ThePig ProjectThe Enchanted ForestThe Limewire debate

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Limewire 01

02. 10.

11.

From the depths of an ancient forest, thenew Lime Wood Group welcomes youwith our first Limewire publicationdevoted to food, foraging, fun andwhatever takes our fancy – and hopefullyyours.

The New Forest is our marker, it surrounds us andinspires us. As well as being a place of recreation itgives us a sense of belonging in what we do and whatwe plan. It has inspired our chefs and foragers whohead off into the green and come back laden withfungi and leaves, berries and brambles – join themone morning and enjoy their taste later. Head for theHerb House and relax in warm waters and enjoybeing anointed with oils all made from naturalingredients: head for the Mud House and wallow inthe different coloured muds... and then contemplateour latest project – The Pig – now there’s an animalwho has made mud his friend.

Meet the locals – the butcher, Mr Alan Bartlett, themodel agent Sarah Doukas and the boat restorers atSouthampton. Meet the visitors performing atGrange Park Opera or at the Chichester Festival, orshowing at Brockenhurst during the county show orhead for Alton and Austen (Jane of course)... andwhen you want to go a little further head forEthiopia, a place of beauty as yet almost unspoiled.

Contents02. The Enchanted Forest

In praise of the forest and in particular the New Forest.

05. The Foraging FoodieFinding sustenance, joy and delicious new tastes with Lime Wood’s forager and chef.

07. The Limewire DebateHave we arrived at the golden age of BritishCinema – again?

09. The Master ButcherThe best of all bangers – Alan Bartlett’s roaring trade.

10. The Herb HouseA spa for all seasons, all types, all needs, all glamour and all natural.

13. A Storm in the ForestThe founder of Storm Model Agency, Sarah Doukas,describes her enduring love for the New Forest.

15. The Pig ProjectIs it a restaurant? Is it a hotel? Is it a weekend retreat?No, it’s a PIG.

17. Boxing CleverThe new type of take-aways.

18. TravelThe supreme wonder and beauty of Ethiopia.

21. Forest BumfWhat’s new, what’s happening and where to go.

Publisher: David Elton. Editor: Jo Foley. Sub Editor: Maisie Lawrence.Cover Photography: Tatiana Stratton.

For advertising enquiries contact:Charlie.Dyer@limewoodgroup.com.

Design and production: www.strattons.com

Published by: The Lime Wood Group, Beaulieu Rd, Lyndhurst, SO43. © Lime Wood Group 2011

The Enchanted

ForestNot only is the forest vital to our wellbeing but, it is also beautiful and magical. The New Forest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pastureland, heath land and forest which has been in existence from the Bronze Age onwards. Explore it, protect it, love it.

Photography: Jason James Finnane of FINNimaje www.finnimaje.ieModel: Naomi Cullen

Forest Facts• All of our forests are vulnerable. Conservation

International estimate that up to 50% of all species indigenous to forests will be extinct before 2050, due to habitat destruction. That’s a rate of one every 20 minutes

• In Europe alone some 22,066 species are vulnerable• These include the red squirrel, black grouse, common

kingfisher, Scottish wildcat, harvest mouse, wolf and bear• In the New Forest the red squirrel could be found

until the 1970s• But... the New Forest is home to the only cicada, native to

Great Britain along with our three native snakes – adder, grass and the rare smooth snake. It also shelters rare plants such as the marsh gentian and birds such as the red kite and common buzzard

• We must all play our role in ensuring the survival of the forest

“When one tugs at a single living thing in nature, one finds it is attached to the rest of the world.” John Muir

“The forest is a peculiar organism of unlimitedkindness and benevolence that makes no demandsfor its sustenance and extends generously theproducts of its life and activity; it affords protection to all beings.”

Buddhist Sutra

Not only does the forest provide life and shelter for flora,fauna, birds, insects and animals it also provides food andsustenance for us. Which is why the forager at Lime Wood,Garry Eveleigh in conjunction with chef Luke Holder usesthe seasonal fruits of forest and seashore. This season somefavourites include wild salad leaves which bring freshness

and delicacy to any dish from the middle of April through May and June.Not so easy to identify, but Garry the forager is Garry proficient. He returnsladen with wild garlic and hedge garlic, chickweed, bittercress, sorrel anddandelion as well as hawthorn and beech leaves, clover, chives and nettletips – although the latter needs blanching to take the sting out of the taste.Closer to the shore (the New Forest has some staggering 26 miles of coast) itis easy to find sea beet and purslane early in the season, but from May onwardsthe delicious sea samphire shoots up alongside such sea weeds as laverweedand sea lettuce which bring a taste of salt and crunch to any number of dishes.These latter can be found throughout the summer and even into autumn...but the young shoots early in the season are the most welcome.Wild mushrooms of course can be found throughout the year from as early asMarch, depending on the season’s warmth. The earliest are oyster mushroomsand St George’s just in time for his feast day in April, while throughout Mayand June, beefsteak and chicken of the woods are plentiful. If June isparticularly wet you can find early chanterelles – there has to be somecompensation for the rain!

Foragers are keen hands at finding food for free in the New Forest, and usingthe fruits of forest and shore on the return home.

The Enchanted Forest

ForagingFoodieLimewire 05

With the current success – both critical and commercial – of 127Hours and The King’s Speech giving the British film industryan enormous sense of pride, there is talk that the UK is

enjoying a ‘golden age’ of cinema. But are we getting a little bit carriedaway here? Do a couple of well-received films such as The King’s Speechand Slumdog Millionaire really herald the dawn of a new era or are we allhappily glugging away on the hype machine’s very own brand of Kool-Aid(or champagne, darling!). We’ve long been a nation steeped infilmmaking traditions and have a proud cinematic heritage dating backdecades so is this really the best we’ve ever been? Can’t this wide-eyedoptimism similarly be applied to Lawrence Of Arabia (1962) or Chariots Of Fire (1981)?

Also what constitutes a ‘golden age’? Is it the legitimising of a projectthrough awards or the state of the industry as a whole? And does thismean we’ve peaked or can our achievements exceed even higher?

Is this the golden age of British cinema?

Limewire

FOR

Our films and industry are more celebrated than everBack in 1981, actor Colin Welland famously declared “The British are coming,” whilepicking up his Oscar for writing Chariots Of Fire. It may have taken us the best part of30 years, but Welland’s declaration seems to be coming true. In the last few years theBrits have enjoyed more award nominations – both Oscar and Bafta – than ever before.Films like The Queen (6 Oscar & 10 Bafta), Atonement (6 & 12), SlumdogMillionaire (10 & 11), An Education (3 & 9) and The King’s Speech (12 & 14) haveensured that our nation has left a cultural impact on the world. And since the BritishAcademy pulled their bash ahead of their Hollywood rival in the awards calendar, theBafta’s credibility is riding high. Every year a veritable who’s who of A-list movie talentgrace the London red carpet and make gushing speeches about how important theBaftas are.

We’re bursting with emerging acting talentWith the old guard of Helen Mirren, Judi Dench and Colin Firth all firmly rooted inthe public’s hearts, a massively talented group of up-and-coming actors look set to keepthe British reputation of churning out outstanding thespians strong. Among these areFirth’s A Single Man co-star Nicholas Hoult, the vulnerable yet tough-as-nails ThomasTurgoose, the delightfully sweet Felicity Jones and the already lauded star of The SocialNetwork Andrew Garfield. Throw the likes of established young ’uns Aaron Johnsonand Carey Mulligan into the mix and casting directors around the world look set tohave a tough time casting anyone who isn’t a Brit for the foreseeable future! And itmust say something about the calibre of our talent when three of the biggest roles inHollywood – those of Batman, Spider-Man and Superman – belong to actors raised inPembrokeshire, Surrey and Jersey.

Behind the camera we’re big playersIt’s not just our actors who are wowing the world; our filmmakers aren’t doing too bad ajob either. Three of the biggest movies in the world last year were directed by Brits –The Twilight Saga: Eclipse by David Spade, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part1 by David Yates and Inception by Christopher Nolan. Between them these three filmstook just over £1.5 billion around the globe – that’s not too shabby, I’m sure you’llagree. And let’s not forget those who have shunned Hollywood’s big budgetblockbusters – Mike Leigh enjoyed huge critical success in 2010 with Another Year,while Ken Loach’s Route Irish received rave reviews at last year’s London Film Festival.And with the likes of Richard Ayoade, Gareth Edwards and Ben Wheatley all cuttingtheir teeth to a positive buzz the future looks assured.

UK production is on a highIt’s not just in front of the cameras that the British film industry is enjoying success – ourstudios and the highly skilled folks who work there have never been busier. The likes ofPinewood and Shepperton, while also playing host to a variety of UK productions, havebeen raking it in thanks to some huge blockbusters taking advantage of their facilities.During the last year, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, X-Men: First Class,Hugo Cabret and Captain America have all called the UK home, while Alien prequelPrometheus is set to take over most of Pinewood during 2011. And with the HarryPotter franchise vacating Leavesden Studios after a decade-long residency, it’s beenconfirmed that Warner Bros. have bought the place outright and intend to give it a £100 million facelift in order to use it as their permanent base in the UK.

AGAINST

For all our reputation, we seldom win the big awardsDespite the obvious high esteem in which we Brits are held in Hollywood, the bigawards seldom come our way. Surely if this is a ‘golden age’, then our mantelpiecesshould be festooned with trophies, but if you look at the significant Oscar wins over thelast five years our record isn’t great. We’ve won one Best Picture (Slumdog Millionaire),one Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis), two Best Actress (Helen Mirren and Kate Winslet)and one Best Director (Danny Boyle) – those are hardly ‘golden age’ statistics. Andwhen you look at this year’s nominations, The King’s Speech aside, we weren’t overlyrepresented. Christopher Nolan wasn’t even nominated for Inception, arguably themost creative and ‘directed’ film of the year. The best films don’t always win the awards,but Oscar success is a sure fire way to build a legacy.

Despite the glowing reviews, UK box office is downIf we’re making such spectacular movies, why are less people going to the cinema to seethem? In 2009, the UK public spent £173.5 million going to the pictures. In 2010, theyspent £169.2 million over the same period. Any ‘golden age’ can’t just be about thefilms we’re making – it has to encompass the health of the whole industry in general –and if less people are going to the cinema, then that’s not a great sign. There are lots ofreasons why attendances are down, the main ones being the recession (although weirdlythe film industry seems to have ridden that storm reasonably well) and internet piracy(there’s little doubt that more and more movies are being downloaded and watched athome), but how can this be considered a great time for the cinema if less people are actually going?

How many of these ‘classics’ will stand the test of time?While the likes of The King’s Speech and Slumdog Millionaire have both been praisedand honoured through the roof, are they films people will still be watching over andover again in years to come? The DVD explosion of the last decade means that moviesreally can live forever, but are any ‘classics’ of the last few years destined to take pride ofplace in people’s libraries 25 years from now? It seems unlikely. When you talk ofBritish classics, it’s films like The Third Man, Brief Encounter, Lawrence of Arabia,The Red Shoes, The Ladykillers and The Italian Job that spring to mind. Add the word‘modern’ to that description and step forward Trainspotting, Four Weddings And AFuneral, The Full Monty and Withnail and I. Will Colin Firth’s stuttering monarchjoin that illustrious list? I guess only time will tell but – and be honest – is The King’sSpeech really as memorable as any of the others on the list?

Spending cuts won’t helpBack in July of last year, the Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced that the UKFilm Council, the Government funded agency responsible for nurturing British cinema,was to be scrapped. What a great way to crown this supposed ‘golden age’! By scrappingthe UKFC and its £15 million annual budget, it is no doubt going to save a pot load ofmoney but it hardly establishes the UK as a hotbed of creative and cinematic arts.Admittedly, the UKFC did pump a lot of cash into some truly dreadful films but forevery Sex Lives Of The Potato Men or Donkey Punch, there was a Last King OfScotland or This Is England. And ironically one of their biggest successes was TheKing’s Speech – the UKFC injected just over £1 million into the film’s budget – but itssuccess has come too late.

This debate is taken from In-Debate Magazine. www.in-debate.com

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Limewire 09

Revered by chefs and vital to the tastes and stomachs of his customers, Alan Bartlett dispenses thefinest of meats and the best of bangers from his shop in New Milton.

Experts in any field are fascinating to listen to as they have a knowledge of such depth and anenthusiasm to go with it, that they attract fans and aficionados almost seamlessly. Alan Bartlett is one such expert – the third generation of a New Milton butcher

he is constantly developing new ways to deal with the locally produced meat that arrives in his High Street shop.

“All our meat is produced in the area and rarely no more than 20 miles from the shop,” he explains. The otherimportant note is “We always buy the whole carcass so that we can produce all cuts from tongue to tail”. Heknows how and what his animals are fed, where they were born and how they grew up, before he buys. “Our beef,for instance, is New Forest mark and it is bred for us by farmer Stewart Morgan at Pennington, just a few milesaway. We buy the carcass and then hang it for three weeks before we attend to the cuts,” he says. His pork isreared outdoors, vital he says to the tastes and quality he needs.

And it must be because of such detailed knowledge of all the bits of the carcass that has allowed him to producesome of the best sausages in the county – although some would say in the country. James Golding of the PIG isone such fan. He says:

“I love Hampshire Hogs because the butcher uses meat from all the organic farms in the New Forest so he knowsthat the meat has been locally sourced from small holdings. My favourite are the plain pork sausages which haveno added herbs just a small amount of seasoning and roughly minced pork which means that they are really porkyand pure.”

But Alan also recognises the help he has received from chefs who work with him... they have encouraged him toexperiment and produce outstanding charcuterie. Lime Wood for instance, and its chef Luke Holder is a greatdevotee of Bartlett’s chorizo. “It took us a bit of time to get the right taste and texture we were after, but everyoneseems to like it, particularly the kitchens and clients of the hotel. It joins the Bartlett group of sausages includingthe original Hampshire Hog, the Lincolnshire with sage and black pepper, alongside pork and onion, beef,chipolatas and venison bangers made from New Forest deer. Depending on the season between two and threehundred pounds of sausages are made each week... and even more so now that the barbecue season is on its way.

Not only are all the cuts butchered and hung on the premises but all the sausages and charcuterie are too. Oneof his latest and most popular offerings is the cured leg of pork which after careful curing, salting with spices, sugarand salt and then drying for up to 12 months, would give the finest prosciutto a run for its money. Alan explainsthat even customers who have moved away from the area, some even to live abroad, always return when back inthe country for his meat! Other developments include a bresaola, a coppa with fennel seeds, salami and a delicatelomo with smoked paprika. “We are a bit out of the way down here in Hampshire, but we are beginning to catchup,” Alan states modestly, although he does admit this latest foray into charcuterie under the brand A Pinch ofSalt is doing exceptionally well. While there are any number of greedy gourmets, plain food lovers and professionalchefs around the place who would drink to that.

The Master

Butcher

IndulgeAs well as a host of wraps, scrubs,massages and facials the Herb Househas special treatments for couples,mothers-to-be or the truly sybaritic who just wish to pamper themselves,lasting from one hour to almost three.

Welly Boot CampWe have done our own take on bootcamp and hopefully it combines fun inthe forest with some serious fitness andhealth focus. With cross country runs,obstacle courses & detoxifying seaweedwraps you will leave seriously fit butalso relaxed. £1500 for 4 nights.

Steam and MudYou can steam inside or out in the freshair in a choice of steam rooms, hotpools, hydro pools and great showers...or head for the Mud Room and indulgein three different types of mud, whitefor the face, blue for the trunk, grey forthe rest of you!

10 Limewire

Lap ofLuxury

The Herb House is possibly the most aptly named spa in thecountry. For herbs and all things herbal make up the greaterpart of its DNA. The products used within it are positivelybursting with the stuff (and none more so than the Tri-Dosha Danwantari oil with 43 different ones in its mix),Voya is made with sea essences, minerals plus herbs while

Bamford Body is composed of all things natural, floral and herbal. Therestaurant Raw and Cured, as-- its very name suggests, prepares and servesherbs in its salads, main dishes, smoothies and teas.

But more than anything the crowning glory of the Herb House is the roofplanted with a plethora of herbs. Apart from a camomile lawn, each of theseating areas has its own herbal theme, and is surrounded by them, frombergamot to white lavender and catmint, added to which there are 20different types of thyme and 15 different mints which include chocolate,ginger, pineapple and even banana mints!

And while it may sound intricate the planting is simple so that the roofdoes not detract from the view of the forest and the feeling of beingwrapped in its arms. Also it has been carried out with particular emphasison the fragrance of each herb – from the camomile lawn to the verbenaand oregano bed enhancing the relaxation and meditation areas. Eachseating area is themed with different herb combinations to ensure adifferent fragrance experience to aid relaxation and enjoyment of the freshforest air. The only extras on the roof are the old cast iron benches, ancientdolly tubs and terracotta tom pots planted with more herbs and four gnarledold olive trees (the only imports up there) and a central walkway lined withbay trees.

Eat, Drink, LoveOn offer at Raw and Cured is some ofthe most delicious locally sourced andhome-made foods. From home-mademuesli, to not-your-mother’s lentilsalad made with karma ham.

Try meats and fish from Lime Wood’sown smoke-house, such as haddockwith apple, house-smoked duck withgirolles or pigeon carpaccio with fetaand pomegranate.

To drink, opt for ruby roots juice, a richblend of beetroot, red cabbage andorange or the sweet and sour sensationof rhubarb, ginger and plum.

There is always a wrap of the day,home-made pastries, croissants andcakes and any number of infusionsfrom chamomile to ginger to LimeWood’s own detox – not to mentionwhite teas, gren teas and perfectlyordinary English Breakfast.

This is a place of pleasure so wines are served by the glass and the bottle, all English and including pinkand white sparkling varieties.

Herb HouseProducts

Bamford BodyThe Herb House isthe first spa to offerthese treatmentsoutside the originalDaylesford Hay Barn spa inGloucestershire. The products all usenatural and organicingredients accreditedby the SoilAssociation. They are all GMO,Parabens, SLS andmineral oil free.

VoyaInspired and made on the northwestcoast of Ireland, theseproducts harness thehealing properties ofthe sea and its plantsin a choice of wraps,massages and bathingexperiences.

Tri-DoshaUsing the traditionaland authenticelements of ayurveda– the world’s oldestmedical discipline –with its selection of oils, skincareproducts andtreatments.

NudeHigh performanceskincare founded anddeveloped by BryanMeehan (creator ofFresh and Wild) withAli Hewson, Bono’swife, which also offersa variety of facialoptions includingsome devoted to anti-ageing andcellular renewal.

Get movingNot only is there a fully-equippedstate-of-the-art Technogym but theHerb House also offers stretching andpilates classes, yoga for all standards,zumba, circuit training, aqua fitness, tai chi qi gong and forest runs.

Brandy DietA 12-day life-changing programmefrom guru Gowrie Motha which setsout to eliminate depression andaddictive behaviour, detox your body,help weight loss and change habits –and yes you do get to sip medicinalquantities of the stuff! 1st July until the12th of July. From £4,200. Individualsare now able to call and book this diet.For enquiries call 02380 286 999.

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SSarah is good at spotting things, places, people – the latter haveincluded Kate Moss, Sophie Dahl, Carla Bruni and Lily Coleamong many others – and at a very early age she spotted thebeauty and wildness of everything that makes the New Forestso special. “Even though my maternal grandmother’s familyhave been associated with the forest since 1790 and another

grandparent was born in Valetta House near the Royal Oak in Minstead I have never really strayed that far from the forest throughout my life”.Sure she sloped off to live in Paris, London and California throughout her youth but something always drew her back to Hampshire.

Initially it was her maternal grandmother whom she adored. “I even refusedto move north to Yorkshire with my parents, when my father got a job there.I must have been about eleven, I wanted to stay with my grandmother andwe did everything together, rode, walked, helped on the farm, she wouldeven come and meet me from school.” It was this extraordinary woman whohelped imbue the DNA of the forest into the Doukas character.

Manor Farm was where the two lived, a place which her grandmotherworked and which is now Sarah’s family retreat with its menagerie of animals – 46 cattle, three New Forest ponies, and extraordinary Poitoudonkey as well as a number of other donkeys and various cats and dogs. ThePoitou is one of a very rare breed which is now thought to be almost asendangered as the panda. “They are so benign and so extraordinary lookingwith their long curly brown hair that I love them. I think they were oncecross-bred with those big shire horses which is why they look this way...”

It seems Sarah knows every bladeof grass, piece of stone and animalon her farm. For it is hers now. “Mypoor grandmother who died at 98,refused to make a will so when shewent everything was in a mess...however, my husband and I foundthe money and bought the place,and we’ve been renovating it andfarming it ever since.” She spendsalmost every weekend there,working – fencing, harrowing,looking after pigs and chickensalthough her 86-year-old mothernow lives there with her and helpswith the horses and animal feeds.“You should see how scruffy I amwhen I get back to London on aMonday morning... I definitelyneed a manicure”.

As proud as she is with Storm, the agency she started from scratch, she isjust as proud that as a farm owner she has certain rights as a forestcommoner: “I can’t collect firewood... but I can cut peat. And while I amallowed to put out a certain number of pigs I can put out as many cattle asI wish”.

All of this she discovered on a research trip to the Queen’s House at Lyndhurst where all such rights and privileges are on record.

She is obviously proud of the international agency she has built up but sheis also justly proud of the knowledge she has of how the forest lives andworks. “I love the foresters, they are a real riding community, they areextraordinary to listen to and to watch and in many ways are quite closedoff from what else goes on in the area. For instance the Forest Point to Pointis like no other, many of the men ride in green overalls and their wellies,but most extraordinary they never tell anyone where it’s going to be untilthe morning it happens!”

A Storm in the Forest

Sarah loves:

• Lyndhurst and Winchester markets• Swimming in the cold sea near Milford

on Sea• Riding with her daughter Poppy to lunch

at the Royal Oak• Cooking for friends at the weekend• Switching off her Blackberry

(“the only time I do”) at the Herb House• The forest at all times of the year, each

season is so different, My husband and I particularly love cold winter walks

• Her great-grandfather’s branding iron

Sarah Doukasmay well be one of the mostsuccessful model agents ever, with her Storm agency... but her heart, most of her soul and great chunks of her energy and love are to be found in the New Forest.

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The Pig

Project

There has never been a country house hotellike the PIG, which is why it’s not really ahotel, simply kitchen garden food and rooms.

This new Limewood Group project opensmidsummer and will provide the ultimate in

easy living with a look that owes more to morphing thandesigning. This place is all about the kitchen garden andwhat it can do for you – freshly picked and sourced food in abeautiful and natural environment, comfy and inspiredrooms, both inside and out. Huge chairs, sprawling sofas,roaring fires in the winter, vast open windows in the summer.It’s like your best friend’s country house, where you don’treally have to dress up or down or even make an effort. It isa place where you can simply be. Hidden in the forest, thehouse was a hunting lodge once owned by the Queen’sgrandfather (on the Bowes-Lyon side), set amid lawns andgardens with a gorgeous walled garden down by the stableswhich are now gorgeous private rooms.

The walled garden which is planted with every type of fruitand veg along with herbs and leaves all designated to bedelivered to the kitchen and eaten in season on site. Newplantings include medlars, damsons, quinces and mulberries.And what cannot be found in the garden will be foragedfrom the forest – fruits, nuts, wild leaves, edible flowers andmushrooms galore. All of this highlights the keycomponents of the PIG – the gardener – Mike Kleyn, theforager – Garry Eveleigh and the chef – James Golding,between them the food provided and served be the freshest,sourced on the spot, comfort and chic nosh in all ofHampshire. Food will change with the season, dishes by theday and yet there won’t be a hint of foodie fascism either inthe kitchen or in the greenhouse dining room.

The Pig is for troughing, but for troughing as you like it. Itis where you will recover the tastes of your childhood mergedwith those of tomorrow... but best of all it’s where you willarrive, kick off your shoes and flop. If you want to be active,of course, you can hike and bike to your heart’s content andplay croquet or tennis. This has all the elements of a fabplace... but so low-key, so laid back, so easy. A feast of a garden

Herbs of all types, fruits, some almost forgotten and every typeof vegetable will find a place in the garden.

Limewire 15

The weekend will have been great – restful, enjoyable andsybaritic, full of fresh air, relaxation and new experiences,so the journey home needs to be approached gently and withcaution. For instance, what’s in the fridge for supper? Is theremilk for breakfast? Or must you stop on the way at a servicestation to stock up on the essentials and call a takeaway once

home? All such thoughts are a thing of the past if you buy off the shelf atLimewood, and although the weekend may be over, the taste lingers on.

Chef Luke Holder has been smoking, pickling,marinating, curing, drying and baking so that manyof the feasts of the forests can be provided in a tuckbox for you to take home.

Currently the smokehouse holds, salmon, pancetta,the best chorizo this side of Budapest, lomo which islavender cured and a host of ham hocks and legswhich have been cured in molasses or treacle beforedrying. Any one of these will have been monitored,turned, cosseted even, for between nine and 12 months before being broughtto table. All the hams and salmon are locally sourced while the chorizo andsausages are made on the premises – it’s a trade secret but the paprika isbrought straight from Budapest by a relative of someone on staff, and is themost perfect glorious orange colour and yet is as subtle as swansdown.

The larder is a constantly changing array of chutneys and pickles, dependingon the season and what is available from the forest or garden. The pickledmushrooms are a triumph, everything from baby chanterelles to ceps, whilethe marinated peppers and salsify lift every taste bud. Added to these therecould be rhubarb pickle, apple cider chutney plus baby carrots, cauliflowerand red cabbage as you have never tasted them before. These are picklesthat don’t hang around the kitchen from Christmas to Michaelmas but tendto be wolfed down within days.

Cheeses, again depend on what is available from local sources such as Lyburnwhich is a two to four year old cheddar, a sort of Hampshire parmesan, whilethe mozzarella comes from the buffalo herd at Laverstock. But there willalways be a supply to choose from.

Milk, muesli (made in-house), jams and marmalades all made locally fromorganically grown produce can be added to a take home box, as can freshhen, quail and duck eggs. Indeed one of the most popular items on theScullery menu are the quail scotch eggs – take a dozen of these with a bagof wild or garden leaves for the perfect Sunday evening supper. All you need then is homemade bread – again you can opt for the wholemealor the country style... but there will be a seasonal choice, again depending on produce.

So you could add bread with kale, with shallot and golden raisins, basil ortomato. Just imagine arriving home for a Sunday evening supper with aselection of charcuterie, some freshly made bread, a lump of cheese, a bagof leaves... just add a bottle of wine and sit back and relax.

Locally sourced ingredients, anointed and cured in-house, all for the perfect tuck box.

BoxingClever

Tuck Box TakeawaysThe Morning After Box – selection of bread, milk, muesli,yogurt, eggs, bacon, sausages

The Lazy Limewood Box – choice of charcuterie, salad leaves, cheese, pickles, chutneys, breads

Off the Scullery shelf – an array of pickles, jams, chutneys,fresh pasta sauces, selection of charcuterie and cheeses... andanything else chef can find to seduce your palate

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EthiopiaSurprising, spiritual and heart-stoppingly beautiful

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Photographs: Lorem ipsum

Puzzled or envious? Those were the two reactions I had when Iannounced I was off to Ethiopia on holiday. Some friends were soexcited and wanted to know if they could come too, while othersthought I had finally lost my marbles. Let’s face it, what most ofus know about this vast country can be summed up in two words– War and Famine. Admittedly a few, including me, knew about

the Rock churches of Lalibela and the Bleeding Heart monkeys of the Simien Mountains.

Dig a little deeper into your memory or knowledge and a few more things maycome to mind about the one country in Africa which has never been colonised(yes, the Italians did try – but failed) – the Ark of the Covenant for instance,which is shrouded in mystery and housed in splendour in Axum, the spiritualheart of the country and the holiest city in Ethiopia. A destination not justfor pilgrims, but for tourists, and especially for archaeologists, as more than70% of it, is still to be investigated and excavated. To date, the Queen ofSheba’s bath (actually a reservoir) and palace have been restored, while only20 years ago, three farmers uncovered the Ezana Stone in a field. This is amemorial stone inscribed in three languages – Greek, Sabean and Geez – andin near perfect condition considering it is over 1,600 years old and known asthe Ethiopian Rosetta Stone. However, most visitors come to see the StelaeField Park, a jaw-dropping exhibition of monolithic obelisks, with the talleststanding over 20 metres high. The largest is lying on its side broken into fivepieces and weighing a mere 160 tons. In total there are some 3,002 monolithicstelaes in and around Axum.

But Lalibela is the more astounding with its 11 rock-hewn churches each onecarved out of granite as a single monolith with its roof, level with the ground.Accessed via narrow passages, tunnels and walkways there is a sense of aweabout each one as you work your way down into the earth and out into thewide trenches that surround them. All were decorated with carvings andpaintings but much has faded over the ensuing millennia. The most spectacularis St George’s which is carved in the shape of a Greek cross.

The little town itself is tiny with a number of cafes and restaurants, a weeklymarket selling everything from donkeys to dresses and a few internet cafes. Goduring Ethiopian Orthodox Christmas and more than 300,000 pilgrims willjoin you. Each is swathed in the local white cotton shawl called a shama, whichresembles a toga more than anything else and adds an extraordinary eleganceto the wearer. The pilgrims may have walked for days but their patience,perseverance and dignity throughout is heart-rending.

Set on a little plain and surrounded by mountains blue and heather in tone, anddisappearing into infinity with just the occasional deep rift breaking the symmetry,the location is truly beautiful. But then the beauty of the place is one of the mostsurprising aspects of this country. And then of course there is the food – one ofthose subjects you try not to broach in a place known for its famines... but in thisnorth-western area the tourist cafes and hotel serve simple soups and salads alongwith the national dish. This is based on a grain called tef, which is served as alarge pancake, an injera, and which is used to scoop, roll and dip into the varioussmall spicy dishes which accompany it. What is most extraordinary about tef,especially in a country which has suffered so much from food shortages, is its

nutritional content. It is composed of 82 per cent complex carbohydrates, hasmore fibre-rich bran than any other grain, 20 times more calcium and 15 per centmore protein! No wonder they produce some of the greatest distant runners. Ittastes of very little which is why it is useful as a scoop but it does look like an oldboiled flannel. You just have to ignore that.

And then of course there is the coffee – the best you will find anywhere –unsurprisingly, and while the beer is good the local wines have a long way togo, although the red is infinitely more palatable than the white.

And don’t forget Gondar and its 17th century castles, Lake Tana withmonasteries hidden on tiny islands and then leading to the source of the BlueNile and the Blue Nile Falls. All of this in one small area of this vast country.And did I mention Sylvia Pankhurst? Another surprise – her large grave is inprime position outside Addis Abba’s main cathedral. It seems rather a long wayfrom Manchester, but when the Italians, this time under Mussolini, hadanother go at trying to take hold of Ethiopia, Sylvia and her anti-fascist leaguerode to the rescue, fell in love with the country, befriended Haile Selassie’sdaughter and stayed for the rest of her life. Her legacy lingers on – her son,Richard, was born there and now heads up the History faculty at the mainuniversity. It’s that sort of place, it somehow grips your soul.

True travel is a rare experience –find it now before Ethiopia hits the tourist trail.

Lalibela MarketChickens, goats, donkeys, food and clothes all for sale in this vibrant weekly market.

Lake TanaThe largest lake in Ethiopia from where the Blue Nile begins itsjourney and from where you visit the Blue Nile Falls – it’s surroundedtoo by monasteries and churches.

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How to get there:Africa Travel (0845 450 1520;www.africatravel.co.uk)

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Miranda MichelsA sculptor specialising in all types ofwildlife and equine sculptures. None arecast and each is formed individually, everyfeather on her bird sculptures are madeseparately. You can see her hare, sheep anddeer throughout Lime Wood grounds butenjoy more of her work at her Exhibitionat Lime Wood from 10th June – 22nd June.

New ForestEvents

What’s On Locallyinstead of New ForestEvents – run as many as you can.

• Art and Design Market, Winchester, 19 June

• Vintage Bus Rally, buses of all shapes, ages and sizes Anstey Park, Alton, 17 July

• Cowes Week Sailing Regatta 40 races daily from 6 August

• Goodwood Festival of Speed Glamorous Garden Party with cars 30 June - 3rd July

• Bestival Music Festival. Three day music fest from 8 Sept – this year headlining The Cure

• Southampton Boat Show Yachties book now, from 16 September

• The New Forest and Hampshire Country Show Great three-day agricultural show held at New Park, Brockenhurst from 26 July

• Secrets and Suspicion – Jane Austen style writing workshop, Chawton, 21 June

• Chichester Theatre Festival Singin’ in the Rain, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Sweeney Todd and a world premier based on Terence Rattigan’s last screenplay. The festival runs from May to October

Grange Park OperaThis year’s season runs from 2 June-12 Julyand includes Rigoletto, Rusalka andTristan and Isolde as well as two recitals byBryn Terfel. For the last 13 years thefestival has established itself as one of thefinest in the UK summer opera season. TheGrange was the first Greek Revival Housein Europe, worth a visit for that alone.

Laverstoke Park Farm & ShopFormer Grand Prix motor racing championJody Scheckter founded this biodynamicorganic farm to produce food for himself andhis family, but just like Topsy it has grown...and grown into one of the foremost organicfarms in the country. Visit the farm and visitthe farm shop for some of the best organicmeats, true buffalo mozzarella and organic ale.It’s a short drive away at Overton.

ForestBumfW

hether it’s field, forest, seaor culture, Hampshire hassomething for everyonethroughout the year, whileLimewood provides theideal base from which to

enjoy some of the best attractions around. Ridingin the forest either on horseback or mountain bikeis easy to organise, hiking in the forest is a glorious

way to spend a day... grab a picnic from the larderand go. Further afield wonder at the cloth of goldDaffodil Meadow at the end of April at ExburyGardens, or for something a little more cerebralthen you are in the right place for all things JaneAusten. Both Alton and Chawton have anynumber of events throughout the year whichcelebrate the lady’s work and life – a reading, afestival, a Regency fest or exhibition.

She looks great for her age – 77 – this1930s classic ketch, the Alinda V hasjust had a serious facelift and fulloverhaul by the experts atSouthampton Yacht Services. A 78ft,Mylne design, she was built in

Glasgow in 1934 by Alexander Stevens and Sonsand has spent much of her life in the easternMediterranean, and while her hull structure was ingood shape the deck, interior and rigging hadsuffered over the decades. Such a refit needs carefulthought and planning alongside sympatheticworkmanship, for the concept was to retainAlinda’s classic features while adding everymodern comfort and necessity.

For instance, down below, the accommodation wasmodified to incorporate en-suite heads for all threeguest cabins, the saloon updates and the galley and crew cabins all needed remodelling.

And to be true to the period oak, lightweight granite and marble were used.

The real challenge came when dealing with thesail plan so that the full 3,000 square feet could beused. In order to accomplish this a whole set of newhydraulic winches were fitted and four of theoriginal Gibb winches were refitted, while theoriginal windlass was converted to a hydraulicallypowered one. And although modern electronicequipment never looks really right on a classicyacht, it was decided to put the maincommunication and navigation equipment at theforward end of the deckhouse covered by aTambour door. All of this helps maintain herclassic features and lines but allows her a re-entryto the 21st century.

www.southamptonyachtservices.co.uk

Alinda V Claire Matthews

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Local Artistry Uncovered