hustle and bustle of the season and try your hand at making your own; a cathartic thing to do yourself, or lots of fun with family and friends. With many willing hands you can create one in no time – I love making a more contemporary, oversized one that I lean against an outdoor wall or on a mantel. Gather together a sumptuous array of seasonal foliage from the garden, local woodlands or a nearby hedgerow. (If you’d prefer to use life-like versions, that’s fine too.) Holly, ivy, eucalyptus, bay and pine are all rich pickings. Create a circle structure by bending some lengths of hazel and securing with string, or simply use a wire wreath ring purchased from your local craft shop or florist.

Then just weave your greenery in, attaching it as you go with lengths of hobby wire. Start with some of the bigger pieces of foliage such as eucalyptus and ivy, which are easy to bend and don’t require much teasing. Gradually work around your ring attaching your foliage until your base is fully covered. Add some final decorative touches of holly, berry clusters or pinecones. The easiest way to do this is to gather two or three short sprigs and secure them into a little bunch with some wire.

Make several of these and then add your bunches at intervals around your wreath by pushing them into the greenery and securing from behind with wire. If using holly or other prickly foliage, it’s best to wear gloves when handling to prevent inevitable scratches. And, to help keep your wreath looking lush and green throughout the festive season, spritz with water every couple of days. If you do make your own, don’t worry about making it look immaculate; there’s nothing more enchanting than unruly tendrils of cascading ivy – wherever they may fall.

LOUISE GORROD is the wishlist editor of slow-life magazine, The Simple Things. She’s also the author of the blog Buttercup Days and works as an independent food stylist and writer.

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We went to

S C A N D I N AV I A

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Classic, British design is our compass. All of our designs are guided by it, they all follow its steady course. But that doesn’t mean to say we’ll never look elsewhere for inspiration. That would feel too shortsighted. So, we look, listen and learn from other countries and their design heritage too, before reimagining them through our own lens.

In November last year, we travelled to Scandinavia on a design trip.

Stockholm first, followed by Copenhagen, spending two days in each beautiful capital city. We weren’t there to search for one particular thing, but we returned with ideas of our Christmas collection for this year taking perfect shape.

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Scandinavia has become a huge source of inspiration over the last decade. In fashion, the world has fallen for its strong lines, its paredback forms and its understated way of achieving boldness. The same can be said for Scandi-style interiors, with minimalism – an abundance of white-washed floorboards and walls contrasted with natural textures – filling magazine pages and Instagram feeds alike. Be it Norway, Sweden or Denmark (generally Iceland and Finland are included when using the closely-related term, Nordic), more and more people are subscribing to a Scandinavian diet, reading up on their approach to education and work-life balance, and paying closer attention to their politics. Scandinavian lifestyles, in almost every respect, are increasingly revered. (Let’s not forget the near-obsession with ‘hygge’ – the art of cosiness – and ‘lagom’ – the appreciation of balance and moderation – that has recently dominated lifestyle press and social media.)

We watched with interest as the trend mushroomed. We decided to look closer.

On our first day, it was zero degrees. We took in each city by foot, walking for hours and hours, regarding the architecture, learning more about their approach to interior design, absorbing our surroundings. In Stockholm, we stopped at a traditional Swedish bakery and shared Saffransbulle, Kanelbulle and Kardemummabulle (sweet and sticky saffron, cinnamon and cardamom buns). In Copenhagen, we enjoyed an incredible breakfast each day at Atelier September, eavesdropping (as best we could) into the charming

conversations happening around us. One morning, there was a group of girls in their early twenties, two were hand-writing what looked like recipes, one was knitting, while the fourth seemed lost in her thoughts. It was lovely to see. Both establishments felt so different and so similar at the same time – one modern, one not, one cool, one quaint, but both warm, comfortable, familiar and inviting in every sense. If we stopped for a moment to look at a map, within seconds, somebody would approach us, speaking perfect English with just a hint of an accent to give them away, to check if they could help. We were warmed by their warmth, impressed by their command of English, in awe of their incredible dress sense – man, woman, young and old. The rumours about Scandinavians were so far true.

The snowflakes began to fall early on, during day two in Stockholm. Slow at first, but in no time, they were coming down heavily. Within a few hours, we were walking arm in arm to steady one another and decided, when dark began to fall in the afternoon, to explore the residential streets.

Emma Sims-Hilditch, our creative director, stopped and said, “Look up there!” Almost every window on the street we were approaching was filled with candlelight. Candelabras, tealights and clusters of pillar candles filled window ledge after window ledge. The atmosphere was utterly magical.

Street after street, the same was true. We got to the top of a hill (somehow), brushed the few inches of snow from a park bench, squeezed on together and looked out onto the twinkling city.

NEPTUNE.COM

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Sherlock & Watson robins, set of two £19 Ned skiing bear £9 PAGE 49-50 Aurora Antique small baubles, set of six £51 Thea Antique Silver small baubles, set of six £48 Xanthe glass baubles, set of six £29 Evelyn clear small baubles, set of six £30 Neve Grey baubles, set of six £48

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When we left there was a touch of sadness, as there always is when you leave somewhere special. Lots of sheepskin rugs, rye bread and smoked fish, and androgynous clothing were all things that we expected to find on our short Scandinavian adventure, but this enchanting spirit was not. It seems to have been missed out in the articles that have dominated. We wanted the truth, not the trend.

We hope you can feel a little part of it in each of our Christmas designs. Like the kindness and approachability that we’ve tried to capture in the faces of our newest characters, such as Jasper the polar bear and the Cecil felted mice. Like the change in textures and tone that we saw in every interior, that we’ve spread across the whole Christmas collection, but in a way that’s calming as opposed to chaotic, just as the Scandinavians do. Like the flicker of the flames and the almost magical light that filled both cities, which we’ve tried to bottle up and reference in every way we can, be it through tealight holders, hurricane lanterns or baubles – some gold dusted, some mercurised, some glistening glass.

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At home with…

THE AY ERSTS

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nside The Old Vicarage, you’ll find a rather busy home. There’s Rachel – a recruitment consultant who works from home; her husband Nick – the managing director of a restaurant group; their son Alex – who’s just started sixth-form; Skye the Working Cocker Spaniel – who Rachel describes as being a “pocket rocket”; and Delilah and Tabitha – the two rescue tabby cats. We went to meet them in their Buckinghamshire home to see how they were getting on with their new Neptune kitchen – our Suffolk collection in a galley layout that opens into a spectacular, modern-industrial orangery.

This is Smoke. Available in emulsion and eggshell.

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HOME PROFILE The Ayersts moved into the The Old Vicarage in 2012. Built around the turn of the 20th century, it has a fascinating history. Before it became a vicarage (in 1951), it was home to a lady called Katie Sichel. She helped to run the neighbouring property – Coniston House – which was a place of respite for women and a key property in the suffrage movement. The two buildings are even listed as points of historic importance on Britain’s suffragist walking trails.

While the previous owners of The Old Vicarage had updated it significantly, the interior needed a lot of love, and over the last five years, Rachel has been steadily updating and renovating every room. She left the biggest project of them all until last – the kitchen and adjoining orangery.

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THE PROJECT The kitchen layout was a galley. At first, the Ayersts looked at whether they could reconfigure the room to make it much wider, but in the end, decided to keep their galley and create a sense of space in another way – by redesigning the existing UPVC conservatory and making that a part of the kitchen. “We used Westbury Garden Rooms to construct our timber-framed orangery, and our absolutely fantastic building team (LDF Construction, a local business in Aylesbury). We put in huge windows to flood it with light and also to bring the garden into the kitchen; a friend said it’s as though each window picture-frames a different aspect of the garden. Grant, our kitchen designer from Hawk Interiors [one of Neptune’s partners] then worked with us not just to design our kitchen in terms of cabinetry and appliances, but also on how to connect the two spaces together to make them feel like one, flowing room.”

Rachel had a very clear vision for her new kitchen.

The family all loved the industrial look, and following recent trips to New York and Iceland, she wanted to find a way to bring together an urban feel with a touch of Nordic simplicity and enduring English style. “It was always going to be the Suffolk kitchen collection for us. We had one in our previous home. It was a much smaller kitchen, but it worked so brilliantly. It just works – in big spaces and small ones, with any colour, and with all sorts of different style preferences, all underpinned by gorgeous quality and a feeling that it’ll never date.

You can’t say that with many kitchens. It’s simple, clean and calm.” After some deliberation, Rachel, Nick and Alex decided to go with dark grey paintwork on the window and door frames in the orangery, and continued the same colour through the kitchen, choosing Neptune’s water-based Charcoal paint for the cabinetry along with Salt

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and Snow on the walls. “I picked out the Barlow half-beehive knobs in Antique Bronze to match the hinges used in our orangery too. I loved Neptune’s attention to detail that carried through every aspect of its designs,” Rachel continued.

While a sense of space was a huge design consideration for the Ayersts, storage was, like with most kitchens, the next key factor. “I didn’t want to be rooting around in cupboards. I wanted as many drawers as possible. Even where we did have cabinets, we were able to use Neptune’s bespoke service to have drawers designed inside.

Our designer worked in as much storage as he possibly could, from larders to a bespoke pot board with the same quartz worktop as the rest of the kitchen so it all coordinated. I had the idea of a mirrored splashback behind the stove as a way to make the room feel larger. It’s one of the most expensive parts of the kitchen but it was worth it.

It’s antiqued glass so it fits in with the industrial vibe, and when you’re sitting down at the table it gives you a viewpoint of another part of the kitchen. It’s like a wonderful game of ping pong.

Seeing yourself first thing in the morning, before the kettle has boiled, is the only downside.”

“Our house can be truly frenetic at times. But our Suffolk kitchen helps us to create order and to find a sense of calm. Even the little things, like the organisational drawer Neptune does for cutlery and utensils, are a godsend. We’ve gone on to have Suffolk in our boot room and utility too. I have, however, gone a little mad in the downstairs loo with hummingbird wallpaper to counter the calmness! Is my house always tidy? Absolutely not.

But Suffolk makes the phrase ‘a place for everything and everything in its place’ real, and it’s so appreciated. It gives our home rigour and real beauty. We feel very lucky indeed.”

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LIFE IN THEIR NEW KITCHEN What’s your favourite thing to do in your new kitchen?

Cooking together. Now we have the room to do it properly and without getting in each other’s way.

I’ve also created a small sitting area in one corner of the orangery where I love to sit and look out onto our garden. We have a Neptune Rupert footstool in the beautiful yellow velvet which adds this sunny burst to the room. Above it is a little orb chandelier by Curiousa & Curiousa – they’re a bespoke lighting company based in Derbyshire – and we chose the Isla Finch velvet to match it.

What’s your favourite part?

The enormous pan drawers. They look fab and they’re endlessly useful.

What could you now not live without?

The larder. Now I see why everybody loves them so much.

W H AT’S NE X T? Enjoyment. It’s taken a long time to get our home how we wanted it and now we want to relax and enjoy. Nick used to live in another ‘Old Vicarage’ as a teenager and has always wanted to come back and live in his own one.

Sounds like a bit of a cliché, but we’ve all got what we wanted.

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Winter beaches We say beach, you think summer. Correct? That’s usually the way it goes.

Bank holidays spent picnicking on sand dunes, weekends building sandcastles, family half-term holidays resurrecting windbreaks and smiling at the shrieks of those running away from breaking waves as they spill all over the sand – these are all moments that, when pictured, typically have the sun as their backdrop. But warm weather need not be a prerequisite for passing time with the sea and the sand. In fact, winter is one of our favourite times in the year to be beside the seaside. It’s infinitely quieter, seasonal dog bans are often lifted, it’s perfect for flying a kite, for storm-watching, and for photography with nobody getting in the way.

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Rhossili Bay, Wales

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hen a setting is so closely bound to a certain meaning, it carries a lot of pressure.

If we believe that a beach is best on a hot summer’s day, the window of opportunity is tiny – smaller than a porthole. Think bigger, and that window is flung wide open.

A beach bathed in winter’s sun sees a different kind of light to that of any other time of year. It’s searing and piercing and you can never be sure of how the water might behave. A blindingly blue winter sky doesn’t necessarily equate to calm waters. The waves can crash as sharply as the light, moving in short, quick bursts. The sound of them breaking is louder, because the surroundings are quieter at this time of year. The sun falling on the sand can even be more dazzling than in August’s warming rays. It seems to glitter in a way that it simply can’t in summer. Contrast this with the ferocious conditions winter can also bring.

The beach transforms once more. The sea feels threatening, deeper and darker than before. The wind throws sea foam, salt spray and sand. The tides might become more dramatic in response to days on end of heavy rain fall. It’s a stark, raw beauty. Visit a beach on winter days such as these and you’re likely to feel a touch melancholic too, but in an intriguing sort of way. It’s a thoughtprovoking setting. It’s Daphne du Maurier-esque.

The beach in winter heightens the senses and lets you experience every happening more acutely.

It’s a different experience altogether. The landscape changes, sand dunes are steeper – it feels wilder and untamed.

The beach in winter is about adventure.

(And not to mention, fish and chips taste better when they’re eaten in the biting cold.)

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BE ACH HU NTING Some of our favourite British beaches to visit this winter.

Rhossili beach, South Wales: earlier this year, this tiny spot on the Gower Peninsula made it into Suitcase Magazine’s top ten beaches of the world. It’s also set within the UK’s first ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’.

Need we say more?

Bamburgh Castle beach, Northumberland: we love it for its almost-white sands, rolling dunes and the castle that stands in the background and has done since the sixth century.

In winter, it’s almost completely deserted. Walk along the sand in a northerly direction and you’ll reach Stag Rock where you can explore rock pools and a small lighthouse. Bamburgh beach is also a great spot for surfers.

Coombesgate beach, north Devon: a small, shingle and sand beach, tucked away from tourists. It points west so has sublime sunsets, and the surf is known for being good. It’s only accessible between low and mid-tide, making it feel even more special.

Brancaster beach, Norfolk: miles and miles of picture-perfect sands are only one of the things that make this Norfolk beach so special. When the tide is out, the remnants of an old shipwreck (the SS Vina) can be seen – it was once used by the RAF for target practice before the Normandy landing. It’s also known for being dog-friendly.

PAGE 59-40 Arundel six-seater dining table £1,550 Alpine throw £70 Southdown sheepskin rug £125 Estelle small wooden star £12 Dewsbury throw in Juniper £108 Wardley dining chair £300

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We believe in a different perspective.

neptune.com/adifferentperspective

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Our favourite coffee shops

Taking a good book into a coffee shop remains one of life’s simplest pleasures. Have your cup filled up, turn your phone face down, and let the steam from the espresso press swirl, enveloping you in its comforting fug. Winter really is the season for this, when it’s cold outside but the drinks are warm, the gentle bustle of the baristas bringing you all the sustenance you need.

So, here’s my pick of the UK’s most welcoming coffee shops to hunker down in. Cosy, comforting and caffeinated.

PIP MCCORMAC is associate editor at lifestyle magazine, Red. He’s also author of The Herb and Flower Cookbook.

This is Mustard. Available in emulsion and eggshell.

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Best for buns

Best for beans

With charming tiles and industrial lights, small tables and big cinnamon buns, this is one place you can spend all day in. The brand is originally from Sweden and the air is scented with cardamom and spice. Pop in for coffee and stay for Fika – the Scandi art of having cake, specifically with friends. Utterly enticing.

There’s a complexity to the flavours at Quarter Horse Coffee, a subtle smokiness that comes from the fact that they roast their own beans. Luxuriously fragrant, the scents of chocolate and fruit encircle you, inviting you to while away whole afternoons.

And the fact that the tiled bar is pure interiors inspiration, with its modern zigzag design, means that this place really does have the roast, if you will, with the most.

Fabrique Bakery, 8 Earlham Street, London, WC2H 9RY, fabrique.co.uk

Best for long afternoons Big leather banquettes make this perfect for hunkering down into, helped by the towering bread and brownie offering. The cheese toastie, gently oozing, is legendary, while the brand-new roast being used for the filter coffee is strong and rich.

Steam Yard, Unit 1–2 Aberdeen Court, 97 Division Street, Sheffield, S1 4GE, steamyard.co.uk

Best for country air High up near Haytor, in the middle of National Trust land on Dartmoor, this charming restaurant and coffee shop roasts its own beans and bakes its own cakes. Dogs, wellies and rosy cheeks from the wind are all welcome, ready to be dried, warmed and fed.

Home Farm Café, Parke, Bovey Tracey, Devon, TQ13 9JQ, homefarmcafe.co.uk

BEST FOR EDGINESS Nestled in the basement on the corner of Hanover Street and George Street, this is widely regarded as the best coffee shop in Scotland. But then the founders are from New Zealand, home of the ideal roast, so the pedigree speaks for itself. A masterclass in upcycling – the walls are lined with old chicken coops and the bar was once church pews.

Wellington Coff ee, 33A George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2HN, 0131 225 6854

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Quarter Horse Coff ee, 88–90 Bristol Street, Birmingham, B5 7AH, quarterhorsecoff ee.com

Best for fair trade There’s a real community feel to Caffe Clifton, and it goes beyond ensuring that all the beans are fair trade. There are kids’ pottery classes, exhibitions by Bristol-based artists, and a menu of locally-sourced (and often vegan) food. The ethos here is about creating a better world, one where coffee growers are paid fairly for their work, where neighbours can get to know each other, and where even dogs are welcome. A beating heart of a café.

Caff e Clifton, St Paul’s Road, Bristol, BS8 1LX, caff eclifton.co.uk

BEST FOR FAMILIES This is one of those places that’s specifically designed to spend all day in, with a laptop, with friends, and with room for a buggy or three. It’s calm and quiet, with exposed brick and wooden beams becoming a leisurely backdrop for a day of dawdling and drinking coffee. The children’s menu of smoothies and sandwiches is just the start of what will keep kids occupied – there’s also a table tennis table, with regular competitions, and a bookcase stuffed with reading material and board games. Literally hours of fun.

School House Café, St. Paul’s Road, Cheltenham, GL50 4EZ, schoolhousecafe.co.uk

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Are we nearly there yet?

T

hink of games to play on car journeys, and there’s no doubt that the words “I spy with my little eye…” spring to mind. A classic game and one that we’ll always play a round or two of, but there’s really no better time than Christmas, when so many of us set out on the road to visit family and friends, to discover a new car-journey tradition.

We asked around, and gathered together a few of our own favourites. These are all games that everyone can play, from whoever’s behind the wheel to the youngest passenger, whether you’re travelling with friends, or there are little ones in the back.

With any luck, they’ll hold off the inevitable “are we nearly there yet?” a little while longer.

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20 questions Most of us are probably familiar with this game, it’s been around such a long time – a version, called ‘Yes and no’, is even played in A Christmas Carol.

For those who haven’t played before, one person thinks of something (it can be anything from a famous person to a Christmas pudding), and then everyone else has twenty questions to try to figure out who (or what) it is. Their questions should only be answered with ‘yes’ or ‘no’ responses so they have as few clues as possible. Whoever guesses correctly wins the point.

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The alphabet game This one is all about being quick to react (and a good general knowledge will always help).

Someone selects a letter of the alphabet, and then the ‘quizmaster’ has to ask quick-fire questions with everybody playing responding with answers beginning with the chosen letter. Questions can be as simple as ‘a colour beginning with R’ or ‘a make of car beginning with R’. The first person to shout out an answer that begins with the chosen letter, wins a point. Keep playing until you’re ready to move on to the next game, or the next letter!

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Speaking in song Straightforward games are often the best, and so are those that don’t run on too long. We’ve found it’s best to set a timer before you start this one, and your aim is quite simple: to hold a straight-faced conversation, entirely using song lyrics. Where the conversation ends up going can certainly be very amusing, but you’ll find that it’s surprisingly tricky not to burst into tune. The first person to do so – or to laugh – loses the round.

You’ ll be there before you know it.

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Talking to MARK WILLIAMS

We don’t include a profile piece in every edition of Stories. But when we do, we like to introduce you to a good mix of the people and the personalities who make up Neptune, from Dan, our senior designer who you met in our first-ever volume of Stories last year, to Pav and Lukasz, the brothers who lead the construction of all of our stores, who we featured in Stories for spring.

We wrote this profile a little differently though. It involved us sitting in the middle seat of one of our Neptune delivery vans. Interviewing and typing up notes (a pad and paper just wasn’t going to work driving down country lanes), we stayed with them as they went about a customer delivery in nearby Oxfordshire, to really tell the story of a day in the life of one of our delivery drivers.

The man in question? Mark Williams.

MARK. IN BR IEF Mark. Is part of our delivery team, managing our drivers but also still spending time on the road himself. Known for being one of the kindest, the most genuine and the most helpful people in the company, he’s equally as identifiable by his cheeky grin and his ‘heart of gold’ (the phrase more than a few people used when asked to describe Mark).

On life on the road. Before Neptune, Mark was team manager of a racing team – Formula Renault – and supported the British Touring Car Championships. He described it as being “the first rung on the Formula One ladder”. Cars, trucks, driving and travel have been an enormous part of his life for decades. “I was spending too much time away from my daughter though. You’re living out of a hotel room for ten months a year. It’s great to travel and to be involved in something like that, but not when it takes you away from family.

I’m not very good at staying still, but I needed to be closer to home,” he said.

This is Cactus. Available in emulsion and eggshell.

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T HE I N T ERV IEW A potted history.

Mark joined Neptune “four and a bit” years ago.

He joined as a driver and installer, spending every day travelling across the country. “The company has grown loads. When I started, we had six vehicles, now we’ve got 40 or so. As Neptune grew and opened more stores, there were opportunities to move up the ranks to a certain extent, and that’s what I’ve tried to do,” he explained.

Onto the M4, and knowing we’ d be on it for a good while, we started to talk properly, and asked Mark what a typical day looks like for him.

“Nowadays, I’m not on the road as much.

Two or three times a week maybe, whereas before it was obviously every day. I get in at 5.30am.

Everything at Neptune is timed to precision. Jacqui plans all of the routes, and she’s been at Neptune for 17 years so never gets it wrong. She makes everyone’s lives a lot easier, more so than I do!”

At this point, he stopped telling us about his day, and instead went on to explain how the delivery process works.

“Every order has a specific delivery time allocated to it and there can be up to nine ‘drops’ in a day. We’re different to any other company I know, because we take real pride in how we deliver things and want to make it as easy for the customer as we can. So, time is factored in to not just assemble whatever it is we’re delivering, but to not rush too much so there’s time to talk to the customer. Take an armchair for example, that’s timed for a 15-minute delivery, because it takes about five minutes to assemble and then we have an extra 10 minutes if we need it. A dining table is a one-hour slot. Then, if a customer needs help with something, we aren’t having to say, ‘No, sorry we have another order to do.’

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We do, but because we plan in time, we don’t have to rush off. We’re often offered a cup of tea and it’s great to be able to say, ‘Yes go on then,’ and to have a little chat and build a relationship. It’s a very personal delivery service, as much as it’s professional.”

He then went back to explain his typical day, unprompted, knowing he’ d veered away momentarily from the initial question.

“So, I get in at 5.30am. Because we have a big team, there’s usually about 25 vehicles leaving Neptune HQ each day. I get a list of who’s on what vehicle and who’s going with them. (At Neptune, we call the second person in each vehicle the ‘driver’s mate’. It’s a friendly term for the twoman team.) That’s 50 staff, give or take. I’m there to make sure everyone’s okay. Some days there will be a person or two off sick, so I’ll need to shuffle things and make sure the right experience is going out on the right vehicle. If it’s a more complex installation, I wouldn’t be sending two new people out together for example.” Usually, by about 7am,

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everyone has gone. If Mark is on the road that day, he’ll head out then too. “I tend to go out on larger builds that require more experience, or if there’s somebody new and they need training. Or, if a customer has had a problem in the past – we’d be lying if we said that never happens – then I tend to go to resolve things for them. If I’m not on the road, there’s a heck of a lot to look after.

Each vehicle is doing 60,000 miles or more a year. There’s servicing, tyres, parts and all that stuff that needs sorting. I spend a lot of time with the customer care team to get feedback on deliveries and customer experience to share with the rest of the delivery team so we all know what we’re doing well and where we need to improve.

I’m there to do deliveries, to look after our drivers, our customers and our vans. There are three other people who have the same role as me, but I’m the most senior because I’m the oldest,” he laughs and then says, “you know I’m kidding right?”

He laughs again before saying, “Or am I?” We have no idea if he is or isn’t, but we’re laughing too.

We ask what his secret is with getting on so well with every customer.

“I think people can see that I just want to help.

So many companies are bound by rules about this is how we deliver and we can do this and we can’t do that. Of course you have to have some structure, but if we get there, and they’ve not prepared the room so we can’t actually get what they’ve ordered into the house, we’re not going to turn around and say, ‘Sorry, we can’t deliver it.’ I’ve even moved a grand piano for a customer! You should always be nice, be empathetic and, for me, be normal and have some personality.”

At this point, we realise we’re lost. The satnav has gone haywire and says we’ve reached our destination, indicating the central reservation of the M4 is where the customer lives.

“Thank goodness for driver’s mates eh?” Mark is referring to his partner in the van today, Waide.

An equally as lovely, car-obsessed young man who has just passed his driving test and is planning on becoming a delivery driver soon.

“It’s nice because Mark says there’s no rush for me to learn and when I’m ready, to just say, and we’ll start practising. For now, I’m here to be a back-up satnav, to call the customer when we’re an hour away, and to help with the delivery and installation,” Waide explains.

He starts directing Mark using his phone’s satnav instead.

When we’re back on course, we ask what Mark loves most about his role.

“Meeting people. Easy. You never know who you’re going to meet. And there’s nothing better than seeing customers who are delighted. It’s brilliant. And you think, I built that, I brought it here, I’m part of that. You build relationships with so many people and you get to see the whole country. I’ll go past somewhere and say, ‘I delivered a Henley table to that house.’ I can always remember what we delivered and the name of their pet too.”

Waide jumps in, “There’s one lady who I’ve delivered to loads and now she always offers me toast when I come. It’s great!”

Both Waide and Mark tell us about the few occasions when they receive a call from a customer they’ve just delivered to, asking if their cat is in the back. “We’ll pull over and open the back door slightly so if it’s in there, it doesn’t leap out.

You’ll hear a shuffle and there’s the cat, sitting in the packaging. They just love boxes. We’ll stick a stamp on it and post it back.”

NEPTUNE.COM

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Mark pauses for a reaction. “No, I’m kidding.

We deliver him or her back home and we all have a good laugh about it.”

And what he doesn’t like.

“Traffic, obviously. Driving can be a bit boring too. If you’re going somewhere lovely and you’ve got time on your side to stop and take in the views then that’s nice, but sitting in traffic is rubbish and there are certain areas at certain times that you just dread going to because you know it’s going to be murder. And getting lost, or going wrong, like today.”

And what he finds challenging.

“Restrictions in delivery are probably the biggest challenge. Not in a bad way, just something to figure out. There was this one delivery I did at an apartment block. They’d ordered our biggest Arundel table and we couldn’t get it up the stairs.

We managed to put it through the stairwell atrium to avoid the corners. It was like that Friends episode with Ross and the sofa. But then we couldn’t get it through the door. They were gutted.

We had another version made by our bespoke team so that it was the same size, but could be split in half with these clever fi xings, and then I went back to deliver it. I love a happy ending.”

Waide then asked a question for us: what’s been his favourite-ever delivery?

“A few years ago, we won the HSBC Global Connections award (an award that recognises innovation across British businesses). Long story short, we had to build a mini living room as part of our presentation and the window for building it was small. It was in this incredible building near Loch Lomond near Dumbarton.

There was so much to do. When we won I felt really proud.

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I know it was about much more than that living room we set up, but I felt proud of Neptune.” Mark then went on to tell us about another delivery that stands out in his mind. A home on the coast in Newcastle, where you open the front door and the sea is right there (he took one hand from the wheel and held it an inch from his face). “Every room is Neptune. I’ve been back a few times. It’s more fun when you’re doing a big delivery that spreads across several rooms so you can see how much what you’re delivering transforms things.”

The route becomes much fiddlier at this point.

Mark needed to concentrate and we were beginning to feel travel sick from typing on the windy roads.

We reach the most beautiful home of the customer and deliver her furniture. We get out too to explain why we’re here and what we’re doing. She’s new to Neptune and seems impressed. The furniture is going into her new garden room. Back in the van, and once back on the straight and narrow of the A34, Mark talks more freely.

“Neptune gives you autonomy. John and Giles (Neptune’s founders) tell us all to ‘do the right thing’. So long as you do that, they completely back you and support you. It can be a stressful job, you know. There’s no manual for it really.

No two cases are ever the same. Respect and autonomy are what’s needed and that’s what we get. Get the job done, don’t smash the vans, make sure the customer is looked after, and make sure the customer is happy. My job is about putting a big tick in all of those boxes. We’re not just a delivery team. We’re not a drop and go company.

We deliver it, we unwrap it, we assemble it, we take it where it needs to go, we build it, we take all the packaging away to recycle it, we try to build a bond. We’re not going to deliver a candle and light it for them, but as good as. Whatever’s going to make them happy.”

10/11/2017 14:11:16

A mug of warm

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There’s little more comforting on a crisp autumn day than a mug of something warm. Whether it’s a rich, nutty coffee to tempt us out of bed on misty mornings, or tea, fragrant with eastern spices, served in a cup and saucer to accompany an extrathick slice of toast and jam at teatime.

On days when the air is crisp and the sunshine bright, it’s particularly satisfying to pack a flask of something hot alongside slices of fruit cake, baked from this season’s harvest. Fill up the car with blankets and stop when you find a good view. Or take time out of a conker hunting expedition to warm your hands on a steaming tin mug.

Little ones will always enjoy hot chocolate piled high with marshmallows and sprinkled with cocoa. And indeed, so might we from time to time.

Here’s one of our favourite ways to drink cocoa though, that’s decidedly more grown-up.

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SPICED HOT CHOCOL ATE Makes enough for one cup

W H AT YOU’LL NEED 1½ tbsp cocoa unsweetened 1½ tbsp sugar granulated ½ tsp cinnamon ground A few cloves whole A couple of star anise whole Cayenne pepper a pinch ½ cup whole milk ½ cup water

W H AT TO DO Warm the milk and water in a pan, together with the whole star anise and the cloves. Add in the rest of the ingredients and stir through until combined and piping hot. Take out the star anise and cloves and pour into mugs (or a flask to be enjoyed later).

For a more decadent drink, replace the water with more milk, or even single cream, and add in a little grated dark chocolate. This recipe can be easily multiplied to make enough to go around.

Ella clear tumblers, set of six £37 Bowsley milk jug £8

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A bedtime story The bear who was afraid of snow

A story to end on. A story for little ones.

A story to bring to life the newest characters from our Christmas collection‌

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ed had always been a bit different to other bears. Most polar bear cubs slept in cots made of ice cubes and icicles, but Ned preferred to make a nest from penguin feathers covered by a thick, thick blanket. As he got older and started to walk, he’d cry and cry unless his mother put fluff y slippers on each of his paws. And when he started school, Mummy and Daddy Bear scratched their furry heads in confusion when he’d ask for a hot chocolate with extra marshmallows instead of having an ice lolly from the Ice Cream Bear’s van.

Ned was a polar bear who didn’t like the cold.

“I’m worried about Ned,” said Mrs Bear one night.

“I know,” Mr Bear replied, nodding slowly.

“He’s the only polar bear who hates winter and he refuses to play outside in the snow with his friends.”

“I know, dear,” Mr Bear was fed up with the central heating constantly being on too.

“I just want him to be happy,” Mrs Bear said, sighing.

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That night, when Ned was all tucked up in bed, Mrs Bear sat down next to him, and taking his paw in hers said, “What’s wrong Ned Bear? Why do you hate the cold so much?”

Ned sat himself up. He sighed. It was time to share the secret he’d been keeping for a very long time. He took a deep breath. “Mummy, I’m scared of the snow,” he said, cheeks blushing.

Mrs Bear wrapped her big, white, furry arms around him tight and said, “Well then, you know what we need to do, don’t you Ned Bear?”

“No Mummy. What?” asked Ned hopefully.

“Tonight, all three of us will sleep with our thinking nightcaps on, and by the morning, we’ll know how to make it all better. The best thing to do when you’re scared of something is to find a way to sort it out. And this evening you’ve been a very brave bear indeed for telling me about it.”

Ned gave a little smile.

“Now, don’t you worry your furry little head.

We’ll sort it. What does your Daddy say?”

“T.Y.B.” “And what does it stand for?”

“Trust your bear-ents.”

“Exactly,” said Mrs Bear, kissing him on the head and turning out the light.

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The next morning, when Ned woke up, Mr and Mrs Bear had asked all of Ned’s best friends to come round. Ned trudged down the stairs to find everyone in the kitchen, drinking iced tea.

“What are you all doing here?” he asked, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

“We’re your friends and we’re here to help!” chirped Sherlock and Watson, the robins who lived next door.

“We’re determined to have a snowball fight with you this Christmas Ned,” chimed in the mice triplets, Cecil, Cecil and Cecil, giggling.

“We’ll be by your side every step of the way Neddy. Let’s go and show that snow!” cheered Jerry and Margot, the brother and sister reindeer who were his dearest friends of all.

Ned smiled, put on his slippers so his paws didn’t have to touch the snow, and opened the igloo door. “Where are we going?” he asked.

“Into the woods,” Jerry replied, mysteriously. “On you hop.”

And off they went.

It didn’t take too long before Cecil, Cecil and Cecil started squeaking excitedly. “We’ve found some, we’ve found some!”

The friends followed the mice into a little clearing where a big pile of pine cones lay, scattered on the forest floor.

“How many do we need Jerry?” asked Watson.

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“Hmmm,” Jerry wondered. “I think just two will do. Ned is only a very little polar bear after all, and he has very small paws indeed. Can you three carry one between you?”

The three mice mustered all their strength and lifted the pine cone up above their little heads, sharing the load between them, and realising that it wasn’t too heavy at all. “We’re ready!” they chorused.

“We can take the other one,” offered Sherlock.

“We can fly on ahead and hold onto it using our feet.”

Ned wasn’t sure at all why they needed two pine cones, but he was sure that it wouldn’t be too long at all before he found out.

It was lunchtime by the time they returned and they were all very hungry.

They could smell something delicious as they approached the front door. They all tucked into cold fish pie and frozen mushy peas (except Ned, whose lunch was piping hot), and when their tummies were full, they got to work.

“What are we making?” asked Ned, who couldn’t wait any longer to ask the question he’d been wondering for the past few hours.

“Have you ever heard of skiing, my boy?” asked Mr Bear.

Ned thought for a moment. “Is it a bit like sleighing?”

“Sort of,” he replied. “You’ll see.”

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WINTER 2017

For the next few hours, Mr and Mrs Bear, Sherlock and Watson, Cecil, Cecil and Cecil, and Jerry and Margot all worked together to make a pair of skis using pieces of wood pulled off from the forest pine cones, as well as two little poles made from twigs for Ned to keep his balance.

“There we go,” said Mrs Bear. “All done.”

“I still don’t really understand,” Ned muttered, confused.

“You will soon,” Cecil, Cecil and Cecil said together, grinning from ear to ear.

In the back garden, Mr Bear strapped each ski to Ned’s paws, helping him to stand. Then, he and Mrs Bear each put a set on their own paws. It was the first time that Ned had ever stepped outside without his slippers on before. The garden was on a slight, snowy slope. All of Ned’s friends waited at the bottom, while Mr Bear, Mrs Bear and Ned shuffled, paw in paw, to the top.

“Ready to have some fun?” Mr Bear asked.

“I think so,” said Ned. His tummy full of excited butterflies.

He took another deep breath and the three of them glided down the hill into the cheering arms of everyone at the bottom.

They all turned to look at Ned. There was a long pause, before Ned shouted, “YEEEEEHA! Let’s do it again!”

The stars were out and twinkling brightly when Mrs Bear eventually said it was time to come in.

Ned still had his cup of hot cocoa and hot water bottle with him before bed that night, but everybody knew that it wouldn’t be long before Ned loved the snow.

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The next day, Ned went straight into the garden to play with his skis. Mr and Mrs Bear had never seen him so excited to go outside to play in the snow.

At about 11 o’clock, Jerry and Margot knocked at the door with their hooves.

“We just saw this on the Ice Cream Bear’s van,” said Margot, dropping a piece of paper on the kitchen table.

“The 2017 Iceberg Ski Championship,” Mrs Bear read out loud, turning to look at Ned. “Let’s do it!” Ned cheered.

With only two days before the big competition, there was no time to waste.

On the day of The 2017 Iceberg Ski Championship, word had got around about the young polar bear who had not only just overcome his fear of snow, but had learnt how to ski in a matter of days. Animals turned up in their hundreds from as far as the North Pole to cheer him on. At home, Mr and Mrs Bear were getting things ready, but upstairs, Ned had begun to have second thoughts.

“I can’t do it,” Ned said, looking across at Margot.

“You can. You’ve done so well. Now it’s time to show everyone!” she said.

“But what if I slip?” Ned said, looking over at Jerry.

“You’ll get back up again, and you’ll carry on skiing,” he said, confidently.

“But what if I get frightened?” Ned said to Cecil, Cecil and Cecil.

“Then we’ll entertain everyone until you find your feet again,” they replied, performing a quick dance that they’d clearly practised earlier, just in case.

“But what if I catch a cold?” Ned said, as his bedroom door opened.

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STORIES

It was his Grandma and Grandpa Frost.

“You won’t with this,” said Mrs Frost, handing him a red and white stripy scarf.

“We knitted it today just for you,” said Mr Frost. “To wish you luck and to keep you warm.”

Ned wrapped it around himself, took hold of his skis, and said, “Thank you everybody. I think I’m ready now.”

Everyone at the competition had arrived and found their seats, but nobody could eat the frozen popcorn they’d bought because they were all too excited for Ned. “The slope looks a lot, lot bigger than the one in your garden,” whispered Sherlock.

He had said what they were all thinking.

Over the speaker came the booming voice of Prancer the reindeer, “AND NOW, TAKING TO THE SLOPE IS NED THE POLAR BEAR!” The crowds cheered and Mrs Bear took hold of Mr Bear’s paw, her stomach doing somersaults.

Ned’s little head appeared at the top of the slope. He looked down at all the people and all of the snow and gulped.

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Suddenly, Sherlock and Watson started to flap their wings. Off they flew, higher and higher, until you couldn’t see them anymore. A few moments later, you could just about make out the sound of their fluttering wings. And in each of their beaks was a glittering star. They flew to the top of the slope where poor Ned was stood still, too scared to move, as the crowds waited below.

“Ned!” called Watson. “Forget everyone else.

Forget the snow. Just follow the stars!”

Both Sherlock and Watson had flown up into the night sky and plucked a shining star each to bring back down to guide Ned safely down the slope. It was just the encouragement he needed.

With one push of his ski poles, he was off. He glided all the way down the steep, steep snow slope going faster and faster with his grandparents’ scarf billowing out behind him. And before he knew it, it was over. He’d done it. It had been the best moment of his life.

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WINTER 2017

That night, when all the excitement was over and his skis were hung up for another day, he crawled into bed, feeling very tired.

“Do you want a hot water bottle Ned Bear?” called up Mrs Bear.

“No thanks Mummy!” he shouted back.

“Would you like a hot cocoa?” she called up again.

“No thanks Mummy!”

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“Shall I come tuck you in?” she called up a third time.

But this time, there was no reply. Up the stairs she went to check on him, just in case. But Ned was already fast asleep, no quilt, no hot water bottle, no cocoa. For the very first time.

“Sleep snowly Ned Bear,” she said, shutting the door softly behind her.

The end

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09/11/2017 17:28:34

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Welcome to our new homes Some Neptune stores are in city-centre locations, some are a little drive out, but they’re all designed to feel like a real home, rather than a store.

We’d love you to stop by and see us some time.

Edgbaston now open

Chichester now open

Find your closest one at N EP T U N E .COM/FI ND -A-S TOR E

VOLUME 7

STOR IES FOR SPR ING

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This is Old Rose. Coming in spring 2018.

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09/11/2017 17:28:35

WINTER 2017

OUR STOR ES

STOR E IN STOR E

COMING SOON Bath

Neptune by Treehouse Midmar, Aberdeen 01330 830 101

NEW Belfast 028 9691 9988 Bournemouth 01202 555 024 Bristol 0117 246 4200 Bury St Edmunds 01284 731 025 Canterbury 01227 209 300 Cheltenham 01242 330 420 Chester 01244 478 777 NEW Chichester 01243 904 417 Chiswick 020 3814 1220 Colchester 01206 212 650

STOR IES

NEW Edgbaston 0121 437 4137 Farnham 01252 713 047 Fulham 020 7371 9997 NEW Guildford 01483 345 480 Hailsham 01323 849 483 Hove 01273 458 459 Reading 0118 932 6060 Southport 01772 812 812 Tonbridge 01732 351 866 Weybridge 01932 901 234 Wimbledon 020 3362 8240 Winchester 01962 850 556 York 01904 231 870 Neptune Outlet 01793 427 439

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Neptune by Creative Classics, Ayr 01292 292 570 Neptune by Sims Hilditch, Bath 01249 783 087 Neptune by Woods of London, Blackheath 020 8852 1713 Neptune by Robert James Interiors, Coventry 02476 544 818 Neptune by Hunters, Derby 01332 349 285 Neptune by Woods Furniture, Dorchester 01305 262 666 Neptune by Richard F Mackay, Edinburgh 0131 3133 300 Neptune by Bridgewater Interiors, Gateshead 0191 477 6680 Neptune by House of Wood, Hereford 01432 820 612 Neptune by Aberford Interiors, Leeds 0113 2813 209 Neptune by Ben Heath, Newbury 01635 523 123 Neptune by Wilton Kitchens, Salisbury 01722 743 332 Neptune by Allen & Allen, Wilmslow 01625 535 255 Neptune by Sacarello Interiors, Gibraltar +(00)350 200 66423 We have Neptune stores across the whole of the UK, Ireland and Europe. To see all of our homes, visit neptune.com/find-a-store.

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15/11/2017 11:58:57

STORIES

STOR IES FOR W INTER

VOLUME 6 WINTER 2017

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15/11/2017 11:58:53