PR IDE LINCOLNSHIRE
Julian Wilkinson, CEO & Publisher, Pride Magazines
WELCOME TO PRIDE
We certainly do live in interesting times. Locally, nationally, and internationally, politics dominates the news headlines and never have they had more cause to do so than right now.
The sword of Damocles is hanging over our current arrangement of borough, district and county councils, and it’s likely that they’ll be consolidated into larger authorities to work in cooperation with Greater Lincolnshire’s Combined County Authority.
That being the case, this month we speak to Dame Andrea Jenkyns, who heads up the latter as our county-wide mayor, to find out how the establishment of the CCA has been a benefit to the county, 12 months after her election.
We’re also speaking with Jacob Rees-Mogg, former politician, commentator, and also a
GB News broadcaster, ahead of his visit to Lincoln’s New Theatre Royal as part of a tour.
In this edition you can also meet Ava Glass, an author whose previous working life was alongside Britain’s intelligence services. Ava’s career has ensured she is well-placed to write fiction that is just as strange as the fact underpinning the genre.
Elsewhere we enjoy meeting Lincolnshire’s Red Arrows as they begin their summer season of flying displays, and we’re out and about photographing the Burton and Blankney Hunt Balls in Lincoln and Newark.
And finally, we’re enjoying exceptional dining at Lincoln’s Jew’s House, we take Porsche’s newest 911 for a drive and we’ve a full preview of this month’s Wolds Outdoor Festival.
Our very best wishes for a great month!
MAY 2026
LOCAL NEWS & EVENTS
08LOCAL NEWS Our round-up of ‘good news’ stories from across Lincolnshire.
10HIGH LIFE The Burton Hunt Ball, and The Blankney Hunt Ball too!
35 THE GUIDE Jacob Rees-Mogg’s tour reaches Lincoln, plus enjoy the Wolds Outdoor Festival and meet espionage author Ava Green.
58 RED ARROWS Lincolnshire’s Wing Commander Sasha Nash on leading the world’s most famous display team.
102FARMING With Andrew Ward MBE. 104WEDDINGS Will & Iona’s Day.
FOOD & DRINK
20DINING OUT Enjoying the finest food at Lincoln’s Jew’s House Restaurant.
26LINCOLNSHIRE RESTAURANTS Our comprehensive guide to the best local restaurants, cafés, bistros and food producers and suppliers.
30RECIPE When life hands you lemons, reach for Letitia Clark’s new recipe book, For the Love of Lemons.
33WINE May recommendations.
HOMES & GARDENS
68 WELCOME HOME Take a good look around Chestnut House in Grimoldby with its impressive entertaining spaces.
76INTERIORS Recommendations for your home in shades of emerald green.
80HOMES Spring recommendations for enjoying your home and garden.
84GARDENS Advice for your garden with author and expert Mark Lane.
92LUXURY HOMES Executive and rural homes across Lincolnshire.
PORTFOLIO
118THE BIG INTERVIEW One year on, we’ll find out what Dame Andrea Jenkyns has been able to achieve as Combined County Authority Mayor.
126FASHION Summer fashion with stylish blue and cream hues.
140STYLE FOR MEN Effortless style and smart tailoring with Brioni.
142 TRAVEL Breathtaking scenery in Peru.
150MOTORS Porsche’s 911 GTS.
160ALMANAC Trivia and fiction.
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CEO & Publisher of Pride Magazines: Julian Wilkinson.
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Local News
Look mum!
Sam’s on the telly!
Grantham-born experimental musician Sam Battle, better known as Look Mum No Computer, will represent the UK at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest on 16th May in Australia. His track Eins, Zwei, Drei is a deliberately eccentric entry, blending crunchy analogue synthesisers, chant-like hooks and playful lyrics referencing classic British desserts such as jam roly poly. Partly sung in German and inspired by Battle’s touring across Europe, the song is a bold departure from conventional Eurovision pop. Known for building his own unusual instruments, the Lincolnshire-born performer says he’s embracing the contest with his trademark inventive spirit and sense of fun.
20th anniversary makeover for Waters’ Edge
Waters’ Edge Country Park & Visitor Centre in Barton is set to receive new investment to mark its 20th anniversary. Improvements to the visitor experience are designed to ensure the destination remains welcoming for years to come.
Lincoln Cathedral to host a new Christmas Market
Lincoln Cathedral is seeking stallholders for its first-ever Christmas Market, set to take place from 3rd to 5th December. Applications for traders are now open for the ticketed three-day event, which will feature indoor and outdoor stalls across the cathedral’s grounds. Organisers say the market will showcase local producers and festive food and gifts.
Lincoln’s long-running Christmas Market was cancelled in 2023 over safety concerns.
‘Obnoxiously loud’ teen is town crier
Grimsby celebrated 825 years since receiving its charter from King John with a special Charter Day event on 11th March. Fifteen-year-old Isaac from Stallingborough became the town’s first town crier since the 1800s after winning a competition with his ‘obnoxiously loud’ voice, joining flag-raising celebrations held recently at Grimsby Town Hall, marking the anniversary.
Historic update to wall celebrating Lincoln ringers
Jeremy Wheeldon, Master of the Company of Ringers of Lincoln Cathedral, has had his name added to the wall of the Ringers’ Chapel, continuing a tradition that spans the centuries
An unusual addition was made last month to a seventeenthcentury wall painting in Lincoln Cathedral, where the name of Jeremy Wheeldon has been added to the historic Ringers’ Chapel.
The new inscription continues a centuries-old tradition honouring the Masters of the Cathedral’s Company of Ringers.
The Company of Ringers at Lincoln Cathedral is believed to be the oldest with a continuous history of ringing, founded in 1612 and granted letters patent in 1614. The chapel at the foot of the southwest tower was given to the company at that time and its east
wall records the names of successive Masters. Jeremy has served as Master since 2015 and has been ringing at the Cathedral for 27 years, having learned the craft as a teenager under former Master Jack Millhouse, whose name also appears on the wall. He described the addition as a great honour and a remarkable continuation of tradition.
Signwriter Jay Chapman of Newark completed the work using breathable water-based paint applied directly to the lime plaster so the lettering blends with earlier inscriptions. The Cathedral’s ringers continue to
sound the bells each Sunday and welcome new members interested in learning the skill. The full team includes sixteen regular ringers alongside learners who practise throughout the year at the Cathedral in Lincoln today.
The bells of the Cathedral are also rung for weddings, civic celebrations and special occasions throughout the year.
50 Years of the BBMF
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight relocated to RAF Coningsby from Coltishall in 1976 Send
RAF Coningsby has marked 50 years as the home of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight with the reopening of its newly refurbished Visitor Centre.
The centre has been redesigned to give visitors an improved experience with displays to highlight the story of the Memorial Flight and the historic aircraft it maintains
and flies in tribute to those who served during the Second World War.
Local dignitaries and RAF representatives attended a ceremony to mark the milestone. The attraction remains a popular destination for aviation enthusiasts with weekday opening and hangar tours available throughout the year.
Lincoln Castle displays C13th Chronica Majora
mine the future of the English crown during a period of rebellion and French invasion.
Aremarkable medieval manuscript depicting one of the most decisive moments in Lincoln’s history is now on display at Lincoln Castle. Matthew Paris’s Chronica Majora, one of the most important historical documents from medieval England, includes the earliest known illustration of the Battle of Lincoln in 1217.
Created more than 800 years ago, the manuscript vividly captures a dramatic scene from the conflict that helped deter-
The illustration shows arrows raining down on retreating French knights beneath the castle walls, while a fallen commander lies at the foot of the battlements. Inspired by the legendary knight William Marshal, royalist forces secured victory at Lincoln before defeating the French later that summer.
On loan from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, the manuscript is being displayed alongside Magna Carta for the first time.
The Chronica Majora is on display now at Lincoln Castle and will remain there until 25th May 2026 in the David P J Ross Magna Carta Vault. For more information visit www.lincolnshire.gov.uk.
The Chronica Majora on display at Lincoln Castle. ©Parker Library, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
THE BURTON HUNT BALL
Last month nearly 300 people enjoyed a drinks reception and supper followed by dancing and entertainment at the Lincolnshire Showground’s Epic Centre, as the Burton Hunt Ball took place, with an Alpine winter theme
Images:Rob Davis.
The Burton Hunt Ball, held last month, was attended by nearly 300 guests, beginning with a drinks reception followed by dinner, dancing and entertainment. With an Alpine ski lodge theme, attractions included a snowboard simulator, a silent auction, a casino and a performance by party band Truly Madly Deeply. The Burton Hunt was established in 1672, with the territory divided into the Burton and Blankney countries in 1871. Today, they ‘hunt the clean boot’, pursuing human runners who lay artificial scents rather than live quarry, in accordance with the law. See www.burtonhunt.com.
THE BLANKNEY HUNT BALL
Welcome, gentle reader, to this year’s Blankney Hunt Ball, with 1,200 attendees enjoying a Bridgerton-themed evening with some swoon-worthy gowns and rakes in fine tailoring!
Images:Rob Davis.
More than 1,200 guests gathered at Newark Showground’s George Stephenson Centre for the Blankney Hunt Ball, an unforgettable Bridgerton-themed evening of elegance and celebration. The spectacular event featured a carousel of galloping horses, dancing to a live string quartet, and later a lively disco that kept the dancefloor full well into the night. Established in 1938, the Blankney Hunt covers country from Metheringham, in the east, to near Newark, in the west, to the outskirts of Lincoln in the north, and as far south as Sleaford. The hunt follows the clean boot, pursuing a human scent rather than live quarry, and operates entirely within the law at all times.
CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF REMARKABLE FLAVOURS &ATTENTIVE SERVICE IN LINCOLN AT
THE JEW’S HOUSE RESTAURANT
Celebrating 20 years at The Jew’s House Restaurant, Gavin Aitkenhead and Samantha Tomkins continue to champion thoughtful, flavour-led cooking and gracious hospitality, offering an intimate and highly refined dining experience in one of Lincoln’s most historic buildings
Words: Rob Davis.
I’m very lucky. Driving into Lincoln the sun was beaming down, and the sky was a perfect blue. The daffodils were in full bloom by the A15 and the Red Arrows were overhead, putting on a display just for me.
I enjoy every single day of my working life but this was an exemplary indication of just how enjoyable it is to serve as the editor of Pride. That feeling only continued upon my arrival at The Jew’s House Restaurant in Lincoln where I met up with old friends Gavin and Samantha, anticipating what dishes they would present for these pages.
Work can be a chore, a job, a career, a vocation... or it can be a way of life. For me, being a magazine editor is the latter, and for Gavin and Samantha running their business (creating some wonderfully enjoyable dishes, whilst offering polished, attentive service) invokes similar enthusiasm and passion.
This year represents the couple’s 20-year anniversary running their restaurant on The Strait, at the foot of Steep Hill in Lincoln. It would be a bit hackneyed to call The Jew’s House a ‘fine dining’ restaurant, so let’s park that phrase.
Instead, we’ll say that Gavin’s dishes are foremost about flavour and cooking techniques. There are no gimmicks, trends or ‘concepts.’ Nor is there a baffling series of menus.
For the past three years, Gavin has committed to offering a tasting menu format for the restaurant, rather than à la carte dining. It was a change he’d been keen to implement for some time, but he was concerned that diners might feel denied more choice. He needn’t have worried.
I’m a fan of tasting menus. They’re more practical for restaurants offering the chance to hone the composition and presentation of each dish, until it’s perfect, without having to worry about the demands of a larger menu.
I also think it’s a reflection of a chef’s skill to design a menu, confident in the knowledge that the diner will definitely like those dishes. As a diner, I like being in the hands of a chef who wants to nudge me slightly away from the dishes to which I’d gravitate, in favour of trying something different. For the restaurant, too, a tasting menu is a preferable format. It means control over artisan ingredients and letting each one of them speak for itself.
Opposite: Seared Wild Turbot, Jerusalem Artichoke Crisps, Ice Cream with Roast Hazelnuts and Parmesan.
Above: Cured Sea Bream, Blood Orange and Fennel with Pine Nuts, Capers & Golden Sultanas.
ON THE MENU
THE JEW’S HOUSE
RESTAURANT
Steep Hill
SET THREE COURSES
£88/person
TASTING MENU
Four Courses £99/person
Six Courses £130/person
WINE FLIGHT
Five glasses, £59.50/person
Three glasses, £39.50/person
SIX COURSES, SAMPLE MENU
Cured Sea Bream, Blood Orange and Fennel with Pine Nuts, Capers & Golden Sultanas.
Seared Wild Turbot, Jerusalem Artichoke Crisps, Ice Cream with Roast Hazelnuts and Parmesan.
Slow Cooked Pork Cheek in Cider and Apple, Date Purée and Pickled Turnip.
Roast F1 British Wagyu
Sirloin, Short Rib and Roscoff Croquette, Potato and Leek Purée, with Bordelaise Sauce.
Roast Beetroot, Goats
Cheese Ice Cream, Candied Walnuts & Liquorice.
Yorkshire Rhubarb Custard Tart, Whipped Baked Cheesecake Mousse, Tonka Bean Anglaise.
NB: Sample menu and featured dishes, subject to availability and change.
Service is also more predictable: as a chef you know what’s on the menu, you can complete more preparation in advance and the whole operation becomes more organised, allowing you to concentrate on quality and presentation, putting more effort into fewer dishes. I also rather like the fact that tasting menu dining tends to mean a longer, more relaxed and more sociable dining experience.
The Jew’s House is open from Wednesday to Saturday, from 6pm-close, exclusively for evening dining. Although Samantha and Gavin are immensely proud of their tasting menus, they understand that not everyone can manage four or six courses. On Wednesday and Thursday, diners can enjoy a set menu of three courses, each with a choice of two options per course, for £88.
From Wednesday to Saturday, there’s a tasting menu with four courses (£99) or six courses (£130), with an optional flight of wine. Gavin’s implementation of tasting menus also means he can be more dynamic in terms of the way
his menus evolve. During our visit he noted that asparagus and rhubarb were especially early this year.
Instead of completely new menus season by season, Gavin constantly adapts to take advantage of which ingredients offer the quality and consistency that he needs to provide the foundation of a really great dish.
In terms of sourcing ingredients, The Jew’s House blends some of the best local producers with other exceptional suppliers from across Britain. Grantham’s Sophie Arlott provides her exceptional Lavinton Lamb, for example However, the restaurant also uses Wagyu beef from a Yorkshire supplier slightly further afield. Likewise seafood (including fresh day boat fish) is also sourced from down in Cornwall to right up in the Isles of Skye and Orkney (e.g.: hand-dived scallops).
Naturally everything from the restaurant’s snacks, to their breads, to the petit fours (sweet treats served with coffee) are made inhouse by Gavin.
Then, there’s the wine. Samantha is responsible for a warm, attentive and knowledgeable front-of-house experience, but she’s also the curator of some exceptional wine pairings, and she takes a great deal of pleasure from ensuring a flight of wine complements a particular dish. Samantha chooses not to use the title of sommelier, but her knowledge and expertise enhances the dining experience and allows guests to enjoy exceptional wine alongside Gavin’s food.
The Jew’s House is based in a 12th century, Grade I-listed building, with a rich and storied history. From the outside, the cobbled street, medieval stonework and ancient timber beams combine to create a properly traditional look and feel. Inside, your table is yours for the evening, so leave the world behind and enjoy an intimate dining experience where every choice, made both in the kitchen and outside of it, from the ingredients, to the napkins, to the paintings on the wall, has been made with care.
A special mention, too, for the couple’s beloved West Highland terriers, a favourite with guests after service. Molly sadly passed away recently, at the respectable age of 17, but her little sister Bonnie can still be found upstairs enjoying a snooze as guests dine downstairs. She is always as happy to meet doggy-loving diners as Gavin and Samantha are to welcome other well-behaved fourlegged guests by prior arrangement.
“We always enjoy visiting restaurants and we’ve taken that joy as our inspiration. We want to afford our customers the same experience and quality as we expect, too,” Gavin and Samantha say. “It’s about more than just running a restaurant. We aim to combine seasonal artisan produce with Gavin’s cooking and provide guests with a real experience, from wine that matches the dish, plus comfort and a warm welcome. It’s been a deeply important and personal commitment for us for the last 20 years.”
THE JEW’S HOUSE RESTAURANT
Steep Hill, Lincoln
The Pitch: “The finest food served by the friendliest staff in a comfortable atmosphere. The Jew’s House’s aim is simple: to offer an experience you remember for its remarkable flavours and polished service.
Opening Hours:
Dinner: Wednesday to Saturday 6pm–close (ordering time). Closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
The Jew’s House Restaurant 15 The Strait, Steep Hill, Lincoln, LN2 1JD. Call 01522 524851 or see www.jewshouserestaurant.co.uk.
THE GOOD FOOD GUIDE
BOSTON
THE BALL HOUSE
A familyfriendly pub with a cosy atmosphere, offering traditional British fare. Known for its Sunday carvery and extensive menu that includes options for vegetarians, vegans, and glutenfree diners. Wainfleet Road, Boston, PE21 9RL. Call 01205 364478 theballhouseboston.co.uk.
MEET &MEAT
A distinctive fusion of Mediterraneaninspired cuisine with a modern touch. West Street, Boston PE21 8QN. Call 07723 237070 or see www.meetandmeat.co.uk.
THE MILL INN
OUR GOOD FOOD AWARDS WINNERS
Each year we ask our readers to vote for their favourite restaurants, coffee shops and food producers. We reveal our winners in our January editions. We’ve highlighted our winners in gold to make sure they’re easy to see!
Promote your business in our Good Food Guide for just £15 + VAT per month! Get in touch with our friendly team on 01529 469977 or email us at sales@pridemagazines.co.uk to find out more.
Help us keep Lincolnshire Pride up to date: If you notice a change to any restaurant, pub or café featured, we’d love your help to ensure our listings are comprehensive and up to date... email any updates to editor@pridemagazines.co.uk
YE OLDE RED LION
THE CHEQUERS
A popular pub known for its warm ambience and classic British pub dishes and Italian dishes too.
Spilsby Rd, Boston, PE21 9QN. Call 01205 352874 or see www.themillboston.co.uk.
MONKEY & I
Conveniently located in Church Street, providing a warm and welcoming atmosphere for visitors to meet up, relax, and enjoy our authentic Thai cuisine. Church Street, Boston PE21 6NW. Call 07808 590203 or see www.monkeyandithai.co.uk.
THE ROPERS ARMS
Italian bistro serving authentic dishes, set in an early 19thcentury public house overlooking the Maud Foster mill and river. Horncastle Road, Boston PE21 9BU. Call 07572 456110.
THE WHITE HART
Part of the Coaching Inn Group, set within a charming 19thcentury hotel, this restaurant provides a varied menu focused on British cuisine. The riverside views make it an ideal spot for a memorable meal.
High Street, Boston, PE21 8SH. Call 01205 311900 or see www.whitehartboston.com.
An awardwinning country pub that prides itself on producing satisfying dishes. Cosy atmosphere in the winter, with Low beams & log burning fires. For great summer dining there’s also a relaxing beer garden. Try the Lincolnshire Tapas, too! Bicker, Boston, Lincolnshire, PE20 3EF. Call 01775 821200, www.redlionbicker.co.uk.
GRANTHAM
ANGEL & ROYAL
Reputedly England's oldest inn, with the Kings Room Restaurant and Bertie's Bistro and Bar.
High Street, Grantham, NG31 6PN. Call 01476 565 816 or see www.angelandroyal.co.uk.
BELTON WOODS
Bar & Grill with a warm and welcoming atmosphere and offers an inviting selection of flavourful grilled dishes. Spa, golf course and fourstar accommodation on site.
Gonerby NG32 2LN. Call 01476 593 200 or see www.beltonwoods.co.uk.
BROWNLOW ARMS
In the heart of a picturesque village in Lincolnshire, the Brownlow Arms is a 17thcentury country inn formerly owned by Lord Brownlow. Providing good old fashioned country hospitality and modern comforts in a tranquil and relaxing location.
Hough on the Hill, NG32 2AZ. Call 01400 250234 or see www.thebrownlowarms.com.
Seasonal dishes from longstanding favourites to monthly changing dishes, from a team passionate about creating the tastiest and most interesting food they can.
Woolsthorpe By Belvoir, NG32 1LU. Call 01476 870701 or see www.chequersinn.net.
THE GREEN MAN
A traditional British pub offering hearty meals in a friendly setting, specialising in steaks and classic pub fare. High St, Ropsley, NG33 4BE. Call 01476 585897 or see the-green-man-ropsley.com.
HARE & HOUNDS
17thcentury public house promises good dining, and a friendly atmosphere. Fulbeck, Grantham NG32 3JJ. Call 01400 273322 or see hareandhoundsfulbeck.com.
PLOUGH, WILSFORD
Exceptional pub restaurant home to Paul Reseigh, formerly of the George of Stamford. Fabulous à la carte menu of satisfying dishes prepared with excellent chefcraft and imagination. Wilsford, NG32 3NS. Call 01400 664037 or see theploughinnwilsford.co.uk.
RESTAURANT JERICHO
Fine dining in the Vale of Belvoir courtesy of this fascinating 20course tasting menu based restaurant, with just 12 covers a night. Orchard Farm, Plungar NG13 0JA. Call 01949 728288 or see www.restaurantjericho.com.
The Brownlow Arms, Hough on the Hill.
LINCOLN
RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2025 ANTLERS AT THE WHITE HART
Lincolnshire Pride’s Restaurant of the Year for 2024, as voted for by our readers. Antlers serves seasonally inspired à la carte lunch and dinner menu. For those who are looking for a perfect way to celebrate, Antlers also serves a full Afternoon Tea menu and classic cocktails as well as offering a private dining. Bailgate, LN1 3AR. Call 01522 526222 or see whitehart-lincoln.co.uk.
THE BRONZE PIG
A stylish, modern restaurant known for its seasonal menu featuring locally sourced ingredients with an innovative Mediterranean twist.
Burton Road, Lincoln, LN1 3LB Call 01522 524817 or see www.thebronzepig.co.uk.
COFFEE SHOP OF THE YEAR 2025
GRAIN STORE CAFÉ,
RESTAURANT & BAR
Delicious breakfast and lunch served daily, with evening dining Friday and Saturday, showcasing seasonal estategrown produce, rare breed Lincoln Red beef and the finest local ingredients. Doddington Hall, Lincoln, LN6 4RU. Call 01522 243189 or see www.doddingtonhall.com.
HOBBSONS
Formerly Browns Pie Shop & Restaurant. A ‘Best of British’ restaurant.
Steep Hill, Lincoln, LN2 1LU. Call 01522 527330 or see www.hobbsons.co.uk.
THE JEWS HOUSE RESTAURANT
Respected restaurant housed in one of the city’s oldest buildings. Set menu and tasting menu. Artisan produce, seasonal, freshness, excellent service. The Strait, Lincoln, LN2 1JD. Call 01522 524851 or see jewshouserestaurant.co.uk.
NO.38 AT THE TOWER
3 AA star hotel offering exceptional dining for nonresidents, delivering satisfying à la carte dishes. 38 Westgate, Lincoln LN1 3BD. Call 01522 529999 or see www.thetowerlincoln.com.
THE OLD BAKERY
A notforprofit restaurant offering tasting menus that highlight seasonal ingredients. 26-28 Burton Road, Lincoln, LN1 3LB. Call 01522 244646, www.theold-bakery.co.uk.
OLÉ OLÉ
Familyrun authentic Spanish restaurant set in the heart of Lincolnshire’s historic Lawns, great for summer dining outdoor but equally satisfying in the cooler months. The Lawn 3 Ingleman Place, Union Rd, Lincoln, LN1 3BU. Call 01522 534222 or see www.oleolelincoln.co.uk.
THE THOROLD ARMS
Paul Vidic, renowned Lincolnshire chef, took over the running of a community pub, in 2021 to provide excellent food and drink in a relaxed and beautiful setting in Harmston.
High Street, Harmston LN5 9SN. Call 01522 722788 or see thoroldarmsharmston.co.uk.
WASHINGBOROUGH HALL HOTEL
Grade II listed, 4star Georgian Manor House hotel two miles east of Lincoln. Serving two AArosette awardwinning dishes under Head Chef Mark Cheseldine.
Washingborough, Lincoln LN4 1EH. Call 01522 790340, www.washingboroughhall.com
LOUTH &RASEN
ADVOCATE ARMS
Award winning restaurant serves fabulous meals created from local ingredients. The restaurant has been awarded two stars for its dining by the AA. Queen Street, Market Rasen LN8 3EH. Call 01673 842364 or see www.advocatearms.co.uk.
AUCTION HOUSE
Gareth Bartram welcomes you to Restaurant Auction House. Offering a menu using the finest produce available in an intimate, relaxed atmosphere. Cornmarket, Louth, LN11 9PY . Call 01507 311805 or see auctionhouserestaurant.co.uk.
KENWICK PARK
Fantastic food and drink in the familyfriendly Fairways Restaurant and Keepers Bar. Kenwick Park, Louth LN11 8NR. Call 01507 608806 or see www.kenwick-park.co.uk.
NEWARK
TAYLOR’S
FINE DINING
Familyrun, finedining restaurant in the heart of Newark. Locally sourced, seasonal produce with tasting menus and set menus. Castle Gate, Newark NG24 1AZ. Call 01636 659986, or see www.taylors-restaurant.co.uk.
NORTH & NORTH EAST LINCOLNSHIRE
FOREST PINES
Spa, hotel and golf estate with restaurant near Brigg offering bistro dining. Brigg, DN20 0AQ. Call 01652 650 770 or see www.forestpineshotel.co.uk.
HOPE & ANCHOR
Fantastic Michelin
Bib Gourmand lauded pub restaurant run by Slawomir Mikolajczyk. South Ferriby, DN18 6JQ. Call 01652 635334 or see thehopeandanchorpub.co.uk.
RESTAURANT WITH ROOMS 2025 PIG &WHISTLE
Locallysourced British dishes with a rustic charm and a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. Healing, Grimsby, DN41 7QF. Call 01472 884544 healingmanorhotel.co.uk.
BEST INTERNATIONAL
DINING RESTAURANT 2025 SAN PIETRO
TwoAA Rosette Award winning fine dining restaurant benefitting from the Sicilian heritage of Pietro Catalano who runs the business with wife Michelle. Scunthorpe, DN15 6UH. Call 01724 277774 or see www.sanpietro.uk.com.
WINTERINGHAM FIELDS
Lincolnshire’s only Michelinstar restaurant offering an immersive dining experience with a focus on seasonal and locally sourced ingredients. Winteringham, DN15 9ND. Call 01724 733096 or see www.winteringhamfields.co.uk.
SKEGNESS
GINGERLILY, THE VINE
Cosy, friendly atmosphere and delicious dishes including traditional English meals. Vine Road, Seacroft, Skegness, PE25 3DB Call 01754 610611 or see www.thevinehotel.co.uk.
SAN RUFO’S
Familyfriendly Italian eatery known for its authentic pizzas. Roman Bank, Skegness, PE25 1SD. Call 01754 612242 or see www.sanrufos.co.uk.
Fletchers, Grantham.
From cosy inns to fine dining, Pride’s Good Food Guide has your Lincolnshire dining plans sorted...
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SLEAFORD
THE BARGE AND BOTTLE
A canalside pub with a relaxed ambiance, and a wide range of satisfying food, including a good provision of Sunday lunch. Outdoor seating area with heaters. Carre St, Sleaford, NG34 7TW. Call 01529 303303 or see www.thebargeandbottle.co.uk.
THE BUSTARD INN
Beautifullypresented Grade II listed quality pub restaurant, whose awards include two AArosettes and a Traveller’s Choice award. Exceptional dining in a beautiful rural setting with private dining room and bar with flagstone floor and open fires. Main Street, South Rauceby Lincolnshire, NG34 8QG. Call 01529 488250 or see www.thebustardinn.co.uk.
THE CARRE ARMS
Charming Edwardian hotel and restaurant renowned for quality service & fabulous food. An eclectic mix of modern English and Mediterranean dishes. Mareham Lane, Sleaford NG34 7JP. Call 01529 303156 or see carrearmshotel.co.uk.
THE MALLARDS RESTAURANT
Classic British cuisine in a cosy setting, known for its Sunday roasts and welcoming service. Eastgate, Sleaford, NG34 7DJ. Call 01529 413758.
THE SOLO BISTRO
Bistro bar and hotel with traditional dishes presented in a contemporary style making the most of local ingredients. Market Street, Sleaford NG34 7SF. Call 01529 303200 or see www.thesolo.bar.
TABLEZ BISTRO
Awardwinning cafe bistro. With indoor and outdoor seating as well as a fantastic balcony, a great place to pop in for breakfast or lunch. Southgate, Sleaford NG34 7RZ. Call 01529 300922.
THAI SABAI
Contemporary Thai restaurant specialising in Authentic Asian cuisine. Dishes are expertly prepared on the premises. Thai Chefs using only the finest ingredients along with herbs and spices imported directly from Thailand. Millstream Square, Sleaford NG34 7RZ. Call 01529 413333 or see thaisabaisleaford.co.uk.
WATERGATE YARD
An allday and latenight bar and kitchen in the heart of Sleaford. With world beers and cocktails plus a range of artisan gins.
Water Gate, Sleaford NG34 7PG Call 01529 413489 or see www.watergateyard.co.uk.
SPALDING
THE BLACK BULL
Quality pub restaurant offering a wellcurated menu packed with hearty food. Market Place, Donington, Spalding, PE11 4ST. Call 01775 822228 or see theblackbulldonington.co.uk.
JASHIR INDIAN RESTAURANT & WINE BAR
A culinary destination that offers unforgettable Indian dishes made with the finest ingredients and spices. 11 Double Street, Spalding PE11 2AA. Call 01775 423001 or see www.jashir.co.uk.
THE PARLOUR
Authentic, Edwardianstyle restaurant for lunch and afternoon tea, overlooking Springfields’ Festival Gardens. Camelgate, Spalding PE12 6EU. Call 01775 760949 or see www.springfieldsoutlet.co.uk.
STAMFORD
THE BULL & SWAN
Everything a traditional English inn should be, with gastro food and real ales, on the magnificent Burghley Estate.
High Street St Martins, Stamford, PE9 2LJ. Call 01780 766412 or see www.thebullandswan.co.uk.
CROWN HOTEL
This historic former coaching inn is now a wellregarded restaurant and hotel. A warm atmosphere and dishes with quality local ingredients. All Saints' Place, Stamford, PE9 2AG. Call 01780 763136 or see www.kneadpubs.co.uk.
MILLY’S BISTRO
Located within the Georgian William Cecil Hotel, Milly’s offers a homely vibrant feel and an inspired menu.
St Martins, Stamford, PE9 2LJ. Call 01780 750070 or see www.millysbistro.co.uk.
THE OAK ROOM AT THE GEORGE OF STAMFORD
An elegant, historic venue offering a fine dining experience with classic British cuisine. Located in The George Hotel, this restaurant features candlelit tables and oakpanelled walls, ideal for special occasions. Choice of two dining rooms; The Garden Restaurant and The Oak Room, the latter has a truly exceptional menu. St. Martins, Stamford, PE9 2LB. Call 01780 750750 or see georgehotelofstamford.com.
The Parlour, Spalding.
WOODHALL SPA, HORNCASTLE AND CONINGSBY
THE ADMIRAL RODNEY
200 year old coaching inn
offering daytime and evening dining as well as comfortable accommodation. Part of the awardwinning Coaching Inn Group which also includes Boston’s White Hart Hotel. North St, Horncastle, LN9 5DX. Call 01507 523131 or see www.admiralrodney.com.
THE DOWER HOUSE
Elegant country house hotel providing a range of freshly cooked dishes in a Victorian country house once home to Col Stafford Vere Hotchkin. Woodhall Spa, LN10 6PY. Call 01526 352588 or see www.dowerhousehotel.co.uk.
KITCHENETTA
Deli and coffee shop providing freshly baked cakes and hampers as well as daytime favourites.
Broadway, Woodhall Spa LN10 6ST. Call 01526 268008 or see www.kitchenetta.co.uk.
THE LEAGATE INN
Quality dining pub, run by the Dennison family since 1983 with Harry & Laura offering delicious seasonal dishes.
Leagate Rd, Coningsby, LN4 4RS. Call 07957 756495 or see www.theleagateinn.co.uk.
MAGPIES
Small family run Restaurant with Rooms set in a row of 200 year old cottages in Horncastle serving a menu of fine dining dishes created by Andrew Gilbert with Caroline Gilbert at front of house. East Street, Horncastle, LN9 6AA. Call 01507 527004, www.magpiesrestaurant.co.uk.
PETWOOD HOTEL
Serving delicious and creative food with an AA rosette award for quality and consistency. Restaurant and terrace bar, popular classic afternoon tea provision, historic links to the Dambusters Squadron which once counted the Petwood at its home, and handsome Petolandscaped grounds. Also renowned for Sunday lunches, and a popular wedding/events venue. Woodhall Spa, LN10 6QG. Call 01526 352411 or see www.petwood.co.uk.
ZUCCHI BISTRO
Established in 2011 as a Mediterranean bistro with culinary influences. Tapas and sharing dishes as well as stonebaked pizzas, pasta and al forno dishes.
Station Road, Woodhall Spa, LN10 6QL. Call 01526 354466 or see www.zucci.org.
FOOD & DRINK BUTCHERY
Boston Sausage/Mountains, home to the Lincolnshire Sausage, with a dedicated farm shop at Abbey Parks near East Heckington. Call 01205 821 610 or shop online at www.mountainsfarmshop.com
Gary Simpson Butchers, offering traceable and exceptional butchery including dryaged beef plus Lincolnshire sausages, haslet, stuffed chine and more. Sleaford, Heckington, South Hykeham and Stamford. 01529 460403, shop online at www.gsimpsonbutchers.co.uk.
BAKERY
LINCOLNSHIRE PRIDE’S BEST FOOD PRODUCER 2025 Myers Bakery,home of the Lincolnshire Plum Loaf and artisan bakers founded by Charles Myer in 1901. Call 01507 525871 or shop online at www.myersbakery.co.uk.
Vine’s Bakery, specialise in baking artisan breads and pastries using the highest quality ingredients and time honoured traditions. Call 01522 581353 or shop online at www.vinesartisanbakery.co.uk.
LOCAL CHEESE
The Cheese Society, cheese ambassadors, retailers and cheese café in the heart of Lincoln. Subscriptions and gift boxes available. www.thecheesesociety.co.uk.
Cote Hill Cheese, home to Michael and Mary Davenport who have been creating Cote Hill White, Blue, Red, Yellow and Snowdrop from their farm since 2004, now ably assisted by son Joe, second generation cheesemaker. www.cotehill.com.
Lincolnshire Poacher, F W Read’s Tim and Simon Jones produce Lincolnshire Poacher, with a little help from their 230 Holstein Friesian cows... www.lincolnshirepoachercheese.com.
FISH
Alfred Enderby, traditional smokehouse in Grimsby specialising in drysmoking haddock, salmon and trout. www.alfredenderby.co.uk.
East Lincs Seafood, established in 1987 and providing the freshest wet fish and shellfish to consumers. Call 01205 364372.
LINCOLNSHIRE DRINKS
Bateman’s, good honest ales since 1874, including flagship XXXB ale, available in bottles or on tap in the best Lincolnshire pubs. See www.batemansbrewery.co.uk.
Belvoir Fruit Farms, the home of delicious elderflower cordials and pressés, more than 40 drinks, all with natural ingredients. See www.belvoirfarm.co.uk.
8 Sail Brewery, multiawardwinning microbrewery based in Heckington Windmill. See www.8sailbrewery.com.
Lincoln Tea & Coffee Company Multiawardwinning and passionate about supplying roasted coffee, fine leaf tea, barista training & equipment with excellent customer service. Proud sponsors of The Red Arrows, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and Typhoon Display Team. Products include the iconic Lincolnshire Tea. A true fresh approach. www.thelincolnteaandcoffeecompany.co.uk.
Mayfield Vineyard, located in the heart of Burton Pedwardine on a 100yearold family farm, producing still and sparkling wines. See www.mayfieldwine.co.uk.
Stokes of Lincoln, artisan coffee roastery at The Lawn, Lincoln and on the city’s High Street at High Bridge café. www.stokescoffee.com.
LINCOLNSHIRE PRIDE’S BEST DRINKS PRODUCER 2025
Tipplemill London Dry Gin, dry gin with locallymilled wheat, juniper and bittersweet citrus and elderflower. See www.tipplemill.com.
Dower House, Woodhall Spa.
Recipes
LEMON AND COURGETTE CARBONARA
SERVES 2
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
1 garlic clove, bashed
2 medium or 3 small courgettes (zucchini), sliced in half lengthways, then into halfmoons sea salt
180 g (61/2 oz) pasta of your choice
1 egg plus 2 egg yolks
4 tablespoons grated pecorino (or Parmesan) zest of 1 small lemon and juice of 1 or 2 lemons basil leaves, to serve.
This courgette carbonara is lifted by a hefty hit of lemon (both zest and juice), which cuts through the richness of the eggs beautifully. It is also essential to counteract the sweetness of the braised courgettes, which become almost jammy after slow sautéing in plentiful olive oil and garlic. Courgette and lemon is a combination you will often see in my recipes, and it is a happy and mutually complementary marriage; the sweetness of the vegetable is cut by the acidity of the fruit, and the innate lemonyness of courgettes accentuated by both the zest and juice of the citrus.
I often make the sautéed courgettes the night before, and keep them in the refrigerator before putting this together the next day for a lastminute lunch. I like using smooth penne, but spaghetti or rigatoni also work well.
n Heat the oil in a frying pan (skillet) over a mediumlow heat, then fry the garlic clove until it just begins to sizzle and smell good. Add the courgette slices and sauté, stirring regularly, until they are golden all over, beginning to break down and almost jammy. Season well with salt and set aside (or leave to cool, then keep in the refrigerator for future use).
n Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions in a large pan of wellsalted boiling water until al dente.
n Meanwhile, mix the egg and egg yolks, cheese and lemon into the courgette mixture, and begin to heat very gently, stirring all the time. Scoop out the pasta with a slotted spoon straight into the courgette pan along with a splash or two of the cooking water. Stir and toss over a low heat until you have a creamy sauce that coats the pasta. Taste for seasoning, add a few fresh basil leaves, extra Parmesan and a drizzle of your best oil, then serve.
n Avariation is Artichoke Carbonara; make as described for courgette carbonara, but in place of the courgettes, use 4–5 prepared, sliced artichoke hearts, and finish with chopped mint rather than basil.
LEMON TIRAMISÙ
ON SALE NOW
For the Love of Lemons, Letitia Clark (Quadrille, £28.00)
Photography by Charlotte Bland
SERVES 8-10
FOR THE LEMON CURD: 2 teaspoons cornflour,
50 ml (1 3 /4 fl oz or 3 1/2 tablespoons) water, 120 ml (4 fl oz or 1/2 cup) lemon juice,
3 eggs, 150 g (5 1/2 oz or 3/4 cup) sugar, 40 g (11/2 oz) unsalted butter, a pinch of salt
FOR THE CREAM: 400 g (14 oz/2 cups) mascarpone
300 ml (10 fl oz/11/4 cups) whipping cream
80 g (2 3/4 oz, 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon) icing sugar
FOR THE SPONGE LAYER: 2 packs of savoiardi or sponge fingers (about 24 biscuits), or leftover cake (see introduction)
400 ml (14 fl oz/generous 11/2 cups) milk
TO FINISH: lemon zest, lemon slices, sprigs of mint
I may have resisted the temptation to call this ‘lemonisu’ (partly because it doesn’t sound right anyway) but I could not resist writing a recipe for a pale yellow, lemony tiramisù.
Of course, a real tiramisù should have coffee and cocoa (and in my mind, marsala and brandy), but this is a truly heavenly (if heathen) version, which, quite apart from being delicious, has a strong aesthetic argument behind it; such swathes of lemon yellow and pale cream seem like some sort of divinely luxurious sofa, smug and snug in the corner of an idyllic Amalfi residence.
n First, make the curd. Whisk the cornflour with the water until dissolved and milkylooking, then place all the ingredients in a small saucepan over a low heat. Whisk constantly, helping the butter to melt, then gradually increase the heat to medium and stir until it thickens to form a curd the consistency of loose mayonnaise. Allow to cool to room temperature.
n Whip the mascarpone with the cream and icing sugar to form soft peaks. Decant into a piping (pastry) bag if you have one.
n Soak the savoiardi in milk, allowing them to absorb enough to become just damp and spongy but not dripping, then layer them at the base of a 23 cm (9 in) dish. Pipe over a third of the cream, flatten with a spatula or back of a spoon, then spread over half of the cooled curd. Repeat, then finish with little piped peaks of cream.
n If you do not have a piping bag or prefer not to use one, you can layer differently and finish with a shining layer of yellow curd, which is equally beautiful. In this case, do two layers of both: start sponge, then cream, then curd; sponge, cream and finally curd. To finish, arrange the lemon zest, slices and sprigs of mint on top.
SPRING SIPPER
Sipsmith Lemon Drizzle Gin
£42.00, 70cl, 40% ABV www.sipsmith.com
A beautifully bright, citrus led British gin that captures the essence of early summer. Zesty lemon peel and subtle vanilla notes dance with traditional botanicals, making this a stunning choice for a Lemon & Tonic with a sprig of thyme or a refreshing Gin Fizz. Perfect for garden gatherings and al fresco evenings in May.
WINE OF THE MONTH
Wine & Spirits
This month we invite you to discover premium drinks to elevate your enjoyment this season, whether you’re savouring sundowners, hosting dinner al fresco, enjoying a garden party, or celebrating with friends
Spring Reds & Rosés: Blush, fruity and food friendly!
Three Mills Reserve is a Britishmade fruity rosé ideal to partner with seafood, or for those seeking a lighter wine, £15.95, 75cl, 8% ABV.
Revelation is a cabernet and merlot blend, juicy, mediumbodied classic ideal with roast lamb, £25, 75cl, 13.5% ABV.
Rock Angel rosé wine is a Provence style rosé, ideal with seafood or summer salads, £27.50, 75cl, 13% ABV.
Nuits Saint Georges Premier Cru 2013/14, £100, 75cl 13% ABV
NuitsSaintGeorges 1er Cru wines are powerful, ageworthy red Burgundies, predominantly made from Pinot Noir in the Côte de Nuits. If you’re seeking a wine to linger over, this Burgundian gem with its delivery of red berry, earth and spice is a delicious companion to Sunday roasts, lamb cutlets or mature cheese.
ELEGANT SPARKLING SPRING SIP
Noughty Organic Sparkling Chardonnay, £16.50, 75cl, 0% ABV
A crisp, organic sparkling wine with delicate apple and citrus notes, perfect for spring celebrations or leisurely brunches. Lightly effervescent, it offers the sophistication of champagne without alcohol, making it ideal for garden parties or enjoying a quiet evening in May.
Our featured wines are available from local independent wine merchants, supermarkets and online, prices are RRP and may vary.
Strictly Between Us
Craig Revel Horwood brings his trademark wit, candour and theatrical flair to Spalding and Stamford, reflecting on a life in dance, directing and dazzling entertainment—along with a few deliciously sharp observations from the nation’s most forthright judge
Words: Rob Davis.
Craig Revel Horwood is rarely off our screens, but away from the glitter and spectacle of Strictly Come Dancing there is another side to the famously forthright judge. This spring, audiences in Spalding and Stamford will have the chance to see it for themselves as Craig brings his new tour to the South Holland Centre and Stamford Corn Exchange, celebrating the release of his album and book, Revelations – Songs Boys Don’t Sing. For many, Craig is synonymous with the sharp-tongued critiques and perfectly timed one-liners that have made him a fixture on Strictly for more than two decades. Yet his career began long before the ballroom, rooted firmly in theatre, where music and performance have always been central.
“Theatre was my first love,” he says. “Strictly is a very different prospect altogether; just as enjoyable but very different. It’s a huge effort to pull everything together as you’d expect from a show that’s ambitious, technically complex and so popular.”
That grounding in theatre is very much at the heart of Revelations, both the album and the accompanying book. The project represents something deeply personal for Craig, drawing on songs that have shaped his life and career.
“It’s quite a momentous occasion for me as people don’t know me as a singer, even though it’s been a part of my work on stage throughout my career,” he explains. “I really enjoy singing and
wanted to challenge myself to release something different, with the music I love.”
The concept behind the album is simple but striking. Craig has chosen songs traditionally performed by leading ladies and reinterpreted them in his own way, creating a collection that feels both familiar and refreshingly different.
“The album’s name comes from the fact that it features songs from the theatre that, normally, only leading ladies perform,” he says. “Each of the tracks mean something to me and they all genuinely resonate with my life.”
Among them are well-known classics from musical theatre, songs that demand both emotional depth and impressive vocal range. It is a challenge Craig has embraced fully.
“It’s been a challenge because the vocal ranges are so big,” he says. “They’re very different to the songs men sing in theatre as there are some very low lows, but also very high highs.”
“A lot of people are nervous about live performances, but for me it’s the better option,” he says. “I prefer it because we can’t stop and do it again. With prerecords you’re constantly stopping and doing it over and over again. Live, you just have to be in the moment...”
>> The result is not simply a technical exercise but a reflection of Craig’s own journey through the world of performance. The songs he has selected are tied to moments, influences and people who have shaped him over the years.
“There are tracks that remind me of people I’ve worked with and moments in my career,” he says. “It’s very much a celebration of that journey.”
Alongside the album, Craig has also released a book of the same name, offering further insight into his life, his experiences in theatre and television, and the inspirations behind the music. Together, the album and book present a more rounded portrait of a performer often defined by a single role.
That desire to connect more personally with audiences is something that carries through into his forthcoming tour, which runs from April to June and includes more than 50 dates across the country.
“I’m looking forward to touring with the album as it’ll be a very intimate experience for the audience,” he says. “It’s just myself and the pianist on stage. I’ll perform some of the songs that mean a lot to me and tell stories about them, but also about how I fell in love with music and about my own musical journey.”
For Craig, live performance has always held a particular appeal, offering an immediacy that cannot be replicated in a studio.
“A lot of people are nervous about live performances, but for me it’s the better option,” he says. “I prefer it because we can’t stop and do it again. With pre-records you’re constantly stopping and doing it over and over again. Live, you just have to be in the moment.”
That sense of spontaneity is something audiences can expect from the show, which promises not only music but also humour and candid storytelling.
“Funny stories, anecdotes and laughter, it’s all there,” he says. “It’s designed to create a really good evening.” Despite his many commitments, Craig continues to thrive on a
busy schedule, balancing television, theatre and now his own touring work. His longstanding role on Strictly remains a cornerstone of his career, and his enthusiasm for the programme is undiminished.
“It’s been running for 20 years, and the format has been exported to so many countries worldwide,” he says. “I couldn’t work somewhere if the atmosphere wasn’t exciting and enjoyable. That’s exactly what we have on Strictly.”
Part of that enjoyment comes from watching contestants develop over the course of the series, something Craig still finds rewarding after all these years.
“You get to know them, form opinions and then watch them grow,” he says. “The celebrities really do take on board the professionals’ help and you see them genuinely improving week after week. You also see their confidence growing, which is the delight of the programme.”
Away from the studio, Craig has made a home in our area, settling into village life with characteristic ease. After several years here, he has become a familiar face locally.
“I’m part of the fixtures and fittings in the area now,” he says. “I can happily go into the pub and nobody’s jaw hits the floor. I really do love it here. I love the people, and I’ve made some really good friends.”
That connection makes his forthcoming appearances in Spalding and Stamford all the more special, offering local audiences the chance to see a different side of a performer they may feel they already know.
With Revelations, Craig Revel Horwood steps out from behind the judging desk and into a more personal spotlight, sharing the music and stories that have defined his life. It is a reminder that beyond the scores and the sequins lies a performer with a deep love of theatre, a passion for music and, above all, a desire to entertain.
“I’ve had great fun creating this,” he says. “And I can’t wait to bring it to audiences and share it with them.”
IN BRIEF
Craig Revel Horwood
Early Years: Born in 1965 in Ballarat, Australia, Craig trained in dance and musical theatre before relocating to the UK.
Career: Craig became a leading West End choreographer and director, earning Olivier nominations for productions like Spend Spend Spend.
TV: A Strictly Come Dancing judge since 2004, he is famed for his exacting standards.
Music: His album RevelationsSongs Boys Don’t Sing (2024) followed singles including It’s Christmas, Merry Christmas! (2021).
Books: Titles include All Balls and Glitter (2008) and Dances and Dreams on Diamond Street (2020).
Revelations followed in 2025.
Craig Revel Horwood will appear live at Spalding’s South Holland Centre on Thursday 21st May and at Stamford’s Corn Exchange on Saturday 23rd May. To book see www.craigrevelhorwood.com.
Jacob Rees Mogg
This month Jacob ReesMogg brings an evening of keen wit, unabashed opinion and trademark double-breasted charm to Lincoln Theatre Royal. We couldn’t resist a few words with the Tory grandee, businessman and broadcaster whose tailoring and wit are equally sharp...
If ever there was an antithesis to politics at the moment, it’s Jacob ReesMogg in his 1936 3.5litre Derby Bentley. Ahead of an unprecedented and muchanticipated live tour, the politician, broadcaster and businessman was fresh from a weekend enjoying classic motoring in Somerset. Daffodils. Spring sunshine. Optimistic. All is well.
Elsewhere, UK and global politics was proving rather less cheerful, substantially cooler and much more fastpaced. We spoke in early March when a sulky Trump had just declared Keir Starmer to be ‘no Churchill’ following Britain’s refusal to allow the US military to make use of Britain’s RAF air bases. Firstly then, a caveat. We are some way off our print deadline so by the time you read this, chances are the ‘special relationship’ and the conflict in the Middle East will have evolved significantly, never mind how matters may have developed by the time Jacob’s Mogg Unbuttoned tour takes place.
It’s a modest tour; just five dates including Lincoln’s New Theatre Royal on Tuesday 19th May. The point, he says, is to gauge how much interest future live tours will arouse. Quite a bit, we reckon. A straw poll in the Pride office revealed plenty of interest in hearing from such an experienced politician and incisive social commentator.
Words: Rob Davis.
“It seems to me that politics has just got faster and faster in recent years,” he told me, though not with a sigh. If anything, he sounds invigorated by it. Jacob is almost liberated by being away from frontline politics and is now able to engage in open discussion and debate. That is the point of the Q&A sessions on the Mogg Unbuttoned tour and of his willingness to engage with the audiences of his State of the Nation feature on GB News, Monday to Friday from 8pm to 9pm, as well as the audiences of his Substack and YouTube channel. >>
“This is my first live tour,” he says, although Jacob has appeared alongside The Spectator’s Fraser Nelson before. What he remembers most is the peculiarity of performing to an audience you cannot properly see.
“Normally, if you’re a politician at speaking events, you see your audience, whereas in a theatre you don’t because the lights are so bright.” His solution was ingenious.
“So that I could see my audience, I sold the ice creams in the interval, which I thoroughly enjoyed. People wanted a selfie so they could have one, as long as they bought an ice cream. I did a roaring trade, especially when I recommended my favourite flavour.”
The tour promises to ‘lift the velvet curtain on life in Westminster, from political intrigue to parliamentary peculiarities, as well as inclusion of the moments “one isn’t supposed to mention in polite society.”’ Expect these to be delivered with Jacob’s unmistakable blend of intellect and humour. ‘Exactly how salacious does it get?’ I asked.
“I’m not the most salacious person you could meet,” he replied dryly. “But there are lots of things that go on.”
The show is not a lecture, or a party rally. “It’s exciting to have the opportunity to discuss things with audiences and have an open discussion,” he said. “This is experimental, so we’ll see how it goes. And if people are interested, I’ll probably do it again and add more dates. But this is just to see whether there’s an appetite for it.”
Jacob is not looking for admiration, but argument. “I’m very keen on this. And I want the audience to ask difficult questions. I don’t want them to come along and say, ‘you’re marvellous!’ That’s not very interesting for anybody.”
“I’m keen to be challenged. That’s freedom of speech. And I worry that’s something increasingly regulated in this country.”
“When things are going quite well the country thinks it can afford Labour, but when things become hard it always comes back to the Conservatives to make the tough economic decisions.”
The tour is also, in Jacob’s mind, a natural extension of his working life now that he’s out of Parliament. In opposition, he argues, commentary can matter as much as frontline politics. And when you are in the media, rather than in politics, you are even more ideally positioned to provide meaningful commentary.
“It’s very hard in government to do any thinking because you’re racing from pillar to post to catch up with the meeting for which you’re running a quarter of an hour late. It’s very hard to sit back and think, ‘is this the right policy?’”
“In government you need to be in the House of Commons and ‘doing things’ because then you’re making decisions, and the important part of being a minister is making decisions which then have an effect on the future of the country,” he said.
“So I’m very lucky to be able to be a commentator whilst the party is in opposition. It’s proving to be a very interesting thing to do.”
In addition to serving as a presenter on GB News, Jacob regularly writes op-eds for The Telegraph and the Daily Mail. His father, William Rees-Mogg, edited The Times from 1967 to 1981. Jacob also contributes to his Substack account and his YouTube channel, where his Moggologue videos have become part of his public voice.
“It is not just a technical shift, it’s an ideological one,” he says. “It changes what can be said and when. Freedom of speech is much greater once you get off the main channels and you’re no longer regulated by Ofcom.”
The global politics of early March coloured everything we discussed. On the day of our conversation, Donald Trump had just sulkily declared Keir Starmer to be ‘no Churchill.’
“If America decides that conflict is necessary, I think it is in our interest to support them. It’s very sad, actually, that the one thing that Keir Starmer had actually got right was maintaining the ‘special relationship’and he had managed to get himself into a very good position with Donald Trump, which is important,” he said.
“It’s the most important foreign affairs relationship a British Prime Minister has. It’s not good for the country to be in this position. You always want a British Prime Minister, regardless of party, to have a good relationship with the President of the United States.”
Jacob acknowledged the unease that comes with that. “You may say that’s a bit weak, we’re allowing America to make our foreign policy, but our long-term interests and alliance with America are so important and so fundamental to our own security that we have to put that at the forefront of our minds.”
What matters most, Jacob points out, is what happens after any military action.
Above: Jacob is appearing at Lincoln New Theatre Royal on Tuesday 19th May.
From Sykes Picot and the Balfour Declaration in 1916 and 1917 to Indian partition and a clumsy withdrawal from the Middle East in 1946 to 1948, Britain’s long and illustrious history of our catastrophic interventions in world politics provides precedent for careful dialogue and cautious post-conflict planning.
“It’s always the consequences of war rather than the war itself. Even if you’ve won the war, what do you do next?”
Meanwhile, Jacob’s Euroscepticism, has not at all softened with time. “I’m still very pro-Brexit,” he said. “Brexit was about our own government having the chance to make decisions, and giving the electorate the right to decide who their government was. That seems to me to be fundamentally important.”
In domestic politics, Jacob believes that the Labour Party is dithering and very much underperforming whilst Reform gathers momentum and the Conservative Party’s reputation is improving, albeit from a low position in 2024. Does Jacob believe that Starmer and Reeves will last the year?
“I’d be very surprised. A recent poll had Labour down to under 100 seats, which means over 300 MPs losing their seats. Kemi’s performances are getting stronger and stronger and there’s a bit of a spring in the step of the party. She’s moving the Conservative Party further to the right, which is where its members and supporters are, but that’s leaving very little difference between the Conservatives and Reform.”
“When things are going quite well the country thinks it can afford Labour, but when things become hard, we do always come back to the Conservatives to make the tough economic decisions.”
“Reform, meanwhile, is doing well. It has great people, such as Richard Tice in my sister’s constituency, but it’s still very much the Nigel Farage party. I see a lot of him at GB News and I like him. He’s a very capable man, but parties need more depth and the Tory party has that extra depth and some wonderful MPs.”
“I’ve a huge amount of respect for Alicia Kearns in Rutland and Stamford, she’s absolutely formidable. I used to have an office next door to her in the Commons and she’s very clear sighted. Victoria Atkins and Caroline Johnson are politicians with great capability and integrity, so we need to really work together as a party.”
“The Conservative Party and Reform working together before an election would be a very powerful combination. I think we should try to work out something – whether it’s a coalition or whether we simply cooperate seat by seat – before the election. That would be my preferred route because if you try to do it after an election you’ve already lost seats.”
“What we want to achieve is so similar that it makes sense for us to work together,” he said. “Splitting the electorate risks letting others get in on a very low share of the vote.”
Lincolnshire is the archetype of Britain’s current political mood, as voters express their dissatisfaction with left-leaning politics and demand a stronger leadership. It is also a county that Jacob knows well. His sister, Annunziata, lives in the county and he visits regularly, especially if he has been invited to address a local Conservative association.
“It’s a wonderful county and Lincoln is very beautiful, especially the approach when you’re some distance from the city and you see the wonderful Cathedral up on the hill.”
A House of Commons doorkeeper who had also served as a guide at Lincoln Cathedral arranged a guided tour of the building for him, an experience he is happy to recommend.
Whether there is time for Jacob to return to the Cathedral or enjoy any of its other highlights remains to be seen, but for real entertainment in Lincolnshire this month, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything quite as enjoyable, stimulating and as thought provoking as an evening with Jacob. If you’re lucky he may even serve up a selfie and an ice cream too. Oh... and that favourite flavour? Salted caramel.
Education: Born in London, attended Eton and Trinity College Oxford.
Career: Founded Somerset Capital Management LLP in 2007. MP for North East Somerset from 20102024. Served under Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. Leader of the House in 20192022. Journalist and GB News presenter since 2023.
Scrabble Credentials: Used the longest word ever recorded in Parliament’s record, Hansard, in 2022: ‘floccinaucinihilipilification.’ That’s ‘the action or habit of estimating something as worthless.’ His record was broken by 16yearold student Michael Bryan in 2017, but we still wouldn’t advise playing Scrabble against Jacob.
Jacob Rees-Mogg is inviting audiences to Lincoln’s New Theatre Royal on Tuesday 19th May from 7.30pm, £36 or £99 inc meet and greet with complimentary refreshments, call 01522 519999 or visit newtheatreroyallincoln.co.uk.
OUTDOORS THE GREAT
Words: Rob Davis.
Images: East Lindsey District Council.
Featuring around 150 events across fifteen days, the Lincolnshire Outdoor Festival invites visitors to explore the county through guided walks, outdoor activities and nature experiences... the event will also mark the 50th anniversary of the county’s iconic Viking Way
Few landscapes in Lincolnshire capture the imagination quite like the Lincolnshire Wolds. With their rolling chalk hills, sweeping views, hidden valleys and peaceful market towns, they provide the perfect setting to step outside, slow down and enjoy the countryside at its very best. Each spring the Lincolnshire Wolds Outdoor Festival celebrates that landscape, inviting visitors and residents alike to explore one of England’s most distinctive and unspoilt areas.
Taking place across fifteen days in May, the festival has grown into one of the county’s most popular celebrations of the great outdoors. This year’s programme features around 150 events, offering something for walkers, cyclists, families, wildlife enthusiasts and anyone keen to discover the beauty of the Wolds and the surrounding countryside. From relaxed guided strolls and heritage walks to more adventurous activities, the festival provides a wonderful opportunity to experience the area from fresh perspectives while learning more about its wildlife, history and landscapes.
The festival began fifteen years ago as the Wolds Walking Festival, a modest but much loved celebration of walking in the Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Over time it expanded as organisers recognised the growing appetite for a wider range of outdoor experiences. As the programme developed to include cycling, nature discovery, heritage events and family friendly activities, the festival evolved too, becoming the Lincolnshire Wolds Outdoor Festival in 2022. The new name reflects its broader focus while maintaining the same spirit of encouraging people to get outside and explore the countryside.
The Viking Way
2026 marks the 50th anniversary of one of Lincolnshire’s bestloved walking routes, the Viking Way. Stretching for 149 miles from the Humber Bridge to Oakham in Rutland, the longdistance path was established in 1976 through a partnership between Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Humberside County Councils together with The Ramblers.
The route takes walkers through some of the county’s most beautiful landscapes, including the rolling hills of the Lincolnshire Wolds, quiet villages and wide open countryside. Its name reflects the region’s deep Scandinavian heritage, recalling the era when much of eastern England formed part of the historic Danelaw. Today the Viking Way remains one of the country’s most rewarding longdistance trails. The route is clearly waymarked with the familiar Viking helmet symbol and, for those not tackling the full distance, many shorter circular walks allow visitors to enjoy sections of this historic path.
the festival showcases the very best of the region’s landscapes and communities. Walks and activities take visitors through quiet lanes, ancient woodland, open farmland and along the distinctive chalk ridges that make the Wolds so unique. Along the way there are chances to meet local experts, discover hidden corners of the county and enjoy the sense of space and tranquillity that defines this remarkable landscape.
This year’s festival also coincides with a particularly significant anniversary for one of Lincolnshire’s most famous walking routes. The Viking Way, the county’s celebrated long distance footpath stretching from the Humber to Rutland, marks its fiftieth year in 2026, adding an extra sense of occasion to a programme already rich with opportunities to explore the landscape on foot.
Alongside the walks and activities, the festival will also celebrate the beauty of the Wolds through a photographic competition inviting entrants to capture striking images of the landscape. Full details will follow, but the competition promises to attract keen photographers from across the region, with a star prize including a voucher for camera equipment and a large scale print of the winning image. Together the festival’s events and creative competitions highlight exactly why the Lincolnshire Wolds remain one of the county’s most treasured landscapes. >>
Over the page we’ve details of a few of the 150 different events that make up 2026’s Lincolnshire Outdoor Festival...
Today
THE LINCOLNSHIRE WOLDS OUTDOOR FESTIVAL 2026
Saturday 16th May
Cycling UK Spa Trail, Horncastle Pool and Fitness Suite, 10am–12.30pm, cost not stated, booking required.
Family Foraging Day, South Ormsby Estate, 10am–1pm, £30.50 per person, booking required.
Rockin’ It!, St Mary’s Church, Horncastle, 11am–4pm, free, no booking required.
Meet the Bees Experience, North Thoresby Orchards, 11am–3pm, cost not stated, booking required.
Sunday 17th May
Caistor Tree Trail, Caistor, 10am–12.30pm, £2 per person, no booking required. Foraging Day, South Ormsby Estate, 10am–1pm, £30.50 per person, booking required.
Guided Walk to Bratoft Manor, Gunby Hall, 10.30am–12.30pm, free, no booking required. Wellbeing on the Farm, Thornton Le Fen, 11am–3pm, donations, booking required.
Monday 18th May
Laser Clay Pigeon Shooting, South Ormsby Estate, 10am–11.30am, £5 per person, booking required.
South Elkington Walk, South Elkington, 10.30am–12.30pm, free, no booking required.
Tuesday 19th May
Lincoln Red Cattle Tour, South Ormsby Estate, 10am–1pm, £5 per person, booking required.
Gunby Hall Ice House Pond Walk, Gunby Hall, 10.30am–11.30am, free, no booking required.
Birdspotting at an Organic Fruit Farm, Lissington, 1pm–3pm, booking required.
Brackenborough: Farming a Long History, Brackenborough Hall Coach House, 2pm–4pm, free, no booking required.
Walking Football Training Session, Louth Football Club, 6.30pm–7.30pm, free, no booking required.
Wednesday 20th May
50 Years of the Viking Way, Caistor, 10am–12.30pm, free, no booking required.
Celebrating Lincolnshire’s Chalk Streams, Navigation Warehouse, Louth, 10am–1pm, free, no booking required.
Nature and the Sea, Sandilands, 10am–3pm, free, no booking required.
Vineyard Tour and Wine Tasting, South Ormsby Estate, 2pm–4pm, £10 per person (over 18s only), booking required.
Thursday 21st May
Wellbeing on the Farm, South Ormsby Estate, 9am–12pm, £15 per person, booking required.
A Classic Wolds Walk, Scamblesby, 10.30am–3pm, free, no booking required.
Louth Town Walk, Louth, 1pm–2.30pm, £5 per person, booking required.
Friday 22nd May
Practical Conservation Day, Cuxwold, 10.30am–2.30pm, booking required.
Fruit Farm Tour, Lissington, 1pm–3pm, cost not stated, booking required.
Saturday 23rd May
Family Nature Walk, South Ormsby Estate, 10am–11.30am, cost not stated, booking required.
Archaeology Walk from Gunby Hall to Bratoft Manor, Gunby Hall, 10am–12pm, free, no booking required.
Wolds Walk of Faith, South Thoresby, 10am–12.30pm, free, no booking required.
View of the Wolds by Bike, Louth, 10am–1pm, cost not stated, booking required.
Viking Way at 50: A Guided Chalk Stream Walk, Donington on Bain, 10am–1pm, cost not stated, booking required.
Walesby – Tealby Viking Circular, Walesby, 10.30am–2pm, £2 per person, booking required.
Discover Sailing Day, Covenham Reservoir, 11am–3.30pm, free, no booking required.
Chicken and Egg Workshop, South Ormsby Estate, 2pm–3.30pm, £10 per person, booking required.
Sunday 24th May
Spa Trail Walking from Woodhall Spa to Horncastle and back, Woodhall Spa, time not stated, cost not stated, booking required.
Make a Clay BronzeAge ‘Beaker’ Pot, Oxcombe Pottery, 2pm–4pm, free, no booking required.
Monday 25th May
Regency and Roses Day at Gunby Hall, Gunby Hall, 10am–4pm, free, no booking required.
Family First Aid Demo Sessions, Jubilee Park, Woodhall Spa, 10am–12pm, free, no booking required.
Guided Walk from Gunby Hall to Bratoft Manor (Regency Day AM), Gunby Hall, 10.45am–12.45pm, cost not stated, booking required.
Guided Walk to the Ice House Pond at Gunby Hall (Regency Day AM), Gunby Hall, 11am–12.30pm, cost not stated, booking required.
Vineyard Tour and Wine Tasting, South Ormsby Estate, 2pm–4pm, £10 per person (over 18s only), booking required.
Tuesday 26th May
Archaeology Walk from Gunby Hall to Bratoft Manor, Gunby Hall, 10am–12pm, free, no booking required.
Clocks, Chairs and Caistor Trades, Caistor Arts and Heritage Centre, 10am–12pm, £2 per person, booking required.
Walking Football Training Session, Louth Football Club, 6.30pm–7.30pm, free, no booking required.
The Lincolnshire Wolds Outdoor Festival is your perfect opportunity to explore and celebrate the beauty and excitement of the Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape
Wednesday 27th May
Pebbles on the Beach, Chapel Point, 10am–3pm, free, no booking required.
Out of this Wold, Horncastle Community Woodland, 10.30am–2pm, free, no booking required.
Fruit Farm Tour, Lissington, 1pm–3pm, cost not stated, booking required.
Ring out the Stories of Local Churches, Caistor, 1.30pm–4.30pm, £2 per person, booking required.
Evening Owl and Bat Walk, South Ormsby Estate, 7pm–9pm, £15 per person, booking required.
Thursday 28th May
Dawn Chorus Bird Walk, South Ormsby Estate, 6am–8.30am, £15 per person, booking required.
Walking in the Footsteps of Tennyson, Bag Enderby, 1pm–4pm, free, no booking required.
Louth Navigation and Alvingham Mill, Alvingham Mill, 6pm–8.30pm, free, no booking required.
Friday 29th May
Laser Clay Pigeon Shooting, South Ormsby Estate, 10am–11.30am, £12.50 per person, booking required.
The Louth Flood Walk, Louth, 2pm–3.30pm, £5 per person, no booking required.
Saturday 30th May
Laser Clay Pigeon Shooting, South Ormsby Estate, 10am–11.30am, £12.50 per person, booking required.
Louth Canal Linear Walk, Tetney Lock, 10am–2.30pm, free, no booking required.
Yoga on the Lawn, Market Rasen, 1pm–3pm, £3 per person, booking required.
Paws at Golden Hour, South Ormsby Estate, 8pm–10pm, free, no booking required.
Sunday 31st May
Wag Fest: Fun Dog Show, South Ormsby Estate, 12pm–3pm, general admission free but £2 per category for dog show competition.
MultiDay Event
Cadwell Park Vale Trail, Cadwell Park, Monday 18th May–Friday 29th May, from 9am, free, no booking required.
These are just some of the 150 planned events across the region which will make up this year’s Lincolnshire Wolds Outdoor Festival. For more information, see www.woldsoutdoorfestival.com
Lincoln Festival of History: Saturday 2nd May to Monday 4th May
RETURN TO THE PAST
Lincoln’s Festival of History is your chance to explore the city from a new perspective, as history is brought to life like never beforehere are our favourite eight highlights from this year’s event
Words: Rob Davis.
Lincoln’s rich and remarkable past will be celebrated once again as the Lincoln Festival of History returns for its third year over the Early May Bank Holiday, from 2nd to 4th May 2026.
The free, three-day event will invite residents and visitors alike to step back through the centuries as the city centre is transformed into a series of immersive historic settings, each bringing a different chapter of Lincoln’s story vividly to life.
Organised by the Events in Lincoln team at City of Lincoln Council, the festival will run daily from 11am to 5pm, offering living history
The Knight Academy
Visit the Knight Academy at St Paul in the Bail to try your hand at armoury drills and weaponry activities. Handson activities to try, including grain grinding, purse making and candle rolling. Explore a display of replica medieval weapons and armour, learn more about the evolution of the equipment, and handle it yourself. St Paul in the Bail will be transformed into a fascinating examination of how knights lived in a medieval age of chivalry.
St Paul in the Bail, 11am - 5pm.
displays, hands-on activities and dramatic re-enactments across four themed zones.
Visitors will encounter Vikings in City Square, discover the world of medieval knights at St Paul in the Bail, experience life in a Norman encampment at Cornhill Square and explore the sights and sounds of a Roman market in Castle Square.
Alongside these areas, additional activities will take place at venues including Lincoln Castle, Lincoln Cathedral and the Museum of Lincolnshire Life, ensuring that the entire city becomes part of a lively celebration of Lincoln’s heritage and history.
Lincoln’s Heritage Favourites
Alongside other attractions across the city at The Lincoln Festival of History, Lincoln’s iconic landmarks will also open their doors to visitors, with Lincoln Castle, Lincoln Cathedral and the city’s historic Guildhall in the Stonebow all welcoming visitors, offering a chance to explore centuries of civic, religious and architectural heritage in the heart of the city. The Guildhall, home to Lincoln’s remarkable civic plate, featured in last month’s Lincolnshire Pride magazine, online to enjoy now, free and in full at www.pridemagazines.co.uk. www.lincolncastle.com, www.lincolncathedral.com.
The Viking Arena
The Vikings arrived in Lincoln in 865, and the city became one of their chief strongholds. At the Festival of History, there’s a chance to embody the spirit of a Viking and immerse yourself in the Nordic way of life. Based in City Square, the Viking Market will be lined with tents exhibiting wares and weaponry. Handson activities include coin minting and calligraphy. Experience what life as a Scandinavian seafarer was really like and don your horned helmet and shield for some thrilling combat displays. City Square, 11am - 5pm.
Norman Camp
When the Normans swept into Lincoln after 1066, they left their mark for centuries, building the mighty Lincoln Castle and turning the city into one of their most important power bases. Step straight into a Norman lifestyle and discover what it was like under these ambitious conquerors. Experience how the Normans cooked, fought and survived at the Norman Camp. Taste food from a Norman kitchen, see armour and weapons up close. Cornhill Square, 11am - 5pm.
Ellis Mill
Built in 1798, Ellis Mill is the last of nine windmills that once stood on the Lincoln hilltop. Located on Mill Road, just behind the Museum of Lincolnshire Life, Ellis Mill is an excellent example of a small tower mill. This particular mill dates back to 1798, however, there has been a windmill on this site from at least the middle of the 17thcentury. Volunteers will open Ellis Mill as part of the Lincoln Festival of History. Mill Road, Lincoln, behind the museum of Lincolnshire Life. 11am - 2pm.
“Step through two thousand years of Lincoln’s remarkable past, following the city’s historic streets and stories at your own pace.”
Lincoln Festival of History Trails
Discover Lincoln’s remarkable past at your own pace with a series of selfguided heritage trails, available all year round but especially enjoyable during the Lincoln Festival of History. Follow the Roman Lincoln Trail to uncover the remains of Lindum Colonia; explore the life of a pioneering mathematician on the George Boole Trail; or trace medieval stories on the Jewish Heritage and 1217 Battle of Lincoln trails. The Brayford Architecture Trail and Stephen Langton Trail reveal further chapters of the city’s rich heritage. See www.visitlincoln.com/lincoln-festival-of-history.
Roman Market
Lincoln was conquered by the Romans in around AD50. Known as Lindum Colonia, the city was home to a huge population of retired soldiers. Castle Square would have sat at the very heart of the Roman community. This bustling area would have been full of shops and houses, and on the site of Lincoln Castle, stood their legionary fortress. During the festival see demonstrations of ancient crafts including baking, carpentry, tile making, blacksmithing and textile craft Castle Square, 11am - 5pm.
The Museum of Lincolnshire Life
Located in the 1857 former barracks of the Lincolnshire Regiment. Learn all about the rich history of Lincolnshire with interactive galleries and around 250,000 objects to explore, including an authentic World War I tank, ‘Daphne.’ Reflecting social history from 1750, the museum also has recreations of domestic rooms, businesses (drapers’ shop, print shop, chemist, and with military, industrial and agricultural exhibits too, from farm machinery to carriages. Burton Road, 10am - 4pm.
What’s On May
1st May
The Manfreds
54321... get ready for the Manfreds at Scunthorpe’s Plowright Theatre! Enjoy favourites like Pretty Flamingo, Mighty Quinn, and Do Wah Diddy Diddy, alongside a captivating selection of rhythm and bluesinspired gems and unforgettable solo successes. Friday 1st May from 7.30pm, call 01724 296296 or see scunthorpetheatres.co.uk.
1st May
The South
A fantastic evening of the classic greatest hits of The Beautiful South. Expect Song for Whoever, A Little Time, Don’t Marry Her, Rotterdam and Perfect 10 among others. Friday 1st May from 8pm, Meres Leisure Centre, Grantham, call 01476 406158 or see guildhallartscentre.com.
2nd May
Burghley Spring Fine Food Market
Local produce in the stunning surroundings of the Chestnut & Stable Courtyards at Burghley House this May Bank Holiday at the Spring Fine Food Market. Featuring a wide range of exhibitors including dishes from around the world, cheese, soft and alcoholic beverages, luxury sweet treats and rare breed meats.
Saturday 2nd to Monday 4th May, Burghley House, call 01780 752451 or see www.burghley.co.uk.
2nd May
Truckfest
Family fun, stunts, live music and all things trucks as the Lincolnshire Showground hosts Truckfest.
Saturday 2nd, Sunday 3rd May, see www.truckfest.co.uk.
10th May
Nigel Kennedy A Virtuoso Concert Performance
The world’s bestselling violinist embarks on his Virtuoso tour, his first large scale UK tour in over fifteen years a mustsee event.
Sunday 10th May from 7.30pm, tickets from £43, Grimsby Auditorium, call 0300 300 0035 or see grimsbyauditorium.org.uk.
16th May
Lincolnshire Wolds
Outdoor Festival
Explore the outstanding Lincolnshire Wolds on a multiactivity outdoor festival welcoming you to discover and explore the great outdoors. From cycling, fishing, golf, water sports and high ropes to navigation through The Lincolnshire Wolds, dancing crafting, gliding and so much more. Over 150 events taking place across Alford, Caistor, Horncastle, Louth, Market Rasen, Spilsby and Wragby, you will have the opportunity to try something different whilst enjoying the great outdoors. www.woldsoutdoorfestival.com.
Burghley’s Spring Fine Food Market.
17th
May
Woodhall Spa Country Show
A celebration of Lincolnshire’s rural heritage, held annually at the New Showfield on Green Lane. Expect a traditional countryside day out with livestock competitions, craft and trade stands, and a varied programme of entertainment for all ages. Rooted firmly in the region’s agricultural landscape, the show showcases the vital role farming plays in shaping the county’s character, while offering a relaxed, familyfriendly atmosphere that regulars will recognise and return to year after year. woodhallspacountryshow.com.
19th May
Jacob ReesMogg: Mogg Unbuttoned
With doublebreasted suits as sharp as his wit, Jacob ReesMogg trades the green benches of the Commons for the live stage of Lincoln’s New Theatre Royal for an evening of British candour and political insight.
Saturday 19th May, from 7.30pm, Lincoln New Theatre Royal, tickets £36, call 01522 519999 or see newtheatreroyallincoln.co.uk.
15th May
WOW! That’s What
I Call A Weekend!
Tattershall Lakes’ hosts its pure 1980s throwback weekend from 15th17th May, with live bands, tribute acts, DJs, and all the hits from the decade you know and love.
Tattershall Lakes Country Park, call 0330 0537000 or see www.awayresorts.co.uk.
29th May
The Music of Westlife by Candlelight
Featuring a sensational cast of worldclass vocalists and an incredible live band, get ready to relive the magic of Westlife's biggest hits, like you've never heard them before, all performed live by candlelight... World of Our Own, You Raise Me Up, Evergreen, My Love, Swear It Again and Uptown Girl are all here and all delightfully performed against the dreamy backdrop of Lincoln Cathedral.
Friday 29th May, 7.30pm, tickets £25-£50, call 01522 561 644 or see www.lincolncathedral.com.
30th May
Queen by Candlelight
Sing along to timeless classics in the candlelit nave of Lincoln Cathedral. Show includes including Bohemian Rhapsody, It's a Kind of Magic, We Are The Champions, Who Wants to Live Forever and many more! Performed by a worldclass cast of West End vocalists and epic live rock band. The Show Must Go On!
Grab your tickets now to this spectacular celebration of Queen's biggest hits, guaranteed to Rock You!
Saturday 30th May, 7.30pm, tickets from £29.50, call 01522 561 644 or see www.lincolncathedral.com.
Coming Up The 2026 Lincolnshire
Show
The countdown is on to the 141st Lincolnshire Show, one of the county’s largest and most anticipated events, promising two actionpacked days of entertainment with brandnew features and returning favourites.
Hosted by the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society (LAS), a registered charity dedicated to educating the public on food, farming and the countryside, this year’s Show will take place at the Lincolnshire Showground on 17th and 18th June.
The annual celebration of country life showcases the best of Lincolnshire, with around 2,500 animals on display, 500 exhibitors and a programme of mustsee events.
Among the new attractions for 2026 is a thrilling Dart Chukka Polo Display, and the Squibb Freestyle FMX Show, which is set to be an audience favourite with highenergy motocross stunts and impressive aerial tricks. Fond favourites such as Hawkeye Falconry, the Shetland Pony Grand National and the Shire Horse of the Year Qualifier will return, as well as the popular Lincolnshire Kitchen which will be hosted by celebrity chef Rachel Green, showcasing local produce and culinary talent.
Also back by popular demand is the Lincolnshire Show Beach, which will provide a seaside escape at the heart of the Showground, giving visitors the chance to unwind, play and soak up the summer atmosphere.
For more information see lincolnshireshowground.co.uk.
Lincolnshire Wolds Outdoor Festival.
Writing Wrongs
Before becoming one of Britain’s most exciting espionage novelists, Ava Glass worked alongside the intelligence services themselves. She reflects on the reality of modern spying, the fears facing the West today, and the inspiration behind her latest thriller
Words: Rob Davis.
When the truth is stranger than fiction, it doesn’t half make a good basis for a story. And few tropes have drawn more curiosity or excitement than the life of a spy.
From the world’s most famous spook, 007, to Le Carré’s George Smiley, to Ethan Hunt, Jason Bourne and every other character snipping the red wire with seconds to go, or destroying an entire network of nefarious criminal megalomania, there’s nothing more intriguing than the life of a spy.
The fact is spies do exist, and, says Ava Glass, it’s a jolly good thing they do. Rather opaque about the exact details of her working life, and a signatory of the Official Secrets Act, Ava is a journalist turned communications officer for the British intelligence services’ counterterrorism operations. The role was a bit paradoxical since, often, the question of how to communicate an aspect of the work undertaken by the services was simply ‘you can’t, so you don’t.’
Nevertheless, Ava has been able to combine first-hand experience of the furtive role of the intelligence services with a keen imagination and experience as a journalist (specialising in reporting crime for the New York Times and Reuters news wire service) to commit to paper some exceptional stories about the life of a spy. Her Emma Makepeace trilogy was published from 2021-2024, after the five-year conditional embargo by her previous employers on publishing either factual or
fictitious accounts of the services’ work. Her new novel, The Hiding Season, is a standalone novel that aims to reflect more accurately the role of the services, albeit with a totally fictitious setting.
“I grew up in the US,” she says. “I got a job as an editor at a publishing house in the UK 25 years ago. I met someone who invited me to come work for the government doing counter-terrorism communications. This was around 2005, 2006.” What followed was not a glamorous spy fantasy but a highly unusual communications role at a time when Britain was wrestling with the aftershocks of terrorist attacks and trying to decide how much the public should be told about the work being done to protect them. “That was when I first met the spies and started working with them. I worked in that world for five years.”
It’s important to note that this was in the era of Eliza Manningham-Buller, who succeeded Dame Stella Rimington (the first female Director General of MI5, and the first Director General whose name was publicised on appointment) and a couple of other DGs. Dame Stella advocated a loosening of confidentiality pertaining to the British intelligence services, Eliza did not.
Eliza did, however, have to make comments to the 2010 Chilcot (Iraq) Inquiry and make public statements on terrorism detention and make a statement on whether it was appropriate or possible to gain intelligence through torture.
With IT expert Edward Snowden accused of whistleblowing many of the NSA’s most classified documents and Katharine Gun accused of leaking GCHQ information in 2003, the case was soon made for a kind of glasnost in the security services, making the public aware of both the more prosaic nature of the intelligence services’ work and the importance of allowing the services to work without fear of exposure.
The approach coincided with MI6’s first public recruitment campaign in April 2006, via a series of puzzles to assess whether a candidate might have an analytic mindset.
“One of the things that some films risk with fantastic and implausible plots is to make us not understand how serious it all is and what they’re actually doing,” she says. “Espionage is not about sipping Martinis or smoking cigars in casinos, nor is it about lasers in volcano lairs. It’s life and death. It’s the difference between war and peace.”
Asked what feels most alarming now, Ava is unequivocal. “It used to be terrorism. Now it’s China, and now it’s Russia, and now it’s Iran. It’s state. Everything shifted a few years ago from small terror groups to statesponsored terror.” She adds, “What Russia could do, what China can do, that’s what keeps everybody up at night right now.”
Ava recalls how communications policy had to be brokered carefully, often through the Home Office rather than the agencies themselves.
“By the time I left in 2011, it was still very, very little information was coming out.”
Yet if the institutions were secretive, Ava was observing something far more useful for a novelist than policy. She was seeing human behaviour under pressure. She was watching how officials spoke, what they avoided, how suspicion lingered in the air and how secrecy shaped everyday interactions. “It’s the most paranoid place that I’ve ever been, and it’s fascinating,” she says.
“In my books, particularly in my Emma Makepeace books, that’s what I’m trying to capture,” she explains. “I’m trying to capture how it actually felt in that world.”
What interested Ava was not merely espionage as plot machinery, but espionage as atmosphere, hierarchy and psychology. “The ones on the ground, they never want to think about politics. They just want to do their own jobs. But there’s always somebody at the top who has to think about it to protect them.”
It is a distinction that matters, because one of the pleasures of Ava Glass’s novels is that they do not feel borrowed from film. She is very clear-eyed about the difference between the fantasy of espionage and its reality.
Although she left government in 2011, Ava did not immediately start publishing spy fiction. There were rules to respect and a distance to maintain. “There was a rule that you couldn’t write about that world for five years after you left it,” she says. “Otherwise, they would have had to review the contents if I’d written it within five years. Just for safety, I let 10 years pass.” Instead, Ava wrote other novels under other names before launching the series that has made her such an exciting presence in espionage fiction, not to mention a rare female author within the genre.
The Emma Makepeace series began with The Chase in 2021 and introduced a British operative working in a covert unit focused on Russian agents operating illegally in the UK.
The books that followed, The Traitor and The Trap, were published in 2023 and 2024. Each novel can be read alone, but together they build a compelling fictional world. Better still, that world may yet have a life beyond the page. “That series has been optioned for television and is with a production company,” she says.
IN BRIEF Ava Glass
Ava Glass is the pseudonym of an internationally bestselling thriller writer whose work draws heavily on her reallife experience inside the world of government and intelligence.
A former crime reporter and civil servant, she spent several years working within the UK government, where her role brought her into close contact with intelligence officers and the realities of modern espionage.
That insider perspective shapes her fastpaced spy novels, particularly the Alias Emma series, which follows young British agent Emma Makepeace through highstakes missions across Europe. Her debut in the series, Alias Emma, introduced readers to a tense, contemporary vision of espionage, followed by The Traitor and The Trap.
FOR THOSE STILL WORKING IN THE INTELLIGENCE SERVICES, SECRECY, IS NOT A DRAMATIC DEVICE BUT A NECESSITY, A BURDEN AND PART OF THE CULTURE. SHE KNOWS THE ALLURE OF THE WORLD OF ESPIONAGE BUT SHE ALSO UNDERSTANDS ITS IMPORTANCE
Ava’s latest novel, The Hiding Season, is a stand-alone thriller and a deliberate change of scene. “I’d had an idea for this standalone novel for a very long time in my mind.”
“So it seemed like a good time to give it a shot and just write it because it’s completely different. It’s set in the US, it has an FBI agent instead of MI6, so it’s quite a different feel.”
The seed for the novel came from an extraordinary real place in Montana, described to her by one of her oldest friends.
This friend had worked as a concierge at a private ski resort for billionaires, a place of such astonishing exclusivity that only a tiny circle of owners could use it. “It’s 45 luxuriant lodges on a mountain, and they collectively own the mountain,” she says.
Her friend would spend entire days on the mountain alone, sometimes without phone or radio signal. “I used to joke that it would be an amazing place to commit a murder,” Ava says. “Nobody to see it. Nobody to come across the body for months.”
From that macabre but irresistible premise came The Hiding Season. “The book begins with a woman who has exactly that job. She’s a caretaker at a private ski resort. And one day she comes across the body, and it’s the body of a very important man.
Her protagonist, Maya has to go all the way down the mountain to call the police. And by the time she returns half an hour later with the police, the body is gone. And there’s no evidence it was ever there.”
It is the kind of hook that any thriller writer would envy, but Ava pushes it further.
“Somebody knows she saw it,” she says. “And the person who’s dead is very important. And she’s the only person who knows he’s been killed. So she has to go into hiding.”
Maya, is not an insider but an ordinary woman pulled violently into a world of danger and deception. “The one person who can help her, the one person who believes her, says he’s an FBI agent. She’s not sure she can trust him, but there’s nobody else.” That uncertainty is central to the novel’s tension. “Her whole life turns upside down.”
Part of the inspiration came from research into missing persons in the US, a subject that clearly lodged itself in Ava’s imagination.
“Did you know that in the US, 600,000 people go missing every year?” she says. “600,000. I couldn’t believe it.” Most, she notes, disappear voluntarily, but not all. “That fascinated me. Can you disappear? I wanted to look at whether you really can disappear and how it would work if you did.”
If her Emma Makepeace novels are often driven by momentum and time pressure, The Hiding Season seems to have offered her a different kind of pleasure as a writer. “I will say The Hiding Season is the twistiest book I’ve ever written,” she says. Even she sounds faintly delighted by what happened as she wrote it.
“When I got to the end, I wrote a completely different ending than I had sketched out. I turned to my husband and I just said, ‘I just wrote the greatest twist I have ever written and I have no idea where it came from.’”
For aspiring thriller writers, her advice is wonderfully practical. “Read newspapers,” she says. “I open the newspaper. There is something every week that tells you how the spies are working, what they’re up to.”
The trick is not to reproduce headlines but to look beyond them. “Find something that triggers something in your mind, something where you think, ‘oh, I’d love to know more about that.’” Then comes the novelist’s transformation. “You take reality and then you lift it and move it and change it.”
Ava is preparing to meet readers in Lincolnshire this month, as part of Grimsby’s Our Big Picture promoted by Brigg’s Rabbit Hole Bookshop. “It’s my first ever tour as Ava Glass,” she says. “So I’m excited.” For readers, it promises more than a routine author event.
“It’ll be a Q&A and I’ll chat with the audience. I’ll hang around to meet people, sign the book and I’ll be talking about the inspirations for the book, my background, my work with the spies and even my crime reporting.”
Ava writes from the edge of the visible world. For those still working in the intelligence services, secrecy is not a dramatic device but a necessity, a burden and part of the culture. She knows the allure of the intelligence services, but she also understands their gravity. Most of all, she knows how to turn that knowledge into fiction that is smart, tense and sharply entertaining. Oh, and Ava is, of course, not her real name, simply her author’s pseudonym.
Ava’s novels are available at The Rabbit Hole independent book shop in Brigg. For more information see www.therabbitholebrigg.com.
Adults Only Treehouses
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SEEING RED
A new era begins for the RAF’s worldfamous Red Arrows as Wing Commander Sasha Nash takes command of the iconic aerobatic team. We explore her remarkable journey, the precision and teamwork behind every display, and the enduring pride of a Lincolnshirebased squadron that continues to inspire audiences around the globe...
There are few sights more stirring in a Lincolnshire summer than the Red Arrows sweeping across an open sky: nine fast jets carving arcs of colour with effortless grace.
For many, they are a symbol not just of aviation excellence, but of national pride, precision and teamwork at the very highest level. This year marks a new chapter in that story, as Wing Commander Sasha Nash assumes command of the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team.
Sasha’s appointment is both a personal milestone and a moment of continuity for one of Britain’s most celebrated institutions.
“This is a career opportunity of a lifetime,” she says. “If someone had told me, 20 years ago, that one day I would be Officer Commanding of the Red Arrows, I don’t think I would have believed it.” >>
Words: Rob Davis Images: Phil Dye, Iwan Lewis via RAF Defence Imagery.
Sasha leads a unit of around 130 personnel, each playing a vital role in delivering approximately 65 display flights each year across the UK and beyond...
>> Today, Sasha leads a unit of around 130 personnel, each playing a vital role in delivering approximately 65 display flights each year across the UK and beyond.
A Lifetime Ambition Realised Wing Commander Nash’s journey to this point began, fittingly, at an airshow. Inspired at just six years old by the speed and spectacle of fast jets, she set her sights early on a career in aviation. That ambition carried her through school, university and into the Royal Air Force, which she joined in 2005.
Her career has been distinguished and varied. Trained on the Tucano and Hawk T1, she went on to fly the Tornado GR4 on frontline operations, including tours in Afghanistan, as well as exercises around the world.
Sasha later became a Qualified Flying Instructor, shaping the next generation of fast jet pilots, before moving into senior leadership roles, including Chief of Staff in Display Wing Headquarters.
Now, as Officer Commanding of the Red Arrows, she is responsible for every aspect of the team’s operation, from safety and engineering to public engagement and performance. “I am incredibly proud and excited,” she says. “To be commanding a team whose aim is to represent the UK and inspire future generations of aviators from all backgrounds is a tremendous honour.”
The Aircraft
At the heart of every Red Arrows display is the BAE Systems Hawk T1, an aircraft that
IN
BRIEF
Sasha Nash
Home Town: Berkshire.
Education: Lady Eleanor Holles; University of Leicester (Psychology with Sociology).
Career: RAF fastjet pilot flying Tornado GR4 on operations in Afghanistan, later instructor and Squadron Commander. Wing Commander and Officer Commanding the Red Arrows for the 2026 season from January 2026 to present.
has become synonymous with the team’s identity. First introduced in the late 1970s, the Hawk remains a remarkably capable and agile platform, ideally suited to the demands of close formation aerobatics.
Unlike modern flybywire fighters, the Hawk offers a more direct, tactile flying experience. Pilots often describe it as a more intimate connection between human and machine, where subtle inputs translate instantly into movement.
This responsiveness is essential when flying at speeds approaching 645 miles per hour, sometimes separated by little more than ten feet. Each pilot is responsible for the aircraft they fly, personally checking its condition before every sortie.
From fuel and oxygen levels to the distinctive smoke system, which produces the team’s iconic red, white and blue trails, every detail must be correct. In such an environment, there is no room for assumption. Precision begins long before the aircraft leave the ground.
The History of the Squadron
Formed in 1964, the Red Arrows have become one of the most recognisable aerobatic teams in the world.
Over six decades, the team has performed more than 4,800 displays in 57 countries, representing the very best of British skill, discipline and engineering.
Having relocated from Scampton 2022, their home now is RAF Waddington. From here, each season is meticulously planned, with training beginning months in advance of the first public displays in late spring.
The team’s ethos has remained consistent throughout its history. It is built on precision, excellence and teamwork, values that are deeply embedded across the Royal Air Force.
While the aircraft and routines may evolve, the underlying mission does not. The Red Arrows exist to inspire, to represent and to demonstrate what can be achieved through dedication and collaboration.
What it Takes to Fly
Becoming a Red Arrows pilot is one of the most competitive processes in military aviation. Candidates must already be highly experienced fast jet pilots, often with operational tours behind them. Even then, selection is far from guaranteed.
Those chosen join the team for a three year tour, during which they must master the unique demands of formation aerobatics. Flying just feet from another aircraft requires extraordinary concentration, spatial awareness and trust. Every manoeuvre is rehearsed repeatedly, first individually, then as part of the full nine aircraft formation.
The team’s displays themselves are carefully choreographed sequences lasting around 20 minutes, divided into two halves. From loops and rolls to the dramatic synchro pair opposition passes, each element must be executed with absolute precision. Timing is critical, often measured to within seconds, particularly for high profile events such as national celebrations or royal occasions.>>
The Red Arrows are ambassadors for the Royal Air Force and the United Kingdom, showcasing not only technical skill but also the values that underpin military service...
>> Yet even with rigorous training, such close quarters carries inherent risk. The RAF places immense emphasis on safety, ensuring that all risks are reduced to as low as reasonably prac balance between pushing the boundaries of performance and maintaining absolute control.
The Ground Support Crew
While the pilots may capture the public imagination, the Red Arrows are very much a team effort. Behind the nine aircra network of specialists known collec the Blues, alongside the Circus, engineers assigned to individual pilots and aircra
These men and women are responsible for maintaining and preparing the aircra under intense seasons. It is not uncommon for mul sorties to be fl at different loca turnaround, me and a level of logis as impressive as the
Wing Commander Nash is keenly aware of this responsibility. “We aim to represent the UK and help inspire future generations,” she says.
More importantly, her a passion for aviation and her commitment to the RAF’s values align perfectly with the ethos of the Red Arrows. “This is a great time to be joining the team,” she says. With training already underway and
For more information see www.raf.mod.uk/display-teams/red-arrows.
A Safe Second Chance for Blossom?
When you make a gift to Jerry Green Dog Rescue, you aren’t just funding ‘rescue.’ You’re providing a safe second chance for a dog in need. Dogs like Blossom...
Jerry Green Dog Rescue is a charity that believes every dog is unique and worth fighting for, and it finds safe, loving homes for dogs in need across Lincolnshire. Each dog has a story, and each one is searching for their own safe second chance.
The charity has launched a fundraising appeal to support dogs in need, like Blossom.
Blossom, a threeyearold Staffordshire Bull Terrier, was found living on the streets –always hungry and always listening for danger. When Blossom was taken to the stray pound, it became clear just how much care and support she needed.
Blossom was suffering from a chest infection called Kennel Cough, and a condition called Cherry Eye causing her eyes to be sore with big, red, swollen lumps.
On top of this, Blossom was heavily pregnant.
The stray pound appealed for help, and thanks to generous supporters like you, Jerry Green Dog Rescue was able to answer that call. Blossom was welcomed by the Centre Manager, Emma, who prepared a room with a birthing nest, lined with blankets and towels. Blossom didn’t know it yet, but she was finally safe. Emma expected that she would have a week to prepare for Blossom’s puppies to arrive. Instead, just one day later, Blossom went into labour.
“I was by her side throughout it all,” shared Emma, “At first, she was wary of me, but after puppy number three, she was exhausted. Blossom finally relaxed and let me cuddle her, supporting her to continue bringing her little ones into the world throughout the night.”
But tragedy struck, when one of Blossom’s puppies was born not breathing.
Thankfully, Emma was there to respond quickly and cleared the airways to keep the puppy alive. By half past one the next morning, Blossom had given birth to six beautiful puppies.
Blossom had gone from sleeping on cold pavements to now laying on fluffy blankets, surrounded by her sleeping puppies. For the first time, she didn’t need to worry about what danger might be nearby. Blossom could finally sleep without keeping one swollen eye open.
These miracle moments only happen thanks to generous donations. Please make a gift to Jerry Green Dog Rescue so a frightened family like Blossom and her puppies can get the care they need.
Blossom was examined by a vet and given medicine to clear her chest infection and soothe her cough.
The vet also confirmed that Blossom will need surgery to treat her Cherry Eye, a condition where a dog’s tear gland swells and covers their eye. With both eyes affected, Blossom can barely see her beautiful babies.
But surgeries like this are only possible with supporter funding. That’s why Jerry Green Dog Rescue is asking you to join them in fighting for dogs in need, dogs like Blossom.
It can cost up to £4,000 to care for a dog like Blossom – from initial rescue and veterinary treatment to specialist staff, food, warmth, and a safe place to recover.
But donations don't just fund ‘rescue.’ It means an anxious dog is safe from day one. It provides expert care to heal challenging behaviours and medical conditions like Cherry Eye, so they can find loving families of their own.
That is what a safe second chance looks like, and that’s why your gift matters today.
“Blossom was just one of 223 calls for help that Jerry Green Dog Rescue receives every month,” says Emma. “Each call has an abandoned, neglected, or mistreated dog at the heart of it –and like us, I’m sure you believe every one of them is worth fighting for.”
By donating today, you have the power to do something wonderful. You’ll be giving a dog like Blossom and her puppies the safety and dedicated care they need to heal.
Scan the QR code or visit www.jerrygreendogs.org.uk /Blossoms-story-lincs to make a gift today.
Registered Charity No. 1155042
A Sweet Chestnut
Chestnut House, Grimoldby
A striking country house in the village of Grimoldby, Chestnut House offers more than 6,000 square feet of living space, created with entertaining in mind and surrounded by open farmland and landscaped gardens
Set in the peaceful village of Grimoldby and surrounded by open countryside, Chestnut House is an impressive modern country residence that combines classical scale with contemporary design.
Built in 2013 by the vendors themselves, the house was conceived as a home that would offer generous, welcoming spaces for family life and entertaining, while enjoying the privacy and tranquillity of its rural setting.
Extending to more than 6,000 square feet, the property offers a remarkable sense of space and flow, with five reception rooms and four bedrooms arranged across two floors.
The layout has been carefully designed to ensure that the main living areas feel connected and sociable, creating a home that lends itself naturally to gatherings with friends and family.
Words: Rob Davis.
Inside, a magnificent reception hall creates a really striking first impression. A sweeping staircase rises beneath a sparkling chandelier to a galleried landing above, while arched openings on either side lead into the principal living spaces.
At the heart of the house is the exceptional open-plan kitchen, dining and family room stretching to around 59 feet in length. This expansive space has been designed very much with entertaining in mind and has become the natural gathering point for family and friends. The vendors say that guests inevitably gravitate to the kitchen, which suits them perfectly as it allows whoever is cooking to remain part of the conversation and atmosphere.
The kitchen itself is totally bespoke, constructed by Stuart Kinch with handcrafted cabinetry, porcelain flooring and marble worktops, along with a large central island and integrated appliances. The kitchen is Sunday
lunch-proof, with three ovens including two steam ovens, two warming drawers and a Quooker tap.
A breakfast table with banquette seating provides a relaxed everyday dining area, while the adjoining family space features a recessed fireplace and a built-in fish tank that adds an unexpected and distinctive touch.
At the front of the house a formal dining room and elegant sitting room provide more traditional spaces, beautifully decorated with refined lighting and generous windows that fill the rooms with natural light.
To the rear, a snooker room enjoys views of the garden and opens directly outside through wide doors, creating a seamless link between house and garden in the warmer months. The vendors added this space as part of an extension, designed so that during summer gatherings the room becomes a natural hub where guests can move easily between indoor and outdoor spaces.
Another fun addition is the home’s bar, created during the lockdown period as a project for family and friends to enjoy.
Upstairs, the galleried landing leads to four generously proportioned double bedrooms and three bathrooms. The principal suite is particularly impressive, incorporating a large dressing room and walk-in wardrobe alongside a luxurious en suite bathroom with freestanding bath and rainfall shower.
A further bedroom benefits from its own en suite shower room, while the remaining two share a well-appointed Jack and Jill bathroom.
The house has evolved with the needs of the family over time. During the extension works, a larger utility room was created to accommodate the demands of busy family life, while an additional bedroom allowed the vendors to establish an exceptionally spacious dressing area within the principal suite.
Outside, the gardens have been designed to be both attractive and easy to maintain, laid to lawn and with seasonal planting.
A spacious patio provides an ideal setting for outdoor dining, while beneath a gazebo sits an outdoor kitchen complete with a Kamado Joe barbecue, making it perfect for relaxed gatherings on warm evenings. There’s also a Japanese-style woodfired hot tub underneath a pergola for enjoying all year-round.
Chestnut House has been the setting for many important family moments for the familythey even held their wedding reception within the grounds, but with the children growing older and new projects on the horizon, they feel the time has come for another family to enjoy the home they created.
The next owners are incredibly lucky... thanks its exceptional scale, distinctive design and idyllic rural surroundings, Chestnut House offers a rare opportunity to enjoy modern country living at its most impressive.
Chestnut House Tinkle Street, Grimoldby
Location: Louth six miles, Lincoln 33 miles.
Rooms: Five reception rooms, currently arranged as openplan living kitchen with family area, dining room, living room, snooker room, bar. Four bedrooms with three en suites.
Guide Price £1,250,000.
Find Out More: Currently on the market with Savills of Lincoln, call 01522 508900 or see www.savills.co.uk.
Devereux Way, Horncastle LN9 6AU
Tel: 01507 527113
W: www.peterjacksoncabinets.co.uk E: info@peterjacksoncabinets.co.uk
Peter Jackson Cabinet Makers Ltd
Emerald Everywhere
Luxurious home and garden pieces in lush green tones for May
LUSH FOREST BEDDING
Rich green duvet set with vibrant florals, soft 100% cotton sateen, £100, www.grahambrown.com.
MYRTLE GREEN TABLE
Sleek stained side table with minimalist design, perfect for modern interiors, £629, www.fermliving.co.uk.
EMERALD COCOON CHAIR
A stylish outdoor egg chair with lush green rope and comfort, £649, www.atkinandthyme.co.uk.
LAYERED GLASS PENDANT
Artisan glass pendant light with textured depth and contemporary designer appeal, £435, www.serenzaliving.com.
ZAMBEZI DINING SET
Exquisite Zambezi dinner set with vibrant wildlife, fine bone china, £280, www.emmajshipley.com.
MODERN GREEN NIGHTSTAND
Curved green bedside table with three drawers, stylish storage solution, £320, www.uk.homary.com.
PROUD PEACOCK BENCH
Handcrafted bench in rich peacock tones, striking modern garden statement, £878, www.wolffblitz.com.
BOTTLE GREEN TUB CHAIR
Luxurious bottle green upholstered tub chair with brass frame and comfort, £429, www.myfurniture.com.
DESIGNERS GUILD CUSHION
Linen cushion with painterly botanical print, luxe textured floral statement, £100, www.sheenupholstery.com.
BOTANICAL OUTDOOR RUG
Lush green outdoor rug with botanical motif, for durable stylish flooring, £289, www.rugs.co.uk.
DARK GREEN GOLD VASE
Elegant emerald and gold oval vaseluxe centrepiece for stylish spaces, £145, www.hardtoresist.co.uk.
ORNATE CANDLE LANTERN
Decorative iron garden lantern with green patina for ambient lighting, £125, www.britishironworkcentre.co.uk.
BEVERLEY HILLS JUG
Mouthblown crystal jug with vibrant green leaf, exclusive craftsmanship, £990, www.asprey.com.
VERDIGRIS SUPREME PLANTER
Stylish resin planter with aged verdigris finish — luxury garden accessory, £299, www.foras.co.uk.
ORANGE GROVE WALLCOVERING
Textured green botanical wallpaper with vibrant foliage pattern and designer appeal, £322, www.osborneandlittle.com.
SHADY WAVE WOOL THROW
Sumptuous green wool throw with elegant wave texture: cosy luxury, £74.99, www.thewoolroom.com.
Ideas for the Home
From spring roasts to summer salads, from pretty homeware to practical ideas, this month we’ve a roundup of the household essentials that will make your summer home especially sunny!
Make the Most of Your Roast
There’s nothing better than a roast dinner in spring, from Lavinton Lamb to a joint of Lincoln Red, cooked slowly and served with plenty of gravy, crispy roasties and giant Yorkshire puddings.
And as you create your perfect Sunday lunch, there’s no better cookware brand anywhere in the world than Stellar, whose pans and trays are the kind that will last forever and never need replacing.
Of particular recommendation is the company’s Profile range of saucepans, (£300/fivepiece), which are indestructible (a fact underwritten by a lifetime guarantee) and suitable for any hob type.
However, for your spring and summer roasts, the company’s new Roasting Set comprises an Eclipse baking tray, roasting pan with rack, carving tray, plus a 21cm carving knife and fork all for £300. Great quality, at a decent price, designed to last forever.
Roasting Set £300, www.stellar.co.uk.
Patron saint of country homes, Sophie Allport, has launched a new range of homeware, Farm Friends, with nostalgic countryside charm and motifs of busy hens, rustic tractors, cows, geese and apple orchards. Quality is great and each product will stand up to the rigours of a busy family kitchen. Tablecloth £80; apron £28; tea towel £14; oven gloves £28; mug £17. See www.sophieallport.com.
Farm Friends by Sophie Allport
Summer Style from Emma Bridgewater
Some cheerful new designs from Emma Bridgewater for summer 2026, from Vegetable Garden and Tomatoes, shown above, £28/soup dish to Oranges & Lemons, right, £100/ sixpint jug; £28/8.5inch dinner plate. Also seen here is the Blooming Good Tea collection, £26/mug and Strawberries £24/French bowl, £25/8.5inch dinner plate, £13/gingham tea towel. All products still made from creamcoloured earthenware in the company’s factory in in StokeonTrent, the home of great British pottery, www.emmabridgewater.co.uk.
Perfect for Spring Cleaning
Delicious Treats All Summer Long
I was treated to a Ninja Creami ice cream maker for Christmas, and even though summer isn’t with us just yet, the machine has already had quite a bit of use... Scoop & Swirl creates softserve and scoopable ice cream, but beyond those summer
staples you can also put it to use creating milkshakes, smoothies, sorbet and much more. The resulting ice cream tastes great and you can vouch for what ingredients have been used to make it, too. £349, www.ninjakitchen.co.uk
If your current vacuum is a bit wheezy or you’re frustrated with releasing a cloud of dust every time you empty the cyclone, allow us to recommend Miele’s Guard L1.
It’s ‘old school’ in the sense that it’s a bagged machine, with a cord, but the German premium brand has worked hard to update its cleaners for 2026 with a range that includes S, M & L versions for any size home. This L1 Guard version features a radio handle with remote controls, an automatic suction setting to increase the power only when needed, plus softrunning wheels and a gentle parquet brush for wooden floors.
Ideal for those with hayfever, its HEPA AirClean filter keeps pollen in check and the bags selfseal so replacing them is cleaner than emptying a bagless cleaner.
Miele Guard L1, £399, www.miele.co.uk.
GARDENING with MARK LANE
As spring’s first flourish begins to fade and the promise of summer waits in the wings, May is a month of quiet transformation in the garden. Now is the time to nurture young plants, plan for lasting colour and fill the gap between bulbs and high summer with thoughtful planting that will reward you for seasons to come
Words & Images: Mark Lane.
May is here, and summer is in the air. Flower Shows, such as Gunby Hall’s Rose Week from Saturday 23rd May, warm us up for the Lincolnshire Showground’s Garden Show from 18th June and Belvoir Castle’s Flower & Garden Show from 11th July. There’s also a whole host of NGS open gardens to enjoy as the gardening calendar really begins to gather momentum.
I love visiting the Flower Shows, presenting at them for the BBC and writing about them. But Show Gardens only depict a garden or planting scheme at a static moment of glory (often with plants forced or held back by skilled nurserymen and women).
Our gardens in May, however, can sometimes feel deflated. Before summer species start to flower, borders, pots and containers can look a little lacking in colour, form and texture, but I’m delighted to say that many plants can help fill the spring-summer gap.
What I have realised while trying to juggle a busy filming schedule, managing my garden design projects and writing, is that actually taking your time to review and reinvent areas of your garden is paramount. In other words, don’t rush into creating a new border or planting scheme. It will take time, as and when money permits.
The ‘Chelsea Chop’
In late May, prune back a third of your perennials (known as the ‘Chelsea Chop’) to
stagger and prolong flowering. The cuttings from tender perennials, such as fuchsia, argyranthemum and pelargonium (geranium), as well as the new shoots of hardy perennials, can be used for cuttings. This is a great way to increase your plant stock for free and it doesn’t take too much time.
Hardening off plants
May is the perfect time to start hardening off hardy and non-hardy bedding plants raised under glass or indoors. This year I’ve gone a little crazy and sowed a lot of seed back in March, and the young plants now need to get ready to be planted outside.
Hardening off simply means introducing the plant to outside temperatures slowly, bringing them in each night, and gradually extending the number of hours outside. For us here in Lincolnshire, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in the middle of May is a good time to start the hardening off process.
As my dahlias are still young, but already filling out, I might add some jute string netting to the borders, laid horizontally at different heights and fixed to thick bamboo canes in the corners. Once in flower, the netting will disappear.
It’s important to remember to support your dahlias, as many have large flowers which weigh quite a bit. Dahlias have had a resurgence in popularity over the last few years, and rightly so, in my opinion. I’ll also add some upturned pots filled with straw to collect earwigs, and to keep them off my precious dahlia flowers (which they love!).
Firstyear flowering perennials
Most of the time when we think about growing plants from seed, we primarily consider annuals and biennials, but some great firstyear flowering perennials are easy to grow and will fill your borders for months on end.
The first thing to remember is that seed packets can contain hundreds or just a handful of seeds. For the former, think about how big your border or container is and sow
Opposite: Mark’s Chelsea Show Garden from 2019. Above: Mark Lane is a horticulturalist, garden designer, TV presenter, author of The Thrifty Gardener, Royal Gardens of the World and the Future of Gardens.
just enough, perhaps with an additional 10% in case of any casualties along the way. In other words, there’s no point sowing 100 seeds of a plant that’s going to grow to 30cm in width unless you have a very large border or lots of containers to fill. Remember also that perennials come back year after year, so there is no wastage (as with annuals or biennials, which end up on the compost heap), saving you money in the long run.
So, if you want summer and autumn colour, scent and interest this year and subsequent years, sow perennial seeds now until July. Many gardeners are put off from growing perennials from seed, fearing that they’ll take too long to grow, but sowing perennials early in the year will result in flowers to be proud of.
Shrubs and trees to fill your garden
When it comes to shrubs and trees during May, it’s hard to beat hawthorn, viburnum, osmanthus, exochorda, magnolia, lilac, cornus and weigela.
May in the Garden
The May-tree, hawthorn or Crataegus monogyna has fragrant white flowers in May, followed by spherical, glossy, dark red fruit, and deeply lobed, glossy, dark green leaves. It makes a great specimen plant or as a boundary hedge. When it comes to viburnum, there are several to choose from. I love Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum ‘Pink Beauty,’ which has gorgeous white, lacecap-like flowers in late spring that mature to pink, and toothed, deeply veined, dark green leaves that turn redpurple in autumn.
Viburnum opulus roseum, however, is smothered with large, snowball-like clusters of white or green-tinted white flowers that sometimes age to pink. Perfect for May wedding bouquets.
For elegant beauty, it’s hard to beat a magnolia shrub/tree as a specimen plant. Magnolia ‘Susan’ has narrow goblet-shaped, fragrant flowers that emerge from slender, dark burgundy buds.
n Tie in climbing and rambling roses. Lay the stems horizontally to help produce more flowers. Also, support clematis, sweet peas and beans, before they become unruly.
n Prune springflowering shrubs immediately after flowering.
n If growing tomatoes, courgettes and pumpkins outdoors, then you’ll need to harden them off for planting early next month.
n Protect strawberries with straw (to control weeds and to lift the berries off the soil) and netting (to keep birds off the fruit).
n Plant out summer bedding, once frost has passed. Enrich the soil with compost and ensure containers have drainage holes.
n Pinching out the tips of plants such as cosmos, fuchsias and chrysanthemums encourages bushier growth and more flowers.
n Aphids, slugs and vine weevils become active this month. Encourage natural predators — ladybirds, hoverflies, frogs and birds — by maintaining habitat diversity. Handpick where practical and avoid chemicals and pesticides.
n Deadhead tulips (unless you’re saving seed), but leave foliage to die back naturally — the leaves replenish the bulb for next season.
These open to slightly twisted burgundy petals on the outside, slightly paler on the inside.
Flowers fit for a bride
In addition to viburnums, for pure white, scented flowers, the two varieties of Osmanthus spp. that come to mind are Osmanthus x burkwoodii and Osmanthus delavayi. Both are scented like jasmine, and both are evergreen with dark green serrated leaves, making them fine specimens in your garden or wedding bouquet.
Plan your borders for months of colour
When it comes to bulbs, rhizomes and herbaceous perennials, a collection of aquilegia, geum, wild violet, bearded iris, Siberian iris, peony, martagon lily, Libertia chilensis, Pimpinella major rosea, epimedium, Anthriscus sylvestris, Hesperis matronalis, freesia, acanthus, delphinium, and hardy geranium, will all keep your borders looking stunning in later spring and throughout the summer months.
Dr Mark Lane is a multiawardwinning garden designer, horticulturalist and TV gardening presenter (BBC Morning Live, BBC Gardeners’ World, the RHS Flower Shows, Channel 5). Mark is the author of The Thrifty Gardener (Quarto), Royal Gardens of the World (Kyle Books) and the Future of Gardens (Melville), see www.marklanedesigns.com. Verbascum.
& ESTATE AGENTS
WESTAWAY
8A REEVES LANE | WING | RUTLAND | LE15 8SD
• Over 8,800sqft of Useful Agricultural Buildings with Separate Access
• Located Close to the Conservation Area with Superb Views over the Martinsthorpe
• Valley of the River Chater
• Grounds Extending to a Total of 0.96 Hectares, 2.4 Acres
FOR SALE
FREEHOLD WITH VACANT POSSESSION
• Including Paddocks, Mature Private Gardens and Yard
£950,000
Subject To Contract
SKIRBECK ROAD
• A Beautiful Grade II Listed Georgian Style 4 Bedroom Townhouse
• A Magnificent Family Layout Lovingly Restored Over Three Floor
BOSTON, LINCOLNSHIRE, PE21 6DG FOR SALE FREEHOLD WITH VACANT POSSESSION
• Conveniently Positioned Close to Local Amenities
• Mature Gardens to the Rear & Off-Road Parking for Two Cars
£260,000
Subject To Contract
• Large Five Bedroomed Chalet Bungalow
• Set in One Third of an Acre of Mature Gardens
• Two Reception Rooms and Sunroom
• Double Garage with Vehicle Parking PARK ROAD
BOSTON ǀ LINCOLNSHIRE ǀ PE21 7JP FOR SALE FREEHOLD WITH VACANT POSSESSION
£625,000
Subject To Contract
CHARTERED SURVEYORS • ESTATE AGENTS • COMMERCIAL
Griffinwood
Lincoln Guide Price: £1.1m
A truly exceptional four-bedroom family home located in an elevated position on the edge of the highly sought after village of Burton. The accommodation, extending to over 3,350 sq. ft., is thoughtfully arranged to provide generous and light filled living spaces, all benefiting from the beautiful views over the garden. Set within approximately 2.6 acres of glorious grounds.
Fine & Country Central Lincolnshire & Grantham 55 High Street, Navenby, Lincoln LN5 0DZ Call 01522 287008 www.fineandcountry.co.uk
Market Rasen
Handsome detached Grade II Listed Georgian house with 20.3 acres(STS), substantial outbuildings and a separate detached 2bedroom tenanted cottage in the grounds which include parkland gardens, paddocks and pasture land. Spacious office wing or annexe and workshop with 3-phase electricity supply. 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 3 reception rooms and snug, dining kitchen, spacious reception hall and gallery landing with feature sweeping staircase. Located just yards from the town centre.
Price: £1,400,000
Masons 23 Cornmarket, Louth, LN11 9QD Call 01507 350500 or see www.movewithmasons.co.uk
Gainsborough Road
Hough Road
Barkston
Ryland Road
Welton
An exceptional and exceedingly rare opportunity to acquire this distinguished Executive Residence, enviably positioned in a private, tucked away and truly idyllic setting within the heart of the highly sought after village of Welton. Occupying a magnificent plot of approximately 0.39 acres and enjoying a delightful backdrop onto the village beck, this individually designed home offers an outstanding blend of elegance, scale and versatility.
Price: £950,000
Mundys 29 Silver Street, Lincoln, LN2 1AS. Call 01522 510044 or see www.mundys.net
An outstanding detached residence with refined, stylish decor and fittings, in a coveted village location within reach of Louth and the Lincolnshire coast. Chestnut House is an impressive and substantial detached residence providing more than 6,000 square feet of refined living and entertaining space, with bespoke fittings and distinctive interior styling.
Guide price: £1,250,000
Savills Olympic House, 995 Doddington Road, Lincoln LN6 3SE Call
508908 or see www.savills.co.uk
Chestnut House
Grimoldby
Newark Road
Lincoln
An excellent opportunity to acquire this substantial detached 9 bedroom family home with separate former 4 bedroom coach house on a large site area of 0.776 acres (0.314 ha). The property has has a number of uses including residential. former care home, clinic. The agents believe the property would suit not only a superb substantial family home, but would also suit commercial, health, specialist care home, educational uses or residential redevelopment.
Price: £1,250,000
Beck Farm
Woodhall Spa
A most appealing four bedroom detached house set well back from the minor passing road and standing within approximately 8 acres (stms) of lawned grounds.
£850,000
Robert Bell & Co 19 Station Rd, Woodhall Spa LN10 6QL. Call 01526 353333 or see www.robert-bell.org
Heydour House
Grantham
A handsome Grade II listed former rectory with seven bedrooms, an annexe and stunning gardens, in a picturesque and peaceful village location.
Offers in Excess of: £1,500,000
Savills Olympic House, 995 Doddington Road, Lincoln LN6 3SE. Call 01522 508908 or see www.savills.co.uk
Spridlington
Market Rasen
A stunning Georgian residence set in approximately 1.6 acres includes a paddock, tennis court and self contained one bedroom annex/holiday let.
Offers in Excess of: £900,000
Mount & Minster 32 Eastgate, Lincoln LN2 1QA. Call 01522 716204 or see www.mountandminster.co.uk
James Street Lincoln
An exceptional and rare opportunity to acquire a modern and unique family home in a secluded position in one of the most prestigious locations in Lincoln.
£1,875,000
Mundys 29 Silver Street, Lincoln, LN2 1AS. Call 01522 510044 or see www.mundys.net
Hedgerows
Swineshead
Hedgerows is a beautiful home that enjoys a stunning location, surrounded by open fields and uninterrupted countryside views in every direction.
Guide Price: £845,000
Fine & Country Central Lincs & Grantham High Street, Navenby, LN5 0DZ. Call 01522 287008 www.fineandcountry.co.uk
The Fairways
Torksey
Walnut House is a spectacular mansion offering 8,600 sq ft of exceptional accommodation comprising eight bedrooms and bathrooms, along with a private gym, outdoor heated swimming pool.
Guide Price: £1,350,000
By Design Homes Call 01522 412802 or see www.bydesignhomes.com
Newark Road
Lincoln
An excellent opportunity to acquire this substantial detached 9 bedroom family home with separate former 4 bedroom coach house on a large site area of 0.776 acres (0.314 ha).
£1,250,000
Pygott & Crone 36a Silver St, Lincoln LN2 1EW. Call 01522 568822 or see www.pygott-crone.com
Victoria
House
Lenton
Escape to tranquillity at Victoria House, a modern country retreat where scale, seclusion, and sophistication quietly converge.
Guide Price: £1,395,000
Pelham James 3 Saddler’s Court, Oakham LE15 7GH. Call 01780 437 360 or see www.pelhamjames.co.uk
The Old Rectory Westborough
A distinguished seven bedroom Grade II* listed home set in 1.1 acres with refined period styling and extensive living and entertaining space, in a picturesque village setting.
Guide Price: £995,000
Lodge Farm
Norton Disney
Lodge Farm is a stunning Grade 2-listed farmhouse, set within around eight acres (sts) of grounds near the charming village of Norton Disney.
Offers in Excess of: £1,150,000
Savills Olympic House, 995 Doddington Road, Lincoln LN6 3SE. Call 01522 508908 or see www.savills.co.uk Fine & Country Central Lincs & Grantham High Street, Navenby, LN5 0DZ Call 01522 287008 www.fineandcountry.co.uk
Thorpe Farm
Tealby
A truly one-of-a-kind country home. Thorpe Farm is a beautifully restored Grade II Listed farmhouse with a stunning converted crew yard, set within approx. 7.88 acres of grounds on the edge of Tealby.
£1,400,000
Mundys 29 Silver Street, Lincoln, LN2 1AS. Call 01522 510044 or see www.mundys.net
The Georgian House Legbourne
A home of distinction — where elegant design meets timeless quality in one of Lincolnshire’s most desirable village settings.
£825,000
Green & Preston 19 West St Mary's Gate, Grimsby, DN31 1LE. Call 01472 311113 www.jacksongreenpreston.co.uk
Maltby House
Raithby cum Maltby
Maltby House and Lodge forms a substantial early 20th Century country residence, alongside a lodge within the grounds – which total 3 and a 1/3 acres (sts).
Offers in Excess of: £1,000,000
Robert Bell & Co 19 Station Rd, Woodhall Spa LN10 6QL. Call 01526 353333 or see www.robert-bell.org
No 27 Orby Road
Burgh le Marsh
This exceptional executive residence, built to the highest standards by the Welton Group, is located in the charming village of Burgh Le Marsh.
£870,000
Pygott & Crone 24 Wide Bargate, Boston PE21 6RX. Call 01205 359111 or see www.pygott-crone.com
The Reservoir
Surfleet
Welcome to Riversend, a truly one-of-a-kind home situated on the picturesque reservoir in Surfleet. Accessed via electric gates and a long, private driveway, this impressive detached property immediately sets the tone for luxury and space.
£995,000
Ark Property 6 New Road, Spalding, Lincolnshire PE11 1DQ. Call 01775 766888 www.arkpropertycentre.co.uk
Westgate Louth
Without doubt, this is one of the finest Period town houses in North Lincolnshire with a remarkable mature landscaped garden of 1 acre (STS).
£1,150,000
Masons 23 Cornmarket, Louth, LN11 9QD. Call 01507 350500 or see www.movewithmasons.co.uk
ON THE FARM
This month we’re finding out what’s happening in the fields of Lincolnshire with farming correspondent Andrew Ward MBE
How the other half lives… or rather, how the other hemisphere lives! We recently returned from a trip to Singapore, New Zealand and Australia’s Gold Coast, catching up with old friends, including some ex-pats who have swapped Lincolnshire’s big skies for rather sunnier ones.
During our trip we visited sheep and cattle farming operations in New Zealand, including an 89,000-acre mixed farming enterprise, a dairy farm that is part of the Fonterra cooperative—responsible for about 30% of the world’s dairy exports—and a salmon and mussel farm too.
The videos are available to watch on my WardysWaffle channel now, pioneering a whole new genre of entertainment, blending a Judith Chalmers-style Wish You Were Here travelogue with some fascinating farming content… I reckon it’ll really catch on.
Anyway, on the Gold Coast with an old friend, Nick, who has lived in Australia since 2008, we found ourselves driving past expansive fields of sugar cane. A very obliging farmer from Tweed Valley Farming was happy to take a break from spraying to discuss the intricacies of cane versus our beet.
The UK consumes about two million tonnes of sugar every year (around 32kg per person). Of the total amount of sugar produced annually, just over 50% comes from British sugar beet, whilst 25% is produced from imported cane, and the remainder is imported in other forms.
In practical terms, between one million and 1.2 million tonnes of sugar each year is grown in Britain, mostly in Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. It is processed by British Sugar, the sole processor of the crop,
with around 2,300–3,500 growers supplying beet to the company’s four remaining factories. Newark’s plant processes up to two million tonnes of beet per season, while Norfolk’s Wissington factory processes around three million tonnes. There are two further factories in Bury St Edmunds and Cantley. Altogether, the factories process between 7.5 and 8 million tonnes of beet each year, in ‘campaigns’ that run from mid-September to March or April, with the resulting sugar sold under the Silver Spoon brand.
Cane sugar, as we discovered, is very different. If you see a bag of Tate & Lyle sugar, it will be cane-derived—i.e. not British-grown or extracted from sugar beet. Sugar beet is washed, sliced into thin strips (cossettes) and diffused to extract the syrup into hot water, which is then evaporated and crystallised before drying. Byproducts (beet pulp, molasses and lime residues) are used as livestock feed and soil improvers. Meanwhile, cane sugar is harvested, crushed, clarified and then evaporated at Tate & Lyle’s Thames refinery.
The 10ft-tall cane stalks look a bit like bamboo, and each crop can yield sugar for up to 20 years after reaching maturity in about 18 months. Sections of mature stalk (setts) can be replanted, and the crop grows at a rate of 5–10cm a day. However, ideal growing conditions for cane are between 20°C and 32°C, so our climate is a little too chilly, to say the least.
It’s also worth noting that sugar is an ideal crop for highlighting two issues that frustrate British farmers. Firstly, international producers can use around 20 chemicals (e.g. fertilisers and fungicides) that are banned on our own farms. Importing and consuming cane sugar can therefore mean we are, in
effect, consuming products grown using chemicals we do not permit domestically.
Secondly, take a look at a bag of Tate & Lyle sugar and you’ll see the words ‘made in the UK since 1878’. It may be processed or packaged here, but it is certainly not grown in Britain, unlike Silver Spoon’s beet-based sugar.
Some would argue that the use of the British flag is therefore misleading—and it is not the only example of questionable packaging.
Supermarket shelves are full of products featuring Union Jack flags and ‘home-grown’ claims when, in fact, the meat used may be reared in the EU. It’s an issue referred to as the ‘flag loophole’. One Lincolnshire MP, Victoria Atkins, is among those keen to see it addressed.
“Take the staple of any proper British fry-up: bacon. Currently, a pig that is bred, raised and slaughtered abroad, then transported to the UK for preparation and packaging, can be described as British when it is stacked in supermarket chillers,” she says.
“Those who choose to buy British food ought to be able to trust the claims about origin on the labelling of the food they buy. The next Conservative government will change the rules so that, where the Union Jack or claims such as ‘Made in the UK’ are used, the produce must have actually been grown or reared in the United Kingdom.”
Watch Wardy’s Waffle:Our farming correspondent Andrew Ward MBE is an arable farmer in Leadenham growing wheat, barley, sugar beet, beans and oats. Andrew has his own YouTube channel, Wardy’s Waffle, which is enjoyed by over 22,600 subscribers. Watch his updates Wednesday evenings from 7pm and Sunday mornings at 8am. Search YouTube for @WardysWaffleAndrewWard.
A Rural Love Story
From a chance meeting at a Young Farmers’ Ball to a heartfelt proposal on the Devon coast, Will and Iona’s Lincolnshire wedding blended countryside heritage, family devotion, and personal touches reflecting their shared rural life together
Images: Geoff Kirby Photography, 07793 110 297, www.geoffkirbyphotography.co.uk.
Although proudly Nottinghamshireborn and raised, the future of this month’s featured couple, Iona and Will, would ultimately unfold here in Lincolnshire.
Six years ago, they made the move together, drawn by work commitments and the promise of building a shared life rooted firmly in the countryside they both loved.
Farming life, with its early mornings, changing seasons, and deep sense of continuity, suited them perfectly, providing the backdrop for a relationship defined by loyalty,
laughter, and an unshakeable sense of partnership that continues to shape their lives today.
Their story began at a Young Farmers’ Ball at the end of 2017. It was, they both say with a smile, entirely thanks to family intervention.
Will’s future sister-in-law had gone to school with him and invited Iona along as a plus one. Introductions were made, a conversation soon began, and neither of them has stopped talking since. What started as an easy conversation in a crowded ballroom quickly became something
far more meaningful, as they discovered shared values, ambitions, and a mutual appreciation for rural life and family.
When Will decided to propose, he chose Baggy Point in Devon, a stretch of coastline overlooking the sea.
It was a deeply thoughtful and personal moment, made even more meaningful by the steps he had taken beforehand, speaking with Iona’s brother to ask for his blessing.
Iona found her dress before anything else, falling instantly in love with
Juniper by Morilee and knowing it was the one without hesitation. Her talented mother then altered the dress by hand, shaping it carefully to create something entirely unique.
Will and Iona’s bridesmaids wore elegant forest green dresses from Ever-Pretty, complementing the rural palette beautifully, while Will, along with his brothers and closest friends, wore traditional morning suits befitting the occasion.
The venue followed soon after, with the magnificent Doddington Hall providing the ideal setting. True to their farming roots, the couple ensured their day reflected their personalities at every turn.
Rather than a formal wedding cake, Will and Iona chose Colin and Connie Caterpillar cakes, complete with matching baby versions, bringing humour and charm to the celebration.
In perhaps the most memorable touch of all, Will arranged for guests to travel
by John Deere tractors - an inspired nod to their shared livelihood and a moment that delighted everyone present. Stationery sourced from Etsy added a personal, handcrafted feel, tying everything together seamlessly.
Photographer Geoff Kirby, alongside videographer Tom from Our Big Day, captured every moment with warmth and authenticity, preserving memories the couple will treasure forever. Yet above all the details, what mattered most was the joy of being surrounded by family and friends.
Their advice to other couples is simple and sincere: wedding planning can feel overwhelming, but never lose sight of its purpose.
At its heart, Will and Iona say, a wedding day should be a celebration of love, commitment, and the future you are building together—exactly as they enjoyed, surrounded by those who matter most.
Local Suppliers
Photography: Geoff Kirby Photography, 07793 110297, www.geoffkirbyphotography.co.uk.
Wedding Venue: Doddington Hall, Lincoln, 01522 812501, www.doddingtonhall.com.
Wedding Dress:Morilee at Eternally Yours, Newark, 01636 640057, www.eternallyyoursbridalwear.co.uk.
Groomsmen’s Tailoring: Slaters, Nottingham, 0115 950 2633, www.slaters.co.uk.
Bridal Hair & Makeup: Dermahaus, 01777 471612. Videographer: Our Big Day, 07780 691809. Transport (tractor and trailer for bridal party): Combs Farm Luxury Transport, 07496 481835. Guest Book: Oh Snap, www.ohsnapuk.co.uk.
Your Health Our Priority
Prompt access to primary healthcare services and diagnostics for true peace of mind
Words: Rob Davis.
HS Health Group Limited are known NHS commissioned Physiotherapy Service Providers based across more than 45 GP practices in Lincolnshire since 2011. In light of service demand and gaps in the Healthcare Services in Lincolnshire, they have integrated Multidisciplinary healthcare services such as Private GP appointments, Private ENT service, Blood tests, Orthopaedic and Advanced Physiotherapy and Aesthetics services at their Read House Clinic in Boston with personal, unhurried appointments, all at your convenience.
W hen you’ve a health concern, the faster you can access diagnostic services and prompt treatment, the better. The NHS is a healthcare provider that remains comprehensive in its breadth, and free at the point of use, faithful to its original remit back in 1948. Increasingly though, so many people across Lincolnshire are recognising the benefits of a system that works alongside private healthcare providers such as HS Health Group.
The clinic offers private GP services; diagnosis and treatment for ear, nose and throat conditions; phlebotomy services; plus musculoskeletal and orthopaedic services including physiotherapy and a range of aesthetic services as well as IV vitamin infusions for those with B12 deficiency.
Private GP Services
A record 8m people in Britain are now choosing to access private primary healthcare as well as NHS primary care, with
the provision of Private GP services, in particular seeing a 10% rise in demand last year alone.
Private GP services often ensure a broader availability of appointments that suit your family or work commitments. Same-day appointments and virtual appointments with HS Health Group’s private GPs provide prompt access to primary care and private provision runs concurrently with the NHS, so patients don’t have to leave their existing GP.
Records can be shared (with the patient’s permission) and appointments are typically twice as long as NHS GP appointments. Prescriptions are available just as they are with an NHS GP and a private GP service can make a referral to NHS or private clinicians for follow-up tests or further
treatment in exactly the same way.
Private GP services can be accessed for any condition for which you’d see an NHS GP, including routine health check-ups and preventative care; management of chronic conditions; acute conditions; mental health support; family planning and sexual health as well as specialist referrals and follow-up care.
ENT Assessment & Treatment
In addition to private GP services, HS Health Group also provides a range of specialist services for ear, nose and throat (ENT) disorders from assessment and diagnosis to treatment. The diagnostics covers microscopy, nasal endoscopy and laryngoscopy, with microsuction for clearing blockages.
For those suffering discomfort, partial hearing loss, or conditions such as vertigo or tinnitus, access to ear health and hearing disorder treatment can bring prompt relief.
The clinic can also provide consultant-led care for those with severe hayfever symptoms or address concerns with snoring, sleep apnoea or recurring throat infections.
Phlebotomy & Blood Testing
Alongside its private GP services and its appointments for ‘health MOTs,’ HS Health Group can take blood with in-house phlebotomy services, then provide a range of laboratory blood tests with a next-day turnaround.
These include cholesterol; diabetes; PSA (prostate health); general health screening tests and tests for liver function, urea and electrolytes (U&Es); cancer screening; genetics and allergy testing plus occupational
health blood testing. A range of health screening packages and blood profiles are all offered to provide insight into your general health and greater peace of mind.
And if you’re less than keen on needles, you’ll be further reassured by the clinic’s use of Vein Finder technology which uses near infrared light to provide a real-time map of your veins ensuring more accurate venipuncture and greater comfort.
MSK &Orthopaedic Services
HS Health Group also provides a range of musculoskeletal services for the diagnosis and treatment of joint pain, arthritis, soft tissue injury, neck and back pain, mandibular (jaw) pain, and conditions affecting bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons.
HS Health Group’s Read House
A multidisciplinary clinical team can work to provide a prompt joined-up assessment of your condition and achieve the best possible outcome, helping to alleviate pain or immobility as soon as possible.
You can also be referred to our NHS commissioned Physiotherapy Services by your GP practice at no extra cost to you, and with a waiting time of less than two weeks will be offered a prompt appointment.
With other treatments too, from aesthetics to vitamin B12 infusions to occupational health assessments, HS Health Group is the prompt professional healthcare provider, working alongside their NHS partners to ensure your health remains their priority.
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Rob Davis, Executive Editor, Pride Magazines & Portfolio
WELCOME TO PORTFOLIO
Frustratingly, the whole of Lincolnshire, Rutland and Leicestershire currently finds itself in a state of limbo. As Pride goes to press, the consultation on local government reorganisation is due to close.
Four proposals for a new Lincolnshire have been put forward (you can view the options at www.gov.uk), with a decision expected in the summer, possibly as early as July.
Rutland has submitted three proposals of its own, with our preference—and that of Alicia Kearns— being for Rutland to join Stamford, or whichever area South Kesteven ultimately aligns with, while retaining its ceremonial county status. Sadly, it now seems less likely that Rutland will align with Lincolnshire, and more likely that it will instead be attached to Leicestershire… although not if we, or our local MP, have anything to do with it.
Should Rutland ultimately join Lincolnshire, it would do so under the latter’s Combined County Authority, headed by Dame Andrea Jenkyns, who was elected as the first Combined County Authority (CCA) Mayor in May 2025.
This month, we catch up with Andrea a year into the role to explore why the position differs significantly from that of a civic mayor, and how it is already proving capable of unlocking meaningful investment and opportunities for longterm strategic planning across Lincolnshire— and, hopefully, Rutland too.
Elsewhere in this month’s Portfolio, we preview spring/summer fashion from some excellent local brands, share history and trivia on our Almanac pages, and enjoy a test drive of the newest and most advanced version of Porsche’s iconic 911 sports car.
Our best wishes for a great month.
Rob Davis, Executive Editor, Pride Magazines
A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF THE MAYOR
On 1st May 2025, Dame Andrea Jenkyns was elected as the first Mayor of Lincolnshire’s newlyestablished Combined County Authority. A year on Andrea she reveals what happened next and tells us why, even a year into the job, she’s still ‘just getting started’
Words: Rob Davis.
50years ago, Harold Wilson remarked that ‘a week is a long time in politics.’ That was the era before social media and before the 24-hour news cycle.
It was also prior to the obsolescence of Lincolnshire’s historic Lindsey, Holland and Kesteven divisions (which had existed since 1889), in favour of our existing countywide Lincolnshire administration and the subsequent creation of our current district, borough and Lincoln City councils.
Half a century later, in modern politics (national or regional) much more can happen in the space of a week, never mind a year, as Lincolnshire’s first county-wide Mayor, Dame Andrea Jenkyns, is acutely aware. Following the inaugural mayoral election on 1st May 2025, Andrea was voted into the role, securing a majority of 40,000 and a total of 104,133 votes.
It was a nasty, very personal process. “It was a horrible, bruising campaign. It was emotionally draining, and if I’m honest, it nearly broke me,” she said at the time.
“It didn’t need to get as vicious. It got very personal with some of the candidates. But something in me said ‘I’m not going to let you get away with it.’”
A year on, Andrea has put that behind her, and now works well alongside even her most bitter former critics, describing most relationships as constructive as she approaches a year in the role.
Andrea wasn’t just stepping into an existing role; she was defining a whole new one, designed to benefit the county by means of greater devolved power and a more direct working relationship with Westminster than Lincolnshire has ever been able to secure. Given that Lincolnshire already has parish, borough, district and county councils, some were sceptical of another tier of bureaucracy. Meanwhile the title of Mayor was generally understood by the public to involve wearing chains and cutting ribbons, which is a real misnomer in Andrea’s case. The role is radically different to that of a ceremonial mayor.
“We had a budget to work with in the first year and we’ve managed to carry some of that budget over to use in our second year. I don’t believe in just spending money for the sake of it, and I haven’t gone crazy spending that budget.”
In fact, Andrea’s role is much more about high-level strategy. It’s also about setting out priorities, securing funding and stimulating growth across Lincolnshire, with vast potential beyond big challenges... as a year in the job has shown.
“It’s been a year now… and what a year,” Andrea says. We’re in her office on the first floor of Lincolnshire County Council’s offices on Newland. A year ago Andrea had neither the office nor her team, and had to secure both.
“I suppose there was a precedent in the sense of figures like Andy Burnham but really I was creating the role from scratch,” she says.
“Being a minister for a time I did have an idea of how I was going to approach the role, and I had been elected on the strength of my manifesto, but it was a case of sitting down with Lee Sirdifield (who had previously served as interim chief operating officer before being appointed to the role of Chief Executive in February 2026), and starting to plan how to deliver what we promised.”
“I’m not a politician who believes in just saying something to get a vote, and when politicians do that and fail to deliver, people soon lose faith in them. The role is one with a really wide brief, which does present a challenge, but that’s also what will ensure a Combined County Authority Mayor can deliver the most powerful change.”
So… what does the Mayor do? For a start, like MPs, there’s a huge volume of casework.
“At first I had no one in my direct team, so I was answering my own casework for months, on matters that individuals and businesses could bring to my desk. I was receiving about 5,000 emails relating to casework alone every month. It took ages to recruit someone, and that someone was Josh Turner who now works alongside Grant Clark and Maria Starnes. They’ve managed the caseload really well and cleared the backlog last autumn.”
As well as casework, the office has around 40 projects under consideration at any one time, of which some may prove to be impractical or may not deliver significant economic benefits and therefore remain unlikely to
proceed. Those that do are likely to be of a scale that will necessitate years of planning but will deliver huge advantage.
“We had a budget to work with in the first year and we’ve managed to carry some of that budget into our second year. I don’t believe in just spending money and I haven’t gone crazy spending that budget.”
“I think it’s important to lay down foundations and complete feasibility studies to see if there’s a business case for each of the investments that we believe have true potential before we commit to them.”
“When I was an MP, I developed a lot of embassy contacts, so I’ve been working with the Danish, US and Taiwanese embassies and the Indian High Commission to secure memoranda of understanding (MOUs) for future cooperation at a regional level.”
Closer to home, Andrea delivered the budget for her second year in which she announced £53m of additional Local Growth Funding, and more than £131m, which is set aside for transport improvements.
With direct access to the Prime Minister, Andrea can pitch for, and gain access to, funding at the bi-monthly meeting of England’s 14 elected metropolitan mayors.
Andrea is in the room with Greater London’s Sadiq Khan, Greater Manchester’s Andy Burnham and the other mayors, as well as the Prime Minister and senior government figures such as the Deputy Prime Minister, Secretary of State or Skills Minister.
“It’s actually a really constructive, collegiate opportunity,” says Andrea. “You can talk about your area with the other mayors, tell them about the issues that communities face and also discuss some of the things you’re working on. It’s a different atmosphere to what you’re used to seeing in the Commons and we’re not competing against one another as political parties.”
“Sadiq Khan, for instance, invited us up to see how Transport for London works as I’m keen to set up a similar joined-up initiative here, Transport for Greater Lincolnshire (TGFL).
We’ve two travel hub pilot schemes in North Hykeham and Gainsborough. Sadiq was very supportive; he offered to organise his team reaching out to us to show us around TfL.”
“We’ve already set up the board, again with the agencies, key decision makers and transport providers all there at the table together to deliver joined-up policies and strategy.”
“The aim is to establish a travel app which will combine live travel information and the location of electric vehicle infrastructure with rail and bus services and walking routes, simplifying the use of public transport, and providing transport for senior citizens, veterans and care system-leavers.”
“But it can also incorporate heritage sites, visitor attractions and routes like the Viking Way and English Coast Path so that we can unlock tourism potential too. On top of that we’ve secured £76m for highways maintenance and road upgrades.”
In practice, I asked, does affiliation to one political party or another prove to be a sticking point when trying to secure funding?
“Yes,” says Andrea. “Definitely. You’ve either got to be a member of the incumbent party or be able to pester people relentlessly… I’m good at doing the latter and I’m happy to do it, if it means Lincolnshire can benefit from the funding I can secure as a result.”
On the subject of collegiate relations with the party to which you’re affiliated, in Andrea’s manifesto was the employment of more scrutiny to prevent wasteful spending, akin to Trump’s much-vaunted Department of Government Efficiency (‘DOGE’).
In practice Andrea now regularly works with Lincolnshire County Council’s leader Sean Matthews to identify efficiencies by scrutinising the council’s PLA spreadsheet line by line each month.
Among Andrea’s mayoral brief is inward investment, business engagement and the development of skills, too. Her Great Lincolnshire Exhibition took place in October, with 90 exhibitors, 700 delegates and companies such as Associated British Ports and Siemens represented across fields
as diverse as agriculture, food and farming, plus AI and technology sectors.
The Great Lincolnshire Exhibition will return in 2026, but Andrea has also set aside £20m in her 2026/2027 budget for the creation of an Inventors’ Angel programme to promote innovation and a Mayoral Digital Academy to secure the most relevant future skillsets such as software coding, and to bridge the skills gap between engineering and technology across multiple sectors.
For Lincolnshire’s farmers, a new Farming Industry Technology & Innovation programme will also help our farmers to access new technology, improve productivity and strengthen UK food security. And on 28th April the first meeting of a new triannual Mayor’s Business Guild will convene for networking, operating alongside an Investors’ Fund to help turn innovation into workable businesses. The aim is to keep talent here in the county.
Generally, Andrea is keen to facilitate interagency partnerships at the events, and to bring together agencies for more productive, joined-up working relationships.
A good example is the Greater Lincolnshire Enhanced Water Partnership which will align resources and agencies from the Environment Agency and internal drainage boards, plus Anglian Water and the county’s farmers, to both maintain infrastructure and prevent losses and shortages, but also protect against flooding events in the future and ensure sufficient supply of water to new housing developments.
Andrea continues to rally against large-scale solar farms, which collectively total 40,000 acres of land. Much of that land will be taken out of farming and food production when major projects are green-lit by means of Ed Miliband’s large-scale Landmark Planning and Infrastructure designation. >>
“My aim is to build a county where people can find good jobs close to home and where family businesses can feel secure and supported in their communities...”
Almost 10% of the UK’s groundmounted solar infrastructure is already located here in Lincolnshire, reducing domestic food production and increasing Britain’s reliance on more volatile international food supply chains.
Huge solar farms are among the most contentious issues for Lincolnshire residents, and one of the topics most likely to cause locals to gnash their teeth.
Good job, then, that Andrea recently opened the University of Lincoln’s new £1.5m Lincolnshire Institute of Dental and Oral Health (LIDOH). “My own son had to wait two years to get a tooth out, and the desperate need for more available dentistry in the county meant that it was one of the first services we invested in,” she says.
“When a historic failure of investment in such a basic service manifests itself as a young child enduring dental pain you really do want to find practical solutions. And that’s what we have now with a school that, as both a teaching unit and working practice, can treat patients immediately, whilst serving to train future hygienists and dentists too.”
“Already in Britain though, there are peripatetic community dentists who work across different clinics, and I want to conduct
a trial to see if we can bring dentistry to rural communities. It just requires somebody to employ joined-up thinking and explore possibilities for a better way of working.”
“Healthcare doesn’t come directly under my remit but when I see a problem I feel compelled to try to fix it, and so I’m due to meet with our local NHS Integrated Care Board to discuss the delivery of local healthcare, because I just don’t believe it’s right to simply say ‘that’s not under my remit.’”
Among Andrea’s other plans are the creation of tourism videos that link in with her planned transport app, plus the promotion of literacy with funds for the delivery of a ‘gold-standard’ inter-agency project to help 200,000 of the least literate people in Lincolnshire overcome the economic barriers that result from being unable to read and write to a reasonable standard.
The most ambitious plan, though, is for the creation of an entire new town. Currently subject to an ongoing feasibility study, it’s an example of how Andrea and the role of a county mayor is not about short-term initiatives or projects. Rather it’s concerned with the creation of larger, long-term economic growth through infrastructure and major investment.
After a year in the job, rather than being overwhelmed by the vast scope of her role, Andrea is emboldened by it.
“The wheel really is starting to turn for Greater Lincolnshire,” she says. “Our aim is to build a county where people can find good jobs close to home and where families and businesses can feel secure and supported in their communities.”
“For many years the national decisions that have been made have often reflected the needs of larger urban areas, and too often rural and coastal communities have faced slower investment and fewer opportunities.”
“We now have a chance to put Lincolnshire people first, and in this role I have the resources and the authority to do just that.”
“Some of the projects we’re working on are slow-burners by virtue of their scale, but they’re also greater in ambition and reward, and that’s exactly what this role involves.”
“I’ve had a busy year, but already a year that shows what potential this role has to deliver a blueprint for Greater Lincolnshire. I may have been in the role for a year, but there’s much more to come in the future. I’m still just getting started!”
See www.greaterlincolnshire-cca.gov.uk.
OMAR OASIS
NOW AVAILABLE AT TALLINGTON LAKES
Sleek, with clean lines and a distinctive front featuring four sets of bi-folding doors, the side-facing Omar Oasis is stunning both internally and externally, and impossible not to love.
Featuring three bedrooms, this bespoke super lodge can only be found at Tallington Lakes and has stunning views over farmland from the living area and two of the three bedrooms. It’s somewhere you will enjoy spotting everything from rabbits and deer to all sorts of birds, from the smallest robin to elegant red kites and gorgeous barn owls.
With elegant, clean lines, every effort has been made to ensure that this home provides a feeling of warmth and comfort throughout. Attention to detail has been paramount in the design of this lodge, with brushed chrome light switches and sockets, many of which feature integrated USB points. Curtains and blinds are also included throughout. Lighting comes predominantly from recessed spotlighting.
The contemporary fitted kitchen comes equipped with all of the white goods you will need, neatly integrated within. The spacious living area features two ‘L’-shaped sofas, making the most of the views, while a generous modern dining table offers ample room for family mealtimes. Offering peace and solitude, the three bedrooms all contain sumptuous beds, bedside tables and wardrobes as standard. Finally, the two bathrooms provide a luxurious space in which to relax and unwind.
For those who don’t know Tallington Lakes, our luxurious lodges are set within over 300 acres of beautiful lakeland, with the park now becoming somewhere to downsize and relax, whether you are here year-round or for shorter stays.
To arrange to visit the park and to see the stunning Omar Oasis for yourself call us on 0800 564 2266, alternatively email us at info@goodlifelodge.com.
REDEFINED Casual Elegance
Effortless blues and creams combine for timeless sophistication, perfect for daytime sophistication or relaxed evening gatherings in style and comfort.
& Product Selection:Mandy Bray
From the moment you slip into this ensemble, it feels like a masterclass in understated elegance. Soft, flowing fabrics in gentle cream and cool shades of blue create a serene, polished look that works equally well for a business-casual lunch or a refined weekend outing. A lightweight button-down brings structure and crispness, while a cosy cashmere layer adds warmth and textural interest without ever feeling heavy.
The tailored cropped trousers lend a modern edge, elongating the leg and offering a flattering silhouette that pairs seamlessly with woven leather flats. Accessories in subtle metallics and natural resin elevate the outfit, providing delicate shimmer and statement details that catch the eye without overpowering the look.
A structured top-handle bag in a complementary shade completes the outfit, tying together the palette and lending practical sophistication for daytime errands, social engagements, or a lunch meeting with friends or colleagues.
What makes this ensemble so compelling is its versatility. You can layer the pieces effortlessly, mix textures, and still feel entirely coordinated. The combination of relaxed tailoring, soft textures, and considered accessories demonstrates a confidence in dressing that is approachable, aspirational, and entirely seasonally appropriate. Carefully chosen shades and finishes make it effortless to transition from indoor events to outdoor walks or springtime garden gatherings.
For your wardrobe this season, consider investing in pieces that offer both style and comfort. Shades of blue and cream feel fresh and timeless, while the carefully considered shapes ensure you can move gracefully from day to evening, from work to weekend, always looking polished.
This is an outfit that speaks softly but leaves a lasting impression— classic, refined and effortlessly modern, ideal for the discerning, style-conscious woman.
Opposite: Amelia striped buttondown shirt, £298. Daro cashmere cardigan, £368. Bancroft
fl
£395. Gold floral statement necklace, £486. Resin drop hoop earring, £131.
Carys cropped pant,£368. All available from veronicabeard.com.
woven leather
at,
Veronica Beard dash top handle bag, £550.
Words
Shirt, £185; trousers, £200, ralphlauren.co.uk.
Shirt, £165; trousers, £195; cardigan, £175, meandem.com.
1. Blue striped cotton shirt, £ 155, www.thekooples.com.
2. Blue striped embroidered floral blouse, £99, www.mintvelvet.com.
3. Stripe concealedplacket shirt in blue and ivory, £148, www.reiss.com.
4. Muriel linen shirt indigo stripe, £129. Doretta linen trousers, £97. www.baukjen.com.
5. Shortsleeved shirt, £145. Flared jeans, £140, www.liujo.com.
6. We The Free Bailey stripe shirt, £118, www.freepeople.com.
Below: Classic vneck blouse azure stripe, £119. Classic jeans, £129. www.hollandcooper.com.
SAHARA
A recent addition to Stamford’s Red Lion Square, this month we take a look at Sahara’s new Summer 2026 collection
There is a quiet confidence to Sahara, a brand that has spent over four decades refining its distinctive voice in British fashion. Founded by Royal College of Art graduate Suzy Coppersmith Heaven, and now led alongside her daughter Tiffany, the familyowned label has built a loyal following for clothing that celebrates individuality, artistry and enduring style.
Its recent arrival in Stamford feels less like an opening and more like a natural homecoming — a meeting of shared values between an independent brand and a town that cherishes character and craftsmanship.
From its earliest days in Covent Garden, Sahara has been guided by a simple philosophy: designing for the individual rather than the crowd. Collections are created to be worn, lived in, and returned to season after season, favouring timeless silhouettes over fleeting trends. The result is a wardrobe that evolves with its wearer, grounded in thoughtful design and beautiful textiles.
That sense of considered creativity continues this summer with a collection inspired by Morocco, a place that has shaped the brand’s visual identity for decades. A palette of cerulean, aqua and sunwarmed coral reflects tiled courtyards and painted doors, while lightweight linen takes centre stage — soft, breathable and full of subtle texture.
Fluid viscose prints introduce movement and colour through dresses and relaxed layers, with motifs ranging from hazy horizons to expressive florals and rhythmic stripes. Signature silhouettes, from cocoon dresses to easy A-line shapes, offer both comfort and elegance, designed to move effortlessly with the body.
Beyond aesthetics, Sahara’s ethos is rooted in responsibility. The brand supports British manufacturing, with a significant proportion of its collections made in England, while long-standing relationships with global artisans ensure each piece carries a story of collaboration and care. A commitment to ethical production, reduced waste and charitable giving underpins every collection, reflecting a desire to leave a positive impact on both people and place. >>
Top: Spot Jacquard Linen Shirt, £185. Linen wide trousers in white, also available in aqua, £149. Above: Tie Dye Printed Shirt, £159. Twisted linen crop bubble trouser in white, also available in black, putty, sky blue and pale pink, £145. Inglesa pumps in white, also available in light pink, navy and slate, £45.
Secret Garden 100% silk shirt, £225. Twisted Linen Slim Trouser in blueberry, also available in white, mushroom, night and black, £125. Gold Labradorite Fan Earrings, £59.
Right: Floral Oasis shirt, £149. Twisted linen slim trouser in white, also available in blueberry, mushroom, night and black, £125. Bead necklace, £49.
Opposite Page: Vintage floral embroidered top, £155. Hem bubble trousers in golden, £139.
Opposite Page: Meadow Dreams sleeveless dress, £209. Gold Vermeil ginkgo leaf earrings £145 and pendent £149. Soft Meadow Dreams silk scarf, £75.
Sahara is now open Red Lion Square, Stamford PE9 2AQ. Call 01780 408 549 or see saharalondon.com.
JIGSAW
Jigsaw’s latest Spring Collection captures this transition with confidence, offering pieces that feel relaxed, modern and quietly uplifting
Jigsaw’s Summer 2026 campaign was photographed at Nevill Holt, the Leicestershire estate owned by David Ross, well known locally as the host of the Nevill Holt Festival each May and June. Its formal gardens and sweeping landscapes provide an elegant yet understated backdrop, reinforcing the collection’s connection to nature and the sense of renewal that defines this time of year.
At the heart of the collection is a focus on fabric and movement. Lightweight cotton dresses are softly pleated to create fluid silhouettes that move easily with the wearer, while fine merino cardigans offer a practical yet refined layer for changeable spring temperatures. Tailoring is reimagined in Irish linen, delivering structure without stiffness and ensuring pieces work just as well for daytime engagements as they do for more polished occasions.
Print plays an important role, with florals that feel contemporary rather than decorative. These designs echo the energy of gardens in bloom without overwhelming the clean lines that underpin the collection. Occasionwear follows a similar approach, with full skirts, cinched waists and considered pleating creating shape and movement while maintaining a modern, wearable feel.
The palette draws directly from the landscape. Soft yellows, sage greens and cornflower blues sit alongside versatile neutrals, making it easy to build a cohesive wardrobe that feels both fresh and grounded.
On 19th June, Jigsaw will host a one-off Jigsaw Day at this year’s Nevill Holt Festival (www.nevillholtfestival.com). Highlights include Anya Hindmarch in Conversation with Emily Sheffield and a talk with Dame Zandra Rhodes. The NHF x Jigsaw pop-up, which will run for the duration of the festival, will offer exclusive promotions alongside a Best Dressed competition.
“Jigsaw and the Nevill Holt Festival are natural partners. We share the same DNA – a dedication to quality, an eye for beauty, and a deep belief in supporting the UK’s creative industries,” says Tikki Godley, Jigsaw Managing Director. “Three years in, this partnership feels stronger than ever, and we’re thrilled to be back.” >>
Top: Iris Leaf linen Vneck top, £99, and trouser £125, both in burgundy. Above: Recycled satin halter dress in burgundy, £165.
Frill Plissé maxi dress in red, also available in yellow, £249.
See www.jigsawonline.com.
Above: Pinstripe linen waistcoat £xxx, and trousers £xxx. Opposite: Geometric check linen tunic in cream, also in black, £125. Finton denim seam detail short in ecru, £69.
£175, thefoldlondon.com
£179, hobbs.com
£89, phaseeight.com
£910, prada.com
From soft sage dresses to bold emerald prints, these greenhued pieces mix plain sophistication with patterned flair. Perfect for spring wardrobes, they bring freshness, versatility, and subtle luxury to any occasion.
£159, whistles.com
£120, nobodys child.com
£199, lkbennett.com
£565, macduggal .com
GILDED BALLET
meandem.com
£139, baukjen
Gold metallic Mary Jane ballerina shoes bring modern shine to timeless silhouettes. Elegant, feminine and endlessly wearable, they pair beautifully with tailoring, dresses, and relaxed linen throughout spring and summer. tf lop.com
£235, anoncph.co.uk £129, boden.com
£255, memara.co.uk
EMERALD GEOMETRY
Emeraldhued Art Deco jewellery delivers glamour, pairing vivid gemstones with geometric lines. Striking yet re these heirloomworthy pieces elevate modern tailoring and evening ensembles effortlessly
£175, astleyclarke.com
£248, naghed inyc.com
Spring Showers
Short rain macs in joyful colours brighten grey days while offering lightweight protection, effortless practicality, and polished everyday style everywhere.
Crafted in supple tan leather and tactile woven finishes, these handbags offer meless appeal. Neutral tones ensure versatility, while artisanal textures bring warmth, refinement, and effortless elegance to spring wardrobes everywhere.
£650, aspinalof london.com
£4,500, fendi.com
£349, airandgrace london.com
FROM THE ROMAN ATELIERS that have defined luxury menswear since 1945, Brioni’s Spring 2026 collection epitomises effortless refinement. Tailored nubuck blousons and the Monti blazer in soft grey balance Italian craftsmanship with contemporary ease, while suede jackets and cashmererich pieces add texture and luxe depth to any wardrobe. For accessories, timeless silk ties and pocket squares in muted tones elevate every outfit with subtle sophistication. Brioni’s enduring sartorial language (quiet, elegant, impeccably cut) nues to set the standard for the modern gentleman.
1. Taupe nubuck city deck shoes, £810. 2. Light orange cotton Marcello shirt, £480. 3. Beige nubuk microperforated belt, £580.
4. Linen blazer shirt, £830. Ivory white cashmere and silk tshirt, £1,070. 5. Brick cotton, silk and cashmere Trama weave polo, £970. Dark brown wool Journey trousers, £1,170. 6. Les Extraits de Parfum Labdanum Brut, £260. 7. Brown cashmere suede desert jacket, £8,750. Taupe cashmere and silk crewneck sweater, £1,460. Midnight blue cotton stretch Merano jeans, £620.
8. Brown and beige microchecked silk blazer shirt, £2,340. 9. Beige and black ribbed canvas Via Veneto backpack, £1,850.
Epic Adventures in PERU
Indulge in Peru’s heritage, adventure, cuisine, and serene
luxury retreats
If you’re planning a May escape that’s rich in culture, awe inspiring scenery and memorable culinary experiences, Peru should be at the top of your list. May is truly an excellent month to visit — it’s the shoulder season between the end of the rainy months and the busier winter tourism period, meaning clearer skies in the Andes and fewer crowds at iconic sites such as Machu Picchu.
Your journey begins long before touchdown. Most visitors from the UK will fly into Lima’s Jorge Chávez International Airport via a single connection in Europe or North America. Aim for a morning departure so you arrive in Peru’s vibrant capital in the late afternoon, with time to unwind and acclimatise gently to the rhythm of the country.
Start with a night in Lima. The city’s Miraflores and Barranco districts offer leafy boulevards, boutique galleries and clifftop parks overlooking the Pacific Ocean. This is Peru’s gastronomic heart — a chance to sip your first Pisco Sour and savour the ceviche that has shaped the nation’s international culinary reputation.
From here, fly south to Cusco, the ancient Inca capital and your gateway to the Sacred Valley and beyond. Fly into Cusco’s Alejandro Velasco Astete Airport and make your way to your base for the next few nights: Belmond Palacio Nazarenas, A Belmond Hotel, Cusco: luxury in the Andes at its finest. This former convent, built on Inca walls in the historic centre of Cusco, combines authenticity with five star comforts. With only 55 suites, a serene courtyard pool and a spa that uses local ingredients like Andean salt and purple corn, it epitomises refined travel.
Rooms are equipped with enriched oxygen to help you acclimatise to the altitude and ensure you feel revitalised as you explore.
After breakfast in the hotel’s tranquil garden, take a private guided walking tour of Cusco’s UNESCO World Heritage listed historic centre. Wander down cobbled streets, explore the imposing Plaza de Armas cathedral and admire the fusion of Inca foundations supporting Spanish colonial architecture.
Next, venture into the Sacred Valley — a fertile highland corridor framed by snow tipped peaks and dotted with terraced stone ruins.
Visit the artisan market of Pisac, where hand woven textiles and silverwork make irresistible souvenirs, and enjoy a leisurely lunch in Urubamba, savouring trout from the Urubamba River and produce from local farms. You’ll notice how indigenous ingredients, such as quinoa and native potatoes, are woven into contemporary dishes with elegant flair.
Day trips to Ollantaytambo and Moray reveal more of the Incas’ remarkable engineering and agricultural insight. Opt for a scenic ride on the Belmond Hiram Bingham luxury train — a classic way to reach Aguas Calientes with brunch on board, live music and complimentary pisco sours at sunset.
Machu Picchu needs no introduction. Arrive in the early morning to witness the ancient citadel bathed in golden light, backed by the dramatic Andes ridge. Prioritise a guided tour that gives depth to the experience, explaining the echoes of history that radiate from temple terraces and sunken plazas.
“From Machu Picchu’s sunrise to Lima’s coastal flavours, Peru offers unforgettable moments at every turn...”
After a day of exploration, return to Cusco for a quiet evening in at the Palacio Nazarenas lounge or courtyard. If you have the time, allocate a few days for the Peruvian Amazon or Lake Titicaca.
The Amazon region, accessible by a short flight to Puerto Maldonado or Iquitos, immerses you in lush rainforest, river excursions and wildlife encounters — a completely different facet of Peru’s vast diversity. Meanwhile, Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world, where traditional reed islands and the culture of the Uros people await.
Dining throughout your journey reflects Peru’s acclaim as a world class culinary destination. Lima’s restaurants, including internationally lauded venues, showcase the depth of Peru’s fusion of Andean, coastal and jungle flavours. In the highlands, sample locally sourced produce paired with fine wines and inventive cocktails that draw on native ingredients.
Top: Colonial buildings and streets in the Peruvian capital, Lima. An aerial view of Cusco from Pukamuqu mountain.
Above: Andean crafts in the traditional town of Ollantaytambo in Cusco. The floating and tourist Islands of lake Titicaca.
May’s climate lends itself to outdoor activities too. In Cusco and the Sacred Valley, clear skies and mild days make for excellent walking tours and archaeological exploration.
In Lima, the cooler Pacific breeze lingers over clifftop parks, ideal for a late afternoon stroll before dinner. As you plan your trip, consider a stint at one of Peru’s signature luxury train experiences — the Belmond Andean Explorer — for an unforgettable overnight journey between highland cities with panoramic views of the vast Altiplano.
Your Peruvian holiday will resonate long after you return home. It’s the blend of dramatic landscapes, ancient history, elegant hospitality and sublime cuisine that creates a series of moments you’ll treasure — whether savouring a slow morning coffee in Cusco, gazing across Machu Picchu at dawn, or dining on fresh ceviche by the Pacific.
Food &Drink
Peru’s culinary reputation is renowned for blending indigenous ingredients with Spanish, African, and Asian influences to create a unique tapestry of flavours that will delight your palate. Start with ceviche, the coastal classic: fresh white fish marinated in lime juice with chilli, red onion, and a sprinkle of coriander, often served with sweet potato or corn on the cob. Another coastal favourite is tiradito, a delicate raw fish dish drizzled with a zesty, spicy sauce, perfect as a light starter.
In the Andes, sample lomo saltado, a sizzling stirfry of tender beef, onions, tomatoes, and Peruvian spices, served with golden fries and fluffy rice; comfort food elevated to gourmet standards. Causa limeña layers mashed yellow potatoes with avocado, seafood or chicken, and a punchy ají amarillo dressing, marrying texture and colour in every bite.
Peru’s beverages are equally remarkable. Sip a Pisco Sour, the nation’s signature cocktail
of pisco, lime, sugar, egg white, and bitters, or enjoy a chilcano, a lighter piscobased drink with ginger ale. Nonalcoholic options include chicha morada, a sweet, spiced purple corn drink, and emoliente, a warming herbal infusion popular for mornings or cool evenings.
And for dessert, try lucuma ice cream, made from the Andean lucuma fruit with caramellike sweetness, or turrón de Doña Pepa, a traditional honey and anise layered treat often enjoyed in spring festivals.
Attractions
Machu Picchu: The iconic Inca citadel, perched high above the Urubamba River, offers panoramic Andean vistas and centuriesold stone terraces.
Cusco Historic Centre: UNESCOlisted cobbled streets showcase Inca foundations beneath Spanish colonial architecture, with charming plazas, churches, and boutique shops.
Sacred Valley: A lush corridor of rivers, hills, and terraced ruins, perfect for exploring vibrant markets and Inca sites.
Pisac Market and Ruins: Colourful handicraft markets sit below dramatic terraced ruins, offering a glimpse of both contemporary Andean culture and Inca ingenuity.
Ollantaytambo: A fortress town with remarkable Inca terraces, narrow stone streets, and strategic mountain views that transport you back in time.
Lake Titicaca: The world’s highest navigable lake, where traditional Uros reed islands and local customs create a serene, unforgettable experience.
Lima’s Barranco District: Art galleries, colonial architecture, and clifftop coastal parks combine with a vibrant café culture and sunset views.
Peruvian Amazon: Lush rainforest excursions reveal exotic wildlife, river journeys, and immersive ecolodges for a luxurious nature experience.
Miraflores Clifftop Parks: Pacific vistas, coastal gardens, and gentle sea breezes make for perfect strolls, sunset photography, and leisurely afternoons.Cusco Historic Centre – UNESCO World Heritage cobbled streets.
Left: Causa de pescado, ceviche and rice with seafood. buffet table.
Accommodation
Casa Andina Premium
Valle Sagrado
GoodValue Sacred Valley
Nestled in the Sacred Valley, this boutique hotel offers charming Andeanstyle rooms with terraces overlooking the Urubamba River. Relax by the outdoor pool, enjoy locally inspired meals, and explore nearby Inca ruins with ease. Ideal for culture and nature lovers.
Guide price around £140 per night. www.casa-andina.com
JW Marriott El Convento Cusco
UpperMid Historic Cusco
Housed in a beautifully restored 16thcentury convent, this hotel blends colonial architecture with contemporary comforts. Courtyards, a spa, and refined dining provide a luxurious base for exploring Cusco’s cobbled streets and vibrant markets. Guide price around £290 per night. www.marriott.com
Belmond Palacio Nazarenas
Luxury, Cusco
Set on Inca foundations in Cusco’s historic centre, this former convent offers intimate suites, a serene courtyard pool, and a spa with signature Andean treatments. Perfect for those seeking indulgence and heritage in one Guide price around £600 per night. www.belmond.com
Belmond Miraflores Park
UltraLuxury, Lima
Perched above Lima’s Pacific coast, this fivestar hotel features oceanview rooms, rooftop pool, and gourmet dining. A haven of sophistication, ideal for travellers wanting city luxury with panoramic sunsets over the cliffs. Guide price around £1,100 per night. www.belmond.com
Travel Arrangements
Getting to Peru from the UK is straightforward, though it’s wise to plan ahead for comfort on such a long journey. The majority of travellers fly into Lima’s Jorge Chávez International Airport, typically via a single connection in Europe or North America. British Airways, Iberia, and LATAM offer convenient routes, with total flight times averaging around 14–16 hours, depending on stopovers. Opt for premium economy or business class if you want to arrive rested and ready to explore — both offer wider seats, extra legroom, and attentive service for longhaul comfort.
Once in Lima, you can choose to spend a night or two in the city before heading to the highlands. Domestic flights connect Lima
Left: Belmond Palacio Nazarenas.
Opposite: The PeruRail train at the Ollantaytambo station.
with Cusco in under 1 hour 30 minutes, an ideal option if you want to maximise your time in the Sacred Valley and beyond. Airlines such as LATAM and Sky Airline are reliable, with frequent departures.
For local travel, private transfers are recommended for both convenience and safety. Many luxury hotels, including the Belmond Palacio Nazarenas and Belmond Miraflores Park, provide chauffeured vehicles for airport pickups and guided excursions. Alternatively, hire a private driver for day trips, which allows you to stop spontaneously at scenic viewpoints or artisan markets along the way.
For those venturing further, such as to Machu Picchu, consider the Belmond Hiram Bingham train or the scenic Vistadome service, both combining comfort with unparalleled views. Planning your travel this way ensures you can enjoy Peru without the stress of logistics.
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MORE DYNAMIC THAN EVER
911 GTS
Words: Rob Davis.
Porsche’s 911 range now covers over 20 variants, each designed for drivers seeking varying degrees of grand touring luxury or outright performance and dynamic handling. Bridging the gap between the versatile Carrera and the savage Turbo is the GTS: Porsche’s first hybrid 911
Decisions, decisions. Let’s start with an easy one. We can unequivocally recommend a Porsche 911. Released in 1964, there have been eight distinct generations of the car, with the present one launched in 2018 and a facelifted version appearing in 2025. Today’s Porsche 911 lineup comprises no fewer than 20 variants, from the Carrera model and its lighter Touring iteration, to the more powerful S and 4S versions and then the ‘hardcore’ Turbo, GT3 and GT3 RS versions.
In addition to different levels of performance you can also specify coupé, cabriolet and Targa (glass roof) iterations and even a rugged Dakar off-road 911 for competing in the eponymous endurance rally. Rear-wheel drive? All-wheel drive? Manual gearboxes or automatic transmission? They’re all options facing a motorist looking to acquire their ideal Porsche 911.
And that’s even before you begin to dive into the Porsche configurator and start to specify colours, interior trim, plus technology and performance options, from the manufacturer’s Sport Chrono package to Porsche’s Active Suspension Management (PASM) system or Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDDC).
It this just too much choice? Nope. Not a bit. In fact, configuring your 911 is a bit like commissioning a bespoke suit. It’s yours to personalise, to turn into an individual reflection of what matters to you as a driver, from creating a luxurious grand tourer with an automatic gearbox and plenty of tech, or a lithe, lightweight and performance-oriented racer. Porsche’s GTS is a great compromise.
Sitting between the more comfort-focused grand tourer models, and the more aggressive performance-oriented versions, Porsche’s press bumph describes it as ‘dynamic’ which you can interpret as having less savagery than a Turbo or GT3, but a similar leaning towards driving feedback, and finessed handling balanced between comfort and a track-oriented car.
Most 911 models achieve 60mph in three seconds, although the Turbo versions sprint to 60mph in 2.5 seconds. Power outputs across the whole range span to 394-711PS. Prices are from £103,000 to £210,000.
The Goldilocks Carrera GTS is priced at £137,000, reaches 60mph in three seconds flat and has an output of 541ps. It’s available as an all-wheel drive and cabriolet and Targa versions. The GTS has a 3.6-litre flat six engine with electric turbocharger, a 400-volt traction battery and Porsche’s PDK (Porsche
Doppelkupplungsgetriebe – good job they used an acronym), which is a dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Sports car purists might dismiss the GTS’s hybrid turbo assistance and automatic ‘box as diluting the traditionally ‘authentic’ driving experience of that a 911 offered, but for the rest of us, it’s impossible to make a case for a car that makes you work harder to derive the same performance and handling as this thoroughly modern 911.
The GTS is Porsche’s first hybrid 911 and it’s every bit a reflection of the direction of travel in which all cars – even the world’s most famous and well-respected sports car –are going. Will an all-electric 911 follow? We think it’s an inevitability and that will certainly be controversial, but if the execution of that is as good as the GTS’s ability, as a hybrid, to remain faithful to the 911’s DNA, we’re looking forward to it.
But that’s for the future. For now, the 911 GTS is definitely the sweet spot in the range; it’s quick, easy to live with, refined enough to offer comfort and dynamic enough to assure any driver of ride and handling worthy of a motoring connoisseur.
Porsche 911 Carrera GTS
Price: £137,900 (coupé), Engine: 3.6litre sixcylinder petrolwith 541PS and 570Nm torque, rearwheel drive.
Performance: Top speed: 194 mph, 0–60 mph: approx. 3.0 seconds.
Economy & Emissions: Combined fuel economy: approximately 27.4 mpg (WLTP) CO₂ emissions: approximately 233g/km.
Equipment: 20”/21” wheels, matrix LED headlights, Bose stereo, Sport Chrono Package, partelectric seats, heated with heated steeringwheel, cruise, climate.
For more information on Porsche’s 911 range visit Porsche Centre Hull, 01482 911918, www.porschehull.co.uk.
WHY PRECISION LANDSCAPES HAS TURNED GARDEN DESIGN INTO A CRAFT OF CARE PRECISION LANDSCAPING
At a time when outdoor space has become an extension of how we live, work and unwind, Precision Landscapes stands out for treating garden design not as a commodity, but as a craft rooted in care, clarity and genuine collaboration. Their approach feels almost architectural in its discipline, yet unmistakably personal in its execution.
The journey begins with something many firms have quietly abandoned: a face-toface consultation. It’s a simple gesture, but one that signals respect for the client’s vision and the unique character of the site. This early conversation sets the foundation for a design process that is refreshingly grounded — balancing ambition with practicality, and creativity with budget transparency.
From there, Precision Landscapes leans into a level of rigour that many homeowners don’t realise they need until it’s too late. Detailed site surveys, thoughtful concept development, and careful consideration of access, gradients and land use ensure that the final design isn’t just
beautiful on paper, but buildable in the real world. Their planting and lighting plans reveal the same sensitivity: gardens that evolve gracefully through the seasons and remain inviting long after dusk.
But perhaps the most transformative element of their service is their 3D design package. In an industry where clients are often asked to imagine the future from flat drawings, Precision Landscapes offers something far more empowering: the
ability to see your garden before a single spade hits the ground. Their immersive 3D visuals bring materials, levels, planting schemes and spatial flow to life, eliminating guesswork and giving clients the confidence to make informed decisions. It’s not just a design tool — it’s a bridge between imagination and reality.
What ultimately defines Precision Landscapes is the pride and purpose woven through their work. Despite a portfolio that includes award-winning show gardens and collaborations with respected designers, they remain deeply committed to serving local communities across Oakham and the surrounding areas.
Their ethos — precision, communication and craftsmanship — feels like a quiet counterpoint to the rushed, transactional nature of modern home improvement.
In a world hungry for outdoor spaces that restore, inspire and endure, Precision Landscapes offers something rare: gardens designed not just to be admired, but to be lived in.
PEACE OF MIND PROTECTION & PLANNING FOR
For more than a century, NFU Mutual has provided trusted insurance and financial advice rooted in personal service and longterm relationships. The Stamford team explains how the right protection, planning and guidance can help families and businesses secure their future with confidence
Life rarely stands still for long. Whether it’s moving home, planning for retirement, growing a business or safeguarding the things you value most, change is an inevitable part of life. And with change often comes uncertainty.
For our team at NFU Mutual Stamford, helping clients prepare for those moments, both expected and unexpected, is at the heart of everything we do.
The National Farmers Union was established in 1908 to represent British farmers and agricultural businesses, and two years later NFU Mutual was created as a separate organisation to provide insurance to the rural community. Today, more than 115 years on, the company has grown into a nationwide network of over 280 agency offices, offering a wide range of insurance and financial planning services to individuals and businesses alike.
Despite our heritage in the countryside, NFU Mutual’s services are far from limited to those who work in farming. Anyone who values high quality insurance products, thoughtful financial advice and personal service can benefit from the expertise of their local agency.
Leading the Stamford agency are Senior Agent and NFU Group Secretary Ashley Oxer, alongside Emma Westley, Agent and NFU Group Secretary. Together with their experienced team, they pride themselves on building long term relationships with clients,
taking the time to understand each person’s circumstances and helping to ensure the cover or financial plan recommended is the right fit.
Insurance can sometimes feel like a reluctant purchase, something chosen quickly and driven by price. Yet when the unexpected happens, the quality of your insurer and the guidance you received becomes extremely important. For our Stamford team, personal service and face to face conversations remain central to helping clients make informed decisions about their protection.
A considered approach to savings, investments and estate planning can help ensure families are well prepared for the future
NFU Mutual offers a comprehensive range of cover including home and contents insurance, motor, business and farm insurance, as well as a specialist policy for high value properties and possessions.
From art and antiques to jewellery, collections or rare items with personal significance, NFU Mutual Bespoke Home Insurance helps ensure that valuable assets are protected properly and appropriately.
Alongside insurance, our agency also provides financial planning and wealth management services through NFU Mutual
Financial Adviser Dhiren Chudasama, who works with clients to help them plan for the future. Advice may include pensions, ISAs, investments, life cover and protection for families or businesses, as well as guidance on long term financial planning.
With the introduction of changes to Inheritance Tax rules and increasing awareness of the importance of financial planning, more people are seeking advice on how best to protect and pass on their wealth. A considered approach to investments and estate planning can help ensure families are well prepared for the future.
Please be aware the value of investments can rise or fall and you may get back less than you invested. NFU Mutual Financial Advisers advise on NFU Mutual products and selected products from specialist providers. Dhiren will explain the advice services offered and the charges. Financial advice is provided by NFU Mutual Select Investments Limited.
Above all, the Stamford team believes that trust and relationships are fundamental to what we do. When clients know they can speak to someone who understands their circumstances and has taken the time to get to know them personally, it brings reassurance and confidence.
Because whether you are protecting your home, your business or your family’s financial future, having the right support and protection can make all the difference. Find Out More: NFU Mutual Stamford is now based at 41 St Mary’s
tive of The National Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Society Limited (No. 111982). Registered in England. Registered Office: Tiddington Road, Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire CV37 7BJ. A member of the Association of British Insurers. And an introducer to NFU Mutual Select Investments Limited, a member of the NFU Mutual group of companies.
Almanac
May
Zodiac: Taurus until 20th May, then Gemini, combining steadfastness with sociable charm.
Birthstone: Emerald, emblem of renewal and long associated with prosperity and clear sight.
Notable Dates:
1st May: May Day, 8th May: VE Day
In The Garden: Continue sowing hardy annuals directly into prepared borders. Check regularly for aphids on tender shoots. Thin out vegetable seedlings to ensure strong crops later in summer and mulch beds to conserve moisture as temperatures begin to rise.
Seasonal Table: Asparagus, Jersey Royal potatoes, rhubarb, watercress, lamb and the first English strawberries.
On The Farm: Lambing draws to a close, cattle return to pasture and fields of oilseed rape blaze yellow across the rural landscape.
Folklore: May has long been regarded as the gateway to summer, rich in ritual and rural celebration.
At dawn on 1st May, villagers once gathered hawthorn blossom and processed to the green to crown a May Queen, weaving ribbons around the maypole in a dance symbolising fertility and community.
Though gentler in scale today, many schools and market towns still keep the custom alive. Morris dancers step out across the country, their bells and handkerchiefs bright against fresh grass.
Oak Apple Day on 29th May commemorated the restoration of Charles II in 1660, with oak leaves worn for loyalty. Meanwhile, bluebell woods reach their height, drawing walkers to ancient coppices carpeted in violet haze.
In more recent tradition, the Chelsea Flower Show has become a modern festival of British horticulture, shaping tastes in planting and design.
From village fetes to cathedral concerts, May remains a month when heritage, pageantry and the natural world intertwine gracefully.
IN OTHER WORDS
“We should be disobedient, curious and human. I believe in storytelling to bring us together as a community, and I believe in women’s voices to tell those stories.”
Jessie Buckley, star of Hamnet, at the 2026 Baftas where she won Best Leading Actress
WEATHER WATCH
Across Lincolnshire and Rutland, May’s daytime highs average 1618°c with overnight lows 79°c degrees and around 45mm of rainfall. Sunrise is about 5am and sunset near 9pm, giving roughly 16 hours of daylight.
ORDER! PARLIAMENT REOPENS FOR BUSINESS
The State Opening of Parliament is one of Britain’s most quirky constitutional ceremonies, marking the formal start of the parliamentary year, in May. At its heart is the monarch’s Speech, read in the House of Lords, outlining the government’s legislative agenda. One of the most theatrical moments comes when Black Rod, the monarch’s representative, has the doors of the House of Commons symbolically slammed in their face before summoning MPs to hear the Speech, a ritual dating back to the 17th century and Parliament’s struggle for independence.
The Palace of Westminster, rebuilt after the 1834 fire, is a vast Gothic Revival landmark with around 1,100 rooms, 100 staircases and three miles of corridors. Several thousand people work on the parliamentary estate, from MPs and peers to clerks, researchers and security staff
ON THE AIRWAVES IN HISTORY
ON YOUR TV AT THE CINEMA IN THE CHARTS
May 1967 Penny Lane by The Beatles; May 1975 Stand By Your Man by Tammy Wynette; 1st May 1982 Ebony and Ivory by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder; May 1998 Frozen by Madonna.
16th May 1975
Fawlty Towers shown on BBC Two; 24th May 1988 This Morning begins on ITV; 19th May 1996 First National Lottery results programme airs; 19th May 2007 Britain’s Got Talent debuts.
21st May 1980
The Empire Strikes Back UK release; May 1994
Four Weddings and a Funeral nationwide screenings; 22nd May 2002 Bend It Like Beckham UK premiere; May 2019 Downton Abbey trailer debut.
TRIVIA, FOLKLORE AND HISTORY
FIND JOY IN THE ART OF LIVING WELL IN MAY
HATCHED, MATCHED & DISPATCHED
Hatched: Florence Nightingale 12th May 1820; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 22nd May 1859; David Beckham 2nd May 1975; Adele 5th May 1988.
Matched: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert 10th May 1840; Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 19th May 2018. Dispatched: Laurence Olivier 11th July 1989, remembered each May at the National Theatre; Barbara Cartland 21st May 2000; Sir Alec Guinness 5th August 2000; Sir Christopher Lee 7th June 2015.
MAYDAY
MAYDAY
‘Mayday’ is the international radiotelephony distress call used to signal grave and imminent danger. It was conceived in 1923 by Frederick Stanley Mockford, a senior radio officer at Croydon Airport, who was asked to devise a word easily understood by English and French pilots. He proposed ‘mayday’, from the French m’aidez or venez m’aider (“come and help me”). It remains in use today with protocol requiring the word to be spoken three times to ensure certainty.
ON THIS DAY
MAY IN HISTORY
15th May 1940
Winston Churchill delivered his first speech as Prime Minister to the House of Commons, pledging ‘blood, toil, tears and sweat’ at a moment of profound national uncertainty.
8th May 1945
Victory in Europe Day was declared, prompting celebrations across Britain as the Second World War in Europe came to an end.
6th May 1954
Roger Bannister broke the four minute mile at Oxford’s Iffley Road track, achieving a sporting milestone that resonated around the world.
4th May 1979
Margaret Thatcher entered Downing Street as Britain’s first female Prime Minister after a decisive general election victory.
31st May 2003
Concorde made its final commercial flight into Heathrow, closing a remarkable chapter in British aviation history.
23rd May 2012
The Olympic flame arrived in Britain ahead of the London Games, beginning a nationwide relay that united communities in celebration.
WHAT’S COMING UP
NIL POINTS: THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST
The Eurovision Song Contest began in 1956 as a way to unite Europe through music and has since grown into the biggest annual live music event on television, attracting around 160 to 180 million viewers worldwide. What started with just seven countries now features roughly 37 nations.
The United Kingdom has competed since 1957 and has won five times, most recently in 1997 with Katrina and the Waves. We have, however, finished second a record sixteen times and in recent years have endured several disappointing results, despite Sam Ryder’s triumphant runner up placing in 2022 restoring some pride.
This year’s contest takes place in May, with the Grand Final scheduled for Saturday 16th May 2026. The BBC has selected Look Mum No Computer to represent the UK, bringing an eccentric electronic energy to the stage. Eurovision remains camp, over the top, and at times, downright strange... as for its ability to unite countries, history has demonstrated that giving someone ‘nil points’ isn’t, in fact, the best way to make friends!
THE RHS CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW
RHS Chelsea Flower Show returns this year from 19th to 23rd May 2026 at the historic Royal Hospital Chelsea in London. It’s the world’s most prestigious garden show and a highlight of the British summer horticultural calendar, drawing more than 168,000 visitors including gardening experts, designers and members of the Royal Family. The event celebrates cuttingedge garden design, fabulous floral displays and inspirational planting across show gardens, feature gardens and plant displays. New for 2026, gardens emphasise themes of nature, wellbeing and cultural inspiration, with many designers spotlighting causes and innovative planting ideas. Celebrity involvement includes David Beckham codesigning The King’s Foundation Curious Garden, reflecting the growing blend of gardening, wellbeing and creativity.
SAY CHEESE ROLLING
The Stilton Cheese Rolling Festival returns on Sunday 24th May 2026, from 11am to 9pm at Stilton Playing Field, just over the county borders in in Cambridgeshire. Teams of four race to roll a cheese (a mock cheese is used these days) along a set course, often dressed in colourful fancy dress, with food and drink stalls, live music, and other activities.
A STAGE REVISITED
Love rekindled after decades apart
Joseph and Ellen first met in the spring of 1945, when the air still carried the faint scent of victory and hope. They were children then, running barefoot through the green fields on the outskirts of a small village, their laughter mingling with birdsong and the distant clatter of trains. War had scattered their families, and they had drifted apart when Joseph’s parents moved to a nearby market town, leaving behind the dusty lanes and hedgerows of their childhood.
Decades passed, each carrying a quiet rhythm of work and family. Joseph ran a modest antiques shop, the polished mahogany and brass fittings reflecting his meticulous nature. Ellen became a schoolteacher, nurturing young minds with gentle patience. Life was full but contained, punctuated by occasional memories of afternoons spent chasing dragonflies or reading by the riverbank.
It was a chance meeting at the local Theatre that changed everything. Joseph, now in his seventies, had gone to see a local production of The Importance of Being Earnest with his niece and nephew. Ellen, performing in the play, had grown into a woman of poised elegance, her presence on stage commanding attention without demanding it. When their eyes met during the intermission, the years melted away. Recognition sparked instantly, warm and astonishing. They laughed nervously, recalling fragments of childhood adventures that neither had thought of in years.
That spring, walks along winding lanes and afternoons in cosy cafés became routine. They spoke of their lives, of the gaps left by distance, of grandchildren and grandchildren-to-be. Every meeting seemed a delicate weaving of old familiarity and newfound affection, each conversation a bridge spanning decades.
One particularly rainy May afternoon, Ellen confided how much she had missed the spontaneity of her youth, the freedom of simply being present without responsibility. Joseph, listening intently, reached for her hand across the table, the touch light but grounding. “We’ve got time now,” he said softly. “And we’re going to make the most of it.” That was a moment that mattered - quiet, unassuming, yet profound. It anchored them both, a reminder that life, no matter how long, can still surprise you with joy.
Soon, their shared love of travel blossomed. Cruises along the European waterways, from the fjords of Norway to the canals of Venice, became their ritual. They delighted in the small indulgences: champagne at sunset, local cheeses sampled on sunlit
terraces, or a spontaneous dance under strings of fairy lights on the deck. Each voyage stitched new memories onto the fabric of their reconnection.
In the evenings, back home in their charming cottage with its flower-laden garden, they would sit on the terrace and watch the sun sink behind the rolling hills. Joseph often recalled a line from a play they had loved as children: “The simplest moments hold the most beauty.” It was true. Every shared laugh, every quiet conversation, every stolen glance mattered more than any grand gesture.
Now, sitting in their shared drawing-room one May morning, sunlight spilling across the oak floorboards and the scent of roses drifting through open windows, Joseph and Ellen reflect on their extraordinary, ordinary journey. The theatre, the laughter of childhood, the years of separation - all led them to this quiet happiness. They sip tea and smile, knowing that life’s small, seemingly accidental encounters can ripple across decades. And they are grateful for each one.
For Joseph and Ellen, every day is a reminder that love, once found, can endure - even after life has taken you far apart. It is the quiet, unexpected moments that truly matter, shaping a life rich not in wealth but in warmth, in memory, and in the profound simplicity of togetherness.
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