We create unique buildings for discerning clients using traditional French oak alongside bespoke designs that can include glass, stone and steel. Our design and build service can cover every aspect of your project from initial concept to completion. Our passionate staff specialise in design led architecture, planning applications through to full working drawings, allowing our projects to seamlessly develop from concepts to full build construction.
This month’s cover show a brace of local autumn landscapes courtesy of Richard Brown of Richard in Rutland Photography (www.rinrphotos.co.uk). Think your photography has what it takes? Send your highquality images to our editor and get the chance to enjoy the ultimate bragging rights: your work on our front cover!
Send your very best photos to our editor Rob Davis, robin@pridemagazines.co.uk
Julian Wilkinson CEO & Publisher julian@pridemagazines.co.uk
As autumn sets in, there’s a terrific amount of satisfaction to be derived from long walks in the crisp, damp air and staring into the hypnotic flame of a real fire, not to mention curling up on the sofa as the nights draw in, enjoying hearty autumn dishes and getting stuck into a good book.
Speaking of which, this month we’re catching up with a good friend in the form of Rutland broadcaster and author Julia Bradbury. Julia is appearing for a one-off Fireside Chat event in Stamford in October, on the back of the release of her brand new book, Hack Yourself Healthy.
We’ve really enjoyed hearing from Julia as she presents a manifesto for making sustainable changes to your lifestyle in order to achieve a healthspan, not just a lifespan.
Elsewhere this month we’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of Rutland Sinfonia, meeting some of the area’s orchestras and choirs, and attending a few of the events organised by a group of local artists and sculptors keen to celebrate their Open Studio season.
Also this month we’re launching our Good Food Awards in which we invite readers to vote for their favourite restaurants, coffee shops and food heroes across six categories so we can give Rutland and Stamford’s best businesses the recognition they deserve. We’re also paying a visit to Uppingham’s No.23, a kitchen, bar and terrace, to enjoy exceptional dining, and our food and drink listings will provide further suggestions for exceptional autumn dining opportunities.
Our very best wishes for a wonderful month!
Stamford Pride
Rutland Pride
Drink & Enjoy
Celebrating 50 years of Rutland Sinfonia, plus orchestras, choirs and Uppingham’s Freya Goldmark. 100 LOCAL ORCHARDS Enjoying the fruits of Stamford’s Community Orchard Group’s labours. 134 HACK YOURSELF HEALTHY Julia Bradbury’s new book.
Homes
Gardens
Leon Iacano.
Hatty & Sam’s
Delivered free of charge to high value homes in the county
Pride Magazine is delivered free of charge, via Royal Mail, to high value homes in the county. Our circulation is to homes in the top three council tax bands, which are predominantly worth over £500,000. This guarantees the magazine has an affluent readership commensurate with our content.
The magazine is also delivered to local businesses including selected hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, doctors, dentists, executive motor dealerships and golf clubs. This helps to ensure we have a continued presence, right across our catchment area.
Our titles also have more social media fans than any other local magazine. In addition we have over 45,000 online visitors viewing our magazines free of charge, online, on their tablet, computer, laptop or mobile phone via our website, our app, and via the Readly and Issuu platforms. If your business would benefit from being showcased to the wealthiest people in the area, please call our friendly sales team on 01529 469977, download our media pack at pridemagazines.co.uk or email sales@pridemagazines.co.uk.
Pride Magazines, Boston Enterprise Centre, Enterprise Way, Boston, Lincs PE21 7TW
Students at Stamford School are celebrating another year of strong A-level results, with a 100% pass rate across all subjects and qualifications
Autumn Artisan Fair
Don’t miss Rockingham Castle’s Autumn Artisan Fair, on Saturday 20th and Sunday 20th September
Rockingham Castle will once again host its popular Artisan Fair, on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st September, bringing together a vibrant mix of local food, drink, and craft producers for a truly memorable experience. As you wander through the Castle grounds, enjoy breathtaking views of the Welland Valley and the beauty of the surrounding formal gardens. The Spring Artisan Fair offers a fantastic opportunity to explore a variety of high-quality, handcrafted goods, from delicious artisan food and refreshing drinks to exquisite handmade crafts, all presented by talented local artisans.
Whether you’re looking for unique gifts, freshly baked treats, or something special to enjoy at home, you’ll find a wide range of products to suit all tastes. With each exhibitor offering something distinctive, the fair is the perfect way to discover the very best of local craftsmanship and produce.
For ticket prices see www.rockinghamcastle.com.
Students at Stamford School are celebrating another year of strong A-level results, with a 100% pass rate across all subjects.
Over 19 Stamford students took A-level, BTEC or equivalent examinations this summer, with a 100% pass rate across all subjects and courses. Over 10% of all grades were the highest possible grades at A* for Alevel courses or D* (Distinction Star) in BTEC. Well over one third of grades (37.1 %) achieved were A*- A.
“We are extremely pleased with the ongoing overall upward trend in examination results this summer. They reflect the dedication, determination, and team spirit shown by our young people and the staff who have supported them every step of the way,” said the school’s Mark Steed.
See www.stamfordschools.org.uk.
Trio of awards for Bluebird Care
Members of Bluebird Care’s local teams brought home three wins for their dedication to excellence
Staff from Bluebird Care Stamford & Rutland were recently recognised at the company’s UK-wide awards.
Michelle Rawlings was the Winner of Care Expert of the Year. Louise Giles won the Live-in Care Award and Charley Collins was the winner of the
Quality Awards for her work as Deputy Care Manager. She was also a finalist and runner-up for the Team Player of the Year Award, reflecting her valuable role in supporting and inspiring the company’s care team.
For more information see www.bluebirdcare.co.uk.
Cormac’s TV Appearance
Local motoring journalist steps into the spotlight with an appearance on Channel Four’s First Dates
Local motoring journalist and former Catmose College student Cormac Boylan appeared on the Channel Four series First Dates recently, viewed by 15m people online as he charmed slightly older beaux Lorraine. He’s pictured here with Fred Sirieix in Bath where the series was filmed back in March. Episode two, series 24, is on Channel 4’s catch-up service now.
Send your press releases & business news to us via editor@pridemagazines.co.uk.
Magnet is drawn to Stamford
Trusted kitchen expert is proud to unveil its latest store opening on Stamford’s High Street this month
Magnet, the UK’s trusted kitchen expert, is proud to unveil its latest store opening in Stamford, bringing design inspiration, expert advice, and timeless British kitchens to the heart of the town.
Located at 44 High Street, the new showroom officially opened on 9th September, marking the next step in Magnet’s strategic focus on bringing beautifully designed kitchen spaces to high street locations, making it easier for customers to design and plan their perfect kitchen right in the heart of their community.
To celebrate, Magnet Stamford is hosting a two-day launch event on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th September, featuring a live cooking demonstration on Saturday 13th September, exclusive opening offers, including a free Quooker 3-in-1 boiling water tap worth over £1,000; 15% off AEG appliances; 3 for 2 on Siemens appliances and £500 off your dream kitchen.
The Stamford store will feature eight full-size displays and two utility spaces, from modern minimalism to classic charm, including Magnet’s paint-to-order collection of 27 colours. The Stamford showroom is led by Shannon Adams and a team of four designers. Magnet Stamford is open from 9th September at 44 High Street, Stamford, PE9 2LG. See www.magnet.co.uk.
Correction & Clarification: In our August edition’s feature on the history of Stamford’s pubs, we listed a few of our favourite pubs and inns around the town. Our listing for The Bull & Swan incorrectly stated that pub was part of The George Estate. That’s incorrect of course; it’s part of the Burghley Estate. Our apologies for the error which was the result of the Editor researching local pubs a little too enthusiastically...
Eat Drink & Enjoy
FIND JOY IN THE ART OF EATING WELL
CELEBRATING THE LAUNCH OF OUR GOOD FOOD AWARDS
DINING OUT AT UPPINGHAM’S NO.23 KITCHEN, BAR, TERRACE
PLUS: RESTAURANT LISTINGS: OUR LOCAL SUGGESTIONS WITH OLD FAVOURITES AND NEW DISCOVERIES
This month’s seasonal ingredient is apples, used in this month’s apple turnover cake.
Dining Out
Dining Out at Uppingham’s No.23
There’s a culinary epilogue to summer in Uppingham thanks to No.23, a bistro with more than a hint of Mediterranean warmth. This month we’re enjoying a staggeringly good venue for enjoyable dining out in the heart of the town
Words: Rob Davis.
Back when I was wearing a younger man’s clothes, I always remember – or perhaps I’m misremembering – that summer would last ages and ages and ages. Warm days followed warm days and we’d all go for months without seeing a single raincloud in the sky.
This summer seems to have consisted of spells of volcanic heat and speculation of an impending climate catastrophe, followed by thunderstorms and a hosepipe ban.
Should you be missing the brief but intense summer, or the balmy heat of the holiday destination from which you have recently returned, why not eat for the climate you’dlike, instead of the climate we’ll get this month?
No.23 provides the opportunity to do just that, with a nice 38-cover dining room, as well as a terrace to the rear with its covered garden room too, if you’re determined to dine outside or if you’re seeking a private dining space for a celebration with family or friends.
The dishes that Head Chef Rich Doyle and the team serves certainly have Mediterranean influences, but really it’s impossible to pigeonhole the restaurant to a single country or culinary genre.
Not that its identity is confused. There’s a single menu for lunchtime dining and a single menu for evening dining. Each offers a choice of five starters, seven main courses plus four House Classics.
It’s a neat menu and one that’s well thought-out, with everything from a steak and a burger to a Venetian duck ragu and a spinach, green pea and broad bean risotto.
Vegetarians and vegans are by no means an afterthought, and No.23’s dishes all seem predicated on using the freshest ingredients and letting a key element or flavour in a dish take the starring role, with a supporting cast that enhances, rather than competing against it. Dishes are therefore vibrant, flavoursome and authentic.>>
Opposite: Saltcured hake, with ratatouille, kale, steamed mussels and herb crumb, £26. Above: Beef carpaccio with rocket and parmesan, £12. Mature cheddar & shredded ham croquettes with smoked tomato aioli, £9.
Dining Out
ON THE MENU
No.23
Uppingham
NIBBLES
Padron peppers with rosemary sea salt, £12.
Gordal picante olives, £5. Focaccia, bone marrow butter, £6.
STARTERS
Chermoula spiced sweetcorn ribs and roasted garlic aioli, £8.
Beef carpaccio with Parmesan & black pepper mayo and pea tendrils, £12.
Crispy pork belly with red wine caramel, chilli, spring onion & coriander salad, £11.
Gin & beetroot cured trout, with tabbouleh, horseradish labneh, £11.
CLASSICS
Chicken Milanese with arrabbiata spaghetti, garlic butter and Parmesan, £24.
Tempura monkfish cheeks with mint pea velouté, hasselback potatoes, whipped tartare, £22.
NB: Sample menu and featured dishes, subject to availability and change.
>> This approach also ensures the kitchen can put lots of effort into each dish so pasta, for example, is made by the team in house, as is the speciality bread the restaurant serves: focaccia, during our visit, with a lovely umami bone marrow butter.
What’s more, on Friday mornings the team flex their sense of creativity even further and pay a visit to the town’s weekly market to source whatever ingredients inspire them.
The team purchases these ingredients from local suppliers, saying that doing so not only ensures the freshness of the food but also keeps 'food miles' low and supports local businesses.
One recent example of No.23’s ‘Friday Market Day Special,’ which was offered for just £10, was slow-cooked beef shin, gratin potatoes, cavolo nero and a jus. Nobody could grumble at that, nor the popular £5 pasta dish also available on Thursday lunchtime. No.23 celebrates its third anniversary next month and was the latest restaurant to be
opened by the Three Goats group. The group also includes The Nevill Arms in Medbourne, The Sun Inn at Great Easton and The Red Lion pub at Great Bowden. Each has been taken on by the company and treated to a comprehensive refurbishment, but each one, very much to the company’s credit, has retained its own identity, and its own menu.
Something they do share, though, is access to the company’s farm in Great Easton, which raises traditional breeds of cattle, sheep and pigs, ensuring the menu can offer traceability and provenance for its beef, lamb and pork.
Accordingly, No.23’s menus reflect a strong commitment to expressing the seasonality of ingredients and evolve throughout the year.
Speaking of what happens throughout the year, No.23 also holds special events, such as wine pairing evenings allowing guests to explore food and wine from around the world.
These give diners the chance to experience new dishes and new tastes from areas as diverse as France, Portugal, Spain and the Alps. Such special evenings are a chance to have an adventure through food and wine –so the restaurant partners with Berkmann Wine Cellars who expertly match the drinks to the dishes.
No.23’s recent Champagne Dinner, for example, offered guests the chance to enjoy Louis Roederer champagnes with a four-course menu featuring a wild turbot main.
“Seasonality, sustainability and freshness have always been central to our offering,” explains Rich. “Visitors know they’ll get stunning food and first-class service here but, alongside our house classics, you’ll now see even more seasonal choices, plus a wider range of lighter dishes.”
Opposite:Chicken milanese arrabbiata £24.
Above: Classic tiramisu, £8.
The look and feel of the restaurant allows for a successful transition from modern daytime bistro to smart evening restaurant. It’s a handsome building too, 300-years-old, Grade II listed, with local art on the wall.
Dining is the best way to experience No.23, but the place is also open for cocktails, especially ideal when they’re priced 2-for-1 between 3pm and 6pm from Wednesday evening to Sunday evenings.
No. 23 offers a compelling dining experience (and is a great venue for wedding celebrations), blending creativity and quality with a lovely setting and a great front of house courtesy of General Manager James Hunt and the team.
“We’re working tirelessly to ensure No. 23 enjoys a formidable reputation, which is why we’ve a particular focus on top-quality local ingredients, inspired cuisine and offering the warmest welcome in Rutland,” James says. “Customers come here for the big flavours and buzzy atmosphere... and for a great experience!”
No.23 Uppingham
The Restaurant: “A bistrostyle restaurant in a 300yearold Grade II listed building located in the heart of Uppingham offering stunning food. No.23 offers a varied menu, alongside refined cocktails and an extensive wine list.”
Opening Hours:
Wednesday to Saturday 12 noon to 2.30pm and 5.30pm to 8.30pm, (9pm Fri/Sat). Sunday 12 noon to 8pm.
No.23 High Street East, Uppingham, LE15 9PY Telephone: 01572 303023. www.23uppingham.co.uk.
Apple Turnover Cake
A wonderfully comforting autumn bake, this Apple Turnover Cake brings orchard-fresh flavour to your table with buttery pastry notes and spiced apples
This month’s recipe Apple Turnover Cake
Cut out and collect our great seasonal recipes each month in Pride Magazine.
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 45-50 minutes
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
4 medium cooking apples (such as Bramley), peeled, cored, and sliced
100g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
150g golden caster sugar
2 large free-range eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
175g self-raising flour
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp mixed spice
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
1 tbsp demerara sugar for sprinkling
Optional: good quality vanilla ice cream.
October is the perfect time to embrace apples in all their glory. Local orchards are laden with crisp, tart fruit, and this recipe makes the most of them. An Apple Turnover Cake is a clever twist on the classic pastry, offering the buttery, caramelised flavours you love in a more generous, sliceable form.
It’s just the thing to enjoy with a pot of tea on a crisp afternoon or to round off a relaxed weekend lunch. Serve warm with clotted cream or a scoop of good-quality vanilla ice cream for the ultimate indulgence.
Begin by peeling, coring, and slicing your apples into neat wedges. Toss them with the ground cinnamon and mixed spice, coating well so every slice has a dusting of flavour.
In a non-stick pan, melt 25g of the butter with the light brown sugar. Add the apples and cook gently for 5–6 minutes until they begin to soften and turn golden at the edges. Set aside to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, beat the remaining butter with the golden caster sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Fold the self-raising flour into the mixture along with the milk, mixing until you have a smooth batter.
Grease and line a 23cm springform tin. Spread half of the sponge mixture over the base. Arrange half the apples evenly on top, then spoon over the rest of the sponge mixture. Place the remaining apples neatly across the surface.
Lay the puff pastry sheet over the cake, trimming to fit. Press lightly around the edges to seal, then prick the pastry with a fork. Brush with a little milk and sprinkle over the demerara sugar.
Place in a preheated oven at 180°C (160°C fan) for 45–50 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the cake feels springy underneath. Cool for 10 minutes in the tin before releasing. Slice generously and enjoy warm with cream or ice cream.
A Taste of Trinidad
An exquisite blend of light rums, aged in bourbon casks for a minimum of five years
Released in 2002, this fiveyearold Trinidadian rum is a blend of several light and heavy rums made from molasses. In April 2016 a new label was introduced, with an improved version of this rum, particularly in terms of flavours, including fresh passion fruit, cherries, roasted almonds, caramel, muscovado sugar and Bakewell tart flavours. £32.90, 70 cl, 40% ABV. www.urbandrinks.co.uk
The Wine Cellar
This month, we’re warming up with rich reds, elegant spirits and a top-tier bottle worth savouring. Plus we’ve a refined alcohol-free choice for the designated driver or anyone seeking to maintain a clear head
Hearty Reds for Cosy October Evenings
Château de Lascaux Les Nobles Pierres is a complex Syrah–Grenache blend, spicy & herbaceous, £28 / 75cl / 14.5% ABV.
Lan Crianza Rioja 2021, juicy Tempranillo with cherry, vanilla & silky tannins, excellent value, £14.63 / 75cl / 13.5% ABV.
Luigi Bosca Pinot Noir 2021, fresh Argentinian Pinot with black fruit and gentle smoke. Light and refined, £15.30 / 75cl / 13.2% ABV.
Heard it
Through The Grapevine
Our monthly digest from Ketton’s Rutland Vineyard with Zoe & Tim Beaver
October is all about our grape harvest. Like everything here at The Rutland vineyard it’s a community effort. Once the sugar levels in the grapes reach their peak it’s go-time! Thankfully, we have always been able to call upon our wonderful volunteers... it’s a busy, fun affair! Clippers in hand, off they go to bring in this year’s vintage that they will soon enjoy on our terrace. We have made made friends made along the way! Our red grape picking had a genuine festival-like feel, with warm sunshine and beautiful early autumnal blue skies. Now our Second Nature red wine is available to try in the tasting barn, we are sure it tastes all the better given this wonderful communal picking event. We were even more grateful for the heroic effort when it came to the white grape picking. It threw it down with rain all day, people still came out, in high numbers and spirits. Soaked but smiling! Ever grateful, we will be letting our visitors know when the next picking days will be on social media and our website, so if you wish to come along and become part of the vineyard story, keep an eye out and get sharpening your secateurs!
Visit The Rutland Vineyard’s tasting barn, Ketton, Wed-Sat, www.therutlandvineyard.com.
Cast your vote in this year’s Good Food Awards
This month we’re resuming our hunt for the best local restaurants, cafés, and food heroes as we celebrate the return of our annual Pride Magazine Good Food Awards Image: Last year’s Restaurant of the Year winner was The Finch’s Arm’s at Hambleton.
The Good Food Awards
It’s once again time to ask for your help in identifying Rutland & Stamford’s most well-respected restaurants, cafés and daytime dining establishments, and to recognise the hard work of its food and drink producers and retailers.
Each year, we ask you to cast your vote and name your favourite local businesses across six categories. Asking for our readers’ input allows us to make sure the whole of the county is evenly-represented, as well as ensuring its objectivity and freedom from bias towards those who advertise in Pride.
You can vote for whichever businesses and individuals you think deserve recognition in each of our categories, and we’ll name the winner for each category in our January editions.
To make things really easy, we provide a voting form for your preferred nominees at the end of this feature.
Vote for your favourite local food and drink businesses in this year’s Good Food Awards
Alternatively, you can use the form on our website at www.pridemagazines.co.uk to let us know who your six nominees are. Your nominees should be in or close to Stamford and Rutland, and you should not have a professional affiliation with the nominee, only voting for business that you genuinely believe are worthy of recognition.
The first of our categories are our flagship Restaurant of the Year award, and our awards for a Coffee Shop/Bistro/Café of the year which recognises quality daytime dining. We’re also looking to recognise a dining out option offering great accommodation and a warm welcome, and one that champions international cuisine.
Finally, we want to recognise a producer or retailer of food and a drink producer who deserves to be celebrated.
Opposite, you’ll find more information about our categories... >>
The Hambleton Hall family.
Our Six Food Award Categories
THIS YEAR, our Good Food Awards return to celebrate the very best of the county’s culinary talent. The winners of each of our six categories will receive one of our coveted Good Food Award plaques – a mark of quality, dedication, and excellence. Here’s what we’re looking for in each category – and why your vote matters.
n Restaurant of the Year
This award recognises the very pinnacle of dining in Rutland and Stamford. We’re looking for establishments that offer more than just a superb menu – places where every detail matters, from the provenance of ingredients to the skill and imagination in the kitchen, and the warmth of the welcome. Whether you favour a Michelinstarred dining room or a hidden gem in a market town, we want to know which restaurant delivers an unforgettable experience every time.
n Coffee Shop/Bistro of the Year
Daytime dining has become one of life’s greatest pleasures – a leisurely brunch, a light lunch, or simply the perfect slice of cake paired with an exceptional coffee.
This category celebrates those cafés, bistros, and tearooms making mornings and afternoons special, whether through inventive menus, outstanding baking, or creating an atmosphere where you can truly relax. We’re seeking places where the quality of the produce matches the warmth of the service.
n Restaurant with Rooms
Sometimes, a meal is so good you don’t want the evening to end – and with this category, it doesn’t have to. Our Restaurant with Rooms award honours those venues that combine culinary excellence with beautiful, comfortable accommodation.
From countryside inns to chic boutique hotels, we’re looking for destinations that offer a complete escape – fine dining at night, a restful night’s sleep, and perhaps a breakfast worth writing home about.
n Best International Dining
Our county’s dining scene is enriched by flavours from around the globe, and this award shines a light on those restaurants that bring international cuisine to life with
authenticity, flair, and passion. Whether it’s a perfectly spiced Indian curry, a rustic Italian trattoria, fragrant Thai dishes, or a vibrant tapas spread, we want to hear about the places that transport your tastebuds far beyond our county borders.
n Food Producer/Retailer of the Year
Behind every great meal is a great producer. This award recognises Rutland and Stamford’s outstanding farmers, bakers, butchers, fishmongers, and independent retailers who are passionate about their craft. We’re looking for quality, sustainability, and innovation – whether it’s a familyrun farm shop, a chocolatier perfecting their art, or a baker reviving traditional methods with a modern twist.
n Drinks Producer of the Year
From artisan gin distilleries to craft breweries, boutique vineyards to cider presses, the area’s drinks scene is flourishing. This category celebrates those who pour their heart into every bottle, can, or cask. We’re looking for producers whose drinks not only taste exceptional, but also tell a story of place, tradition, and creativity.
Use our voting form at the end of this feature or vote online at www.pridemagazines.co.uk.
The Red Lion, West Deeping; Rutland Vineyard; The Finch’s Arms at Hambleton.
Food for Thought
A reminder of the dishes we’ve enjoyed over the past few months... and a gentle reminder to cast your vote in this year’s Good Food Awards
1. The George & Dragon at Seaton featured in last month’s Dining Out feature, including this fillet of halibut with lemon butter sauce. Call 01572 747418 or see www.thegeorgeanddragonseaton.com.
2. The Red Lion at West Deeping presented this Grasmere pork belly dish with pickled red cabbage during our visit in April. Call 07421 977661 or see www.theredlionwestdeeping.co.uk.
3. Hambleton Hall’s Roast loin of lamb, dauphinoise potato, braised leeks, redcurrant, rosemary & garlic infused sauce. Call 01572 756 991 or see www.hambletonhall.com.
4. The Barnsdale’s 1760 Brasserie presented this warm chocolate & salted caramel fondant for our visit in June. Call 01572 724678 or see www.barnsdalerutland.com.
5. The William Cecil in Stamford’s Milly’s Bistro provides diners with a daily-changing tart of the day. Custard on ours, please! Call 01780 750085 or see www.millysbistro.co.uk.
6. The Olive Branch’s Ben Fisher prepared this lightly-poached and seared monkfish, dish with Jerusalem artichoke and salsify. Call 01780 410355 or see www.theolivebranchpub.com.
The Pride Magazines Good Food Awards
Voting Form 2025
You’re free to vote for whichever local businesses you choose; they don’t have to be mentioned in this edition. You can also vote online at www.pridemagazines.co.uk
Restaurant of the Year 2025: Your favourite place to dine in Rutland, Stamford or the surrounding area
Café, Bar or Bistro of the Year 2025: Your preferred place to enjoy a lighter meal or coffee.
International Cuisine 2025: A local restaurant providing great international dishes.
‘Restaurant with Rooms’ 2025: A restaurant that also has really special accommodation.
Local Food Producer 2025: A producer/retailer of local food e.g.: a butcher, baker or farm shop.
Local Drink Producer 2025: This could be a wine or spirit, locally roasted coffee, local tea or soft drink.
Name:
Address:
Postcode: Telephone:
Cut out this page and send your nominations to Pride Magazines Good Food Awards, Pride Magazines, Boston Enterprise Centre, Enterprise Way, Boston, Lincolnshire PE21 7TW. Closing Date 1st November 2025.
THE GOOD FOOD GUIDE
RESTAURANTS
THE BARNSDALE BRASSERIE – 1760
Set in a beautifully restored 17thcentury building, The Barnsdale provides a relaxed yet elegant dining experience. The Barnsdale, The Avenue, Exton, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 8AH. Call 01572 724678 or see barnsdalerutland.com.
BLOSSOMS RESTAURANT AT RUTLAND HALL
A contemporary restaurant serving a seasonal menu using locally sourced ingredients, with a beautiful lakeside setting overlooking Rutland Water. The hotel also has a new spa and wellness facility, the Four Roots Experience. Rutland Hall Hotel, Barnsdale, LE15 8AB. Call 01572 757901 or see www.rutlandhall.co.uk.
CLOISTERS BISTRO
Cosy Italian bistro serving fresh pasta, authentic pizzas, and a variety of traditional Italian dishes.
St Mary's St, Stamford PE9 2DE. Call 01780 755162 or see www.cloistersbistro.com.
THE CROWN HOTEL
OUR GOOD FOOD AWARDS WINNERS
Each year we ask our readers to vote for their favourite restaurants, coffee shops and food producers, revealing our winners in our January editions. We’ve highlighted our winners in buff 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.
RESTAURANT WITH ROOM 2024 HAMBLETON HALL
Michelinstarred restaurant with seasonal menus in a luxurious country house setting. Created in 1979 and opening soon after, the kitchen is headed up by Aaron Patterson who has ensured the restaurant has retained its Michelin Star longer than any other dining room in Britain. Hambleton, Oakham, LE15 8TH. Call 01572 756991 or see www.hambletonhall.com.
HITCHENS BARN
Modern British cuisine using & locally sourced food courtesy of Neil & Louise Hitchen. Burley Road, Oakham LE15 6DH. Call 01572 722255 or see www.hitchensbarn.co.uk.
JASHIR INDIAN RESTAURANT & WINE BAR
A culinary destination that offers unforgettable Indian dishes made with the finest ingredients and spices. 51-53 High Street, Oakham LE15 6AJ. Call 01572 368282 or see www.jashir.co.uk
NO.23 UPPINGHAM
A Mediterraneaninspired restaurant featuring a range of wellcurated selection of wines and cocktails.
High Street East, Uppingham, LE15 9PY. Call 01572 303023, www.23uppingham.co.uk.
THE OAK ROOM AT THEGEORGE HOTEL
Refined fine dining featuring modern British cuisine. Highlights of the menu include Dover sole and sirloin of beef carved at the table.
George Hotel, High Street, St Martins, Stamford, PE9 2LB. Call 01780 750750 or see georgehotelofstamford.com.
THE OLIVE BRANCH
An awardwinning gastropub offering seasonal British cuisine in a gorgeous setting. Having celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2024, the restaurant’s kitchen garden provides fresh herbs, fruit and veg, and local producers are really well represented across the menus. Clipsham, Rutland, LE15 7SH. Call 01780 410355 or www.theolivebranchpub.com.
ORBIS STAMFORD
A lively pub, restaurant, and hotel in the heart of Stamford, serving a seasonal menu with local ingredients.
All Saints’ Place, Stamford, PE9 2AG. Call 01780 763136 or see www.kneadpubs.co.uk.
THE MAD TURK
A rustic Turkish Cypriot restaurant known for its delicious, authentic dishes cooked on a coal barbecue. 8-9 St Paul’s Street, Stamford, PE9 2BE. Call 01780 238001 or see www.themadturk.co.uk.
A unique fusion of international flavours, featuring small plates and vibrant cocktails.
All Saints’ Place, Stamford, PE9 2AR. Call 01780 669950 or see orbisstamford.co.uk.
PATEN & CO
ARMS
RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2024 THE FINCH’S
An 18thcentury pub situated on the very pretty Hambleton Peninsula, providing stunning views over Rutland Water along with a menu of British classics. Hambleton, LE15 8TL. Call 01572 756575 or see www.finchsarms.co.uk.
THE GEORGE INN OAKHAM
A charming 17th century coaching inn situated in the centre of Oakham previously known as the WhipperIn. Market Place, Oakham LE15 6DT. Call 01572 756971 thegeorgeinnoakham.co.uk.
THE MARQUESS OF EXETER, LYDDINGTON
A standout pub in Lyddington offering a menu that blends classic pub fare with modern Indian cuisine, all in a cosy, welcoming setting. Main Street, Lyddington, LE15 9LT. Call 01572 822477 or see marquessofexeter.com.
MILLY’S BISTRO AT THE WILLIAM CECIL
Located at The William Cecil, Milly’s Bistro is a relaxed yet refined addition to the Stamford dining scene, serving dishes using local ingredients. St Martins, Stamford, PE9 2LJ Call 01780 750085 or see www.millysbistro.co.uk.
Located in a historic 18thcentury pub, Paten & Co serves a variety of small plates and larger dishes, with a special focus on its charcoal oven.
All Saints’ Place, Stamford, PE9 2AG. Call 01780 408647 or see www.kneadpubs.co.uk.
BEST INTERNATIONAL DINING RESTAURANT 2024
SARPECH INDIAN RESTAURANT
Offerings a contemporary dining experience with a focus on topquality Indian cuisine and excellent service.
Burley Corner, Oakham, LE15 6DU. Call 01572 842888 or see www.sarpech.co.uk.
THE SLANTED DOOR
Lovely 16th century building with a modern bar, selling cocktails, an extensive fine wine list, draught beers and delicious small plates. Dine upstairs in the intimate restaurant with outstanding food. Large vegan menu. St Mary's Street, Stamford PE9 2DS. Call 01780 757773 or see theslanteddoor.co.uk.
THE SIX BELLS
Village pub with bedrooms serving locally sourced, seasonal dishes seven days a week. Founded by Jim & Sharon Trevor, formerly of Jim’s Yard and now coowned by son and daughter Lauren & James. Awarded the coveted Bib Gourmand from Michelin Guide, look out for stunning value auberge menu on selected Monday evenings. Witham on the Hill, Bourne PE10 0JH. Call 01778 590360 or see www.sixbellswitham.co.uk.
ZADA
A beautiful Turkish restaurant in one of Stamford’s old stone buildings, offering a menu packed with authentic Turkish dishes like kofte and baklava. St Mary’s Hill, Stamford, PE9 2DP. Call 01780 766848 or see zadarestaurant.co.uk.
DINING PUBS
THE BERTIE ARMS
Gorgeous C17th thatched pub in Uffington run by Katie and James Genever. Simple pub classics and à la carte dishes. Uffington, PE9 4SZ. Call 01780 766400 or see thebertiearms.co.uk.
THE
BLUE BALL AT BRAUNSTON
Cosy country pub with a focus on local produce, offering traditional British dishes. Cedar Street, Braunston, LE15 8QS. Call 01572 722135 theblueballbraunston.co.uk.
THE BULL AND SWAN
A quirky pub offering classic British dishes in a stylish, historic setting. Lovely kitchen garden and great setting. Sister venue to William Cecil. High Street St Martin's, Stamford, PE9 2LJ. Call 01780 766412 or see www.thebullandswan.co.uk.
THE CROWN
16thcentury coaching inn serving light lunch, comforting pub classic, hand stretched stonebaked pizza.
High St E, Uppingham, LE15 9PY, 01572 822302 or see www.crownuppingham.co.uk.
THE COSY CLUB
Quirky decor, offering relaxed dining and drinking menus.
The Old Delivery Office, Stamford PE9 2RB. Call 01780 767710, www.cosyclub.co.uk.
THE FALCON HOTEL
Historic hotel and pub offering a variety of hearty British dishes and Sunday roasts. High Street East, Uppingham, LE15 9PY. Call 01572 823535 or see www.falcon-hotel.co.uk.
THE FOX
Cosy pub serving a mix of traditional British and international dishes. Founded by Jason Allen with longstanding chef Richard Page providing great value freshlyprepared dishes.
Pinfold Lane, North Luffenham, LE15 8LE. Call 01780 720991 or see thefoxrutland.co.uk.
THE HORSE & JOCKEY
Traditional pub located near Rutland Water, offering pub classics and local ales.
St Mary’s Road, Manton, LE15 8SU. Call 01572 737335 or see horseandjockeyrutland.co.uk.
THE KING’S HEAD
A quaint pub in the heart of Stamford, offering hearty pub meals. Maiden Lane, Stamford, PE9 2AZ. Call 01780 753510 or see www.kingsheadstamford.co.uk.
THE LONDON INN
Oldworld pub offering traditional dishes, including brunch and grill options.
St John's Street, Stamford, PE9 2DB. Call 01780 754919.
THE LORD BURGHLEY
A traditional British pub with a suntrap garden, serving a variety of pub classics. Broad Street, Stamford, PE9 1PG. Call 01780 763426.
THE NOEL AT WHITWELL
Country pub with a recently refurbished interior, offering a wide range of beers, wines, and homecooked food. Whitwell Road, Whitwell, Oakham LE15 8BW. Call 01572 510137 or see www.noelatwhitwell.com.
THE SUN INN, COTTESMORE
A beautiful thatchedroof country pub offering a varied menu made with locally sourced seasonal produce. Main Street, Cottesmore, Oakham, LE15 7DH. Call 01572 812321 or see www.suninncottesmore.co.uk.
THE TOBIE NORRIS
A historic 13th century pub with a cosy atmosphere, offering traditional British dishes, woodfired pizzas, and a variety of local ales. Part of the Knead Pubs group alongside Paten & Co and The Crown Hotel. St Paul’s St, Stamford, PE9 2BE. Call 01780 753800 or see www.kneadpubs.co.uk.
THE WHEATSHEAF
Weekly changing menu of modern British dishes, featuring in the Michelin guide as one of the area’s top gastropubs, set in a Grade II listed building with Carol and Scott at the helm since 2008. Greetham, Oakham LE15 7NP. Call 01572 812325 or see wheatsheaf-greetham.co.uk.
DAYTIME DINING
THE BLONDE BEET
A plantbased restaurant with a creative menu that highlights seasonal ingredients, The Blonde Beet is run by Jo Kemp, who has brought her passion for vegan cuisine to the heart of Stamford. Expect inventive dishes that are both healthy and packed with flavour.
St Paul's Street, Stamford PE9 2BE. Call 01780 766464 or see www.blondebeet.co.uk.
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DON PADDY’S
Familyrun business since 2001 and somewhere to meet for brunch, lunch and dinner daily, or cocktails. Serving delicious, high quality food with local produce in a friendly, local space. Recently refurbished with brand new menu, sister venue of Uppingham’s Falcon Hotel. Market Place, Uppingham LE15 9QH. Call 01572 822255 or see www.donpaddys.co.uk.
FIKA STAMFORD
Opened by brother and sister duo Tia and Ivo, Fika Stamford offers a ‘vibey brunch café’ experience. With a warm atmosphere, good music, and friendly staff, it’s perfect for those seeking a stylish spot for brunch, lunch, or a relaxed coffee break. High Street, Stamford PE9 2BB. Call 01780 723514 or see www.fikacafe.co.uk.
GARDEN RESTAURANT GATES GARDEN CENTRE
The perfect place to eat and drink. Large 350seater restaurant within Gates Gardens Centre, which also benefits from having an exceptional farm shop on site. Outdoor verandah for summer months and log burners for the cooler months.
Cold Overton, LE15 7QB. Call 01664 454309 or see www.gatesgardencentre.co.uk.
LAMBERT’S BISTRO
Welcoming and comfortable environment in which to enjoy good coffee, brunch or lunch. Cheyne Lane, Stamford, PE9 2AX. Call 01780 767063 or see www.lamberts-stamford.co.uk.
COFFEE SHOP OF THE YEAR 2024 ‘THE VIEW’ AT RUTLAND NURSERY
A popular spot with stunning views of Rutland Water, offering a range of light lunches and homemade desserts in a serene setting. Manton, LE15 8RN. Call 01572 498720 or see rutlandnursery.co.uk.
The spelt harvest with Hambleton Bakery.
CAFÉS AND TEA ROOMS
BARNSDALE GARDENS
A delightful spot within Barnsdale Gardens, known for serving freshly made dishes. The Avenue, Exton, Oakham, LE15 8AH. Call 01572 813200 or see www.barnsdalegardens.co.uk.
THE
DAIRY BARN CAFE
Delightful tearoom with homemade cakes, sandwiches, and teas. Located on a dairy farm at Leesthorpe between Oakham and Melton, with 200 cows and its own ice cream parlour producing luxury ice cream from cow to cone. Whissendine Rd, Leesthorpe, Melton Mowbray LE14 2XJ. Call 01664 474461 or see www.ferneleysicecream.co.uk.
FROTHYS COFFEE SHOP, STAMFORD
A family run independent business offering breakfast, brunch, light lunches, plus savouries, cakes & beverages. Welcoming and friendly. Menu is creative and imaginative with locally sourced produce where possible.
Ironmonger Street, Stamford PE9 1PL. Call 01780 751110 or see www.frothyscoffeeshop.com.
HAMBLETON BAKERY
Artisan bakery offering a range of breads, pastries, and sweet treats created by Julian Carter and his team. Exton based café is the former bakehouse. Cottesmore Road, Oakham LE15 8AN. Call 01572 812995 or see www.hambletonbakery.co.uk.
THE HAYLOFT AT HUNTERS
A stylish and inviting coffee shop with an adjacent interior design studio for inspiration. Excellent coffee, delicious homemade cakes, Hambleton Bakery bread and tea cakes and savoury light lunches, which include a soup of the day and a salad of the day.
Copthill Farm, Stamford PE9 4TD. Call 01780 753351 or see www.huntersinteriors ofstamford.co.uk.
MULBERRY CAFÉ AT BOSWORTHS GARDEN CENTRE
Mulberry café, with its airy orangery and views across the plant area, serves up a fresh, seasonally inspired menu featuring produce straight from the onsite kitchen garden. Elton Walled Garden, Peterborough PE8 6SH Call 01832 343104 or see www.bosworthsgc.co.uk.
FOOD & DRINK PRODUCERS
DERWENT & DUNNE
Exceptional coffees & teas using growers of quality, Call 01780 723826 or visit www.derwentanddunne.co.uk.
GATES FARM SHOP
Farm shop with 12,000sq ft retail space incorporating Hambleton Farms butchery. Cold Overton, LE15 7QB. Call 01664 454309 or see www.gatesgardencentre.co.uk.
HAMBLETON BAKERY
Handmade artisan bread and cakes free of additives and preservatives available from seven shops including those in Exton, Stamford, and Oakham. Oakham LE15 8AN. Call 01572 812995 or see www.hambletonbakery.co.uk.
FOOD PRODUCER OF THE YEAR 2024
RENNET & RIND
Stamford’s goto destination for artisan British cheese. High St, Stamford PE9 2AL. Call 01480 831112 or see www.rennetandrind.co.uk.
DRINKS PRODUCER OF THE YEAR 2024
RUTLAND
VINEYARD
Beautiful vineyard in Rutland producing stunning wines on Jurassic limestone soil. Tasting Barn, Barrowden Rd, Ketton, PE9 3RJ. See therutlandvineyard.com.
TIPPLEMILL GIN
Producers of Tipplemill London Dry Gin, with a flavoursome cameo of bittersweet citrus and elderflower, £44/70cl. See www.tipplemill.com.
TWO CHIMPS COFFEE
Fun, friendly coffee roastery providing single origin coffee, loose leaf tea, hot chocolate and coffee roasting experiences. Oakham, call 01572 774389 or see twochimpscoffee.com.
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What’s On
Friday 2nd May
John Lydon: I Could Be Wrong (I Could Be Right)
What happens when a punk grows up? Do they ever grow up? John Lydon is a legend and an icon, a revolutionary and an immortal. Changing the face of music and sparking a cultural revolution that terrified the establishment, the frontman and lyricist of the Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd (PiL) is Lydon is touring the UK. He will talk about how he sees life, discuss his career and share his thoughts with audiences.
From 7.30pm, Stamford Corn Exchange, from £36.50, VIP meet &Greet available, call 01780 766455 or see stamfordcornexchange.co.uk.
A Rutland Hall Christmas
Send your press releases and events to us via editor@pridemagazines.co.uk
Thursday 30th October
Anne Strathie:
A History of Polar Exploration
Drawing on her latest book, A History of Polar Exploration in 50 Objects, Anne Strathie shares the stories of objects from a period of exploration which is the bedrock of our present-day knowledge and fascination with polar regions.
£14/adults, from 7.30pm, Stamford Arts Centre, www.stamfordartscentre.com.
Wednesday 1st October
Royal Ballet & Opera’s Tosca
Coming Soon Christmas at Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa
Advance notice of this year’s festive celebrations at Rutland Hall. Beginning on Saturday 22nd November with a Jersey Quartet Christmas Night, which is a tribute to the music of Franki Valli and the Four Seasons, £85/tickets, inc dinner. Also coming up: festive lunches and dinners from 1st December, festive afternoon teas and party nights, Christmas Day Carvery and Boxing Day Lunch. See rutlandhall.co.uk for details.
Satellite screening of Puccini’s Tosca sung in Italian with English subtitles. In war-torn Rome, Floria Tosca and Mario Cavaradossi live for each other and for their art. But when Cavaradossi helps an escaped prisoner, the lovers make a deadly enemy in the form of Baron Scarpia, Chief of Police.
Plus: Tuesday 21st October La
Sonnambula
Satellite screening of The Met’s La Sonnambula, with soprano Nadine Sierra as Amina, who sleepwalks her way into audience’s hearts in Bellini’s tale of love lost and found.
£16/adults, from 6.45pm, Stamford Arts Centre, call 01780 763 203 or see www.stamfordartscentre.com.
Send your press releases and events to us via editor@pridemagazines.co.uk
Sunday 5th October
The Military Wives Choir: An Evening of Song 2025
Military Wives Choirs came to fame through BBC TV star Gareth Malone’s hit TV series
The Choir and within a year, it was number one on the UK singles chart with the Christmas hit ‘Wherever You Are.’
Today the Military Wives brand is a thriving network of more than 1,800 members in 70 choirs worldwide.
Military Wives Choirs is now on tour, providing a rousing, uplifting evening!
From 7.30pm, £30.30/adults, Stamford Corn Exchange, call 01780 766455 or see stamfordcornexchange.co.uk.
Thurs 2nd Sat 4th October
Burghley by Twilight
A rare opportunity for an evening visit to Burghley House. Carefully positioned soft-lighting and candlelight allow you to experience Burghley’s interiors in all their beauty.
As you explore the illuminated rooms, enjoy music from Elizabethan minstrel, Dante Ferrara, with his Lute and Hurdy Gurdy. In the Old Kitchen, classical recorder performances, whilst violinists and choirs continue the entertainment through the house with their repertoires. Prosecco will also be served in the Old Kitchen.
Burghley House, see www.burghley.co.uk.
Tuesday 14th October
Sporting Dinner with Martin Johnson
Martin is joined by rugby legend Lawrence Dallaglio. This evening promises to gives a privileged insight into the world of International (and Tigers) rugby. Ticket price includes arrival drink, three course dinner followed by conversation and stories.
£85, Kilworth House, call 01858 881805 or see www.kilworthhouse.co.uk
NB: Kilworth House will also host Bada Bada Boom, its 1930s gangsterthemed murder mystery dining event on Friday 24th October, £69, or from £209 with accommodation.
Saturday 25th, Sunday 26th, Tuesday 28thThursday 30th Oct
Halloween at Rockingham Castle
It’s spooky season! The Rockingham witches and wizards await your arrival as Halloween returns to Rockingham Castle this October half term!
Follow the carved pumpkin trail through the Castle to solve the creepy crossword. History lurks around every corner, so get ready to discover Rockingham at its most spooktacular!
Ghoulish games and a terrifying trail await all who enter the gardens. Join the Castle’s most gruesome guides beneath the Castle Towers, pick your pumpkin, and try to ‘hit the witch’ for your chance to win a prize in our pumpkin rolling challenge!
Treat your little monsters to a devilish delight from Shockingham Castle’s Halloween menu in Walker’s House Tearoom.
Rockingham Castle, Market Harborough LE16 8TH. Call 01536 770240 or see www.rockinghamcastle.com.
Open Studios
Discovering Art on Your Doorstep as Open Studios Returns
September and October see local artist open their studios and host a range of exhibitions for everyone to enjoy. There’s a central exhibition at Lamport Hall plus other shows and workshops held locally
Words: Katie Boyce.
In September and October, Northants & Rutland Open Studios is inviting locals to step inside the creative spaces of over 300 artists across the two counties. From cosy garden studios to vibrant pop-up exhibitions, the region’s biggest visual arts festival is back, bigger, brighter, and more welcoming than ever.
This inclusive celebration of art offers a unique opportunity to meet artists, explore their working environments, and discover a wide variety of original work, including painting, printmaking, ceramics, textiles, sculpture, and mixed media.
Whether you’re a passionate collector, a curious browser, or simply looking for a memorable day out, there’s something for everyone.
The event covers both Northamptonshire and Rutland, with artists opening their studios to the public and exhibitions popping up in everything from barns and churches to cafes and community halls.
At the heart of the festival is the Central Exhibition at Lamport Hall, running until 4th October (Weds–Sun, 10am–4pm). This curated show offers a taster of the artists taking part and is the perfect place to begin your journey, helping visitors plan their studio visits and discover new favourites.
Not only can you browse artworks, but you can also make your own masterpieces with a huge variety of workshops on offer throughout the month.
From throwing your own pot, to making a beautiful piece of jewellery, painting in the open countryside or creating the countryside with felt, the choices are endless and it’s all happening in September.
Lisa Johnson will be offering her fused glass workshop at The Place in Stamford on 24th September from 6.30pm, whilst Ingrid Hunter & Jane Catherine Sanders provide a
hand-thrown pot Painting Workshop on 21st September from 10am and 2pm, as well as Raku Workshop on 20th and 27th September from 10am. Botanical artist Dawn Wright will also be providing a class focusing on Drawing & Painting Dahlias from 10.30am at Barnsdale Gardens in Exton. Full details of prices and materials are all on the Northants and Rutland Open Studios’ (NROS) website.
Since relaunching in 2020, the Northants Open Studios has brought together an evergrowing number of talented artists and last year welcomed over 12500 people, with over 4,800 people visiting the Central Exhibition over the month of September, generating over £42,000 in sales.
A full-colour printed brochure and interactive online map are available to help you navigate the festival with clear listings of artists, venues, and opening times.
“Northants & Rutland Open Studios is all about connecting people with creativity in their own communities. You don’t need to be an art expert; just bring your curiosity and a love for discovering something new,” says organiser Katie Boyce.
Northants and Rutland Open Studios (NROS) takes place until 4th October at Lamport Hall (www.lamporthall.co.uk. Additional events around Stamford and Rutland can be round over the page.
Rutland & Stamford’s Artists
Thursday 18th Sunday 21st September
Saturday 25th, Sunday 26th September
Woodnewton Workshops
Based in a converted 19thcentury chapel, Woodnewton Workshops offers both exhibitions and handson opportunities in ceramics and printmaking. From 10am-7pm.
Friday 19th Sunday 21st September
Sunday 26th, Monday 27th September
Dawn Wright
Based at Barnsdale Gardens, Dawn Wright’s delicate watercolours and oils celebrate nature’s treasures with vivid colour and fine detail. From 10am-4pm.
Friday 19th, Saturday 20th September
Lisa Johnson
Fused glass artist Lisa Johnson finds inspiration in flowers and colour. Her exhibition at The Place, Stamford, and The Hub at Rutland Point, shows her joyful, lightfilled work. From 10am-5pm.
Saturday 20th, Sunday 21st September Clipsham Studio Group
Artists Dawn Isaac, Petra Wright, and Rene Viner welcome visitors to their Clipsham studio. Their collections bring together pottery and mixed media, united by a love of nature and simple contemporary design. Expect a thoughtful mix of ceramics and expressive artwork in a relaxed setting. From 10.30am to 4.30pm.
Saturday 20th, Sunday 21st September
Heather Harrison
Based at Lavender Cottage in Laxton, Heather Harrison welcomes visitors into her studio where her passion for painting shines through. Inspired by her surroundings and guided by a lifelong love of art, Heather creates atmospheric works that reflect her instinctive, expressive approach. Her open studio offers a glimpse into both her creative process and the joy she finds in making art. From 10am-4pm.
Saturday 20th, Sunday 21st September
Robert Fogell
Robert Fogell presents abstract painting and sculpture exploring form and symmetry. Working in bronze, steel and stone, his largescale sculptures are striking focal points. From 10am-4pm.
Saturday 20th, Sunday 21st September
Sam Marshall
Known for her vibrant linocut prints and illustrations, Sam Marshall’s open studio offers visitors a colourful insight into her printmaking practice. From 11am-5pm.
20th/21st September, 27th/28th September
Régis Chaperon, Ana Ruiz
Agúi & Ruth Hudson
A shared venue at The Stone Carving Company in Ketton brings together Régis Chaperon (inspired by Japanese paper folding) and Ana Ruiz Agúi’s stone sculptures as well as Ruth Hudson’s bold reduction linocuts and prints. From 2-5pm.
Until 30th October
Burghley Park Golf Club
A unique gallery space in Stamford, showing the work of Joy Norman, Di Guttridge and David Townshend. Their impressionist, abstract and textural pieces create an engaging exhibition for visitors throughout September and October. From 7am-9pm.
For more details on all of the above events, see www.nros.co.uk.
Woodnewton Workshops, Lisa Johnson, Heather Harrison.
TASTE OF GAME DINNER PARTY
Saturday 18th October, 6pm-11pm
Lamport Hall are delighted to welcome back award-winning chef Danny Tompkins to join us in celebrating the beginning of the British Game season.
Enjoy a four course meal using the best of local seasonal produce in the sophisticated surroundings of the Hall's Victorian Dining Room, Library and Oak Room. £82.50pp
Come down to our magical woodland summer house to read spooky and Halloween themed stories suitable for all ages.
Price includes a spooky themed sweet treat. £4 per child, £3 for additional siblings, under 1s and over 11s free.
50 Years of Rutland Sinfonia
This month we celebrate half a century of Rutland Sinfonia as well as musical talent elsewhere in the county, beginning with a chat with Paul Hilliam, Musical Director of Rutland Sinfonia
Rutland Sinfonia can fill a large space... in every sense.
With over 60 players performing in unison during a concert, the rich, stirring and precise sound is unmatched, especially when it swells around the naves of Oakham School Chapel and St Peter’s Church Oundle, with their thick stonework creating depth and resonance.
The physical size of the orchestra, too, is significant. Upwards of 200 square metres is required to accommodate the group. And that’s before the audience arrives, filling up row upon row of seats or pews, all keen to hear the orchestra performing their high-quality orchestral music.
Celebrating 50 years since its inception, Rutland Sinfonia was founded by Barry Collett, its Conductor Emeritus, who believed that despite its size, the county deserves to enjoy orchestral music performed to the highest standards. Today that ethos endures under the group’s current Musical Director Paul Hilliam. >>
Words: Rob Davis.
Orchestras & Choirs
“Right from the outset I felt it important to continue Barry’s vision: a wide variety of music and standards quite beyond those you’d expect from what I guess you’d call a provincial orchestra...”
>> “I studied in London before working with a number of orchestras in the Midlands, and joining Rutland Sinfonia in 2007,” says Paul. “Serving alongside our Associate Conductor David Calow, we lead the group in performances, but beyond that, the role of Musical Director involves organising the programmes, and having an influence on how the orchestra develops.”
“Right from the outset I felt it important to continue Barry’s original vision, because when he founded the orchestra it quickly attracted musicians not just from Rutland but from the surrounding area, gaining respect because players and the audiences were impressed by the variety of music and the quality of performance. It was a winning formula and ever since that point Rutland Sinfonia has set standards beyond those you’d expect from what I guess you’d call a provincial amateur orchestra.”
“Some of the players are teachers of music although many more are not, and we’ve always been keen to foster a diverse repertoire including some more adventurous or unusual pieces. A few years ago, for example, we performed a symphony written by Ruth Gipps, who was less well-known back then but has since become more prominent. For our 50th anniversary season we’ve a mix of more adventurous selections, but also some old favourites and crowd-pleasers too.”
“Our November performance in Oundle will feature some of the bestknown and most iconic operatic music such as Puccini’s Nessun Dorma, Dvořák’s Song to the Moon and Mascagni’s Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana. Then next year when we return to Oakham School Chapel, we perform a concert of movie soundtracks with a rousing Star Wars finale.”
“Rutland Sinfonia is proud to nurture its own talent. In June next year alongside a performance of Elgar’s Enigma Variations, we will perform Fantasy, an orchestral piece written especially for the orchestra by Becky Taylor, one of our violinists who was also one of our Young Soloists several years ago.”
“The orchestra has also performed alongside some very established musicians including our patrons, one of whom is Robert Markham, who has performed with the LSO, BBC Philharmonic and the London Mozart Players and is currently Senior Tutor in Piano at the Royal
Birmingham Conservatoire. We’re equally proud to have had Eduardo Vassallo as our first Musical Patron from our 35th anniversary. Eduardo is Principal Cellist of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and will join us for Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in June 2026.”
“You have to keep a musical programme interesting and try to maintain a balance. Audiences enjoy well-known pieces but they also enjoy being introduced to less familiar repertoire. If you don’t introduce anything beyond more mainstream choices you limit yourself. We tend to select music a year in advance because quite aside from the time and attention that you want to invest in programming, there’s the need to book musicians to secure their availability and then to schedule typically three rehearsals before a performance.”>>
Rutland Sinfonia
Saturday 4th October
Grieg Piano Concerto
Featuring Musical Patron Robert Markham playing Grieg’s Piano Concerto (top 30 Classic FM Hall of Fame 2025), and Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. Schubert’s Overture Rosamunde completes the programme for the opening concert of Rutland Sinfonia’s 50th Anniversary season.
Oakham School Chapel, 7.30pm, £16/adult; £5/student.
Saturday 22nd November
A Night at the Opera
Featuring soprano Jenny Saunders and tenor David Morris.
A journey of well known operatic music. e.g.: Puccini, Finale Act 1, La Boheme; Bizet’s Overture to Carmen; Puccini’s Nessun Dorma; Mascagni’s Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana.
St Peter’s Church, Oundle, 7.30pm, £16/adult; £5/student.
Saturday 14th March 2026
The Sound of Hollywood
A concert of movie soundtracks from Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, War Horse, Wicked, Beauty and the Beast, Pirates of the Caribbean and more, with a Star Wars Finale.
Oakham School Chapel, 7.30pm, £16/adult; £5/student.
Saturday 6th June 2026
Elgar Enigma Variations
Featuring Musical Patron, Eduardo Vassallo, Principal cellist of City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra playing Dvořák’s Cello Concerto and a performance of Becky Taylor’s Fantasy. The season concludes with Elgar’s Enigma Variations
St Peter’s Church, Oundle, 7.30pm, £16/adult; £5/student.
See www.rutlandsinfonia.org.uk
Orchestras & Choirs
>> “It’s important to be familiar with a piece of music from a technical perspective but there’s rather more going on when an orchestra performs together. Forget the physical side of things for a second; I think the whole experience boils down to psychology.”
“There’s an intuitive togetherness and a desire not just to play the notes but to actually perform – those are two very different things.”
“As a conductor you’re leading the orchestra but facilitating trust in your players too, giving them license, space and freedom to work together and allowing everyone to express their intuitive understanding of a piece of music. Really it’s about encouraging individuality along with corporate responsibility in the performance.”
“It’s not just a case of working together during a performance either,” says Paul.
“We’re very lucky indeed to have a committee and our friends and supporters
who have any number of careers and busy lives but still find the time to organise our season and arrange things like rehearsal venues.”
“We’re a big group with some equally large instruments, sometimes including grand piano and harps, so to be able to find a venue with the space and the acoustics we need to practice and to organise everything behind the scenes is no mean feat. We’re very lucky and grateful to all concerned.”
“I feel really humble and really excited at the same time to be able to lead an orchestra so committed to quality and to participating in performances that our audiences love.”
“We want to make this year particularly special of course, but every performance together is the result of lots of talent, lots of hard work and lots of very special people working together on something they enjoy very much.”
Freya Goldmark
Uppingham’s Freya Goldmark is a musician whose blend of prodigious technical ability, warmth of tone, and artistic imagination has already won her a place among the most exciting performers of her generation...
Freya Goldmark is the Uppingham-born violinist celebrated for her dynamic career as a soloist, chamber musician, and artistic director. Known for her passion, artistry, and adventurous programming, she has appeared on stages across the UK, Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Freya began playing violin at the age of four and made her concerto debut at just 13 at the Rachmaninov Institute in Russia.
In her mid-teens she was already performing internationally, and has since graced many of the UK’s most prestigious venues, including the Barbican Centre, Cadogan Hall, the Elgar Room at the Royal Albert Hall, St John’s Waterloo, Mansion House, and The Purcell Room.
In March this year, Freya was also named as one of Classic FM’s Rising Stars 2025: the past 18 months have proved to be a defining chapter in Freya’s career. “I’m very lucky,” she says, “as I’m approaching my 30th birthday next year!
Also in her mid-teens, Freya made her solo debut with the BBC Philharmonic and her Barbican Concerto debut too. In January 2025 she made her recording debut with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra for BBC Radio 3, performing a newly commissioned violin concerto by Erland Cooper, broadcast the following month.
These highlights were joined by performances of concertos by Mendelssohn, Vasks, Bruch, Brahms, Beethoven, and interpretations of Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending.
Classic FM’s Rising Star of 2025
Her debut solo album, due for release in summer 2026, reflects her distinctive artistic vision. Centred around Goldmark Variations, a solo sonata written for her by Gavin Bryars, it also features a collaborative work with Erland Cooper, blending synthesisers, tape loops, and thematic material from Bryars’ piece.
Since 2022, Freya has been first violinist of the Ligeti Quartet, one of the UK’s leading voices in contemporary music. With the quartet, she has performed at the Southbank Centre, Kings Place, Aldeburgh Festival, and internationally from Brooklyn’s Long Play Festival to Bogotá, Colombia, premiering fifteen new works in collaborations with Britten Pears Arts, BBC Radio 3, and Bourgie Hall.
“Most string quartets play a wide repertoire of music from around 300 years to more modern arrangements, but we only perform very new music – compositions that have been written especially for us – so we’re very much in a contemporary world,” says Freya.
Continuing the theme of contemporary musicianship, Freya has also worked with the Pet Shop Boys, Pulp and Shirley Bassey, contributing the sound of strings to those artists’ albums. An in-demand chamber musician and collaborator, Freya has appeared at all of the UK’s major venues including Wigmore Hall, Snape Maltings, and Kings Place, and she regularly enjoys working with Scottish Ensemble, and leads groups as a guest across the UK.
Freya studied under Maciej Rakowski from the age of ten until her graduation in 2018 from the Royal College of Music, where she was a Foundation Scholar. She performs on a c.1740 Camilli of Mantua violin.
“It’s an Italian instrument and whilst all violins are fundamentally a standard size, they are all handmade so there’s still a slight degree of variation between them.”
“The Camilli is a lovely violin, it sounds gorgeous but I do have another instrument
used, for example, when I was playing on tour with Pulp.
“When everyone is moving a lot of gear around I wouldn’t take the Camilli. It’s like the classic car that you enjoy very much, but you wouldn’t take it out in the rain!”
Beyond performing, Freya is committed to bringing music to diverse audiences. At the age of 19, she founded the Stamford International Music Festival, a chamber music festival in her hometown, which brings together exceptional musicians for performances of well-loved masterpieces and lesser-known works each May.
Freya’s next big local performance will be on Saturday 20th December at Stamford Arts Centre where the SIMFestival’s Christmas Concert will opens with Mozart’s final completed quartet – String Quartet No.23 in F Major, K590 – a work of refined elegance, joy and warmth. The second half is dedicated to Schubert’s String Quintet in C Major, D.956, a work often described as one of the greatest achievements in all chamber music. Composed just weeks before his death, it is at once otherworldly and profoundly human – marked by ethereal lyricism and an aching beauty.
Freya will perform with the London Sinfonetti and Scottish Ensemble this month, and will launch Stamford’s SIMFestival with. a Christmas Concert in December, see www.freyagoldmark.com.
Rutland & Stamford’s Choirs & Bands
RUTLAND CHORAL SOCIETY
Rutland Choral Society has been part of the county’s music scene since 1971, and is now led by Musical Director Jamie Conway and Accompanist Ivan Linford. Presenting a repertoire that spans liturgical, popular classics and arrangements of folk melodies, the Society is open to all without audition, rehearsing on Monday evenings at the Rutland Showground Pavilion in Oakham. The Society usually holds three concerts a year including its Christmas Concert at All Saints’ Church in Oakham on Saturday 6th December, from 7.30pm. Call 07515 426149 or see www.rutlandchoralsociety.org.uk.
STAMFORD CHORAL SOCIETY
One of the region’s largest and longeststanding choirs, dating back to 1869 and with a membership of 110, Stamford Choral Society performs under the baton of musical director Jeremy Jepson. Meeting on Tuesday evenings (term time) at Stamford Methodist Church. See website for forthcoming performances. Call 07990841122 or see www.stamfordchoral.co.uk.
OAKHAM CHORAL SOCIETY
The community choir for Rutland, performs a range of choral works accompanied by professional musicians and soloists of exceptional calibre. Rehearsals are held each Tuesday during term time in Oakham School Chapel. The choir presents three main concerts, typically in November, March and June, providing members with regular performance opportunities in a friendly, communitycentred environment. Call 01572 758 820 or see www.ocs.oakham.rutland.sch.uk.
UPPINGHAM CHORAL SOCIETY
Uppingham Choral Society is a well established organisation in the local community and welcomes anyone who enjoys singing. No experience is required... just enthusiasm to learn. Our autumn term rehearsals start in September at Uppingham Methodist Church, 7.30pm. Our Musical Director, David Revels (Head of Singing and Choral Director at Uppingham School), together with our accomplished accompanist Andrew Forbes, guide us to a high standard of musicmaking. This year’s Come and Sing event will take place at St James’ Church, Gretton, on Saturday 27th September. Our Christmas Concert follows on Saturday 13th December, 7.30pm at Uppingham Parish Church, featuring Vivaldi’s Gloria, and wonderful festive music. For details, please contact Hui-yen Bloodworth at uppchoral@gmail.com or visit www.uppinghamchoralsociety.uk.
COTTESMORE MILITARY WIVES
Part of the wider Military Wives Choir network, which comprises 75 groups, and 1,800 members, Cottesmore’s choir was established in 2014 and is a supportive and vibrant group with 30 members. Rehearsals are at St Mary’s Church, Kendrew Barracks, on Tuesday evenings from 79pm. The group will perform with other Military Wives’ Choirs at Stamford Corn Exchange on Sunday 5th October from 7.30pm, for tickets see www.stamfordcornexchange.co.uk. Call 07751 440820 or email cottesmore@militarywiveschoirs.org.
Stamford Choral Society.
Rutland Concert Band.
Lucy’s Pop Choir.
LUCY’S POP CHOIR
For those who prefer contemporary harmonies – from Justin Timberlake to Diana Ross – to classical scores, Lucy’s Pop Choir offers a joyful singing experience. Happy, vibrant and fun, Lucy’s Pop Choir was founded by Lucy McLean with local choir leaders Emily Hughes and Cat McEwan. The choir now comprises 16 groups and more than local 120 members across the UK including Peterborough and Stamford. Rehearsals held on various weekdays at Marholm Village Hall; Loxley Community Centre; Stamford’s United Reform Church and at Austin Hall in Yaxley. Free taster sessions, look out for the choirs at Stamford and Peterborough’s Christmas Market and Lights SwitchOn. Call 07590 268750 or see www.lucyspopchoir.co.uk.
KETTON COMMUNITY CHOIR
Founded in 2012, Ketton Community Choir rehearsals in the village’s Congregational Hall on Tuesday evenings from September to July. Everyone welcome, no auditions and no need to be able to read music. 07852 100982 or find the choir on Facebook.
RUTLAND YOUTH CHOIRS
Rutland Youth Choirs meet weekly on Thursday afternoons at All Saints’ Church in Oakham, offering three choirs for singers aged 518 (Young Voices, Junior Choir, Senior Choir). Rehearsals are fun and varied, with a wide variety of songs and performance opportunities. There is no audition, and full bursaries are available. See www.rutlandyouthchoirs.co.uk.
RUTLAND BIG BAND
Formed in 2005, Rutland Big Band brings the golden age of swing to life with style and energy, performing Rat Pack standards, Bond themes and dancefloor favourites. A mix of professional musicians and talented local players, the band appears at festivals, vintage events and private celebrations, and its concerts are always crowdpleasers. Next gigs are on Monday 22nd September in Glaston and 6th October in King’s Cliffe. See www.rutlandbigband.org.uk.
RUTLAND CONCERT BAND
This community wind band was founded in May 2008 and has grown to include around sixty members, ranging from schoolage musicians to retirees. Everyone helps and learns from each other. The main aims for the band are to have fun playing and to socialise. Meeting on Tuesday evenings at the Rutland Showground Pavilion in Oakham, they present an entertaining mix of marches, overtures and film scores, performing at summer fetes, Christmas events and formal concerts. See www.rutlandconcertband.org.
THE D’UKES OF RUTLAND
Proof that music needn’t take itself too seriously, Oakham Ukulele Club is a lively, inclusive gathering that meets twice a week – Monday evenings at The Ovation Bar in Oakham and Thursday afternoons at the Cricket Club on Brooke Road. No prior experience is required, loan instruments are available, and the repertoire ranges from vintage tunes to pop favourites. Their performances bring an irresistible cheer to local events and fundraisers. Call 07919 520254 or see www.oakhamukuleleclub.weebly.com.
The D’Ukes of Rutland.
Stately in Season
Golden light and quiet grandeur beneath Stamford’s changing trees
Photography, www.rinrphotos.co.uk.
Image: Richard Brown, Richard in Rutland
There’s something quietly spellbinding about Burghley House in autumn. As the season turns, this grand Elizabethan stately home—one of England’s greatest—becomes wrapped in a softer kind of majesty.
The sweeping parkland, designed by Capability Brown, takes on a tapestry of gold, amber, and crimson, while the long shadows of the afternoon sun stretch across lawns scattered with crisp, curling leaves.
Set just on the edge of Stamford, Burghley feels both timeless and alive in October. The air is fresher, the skies a paler blue, and the mature trees, some centuries old, seem to bask in one final show of colour before winter’s hush.
It’s a time of year that suits Burghley’s personality: reflective, stately, and deeply rooted in history. While summer brings crowds and garden picnics, autumn invites a slower pace, perfect for meandering walks along the leaf-strewn avenues, pausing to admire the play of light on the stonework, or simply breathing in the scent of damp earth and woodsmoke.
Whether you’re a local revisiting a familiar favourite or a visitor seeing Burghley for the first time, autumn brings a particular magic to the landscape. The house, framed by russet branches and set against the glow of an October afternoon, becomes almost painterly in its beauty.
As the leaves fall and the days draw in, Burghley House remains steadfast, a reminder of Rutland’s quiet elegance, and of nature’s ability to both move and still us.
This month’s cover story features our Stamford Pride October cover. Think your photography has what it takes to appear as our Cover Story? Send your highquality images to our editor and get the chance to enjoy the ultimate bragging rights: your work on our front cover and our Cover Story double page spread!
Send your very best photos to our editor Rob Davis, robin@pridemagazines.co.uk
Homes & Gardens
FIND JOY IN THE ART OF LIVING WELL
WELCOME HOME TO THE BLACK HOUSE IN STAMFORD
COSY OCTOBER HOMES AND AUTUMN IN THE ORCHARD
PLUS: THE LARGEST SELECTION OF LUXURY HOMES IN RUTLAND AND STAMFORD
The Black House
When Leon & Katie Iacono set about transforming their 1940s property in Stamford, somebody gave them a rule book. They promptly tore it up, and instead opted to create a unique, fun and stylish family home...
Below: The property is arranged over three floors with a large openplan space at its heart.
It’s called The Black House, and for good reason. Throughout the property – which is arranged over three floors and has three reception rooms and four bedrooms – interior spaces are punctuated by black metal and Crittall-style glazing. The exterior of the property, too, has charred wood cladding and black window frames.
It gives the house a really bold, unique and contemporary look, albeit one judiciously softened with herringbone oak and porcelain tiled floors, views over a large and mature garden with timber gazebo, as well as the living wall in the large and rather impressive family room with its kitchen and dining area.
The property is located on Stamford’s Roman Bank and was built in the 1940s, enjoying a transformation courtesy of Leon & Katie Iacono in 2024, emerging as a home that balances design with effortless everyday comfort.
Step through the front door and the sense of drama ensues. As the owners of Sfarzo, which specialises in architectural metalwork and glazing for high end domestic and commercial clients (they’re currently working on the atrium for The Ritz’s new Winter Garden dining space), impressive metalwork features throughout the property.
A bespoke black steel staircase slices upwards, light pours in from multiple directions, softening the home’s contemporary edges.
Beyond this first impression lies the heart of the home, where the design’s ingenuity truly comes to life. The kitchen and living space are arranged across split levels, with a sunken seating area leading you down and drawing your gaze outwards.
Here, garden views are presented as living art, with the skyline as a changing backdrop.
The kitchen and living space are arranged across split levels, with a sunken seating area leading you down and drawing your gaze outwards
It’s a feat of architectural sleight of hand — subtle, cinematic, and perfectly attuned to both intimate family life and grander entertaining.
Above the dining table, a living wall brings a rush of green to the space, its own irrigation system quietly maintaining the lush vertical garden. Skylights funnel daylight deep into the room, while steel-framed sliders erase the boundaries between inside and out.
The kitchen’s matt-black cabinetry recedes to let the outdoors take centre stage, concealing every integrated appliance, from coffee machine to drinks fridge, with the precision of bespoke furniture.
At its heart, a sleek island invites conversation and conviviality, while beneath your feet, large-format porcelain tiles run unbroken from interior to terrace.
From the main living area, Crittall-style doors lead to a snug, its deep-toned cabinetry and arched alcoves adding character and warmth. This is a versatile retreat, equally suited to reading by the window, working quietly, or creating a play space for children.
Across the hall, the sitting room offers a cocooning contrast to the openness beyond, wrapped in deep green walls and ceiling, the oak parquet underfoot grounding the space. Natural light spills in through a broad boxbay window, while the rear of the room flows into a music area, light streaming in through internal glazing framing the garden.
Upstairs, four double bedrooms combine style with serenity. The first is dressed in neutral tones, a restful haven beneath a soft green ceiling. Another bedroom, bathed in morning sun, hides a delightful secret — a ladder rising to a playroom that connects through to the bedroom at the rear. This whimsical feature makes for endless
adventure for younger residents, while for adults it’s a playful reminder that a home needn’t take itself too seriously.
A third bedroom soars beneath a vaulted ceiling, an expanse of glass framing rooftops and treetops beyond, oak slats climbing upward to the shared play space above.
The family bathroom is unapologetically luxurious, its walk-in wet-room shower set behind Crittall glazing, rainfall head above and alcove shelving within.
The Black House in
Stamford
Location: Roman Bank, Stamford.
Provenance: 1940s property that has benefitted from a comprehensive renovation in 2024 introducing a striking contemporary style.
Rooms: Three receptions currently arranged as large openplan family living kitchen, sitting room and living room. Four bedrooms with en suite and family wet room. Study and utility.
Guide Price £1,350,000.
Find Out More: Pelham James, call 01572 497 070 or see www.pelhamjames.co.uk.
A fluted freestanding bath invites long soaks, while a cast concrete sink, brushed steel accents, and pale porcelain tiles strike a harmonious balance between raw texture and refinement.
The principal suite is a statement in scale and light, with a soaring ceiling, full-height windows, and space to truly breathe. The dressing area is a gallery of fluted storage, double-height and perfectly appointed, light falling from a Velux above. The en suite features twin green concrete basins beneath brushed brass taps and a walk-in shower.
The connection between indoors and outdoors is central to the home’s design philosophy, and nowhere is this more evident than in the garden. Glass doors open onto a porcelain-tiled terrace that flows seamlessly from the interior, leading to a vaulted outdoor kitchen beneath timber eaves.
Here, the possibilities are endless: summer suppers cooked over wood fire, sundown cocktails, or long weekend lunches that stretch into the golden evening. At one end, a sculptural Lusso ice bath offers a bracing start to the day, while the lawn provides ample space for children to run and play. Lush planting softens the boundaries, and at the far end, a secondary terrace and garden shed complete the picture.
For all its design-led confidence, The Black House is not a home that sacrifices comfort for style. Its spaces are designed for life — for storage, for laughter, for warmth. It is a house that looks good from every angle, but more importantly, it feels good to inhabit.
As for Leon and Katie, a relocation to Porto where the couple are establishing a new factory for their business means that The Black House is now on the market, seeking new custodians. Its next owners will gain a property in the heart of Stamford that’s unique, practical... and very stylish indeed!
www.sarahhardinginteriors.co.uk • info@sarahhardinginteriors.co.uk www.facebook.com/sarahhardinginteriorsltd Sarah Harding Interiors (@sarahhardinginteriorsltd)
Image courtesy of William Yeoward
Shaker Leg
It’s a mainstay style of country house kitchens: chunky, functional and rustic, and in solid timber, able to resist daily knocks with just a fresh coat of paint needed for a mid-life refresh. This month we celebrate shaker-style kitchens with the area’s leading kitchen suppliers and cabinet makers...
in 28
including this
www.magnet.co.uk.
Image: Wardley by Magnet of Stamford is named after James and Jane Wardley, founding leaders of the Shaker movement, a denomination of quakers who gave their name to the style of kitchen characterised by a recessed centre panel. Wardley is available
colours
Tailored Green shade. 44 High St., Stamford,
Above: Fitted Furniture Company of Stamford’s funky mustard, white and Elephant’s Breath painted shaker kitchen with solid surfaces, 01780 480080 www.thefitted furniturecompany.com.
Above/Right: Lewis & Hill bespoke kitchen painted in Mole’s Breath with fluted Butler sink and black marble surfaces, 01664 424200, lewisandhill.co.uk.
Right: Kitchens by Nathaniel Oliver’s Old English White handpainted timber kitchen with white quartz surface and goldveined splashback, 01572 722636, www.kitchensby nathanieloliver.co.uk.
Kitchens
Above: Kitchens by Nathaniel Oliver’s Dove Grey and blue kitchen with island and integrated lighting, and white quartz work surface. 01572 722636, www.kitchensbynathanieloliver.co.uk.
VELVET SOFA STATEMENT
Plush, deeptoned velvet creates a luxurious anchor for autumn evenings, £1,395, www.vintagesofa.co.uk.
WOODLAND CANDLE GLOW
Sandalwood and cedar blend beautifully, evoking woodland walks, £140, www.chaseandwonder.com.
GLAZED PUMPKIN BOWL
Ideal for soups, snacks or simply seasonal kitchen styling with charm, £199, www.francecorner.com.
FIRESIDE WOOL THROW
Britishmade in rust hues, soft lambswool perfect for crisp evenings, £224, www.thewoolcompany.co.uk.
OAK CONSOLE TABLE
Timeless craftsmanship, ideal for hallways, styled with foliage and seasonal accents, £1,190, www.willenrose.co.uk
MOODY AUTUMN PAINT
Create cocooning walls with dramatic tones, perfect in dining rooms. Down Pipe at www.farrowball.com.
TEXTURED CERAMIC VASE
Perfectly imperfect with a rustic glaze, just add dried grasses or foraged branches, £189, www.thepanacheartistry.com.
Warmtoned amber glass offers soft, inviting light, ideal for sideboards or cosy reading corners, £175, www.nkuku.com.
Natural comfort and texture, perfect for wooden dining chairs throughout autumn and winter, £96.50, www.baastool.co.uk.
AMBER GLASS LAMP
SHEEPSKIN SEAT PAD
LEATHER LOG CARRIER
Practical and stylish, sturdy leather brings tactile charm to firewood storage, £720, www.lifeofrileyonline.co.uk.
CHUNKY KNIT POUFFE
Knitted in warm ochre tones, this pouffe adds comfort and a dose of autumn texture, £189, www.scandiborn.co.uk.
HERITAGE KETTLE CHARM
A timeless classic for country kitchens, this hardanodised kettle is beautiful and practical, £170, www.agacookshop.co.uk.
Homes & Gardens
Autumnal Indulgence
Cosy textures, warm tones, and rich seasonal accents to bring elegant comfort to your interiors this autumn.
BOTANICAL WALL ART
Pressed fern and oak leaf designs, earthy and elegant additions to any gallery wall, £245, www.quoteartisan.com.
LUXURY BEDDING
Alba cotton/silk blend duvet cover £500/double to £740/emperor, White Company, www.thewhitecompany.com.
WOOL-LINED SLIPPERS
Soft suede and thick wool, because your feet deserve luxury on chilly mornings, £75, www.westmorlandsheepskins.co.uk.
HARVEST DINING
Rustic stoneware, perfect for October feasts or fireside supper parties, £110, www.frenchconnection.com.
Lapwing House A home with rustic charm
This month’s featured property is Lapwing House in Lyddington, home to interior designer Claire Simpson who has ensured its interiors are something very special indeed. The family are now seeking the property’s next custodians, with an exciting new project for Claire and husband Fraser already getting underway!
Words: Rob Davis.
Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans, wrote John Lennon. A year ago, Claire and Fraser Simpson were busy creating what they anticipated would be their forever home in the pretty ironstone village of Lyddington. As it happens, though, they have barely had time to plump the cushions and put the finishing touches to Claire’s beautiful rustic interiors, before a new opportunity has arisen for the couple, hence Lapwing House is now on the market and seeking new custodians.
Claire is an interior designer, as will be apparent from the wellreconciled and suitably rustic interiors befitting of a Grade II listed property dating back to 1744.
The two settled in Rutland after being based in London for over 15 years. Having made a pledge that if they ever left the city they’d live in Lyddington, they remained true to their promise to one another and finally arrived in the village, after thirteen years of living in The Langtons, equally bucolic picture-postcard villages.
Many of Claire’s interior design clients over her 20 year-long career have been based in Leicestershire, London and Norfolk, and Claire is best know for her recent work at renowned local pubs The Sun Inn, No.23 (featured in this edition) and The Nevil Arms.
The couple are now focusing on a new venture, luxury cabins, with reclaimed materials and a deep focus on wellbeing. They are collaborating with award-winning architects who are committed to creating contemporary cabins which are built off-site and are installed for clients as retreats and sanctuaries with the option to facilitate off-grid living. Clients already include The Pig and Louma Reserve. The idea of sustainable luxury living with the intention of ‘enhancing your wellbeing by connecting you to the natural landscape’ appeals to Claire and Fraser. >>
Welcome Home
“A new adventure awaits Claire and the family, but leaving Lapwing House is inevitably going to be difficult. It’s a stunning property, with lots of creativity and vision invested in its styling...”
>> With Claire’s curated pared-back rustic style and Fraser’s connection with hospitality, the architects were keen to collaborate with Claire and Fraser to promote their brand. The couple’s interest ran deeper than that, though, and so the two are launching their own Wild Escapes Collective which underwrites just how committed they are to the company’s concept; meticulously-crafted sustainable spaces that are beautifully appointed and blend well with their surroundings: “Think all the luxury of a high-end hotel but with total exclusivity and privacy immersed in nature.”
That means Lapwing House is now on the market, seeking new custodians who will doubtless be just as enamoured with the property as we are. Arranged over two floors, with arrow-slit windows, chunky sandblasted beams and exposed stonework on the interiors, the property was originally divided into two by an archway which now unites the original barn and the farmhouse.
Downstairs, an entrance hall leads to a sitting room with oak flooring, an inglenook fireplace and stone mullion windows.
On the opposite side of the entrance hall is the former kitchen which now serves as a traditional scullery with rustic beams, and original fireplace, plus a glass cabinet for displaying crockery and an old fluted freestanding sink.
As pretty as the space is, it would be a less than ideal place in which to cook for the family or hand-wash a pile of laundry on a labour-intensive Georgian wash day.
Happily, that’s not necessary, as the ‘proper’ kitchen is located at the back of the property. It’s more generously equipped but just as in keeping with the age of the property thanks to a large refectory table, vintage dining chairs, and our favourite feature, a carpenter’s bench that Claire has repurposed
as a work surface, complete with its worn-in look, antique wheels, curated pottery, and a couple of practical additions, café poles in antique brass, used to hang teacups and linens, and another overhead for drying herbs. Behind the bench are custom deep painted pan drawers by Devol which flank a Bertazzoni range and pot filler.
Elsewhere in the kitchen, a run of cabinetry from Devol’s Haberdashery range is topped with white marble incorporating a lovely chocolate bronze veining.
Lapwing House Lyddington
Location: Main Street, Lyddington. Uppingham 2.3 miles (6 minutes); Oakham 7.8 miles (15 minutes).
Provenance: Grade II listed property dating back to 1744 and renovated by interior designer Claire Simpson.
Rooms: Three reception rooms currently arranged as breakfast kitchen, sitting room and family room/studio. Three bedrooms with en suite and dressing room to master.
Guide Price £1,000,000.
Find Out More: Pelham James, call 01572 497 070 or see www.pelhamjames.co.uk.
The antique brass taps and vintage inspired cabinet handles also from the company’s in house handmade hardware. A wide double Belfast sink completes this idyllic modern country space. In the north-west wing of the house there’s a utility room, shower room and a family room with a dedicated staircase leading to the principal bedroom suite.
The downstairs space is whitewashed and would be ideal as a further bedroom, as a reception room, or for conversion into a selfcontained apartment.
It’s currently used as Claire’s design studio, though, and above it is the master bedroom suite which has an en suite bathroom with Delft-style tiles and a spacious dressing room with built-in cabinetry. Also on the first floor are two further double bedrooms and a shower room, as well as the family staircase. This family room/studio and the kitchen both open out onto the property’s pretty and very mature cottage garden. A favourite feature is the open-fronted barn which incorporates a fireplace and grate, with a chimney to take away smoke and walls to keep away the breeze or midday sun.
Fairy lights and a rustic wine table with Lloyd Loom-style chairs ensure that it’s a really comfortable space all year round, extending the potential for outdoor living well beyond the summer months. There’s another firepit area too and the whole garden is packed with lavender borders giving it a lovely scent and ensuring it’s popular with bees, butterflies and birds all summer long.
A new adventure awaits Claire and the family, but leaving Lapwing House is inevitably going to be difficult. It’s a stunning property, with lots of creativity and vision invested in its styling... however, we’re really looking forward to seeing what Claire and Fraser do next, as they create and build their Wild Escapes Collective brand!
Homes
Extend & Improve
When modern life calls for a more flexible space in your home — open-plan kitchens, light-filled extensions, and practical spaces – partnering with a local company who can deliver a turnkey extension is the ideal solution, here’s our advice for a successful project
Words: Rob Davis.
Extending your home remains one of the most effective ways to create additional space while enhancing both lifestyle and long-term value. In towns such as Stamford, Oakham and Uppingham, where beautiful Georgian homes are so prominent, homeowners often find themselves faced with a delicate balance: how to respect the heritage and character of the property whilst introducing modern practicality.
Local planning rules provide a framework that ensures extensions are sympathetic to their surroundings. For many properties, modest projects may fall under permitted development rights, allowing certain singlestorey extensions or loft conversions without a full planning application.
However, the situation becomes more complex when dealing with listed buildings or conservation areas, as is so often the case in Rutland and Stamford.
Here, it is essential to approach local planning departments early, ensuring proposals do not compromise the character of the building or the wider street scene. Successful applications tend to be those that enhance rather than overwhelm, marrying period charm with modern needs.
In Georgian properties, where symmetry and proportion are integral to design, it is especially important to treat any new addition with sensitivity.
Rather than imposing a stark contrast, thoughtful extensions can echo the
architecture of the original house while introducing subtle contemporary detailing. Inside, the challenge becomes creating layouts that suit twenty-first-century living.
Many Georgian houses were designed with formal reception rooms and smaller, serviceoriented spaces to the rear. Today, the demand is for light-filled open-plan kitchens where families can cook, dine, and socialise together.
This is where the concept of the living kitchen has grown in importance. No longer just a place to prepare meals, a living kitchen integrates dining and relaxing spaces, offering a practical and social hub at the heart of the home.
Extending to create such a space allows homeowners to preserve the elegance of front-facing Georgian reception rooms while enjoying modern convenience at the rear of the property. The best designs achieve a
balance, respecting the proportions and finishes of the original building but offering the ease of a contemporary layout.
Choose an architect or building specialist who can see your project right through to completion, from the first sketches through to the final coat of paint. Such a professional acts as a single point of contact, guiding the project through planning permission, coordinating contractors, and ensuring consistency of finish.
The benefit of this approach is peace of mind. Instead of the homeowner having to chase schedules or negotiate with trades, the project manager orchestrates the process, appointing trusted contractors for each stage. From structural work and kitchen installation to decoration and finishing, every element is carefully timed and delivered to standard. This means the entire process is streamlined and significantly less stressful, with fewer delays and unexpected costs.
Extending a home in Rutland or Stamford is never a matter of simply adding space. It requires sensitivity to history, an understanding of planning frameworks, and an appreciation for the way we live today.
By creating a living kitchen at the heart of the house and entrusting the process to a skilled project manager, homeowners can achieve a result that honours heritage whilst embracing the present.
The end goal is a home that feels as though it has always been that way — graceful, practical, and ready for a new generation to enjoy.
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the Core Local to Stamford’s Community Orchard Group
Stamford Community Orchard Group is working hard to ensure the continuation of our local heritage varieties and to provide everyone with the resources and knowledge needed to celebrate a traditional fruit that’s English to the very core
The John Keats’ poem, To Autumn, ably describes how ‘the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness conspires with the maturing sun to fill the fruit on the moss’d cottage trees with ripeness to the core.’
If proof is needed that such idyllic autumn values are still evident, you need only enjoy a visit to Stamford’s Community Orchard Group’s site on the town’s Christ Church Close where you’ll find no fewer than 20 varieties of apple, plus pears and plums tumbling from the boughs of the group’s trees.
The group was established in 2000 and as it celebrates its 25th anniversary, with Adam Cade, as its current secretary. The group is going from strength to strength, with its mailing list of over 300 people and a team of 20 at its core (pun intended).
Today, SCOG is committed to helping others to establish community orchards, and to lending their expertise in teaching others how to establish trees by grafting, as well as offering workshops on subjects like pruning and scything.
“We hold bi-monthly meetings and host free events throughout the year including this month’s Apple Day at Stamford Arts Centre, recent Apple Pressing event held in Ketton, an annual Wassail, which takes place in January, or our Orchard Blossom Day held in April,” says Adam.
The group has somewhere in the region of 400 grafted heritage variety trees too, available to locals seeking to establish their own orchards or just a few trees in their garden, with 4ft apple, pear, plum and gauge trees available in return for a donation to SCOG.
Words: Rob Davis.
Opposite: Keith Grumbley of Stamford Community Orchard Group.
Stamford Community Orchard Group (SCOG) aims to promote apples and orchards in the area, and to champion local heritage varieties established in Stamford and Rutland which, without support, will fall into obscurity at the very least, and extinction eventually.
If you’re struggling to identify the particular variety of apple growing in your garden, that may be because in Britain there is somewhere in the region of 3,000 named varieties, and over 25,000 varieties worldwide. >>
>> For context, there are ‘only’ 700 named varieties of cheese produced in Britain, compared to thousands of apple varieties, so we should be enjoying lots of different varieties of native apples, but sadly, that’s not the case.
Over 90% of British consumers have purchased apples over the past year and the market is worth £977m. Predictably, Tesco is the biggest retailer of apples with their 27% market share, closely followed by Sainsbury’s Aldi and Lidl, then Waitrose.
As a country, though, and despite our voracious consumption, we still grow less than 40% of the apples we consume in Britain. British Apples & Pears, the fruit’s trade body, aims to increase that to 60% by 2035, but more support from consumers is needed as Tesco sold 26,705 tonnes of British apples in 2023/2024... that’s about 192m apples, most of which are imported.
What’s more, Gala is the leading variety of British apple, with 4m trees in the country, 1,655 hectares of orchards established with Gala, and a 30% market share for the variety. Gala originated in New Zealand in the 1930s and was introduced into Britain from 1965.
Braeburn is the most commonly consumed British apple variety, accounting for 11% of all British apples, followed by Bramley and Jazz at 7%, each and Cox at 5%. Some varieties, such as Pink Lady and Cameo, each with a 2% share of the market for British apples, are even registered trademarks.
Stamford Community Orchard Group aims to promote local varieties such as Stamford and Rutland’s Lord Burghley, Allington Pippin, and Brown’s Seedling.
Some of the heritage varieties date back to the Tudor era, although apple grafting – the process by which you take a cutting from an apple variety and graft it on to a desirable rootstock – has been practised for centuries before this. The process was formerly documented by William Lawson in his 1618 book A New Orchard and Garden, but
Stamford’s Heritage Apples
grafting became more widespread in Britain in the 1800s with a rise in commercial nurseries and increased competition from European and American imports, as well as the rise of colonial fruit varieties.
“Stamford’s apple production peaked around the 1850s,” says Adam. “The town once had many acres of land – orchards which now have houses on them – dedicated to producing apples, as local soils had decent drainage characteristics, and there were good transport links to move fruit around.”
Richard Brown’s nursery at Wothorpe opened in April 1830 and grew to eight acres, with a shop opening on Ironmonger Street and a seed warehouse on St Peter’s Street following.
His sons William and James took over the business and opened Wharflands’ Nursery Ground in Oakham. By the time of their father’s retirement in 1871, Richard Brown had built up a successful reputation as a seedsman and award-winning nurseryman.
Brown popularised many varieties of apple such as Barnack Beauty, Schoolmaster and Peasgood’s Nonsuch as well as the eponymous Brown’s Seedling. >>
“Stamford’s apple production peaked around the 1850s. The town had with many acres of land dedicated to producing apples...”
Below: Nigel Baylem, at SCOG’s Christ Church Close’s community orchard.
Local Apple Varieties
Over the centuries, Stamford’s nurserymen developed a remarkable range of orchard fruits, many intended for our own county but others destined for wider acclaim.
The Stamford area alone can lay claim to at least 44 distinct apple varieties, most introduced during the second half of the nineteenth century by three remarkable figures: Robert Brown, founder of a Stamford nursery; Richard Gilbert, head gardener at Burghley House; and Thomas Laxton of Tinwell, a renowned horticulturist who corresponded with Charles Darwin about plant breeding.
Of this bounty, only six varieties (Allington Pippin, Brown’s Seedling, Lord Burghley, Barnack Beauty, Schoolmaster and Peasgood’s Nonsuch remain available from apple aficionados such as SCOG.
Richard Gilbert, in particular, delighted in naming his varieties after Stamford landmarks, such as St Mary’s Street and The Post Office. Laxton later moved to Bedford, continuing his work and producing celebrated cultivars like Laxton’s Superb and Laxton’s Fortune.
n Barnack Beauty: First raised around 1840 in the village of Barnack, this lateseason dualpurpose apple was introduced by Brown’s nursery circa 1870. It produces striking blossom, redflushed fruit, and a crisp, juicy texture. Noted for its ability to thrive on alkaline soils, it crops heavily and keeps well: an enduring favourite across the East of England.
n Lord Burghley: Originating in 1834 at Burghley House and introduced in 1865, this Victorian winter dessert apple was prized for its ability to keep until May, an invaluable trait before refrigeration. Its flavour is sweet, its texture crisp, and it stands as a testament to Stamford’s horticultural sophistication.
n Schoolmaster: Said to have grown from the seed of a Canadian apple in the garden of Stamford Grammar School, this variety was introduced by Thomas Laxton around 1880. It earned an RHS First Class Certificate that year. Firmfleshed and slightly acidic when cooked, it is a long
keeping and handsome fruit with a flushed and striped skin.
n Peasgood’s Nonsuch: Raised in Grantham by Mrs Peasgood and introduced by Laxton in the 1870s, this large, rounded dualpurpose apple won an RHS First Class Certificate in 1872. It cooks to a soft, slightly acidic purée and is equally valued for eating fresh. Smoothskinned with a subtle flush, it has long been a gardener’s and exhibitor’s favourite.
n Brown’s Seedling: Introduced in 1874, this Stamfordbred culinary apple was praised by pomologist Robert Hogg for its handsome appearance and excellent cooking quality. With its yellow skin and orange flush, it keeps well and offers a pleasingly mild acidity when cooked.
n Allington Pippin: Bred by Laxton in Stamford and originally called South Lincoln Beauty, this 1884 introduction has a distinctive pineapplelike flavour. Suitable for both cooking and eating, it is a cross between King of the Pippins and Cox’s Orange Pippin, with tall, attractive fruit and aromatic notes as it matures.
For more information and help with identification, see www.scog.org.uk.
>> The business continued in until 1985 with nursery sites in Stamford, Wothorpe and Peterborough as well as shops in Grantham, Peterborough and Oundle. One of the company’s catalogues has over 44 varieties of heritage apples available from stock.
As well as its orchard on Christ Church Close, SCOG created an additional orchard on the Burghley Estate’s Hudd’s Mill working with Head Forester Peter Glassey.
The site opened in January 2023 and covers two acres. The group also opened the King’s Coronation Orchard on Stamford’s Churchill Road as one of 33 authorities awarded funding which allowed it to create a total of 21 community orchards across the district.
Schools and other community groups have established their own trees with the help of Stamford Community Orchard Group.
“We’re privileged to live in a part of the world where we can celebrate them and protect our most venerable varieties.”
Apple Day on 4th October will attract around 1,200 people and will also prove useful for locals who have an apple tree in their garden whose provenance is proving elusive. The group’s Denis Smith is an apple guru, with an encyclopedic knowledge of varieties if your apples are in the midst of an identity crisis.
As autumn approaches, windfall apples are a vital food source for birds, whilst harvested apples can be stored for a month or two in a cool place ready for pies and crumbles.
If your use of apples extends to making apple juice or cider, SCOG also has a milling and pressing equipment available to borrow, ensuring that as well as winter puddings, you can create your own scrumpy to enjoy all winter long. The group’s Apple Pressing event last month will result in lots of lovely warm cider ready for Wassail in January.
Finally, SCOG will host its Stamford and Rutland Orchards Tour on 17th September, with locations and times all found on the group’s website.
“Apples are a much-loved part of the English countryside and we’re privileged to live in a part of the world where we can celebrate them and protect our most venerable varieties,” says Adam. “We’re looking forward to a good harvest, an enjoyable Apple Day, and merriment at our Wassail in January!”
Stamford Community Orchard Group (SCOG) hosts its Stamford & Rutland Orchards Tour on 17th September, and its Apple Day on Saturday 4th October. See www.scog.org.uk for times, locations and more information.
Rutland & Stamford Wildlife in October
October draws in with misted mornings, golden afternoons, and hedgerows full of fruit. It’s the season for crackling leaves, fungi underfoot, and a final burst of life before winter’s quiet. Across the county, nature takes a gentle breath—migrants arrive, seeds scatter, and wildlife busies itself for colder days. It’s also a perfect time to step into the garden, with much to plant, prune and prepare. Here’s what to look out for in the wild and at home.
1. FUNGI IN FULL FORCE
Damp autumn conditions have encouraged a bumper crop of fungi, with mushrooms appearing in every shape and shade.
The unmistakable fly agaric—with its red cap and white speckles—stands out in woodland glades, though it’s best admired, not touched.
Keep an eye out too for honey fungus, parasol mushrooms and fairy inkcaps. Woodland walks and shaded footpaths are especially rewarding for those keen to spot these curious and colourful autumnal wonders, adding a little magic to seasonal strolls outdoors.
2. BARN OWLS HUNT AT DUSK
As daylight shortens, barn owls become more visible, hunting over open fields and quiet grasslands. With their ghostly flight and heart-shaped faces, they glide low in search of voles and mice, especially just before sunset.
October is a key feeding month, as adults build up energy and younger owls perfect their hunting skills. You’re likely to spot them near the edges of pastures, farmland or undisturbed meadows, anywhere the grass grows long. Their silent beauty is one of autumn’s most enchanting sights, with wing spans up to a metre and a life span of around four years. The birds are monogamous, with breeding pairs remaining together for life.
3. HEDGEROWS IN BERRY BRIGHTNESS
Hawthorn, blackthorn and rose hips are in full fruit now, lining the hedgerows with vibrant reds and purples. It’s a visual feast for us and a real one for birds, which gorge on the berries to build energy for colder days and, in some cases, long migratory journeys ahead. All are edible, but their bitter taste relative to other hedgerow berries makes foraging an activity best left to wildlife.
4. GREY SQUIRRELS NESTING
In local parks and woodlands, grey squirrels are especially active this month. They’re gathering acorns, beech nuts and conkers to bury for winter, and you will probably spot them darting between trees or digging in lawns. While not native, they’ve certainly made themselves at home, and October is when they’re at their most entertaining, leaping acrobatically through branches and pausing only to inspect their hidden stashes.
Along with bees and hoverflies, butterflies rely on ivy as a rich source of pollen and nectar, making it a crucial food source before hibernation begins and the colder months set in. In the UK, most bees and butterflies die off or enter a dormant state during the winter months. For bees, the queen bees and males typically die off, while new queens hibernate to start new colonies in the spring.
JOBS IN THE GARDEN IN October
With the nights drawing in and the first frosts just around the corner, October is a key month for putting the garden to bed. But there’s still plenty to enjoy and prepare for, and the careful work you do now will pay off beautifully with a vibrant spring display.
Plant spring bulbs: There’s still time to plant daffodils, tulips, crocuses and alliums. Choose healthy, firm bulbs and get them into welldrained soil as soon as possible. Planting now ensures a glorious burst of colour to brighten early spring borders and containers.
Lift and divide perennials: Plants such as hostas, day lilies and rudbeckias benefit from division this month. It’s a great way to refresh congested clumps that have become woody or overgrown, encouraging healthy growth and increasing your stock for new planting elsewhere.
Clear leaves and compost them: Don’t waste those lovely fallen leaves—gather them up and create valuable leaf mould. Store leaves in black bags with holes or in a wire bin, turning occasionally. In a year or so, you’ll have perfect, nutrientrich compost to enrich your soil.
Sow hardy annuals: Cornflowers, nigella and poppies can be sown directly outdoors now to flower early next year. Lightly rake the soil to create a fine tilth, scatter the seeds, and let nature take its course for delicate, seasonal blooms.
The skies are alive with honking calls and arrow formations of migrating geese. Pinkfooted geese arrive having travel from Iceland and Greenland to spend winter on mild shores. Their calls echo across wetlands and estuaries, a stirring reminder of constant seasonal change. Open countryside and marshes offer rewarding places to watch these travellers pause, feed, and regroup before continuing their journey.
Tidy borders and mulch: Remove any lingering weeds, cut back finished perennials to tidy the beds, and mulch with a generous layer of compost or wellrotted manure. This will help insulate roots through winter while feeding the soil for next year’s growth.
Prune climbing roses: Cut back any excessively long growths, remove crossing or damaged stems, and tie in strong shoots securely to prevent wind damage over winter. Proper pruning encourages healthy growth and abundant flowering next season.
5. BUTTERFLIES ON THE IVY
6. PINK-FOOTED GEESE ARRIVE
Offers in Excess Of £900,000
Melton Road, Whisendine
A substantial and well-presented five-bedroom family home set on a generous south-facing plot, featuring a private driveway, double garage, and spacious living throughout, all nestled in the desirable village of Whissendine.
Cedar Close, Uppingham
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Northgate, Oakham
A rare opportunity to acquire a charming six-bedroom stone and thatch home offering versatile accommodation, a private driveway, double garage, and a beautifully established garden, all ideally located in the heart of Oakham.
Offers In Excess Of £550,000
Kings Road, Oakham
Guide Price £275,000
A well-presented three-bedroom dormer bungalow with separate one bedroom annex, sitting on a generous corner plot, within walking distance of Uppingham town centre
A characterful three-bedroom mid-terrace home, beautifully presented with a sunny west-facing garden, just a short walk from Oakham town centre.
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Swallow Hole Farm, Saltby
£1,550,000 Manor House, Pickworth, Stamford
Saltby
£1,550,000 The Priory, Chapel Lane, Wymondham
3 Kings Road, Stamford
Swallow Hole Farm, Saltby £1,550,000
Swallow Hole Farm, Saltby
£495,000
Cross Roads Cottages, Great Casterton, Stamford
Five Elms
Ufford Guide Price: £1,950,000
Set behind electric gates on the edge of Ufford, Five Elms is an exceptional modern home. Inside, stylish reception and formal dining rooms, a study, and contemporary kitchen with garden room open via bi-fold doors onto the terrace. Upstairs, five double bedrooms, three en-suite, including a principal suite with luxurious bathroom and fitted dressing room. Outside, a forecourt with triple garage complements the expansive rear garden, featuring terrace, sweeping lawn, and uninterrupted countryside views.
Fine & Country The Old Jewellers, 30 High Street East Uppingham LE15 9PZ. Call 01780 750 200 or see www.fineandcountry.co.uk
Northgate Oakham
The Old Vicarage is an elegant country home with beautifully proportioned rooms, high ceilings, and an abundance of natural light. The spacious reception rooms enjoy large windows that frame the mature yet easily maintained gardens, creating a seamless connection between indoor and outdoor living. The Old Vicarage Langham
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Stamford
This house sits on Barn Hill, a street comprising large townhouses and representing an unspoilt example of 18th to 19th century townscape, with Lincolnshire limestone and Collyweston slate providing a unifying palette, transcending variations in architectural style or detailing. Of Stamford, celebrated historian W.G. Hoskins said: “If there is a more beautiful town in the whole of England, I have yet to see it.”
Price: £1,400,000
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Mill House Market Deeping
At the edge of Market Deeping, where town meets countryside and water meadows, Mill House rests quietly in a timeless setting. This handsome Grade II listed Georgian home, dating from 1782, stands beside the old mill stream, its walls rising directly from the water. With flexible accommodation including five reception rooms, seven bedrooms and fifteen acres, plus enchanting gardens and a rich heritage as part of a historic corn mill, Mill House is a rare combination of elegance, privacy, and rural character.
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Fine & Country The Old Jewellers, 30 High Street East Uppingham LE15 9PZ. Call 01780 750 200 or see www.fineandcountry.co.uk
Framed by rolling fields stretching out toward the horizon, broken only by the soft lines of ancient hedgerows and distant church spires, discover Manor Cottage, believed to date back to the late 1700s, a home rooted in its landscape, situated across the quiet crossroads from the local church.
Guide price: £1,000,000
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Manor Cottage
Pilton
Stamford Guide price £1,100,000
Beautifully presented, this fabulous home, and its annexe, is presented to exacting standards. Converted in circa 2003, the thoroughly modern, double glazed property also has a bio-mass central heating system. The main house has a wonderful feel and flow, providing fabulously appointed accommodation over two floors, with a versatile layout that is ideal for entertaining. Linked by the four car open fronted carport, a single storey two bedroom annex is ideal for multi-generational living, guests, letting or business use.
Wilsthorpe
Luxury Homes
Main Street
Market Overton
Set in the heart of this highly regarded Rutland village is this exceptional family home finished to a high standard throughout and built to an individual design from local stone offering over 4,300sq ft of internal floor space.
Price £1,200,000
Newton Fallowell 24 Catmos St, Oakham LE15 6HW. Call 01572 335005 or see www.newtonfallowell.co.uk
Burley Road
Langham
Recently completed to an extremely high standard, this stone-built detached home is situated within good-sized mature grounds on the outskirts of this popular village, offering excellent access into Oakham.
Offers over: £925,000
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High House
Braunston
High House stands in the heart of the village, its striking ironstone façade and Collyweston roof making a distinctive impression. The property includes a charming thatched garage, designed to resemble a cottage from the street.
Guide price £1,275,000
Strutt & Parker South View, Tinwell Road, Stamford PE9 2JL. Call 01780 510039 or see www.struttandparker.com
Main Street
Caldecott
A beautiful Ironstones Farmhouse situated on the edge of this attractive rural Rutland village hosting stunning countryside views with circa 6.5 acres approached view private electric gates.
A truly individual home that quietly commands attention. Built in 1809 by the Earl of Harborough, this former Victorian brewery has been imaginatively transformed.
Guide price
£1,500,000
Pelham James 3 Saddler’s Court, Oakham LE15 7GH. Call 01572 497070 or see www.pelhamjames.co.uk
Manton
Originally built in the 1800s, is a beautifully converted four-bedroom barn offering spacious and versatile accommodation set within a substantial six-acre plot enjoying some of the most breathtaking views over Rutland Water.
Guide price
£1,400,000
James Sellicks 6-8 Market Place Oakham Rutland LE15 6DT. Call 01572 724437 or see www.jamessellicks.com
St. Leonards Street
Stamford
An attractive double fronted Stamford Town House which only gets better as you enter the property and into the approximately 3,911sq ft of accommodation. With its well balanced blend of character and modern day living.
Price £1,400,000
Richardsons Sheep Market House, Stamford, PE9 2RB. Call 01780 762433 or see www.richardsonsurveyors.co.uk
Horn Mill
Exton
Dating back to the 16th century, Horn Mill occupies a secluded, tranquil setting within three acres of gardens and grounds, with a waterfall and natural stream completing this unique property.
Guide price £2,450,000
Savills St Martin's, 9 High Street, Stamford PE9 2LF. Call 01780 484696 or see www.savills.com
Barn Owl House
Luxury Homes
Little Barnsdale
Oakham
Little Barnsdale is an Exceptional Oak Frame property in a Secluded Countryside Setting. Set behind a gravel driveway and nestled within established gardens, this striking oak frame property offers a rare blend of craftsmanship.
Guide price £1,250,000
King West 13 St Mary's Street, Stamford PE9 2DE
Call 01780 484520 www.kingwest.co.uk
Pasture Lane
Barleythorpe
The Lodge is a substantial 5-bedroom, 2-bathroom residence set in nearly an acre of private, mainly walled garden. Benefitting from south-facing aspects across adjoining Pasture Lane and being set back from the road.
Call 01780 484555 or see www.countryequestrianhomes.com
St. Peters Street
Stamford
A truly unique four bedroom, period property in the centre of Stamford with one bed annexe, courtyard terraces and private parking.
Offers over £1,500,000
Savills St Martin's, 9 High Street, Stamford PE9 2LF. Call 01780 484696 or see www.savills.com
Winston House Langham
Built in 2020, Winston House retains its modern, box fresh feel within, stepping into the spacious entrance hallway, warmed by underfloor heating and dressed in silky modern shades.
Guide Price £1,250,000
Pelham James 3 Saddler’s Court, Oakham LE15 7GH. Call 01572 497070 or see www.pelhamjames.co.uk
Luxury Homes
Coppice House
Glaston
Tucked away along a sleepy country lane, Coppice House rises like a watercolour illustration from a storybook. Golden stone, steep gables and sash windows lend a sense of timelessness to this Grade II listed treasure.
Guide price
£1,250,000
Pelham James 3 Saddler’s Court, Oakham LE15 7GH. Call 01572 497070 or see www.pelhamjames.co.uk
Milburn
Tinwell
An impressive contemporary home built in 2007. Occupying an elevated position with delightful, landscaped gardens to the rear, plenty of driveway space for numerous vehicles plus a generous double garage with electrically operated doors.
Guide price
£1,125,000
Digby & Finch 8 St Mary's Hill, Stamford, PE9 2DP. Call 01780 758 090 or see www.digbyandfinch.com
Tickencote
Stamford
Nestled in the picturesque village of Tickencote, this substantial period residence is a truly enchanting country home, showcasing Victorian features, blended with modern comforts.
Price £1,600,000
Moores Estate Agents Barleythorpe, Oakham, LE15 7FS Call 01780 484555 or see www.countryequestrianhomes.com
Melrose Lodge
Owston
Built in 1990, Melrose Lodge enjoys a wonderfully private position in open countryside, completely hidden from the road at the end of a 450 metre driveway.
Guide price £3,320,000
Strutt & Parker South View, Tinwell Road, Stamford PE9 2JL. Call 01780 510039 or see www.struttandparker.com
FIND JOY IN THE ART OF DRESSING WELL
ELEGANT AUTUMN LOOKS IN ALPACA KNIT
WEDDING SEASON STYLE AND ELEGANT ACCESSORIES
PLUS: STYLE FOR GENTLEMEN FROM BRIONI AND AUTUMN COSMETICS Alpaca Cape Wrap, £295, www.alpacaapparel.co.uk.
Softly Autumn Fashion
Luxurious alpaca knitwear to cocoon yourself in this October
As the days grow shorter and the air carries a gentle chill, now is the perfect time to embrace the comfort of alpaca knitwear. Supremely soft, warm yet breathable, and naturally hypoallergenic, alpaca is the ideal choice for women who want to feel stylish and snug without compromising on elegance.
Unlike traditional sheep’s wool, alpaca fibres are silkier, lighter, and remarkably gentle on the skin. They’re also resistant to bobbling and incredibly insulating, making them perfect for layering throughout the unpredictable British autumn. Whether you’re heading into town, out on a country walk, or enjoying a relaxed weekend at home, alpaca knitwear offers effortless sophistication.
Designers are embracing the beauty of this natural fibre with timeless shapes and a refined autumn palette. Look for belted wrap cardigans, oversized jumpers, or cosy rollnecks with deep cuffs and subtle ribbed details. Colours this season are drawn straight from the landscape, think soft fawns, muted olives, gentle greys and ivory, with warmer tones like rust, cinnamon, and deep berry shades adding a seasonal richness.
Chunky, slouchy knits pair perfectly with denim and boots for casual elegance, while finer-gauge pieces layer beautifully under tailored coats or over midi dresses for a softer silhouette. Alpaca also has excellent drape, which means longer-length cardigans and waterfall fronts move beautifully as you walk, creating that relaxed, luxurious feel that suits the season perfectly.
Sustainability is also at the heart of alpaca’s appeal. The animals are shorn annually with minimal impact on the environment, and the fibres require less processing than synthetic alternatives. Choosing alpaca is a way to invest in your wardrobe with intention, buy less, choose better, and wear longer.
For best results, treat your knitwear kindly. Hand wash in cool water, lay flat to dry, and store it neatly folded to preserve the shape.
A little care goes a long way, and alpaca pieces will repay you with years of softness and warmth.
This October, elevate your wardrobe with pieces that feel as luxurious as they look. Whether draped over your shoulders or layered under a tailored coat, alpaca knitwear is a quiet kind of luxury, understated, elegant, and wonderfully warm.
Faux fur is back and bolder than ever. From classic neutrals to wild animal prints, these crueltyfree coats are cosy, glamorous, and ideal for countryside strolls or winter soirées. Choose cropped styles or fulllength drama: either way, you'll make a statement without compromising on warmth, comfort, or conscience.
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PRETTY TOURMALINE
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LOAFER LOVE
This season’s loafers combine comfort and polish, perfect for October’s chill. Choose patent, suede, or chunky soles to elevate knitwear, tailored trousers, or midi skirts in your autumn wardrobe.
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Manifesto Julia’s Health
Julia Bradbury has spent much of her career coaxing us out of our living rooms and into landscapes that can restore us. Now she returns with a new purpose and a new book, Hack Yourself Healthy, with its message as brisk and bracing as a walk around Rutland Water on a bright autumn day: don’t just try to live longer –live better, with strength, clarity and joy...
Hack Yourself Healthy... that’s the message from Rutland’s Julia Bradbury as she returns to us with a new purpose and a new book, imparting a message as brisk and bracing as a walk around Rutland Water on a bright autumn day: don’t just try to live longer – live better, with strength, clarity and joy.
Julia calls it healthspan rather than lifespan, and it’s the philosophy that underpins both her book and a forthcoming appearance at Stamford Corn Exchange where, on Sunday 19th October, she’ll settle in for an intimate Fireside Chat about the experiments, experts and everyday habits that have reshaped her life.
For readers in Rutland and Stamford, Julia’s story has the soft familiarity of home. She was raised here, in England’s smallest county, a place whose lanes and hedgerows have a quiet grandeur that never clamours for attention.
Those early years set the compass for a life spent outdoors, a life that made sense when she became one of television’s most versatile and trusted presenters, equally at ease on Watchdog or Top Gear, and eventually helping to revitalise BBC One’s Countryfile with that trademark blend of authority and warmth.
Words: Rob Davis, Julia Bradbury.
Millions tuned in to Britain’s Best Walks, a series that has kept its appeal since 2016 because it never felt like exercise disguised as entertainment; it felt like a permission slip to get out there. >>
Hack Yourself Healthy
>> A run of travel shows, from Australia coast-to-coast to the Isles of Scilly, showed the same curiosity, while The Greek Islands with Julia Bradbury wove her family roots through questions that matter now: plastic pollution, sustainable fishing, the preservation of beautiful places for our children. That balance of intimacy and publicspiritedness is her hallmark.
The private story many of us saw most starkly though was in 2021, when she heard the three words that stop time: ‘you have cancer.’
The journey through diagnosis, mastectomy and recovery was documented in Julia Bradbury: Breast Cancer & Me, an ITV film that landed because it refused melodrama; it was truthful about fear and fatigue, and equally truthful about hope.
For a mother of three, the stakes were visceral. It wasn’t enough to be alive, she point out. You also want to be well enough to climb the stairs two at a time, to keep up on long walks, and to scoop up grandchildren one day without wincing. Healthspan, not lifespan.
In Hack Yourself Healthy Julia says it plainly: she wants to run after her children for decades, to lift and carry, to bounce when she stumbles. That, she writes, is the point of all this, the ordinary, miraculous business of a body that still feels capable.
In the book, Julia calls herself a ‘crash test mummy,’ submitting to two years of medically guided testing and trialling in search of what genuinely moves the needle of health and wellbeing. She gave blood, saliva and stool samples; she wore the mask for a VO₂ max test; she
The Outdoor Guide
Julia Bradbury, much loved for her television walks, has released her new book Hack Yourself Healthy, a guide to simple lifestyle changes for better wellbeing. But her passion for the outdoors extends far beyond the page.
More than a decade ago, Julia and her sister Gina founded The Outdoor Guide, a website dedicated to celebrating Britain’s great walks. It lists routes by region and provides plenty of inspiration for where to pause for food, drink, or even overnight stays – a true companion for anyone eager to explore the countryside.
Complementing this is The Outdoor Guide Foundation, which works to make the outdoors accessible to all children, regardless of background. By providing waterproof clothing and wellies, the Foundation ensures that youngsters can embrace fresh air and adventure whatever the weather.
To discover more, explore walking routes, or support their vital work, visit: www.theoutdoorguide.co.uk.
let specialists decode her DNA to understand risk; she was scanned, mapped and measured, sometimes with unwelcome surprises like the discovery of a benign pineal cyst ‘smack bang’ in the centre of her brain.
It is striking to watch the old Julia, the inveterate walker, the cheerful explorer, fold herself into this new role as human dataset. She is not an evangelist; she is a reporter again, this time reporting on herself.
One of the most revealing chapters follows her through a full-baseline day at Hooke in Mayfair, a personalised health clinic that treats optimisation as seriously as medicine treats disease. The VO₂ max mask goes on, the treadmill tilts up, and she runs to failure; the score (47.7 ml/kg/min) puts her in the 99th percentile for her age, a reward for years of investment in walking.
Elsewhere in the same session she learns her resting pulse, blood pressure, hip-to-waist ratio, body-fat distribution and grip strength; identifies an unwelcome stomach guest (helicobacter pylori) and a small pelvic cyst; then studies her balance, jump height and ‘fat adaptation,’ all of which are fed into a 76-page bioportrait that becomes a baseline for change. This is the tenor of the book’s strongest pages: it’s not just a buffet of tips, but a case for knowing where you’re starting from.
From those data points flows a set of ‘hacks’ that are both surprisingly practical and intensely human. Julia’s clinicians emphasise metabolic health (the constellation of blood pressure, glucose regulation, waist circumference, triglycerides and HDL cholesterol that predicts so much of our future risk) and the cheerfully unglamorous work that improves it: more movement, more protein, better fats, better sleep.
She includes a ‘mini Hooke at Home’ section with tests you can request via the NHS – from cervical smears and mammograms to HbA1c, lipid panels, ferritin and vitamin D; for the right people, Dexa, spirometry and ECG; and allied health support such as health coaches and social prescribers – because the point is not moneyed exclusivity but access and agency. It is rare to find a celebrity wellness book that says, with a straight face, ‘make friends with your GP.’ Julia’s does. Movement comes first because it changes almost everything else.
Julia remains a partisan for walking, no surprise there, but Hack Yourself Healthy freshens the pitch with details that stick. She advocates the occasional reverse walk, or ‘retro-walking,’ an old physiotherapy trick that challenges the knees differently, seems to recruit cognition and spatial awareness, and forces presence because the world is coming at you from behind.
She describes deliberate cold exposure not as stoic suffering but as a way to train your nervous system to transition between states. Cold showers count, ice baths if you must, and if you step into a cryotherapy chamber you’ll feel the catecholamines (dopamine, adrenaline, noradrenaline) carry you into wakefulness.
She notes, with gusto, that three numbing minutes can burn between 500 and 700 calories, which puts some worldly sparkle on the science. Heat gets equal love: a 25-minute sauna can, she reports, produce heart-stress benefits comparable to a 25-minute spin session, while longer-term sauna habits correlate with lower blood pressure, slower muscle wasting and reduced cardiovascular risk.
The joy of Julia’s voice is that you can hear the grin in it; she sweats, freezes and then tells you precisely how it felt. Her nature prescription is equally specific.
She leans on the 120-minutes-a-week ‘Golden Rule,’ urging us to spend two full hours outdoors because the physiology follows: cortisol softens; HRV (the beat-to-beat variability that signals resilience) improves; blood pressure slides down; pain perception blurs at the edges; mood steadies.
In her own experiments, measured with researchers from the European Centre for Environment and Human Health, she found that birdsong could lift HRV to ‘Jedi status,’ which is both a delightful phrase and a neat way to demystify a cardiac metric. This is where the local resonance is strongest. Two hours outside is not an ordeal in Rutland and Stamford; it’s a pleasure.
You can loop the Hambleton Peninsula and watch cormorants dry their wings; you can take a mindful turn through Barnsdale’s borders and notice exactly which greens make your shoulders drop; you can trace the River Welland under Stamford’s bridges at an amble that leaves your phone forgotten in a pocket. Julia’s book reads like an invitation to use what we already have.
Food is the hack that compounds all the others. Julia gives ultra-processed foods a cool appraisal (our diets are saturated with them, and the cost shows up in inflammation and metabolic drift) but she refuses to write a grim sermon. Instead she reframes meals as a chance, three times a day, to make a slightly better choice.
Some of her advice is joyfully direct: bananas, kiwis and tart cherries are natural sources of melatonin and can help re-populate a microbiome thinned by antibiotics or UPFs; alcohol, alas, is ‘the worst,’ but if you’re heading out, she offers realistic Boozy Rules so you enjoy the night and recover with minimal collateral damage.
Julia also brings in breathing coach Patrick McKeown to link breath and gut via the vagus nerve, turning an abstract connection into something you can feel after a five-minute drill. >>
The personal never disappears.
Julia remains a mother first, proud of Zephyrus and her twin girls, Zena and Xanthe, and every time she talks about healthspan you can see the three of them at the end of the sentence, tugging at her sleeve, asking to be chased in a park...
>> One of the book’s most compelling conversations is with functional medicine physician Dr Kara Fitzgerald, whose eight-week programme can lower the biological age of both men and women. This is achieved by utilising dark greens and crucifers, mushrooms, seeds, eggs, liver and fatty fish, as well as examining your Omega 3 intake.
Along with nutrition, the subject of cancer inevitably threads back through the discussion of food, not as a spectre but as a teacher.
Physician-researcher Dr William Li appears in Julia’s pages to argue for a ‘whole person’ approach to treatment that includes the microbiome alongside drugs and surgery.
His case histories include a striking pattern: patients with a healthy population of the bacterium akkermansia muciniphila seem to respond better to certain immunotherapies; where akkermansia is absent, outcomes often worsen. The good news is that akkermansia can be encouraged: pomegranates, cranberries, Concord grapes, peaches and even Zhejiang black vinegar all help; so can the broader ferment culture as Julia explores with helps from fermenter Kathryn Lukas.
Julia is candid about her concern (one of her own tests showed zero akkermansia), and you can feel the flicker of competitiveness in her voice as she sets about coaxing back her levels of akkermansia. Suddenly a bowl of fruit with a spoon of live yoghurt is a small, delicious therapy.
Sleep, stress and hormones are given the same blend of science and survivable advice. Julia interviews hormone expert Dr Sara Szal Gottfried, who reframes hormones as ‘text messages’ rippling through the body and makes the case for measuring, not guessing, where you are at different decades: baseline sex hormones in your twenties and thirties; the tango of oestrogen and progesterone as perimenopause approaches; cortisol and thyroid status when energy flags; glucose and insulin as muscle mass shifts in midlife; bone density and cardiometabolic risk in the fifties and beyond.
The repeated theme is agency through information. Pair that with Julia’s own iron story (low transferrin saturation can sabotage sleep and energy, so she leaned into iron-rich foods and adjusted omega ratios) and you have a portrait of someone refusing to smooth over inconvenient numbers.
Breath also proves to be a hinge between body and mind. Julia’s work with Patrick McKeown unpacks why nasal breathing, slower cadence and brief breath-holds can stabilise CO₂ levels, calm reactivity and even make sleep more likely to stick. Add a little yoga and, if you’re up for it, a blast of cold, and you have a home toolkit for stress that requires neither Lycra nor a monthly subscription.
To that, Julia adds a gentle stoicism. The Himalayan chapter, where she stays at Ananda and explores Ayurveda, yields one of the book’s most quietly useful qualities (awareness, acceptance, action) which she treats less like philosophy and more like the three deep breaths you take before you say no to something that doesn’t serve you.
Top: Julia with sister Gina, plus mother & father Chrissy & Michael.
Technology doesn’t get a free pass, but it gets its turn. In Chelsea, at Julia tries a hyperbaric oxygen session (ears popping, mind drifting), an NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) infusion that she memorably likens to ‘nectar of the gods,’ an Emsella chair session that jolts the pelvic floor through thousands of contractions in under half an hour, and an intermittent hypoxic-hyperoxic routine with LungStrong, essentially altitude training without a mountain. She also steps into Europe’s coldest cryo chamber (minus 140°C, socks, gloves and a hat her only concession to warmth) and emerges exhilarated, starving and oddly proud of staying calm while icicles seemed to grow in her nostrils.
Julia is the first to admit that some of this kit is niche and pricey, but she frames it as a glimpse of a future that will diffuse outward. In the meantime, there’s an NHS ‘Hooke at Home’ list for the rest of us, inexpensive intelligent scales, a tape measure, a wearable if you like them, and the same old kitchen we’ve always had.
Perhaps the book’s most disarming strength is that it marries brass-tacks medicine with Julia’s oldest, simplest love: nature. She calls sunlight on your face, green in your eyeline and wind in your lungs Vitamin N, and she treats it as seriously as a supplement. It is not a throwaway claim; it is measurable physiology.
You can feel that in our patch of the East Midlands more intensely than almost anywhere: the long, rain-clean light across the Welland, the hush in the woods at Exton when the first frosts sweeten the air, the way Stamford’s stone seems to store sunshine and give it back in October’s slant. This is a book written by someone who knows what those things do to the nervous system because she has stood in them for years.
The personal never disappears. Julia remains a mother first, proud of Zephyrus and her twin girls, Zena and Xanthe, and every time she talks about healthspan you can see the three of them at the end of the sentence, tugging at her sleeve, asking to be chased in a park.
She remains a campaigner as well (an ambassador for Keep Britain Tidy and the National Trust; a champion for Ordnance Survey; a supporter of women’s charities and environmental groups... and the first female President of The Camping and Caravanning Club) which gives her message a civic dimension: our bodies matter, and so do the places we move them through. You can’t have one without the other.
What, then, should a reader in Rutland or Stamford actually do after closing the book? Julia would say: start embarrassingly small. Take a fifteen-minute walk this evening and listen intentionally for birds; if you can hear three species, that’s your HRV nudge for the day.
Swap tonight’s UPF (ultra-processed food) snack for a bowl of Greek yoghurt with a few cranberries and a drizzle of black vinegar; your akkermansia will thank you later. If sleep has been brittle, eat a kiwi at dusk and set your phone down an hour earlier; breathe in for four, out for six, ten times, and notice how your shoulders fall.
If you’re curious about metrics, book the routine NHS checks you’re due and write the numbers down; if a number worries you, ask your GP what would move it in the right direction and try that for a month.
If you’re feeling adventurous, end your next shower cold for twenty seconds and watch how quickly your mind adapts; the point is not Spartan heroics but learning you can steer your state. And when you have ninety free minutes at the weekend, go to Rutland Water and walk until your cheeks glow.
There is a pleasing symmetry to the idea that Julia Bradbury, who once persuaded us to lace up our boots simply by letting us see what awaited us outside, now hands us a handful of habits that, combined, amount to a longer, better walk through our years.
When she sits down at Stamford Corn Exchange this October, expect the tone of the evening to mirror the tone of the book: candid, curious, generous. She will talk about scans and breathwork, about cold plunges and mushrooms, about the oddness of a helmet that reads your brainwaves and the relief of a mammogram that does what it should. She will talk about the day she found out and the days after, and how she built a scaffolding of habits that made sense to her and might make sense to you. She will talk about Rutland, and how a small county can shape a big life. And she will almost certainly send you out into the Stamford night thinking, not about a complicated programme, but about something you could start tomorrow morning that would make your mind clearer and your body kinder to live in.
That is the quiet triumph of Hack Yourself Healthy. It is a manifesto and a field guide for the rest of us: a book about tests and trackers that keeps circling back to a walk, a bowl of cherries, a better breath, a laugh with friends, and two hours a week outside because that is where the nervous system remembers it belongs.
Julia’s style is less like advice and more like gentle encouragement. We can do this here. We can do it now. We have all we need. And if you want a nudge to begin, circle Sunday 19th October as the date that your perspective on your health and lifestyle changed forever.
A Fireside Chat with Julia takes place at Stamford Corn Exchange on Sunday 19th October from 2.30pm, tickets £20.50 including book signing event and donation from ticket sales to The Outdoor Guide Foundation.
Available for pre-order from September, published by Hachette’s Piatkus imprint, in hardback, £25, 325 pages. Available from all good independent bookshops or signed by Julia with a personal message for your recipient at www.theoutdoorguide.co.uk.
Glow Goals
Indulge in smart skincare and radiant makeup essentials to hydrate, sculpt, and brighten your complexion, perfect for the cooler, darker days ahead
Flawless Future Skin Finish
Chantecaille’s Future Skin is an innovative, oilfree gel foundation with 60% water. Enriched with plantbased retinol, duckweed, chaga mushrooms, aloe, chamomile and antioxidants, it delivers lightweight yet buildable, dewy coverage, and skincare benefits. Achieve a flawless, fresh finish, £83, 30g, chantecaille.co.uk.
For an autumn glow
An enchanting olfactory odyssey
Maison Crivelli’s Tubéreuse
NARS’ Hot Escape cheek palette features four versatile shades to sculpt, flush and highlight. Perfect for creating a warm, softfocus glow during autumn, £48, www.narscosmetics.co.uk.
Brightening and boosting
Rodial’s Vitamin C Brightening Serum combines vitamin C, ferulic acid and niacinamide to hydrate, even tone and enhance radiance for visibly smoother, glowing skin, £95, 30ml, www.rodial.com.
Autumn nourishment
SkinCycles Luminesce C Serum boosts collagen, brightens dull skin, and protects against ageing with a potent dose of stabilised vitamin C and antioxidants, £155, 30ml, www.skincycles.com.
Astrale is a radiant reimagining of tuberose — creamy, floral and unexpectedly smoky. Notes of incense, soft leather and a hint of starry spice create a sensual, celestial scent that’s bold, dreamy and unforgettable, £360, 100ml, maisoncrivelli.com.
Neck & Décolleté
LED Revitaliser
Unlock your firmest skin yet using the Foreo red light neck and décolleté mask. Designed to target sagging skin and wrinkles on the neck and décolleté, using LED wavelengths to target sagging skin, wrinkles, age spots, and dullness), reducing wrinkles by 32% in just two weeks. £379, www.foreo.com.
All our beauty products are available from local independent stockists unless otherwise stated, note that prices stated are RRP and may vary.
Back Home to Rutland
A romantic beach proposal in New Zealand and a heartfelt ceremony back home in Rutland made Hatty and Sam’s May wedding a celebration of love, family, and the places that mean the most to them
It was the beginning of 2024 when Hatty and Sam first met at Rutland Sailing Club. Though Sam hails from Cambridgeshire, Hatty has lived in Rutland most of her life and fate had a plan for them at Rutland Water. After exchanging numbers, a few weeks of long phone calls followed while work and holidays kept them apart. But when they finally met up, they knew almost instantly that this was the start of something special.
Fast forward to a magical Christmas trip to New Zealand, where Sam’s sister currently lives.
On the morning of New Year’s Eve, Sam proposed in the most thoughtful way, during a sunrise walk at Opito Bay, with his daughter Charlotte helping to set the scene.
“Charlotte shouted that she’d found something. I turned around and there Sam was, down on one knee,” says Hatty. “Of course, it was an easy yes!”
Returning home with a beautiful blue topaz ring and a new chapter to plan, Hatty and Sam agreed on an intimate wedding, inspired by Charlotte’s suggestion of a coastal theme.
Rutland, the county where they met and where Hatty grew up, was the natural choice.
They set the date for May 2025 and chose the charming Finch’s Arms for their reception, a place Hatty fondly remembers visiting with her parents.
Hatty found her gown at Blush Bridal, a classic white sheath dress with a floral train that embodied the elegant simplicity of their day.
Her Maid of Honour wore navy, as did Charlotte, bringing a beautiful sense of uniformity.
Hatty’s Hair was styled by Tracey Mee of Creme Hair and Beauty, while bridal makeup was flawlessly created by Alex Malerich using Charlotte Tilbury, a brand Hatty now highly recommends to others.
Sam and his fellow groomsmen wore morning suits hired from Empire in Grantham, adding a formal touch to the day’s relaxed but refined aesthetic.
The floral arrangements from Hive Garden Flowers carried special meaning, with white roses for Hatty’s father and Yorkshire roots, lilies in memory of her daughter, and blue agapanthus, as the flower of love.
Opting for a personal celebration, they skipped a traditional wedding cake and instead focused on heartfelt details.
The couple wrote their own vows as Sam’s moving words brought tears to everyone’s eyes, while Hatty’s vows were playfully tied to dinghy sailing, a passion they both share.
The couple’s photographer was Gina Fernandes who captured the day with an unobtrusive and natural style that allowed the couple’s genuine connection to shine through. “She understood our love language!” Hatty says. “There were no awkward poses, just real moments.”
A classic Silver Mark II Jaguar from VP Princess Wedding Cars added a timeless touch, and personalised stationery was lovingly created by Kirsti Jones of Phoenix Designs.
As for their advice for other couples?
“Don’t over think it. Instead, keep it simple and stay true to who you are,” says Hatty. “Rutland is full of beautiful venues, but what really matters is who you share the day with.”
The couple would like to thank all their family and friends, especially Sam’s sister Gilly who flew from New Zealand, and their grandmothers, who both had the honour of being witnesses on their perfect day.
Travel from London to Venice aboard the world’s most glamorous train — a two-day journey in pure 1920s style...
There are few travel experiences that live up to their legend, but the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is one of them. The very mention of its name conjures visions of Art Deco glamour, Champagne at sunset, and slow, indulgent travel across the most beautiful parts of Europe. This isn’t just a train, it’s an icon. And the classic route from London to Venice is, without question, the ultimate way to experience it.
Your journey begins with a flourish in London Victoria, where you board the Belmond British Pullman; a perfectly restored 1920s train with wood-panelled interiors, brass luggage racks, and tables set with white linen and crystal glasses.
You’re welcomed on board with a Bellini and a sense of ceremony. As the Kent countryside rolls by, you’re served a sumptuous brunch of smoked salmon, eggs en cocotte, and buttery pastries. It’s not even noon, and already you’re in another world.
At Folkestone, you’re transferred via luxury coach through the Eurotunnel to Calais, where the Venice SimplonOrient-Express awaits in all her midnight blue and gold-liveried glory. Each carriage has its own unique history; many served on the original Orient Express routes of the 1920s and 30s, and stepping aboard is like entering a film set. Stewards in crisp uniforms greet you by name and show you to your private cabin.
Your Classic Cabin is the epitome of elegance: polished walnut panelling, plush velvet seating, antique fittings, and a discreet washbasin hidden behind a mirror.
By day, it’s a sitting room where you can sip coffee and admire the view; by night, it’s transformed into a cosy sleeping compartment with fine cotton sheets and a monogrammed robe laid out for you. For those who want more space and privacy, the
Grand Suites offer a true five-star hotel experience, with marble bathrooms, double beds, and free-flowing Champagne.
As you depart Calais, the train winds through northern France, and you settle into the gentle rhythm of travel. You might dress for dinner early, allowing time for a cocktail in the legendary Bar Car ‘3674’, where a baby grand piano tinkles in the corner and white-jacketed bartenders mix Negronis and sidecars with effortless flair.
Dinner is a true spectacle. Executive Chef Jean Imbert and his team prepare a four-course menu using seasonal ingredients picked up en route. On our journey: Brittany lobster with fennel, roast duck à l’orange, and a Grand Marnier soufflé so light it practically floated off the plate. The experience is enhanced by crystal stemware, silver cutlery, and a dining car adorned with Lalique glass panels. You dine by lamplight as the train hums softly through the countryside. It is both intimate and magnificent.
After dinner, many guests return to the Bar Car for digestifs and conversation, while others retreat to their cabins, where your steward will have transformed your space into a peaceful retreat. Fall asleep as you cross the Swiss border, the click-clack of the rails and the swaying of the train a lullaby from another age.
Dawn breaks somewhere in Austria, and breakfast is served in your cabin; a tray of flaky croissants, fresh fruit, and strong coffee, as the train threads its way through the snow-capped Alps.
“This isn’t just a train, it’s a journey into elegance, nostalgia and the golden age of travel...”
“By lamplight and silver cutlery, you dine as Europe drifts by in soft, cinematic perfection”
The views here are the sort that make you put your book down and simply gaze: lush meadows, glacier-fed rivers, and impossibly pretty chalets nestled into the hillsides.
Late morning brings a second meal (usually a refined brunch of truffled scrambled eggs or smoked trout blinis) before the train descends through the Dolomites into the Venetian plains. Soon, the domes and spires of Venice rise before you, shimmering across the water. The train pulls into Santa Lucia station, directly on the Grand Canal. You step off the train onto a private water taxi. Within minutes, you’re gliding toward one of the most beautiful hotels in the world.
We recommend Aman Venice, a serene 16th-century palazzo tucked away in the San Polo district. With its high frescoed ceilings, gilded mirrors, and discreet service, it’s
the perfect follow-on from the Orient Express, equally elegant but with a Venetian soul. The gardens are rare, the views sublime, and the sense of privacy absolute.
Venice, too, seems more magical after such an arrival. Wander through quiet calle, stop for espresso in sunlit squares, and take a gondola past palazzi whose foundations seem to float on air. Visit the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, enjoy an opera at La Fenice, or sip an Americano on the terrace of the Gritti Palace.
The entire journey, from the moment you leave Victoria Station to the moment you arrive at your suite overlooking the Grand Canal, is a study in elegance, romance, and timeless style. This isn’t a once-in-a-lifetime journey. It’s a journey you’ll want to repeat, again and again.
Above: Art deco luxury on board the Venice SimplonOrientExpress.
Culinary Must-Trys
Brittany Lobster – Often served on board with Champagne beurre blanc.
Truffled Eggs – Indulgent brunch classic. Duck à l’orange – A nod to traditional French haute cuisine.
Grand Marnier Soufflé – Airy, citrussweet perfection.
Aperol Spritz – A must in Venice, ideally with a canal view.
Bellini – Made famous at Harry’s Bar.
Risotto al Nero di Seppia – Jetblack, briny and rich.
Tiramisu – Born in the Veneto, often served in traditional osterie.
Amaro – A digestif to round off a long Venetian dinner.
DESTINATIONS:
Departing major European cities
Departing from London, your adventure begins aboard the Eurostar from St Pancras under the Channel, whisking you in comfort and style to Paris — before stepping aboard the iconic blue and gold carriages for an overnight glide through Europe. From Paris, the train whisks passengers to such storied destinations as Venice, Verona and Prague, with other enchanting routes spanning Paris–Vienna, Geneva–Venice and Innsbruck. For those hankering for something uniquely spectacular, annual return trips from London to Budapest, and even the epic London–Istanbul route (recreating the original Orient Express route across Paris, Budapest, Bucharest and beyond) are a lavish alternative. Important to note: all departures from London involve the Eurostar segment and are subject to distinct pricing, depending on the combination of services and destinations.
Whichever route you choose, expect sumptuous Art Deco interiors, fine dining in restaurant and bar cars, and cabin service that embodies the glamour of a golden age.
Venice SimplonOrientExpress prices start from £3,800/person for a Twin Cabin, and £8,400/person for a Grand Suite. Prices includes all meals onboard, usually consisting of a fourcourse dinner, continental breakfast and threecourse brunch or lunch, steward service and champagne reception on arrival.
Call 020 3514 1783 or see www.luxurytraintickets.com.
Polestar 3
Luxury, Performance, Sustainability
One of the most well-reconciled and satisfying cars we’ve ever driven! Polestar 3 is a masterclass in the creation of a modern vehicle that’s easy to live with, practical, great to drive... and sustainably made, too!
Words: Rob Davis.
As of August 2025, fully electric cars still accounted for just 19.6% of new car registrations in the UK, whilst petrol vehicles took a 52.2% market share.
Granted sales have increased from 267,203 in 2022 to 314,687 in 2023 and 381,970 in 2024, but we’re still not exactly abandoning the internal combustion engine in droves, and when you experience vehicles like the Polestar 3, that really does beggar belief.
For seven days I’ve been using one as a daily driver and handing back the key fob was one of the most disheartening feelings, because during that time, I’d genuinely grown to love the wheels off it.
Polestar was founded eight years ago as a motor-racing company then a tuning division of safe-as-houses family car brand Volvo.
Today though, it’s no longer considered a premium sub-brand of Volvo specialising in the latter’s sporty electric vehicles, but a standalone marque in its own right.
Polestar 1 was a statement of intent: a plugin hybrid GT of which just 1,500 examples were produced. Polestar 2 followed in 2020 and it was a fully-electric liftback with, its fair to say, some clear Volvo lineage visible in its design and interior. That car is still available, but it’s the brand’s two newer models that should really make you sit up and take notice.
Polestar nomenclature is a little ambiguous; the 2 is a compact executive-sized vehicle, whilst the 4 is a compact coupé-SUV. The vehicle that we’ve been driving for the past week is the Polestar 3.
The largest model in the company’s portfolio, The Polestar 3 is an all-electric sports SUV, and at 4.9 metres in length, it’s shy of a Range Rover Sport by just 5cm, but just as spacious inside thanks to the fact that it’s been conceived and packaged as an electric car from the ground up. It’s not an internal combustionengined car that’s been the subject of a compromised alteration to an existing model.
There’s a (refreshingly simple) single trim level which can be specified with a long-range single motor, providing a range of 438 miles and reaching 60mph in 7.5 seconds. That’s yours for £69,910, and it’s jolly good value given the slew of standard equipment.
We reckon that’s ample performance and really good range, but step up to the longrange dual motor and you’ll gain all-wheel drive, you’ll achieve 395 miles of range and you’ll reach 60mph in a sports car-bothering 4.8 seconds.
At £75,910, this was our model, and take it from us, it’s as rapid as any car you’ll ever drive. Its crisp acceleration from standstill and reassuring mid-range performance is good for when you’re accelerating from, say, 50-70mph on the motorway.
Should you wish, the Dual Motor version can be specified with a Performance Pack which pushed the price up to £81,510 and shaves a bit off your 0-60mph time.
It also provides additional tuning of the chassis, some lovely Swedish gold brake callipers and matching gold seatbelts, plus some very handsome 22” alloy wheels.
Each of the Polestar 3 models are wellequipped and each offers exceptional range and standard kit. We’d stick with the single motor version, but there’s no doubt that the dual motor version is fast and entertaining. Polestar 3 is a vehicle much larger in real life than photographs would have you believe. It hides its size well though and I reckon you could own one for a couple of months and still notice lovely little details like the illuminated Polestar wordmark on the flanks and the vertical red lights across the rear lightbar.
The pop-out door handles work much better than the design favoured by some other manufacturers. Overall, the attention to detail in the Polestar’s exterior design is exceptional, from the details above, to the spoilers on the front of the bonnet and integrated into the top of the tailgate.
If you reckon the car’s well-designed outside, though, the best is yet to come, because Polestar 3’s interior is absolutely delicious. You won’t find any switchgear inherited from Volvo forebears; it’s all exclusive to Polestar. You will, however, notice Volvo’s influence in the design of the seats, which are widely-regarded as the best in the business.
Polestar 3’s seats are the most comfortable you’ll ever experience, absolutely the best it’s possible to get. They’re heated, cooled and offer a meaningful massage facility that you can actually feel, unlike that of other manufacturers whose seats just poke you in the back a bit.
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It’s difficult to think of a single thing Polestar 3 doesn’t do well. It’s as fast as a sports car, practical as an SUV, luxurious as an executive saloon and as easy to use around town as a much smaller car...
>> Our car’s seats were also finished in a light coloured Bridge of Weir nappa leather , which lifted the car’s interior, pairing nicely with an open-pore black ash-stained wood strip, a panoramic roof and tasteful white ambient lighting.
Speaking of materials, Polestar set itself an ambition in 2021 to create a climate neutral car by reducing the environmental impact of producing batteries, with responsible sourcing and the use of recycled textiles like the lovely soft dashboard top which is covered in fabric made from recycled plastic bottles. The steel and aluminium of the body are made from recycled post-consumer and industrial waste.
That makes me feel comfortable... and so do the seats which are very supportive with electrically-adjustable side bolsters which snuggle around you.. Having driven to visit the in-laws in the north east, a journey of some 160 miles, there was no sense of fatigue for the driver, nor for the present Mrs Davis in the passenger seat.
Furthermore, our willowy 6’2” son in the back had a welcome surfeit of legroom and headroom, as well as his own heated seats and personal climate control zone.
I’ll caveat any on the road comments by pointing out that I’m no Clarkson or Hamilton. There was no tyre-squealing turns or taking the car to its dynamic limits. Instead, I lived with it for a week and drove it to the supermarket, used it for my A-road commute and fired it up the motorway.
In all scenarios Polestar 3 acquits itself very well indeed. In town it’s smooth, silent, and easy to park in the supermarket. Below the main boot, too, there’s a hidden cargo area with hooks for supermarket bags or to stash camera kit out of sight. There’s a practical front boot, too, for storing a charging cable.
On faster roads, the car has more performance than you’ll ever need. Ride and handing are supple and reassuring thanks perhaps to its air suspension, and all-wheel drive... and that electric drivetrain is really efficient.
Polestar 3 also provides one-pedal driving –one of the pleasures of electric vehicles –with a keener setting for in-town driving and a more laid-back setting ideal for motorways.
There is a welcome physical rotary controller to mute the stereo, plus nicely-damped indicators and wipers on one stalk, and a steering column-mounted gear selector. Most controls though are routed through a 14.5” touch screen though, so you’ll pleased to know that it’s bright, high-resolution and very responsive. The 360° overhead view camera is so crisp and clear that I could see the individual bricks that make up our office’s block-paved car park.
The organisation, layout, modern sans serif typography, orange highlight colour and the logic of the system makes it a joy to use –every other manufacturer should look to Polestar for a masterclass in creating in-car touchscreen interfaces.
Only one demerit really; the black ash on the dashboard is lovely, but it’s not continued onto the centre console, where you’ll find gloss black trim instead: it tends to reflect the sun through the panoramic roof and it’s not as joyously tactile as that open-pore black ash when you’re leaning on the centre console. Polestar 3’s interior is, however, a joy to look at, and even better on the ears than the eyes thanks to a whopping 1,650w 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins, 3D surround sound, Dolby Atmos stereo. It’s the most impressive stereo you’ll ever experience, in a car or otherwise. Admittedly it’s a bit of an overkill for someone whose daily audio diet is Radio 4’s Farming
Today, Today and The Archers, so just for spits and giggles I logged into Spotify and made a playlist of some of the most bassheavy songs I could think of (Underworld’s Born Slippy), as well as a few songs with crisp soaring vocals (Nina Simone’s Sinnerman).
Short of being in a recording studio I doubt you’d find a better audio system, and speaking of recording studios, it even has an Abbey Road Studios mode designed to faithfully recreate the acoustics of the renowned studios which gave life to some of the Beatles’ most renowned tracks, as well as those by Kate Bush, Amy Winehouse, Oasis and Pink Floyd.
Fit and finish, too, are commensurate with a car that can beat premium German brands in the sales charts. There’s tonnes of standard equipment. However whether you choose the single or dual motor version of Polestar 3, we recommend in the strongest possible terms specifying the Pilot and Plus Packs.
The former adds adaptive cruise control and lane change assist as well as a head-up display. All work well, none are obtrusive and the driver assistance systems are easy to turn off if required.
The Plus pack adds that superb stereo as well as heated front and rear seats, steering wheel and soft-close doors... doing so will ensure you’ve a bona fide executive motor with a smart badge and a vast breadth of practicality and capability.
In fact, it’s difficult to think of a single thing the car doesn’t do well. It’s as fast as a sports car, as practical as an SUV, as luxurious as an executive saloon and as easy to use around town as a much smaller car.
Plus, it’s eco-friendly by virtue of its electric drivetrain and sustainably-sourced materials. It is, in short, one of the best cars I’ve ever driven... and I already miss it a great deal!
The Details
Polestar 3
Price: £75,900 (£89,200 with Long Range, Dual Motor with optional Plus/Pilot pack).
Powertrain: All electric, 107kWh battery, 483bhp, 840Nm torque, allwheel drive via singlespeed automatic gearbox.
Performance: 130mph, 060mph 4.8 secs.
Range: 398 miles range, 30 min charge from 080% with DC Connection.
Equipment: Adaptive cruise control, rear view/360° camera, parking sensors, 14.5” portrait touch screen with navigation, Bluetooth/5G, CarPlay/Android. 3zone climate control, panoramic roof. Our Polestar 3 was supplied by Polestar Sheffield, Meadowhall S9 1EP. 0114 5512900, see www.polestar.com.
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Almanac
FIND JOY IN THE ART OF LIVING WELL IN OCTOBER
HELLO OCTOBER
Poetry & Literature
October in Verse
Ode: October
Thomas Hood (1799–1845)
“October, tossed in stormy seas, Of wind, and cloud, and pale decay; And sad as ruin’d sanctuaries, Swept with dead leaves of yesterday.”
Autumn
John Clare (1793–1864)
“The thresher puts his coat away, And sweats in shirt all day at grain, Down autumn lanes at morns I stray And brush the dews from yellowing grain… The mild October leads the way.”
To Autumn, John Keats (17921821)
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosomfriend of the maturing sun; Conspiring with him how to load and bless With fruit the vines round the thatcheves run, to bend with apples the moss'd cottagetrees, And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core; To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more, And still more, later flowers for the bees, Until they think warm days will never cease, For Summer has o'erbrimm'd their clammy cells.
Mottlegill mushroom.
Going Wild Spooky Mottlegill
Look closely on the meadows this October and you may spot the spookylooking Panaeolus semiovatus, better known as the Mottlegill mushroom. Favouring dungrich pastures, this pale fungus appears after autumn rain and gets its name from the mottled gills beneath its domed cap. While not poisonous, it isn’t edible either, but it’s a sure sign of rich soil health. As fungi fruit across ancient grasslands and woodland edges, October is peak season for foragers and photographers alike. Just don’t pick without expert advice!
October Facts
Symbols: October’s zodiac signs are Libra until the 22nd, then Scorpio from the 23rd. The month’s birthstones—opal and tourmaline—are said to inspire love, hope and creativity. October’s flowers, calendula and cosmos, symbolise warmth, resilience, peace and the vibrant spirit of autumn.
In The Garden
Tidying up before we see the first frost
October is your cue to tidy up and prepare the garden for colder days. Lift and store tender plants like dahlias and cannas once the first frost hits. Cut back perennials, weed borders, and mulch to protect roots. Sow hardy annuals and plant springflowering bulbs, daffodils, tulips and crocus. Shrubs such as Viburnum and Mahonia begin to bloom, while late roses and sedum hold on to their colour. Rake leaves from lawns but leave a few piles for hibernating hedgehogs. It’s also an ideal month to plant trees and hedges while the soil is still warm. Finish by cleaning tools and bird feeders before winter feeding begins.
Seasonal Food: Game, quince, blackberries, wild mushrooms, parsnips and heritage apples come into their own. Traditional bakes include Parkin and treacle toffee ahead of Bonfire Night. Sound & Vision: October (1978) by U2 marked their second album release. The Archers debuted in October 1950. Downton Abbey first aired in the UK on 26th September 2010.
Keats.
TRIVIA, FOLKLORE AND HISTORY FOR OCTOBER
Folklore & Traditions
Old Ways of October
October sits at the turning point of the year: harvest ends, nights lengthen, and the veil between worlds thins. In ancient Britain, this month was sacred to both pagans and Christians alike.
Samhain, the Celtic festival marking summer’s end, was celebrated on 31st October and is the origin of today’s Halloween.
Celts believed spirits of the dead walked among the living on this night. Offerings of food were left out, and fires were lit to ward off evil. Carved turnips, later pumpkins, were placed in windows to scare spirits away.
Christianity layered All Hallows’ Eve onto these older beliefs. The following day, 1st November, All Saints’ Day, honoured saints
and martyrs. On 2nd November, All Souls’ Day remembered the departed, with church bells rung to guide souls.
In the countryside, October was once the month of ‘Nutting’ gathering wild hazelnuts and walnuts. Michaelmas, celebrated on 29th September but carrying into early October, marked the end of harvest and the start of hiring fairs or ‘mop fairs,’ where farmhands sought new work.
Mummers’ plays, featuring St. George and the Dragon, were also common during this period, bridging pagan harvest rites with Christian morality tales. October in Britain has always been a month of endings, beginnings, and deeprooted tradition.
October in History
14th October 1066
The Battle of Hastings took place. William, Duke of Normandy, defeated King Harold II, changing the course of English history.
4th October 1536
The Pilgrimage of Grace began in Lincolnshire. A major uprising against Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries, it started in Louth and spread across the North.
26th October 1605
The Gunpowder Plot was revealed to King James I by letter. The conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, aimed to blow up Parliament.
30th October 1740
The birth of James Boswell, Scottish biographer and diarist, famed for his Life of Samuel Johnson.
15th October 1847
Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre was published in London under the pen name Ellis Bell.
15th October 1940
Wartime tragedy struck Balham, London, as a German bomb collapsed a tube station, killing 66 during the Blitz.
8th October 1965
The Post Office Tower (now BT Tower) officially opened in London, then Britain’s tallest building.
12th October 1984
An IRA bomb exploded at the Grand Hotel in Brighton during the Conservative Party Conference, killing five and targeting Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
2nd October 1997
The House of Lords passed the Public Interest Disclosure Act, introducing legal protection for whistleblowers.
27th October 2002
BBC Four launched as a digital television channel dedicated to arts, documentaries, and culture.
Discovering friendship, art and the beauty of sunflowers THE SUNFLOWER AFTERNOON
Catherine had lived in Stamford all her life. At fifty-five, she knew every honey-coloured stone and hidden alleyway of the town, from the sweep of the Meadows along the Welland to the quiet dignity of St Mary’s spire. Yet, despite her familiarity, she found that Stamford had a way of surprising her still.
On a soft September afternoon, Catherine slipped into the courtyard of a little café tucked just off St George’s Square. She had intended only a quick coffee after her errands, but as she sat in the sun-dappled garden, surrounded by terracotta pots brimming with late-summer sunflowers, she felt the first whisper of possibility.
It had been a year since she had closed the chapter on a long career in teaching. Retirement, so eagerly anticipated, had brought with it an emptiness she hadn’t expected. Without the rhythm of school bells and the chorus of children’s voices, the days had stretched quietly, leaving her restless.
“Is this seat taken?” The voice broke her reverie. Catherine looked up to see a woman about her own age, elegant in a linen jacket the colour of summer wheat.“Not at all,” Catherine smiled.
The woman sat, setting down a shopping bag from a boutique on the High Street. “I couldn’t resist this courtyard,” she said. “It’s like a secret garden.”
They began to talk. Her name was Margaret, recently moved to Uppingham after years in London. They spoke of books, gardens, and their love of music—Margaret confessing that she had just taken up the piano again, Catherine admitting she’d long harboured a secret dream to paint.
“It’s never too late, you know,” Margaret said, with the easy conviction of someone who believed it. “Uppingham has a wonderful little art group. You’d be very welcome.”
Catherine felt something stir. She had told no one about her desire to paint—how she kept a drawer of sketchbooks, how her fingers itched when she saw the play of light on Stamford’s rooftops at dusk.
Yet here was a stranger, offering her permission to step into a new chapter. The following week, Catherine found herself in a church hall, brush in hand, surrounded by kind, laughing faces. Her first strokes were hesitant, but with each week she grew bolder, more alive. She painted Burghley House beneath a stormy sky, the market square in the crisp brilliance of autumn, and finally, a canvas of the Welland, with golden sunflowers nodding along its banks.
Her confidence grew outside the studio too. She found herself lingering in Stamford’s galleries, chatting with other artists, taking her sketchbook to the lawns at Burghley or the waterside at Rutland Water. On drives out towards the Deepings, she would pull over just to marvel at the fields, blazing yellow with sunflowers turning their faces to the last of the summer sun. Life felt fuller, richer, threaded through with colour she hadn’t noticed before.
The exhibition came in spring. Modest, local, but to Catherine it felt like the opening of a door. As she stood in the gallery in Oakham, Margaret by her side, she overheard someone say, “The colours are so full of joy.”
Catherine smiled. For the first time in many years, she felt that joy not just in her work, but in herself—in the quiet courage it had taken to try, in the unexpected friendship that had begun with a simple shared table in a Stamford courtyard, and in the knowledge that life, at fifty-five, still had chapters waiting to be written.
As the visitors moved around her, Catherine thought of something Margaret had once said: It’s never too late. Looking at her painting, the sunflowers glowing against the river’s curve, Catherine believed it.
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