Rutland Pride January 2018

PRIDE

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RUTLAND

RUTLAND’S FINEST MAGAZINE

£4.50

Enjoying a Rutland Ramble with Julia Bradbury Wellies on and let’s join the county’s TV presenter for a walk

Restaurant of the Year Award Winners

Revealing the winners you voted for in our annual food and drink awards

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- JANUARY 2018 -

welcome letter Rob Davis

Editorial Director

Ian Bagley

Production Director

Zoie Wilkinson

Advertising Director

It’s January, and yet there’s no sign of the winter blues anwhere in our office. That’s because Rutland is the perfect county in which to spend the cooler months, with roaring fires, village pubs, and plenty to keep you occupied - see our What’s On guide for noteworthy examples.

To help our readers beat the blues too, we’ve winter walks around Rutland with the county’s very own home grown hiker, Julia Bradbury. We’re birdwatching, too, with one of the county’s keenest naturalists Terry Mitcham, who will inspire you to venture out and discover the hobby for yourself with a series of guided walks around the reservoir or the RSPB’s annual Big Garden Birdwatch project.

Also instrumental in helping you to beat the January blues is personal stylist Katie Crowe, who will provide fashion, style and makeup assistance as well as a personal shopping service to give women across Rutland renewed confidence for the new year!

This month has also yielded a flurry of excitement as we venture out into the county to hand out our Good Food Awards. You’ll remember that we asked our readers to nominate their favourite restaurants, coffee shops and to nominate their local ‘food hero,’ so we’ll reveal who you’ve voted for later on in this edition. Many thanks to all who cast their vote and helped to make this the most comprehensive series of awards in the county!

Our best wishes for a wonderful month,

Emily Brown

Sales Director

Julian Wilkinson, Publisher and Managing Director 3

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CONTENTS

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FEATURES

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HOMES & GARDENS

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NEWS Good news from Rutland and Stamford each month.

HIGH SOCIETY At home with Cavells as the Rutland retailer launches its new interiors space.

WINTER WALKS Rutland’s Julia Bradbury recommends winter walks around the reservoir.

NEW YEAR STYLE Stylist, colour expert and personal shopper Katie Crowe on how to look good and feel great in 2018.

WHAT’S ON From pantomime to

live music, the best events to see in the new year.

FOOD & DRINK 38

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DINING OUT A brace of

restaurants for winter dining, as we visit Barnsdale Lodge in Exton and Morcott’s Country Lounge.

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RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

The county’s best restaurants, bistros and food heroes, as voted for by you.

HOMES A visit around a country house in Stamford and the best neutral furnishings for a calm winter look.

GARDENS Plant now and enjoy later; we ‘pick’ the best berries ready for summer harvesting.

ON THE WING Birdwatching with Rutland Water’s Terry Mitcham and the RSPB in January.

FASHION & BEAUTY 92

WEDDINGS Liza and Mark married in Autumn and share their images with us, before we provide ideas for 2018 and 2019’s local weddings.

100 FASHION Men’s fashion all 118

EDUCATION Rutland and Stamford’s best independent schools & colleges. wrapped up this winter.

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THE WEALTHIEST PEOPLE IN RUTLAND READ RUTLAND PRIDE

Rutland Pride magazine is delivered free of charge, via Royal Mail, to high value homes in the county.

Our circulation is to properties in the top three council tax bands - homes which are predominantly worth over ÂŁ300,000. This guarantees the magazine has an affluent readership commensurate with our content. In addition the magazine is also sold in over 200 supermarkets and newsagents including Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, WHSmith Tesco, Asda, Co-Op and Morrisons.

Our in-house distribution team also works hard to hand-deliver the magazine to selected hotels and restaurants, doctors, dentists, executive motor dealerships and golf clubs.

This helps to ensure we have a continued presence, right across the county.

The magazine also has more social media fans than any other Rutland magazine, and we are available to read free of charge, online on your tablet, computer, laptop or mobile phone via our website and via the Readly and Issuu platforms.

If your business would benefit from being showcased to the wealthiest people in Rutland, please call our friendly sales team on 01529 469977.

THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE FOR HIGH QUALITY HOMES

In print, and to view on your computer, tablet or mobile device from www.pridemagazines.co.uk

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

By supplying editorial or advertising copy to Rutland Pride you accept in full the terms and conditions which can be found online at pridemagazines.co.uk.

In the event of an advert or editorial being published incorrectly, where Pride Magazines Ltd admits fault, we will include an advert of equivalent size, or equivalent sized editorial, free of charge to be used in a future edition, at our discretion.

This gesture is accepted as full compensation for the error(s) with no refunds available.

Selected images in our content may be sourced from www.shutterstock.com.

Pride Magazines Ltd., Elm Grange Studios, East Heckington, Boston, Lincs PE20 3QF

THE PRIDE TEAM

Managing Director: Julian Wilkinson.

Production Director: Ian Bagley.

Advertising Director: Zoie Wilkinson.

Sales Director: Emily Brown.

Editorial Director: Rob Davis.

Features Editor: Tilly Wilkinson.

Customer Care Manager: Mandy Bray.

Distribution: Joe Proctor. IT: Ryan Potter.

Office Manager: Sue Bannister.

Account Manager: Lauren Chambers.

Sales Executives: Hannah Boyle, Tamer Hodgson, Amie Hayward, Carissa Clay, Hayley Scott, Izzy Wilkinson and Cassy Ayton.

Tel: 01529 469977 Fax: 01529 469978

www.pridemagazines.co.uk | enquiries@pridemagazines.co.uk

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NEWS

More visuals released for Oakham

IMAGES OF HOW TOWN COULD LOOK RELEASED FOLLOWING CONSULTATION OAKHAM Further details have been released as to the future of Oakham Town Centre following a period of consultation.

Rutland County Council is investing in the regeneration of Oakham Town Centre, with plans to make improvements to the High Street before the end of 2018. Improvements will include the implementation of a one-way system, wider, smoother footpaths, improvements to the Market Place and a 20mph speed limit for the High Street alongside weight restrictions for HGV traffic to improve access and make the centre of Oakham safer for pedestrians.

October saw the final design concept agreed upon, with completion of detailed plans due to be completed in March. “As the heart of one of England’s most beautiful and historic counties we want

Oakham to have a unique, attractive and vibrant town centre – a historic town for the future,” says Rutland County Council. “Improving the public realm is the key to attracting

Uppingham’s Fatstock back to celebrate farming TRADITIONAL SHOW OF LIVESTOCK RETURNS TO MARKET PLACE TO CELEBRATE WORK OF FARMERS

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more visitors and developing a thriving daytime and evening economy with a range of national retailers, local shops, markets, pubs and restaurants.

UPPINGHAM Uppingham’s Fatstock Show returned to the county as Pride went to press; a traditional show of livestock that was, until 1954, a regular sight in the town centre.

“Champion pigs, sheep and cattle are primped and preened before the event, which is held in the Market Square,” say organisers. “It allows Rutland farmers to proudly show off the best of their stock with the aim of encouraging people to buy British and support the industry.”

The event has been cancelled only by war and the two national outbreaks of the

Above: Artist impression of how the town will look from Oakham Library.

n For more on the plans, see www.rutland.gov.uk.

foot and mouth epidemic.

The show includes classes for cattle, sheep and pigs and is truly unique, being the only event of its kind in the UK still held in temporary penning in a town market square.

The regular weekly fatstock market finished 63 years ago, with the ending of wartime controls, but the annual Fatstock Show has continued and remains one of the most prestigious events in Uppingham’s calendar.

“It is without a doubt a jewel in Rutland’s crown!” say the events organisers. n

Flying for Charity

AROUND THE WORLD IN SEVEN DAYS, WITHOUT EVER LEAVING THE AREA...!

The challenge involved the participation of 15 Jet Sim pilots, 155 scheduled hours of flying, 49 destinations and one high-tech simulator known as Janet. “We’re a dedicated and like-minded group of aviation enthusiasts bringing our passion to a full-scale Boeing 737-800 flight deck simulator to raise money for charity,” says Simon Lummins.

RUTLAND A new video celebrating Rutland’s tourism potential made its debut at the county’s recent tourism forum.

The film will be an update to a previous video created in 2009 and will showcase Rutland’s tourism opportunities to an online audience.

It debuted at a closed forum for stakeholders in the county’s tourism and has been created

by Discover Rutland.

The group comprises a committee of six tourism managers and 12 other professionals from across the county. The group also produces the Discover Rutland guide, runs www.discover-rutland.co.uk and promotes the county to a database of 19,000 people. n www.discover-rutland.co.uk.

n See www.teamjetsim.com.

Oakham Food & Drink event leaves everyone satisfied...

STALLHOLDERS DELIGHTED WITH TURNOUT IN OAKHAM

OAKHAM The centre of Oakham was alive with the scents and flavours of Rutland produce recently as Oakham held its Food & Drink Festival.

The inaugural event was created by Oakham Town Centre Manager Carolyn Acton-Reed, who says that good weather and great local producers ensured plenty of local support.

The event featured local food and drink producers, from Rutland Cake Company to Grainstore Brewery and the renowned Hambleton Bakery. n See who won our coveted

700 Acres

PETERBOROUGH A quirky charity bid is taking place as Pride goes to press, with a group of Sibson Airfield pilots attempting to fly around the world in just seven days... but the pilots will never even leave the ground!

The group is using a 737 simulator to raise cash for the Children’s Air Ambulance and streamed their charity bid live over the internet.

Rutland tourism celebrated in new video...

ST GEORGE’S BARRACKS is set to release its 700 acres of Rutland land to facilitate a new village being constructed when the military base is mothballed in 2021. The Army’s 1st Military Dogs unit and 2 Medical Regiment will leave the site within four years and will be subject to a phased development with the construction of new homes on the site over a period of 10-15 years, creating a whole new village on the site. n

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Restaurant of the Year title in Rutland Pride’s Good Food Awards later in this edition.

LOCAL

NEWS In Brief

PETERBOROUGH

HOOTS MON! FLYING SCOTSMAN SERVICE HALTED PENDING WORK...

For rail enthusiasts keen to spot the Flying Scotsman, as it powers through the area, the next train arriving at platform one may be a little delayed...

The train last passed through on the Peterborough to York line but was found to be running too warm. The service was halted pending technical investigations as to the possible cause.

Organisers have promised to give an update when more information is available on the service’s resumption.

The Flying Scotsman holds two world records and was originally built in Doncaster for the London and North Eastern Railway and was one of the most powerful locomotives used by the railway, with a top speed of 100mph. n

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NEWS

Churches to benefit from Calendar ‘OUTSTANDING LEGACY’ OF RUTLAND’S CHURCHES TO BENEFIT IN 2018

RUTLAND Rutland’s historic churches will benefit from proceeds from the sale of a 2018 calender with images taken by Richard Adams.

The Rutland Historic Churches Preservation Trust is a registered charity which helps to reduce the cost of repair and maintenance by offering grant aid towards the cost of this work. A significant proportion of the charity’s funds comes from the biennial sponsored Ride and Stride which took place this year in September. Another source of income, though, comes from the Rutland Calendar which Richard Adams, one of the trustees, has been producing since 2000.

Richard, who has also been a keen active participant in the Ride and Stride for over 25 years, says he ‘relishes the challenge, every year’ of producing a calendar which reflects the local landscape through the seasons but also includes pictures of some of the events and attractions which make the county so attractive to residents and visitors alike.

In addition to pictures of our market towns and countryside, other subjects this year range from the celebrations in Oakham Castle commemorating the 20th anniversary of the return of the County of Rutland to a photograph of the Flying Scotsman passing through Oakham Station. n Copies of the calendar priced £6.99 are available from Walkers Bookshops in Oakham and Stamford and other shops and post offices throughout Rutland. Images from the calendar set to music can be seen on www.youtube.com/user/adamspics.

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SO

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kings mill, stamford

£1,000,000

tixoVer lodge, tixoVer

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£2,195,000

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£425,000

66 tinWell road, stamford

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£870,000

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£425,000

1 tHe Village, orton longueVille

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tel: +44(0)1780 750200 email: stamford@fineandcounty.com

£925,000

£1,075,000

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tHe old WaterWorks, lyddington

LD

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17

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arcHWay House, easton on tHe Hill

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tHe old scHool, farcet

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Park House, skillington

tel: +44( 0)1572 335145 email: rutland@fineandcounty.com

£595,000

fineandcountry.com

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225 offices across great Britain Plus 75 offices globally

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S A L E S • L E T T I N G S • S U R V E Y S • M O R T G A G E S

WAKEFIELD HOUSE, CASTLE BYTHAM

GUIDE PRICE £650,000

A substantially extended five bedroom stone built village home in the heart of this popular village finished to an exceptionally high standard by the current owners.

THE OLD SHOP, SOMERBY

GUIDE PRICE £325,000

A handsome double fronted three bedroom Victorian property offering an abundance of period features and elegant proportions in a popular Leicestershire village.

QUEEN STREET, UPPINGHAM

GUIDE PRICE £425,000

A beautifully appointed and recently redeveloped four storey three bedroom town house located in the centre of the popular market town of Uppingham.

CHURCH STREET, BRAUNSTON

GUIDE PRICE £385,000

A Grade II listed thatched character cottage ready for a full refurbishment and offering a large rear garden sitting in the heart of this well thought of Rutland village.

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facebook.com/struttandparker twitter.com/struttandparker

struttandparker.com

Steepleton Lodge Farm, Long Buckby

A highly versatile country house in a secluded position with far reaching views, a leisure complex, a home office, a coach house and three rental apartments set in 25 acres.

Edward Brassey 01858 433 123

Edward.brassey@struttandparker.com

ENTRANCE HALL | SITTING ROOM | KITCHEN | DINING ROOM UTILITY ROOM | CLOAKROOM | SUN ROOM | PRINCIPAL BEDROOM WITH BATHROOM AND DRESSING AREA | 5 FURTHER BEDROOMS, 3 WITH EN SUITES | FAMILY BATHROOM | LEISURE COMPLEX: SWIMMING POOL | GYM | SHOWER ROOM | WC | CHANGING ROOM SUN ROOM WITH BALCONY | GAMES ROOM | SAUNA | DOUBLE GARAGE | STORE ROOM | HOME OFFICE WITH WC AND KITCHENETTE | EPC RATING E | PARKLAND | GARDENS PADDOCKS | STABLES | WALLED | KITCHEN GARDEN WITH RAISED FLOWER BEDS 4 BAY CARPORT IN ALL ABOUT 25 ACRES

£2,250,000

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TH GE I W TTA CO

ASHWELL

Guide Pride £1,700,000

A very fine, substantial Grade II Listed Georgian Country House with 2.2. A gardens and grounds and detached 3-bedroom Bungalow set on the edge of the village. Elegantly proportioned accommodation has recently undergone an extensive refurbishment programme but retains a wealth of original features. 4 Reception Rooms, Kitchen, Cloakroom, Utility, Cellars, 7 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms, Playroom, Store Room. Outside: Coach House with Stables, Tack Room, Garaging, Summer House, heated Swimming Pool. EPC Exempt.

W NE ICE PR

UPPINGHAM

Guide Price £760,000

W E N

£550,000

Elegant period five bedroom townhouse with double bay frontage appointed to a high standard throughout and situated within walking distance of the centre of the town centre.

The property offers spacious and beautifully presented character accommodation with 3 Reception Rooms, Kitchen/Diner, Utility, Cloakroom, 5 double Bedrooms and 2 Bathrooms.

Garage, enclosed Garden. Energy Rating: E.

GREAT CASTERTON

£550,000

A substantial individual family home set in a picturesque riverside location within a popular village close to Stamford. The property offers a spacious, contemporary accommodation with good quality fixtures and fittings. 3 Reception Rooms, Breakfast Kitchen, Utility, Clkrm, 3 large Bedrooms, 3 Bath/Shower Rooms; dbl Garage, good-sized Garden with views. Energy Rating: D.

TC S S

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DUDDINGTON

UPPINGHAM

Substantial detached family home situated centrally on a large plot of approximately 1.0 A on the town outskirts. The property provides spacious and flexible accommodation appointed to good quality throughout. The main house provides superb 3/4-bedroom accommodation, and this is supplemented by a self-contained 2-bedroom Annexe. Large Gardens, Dbl Garage, Outbuildings. Energy Rating: D.

£435,000

Attractive stone-built property set on a substantial, established plot in a highly sought-after village. The property offers well-proportioned and flexible family accommodation with 3 Reception Rooms, Conservatory, Kitchen, Utility, Bedrooms and 3 Bath/Shower Rooms. Ample parking, timber Garage, tiered Gardens. Energy Rating: E.

NORTH LUFFENHAM

£495,000

Detached house set on a large plot on the outskirts of a desirable village enjoying spectacular open countryside views. The property would benefit from a programme of modernisation and refurbishment but has the potential to provide an imposing family residence in a stunning location. 2 Reception Rooms, Conservatory, Kitchen, Utility, Clkrm, 3 dbl Bedrooms, Bathroom; single Garage, ample parking, beautiful Gardens. Energy Rating: D.

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The Byre Collyweston

Guide Price £700,000

A single storey barn conversion, situated in a popular village with views towards the Welland Valley • Kitchen / Dining Room • Utility Room, WC • Drawing Room •Study • Principal Bedroom Suite St Mary’s Street, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 2DE

Tel: 01780 484520 Email: stamford@kingwest.co.uk

• Bedroom 2 with En Suite • 2 Further Bedrooms • Family Bathroom • Open Garage • Gardens

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www.mountandminster.co.uk

Caythorpe, Grantham A truly one-of-a-kind, architect and owner designed dwelling situated in the heart of a highly desirable Cliff Village with immaculate and well thought-out living accommodation and beautiful landscaped gardens. Accommodation briefly includes three reception rooms, three bedrooms, four bathrooms, open plan kitchen and outbuildings. This unique property is full of state-of-the-art technologies including an air source heat recovery system, centralised vacuum system and underfloor heating throughout. EPC: B. Guide Price: £675,000

Allington, Grantham A charming cottage situated in an enviable location opposite The Green in an equally desirable and sought after village. This superb bungalow offers the new owners the opportunity to acquire a manageable dwelling at an affordable price. The well kept and pretty gardens will undoubtedly be a huge attraction to anyone looking for well proportioned outside space. Accommodation briefly includes two reception room, a sun room, 2 double bedroom, kitchen and formal gardens. EPC: E. Guide Price: £265,000

Lincoln – 01522 716204 Grantham – 01476 515329 London – 020 7839 0888 Ralph WyrleyBirch

James Ward

Bob Bickersteth

Milly English

Amy Merrigan

Paul Baxter

Ann Gwyther

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To view photographs from The Event visit www.pridemagazines.co.uk.

Cavells Homes & Fika

Unique Homeware and Nordic Coffee Culture Launch

Stop what you’re doing and enjoy both a Swedish coffee experience, and 1,000sq ft of furniture, lighting, homeware and gifts on Oakham’s Mill Street. Clothing retailer Cavells last month opened its new Cavells Home department; a light, airy and contemporary space to find something very special

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for the home. Pride attended the opening night last month and saw a hugely exciting and unique collection of furniture, lighting, homeware and gifts sourced and curated by a dedicated home buying team.

Adjacent, too, is Nordic-inspired kitchen and coffee lounge whose name is taken Fika,

taken from the Swedish word which roughly translates into ‘stop what you’re doing, take a few minutes to enjoy a (really good) coffee and a kannalbulle (cinnamon bun).

Fika was previously based on Northgate, and has moved into its new premises adjacent to Cavells Home on Mill Street. n

Feature your event in our magazine.

Call 01529 469977 and speak to our Events Desk...

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View photographs from this event online.

Visit www.pridemagazines.co.uk.

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WINTER WALKS

Walking in The Cover Story

RUTLAND

Julia Bradbury is best known for her role as a presenter on the BBC’s flagship rural affairs magazine programme Countryfile, but with a keen interest in walking, and a passion for her native Rutland, she’s teamed up with members of her family to create a great resource for those who love the great outdoors...

Growing up in Edith Weston, TV presenter Julia Bradbury was always well-placed to appreciate the great outdoors. From the moment her parents Michael and Chrissi moved to the county in the 1970s, the family would enjoy the best country walks that Rutland has to offer.

Now, Julia is keen that others can enjoy the same experience, so she has teamed up with other members of her family, notably her sister Gina, to create an online resource for all those who love winter walks, one that reflects her role as one of the TV’s keenest walking presenters.

“I moved to London after working in the family’s fashion business to instead pursue a career firstly in advertising, then in broadcasting,” says Julia.

“My career took me into the TV studio at just the correct time, working on the UK’s first cable TV stations, L!ve TV, alongside Janet Street Porter, pioneering what came to be known as ‘yoof ’ TV. Despite living in London, the countryside still beckoned, more so after I enjoyed a spell in the distinctly

non-rural Los Angeles as a celebrity correspondent on GMTV.”

Julia found a way to marry her broadcasting career to her love of the great outdoors after joining Countryfile in 2009. The rural affairs magazine programme reached 10,000,000 viewers at its peak, and Julia remained a part of the show until 2014 whereupon she created

Julia’s TV CV 1995: Worked on the launch of L!ve.

1997: GMTV, Hollywood/LA correspondent.

1997: First presenter on the new Channel 5.

2005 - 2009: Presenter of Watchdog.

2009 - 2014: Fronted a new-look Countryfile.

2015: The Wonder of Britain.

2016: Best Walks with a View.

Opposite: Julia has become synonymous with walking thanks to a series of programme on ITV, and her role on the BBC’s Countryfile.

two natural history and walking series, The Wonder of Britain and Best Walks with a View.

Julia and Gina established The Outdoor Guide in 2016, as a way of providing a searchable database of the UK’s best walks.

Naturally Rutland was the first port of call and over page we’ve reproduced two of Julia’s favourite routes, but there are sensory, walks, National Trust themed routes and even accessible routes for pushchairs and wheelchairs users.

“We’ve put a lot of care and attention into creating maps and routes with plenty to see along the way,” says Julia. “Always check the weather, make sure you’ve a charged up phone, but don’t rely solely on a GPS device to find your way. Take water, even if it’s raining, follow any signs and keep to footpaths, protecting plants and animals.”

“The best advice that anyone can give is to get out there and really enjoy the countryside.

It may be cooler in the winter months but winter walks have a real charm all of their own, especially if they finish up with a hot chocolate or Sunday lunch!” >> 23

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- WINTER WALKS -

A South Shore Walk Length: 4.5 miles. Difficulty; Medium.

Starting from Lyndon Visitor Centre, Rutland Water, Oakham LE15 8RN.

1. This is a linear walk so make sure you either drop a car either end or if you want to make it into a circular walk, there is a footpath and bike path alongside the main road back to Edith Weston. This path is suitable for bikes, not wheelchairs.

2. Starting at the car park, take the path to your left along the shore line of the water.

Along this walk you will have beautiful

views across the water. You will pass the Rutland Golf Course, before reaching the tranquil Nature Reserve, keep an eye out for birds of prey, the now famous Osprey colony.

3. At the reserve take the road up past a Camping and Caravanning Site. Then along the road for a stretch to reach Wellies Cafe!

There is great tea and cake here but if you fancy something a little stronger walk back along the road to Edith Weston to the Wheatsheaf Inn for a rewarding pint. n

Walk Around Exton Length: 4.5 miles. Difficulty; Medium.

Starting from the Village Green in Exton Village, LE15 8AP.

Many factors contribute to ensuring this walk is agreeable, but chief among these is the fact that it ends right where it should; at the village pub. The village of Exton is home to about 600, but with Exton Park and the quirky folly of Fort Henry at its heart, there’s plenty of delightful scenery along the way.

1. Starting with your back to the village pub, follow Stamford Road around the right hand side of The Green. At the top of the road bear right and cross over on to New Field Road. At the end of New Field Road cross over a cattle grid and continue along a public bridleway through a grazed field set with large horse chestnuts.

Passing over another cattle grid the bridleway now curves to the left passing through a quarried area. During the 1960s and 70s ironstone was excavated here by ‘Sundew,’ which at that time was one of the worlds largest dragline walking excavators.

2. Eventually you will reach a crossroads.

Bridleways are sign posted to your left and straight ahead. You need to follow the tarmac footpath on the right. Follow the footpath for almost a kilometre until you find yourself at a stile alongside a field gate.

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Pass over the stile and you will find yourself at the southern end of lower lake.

After passing the lake on your left leave the tarmac path to join another footpath signposted to your right. On either side of the footpath earthworks can now be seen that are all that remains of the medieval village of Horn. Continue heading south and after a little under a mile you will reach Horn Mill.

3. Turn right on to the road and follow it around the corner. In the distance you will soon see a footpath sign posted on the right.

Turn right and cross over a stile to follow the footpath. The path now roughly follows the course of the stream, heading west and back to Exton.

4. As you near the village you will reach a junction between two footpaths. On your left there is a path heading west and back to the road but you want the path on your right leading uphill along the edge of a field.

5. Continue along this path which leads on to Garden Road. At the end of Garden Road turn right on to Stamford Road and this will lead you back to the Fox and Hounds Inn. n

Along the Way: Our main image shows Fort Henry, situated on the Exton Estate, and is a quirky fishing folly that dates back to the 1780s. Designed to emulate gothic architecture, it’s today host to weddings and other events.

NEED TO KNOW A Great Diversion: If you’ve time, Barnsdale Gardens is open in January and February from 10am to 4pm. £7/adults; £6/conc.

A Bite to Eat: We’re profiling Barnsdale Lodge in this edition, and it’s a great option whether you’re seeking a post-ramble coffee or a bite to eat.

Trivia: The Exton Estate has been in the Noel family for over 400 years... notable visitors during its life have included Shakespeare and Handel, who put on a performance in the ground!

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THE OUTDOOR

GUIDE Raised in Edith Weston, Julia and family are keen ambassadors for walking in Rutland...

An enduring presence on our TV screens, as a presenter of BBC’s Countryfile, Julia Bradbury was raised in Edith Weston, and has combined her love of walking with her broadcasting career to front Wainwright Walks, Britain’s Best Walks and The Wonder of Britain.

To help inspire others to share her love of walking, Julia, sister Gina and their parents created the The Outdoor Guide.

“The website pulls together all sorts of information and material that’s outdoor related, from gear to news about walking festivals, the latest information from the National Trust, tree planting initiatives, forest adventures with the kids and lots more.”

“We’re not in competition with anyone or trying to sell you products. It’s about sharing our stories, outdoor intelligence and knowledge. In time we want the community to grow and to start sharing with each other too.”

For more information see www.theoutdoorguide.co.uk.

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THE IMAGE CONSULTANT

Rutland’s Style

CONSULTANT

If you have the January blues, Manton’s Katie Crowe can help add a little colour to your life and boost your confidence without a crash diet or a trip to the gym. Katie provides ‘Colour Me Beautiful’ colour and style consultations, personal shopping services and help with makeup too, so we booked an appointment to start 2018 in style...

January blues? It’s little surprise. Now is, after all, the time that we make punishing new year’s resolutions, embark on diets and adopt gloomy colours as part of our winter wardrobes. All that, of course, against a backdrop of bare gardens, gloomy overcast skies and dark nights.

No longer, we say... and Katie Crowe is in agreement. The Manton businesswoman set up in 2017 as a colour and image consultant, helping Rutland women to feel great about themselves and to bring quality, as well as quantity, to their wardrobes.

Who needs an image consultant?

The majority of our clients are women between 30 and 60... although there are exceptions; some younger women leaving University who are seeking to transition from a casual wardrobe into business wear.

I’m building up to about three or four clients a week to ensure I can provide them with my undivided attention. Typically there’s a catalyst to them coming along to see me.

Usually a life event. Women come to see me before a wedding, following a divorce, a career change or retirement, for example.

What does a consultation involve?

At the core of the process is colour consultancy, so colour analysis is a starting point, which costs £120 for what is typically

themselves, rather than relying on a stylist forever.

What happens next?

Colour consultation alone may be a framework that allows women to shop and style themselves with more clarity.

“There’s often a catalyst for style consultation, a life event like divorce, a retirement or a career change for example...” a two hour appointment. This this determines a client's dominant colourings which could be light, deep, warm, cool, clear or soft.

It’s quite a hands-on, in-depth process, and more to the point it provides a framework when you're out shopping in the future, giving a client the theory and the tools (in the form of a fabric swatch wallet) to apply

The next level of consultation is a style consultation, in which clients answer questionnaire, and we break down a woman’s individual style into style personalities (creative; dramatic; romantic; classic and so on...) as well as examining things like body shape.

After that, women are typically better equipped to understand not just whether something in their wardrobe or they’re about to purchase will - or won’t - work, but also why. It’s a really practical process.

Does this mean spending more or buying fewer clothes?

No! Most women love shopping; I love shopping. The process isn’t a way of blocking that.

What it does mean, though, is that you’re better equipped to gain an objective idea of whether a purchase you make when out shopping will be useful. It’s almost like ‘shopping better, not harder!’

Do you advocate spending less on clothing?

No! But there’s a difference between cost and value, and I think it’s wiser to spend 29

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- THE IMAGE CONSULTANT -

money on quality, rather than brands. It’s worth spending a little more on winter coats, for example, well-tailored jackets or jeans that will prove versatile, last a long time and that you’ll wear often, season after season.

What should every woman have in their wardrobe?

I think it’s worth spending money on a decent coat, because in winter, when you’re out and about, that’s the only item of clothing on show.

I think a really good white blouse is important, but perhaps one that’s a warmer white, depending on your skin tone. A fitted jacket for the summer months will get a lot of wear, but good quality basics are essential.

Beyond that, and because over 80% of women are wearing the wrong size, a really good fitting bra is essential. Around Rutland Fords of Oakham provide a really good measuring service, and are a better bet for bra shopping than a department store.

I always recommend a professional fitting.

Where do you shop in the area?

I love Cavells (especially Cavells Country) for really good quality coats, jeans and cashmere jumpers. They have brands like Max Mara and SeaSalt which I think are worth a look.

I only discovered Oldrids at Gonerby Junction a couple of months ago, having somehow overlooked it for ten years, but I spent a whole day there and I was impressed with their range too.

Impact on Crown Walk and Duo Boutique on Oakham’s High Street are good, and Fords of Oakham have some great quirky pieces from names like Masai.

“Fashion is temporary but style is perennial.

For that reason I avoid following ‘trends...’”

What’s the secret of making a good purchase?

Don’t settle. If an item you’re considering is ‘OK,’ leave it. If it makes you go ‘wow,’ and you can see what you’d wear it with, instead of just liking it in isolation, buy it.

Generally I advise people to shy away fromblack in favour of darker grey colours, and I prefer versatile items rather than ones which have limited potential.

An additional service I offer is personal shopping, but I care just as much about empowering women and giving them the tools they need to make good choices themselves.

How important are accessories?

Scarves are an undervalued way of bringing contrast into an outfit. A mustard scarf over a teal coat, for example, can provide a real punch of colour.

Do you follow fashion or read magazines?

I take a professional interest in them, but fashion is temporary; style is perennial.

For that reason I take inspiration but avoid following trends. Besides that, what may look good on a model might not work for someone else in terms of their colour or personality.

What about makeup?

It’s a must for most women, but on the caveat that less is usually more. At the very least lipstick and blusher is essential, but everything else is subjective.

As part of my colour consultation I conduct makeup lessons as choosing - and the technique with which you apply - makeup can make a big difference. I’m also a retailer for Colour Me Beautiful’s mineral makeup range that’s the company which provides the framework for my consultancy. n

Size Doesn’t Matter; Shape Does: A few of the most common body shapes and how to shop to suit... n Full Hourglass: Choose fluid dresses so you can accentuate your curves rather than cover them up. Think wrap, bias or soft pleats. n Triangle: Often referred to as pear shaped, so aim to accentuate your bust and minimise your bottom and hips. Think embellishment on the top and no detail on the bottom half.

n Oval: Proportionally you have a flat bottom and hips.

So, wherever possible use accessories to draw the eye to the area above your bust and

below your hips. Your aim is to give the impression of a slightly longer body.

n Rectangle: Your main aim is to soften those edges even more and create the illusion of curves. Choose simple, straight lines or shift dresses.

n Inverted Triangle: Halternecks are made for you. Balance the upper and lower parts of your body, you need to highlight your hips and bottom, focusing all attention below your waist with straight lines, shift dresses or choose separates.

Katie Crowe is a colour and image consultant from Manton, working across Rutland and Stamford, providing colour consultancy, image consultancy and personal shopping. Typical charges are £120/two hours, call 07831 394449 or see www.colourbykatie.co.uk.v 30

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Katie’s Three WARDROBE

WONDERS Below: Velvet By Graham & Spencer Women's Cali Ruffle Top Blue Black Multi £195.

Above: Marella Women's Lucano Sheer Top Cream £104.

Above: Weekend Maxmara Women's Tavola Long Wool Coat Navy £590.

Our three featured items are from Cavells, Mill Street, Oakham, call 01572 770 600, or see www.cavells.co.uk.

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WHAT’S ON

What’s On...

STAMFORD

THURS 25th JANUARY

LEICESTER

AUSTEN: THE MUSICAL

8th DECEMBER 7th JANUARY 2018

Austen: The Musical explores the writer’s struggle to have her work published in a male environment, failed romances and her vow to reject a woman’s conventional lifestyle in Georgian England.

SCROOGE: THE MUSICAL This winter, The Curve presents its own in-house production of Scrooge the Musical. Based on Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol, Scrooge is the perfect winter family treat, taking you and Ebenezer Scrooge on a spellbinding journey through Christmas past, present and yet-to-come…

n Tickets £12/adults, £10/conc, Stamford Corn Exchange, Broad Street, Stamford PE9 1PX. Call 01780 766455 or see stamfordcornexchange.co.uk.

PETERBOROUGH

TOSCA - LIVE SCREENING FROM THE MET OPERA

Will the miserable Scrooge cancel Christmas? Bah Humbug! Or can he learn the error of his ways and let a little festive cheer shine in his otherwise dreary world.

Puccini’s melodrama about a volatile diva, a sadistic police chief, and an idealistic artist has offended and thrilled audiences for more than a century.

n Tickets £10-£45, 2.30pm/7.30pm, The Curve, Rutland Street, Leicester LE1 1SB 0116 2423595, curveonline.co.uk.

The stars line up for a beauty of a family pantomime...

DE MONTFORT HALL IN LEICESTER HOSTS BEAUTY AND THE BEAST WITH LOCAL CELEBRITIES LIKE RICHARD MCCOURT!

LEICESTER

2nd to 7th JANUARY

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

After breaking box office records last year, the De Montfort Hall pantomime returns with the spectacular family show Beauty and the Beast.

Richard ‘Dick’ McCourt of children’s TV’s Dick and Dom fame will star alongside the star of ITV’s Heartbeat, David Lonsdale and Leicester’s very own singing sensation Sam Bailey; who returns for a second year. Also returning again is everyone’s favourite pantomime dame, Martin Ballard, from BBC Radio Leicester. n 1pm; 2pm; 6.30pm. De Montfort Hall, Granville Rd, Leicester LE1 7RU. Call 0116 2333111 or see www.demontforthall.co.uk

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STAMFORD

SAT 27th JANUARY

This live screening will rival the splendor of Franco Zeffirelli’s set and costumes of the Napoleonic era mise-en-scène, and is presented as a live screening of New York’s Metropolitan Opera.

n Key Theatre, Embankment Road, Peterborough, PE1 1EF. £16.50, 6pm, 01733 207239, www.vivacity-peterborough.com n Stamford Arts Centre, St Mary's Street, Stamford PE9 2DL. £20.00, 6pm, 01780 763203, www.stamfordartscentre.com.

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Send your press releases and events to: the Features Editor via editor@pridemagazines.co.uk.

STAMFORD

SAT 27th JANUARY

FRANKIE’S GUYS

Frankie’s Guys is a celebration of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons; a fast paced, energetic production with an authentic live concert feel.

n Tickets £20, Stamford Corn Exchange, Broad Street, Stamford PE9 1PX. Call 01780 766455 or see stamfordcornexchange.co.uk.

STAMFORD

SAT 20th JANUARY

BOOTLEG ABBA PETERBOROUGH

26th - 28th JANUARY

KATHARINE OF ARAGON FESTIVAL The Katharine of Aragon Festival commemorates 29th January 1536, when Henry VIII’s first wife was buried at Peterborough Cathedral after her death in exile at Kimbolton Castle.

She still lies in the Cathedral today and the occasion is marked

by a programme of events related to Tudor history.

The programme includes a service of commemoration, Tudor walk, Tudor-style ‘Pottage and Ale’ Supper, as well as an illustrated talk by historian and author Alison Weir, plus tours of the Cathedral and exhibitions. n Based at Peterborough Cathedral, and Peterborough Museum.

Call 01733 355315 or see peterborough-cathedral.org.uk

Slapstick panto fun for all the family with Sleeping Beauty KEY THEATRE’S TRADITIONAL FAMILY PANTOMIME REMAINS A JANUARY TREAT FOR LOCAL FAMILIES

Bootleg Abba formed in 1998 and have performed to great acclaim all over the world.

All of the group’s favourite songs are here, from Waterloo and Mamma Mia to Dancing Queen and Super Trouper.

A great night celebrating one of the most enduring and popular bands, arguably Sweden’s greatest export!

n Tickets £17/adults; £16/conc, Stamford Corn Exchange, Broad Street, Stamford PE9 1PX. Call 01780 766455 or see stamfordcornexchange.co.uk.

PETERBOROUGH

1st - 7th JANUARY

SLEEPING BEAUTY AT THE KEY THEATRE With everything you expect from a Key Theatre Pantomime, we return with an all singing, all dancing month of musical madness!

This is the story of Sleeping Beauty – the enchanting tale of true love, princesses and princes. Adventure and excitement are always a major part of panto at Key Theatre, together with an abundance of slapstick, humour, music and spectacle and this story has it all.

OAKHAM

THURS 4th JANUARY

DUNKIRK AT CINEMA FOR RUTLAND

Written and directed by Christopher Nolan the film portrays the evacuation under fire of over 300,000 troops from Dunkirk during the Second World War.

n Doors 7pm; tickets £5.

Rutland County Museum, Catmos St., Oakham LE15 6HW. STAMFORD

SAT 13th JANUARY

BOXWOOD AND BRASS

Boxwood & Brass was formed in 2013 to recreate ‘harmoniemusik,’ late 18th century German wind-based bands. In order to give a true impression of the sound, the programme includes pieces by Beethoven and Mozart.

n 7.30pm; tickets £5. Stamford Arts Centre, St Mary’s Street, Stamford PE9 2DL. Call 01780 763203, stamfordartscentre.com.

n Tickets £10-£18.50, 10am; 12.30pm; 4pm; 7pm performances, Embankment Road, Peterborough, PE1 1EF, 01733 207239, www.vivacity-peterborough.com.

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EATING OUT

Barnsdale

LODGE

It’ll certainly be a happy new year for customers of Barnsdale Lodge as one of Rutland’s favourite restaurants reveals its new winter menus and some impressive treats for diners. David Bukowicki impresses us... once again!

2017 was quite a year for Barnsdale Lodge.

New Executive Chef David Bukowicki was getting stuck into improving the hotel’s already impressive restaurant. There was a rebranding in Easter with a new logo and a new style of the menus. Meanwhile, the hotel’s 46 bedrooms were updated for its guests, too.

Words & Images: Rob Davis.

DAVID BUKOWICKI, HEAD CHEF AT BARNSDALE LODGE

For all the improvements though, Barnsdale Lodge has stuck determinedly to its intention of providing a hotel and restaurant that offers a relaxed vibe without sacrificing quality.

It was just that mission statement which appealed to Barnsdale Lodge’s new General Manager Warren Browning prior to his appointment. He’s been in post for about six months now, and has found himself consistently impressed with the diversity of customers - businessmen rattle away on laptops next to country folk in muddy wellies - but also the enthusiasm that guests have for the place.

“We’re lucky today... it’s not too busy,” he said during our visit towards the end of

“BARNSDALE LODGE HAS STUCK DETERMINEDLY TO ITS INTENTION TO PROVIDE A RELAXED VIBE WITHOUT SACRIFICING QUALITY...”

meet the CHEF

service, when only a few lunchtime diners still lingered over desserts and coffee.

“Even in autumn when the dining room was full, diners insisted they’d rather eat outside in the cool air than go elsewhere. Our Head Chef David has done a great job of creating new menus that suit light lunchtime dining, and long, enjoyable evening dining too.”

Dining at Barnsdale Lodge is by means of daily changing lunchtime and evening menus.

There’s a concessionary lunchtime menu too, with two or three course dining from £18.95 to £21.95, and a dedicated dessert menu. New to the hotel this month is a dedicated cheese menu with seven artisan cheeses to ‘mix and match,’ paired to port, sherry and dessert wines.

Food Experience: “I’ve worked in the Square in London (two Michelin stars), a restaurant in Devonshire (one star) and one in Leeds (one Michelin star).”

Food Heaven: “Seafood and fresh fish is my food heaven. I used to work in Spain so I love tapas!”

Food Hell: “It would have to be something like a very bad carvery; piles of food that has just been thrown

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>> Lunchtime offerings include hot and cold sandwiches, whilst the dinner menu includes a choice of two seasonal cocktails.

There’s also an afternoon tea menu with a ‘Gentleman’s Afternoon Tea’ option, and new to Barnsdale as Pride goes to press will be a Café Gourmand option, with an assiette of desserts and speciality coffees, as well as Affogato al Caffè option - coffee with vanilla gelato.

The Barnsdale team has enlisted the expertise of fancy coffee folk Café du Monde, who will provide barista training to take the hotel’s provision of a hospitality staple to the next level.

Other suppliers are very local indeed. Game, for example is shot on the adjacent Exton estate, at Easton, or on nearby farms. Duck eggs are from the hotel’s own flock.

OPEN FOR FOOD Afternoon Tea: Everyday from 2.30pm until 5pm.

Lunch: Mon – Saturday 12pm – 2.30pm.

Sunday Lunch: 12pm – 2pm.

Dinner: 6.30pm – 9pm.

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- EATING OUT -

on the MENU FROM THE RESTAURANT’S WINTER DINNER MENU

Starters

Pan fried wood pigeon with heritage beetroot, poached blackberries and blackberry vinaigrette £8.95.

Potted local rabbit with pease pudding, toasted sourdough and mini game faggots £8.25.

Main Courses

There’s also a productive kitchen garden, and trout comes from, where else, but that estimable pond slap bang in the middle of Rutland.

Other fish is courtesy of Notts Seafood, meat is from Owen Taylor, veg is from Eureka, and the blackberry vinegar used on our featured wood pigeon starter is from... well, it’s from Ron. He’s the uncle of Head Chef David’s partner.

The effort that David - and Ron - and the team spend getting Barnsdale Lodge’s food right is significant to say the least. Bread, petit fours, ice cream and sorbet are all made in house, and a new fleet of cool grey crockery is a restrained backdrop against which some colourful and beautiful dishes can ‘pop.’

During our visit we enjoyed a taste of the wood pigeon, and potted local rabbit, beautifully presented and vibrant. The latter was served with homemade sourdough and pease pudding, a comparative rarity on menus outside of the North East - indigenous territory of the present Mrs Davis, who considers herself a connoisseur of the stuff.

Main course was another celebration of game, this time pheasant, shot very locally at the neighbouring Exton Estate.

Here, it was served with chestnut and cranberries, and root veg. Winter on a plate.

Our dessert options included a white and dark chocolate delice with salted caramel, and doughnuts, with raspberry coulis and an Amaretto hot chocolate chaser.

Diners can choose the nice but traditional Vettriano-lined dining room, the light and more contemporary orangery, or for family celebrations over Christmas and new year without the hassle, one of five private dining rooms for parties of up to 12, 16, 24 or 200.

Our sincere recommendation is evening dining this month, to lift the winter blues.

David’s new menu is somewhat phenomenal; yielding pretty food that’s imaginative without ever succumbing to being gimmicky, and technically excellent chefcraft faithful to flavours, not fuss. Barnsdale Lodge’s dining is excellent without ever seeming like it’s showing off... it’s just effortlessly brilliant.

It’s a little later than usual but the hotel is about to unveil what Warren promises will be a really good programme of events throughout the year. For now though, winter dining at Barnsdale Lodge remains one of the most enjoyable, relaxed and lovely experiences that Rutland has to offer. n

Roast Rutland pheasant breast stuffed with chestnut and cranberries, Jerusalem artichoke purée, roasted potato & parsnips £17.95.

Roasted North Atlantic cod fillet with crispy baby octopus and bouillabaisse £18.95.

Easton Estate venison loin wrapped in pancetta, spiced red cabbage, game chips with bitter chocolate jus £21.95.

Desserts

Raspberry doughnuts rolled in cinnamon sugar with Amaretto hot chocolate £6.95.

White and dark chocolate delice with poached figs and salted dulce-du-leche £6.95.

Selection of cheeses; Somerset Brie; Lincolnshire Poacher; Colston Bassett; Rutland Red; Golden Cross; Cornish Yarg; Pont L’Eveque £7.95/three; £11.95/five.

NB: Featured dishes are subject to change.

n Barnsdale Lodge Hotel, The Avenue, Exton, Oakham LE15 8AH. Visit www.barnsdalelodge.co.uk or call 01572 724678 for more information.

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Un'autentica Esperienza

Italiana...

(An authentic Italian experience!)

SUNDAY LUNCHES @ COUNTRY LOUNGE are renowned for pleasing everyone.

Classic roasts, Pizzas & alternative menu available

Glaston Road, Morcott, LE15 9DL call 01572

748731 or see

www.countrylounge.co.uk

Open Morning, Lunchtime & Evening. For breakfast, coffee, lunches and for Ă la carte dining

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DINING OUT IN RUTLAND

Country Lounge in

MORCOTT

Is it an Italian restaurant serving authentic Tuscan cuisine? Or perhaps one that specialises in traditional English dishes, utilising local produce?

In fact, Country Lounge is a restaurant that does both equally well, a restaurant of two nations, and truly one for all seasons!

Tired of turkey? Us too. The festive season has levied post-prandial ennui and now we’re hankering for something deliciously different.

Fortunately we’ve a great recommendation in the form of Morcott’s Country Lounge.

Curiously there are a couple of businesses which share the same name in Rutland and Stamford, but this one - located on the A47 equidistant between Leicester and Peterborough - is the original and the best.

That’s because it was created about 18 months ago as a successful pairing of husband and wife team Ruth PhilbinSantamaria, a qualified nutritionist with a passion for local ingredients, and Salvatore, a Tuscan chef from the Chianti region.

Ruth first visited the region 35 years ago for a year long work experience excursion that lasted considerably longer than she expected. Settling out there and marrying Salvatore, the two ran restaurants and farmed a Tuscan estate producing organic meat,

“COUNTRY LOUNGE IS A SUCCESSFUL PAIRING OF A QUALIFIED NUTRITIONIST AND A TUSCAN CHEF FROM THE CHIANTI REGION...”

Words & Images: Rob Davis.

Chianti grapes, olives and herbs. Though the pair relocated to Rutland back in 2014, the two are both still in touch with their old estate and still today source a number of ingredients from it for their Morcott restaurant.

Country Lounge is located in what was a roadside diner. Needless to say it has been well-rescued from mediocrity. There are timber floors, roaring log fires, a new lounge added last year, and an al fresco dining area with Mediterranean borders for the warmer months.

Industrial-rustic furniture, exposed beams and references to vintage theatre - Laurel & Hardy step forward - give the place a relaxed, quirky feel, but never detract from the sense of quality that permeates through both the setting and the food itself.

Initially, Country Lounge was intended to be a daytime bistro, offering limited food,

incontrare LO CHEF* *MEET SALVATORE, CHEF PATRON OF COUNTRY LOUNGE

Esperienza del Cibo: Born in Sicily, Salvatore Santamaria moved to Varese in Northern Italy.

Salvatore settled in Tuscany where he ran a farming estate and grew all of his own produce for their tourist business and restaurant.

Paradiso del Cibo: “All fresh produce, cleverly cooked to enhance flavours.”

Inferno Alimentare: “Fast food!”

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but with the arrival of Ruth and Salvatore, the place has been able to broaden its remit and provide quality Italian and rustic English dining both during the daytime and in the evening. The two have worked hard to get the message out there that the place is open for business and can provide a range of dining options, but now that the message is reaching the county’s diners, it’s becoming one of the area’s quirkiest, most relaxed and well-regarded places to enjoy a meal.

Country Lounge provides both a mix of Sicilian dishes and also English ones, and whilst that may offer the potential to create a muddled menu, it actually works really well; the place does both... brilliantly.

Its British Sunday roasts are better than most we’ve seen in some British pubs and

OPEN FOR BUSINESS Breakfast and Daytime Service Monday to Saturday 9.00am – 5.30pm Dinner Monday to Saturday 5.30pm – 9.00pm Sunday (Roast/Main Menu) 9.00am to 5.00pm.

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- EATING OUT -

on the MENU FROM THE COUNTRY LOUNGE MAIN MENU

Starters

Antipasto misto: Parma ham, mixed salamis, sundried tomatoes, artichokes, mushrooms, olives, garlic bread £9.99.

Italian

Chicken Saltimbocca – sliced chicken breast layered with Parma ham & sage in a white wine sauce served on a bed of mashed potato with seasonal veg £14.99.

restaurants, whilst its Italian dishes are well presented, supplemented by a selection of over 30 proper pizzas, properly baked in a wood fired pizza oven. Beyond the pizzeria menu, there’s a main menu with seven starters, five pasta dishes, five grill options and five mains as well as nine salads or sides.

Quality. That’s what it’s all about. Which is why Salvatore creates his own pizza dough in house, bakes his own speciality breads like focaccia, and also makes his own pasta in house too. Suppliers like the couple’s Tuscan estate are supplemented by suppliers more local to Rutland such as Owen Taylor, M&J Seafood and Oakham’s Grainstore brewery.

Alongside the main menu there’s also a diverse Sunday lunch menu which, has an array of roasts including sirloin beef and Tuscan hog roast with all the trimmings, as well as vegetarian and vegan options and the pizza menu. That makes Country Lounge a compelling option if you’re tired of turkey, desire something a little more imaginative to warm up your winter, or if you’d like an alternative to a traditional Sunday lunch.

If, however, winter does make its presence felt with a vengeance and it’s too dire to even contemplate going out for supper, you’ll be delighted by Ruth’s assurance that anything

on the menu is available as a takeaway, with delivery available too in a certain radius.

The beauty of Italian food lies in two qualities. Namely that it’s only possible to create it authentically using fresh ingredients, and that it follows a philosophy of ‘the simpler the better.’ One of the most popular dishes is Salvatore’s Chicken saltimbocca, with parma ham and a white wine sauce.

Alternatively, there’s the chef ’s Pie of the Day option; simple but very well executed.

Character goes a long way, and Country Lounge has that very quality in abundance.

What it also has, though, is quality and versatility. Italian chefs value freshness and the merits of having ingredients in close proximity, which chimes well with restaurants in our area that value local produce.

In terms of versatility, too, Country Lounge is a good place to keep in mind whether you’re meeting for coffee in the daytime, lifting the gloom of winter with a Mediterranean pizza or Italian dish, or looking for a good old British Sunday lunch.

No matter what you’re seeking, Salvatore’s approach to creating flavoursome dishes and Ruth’s warmth at front of house make Country Lounge a great place for winter dining this month, and a strong recommendation. n

Pork Milanese – crispy breaded deep fried pork loin served with hand cut chips & peas £14.99.

English

Sunday lunch; Roast sirloin of beef with Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, roast parsnips, cauliflower cheese, leeks in béchamel sauce, veg £19.99/two courses.

Hand raised individual Steak & Ale Pie with mashed potato, gravy & seasonal veg £14.99.

Desserts

Lemon & Limoncello ripple sorbet served with Limoncello liqueur & cantuccini biscuit £6.95.

Panna Cotta Speciale della casa £6.95 NB: Featured dishes are subject to change.

n Country Lounge Restaurant, Pizzeria & Bar, Glaston Road, Morcott, LE15 9DL. Tel: 01572 748731, www.countrylounge.co.uk.

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THE GOOD FOOD AWARDS

Good Food Awards

Well Done! Clipsham’s Olive Branch were delighted to receive one of our Restaurant of the Year titles.

We asked our readers to nominate their favourite restaurants and to name Rutland’s Food Heroes... the results are in! We offer our congratulations to all of our winners, each proudly maintaining Rutland’s ethos of offering multum in parvo for diners...

Congratulations to the winners of our 2017 Restaurant of the Year Awards. Once again we’ve asked the county’s diners to nominate their three favourite restaurants, to celebrate daytime dining by naming a coffee shop or bistro, and to suggest a local ‘Food Hero.’

Our winners are the result of reader votes, with no advertising bias, and the winning three restaurants will come as little surprise to those who appreciate quality dining, as Clipsham’s Olive Branch, Hambleton Hall and Barnsdale Lodge come out on top.

We’re especially pleased that our top restaurants each share a commitment to quality whilst retaining their own distinct style.

Clipsham’s Olive Branch is one of two Michelin-commended restaurants, and yet remains determined to remain faithful to its ‘village pub’ ethos. Regular cookery demonstrations, the pub shop and broad menus ensure a genuine ambassadorship for local good, plus an approach that never sacrifices technically brilliant chefcraft for informality.

Hambleton Hall, meanwhile, is soaked in accoladed and regarded as one of the most

Above: Scotch Egg starter at The Olive Branch.

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- GOOD FOOD AWARDS -

Left: Hambleton Hall receive their Restaurant of the Year plaque. Above: Otter’s Smokehouse pick up a Food Hero Award.

Below: Gilly Thornton and the team at Gates Garden Centre, Nick and Nicky Brake’s Food Hero award. Below/Left: Chocolate Truffle at Hambleton Hall, Nelson’s Butchers.

Bottom: Barnsdale Lodge’s chef David Bukowicki.

Opposite: Hambleton Bakery’s Julian Carter and Country Lounge’s Salvatore Santamaria.

Congratulations to Rick Mearkle We’ve picked one reader from each of the votes received to win dining out at our six partner restaurants in 2018... our winner is Rick Mearkle of Langham!

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Restaurant of the Year 2017

Olive Branch, Clipsham Hambleton Hall, Hambleton Barnsdale Lodge, Exton Marquess of Exeter, Lyddington Finches Arms, Hambleton White Horse, Empingham Stapleford Park, Melton Mowbray Rutland Water Golf Club Berkeley Arms, Wymondham Lake Isle, Uppingham n

Bistro/Coffee Shop of the Year 2017

Gates Garden Centre, Cold Overton Country Lounge, Morcott Otter’s Smokehouse, Oakham Don Paddy’s, Uppingham Lean Pantry, Oakham Castle Cottage Café, Oakham Baines Bakery, Uppingham Orangery Restaurant & Garden Café, Stamford Harbour Café, Rutland Water, Oakham Barnsdale Gardens Tearoom, Exton n

>> opulent dining rooms in the area, with Aaron Patterson leads a brigade determined to deliver creativity and finesse in equal measure.

We’re fans of both our Michelin-lauded establishments, and of Barnsdale Lodge, our third Restaurant of the Year. Profiled in this edition, its food is as creative and satisfying as the welcome is warm thanks to David Bukowicki and his brigade.

Our three coffee shops and bistros recognise excellence in respect of daytime dining.

It feels very unfair to refer to Gates Garden Centre’s Garden Restaurant as a mere coffee shop, as its remit goes beyond that, with an exceptional Sunday lunch provision, and its home cooked favourites for example.

Equally, Morcott’s Country Lounge offers splendid daytime and evening dining, very good Sunday lunches and a great fusion of Sicilian and English cuisine courtesy of owners Salvatore and nutritionist Ruth.

Meanwhile, quality daytime dining is assured on Mill Street at Otter’s Smokehouse, a retailer whose bistro allows you to enjoy smoked fish, duck and cheese with the finest provenance.

And speaking of provenance, our readers have identified Hambleton Bakery’s Julian Carter, Rutland Charcuterie and Nelson’s Butchers as heading up our top ten of retailers, producers and chefs who ensure that, more than anywhere else, the county can offers its diners the culinary embodiment of multum in parvo! n

Food Hero of the Year 2017

Julian Carter, Hambleton Bakery Rutland Charcuterie, Braunston Nelsons Butchers, Oakham, Sean Hope, Olive Branch, Clipsham Aaron Patterson, Hambleton Hall Harish Khanderia, Oakham Wines Grainstore Brewery, Oakham Brian Baker, Marquess of Exeter, Lyddington Hambleton Farms, Oakham Rutland Pie Company, Oakham n

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Award Winning...

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THE WINNERS IN EACH OF OUR THREE GOOD FOOD AWARDS CATEGORIES - THIS MONTH WE PROVIDE A FLAVOUR OF WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM THE RESTAURANTS OUR READERS VOTED AS THEIR FAVOURITES

MARQUESS OF EXETER

Brian Baker, chef patron of one of Rutland’s most renowned pub restaurants - one of our finalists - presented this a true work of art; Atlantic cod with chorizo and garlic potatoes.

01572 822477, www.marquessexeter.co.uk.

n Hambleton Hall’s Aaron Patterson will soon be revealing his new season dishes, including this Troncon of Turbot with spring vegetables, clam & hollandaise sauce.

The restaurant has held its Michelin Star for over 35 years and provides exceptional dining in a lovely elevated setting with views over the water

n RUTLAND WATER GOLF COURSE Smoked salmon trio with Brandon Rost mousse and gravlax, served at one of our commended restaurants.

01572 756991, www.hambletonhall.com.

n Barnsdale Lodge is featured in this edition and presented this dark and white chocolate delice with dulce du leche and figs.

01572 724678, www.barnsdale lodge.co.uk.

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01572 737525 rutlandwatergolfcourse.co.uk

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The Olive Branch, at Clipsham

- SAMPLE DISHES -

Chef Patron Sean Hope presented this breast of duck with chestnuts and winter vegetables; 01780 410355.

BELLA CIBO

Country Lounge in Morcott successfully fuses Sicilian cuisine and a choice of English dishes. Shown here is chef patron Salvatore Santamaria’s signature lasagne; 01572 748731, www.countrylounge.co.uk.

Afternoon Tea: Warm up your winter this month with an afternoon tea in the 360 seater Garden Restaurant at Gates. Finger sandwiches, handmade scones and cakes... delicious!

01664 454309, www.gatesgardencentre.co.uk. n Featured dishes are representative examples of our featured chefs’ skills... the menus of our featured restaurants change frequently so dishes are subject to availability. Check each restaurant’s website prior to your visit for an up-to-date menu.

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HEALTHY NEW YEAR RECIPE

Healthy Thai Salmon Teriyaki Serves two Salmon fillets - you can also substitute tuna steaks.

One packet rice noodles Broccoli florets

For the Teriyaki Marinade: 3tsp dark soy sauce 2tbsp sesame oil 1tsp rice wine or sweet sherry 3 garlic cloves 1tsp caster sugar 30g ginger

For the Nam Jim Sauce 50ml light brown sugar 40ml lime juice 40ml fish stock 2 red chillies 4 cloves garlic 30g ginger Optional chives and sesame seeds to garnish.

SICK OF TURKEY? Yes, us too.

And are you pursing a ‘new year’ healthy eating regime? Us too!

Fortunately, healthy eating needn’t be arduous, as Rutland’s Sarah Rivett proves this month.

We’ve asked her to provide a dish that’s deliciously different from the heavy roast turkey dinners of the festive season, something a little lighter, healthier but still sufficiently warm to melt your heart this winter.

Sarah had delivered with aplomb, suggesting one of her favourite mid-week dishes that requires a little preparation in advance but can yield a healthy and delicious Asian-inspired main course.

The dish is broken up into three elements; making a marinade for your salmon, then creating a rice noodle bed with Nam Jim sauce, and a quick roasting of your salmon.

Make your marinade first by putting the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, garlic, sugar and ginger into a bowl. This can be done the night before, or a couple of days in advance.

Recipe with The Rutland Gourmet, Sarah Rivett.

Ginger is a great addition to the dish as it helps to stave off January coughs and colds, the marinade helps to give your salmon a decent warming kick at this time of year.

Use the marinade to coat your salmon, turning the fillet a couple of times, and leave it in the fridge for up to four hours to allow the flavour to permeate.

Create a Nam Jim sauce by combining the light brown sugar, lime juice and fish stock, plus the chillies, garlic and ginger. Again, this can be completed in advance.

Before serving, soak your noodles and cook as instructed, then roast your salmon at about 200°c, gas 6 for about 20 minutes.

Remove the salmon from the oven and rest on the cooked noodles, then pour over the Nam Jim sauce.

If you prefer, you can substitute salmon for tuna steaks, and swap noodles for rice. For dinner party presentation, garnish with sesame seeds and chives. n

Sarah Rivett, The Rutland Gourmet: Sarah provides outside catering for special occasions, from a dinner party for 10 in your own home, right up to 1,000 covers in marquees. She’s self-contained with outdoor kitchen equipment, and can provide catering for balls, weddings and other special occasions. Call 01572 747909 or 07970 576882, or see www.rutlandgourmet.co.uk.

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Wine of the Month

Hoots mon!

What would Burns say?

Salice Salento Reserva, Puglia in Italy. £10.95 / 75cl, Grape Variety: 80% Negroamaro, 20% Malvasia Nera, 13% ABV.

The British are attempting to beat Scotland at its own game with a brand new British blended whisky!

If you thought Britain upset the Gaels back in 1280, you haven’t seen anything yet!

In a display of British chutzpah, we’re now trying to beat them at their own game by creating a blended whisky; The One. Smooth, smoky and fruity, it’s akin to a good Speyside in flavour. £34.95/70cl, 40% ABV.

The Wine Cellar SOMETHING TO LIFT YOUR SPIRITS THIS MONTH, WITH AN ENGLISH WHISKY AND THREE BREXIT-BUSTING EUROPEAN WINES THAT REPRESENT EXCEPTIONAL FLAVOUR AND VALUE THREE OF A KIND: BREXIT BUSTING EUROPEAN WINES TO SEE IN THE NEW YEAR 1. From Veneto in Italy, Serego Alighieri possession Rosso is rich and well-rounded on the palate with flavours of plums and a hint of hazelnuts.

Fresh and smooth on the long finish, full bodied. £14.99 / 70cl / 13% ABV. 2. Spain’s up next, with this Galacian Albarino Sobre Lias.

From the coolest part of Rias Baíxas, this wine bursts with juicy Albariño character: pear, citrus fruit, musky perfume and hints of mineral and spice. A clean and intense wine. £16.95 / 70cl / 12% ABV. 3. Finally, we’re in Provence, for Chateau De L’Aumerade with its lovely pale powder pink hue, with refreshing aromas of grapefruit leading to succulent peach and apricot. £14.95 / 70cl / 12.5% ABV.

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“A real winter warmer, this goes great with game - especially venison - and is the perfect antidote to dark nights and gloomy skies. Best enjoyed in front of an open fire!”

A classic wine from the south of Italy, this Salice Salentino offers deliciously harmonious mature fruit, with notes of black cherry, raisins and leather. n

Pass the Port

Harish’s go-to ruby port to enjoy with your winter cheese platter Pass this port after dinner and enjoy its full and concentrated on the nose with aromas reminiscent of plums and bilberries.

Rich and well-rounded on the palate with flavours of plums and a hint of hazelnuts.

Fresh and smooth on the long finish. Ideal with a selection of local cheese in front of the fire. n Barros Ruby Port, Douro, Portugal Italy, £14.75 70cl/19.5% ABV.

n Our featured wines are available to buy from Harish’s shop, Oakham Wines. Call 01572 757124 or visit his website www.oakhamwinesonline.co.uk.

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Give the Gift of Rutland

It’s easy to subscribe to the County’s Finest Magazine, either to enjoy yourself, or to be delivered to a friend or loved one as a Gift Subscription throughout 2018.

Six months for £18, 12 months for £36, both delivered by Royal Mail.

Call 01529 469977 and pay by credit or debit card, or subscribe online at www.pridemagazines.co.uk.

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WELCOME HOME

STAR QUALITY

QUALITY

This month’s featured property has enjoyed a starring role in national magazines, whilst owner Karen Burrows is no stranger to celebrity either, having worked as an actress on TV for the past three decades...59 Words:Rob RobDavis.

Davis.

Words:

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- WELCOME HOME -

It’s a home with star quality. And it could be the former home of a famous actor or a pop star in the future too, if Karen Burrows’s 18 year old son Finley follows his mum into a life of celebrity and fame.

Having worked as an actress both here in the UK and in the States for the past 30 years, Karen has enjoyed roles on TV shows like Monarch of the Glen, back in her native Scotland, and Dr Who, Holby City, The Bill and 2,000 Acres of Sky too.

Karen and the family moved from Scotland to London, and then to our part of the world 18 years ago, seeking a property that could provide plenty of space and a nice, safe environment in which to raise children.

The adjacent barn has been converted into a practice room in which Finley and his indie band can practice their music. Even with his current A-level studies it’s still a place enlivened by the group’s thrashy guitar riffs - a stark contrast to the quiet, peaceful parts of the country house in which Karen spends time with 15 year old daughter Grace.

Karen also works at Stamford Arts Centre and is currently coordinating an April Top: The entrance hall has lovely wobbly flagstones with plenty of character.

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Right: A second reception room has been converted into a relaxing study.

Main Image: The drawing room is one of three reception rooms, with open fireplaces and sash windows.

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poetry event which will see a special appearance by one of the 1960s Merseybeat poets, Roger McGough, among other delights.

Left: The entrance hallway has beautifully restored Victorian encaustic tiles.

Somehow, between pursuing two professions Karen has also found time to oversee the refurbishment of the family’s property, The Grange, situated just near Stamford and offering about 5,000sq ft of accommodation.

With the children growing up and with a move to Stamford, closer to work, beckoning, the family has put the property on the market, and they are currently seeking new custodians for their family home.

The property is a quintessentially Georgian country house arranged over three floors, built in 1800, and carrying a Grade II listing.

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- WELCOME HOME -

“Today, the kitchen is the hub of the home with a cheerful red two-oven Aga, and bespoke cabinetry...”

When the family moved in the house was sound in terms of construction, as well as its roof and services. That remains the case today, but over the years Karen has invested a good deal of talent and her knack for design in modernising the property, removing a wall to create a spacious open plan living kitchen.

Today, the kitchen is the hub of the home with a cheerful red two-oven Aga, integrated appliances and a chunky shaker style bespoke kitchen created by a ‘proper old fashioned’ cabinet maker.

The kitchen has encaustic tiles, beautifully restored, as does the property’s entrance hall, whilst elsewhere, wobbly flagstones and sash windows provide plenty of character.

The main reception room on the ground floor has a large open fireplace and south-facing aspect, whilst Karen’s study is located in another reception room with lovely views over the property’s 1.4 acres of grounds.

Naturally, being an old property, there’s plenty of practical space for storage and family life, with a boot room, utility kitchen and a workshop & potting shed too.

The first floor of the house is given over to four bedrooms, a ‘Jack & Jill’ en suite and a family bathroom.

Karen has converted the large landing area typically found in Georgian houses into a small library; handy for storing all of those poetry books.

The second floor of the house has two further bedrooms, and if the next owners are seeking any more space, the coach house is ripe for conversion - though you’ll need to relocate the band. Also outdoors is a solar panel-heated swimming pool, the pool house of which has its own kitchenette and loo, an ideal space for a home office, or just 62

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a summer house during the warmer months.

The whole of the property’s grounds are given over to formal acres, but with two stables and the option to rent grazing land nearby, those with horses will find the property just as family friendly as Karen has over the years.

With a relocation to Stamford beckoning, the family say they’ll miss it tremendously.

Offering plenty of space and clean unfussy country interiors we think the house is every bit as much of a star as the owners themselves! n

THE GRANGE NEAR DUNSBY

Style: Traditional Grade II listed Georgian farmhouse near Stamford constructed in 1800.

Receptions: Three, currently arranged as formal drawing room, study and living kitchen.

Bedrooms: Six, with ‘Jack & Jill’ en suite to master.

Other Features: 1.4 acres of grounds, original stableblock, vegetable garden, summer house and heated swimming pool.

Guide Price: £795,000.

Find Out More: The Grange is currently on the market with Humberts of Ironmonger Street, Stamford for £795,000. Call 01780 438788 or see humberts.com for more information.

Left: The kitchen has built in appliances and a cheery red Aga cooker too. Karen has created many of the curtains herself, with Ian Mankin fabrics that have smart ticking stripes.

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Your local appointed Sheraton dealer.

• Contemporary, modern, traditional & handmade bespoke kitchens

• 25 NEW large room settings in our showroom

• Affordable, quality kitchens and the latest designs on display The best quality, best value & best service from a company fitting kitchens since 1981

Come see our kitchens on display in our extensive showroom

ADDITIONAL KITCHEN DESIGNER REQUIRED We are seeking an additional kitchen designer to join our team, to apply please contact The Maltings Barnack Road, Stamford. 01780 755855

THE AREA’S LARGEST INDEPENDENT KITCHEN SHOWROOM The Maltings, Barnack Road, Stamford PE9 2NA

T: 01780 756514 or 755855

E: sales@qksstamford.co.uk

www.qksstamford.co.uk

Open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm. Sat, 9am-3pm, closed all day Sunday

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DISTINCTIVE HOME

BATHROOMS

Providing Rutland, Stamford and the surrounding areas with a quality bathroom service...

We only supply top brand components and install to impeccable standards.

High quality family bathrooms, en suites, wet rooms and shower rooms, and mobility bathing solutions, all at affordable prices.

DH Bathrooms’ small team of hand picked, master craftsmen will amaze you with their ability and attention to detail...

01526 830058 07971 293682

We provide free advice, designs and a competitive, no obligation quotation...

www.dhbathrooms.co.uk

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NEUTRAL COLOURS FOR HOMES

Neutral Colours

FOR YOUR HOME

Warm, calming, and timeless, neutral shades are a must if you’re looking to create a room that will never date, one which will allow natural light to proliferate in your home The nights are gloomy, the days are short, but one way of ensuring you’ll make it to spring without feeling too despondent is to enjoy a warm, optimistic palette of natural linen colours complemented with hints of metallics; golds, bronzes and silvers.

Trade show for interior designers Decorex took place a couple of months ago and with it came a wealth of new fabric and wallcovering selections from leading designers.

Alongside Stamford and Rutland’s interior designers, you’ll be able to combine luxurious, hard-wearing fabrics and the expertise of intependent interior designers to create anything from a cushion, to bespoke window dressings or to recover new or existing chairs and sofas.

Over the page we’ve included a few of our favourite examples from leading suppliers, beginning with some warm neutral shades, and some bolder patterns with metallic silver highlights for modern homes too.

We’ve also included our recommended interior designers, each of whom can help you to create individual pieces for a room, and offer help and advice right up to a complete design service for individual rooms or whole properties. >>

Popular right now, and especially so in our county, are linen weaves which suit rural homes and will prove hard-wearing. For traditional mix and match prints or patterns and whilst modern properties will benefit from the use of bold geometric and ikat designs.

Left: Clarke & Clarke’s Halcyon offers pretty cottage garden florals embroidered onto linen in monochrome. Right: Colefax & Fowler’s Dorney is a range of contemporary plain neutrals.

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- HOMES -

“ADD A STATEMENT CHAIR, UPHOLSTERED IN COMPLEMENTARY FABRIC, BECAUSE SUCH CHAIRS ARE LESS IMPOSING THEN A LARGER SOFA, YOU CAN AFFORD TO BE A LITTLE BOLDER WITH YOUR DESIGN...”

Top: Sanderson’s Chiswick Grove features damasks and geometrics.

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Below: Clarke & Clarke’s Botanica depicts flowers and ferns.

Right: Morris’s usually colourful prints have been pared back with a neutral colour in this collection, Strawberry Thief, reprinted from an 1881 original.

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Colefax & Fowler: Chairs in Hurst, beige, and Edgar, a multicolour check in beige and old blue.

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- HOMES -

Above: Romo Cirrus is an elegant linen mix of sheers in a range of warm neutral colours.

LOCAL SUPPLIERS

Left/Above: Prestigious Textiles’s Equator are a series of texture-rich jacquards, shown here in Mist and Limestone.

Right: Designer’s Guild’s is a collection of 35 textures from velvets to tweeds, available in ivory, dune and cloud.

Delcor Furniture Bath Row, Stamford PE9 2QX, 01780 762579, www.delcor.co.uk.

Furleys 01572 755539, www.furleys.co.uk.

J&L Ball 16 North St, Stamford, Lincolnshire PE9 1EH, 01780 481416, www.jandlball.co.uk.

Oakham Rugs The Maltings, Oakham LE15 6EA 01572 724441.

Oldrids Gonerby Junction A1, 01476 590239, www.oldrids.co.uk Portess of Oakham High St, Oakham LE15 6AL, 01572 722052, www.portess.furniture The Rug Studio High St E, Uppingham, LE15 9PZ. 01572 829927.

Sarah Harding Interiors 6 Market St, Uppingham, LE15 9QH, 01572 823389, sarahhardinginteriors.co.uk.

Wool Room Star Lane, Stamford PE9 1PH. 01780 767927, www.thewoolroom.com

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JOIN US

THROUGHOUT

DECEMBER

For a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie, to stand by a wonderfully warm fire and discuss your stove requirements for 2018.

Unit 18a I Station Road Business Park Barnack I Stamford I Lincolnshire PE9 3DW

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01780 769274 |

Mon– Fri 9am–5pm, Sat 10am–4pm

www.stamfordstoves.co.uk | info@stamfordstoves.co.uk

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PORTESS OF OAKHAM

COUNTRY ALLIANCE

In a rural county like Rutland, introducing natural materials and colours into your reception rooms doesn’t mean producing an old fashioned look. Here, Portess of Oakham creates a countryside alliance with its modern Words: Rob Davis. country-inspired furnishings...

DIning Set: The Hunter dining set with six chairs £1,899.

If you’ve a rural home, but don’t want a traditional, stuffy looking reception room, you’ll love the ideas that Portess of Oakham can bring into your living room.

For a modern version of a fireside chair, Scandi-influences with cool grey shades, muted taupe colours, and smart finishing touches like leather chests, brasses and lamps featuring stags and hares... there’s a wealth of ideas in store.

The retailer has over 50 years of provenance in the area and now has two shops in Oakham and Melton Mowbray. Oakham’s branch has a dedicated rug room with over 700 examples in stock, and the retailer’s range of carpets rugs, larger items of furniture and finishing touches make it a must-visit venue if you’re furnishing your home. n

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3.

4.

FURNITURE & ACCESSORIES The finishing touches that will give your room a cohesive style, available at Portess of Oakham...

1. Stag bronze resin sculpture £79.

2. Duo of leather chests £299.

3. Large Champagne stand £289.

4. Hand painted wood hare 57cm £75.

5. Henry Chesterfield £1,299.

6. Stag table lamp with shade £149.

n Find Out More: All of the products here are stocked by Portess of Oakham, High St, Oakham LE15 6AL. Telephone 01572 722052 or see portess.furniture.

Below: Lowry three seater settee, Lowry accent wing chair from £569.

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The Fruits of Your Labour - PLANT THESE BERRIES IN JANUARY -

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1. Raspberries: Plant raspberry canes in January in slightly acid moisture-retaining soils, pick from June, £7.99/five plants.

2. Rhubarb: Plant rhubarb crowns in January - they thrive on a bit of frost. Harvest from May, £5.99/two litre pot.

3. Strawberries: Can be planted now in soils fed with plenty of manure. They’ll crop from early May, £1.20/9cm pot.

4. Blueberries: Grow in larger pots, in well-drained acid soil, £11.99/two litre pot.

5. Blackberries: Plant between now and spring, harvest from mid-August, £6.99/two litre pot.

6. Gooseberries: Plant in open sunny positions this month, £6.99/two litre pot.

7. Holly: All year round, £11.99/two litre pot on 2ft cane 8. Mistletoe: Harvest berries from your festive sprigs, and plant into a cut in tree bark then cover with hessian. n As recommended by Dan Hancock, Head Plantsman at Gates Garden Centre, Somerby Rd, Cold Overton, Oakham LE15 7QB, 01664 454309, www.gatesgardencentre.co.uk.

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Let us build your

perfect studio Garden Houses • Arts and Crafts Studios Holiday Homes • Home Offices & Writing Cabins Custom studios built the way you want 28 years experience, no job to big or small Prices from £9,995 to £149,995

Oak Leaf STUDIOS Horncastle Road, Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire LN10 6UZ

01526 268591 07498 663422

www.oakleafstudios.co.uk • enquires@oakleafstudios.co.uk 87

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BIRDS IN YOUR GARDEN

On The

WING

With the notable exception of Rutland’s unique and fascinating osprey population, the area’s indigenous bird population is rather taken for granted. However, the RSPB invites us to not just take note, but to help them survey our native species in January - this month we’re on the wing with Rutland birdwatcher Terry Mitcham, your guide to native bird species...

500,000 people will find themselves in a flap over the number of birds in their garden this month. That’s because each January, for the past 38 years, the RSPB has invited members of the public to help them monitor bird numbers in the UK with their Big Garden Birdwatch.

A keen advocate is Terry Mitcham. Born in Sheffield, Terry moved to Rutland just before the creation of the reservoir in 1974. Terry was a geography teacher by profession, but enjoyed walking his basset hound with wife Pat during weekends. “I spent my youth fishing. Spending time on riverbanks means you take a casual interest in birdlife as you’re sitting in stillness, and I couldn’t help but appreciate the area’s birdlife.”

“Later, during the construction of the reservoir, Tim Appleton was appointed as reserve manager, and he was seeking volunteers who wanted to get involved with his conservation projects. It’s entirely to the credit of Tim that Rutland Water enjoys its tremendous levels of biodiversity, and beginning his birdwatching career borrowing binoculars from the school

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The county offers a range of landscapes from which to watch and identify birds, but the best place to start, Terry says, is in your own back garden. Many novices can only spot two or three bird species, and doing so is hindered by the fact that different examples of one species can still vary in appearance, or look different in flight, for example.

he was working in, Terry soon developed a keen interest in birdwatching, identifying not just the area’s most common species, but some of the unusual wader birds and wildfowl that the reservoir attracts, and eventually its osprey project birds, too.

Today, he’s a guide, too, and takes groups of between 12 and 15 people around the reservoir. Terry provides guided walks for both complete novices, but also those who are a little more knowledgeable too.

Above: Terry is the author of three books on Rutland’s bird populations, and provides guided walks to novices around the reservoir too.

The RSPB’s birdwatch is bigger than ever these days, thanks to internet technology which allows members of the public to submit the result of their count online. Over half a million people took part in our area last year, each spending one hour monitoring birds in their own garden to give one of the RSPB’s best qualitative measurements of bird populations in the country.

The RSPB’s count is by no means the only one in the UK; with Terry completing counts for the BTO - British Trust for Ornithology which yields more detail and weekly totals to reflect changes in bird population throughout the year too. What the RSPB’s survey does do, though, is to enable the Society to keep an eye on how populations have changed

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- BIRD WATCHING -

“Birdwatching is an incredibly rewarding pursuit and it can begin with just an hour of your time from your garden or a pleasant morning spent at the reservoir...”

since the first count 39 years ago. The most common specials of garden bird - the house sparrow - has declined in population by 71% since the first count, for example, whilst starling numbers have declined by 79%. It’s not all bad news though, as Robin populations are the highest number since 1986, and the survey also serves as a way for novices to find out a little more about birdwatching, and to perhaps discover for themselves the joy of birdwatching.

In addition to publishing three books on Rutland’s bird populations, - The Birds of Rutland in 1984, Birdwatching in Rutland in 1987, and 50 Rutland Birds in 2008 - Terry hosts monthly birdwatching walks at the reservoir, with January’s walk taking place on Friday 26th. This month there’s an additional event on Saturday 20th which specialises in Winter Wildfowl too. Terry’s regular walks typically begin at 9.30 and last around three hours, covering two miles of walking. His Winter Wildfowl event, though, is an extended walk designed to introduce participants to less common birds like the American Wigeon, Eider or Great Northern Diver.

“Birdwatching is an incredibly rewarding pursuit and it can begin with just an hour of your time from your garden or a pleasant morning spent at the reservoir.”

“You can invest anything from £100 to £3,000 in a pair of binoculars but even a modest pair should provide sound optics pricier ones are just more rugged,” says Terry. “Spend time in the countryside, remember to listen as well as look - since many birds can be identified by their sound before you see them- and seek the advice of the area’s very friendly experienced birdwatchers. Above all though, enjoy yourself birdwatching isn’t about putting yourself under pressure to spot rare species, it’s simply about enjoying the countryside.”

n For information on Terry’s birdwatching courses, call 01572 770651 or see rutlandwater.org.uk. To take part in The Big Garden Birdwatch see www.rspb.org.uk to register your participation.

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Five Birdwatching

ADVENTURES Local birding hotspots as recommended by Rutland Water’s Terry Mitcham

1. Eyebrook Reservoir: Birdwatcher will love the abundance of waders and reed birds in this diverse landscape.

2. Pickworth Great Wood: Red Kites are a common spot here, and there’s a relatively undisturbed habitat commensurate with what you’d expect from British woodland.

3. Clipsham Park Wood: Clipsham Park Wood was leased to the Forestry Commission on a 999 year lease back in 1955. 83 acres of woodland and country estate means undisturbed birdwatching spaces to enjoy all year round.

4. Exton Estate: Public footpaths and a variety of territories from lakes to woodland to arable fields and scrub mean the Exton Estate is a super venue for birdwatchers all year round.

RUTLAND’S FIVE MOST COMMON GARDEN BIRDS

5. Rutland Water: Last but not least, as it were. 3,000 acres of water, 26 miles of shoreline and its Osprey reintroduction project make Rutland Water a must-visit birdwatching venue upon their return in spring. n

1. House Sparrow: 5.3m breeeding pairs in the UK. 2. Blackbird: 10-15m birds in the UK, numbers have declined by 27%.

3. Starling: Population has decreased by 79% over past 38 years, but still the third most common birds in Rutland gardens.

4. Blue Tit: 20-44m breeding pairs in UK. 5. Wood Pigeon: 5.4m breeding pairs, most common pigeon in UK. >>

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WEDDINGS

Love at First Bite

It was a case of love at first bite for this month’s featured couple, as Liza and Mark met one another whilst working in the restaurant trade. The couple planned their Rutland wedding in less than a year, using a wealth of local suppliers...

Images: Lee Daniels, Elegantlee Captured, 07738 255683, www.elegantleecaptured.com.

It was a case of love at first bite for Liza Hardy as she and fiancé Mark met each other whilst working in the restaurant trade. The couple began dating back in 2009 and following a romantic proposal in an Italian restaurant, became engaged in November 2015.

“In between we purchased a house so the engagement was on hold whilst we invested our time and money in that, but we always had a firm idea of where we wanted our wedding to be,” says Liza.

Though the couple live over the border in Lincolnshire, they’d visited Rutland on a number of occasions to enjoy the scenery and spend the odd day walking around the reservoir.

“One day we were walking, and saw a couple getting married at Normanton Church,” says Lisa. “It looked like the perfect place to hold a wedding, and I dropped quite a strong hint that I’d like to marry there one day too!”

Liza gave herself just a year to plan her wedding, and says she remained calm throughout. The couple visited Normanton Church and set a date for their Rutland wedding before looking for a reception venue.

The Wedding of

LIZA & MARK SHARMAN

“We looked at one hotel in the area but happened across Barnsdale Lodge and settled on it because it had just the look and feel we were hoping for; smart but rustic, with really good service.”

The couple were married at Normanton, and enjoyed a river cruise on the Rutland Belle so their wedding guests could take in the scenery, enjoy the chance to have a drink and spend some time with one another.

A reception followed at Barnsdale Lodge in the barn adjacent to the main hotel.

Liza chose an A-line gown by Enzoani with lace appliqué from Peterborough’s Wedding Room, and sourced her flowers from Stamford’s Flower House.

Liza’s three bridesmaids and two flower girls carried hand-tied gypsophila arrangements, and their dresses, with a mint colour scheme, were sourced online. Mark’s seven groomsmen were similarly attired with light grey suits and mint ties.

The couple’s rustic theme was also continued into the decoration of the reception as well, with hessian employed for decorations and with Liza and Mark hand-carving their place names into ‘coasters’ which guests were able to take home as a keepsake. >> 93

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- WEDDINGS -

With a background of Rutland countryside, the couple’s wedding was a fun day full of rustic charm... >> The couple’s wedding reception was great fun thanks to the use of outdoor games - Jenga, limbo and croquet, and as it took place on a slightly cooler day in August, any late evening chills and darkness were countered by blankets and glowsticks.

Photographer Lee Daniels captured some amazing images, whilst Liza was relieved that she decided to employ a videographer who captured all of the moments the couple missed on the day. The couple say they were also impressed with their local classical guitarist Steve Bean.

With a naked cake at the reception, fun speeches and a honeymoon to Dubai taken shortly after the wedding, the couple say that their wedding was every bit the day they dreamed of. With a background of Rutland countryside, it was full of rustic charm and was a fun day that the whole family could enjoy! n 94

Images: Lee Daniels, Elegantlee Captured, 07738 255683, www.elegantleecaptured.com.

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RUTLAND WEDDINGS

wedding VENUES 2018 WEDDING TRENDS

SOME OF OUR FAVOURITE WEDDING VENUES IN THE AREA FOR BESPOKE LUXURY WEDDINGS

Rustic weddings are still popular in our part of the country, but luxe weddings will work beautifully in some of Rutland’s most luxurious wedding venues (see opposite).

Above: Eight tier two metre cake; rosalindmillercakes.com.

Top Right: Hire tall candlabras and make tables uniform for a luxurious, formal look. Right: Hand-tied posey, English roses.

BESPOKE SUITS FOR RUTLAND GROOMS

It’s a bride’s prerogative to agonise over choosing the perfect wedding dress, but don’t forget the groom. Tailor Andrew Musson has a range of wedding hirewear, but can also design and make a A BESPOKE SUIT FROM ANDREW MUSSON completely unique bespoke suit to ensure the groom can enjoys luxury and exceptional quality too.

WILL ENSURE RUTLAND GROOMS WILL See www.andrewjmusson.com.

LOOK GREAT ON THE BIG DAY TOO...

1. Rushton Hall, Kettering Grade I listed with a new orangery (pictured) and three AA rosette dining.

01536 713001 www.rushtonhall.com

2. Barnsdale Lodge, Exton Available for country house weddings, and agents for the Fort Henry fishing folly a very unique wedding venue! 01572 724678 www.barnsdalelodge.co.uk 3. Barton Hall, Kettering Sister venue to Rushton Hall, Grade I listed and offering beautiful grounds.

01536 515505 www.bartonhall.com

4. The Haycock, Wansford With a newly refurbished ballroom, The Haycock has a civil license and dedicated wedding coordinator.

01780 782223 macdonaldhotels.co.uk 5. Kilworth House, Kilworth Beautiful country house hotel with 38 acres of grounds, and bespoke wedding options.

01858 880058 www.kilworthhouse.co.uk

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CHECK

MATE Check shirts are on trend for gents, evoking a classic country look. Wear one with a sports jacket and stay warm in style...

Below: Barbour Greystoke Regular fit in Navy, £59.95 see www.barbour.co.uk.

Right: Gant Regular Fit Colour Big check shirt with raspberry stripe £95. John Lewis, Queensgate, Peterborough 01733 344644.

Opposite Page, Main: Schöffel Country Brancaster Shirt Blue/Burgundy £69.95.

Cavells Country, Oakham, 01572 770 600, www.cavells.co.uk.

Opposite, Far Right, Top: Dubarry Ballincollig Shirt, £79. 01608 677622, dubarryboots.com.

Opposite, Far Right, Middle: Schöffel Burnham Tattersall Shirt, Red/Green Check £69.95.

01572 772480, www.schöffel.co.uk.

Opposite, Far Right, Bottom: Joules Hewney Classic Fit Shirt, £49.95. Joules, High Street, Stamford, 01780 751892, www.joules.com. n

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FASHION FOR MEN

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FASHION

SIX OF THE BEST: COATS FOR THE COUNTRY

From quilted jackets to wax and waterproofs, the best ways to stay warm and dry...

1: Schöffel Country Kensington Down Jacket Navy, £329, Cavells, 01572 772480.

2: Musto Women's Winchester Tweed Jacket £400, www.musto.com.

3: Barbour Stratus jacket in mustard, £189, www.barbour.com.

4: Barbour Edna Overshirt in grey marl, £149, www.barbour.com.

5. Joules Coast waterproof jacket £89.95, www.joules.com.

6. Schöffel Uppingham Country Coat in Mocha, £319.95, Cavells, 01572 772480.

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FITZWILLIAM HOSPITAL

A Better Way to Health

The availability of consultant-led healthcare in a clean and comfortable environment has always been a hallmark of Peterborough’s Fitzwilliam Hospital.

With multi-million pound investments in new facilities, the Ramsay-backed private hospital now offers an even better prospect for those seeking quality healthcare...

It’s one of the most impressive private healthcare facilities in the area. Backed by Ramsay, which owns and operates 36 private hospitals in the UK and over 220 facilities worldwide, employing 3,500 staff in this country alone.

Peterborough’s Fitzwilliam Hospital is the company’s local private facility built in 1983.

With 43 bedrooms including one twin room, the hospital’s success has been proven year on year, and 2017 has seen unprecedented levels of investment, according to General Manager Carl Cottam.

A Brand New Operating Theatre...

“To meet demand, to keep facilities up to date and to keep waiting times down, we’ve created a brand new state-of-the-art theatre,” says Carl. “It represents an investment of over £2m and features Laminar air flow to achieve the most stringent standards of ultra-sterile theatre conditions.”

“That brings the total number of theatres at the facility to five, and we’re about to bring into commission a two-bed High Dependency Unit which will enable us to undertake more complex operations especially in the field of orthopaedics and spinal procedures.”

Up to Date Diagnostic Equipment...

The new theatre and HDU facility will build upon an investment the hospital made in 2015 of more than £1m for the most up to date Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner. The fixed unit within a dedicated imaging suite provides images whose resolution and clarity remain unsurpassed, allowing Fitzwilliam’s clinicians to make accurate and informed diagnoses.

“We’ve great success in providing orthopaedic and spinal surgery. In those fields, excellent

Words & Images: Rob Davis.

diagnostic information is essential, especially pre-surgery, and together with our CT and endoscopy suite, we’re able to provide MRI and a full range of diagnostic procedures to give our patients the most accurate and minimally invasive assessment of their needs.”

Post-Surgery Rehabilitation...

Likewise, post-surgery physiotherapy can make a significant contribution to ensuring a rapid return to mobility. That’s why the hospital has invested in the creation of a new gymnasium and seven refreshed consulting rooms staffed by a highly qualified team of chartered physiotherapists. There is a particular focus on sports injury care and rehabilitation..

A Range of Specialisms...

Ramsay’s Fitzwilliam Hospital offers both Self-Pay and Insurance-funded care pathways under its Premium Care programme, with consultant-led care, with appointments in as little as 72 hours, and with private en suite rooms. Offering the availability of treatment under NHS Choose & Book as well, access to the hospital’s 160 consultants has never been greater and the Care Quality Commission’s last report awarded the hospital a ‘Good’ rating. Specialisms include orthopaedics, spinal, gynaecology, general surgery ophthalmology, ENT, cosmetic and bariatric surgery, as well as general health screening and private GP appointments.

“We’re proud to provide exceptional care in a modern, comfortable environment,” says Carl. “And the latest facilities are a way of ensuring our consultants and our patients have the best advice, the best treatment and access to the latest facilities, too.” n The Ramsay Fitzwilliam Hospital is based in South Bretton, Peterborough. Call 01733 261717 or see www.fitzwilliamhospital.co.uk.

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- COSMETICS -

1. FEED YOUR SKIN WHILST YOU SLEEP Hibernation? Chance would be a fine thing this winter, with resolutions to keep and winter walks to enjoy.

Fortunately, this time saver can revive your skin’s natural, healthy appearance whilst you sleep, utilising rice peptides, rosemary leaves and ginkgo biloba.

Sisley Botanical D-Tox retails at beauty counters for around £145.

Waking Up Winter Skin

2. Inspired by Oceans

Whipped to perfection, this refreshing, illuminating day cream is worth the premium cost, combining mineral-rich oceanic sea water and plumping hyaluronic acid to reverse signs of skin ageing; Avant Skincare’s Pro-Intense £98.

3. A Winter Glow

Glow and behold with light reflecting pigments and skin-repairing Vitamin C in this long-wearing, sheer coverage foundation. We’re confident you’ll find your ideal shade within Clinique’s Even Better Glow Light Reflecting range £27.

4. The Elixir of Life Simplicity at its finest. This non-toxic facial treatment is a great January skin boost, with four beautifully plants oils that restore life and vitality providing a backstage secret glow from within.

Butter Elixir’s face serum £52.

5. Created for Men’s Skin Specially formulated for men’s skin, Clarins Men is a premium brand that’s a long term favourite of ours.

Soap-free cleansing wash deeply cleanses with exfoliating lava powder and spot-fighting salicylic acid. Moisture balm is non-greasy and light; £21.50, £30.

n John Rohnan-Wharff is a beauty and makeup blogger, who reviews and rates products at www.mr-wharff.com. All products from good independent stockists unless otherwise stated, prices are RRP. 109

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Have every reason

to SMILE in 2018 Don’t go through another year of not being able to smile, chew or socialise with confidence because of your dentures, bridges or missing teeth. Take action with dental implants from the Dental Health Centre, Lincolnshire’s centre of excellence for implant treatment.

Our skilful team of experts in Grantham are an excellent choice as the providers of your dental implants because of our years of experience, passion for providing exemplary care and expertise.

Taking steps to transform the appearance and strength of your teeth is an excellent way to feel more confident. If you have any queries about implant treatment, or would like to book a free 30-minute consultation, please do not hesitate to contact us, as our friendly, knowledgeable staff are happy to help.

No matter how well fitted your dentures may be, they will never feel completely natural. Dental implants are placed into your jaw, so they look, feel and work just like your own teeth.

Dental implants allow you to eat, drink, taste, chew, talk, laugh and

smile with complete confidence.

When fitted properly by skilled clinicians, they are stable, comfortable and look exactly like natural teeth.

Many people find wearing dentures painful, inconvenient and awkward.

They can make it difficult to chew, which can stop you from eating many of the foods you once enjoyed.

Often, your palate is covered and this can prevent you from tasting your food properly. Wearing dentures may also affect how you pronounce words and therefore the way you speak.

Our patients say that once their implants have been placed, they can happily forget all about them and start living their lives to the full once more.

Dental implants prove to be the most cost effective solution to replacing missing teeth and to help spread the cost we offer payment options including 0% finance.

We have extensive experience in restorative dentistry and always work to give our patients the confidence of a beautiful smile. Please contact us for more information or to book a consultation.

The Dental Health Centre, 3 Avenue Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 6TA. Tel: 01476 594480, or see www.dentalhealthcentre.co.uk

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- SKINTIQUE -

Natural Looking Results

Skintique Clinic is dedicated to ensure natural-looking results for clients, through a range of bespoke, non-invasive anti-ageing aesthetic treatments & premium skincare “Safety, honesty, and natural looking results.”

“For example, our Hydrafacial MD skin health programme is our flagship range of medi-facials, which also can be tailored to an anti-ageing, acne, rosacea or pigmentation-treatment protocol.”

These are the hallmarks that define a professional aesthetic clinic, states Dr Natalia Hancock. As the owner of Skintique Clinic in Leicester, Natalia and her six-strong team of medical aestheticians offer a wide range of bespoke treatments, to provide a programme that is sharply tailored to each client.

Born in St Petersburg, where she achieved her medical degree, Natalia moved to the UK in 2005 to work in the NHS as a gynaecologist, a forensic medical examiner and even a psychiatrist before becoming a member of the British College of Aesthetic Doctors.

“I have been practicing aesthetic medicine since 2011, and the number of corrective procedures we provide for clients who have had dermal fillers elsewhere has been significantly increasing in the last few years. The injectable industry is extremely unregulated, so it is vital to choose your practitioner wisely.

“In addition, I became increasingly aware that injectables on their own cannot provide the optimum natural looking results. All aspects of the face must be harmonically bal-

“The range can be varied in intensity, and can be combined with our Alumier MD range of cosmeceutical facials and peels.”

anced - ratios, volumes and skin quality alike. If the skin quality doesn't match the volume restored by dermal fillers, people can simply end up looking old and done.”

“Skintique Clinic is an all-rounder. You can stop researching treatments on the Internet we carry out thorough research for you, and cherry-pick the safest, most efficient and most effective technology available on the market.

This enables us to offer you the most personal service possible, with the results to match.”

“We can also introduce Forma RF skin tightening and facial rejuvenation with our Inmode platform, and we can offer photofacial treatments with our Lumecca medical-grade IPL, as well as permanent hair reduction using our Diolaze diode laser.”

“A no-obligation free consultation allows us to discuss potential treatment options with clients, and to create a highly-tailored plan.”

“We aim to ensure that our clients are thrilled with visible but natural looking results, that have skin health at their very core.” n Skintique Clinic is based on Welford Road, Leicester, call 0116 2700 123 or see skintiqueclinic.com.

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AVICENNA CLINIC

Consultant Led Care

What is ‘consultant led care’ and why is it so important? Find out as Robyn Sinclair visits a private healthcare practice that places patient care and comfort at the very heart of its agenda.

“The NHS is in crisis...” How often do we hear this statement? And do we really know what it means? At the end of the day, the NHS is such a huge machine. And no one has a clear idea of ‘why’ it is broken much less ‘where’ it is broken. But broken it is.

Waiting lists, working conditions, lack of funding and the sheer level of demand have all been worthy scape goats over the years.

But, as yet, we’re still to truly understand the real complexity and severity of the situation.

Words: Robyn Sinclair.

Consultant-led care is common practice abroad. And most private UK clinics also operate this process of care. One such organisation is Avicenna Clinic, based in central Peterborough. Established by consultant radiologist, Hany Elmadbouh.

“I’ve been a consultant radiologist for 20 years, working in both the NHS and private practice. I can see that, where consultants see patients, diagnose and plan treatment options,

We’ve seen nurses and junior doctors in the headlines. Midwife numbers are in crisis.

And now there are fears of an exodus, as family GPs threaten a walkout.

So, what is the alternative? There has been much talk of consultant led care over the years. Back in 2012, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges carried out detailed research into the benefits of consultant led care. The summary of its report highlighted clear evidence of key benefits including: rapid and appropriate decision making, more efficient uses of resources, GP’s access to the opinion of a fully trained consultant and improved patient outcomes – with a noticeable difference in morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, consultant care is associated with faster patient processing and decreased hospital stays. A win-win situation.

Local businessman Bruce Dodworth was one such patient who underwent a ground-breaking procedure at the clinic in June this year.

Having ‘slipped a disk’ he found himself immobile and in complete agony. With the prospect of surgery on the cards, he visited the practice to undergo a full diagnosis and obtain a referral to spinal surgeon, Mr Wojcik.

Within two weeks, and a couple of appointments later, Bruce had been assessed, had received a diagnostic MRI scan and undergone a ground-breaking treatment; an MRI Guided Injection. The pain relief was instant and enabled him to resume 70%

Injured? Ill? Go to your GP and wait patiently for their diagnosis. Then wait patiently for the referral. Even once you’ve met your consultant you’re likely to be referred back to your GP. No rest for the wicked; you are at the disposal of an ever-expanding medical support team and their overburdened waiting lists. And you’re relying on non-specialist medical professionals to co-ordinate and summarise your treatment needs.

I believe it is the consultant led approach that enables this.” Avicenna Clinic, a purpose built clinic, which opened its doors in April this year, has seen a huge demand from patients who are looking to avoid the long waiting lists they face on the NHS.

“Consultant led care, has proven to be worth its weight in gold...” patients recover quicker and see better results from their treatments.

“I work in radiology. Often, I see patients who are suffering from acute pain; joint and spinal injuries being the most common complaints. No one wants to be in pain for any extended period of time.

“I work very closely with musculoskeletal consultants at the clinic to make sure we get to the root cause of the condition as soon as possible, in the most minimally invasive way.

normal functionality immediately.

“When in pain, patients need to return to normal posture and movement to aid recovery.

Without this, the cycle of pain continues.

Because I was leading the care and treatment process, we were able to streamline Mr Dodworth’s treatment.

Instead of attending a number of appointments over the course of six weeks or so, we were able to assess, diagnose and plan treatment in the same day. That speed and efficiency not only suited Mr Dodworth’s hectic schedule, but also impacted the success of his treatment. The injury was not being left to get worse or become compounded by his adaptation of movement.”

This is just one example where the case for consultant led, expedited care, has proven to be worth its weight in gold. It is now for us as patients - to understand that we do have a choice. We don’t have to wait. And we can

To find out more or to make a booking, call 0330 202 0597 or visit www.avicennaclinic.com.

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SCHOOLS & COLLEGES

Schools Colleges...

Oakham School, Rutland...

Copthill School, Stamford...

Copthill School, is very proud to have been awarded the highest rating of ‘Excellent’ in both categories of a recent educational quality inspection carried out by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI). Copthill is a thriving Independent School of 300 pupils aged between 2 to 11 years and situated on the edge of Stamford. A team of inspectors judged both the quality of the pupils’ achievements and the quality of the pupils’ personal development as ‘excellent’ “One of the key outcomes of the report describes everything we hope a Copthill pupil will be” 118

explains Mrs Helen Schofield, Headteacher. ‘Pupils have extremely positive attitudes to learning; they are enthusiastic, curious, versatile, independent and open to new challenges.’

Pupils from Copthill move on to a wide range of local secondary schools and the inspectors also highlighted that ‘With their versatility and highly positive attitudes to learning, the large majority of pupils gain places at their chosen senior schools where standards of entry are high, and that in the last three years the number of music, academic and sporting awards and scholarships gained has averaged double figures.’

n You are invited to see this for yourself during our Open Morning on Thursday 5th October from 9.00am – 11.00am. Call 01780 757506 or visit www.copthill.com.

Oakham is well known and loved for being a friendly and unpretentious school.

Whilst we are proud of our 400-year heritage, our priority is always to be at the forefront of educational developments: to be educational innovators.

We were one of the first independent schools to move to co-education in 1971 and we were one of the first schools to introduce the IB Diploma, alongside A-levels.

We continue to look to the future and our focus now, in today’s digital world, is on effectively teaching students Information Literacy.

Whilst academic excellence lies at the heart of everything we do, our focus goes far beyond just encouraging our students to achieve outstanding results in their examinations.

Our genuinely holistic approach to education means that learning is never just confined to the four walls of a classroom.

There are five major drama productions every year, we teach over 500 individual music lessons each week and we offer 30 different sports to students of all levels – from enthusiasts to elite athletes.

Activities are also an integral part of life, with students able to choose from over 130 activities to take part in each week - options range from dance to robotics, e-textiles to sailing – there really is something for everyone!

By the time they leave us, Oakhamians are well rounded and confident young adults, equipped to ask the right questions, to know how to find the answers for themselves, and in doing so, to be able to make a difference in the world.

n Visit www.oakham.rutland.sch.uk or call 01572 758758 for more information.

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Laxton Junior School, Oundle...

Laxton Junior School is an independent co-educational day school with 260 children aged four to 11 years. It is situated close to Peterborough, about eighty miles north of London, in the small and attractive, quintessentially English town of Oundle.

Laxton Junior School aims to provide the best possible preparatory education, where pupils’ strengths are recognised and nurtured, in order for them to fulfil their potential as young learners.

The School offers a wide variety of extra-curricular activities too, where pupils are encouraged to express themselves through sport, drama and hobbies.

It is acknowledged that the importance of play cannot be stressed enough and is a vital component to a rounded education, complementing the teaching and learning that occurs within the classroom.

Earlier this year the Governing Body of The Corporation of Oundle School was delighted to announce the appointment of Mr Sam Robertson

Mr Robertson has a first class degree in Natural Sciences and Education from the University of Cambridge, where he studied for his PGCE. “I’m privileged to lead this fantastic community of children, families and staff,” said Mr Robertson. “Laxton Junior School has a reputation as a place of excellence, across and beyond the curriculum.” n Laxton Junior School’s next Open Morning will take place on Friday 9th February 2018.

Call 01832 277159 or see www.laxtonjunior.org.uk

The Peterborough School, Peterborough...

The Peterborough School is the city’s only independent day school for boys and girls from Nursery to Sixth Form.

Situated on one campus in the centre of Peterborough, the School and ‘Outstanding’ Nursery enjoy beautiful, extensive grounds and have access to excellent road, rail and other transport links.

Small class sizes and strong pastoral support nurture every child at our School. Boys and girls take part in a varied programme of extra-curricular activities such as sport, music, drama and art.

The school is a vibrant place, with small classes providing boys and girls with the individual attention, opportunities, confidence and ability to exploit fully their natural

potential within a happy, caring and friendly community.

In the Preparatory School (4 to 11 years) the children are encouraged to be independent and inquisitive learners and develop many important skills through the extended curriculum and many extra curricular clubs and activities available.

In the Senior School and Sixth Form students’ unique talents are identified and developed, whether they are in the classroom, in the creative arts or on the sports field.

Closely monitored academic performance means students generally achieve levels higher than those originally expected.

Our pastoral support is second to none and we passionately believe that children cannot learn well unless they are happy. n Visitors are extremely welcome; please go to www.thepeterboroughschool.co.uk or call 01733 343357 to make an appointment.

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- EDUCATION -

Stamford Endowed Schools...

Passion, enthusiasm, commitment and care underline every aspect of life at Stamford Endowed Schools. We believe in unlocking all of life’s possibilities and strive to give our students the experience, academic qualifications and confidence to succeed.

Stamford Endowed Schools consists of Stamford Junior School (2-11), Stamford School (boys 11-18) and Stamford High School (girls 11-18).

Our highly personalised boarding provision is spread across five houses and received the ‘Outstanding’ rating in the last Ofsted Inspection. This is the highest grade that it’s possible to achieve and a strong endorsement of the care given to the children in our charge.

Boarding provides a safe and

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secure environment for the personal and academic development of each boarding student.

Our schools are fashioned in a ‘Diamond structure’ format allowing pupils a tailored and personalised education at every level. Girls and Boys are taught together at junior school, separately at senior school and then brought back together again for sixth form.

Proven academic results and tradition are the reasons behind a co-ed education system, where tailored teaching and learning methods are used to maximise our students’ potential.

Stamford Endowed Schools are fortunate to have a noticeable list of prominent alumni, including, William Cecil, General Sir Mike Jackson and Sarah Outen to name just a few. n See www.ses.lincs.sch.uk or call on 01780 750311 for details.

New Youth Theatre, Grantham...

Performing before an audience takes nerve, discipline and courage; things that grow bit by bit through encouragement.

New Youth Theatre respects those who have even the simplest wish to dare to push their talent that little bit further so that at some point along the way a child is able to command an audience with a solo performance in a leading role.

Well, that’s the stage for you.

Once the curtain has come down, what then? Unless you’re going to brave the acting profession as a career choice, what else can the experience of time spent with New Youth Theatre give a child?

Well, for a start they’ve been in a team. The leading players have more often than not come through the chorus or else helped with making the sets.

They’ve had to rub along with each other for the greater good of the show, so the experience friendship and cooperation has rounded their characters.

Let’s link this to an ability to stand before 200 strangers and use a developed talent to bring about tears and laughter and you have an individual who will shine in an interview and demonstrate a personality that’s ready to fit in with the adult world of work, especially if that interview includes a presentation.

Employers are looking for personality and character, and that’s what we offer. n For more information, please visit www.newyouththeatre.co.uk or call 01522 244365.

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BUSINESS NEWS

Loomes Launches Rutland Watch

STAMFORD Watchmakers Loomes have released a new mechanical wristwatch called the Rutland. The Rutland watch is hand built in Loomes’ Stamford workshops using their signature 39mm stainless steel case and with Stamfordmade and printed dials.

Loomes is a traditional clock and watchmakers, based in Stamford and Rutland for almost twenty five years.

A dozen skilled craftsmen and women fill their riverside workshops. Restoration work still forms a large part of their work but they are increasingly renowned, internationally, for watchmaking and have won industry awards for their work.

Managing Director Robina Hill said “I am incredibly proud of every single watch we make.”

“The Rutland watch reflects both our love of where we live, and what is important to us. Every watch we produce makes me proud of the whole team.”

The making of the Rutland watch reflects the Rutland county motto, multum in parvo. In this instance some 150 components are assembled into each wristwatch.

The skilled craftsmen at Loomes make parts, print dials, hand-build, lubricate

Creating the perfect space for work, rest or play!

OAK LEAF STUDIOS CAN CREATE YOUR STUDIO, OFFICE OR ACCOMMODATION

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and test each one. Each is delivered with a three year guarantee. Hand wound, the decorated 30 hour mechanism is visible through the case back, through a sapphire case window. The dials are printed in either duck egg blue or satin ivory, subtle backgrounds

for the dark blue steel hands.

The watches are fitted on refined leather straps in black, blue or brown and available from £980. Elegance and hand-made discretion combine to tell no more than a wristwatch should - the right time. n See www.loomeswatches.com.

RUTLAND Whether you’re looking to create a reading room, or a summer house, an office for your business at the bottom of the garden or a studio in which to write, paint or pursue your hobby, Oak Leaf Studios can help you to create a stylish new space.

The company is owned by Neal Jagger, who has over 35 years experience in the industry and offers a turnkey service.

Neal can design and build your project, obtaining all necessary planning consents and working in conservation areas or on buildings in the gorunds of listed properties.

Neal’s buildings start at around £10,000 for basic storage buildings, and are completely bespoke so they can be whatever size or shape a customer requires; they rise to around £150,000 in cost.

Two storey buildings are no problem, and Neal can incorporate features like underfloor heating and fully fitted kitchens and bathrooms as well as decked areas with hot tubs or ‘green’ features like solar panels.

n For more information on Neal

Jagger’s buildings, call 07498 663422 or visit Oak Leaf Studios at www.oakleafstudios.co.uk.

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ACCOUNTANCY FIRM IS COMMITED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ITS PEOPLE

“We are absolutely committed to providing and developing high quality roles within Duncan & Toplis that allow individuals to reach their potential and enjoy a rewarding career with the firm,” says Managing Director Adrian Reynolds.

The firm has 11 offices including their Stamford based practice.

RUTLAND Luxury private hire firm Home James is looking forward to helping Stamford and Rutland’s partygoers to arrive home safe and sound this season.

Founded by Rob Murphy, Home James operates across Stamford and Rutland and will ensure that those enjoying a festive tipple are able to see in the new year before being driven home by a professional.

In addition to providing a private hire and local taxi service, the company also provides a five star chauffeur service and the availability of unmarked prestige vehicles ensuring both luxury and discretion.

The firm is also available for airport transfers and longer journeys, and provides 24 hour availability. A must-know service for the festive season and new year period. n Call 01572 868312 or 07561 a for pre-booking enquiries.

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n The firm is based on All Saints’ St, Stamford.

Call 01780 750888 or see www.duntop.co.uk.

Get a head start by planning your garden this season...

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WINTER GARDEN DESIGN WITH YVETTE

RUTLAND You may not be able to enjoy your garden in the winter months, but now’s the time to get your growing going, according to designer Yvette Smith. The winter months can see experts like Yvette designing your garden with a consultation process that could see work starting this year.

Spending the winter designing your garden in collaboration with Yvette - who has a First Class (Hons) Degree in Environmental Design & Management, and has designed trade stands for RHS Hampton Court and Tatton Park - will ensure you have a head start, ready to enjoy a brand new garden!

BUSINESS

NEWS In Brief

SOUTH KESTEVEN

COUNCIL’S £40M BOOST FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES South Kesteven District Council’s Leader, Councillor Matthew Lee, announced an investment package of £40 million at a major economic summit recently.

Cllr Lee outlined a series of investments for each of the district’s four market towns, as well as its 80-plus rural villages, all of which will either be completed or underway by 2020.

The Council calculates that its £40 million investment programme could attract as much as £400 million of private money in the next three years and as much as £1.2 billion in 20 years time.

Initiatives include new office space including a new digital ‘hub’ in Stamford and a new, 10,000 square metre facility in The Deepings, as well as ‘micro-hubs’ in rural areas. n

£500,000

STAMFORD East Midlands based accountancy firm Duncan & Toplis are celebrating after being awarded the Commitment to People Development Award at the prestigious East Midlands Chamber Nottinghamshire Business Awards recently.

The award sought to recognise firms which demonstrated commitment to people development and the promotion of a learning culture.

Luxury Private Hire service is driven to succeed this month...

HALF A MILLION POUNDS OF INVESTMENT has been made in Rutland’s Casterton College, as it opens a new suite of classrooms aimed at increasing its provision of sixth form educationPrincipal Carl Smith cut the ribbon recently. n For more information see www.castertoncollege.com.

Top Development

n See www.yvettesdesignsolutions.co.uk or call 01949 876182 for details.

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MOTORS

DAWN ASTON’S NEW

There’s something to be said for forward planning. Take Aston Martin’s new flagship convertible model, for example. It may be cold and dark outside right now, but place your order for its new DB11 Volante this month and you’ll secure one of the first vehicles to be delivered this spring... just in time for the sunshine!

Words: Rob Davis.

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It’s ironic that manufacturers of soft top cars typically reveal their soft top sports cars in the middle of winter. Still, if you place your order this month you’ll at least have something to look forward to until spring comes along. As the better weather arrives and winter is finally defeated by blue skies and warmer temperatures, you’ll be taking delivery of your new Aston Martin DB11.

To put the car in context, the DB11 sits above the Vantage. The DB11 previewed in the last Bond film, Spectre, and reached showrooms last year as a hard top.

In coupé form it sells for £145,000 upwards, with a 4.0V8 or 5.2V12. Now though, the bar has been liberated of its roof and is set to sell for around £160,000 - not a terrific premium for wind-in-the-hair motoring.

Paradoxically, it’s the lighter V8 engine that represents the better car, reaching 60mph in a whisper over four seconds and with 187mph possible on a closed track.

“Performance and handling are a given, and craftsmanship of the car is quintessentially Aston Martin...”

Relying on a turbocharger, it’s more nimble than previous models, which pays dividends in terms of handling, riding on steel springs and adaptive dampers. That means the DB11’s ride is sporty, but not punishing for day to day driving. Likewise, the car’s eightspeed automatic gearbox makes light work of urban traffic, and a slew of electronic aids will keep the car pretty side up.

Standard equipment is more generous than any Aston Martin before it, and the cabin is more modern, with the latest infotainment system, even if the central controller has been half-inched from Mercedes.

Though technically there are two rear seats, the car is ostensibly a two seater, but practicality is aided with a new electrically operated folding roof - which now operates in just 14 seconds enabling boot space to increase by 20%, to roughly the same size as a Ford Fiesta.

Of course, performance and handling are a given, and craftsmanship is quintessentially Aston Martin. Ultimately though, the DB11 is the ‘pretty boy’ of the GT world and will typically be purchased on the basis of its looks, not its numbers. On that point, we call upon that hackneyed cliché of a picture being worth a 1,000 words... it’s a beautiful car, and will be fêted by car lovers everywhere for just that reason. n

ASTON MARTIN

DB11 VOLANTE Price: £159,000, to order now.

Engine: 4.0 V8, 503bhp.

Drivetrain: Eight speed automatic with rear wheel drive.

Performance: 0-60mph 4.1 seconds; 187mph top speed.

Economy: 24.8mpg combined.

Equipment: Sat nav, electric heated leather seats, 2+2 seating, keyless entry and go, 360° camera, cruise, climate, Bluetooth.

Optional: Ventilated seats, Bang & Olufsen audio, auto parking, heated steering wheel.

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