The River & Rowing Museum in Henley has just celebrated its 25th anniversary and will be curating a host of events over the next 12 months. For now, it’s time to focus on more festive pursuits and there’s plenty of fun to be had over the next few weeks.
For those of you who fancy learning a new skill on 14th December there’s a Beaded Decorative Wreath Workshop – there will also be mulled wine, mince pies available.
*All days include a visit to Father Christmas and a gift!
All children must be accompanied by an adult (18+), free of charge. Activity charge is in addition to museum admission, but you do not need to visit the museum to access the activities.
Email: [email protected]to book your place. Spaces limited so don’t miss out!
Our wine columnist Giles Luckett suggests some great fortified wines for the season of goodwill
Hello. Christmas is a time for traditions. The tradition of opening a present on Christmas Eve just after you’ve put the sprouts on! Of partners asking you to buy them something you think they’ll like with the surprise being they need to ask if you’ve kept the receipt! To not so much as driving home for Christmas as stuck in traffic for Christmas.
OK, so, some traditions we could all definitely do without, but there’s one tradition that the British have clung to since the late 18th century, which is one to be treasured – enjoying a glass of fortified wine over the festive season. From Port to Madeira and Sherry to something from the New World, there’s a world of fortified diversions out there, and here is my pick of this spirited bunch…
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a glass or two of Tio Pepe (Sainsbury’s £10). Some of my generation are wary of Sherry, but wines like Tio Pepe are increasingly finding favour with younger wine lovers, and it’s easy to see why. Pale, fresh, dry and clean, its combination of abundant pear, watermelon, and apple fruit and savoury, creamy yeast make for an easy-drinking yet wholly satisfying glassful. Try this on its own and with smoked fish or creamy cheese canapés.
If you’re in the mood for something sweet, then why not enjoy something truly indulgent? Pedro Ximenez (PX to his friends) produces gloriously sweet wines such as the Adnams X Sopla Poniente (£10.99 Adnams). This phenomenal mouthful of treacle, butterscotch, liquid caramel, and hazelnuts is a joy on its own, but with enough acidity to prevent it from becoming cloying, it goes down beautifully with strong blue and white cheeses or, as I found, liver pâté.
When most people think of fortified wines, they think of Port, and this year, I discovered the excellent Adnams Finest Reserve (Adnams £15.99). This has to be one of the best everyday drinking Ports I’ve ever tasted. Many entry-level Ports struggle to integrate the spirit and have a hot, disjointed finish, along with overly sweet, one-dimension fruit profiles. The Adnams, however, is luscious, packed full of dried black fruits, blackcurrant conserve, and prunes and has a rounded, seamless finish. If you’re looking for brilliance on a budget, give this a whirl.
Another, less well-known style of Port is White Port. While much of this is fine but forgettable, there are quality-focused producers who are breathing new life into this old-style wine. I tasted the Quinta Da Pedra Alta White Port (Master of Malt £17.42) at the estate in the summer, and it blew me away. Fresh-tasting and bursting with white fruits, apricots and peaches in syrup, the way it managed to combine the sugar and the spirit into the body of the wine to create a luscious yet clean and refreshing whole is remarkable. We tried this with tonic, and it made for a delicious long drink too.
My favourite style of Port is a wood Port, wines that are aged for an extended period in barrel rather than in bottle. This long ageing in cask has the effect of leaching colour, accentuating the freshness and adding a lovely nuts and dried fruit tone to the wines. An excellent example of this is the Kopke 10-Year-Old Tawny (The Secret Bottle Shop £23.95). Deep red-gold, the nose offers an inviting mix of preserved cherries, plums, almonds, spices and candied citrus peel. In the mouth, it’s warming, full, and gentle, but with a wonderfully complex mix of dried fruits, nuts, caramel, smoke, and a clean, tangy acidity. Try this with blue cheeses or fruity desserts.
Fancy something a little different this Christmas? I have just the thing, the Zuccardi Malamado (Tesco £9). This is an Argentinean fortified Malbec – so Argentinean Port, if you will – and it’s amazing. At first, it tastes like a great Malbec, all blackberries, blackcurrants, fresh blueberries, and sweet spices, but then a warm wave of sweetness comes in, adding decadent richness and power. You can drink this with food as though it were a table wine or with hard cheeses; either way, it’s a Christmas cracker.
South Africa built their wine industry on fortified wines, and while they’re not as important these days, the best can still be world-beaters. Take the Kleine Zalze’s Project Z (Noble Green £33). Made from a blend of noble white grapes, this luscious golden sipper is opulently sweet (think marmalade) and offers creamy flavours of dried pears, candied apples, and peaches in syrup, with a lovely hit of lemon peel and lime juice to the finish. Enjoy this chilled with fruity desserts or white cheeses.
Madeira is one of the world’s most misunderstood wines. It isn’t a type of Sherry – it’s 700 miles from Spain and made in a completely different way – it isn’t all sweet, and if it’s an old maid’s wine, then call me Old Maid Giles! Madeira is joy as the Henriques & Henriques 10-Year-Old Sercial (Waitrose £18.99) shows. Sercial is the driest style of Madeira and it’s only after a decade or so in barrel that it reveals its brilliance. Dark amber, the nose offers caramel, roasted nuts, sweet coffee, citrus peel, and grapefruit. On the palate, it’s rich, yet tangy, with honey, green fig, and dried orange and pear tones offset by lemon and lime.
My next recommendation is one of Australia’s great wine originals. Take Muscat grapes (a Petits Grains Rouge, in case you were wondering) and leave them till they are raisins on the vine. Pick and press but stop the fermentation mid-way with spirit to preserve the sugar. Then age them in a Sherry-style ‘solera’ system, and bingo, you have wines like Campbells Rutherglen Muscat (Waitrose £13.99). This golden ‘sticky’ as the Aussies call it, tastes of sultanas laced with spiced honey mixed with citrus peel and given a mocha shot. This unique wine is phenomenal and is an after-dinner delight.
I’ll finish my festive fortified feature with what most wine lovers regard as the ultimate fortified wine, Vintage Port. Vintage Port is a rare wine – they make up about 3% of Port production – made only in the finest years that can only spend 2 years in cask before bottling with their sediment. The resulting behemoths can age for decades (the 1955 Taylor (MWH Wine £420) was amazing in 2022) and offer a level of complexity and elegance no other fortified wine can match. For drinking now, try the Niepoort 1997 (Fareham Wine Cellar £57.50). A great vintage, time has softened this, giving it a red-amber colour with a nose of fruits of the forest, chocolate, cherries, and smoke. In the mouth, it is sumptuous, loaded with black and red berry fruits, black figs, plums, sweet spices, and liquorice. Decant and enjoy on its own with good company.
Well, that’s it from me for 2023. I’ll be back in January with some no-and low-alcohol wine recommendations. So, until then have a fine wine Christmas, and here’s to a happy 2024.
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To celebrate 50 years since the start of Tina Turner’s iconic solo career, three lucky music-lovers can win a Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll compilation of 55 tracks that compiles an incredible anthology of Tina’s legendary solo career.
From her cover of Whole Lotta Love all the way up to the Kygo remix of What’s Love Got to Do With It in 2020, Tina Turner – Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll is the first time her whole singles collection has been released as one set.
It comes as triple-CD and 5LP sets as well as digitally with a cut-back 12 track vinyl version. All sets come with a foreword from Bryan Adams – her longtime friend and collaborator.
Tina’s first release as a solo artist was the 1974 album Tina Turns The Country On! whilst still touring and releasing albums as duo Ike & Tina Turner Revue. The album spawned no singles but in 1975 upon the release of her second album – ‘Acid Queen’ – her cover of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’ was released which kicks off this set which goes on to including duets with other legendary performers like David Bowie, Bryan Adams, Eric Clapton and Rod Stewart as well as some of the most unforgettable and celebrated pop and rock singles of all time such as ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’, ‘Private Dancer’, ‘We Don’t Need Another Hero’, ‘The Best’, ‘Steamy Windows’, ‘I Don’t Wanna Lose You’, ‘Disco Inferno’ to name but a few.
To celebrate the legacy of the undeniable and inimitable Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, this collection also features a new version of ‘Something Beautiful Remains’ retitled to simply ‘Something Beautiful’. The track has been reworked by legendary producer and long-time collaborator of Tina, Terry Britten, and is an emotive and fitting final tribute to the power of her legacy that Terry made shortly after her passing, he said “Dear Tina, the experience of working with you could never be repeated, but in my heart something beautiful remains. Love, Terry”.
Tina is revered around the world, inspiring millions through her own personal story, her singing, her dancing and beyond, her music legacy is a collection of some of the best-known songs of all time.
She is unquestionably one of the most important artists ever inspiring, amongst many others, Beyoncé who, at the Kennedy Center Honours tribute event for Tina in 2005 said, “I will never forget the first time I saw you [Tina Turner] perform, I had never in my life seen a woman so powerful, so fearless and so fabulous” (watch her tribute here) and their performance of ‘Proud Mary’ together is regarded as some of the most iconic Grammy moments ever. Watch here.
Tina has sold over 200 million records and has had ten UK top ten hit singles and nine UK top 10 albums and was the first female artist to have a top 40 hit in six consecutive decades in the UK. Her albums combined are 20x platinum in the UK and 9x platinum in the US whilst also achieving huge sales throughout the rest of the world. She has won eight Grammy Awards and been nominated for 25. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, has stars on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame and St. Louis Walk of Fame. Her 1988 Break Every Rule tour, broke the world record for the largest paying audience at a solo concert, with 184,000 at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro and Rolling Stone Magazine named her #17 in 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and #63 in 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Yet, regardless of all the success and fame through her career, Tina remained relatable and adored for the person she was. In Bryan Adam’s beautiful and personal foreword, he sums up perfectly the effect she has had on him that reflects on so many around the world…
“From obscurity to the stages of the UK and Europe, I credit Tina for changing the course of my life and I’m so grateful to have had some of her precious time. She was a force of nature, no one had her energy or her voice, I suppose it’s fitting to say, it’s only love, and that’s all.”
Forget your cares and de-stress in the calm inviting studio space of the new Vayu Yoga in Guildford
December is a non-stop whirl of activity, going here and there, school and work functions to attend and all amid the joy/chaos that Christmas brings so never is there a greater need for some ‘time out’ to take a breather for yourself.
Step into Vayu Yoga above Black Sheep Coffee in North Street, Guildford, and you’ll be stepping into a haven of all that is tranquil. Peace exudes and you’ll feel a lifetime away from the crazy world outside.
The clean, warm, inviting interior will have you letting out an instant sigh of relief as you absorb the unique experience that awaits, inviting you to feel the benefits of moving your body and calming your mind.
The only independent yoga studio in Guildford, Vayu Yoga is run by Lucy Butler, a yoga teacher and Reiki master. Lucy wants to share her passion and love for yoga through her calm and welcoming studio space ‘where you can breathe deeply and energise your morning or release into your evening’.
Vayu Yoga embodies three core principles – philosophy, community and your wellbeing. The philosophy is to curate sessions in which you can experience the rich variety yoga has to offer. Community is at the heart of Vayu Yoga with the emphasis on offering an accessible approach to yoga for everyone from beginners to those more experienced. Your wellbeing and self awareness will increase through the practice with a calm mind and healthy body helping to add to the feeling of overall contentment.
Lucy says: “We’ve created a beautiful environment with the best teachers in the area, where you will receive individual attention and guidance. We offer an experience, a step away from the stresses and strains of daily life, where you can focus on an hour of ‘you’ time from beginners to advanced practitioners.
“We also offer a range of intimate workshops for a longer immersive experience. A luxurious experience like no other studio, a clean beautifully scented space where you can relax and enjoy our tranquil atmosphere.”
A range of classes is available including hot vinyasa, Hatha, mindful flow, and the popular candlelight restorative as well as the relaxing Yin. One-to-one private sessions and small groups sessions, can also be enjoyed, alongside Reiki.
British shorthair cat Sir Monty Esq is the subject of a new online business in Bagshot. Kristy Goncalves tells us more and invites us to read his blog The Regal Whisker Chronicles
Meet Sir Monty Esquire, a British shorthair of impeccable lineage who together with his devoted cat parents Kristy and Andre, is bringing his adventures to life.
His whimsical blog aims to entertain, inspire and uplift while helping to better the lives of his fellow animals through support for the RSPCA, which holds a special place in our hearts.
Monty started becoming ill four years ago and ever since we have been back and forth to the vets trying to get his health back on track. If we had known that vet bills could be so expensive and accumulate so quickly, we would have had better insurance cover and so with this experience behind us, the idea of the business took shape.
Originally we wanted to launch our own charity that could help people who found themselves in our position, whether it be financial or just offering good advice. We soon found starting a charity was far more complicated than we envisioned, and that maybe that wouldn’t be our starting point.
We then decided to open an online store featuring a blog of Monty’s journey and his daily escapades. This way we can still help other pet owners by sharing our experience, but also give a proportion of the proceeds from sales of the apparel and merchandise to the RSPCA. Let Monty explain…
“Our store boasts unique AI generated designs based on yours truly and curated primarily by my cat parents into stylish and one of a kind items for your delight. With every subscription, every like, and every share of our blog or purchase from our store, a portion of our proceeds will be donated to the RSPCA. Together, we aspire to make a meaningful impact, ensuring that animals, both regal and humble, receive the care and protection they deserve.”
We will be selling merchandise and apparel such as hoodies, T-shirts, hats, phone cases, tote bags, calenders, cards, posters, mugs and later on we will venture into selling pet toys, treats, pet clothes etc
Win!
We would like to offer Round & About readers the chance to win a hoodie, 2024 calendar and a mug with Sir Monty featured on the designs. To be in with a chance simply enter via our app. Find out more.
Subscribe to the blog to receive a 15 per cent discount on purchases from the online store, simply quote code Round&About.
To find out more about Sir Monty Esq and shop the merchandise to support the RSPCA, click here.
Stacey Black, founder of Wandering Wild Yoga, East Meon, has tips for staying relaxed over the festive period and tells us more about her new yoga walks and classes
As a busy mum of three, I understand how making space for self-care is hard especially over the festive season. But spending just 10 minutes a day practising these three simple techniques could make all the difference.
Gratitude Journal: Start your day by jotting down three things you are grateful for.
Mindful Breathing: Sit in a comfortable position with your spine long, close your eyes and bring your awareness to your breath. Start to observe your breath, watching the subtle movements as you inhale and exhale, notice the qualities of your breath, does your breath feel slow or quick, does it feel smooth or jagged, notice how the ribs expand on the inhale and contract back with the exhale.
After a few rounds, gently start to deepen and lengthen your breath, engaging your diaphragm and using your lungs more fully. Sit for a few minutes breathing this way, letting your exhale be slightly longer than your inhale, this helps calm the body and nervous system.
Yoga Pose: Legs up the wall pose (Viparita Karani): Lying with your legs up the wall makes a difference to your mental and physical health. It activates the parasympathetic nervous system by slowing the breath and letting the body know it is safe to relax. It also relieves aching muscles and joints whilst also supporting your lymphatic and glymphatic system.
Set a timer between 5 and 20 minutes. To go into the posture, sit sideways on to the wall, manoeuvre yourself around so that your back is on the floor and your legs are up the wall. Once in position focus on your breath, take slow deep breath (as detailed above). When you are ready to come out cuddle your knees to your chest and roll on to one side.
Please note: this posture is not suitable during pregnancy, if you suffer from glaucoma or have untreated high blood pressure.
Make yoga a New Year resolution
Yoga is a transformational practice and benefits the mind, body and spirit. My journey began with a local yoga class, it was then I decided that I wanted to share this ancient practice with others.
I have now been teaching for 12 years and offer a range of classes including hatha yoga, chair yoga, restorative yoga, Mindful Wanders (outdoor yoga combined with mindful walking) and sound baths. My plan for 2024 is to focus on Yoga for Cancer with holistic yoga programmes for individuals and groups.
For more information about my classes please click here.
Wandering Wild Yoga is offering a free taster session for two people in 2024. To win this experience click here.
Only entries from within our circulation areas will be accepted
Please don’t enter if you are not in a Round & About Magazine postcode region One entry per householder. You must supply a name, address and telephone number or your entry will not be accepted
Win a free taster session for two people with Wandering Wild Yoga 2024.
Start your new year with a relaxing yoga session with Wandering Wild Yoga.
We’ve teamed up with Stacey Black, founder of Wandering Wild Yoga, East Meon to give Round & About readers the chance to win a taster session.
To enter our prize draw, fill in the form below before 12pm on Friday 22nd December 2023.
Only entries from within our circulation areas will be accepted
Please don’t enter if you are not in a Round & About Magazine postcode region One entry per householder. You must supply a name, address and telephone number or your entry will not be accepted
Win a free taster class at Vayu Yoga
We are offering five Round & About readers the chance to join a free taster class with Vayu Yoga in Guildford
To enter our prize draw, fill in the form below before 12pm on Friday 22nd December 2023.
Enjoy the magic of Christmas with friends and family this December in Bordon
Visit The Shed this December for a Shed load of festive fun! Bring your friends and family and enjoy the magic of Christmas and embrace the holiday spirit with our enchanting festivities. From seasonal arts and crafts to live music, a dazzling Christmas market, and cosy drive-in cinema screenings, The Shed has got it all!
Christmas markets
From Friday 15th to Sunday 17th December, The Shed’s seasonal Christmas Market is back for its third year, and this year it’s even bigger than ever. With traders opening for the Friday afternoon and across the weekend, there’ll be hot food and drinks as well as local crafts and gifts available for everyone.
Music will be from local choirs, entertainment from the Phoenix Players and Shed favourite Stephanie Belle, plus much more.
Friday 15th, 4 to 8pm – It’s a chilled evening with lots of grown up things to delight.
Saturday 16th, 12 to 8pm – A family-orientated day with loads of fun, a nativity farm with real animals including special donkey story-time sessions throughout the day.
Sunday 17th, 10 to 2pm – An ideal day out for all the family with lots of great stalls and festive music.
On Saturday 16th don’t miss the chance to ride the reindeer bucking bronco, don your Christmas hat, put down the mulled wine and see how long you can hold on for!
Festive films
‘Tis the Season for Magical Movie Nights at Ticket Cinema. Get ready to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year with a heart-warming selection of Christmas classics including How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Elf, Polar Express and Home Alone 2 under the starry night sky. Join them throughout December for a cinematic celebration of the Christmas spirit, with screenings twice a day on the 20th, 21st and 22nd you’ll have lots of opportunities to catch your favourite holiday films. Don’t miss out on this chance to make enduring traditions and create unforgettable moments with the family.
Whitehill & Bordon Regeneration Company is looking forward to welcoming you to these Christmas events this December, as well as providing a central community hub where people of all ages can meet up to enjoy activities across the festive period.
1st December 7-9pm: Christmas Wreath Workshop
15th December 4-8pm: Christmas Market
16th December 12-8pm: Christmas Market
17th December 10am-2pm: Christmas Market
20th December 3:30-5:30pm: How the Grinch Stole Christmas @ Ticket Cinema
20th December 7-9pm: Elf @ Ticket Cinema
21st December 3:30-5:30pm: Home Alone 2 @ Ticket Cinema
21st December 7-9pm: Last Christmas @ Ticket Cinema
22nd December 3:30-5:30pm: The Polar Express @ Ticket Cinema
All donations to the Trust’s campaign to support conservation grazing will be matched by The Big Give from 28th November to 5th December
Surrey Wildlife Trust’s fundraising appeal to help its team of four-footed conservation heroes preserve and protect precious habitats has received a big boost as match funding platform The Big Give has promised to match any donations received from members of the public – effectively doubling the impact your money can have on local wildlife.
All donations made between 28th November and 5th December will be matched by The Big Give as part of its Christmas Challenge, and the campaign has received backing of £9,800 thanks to Kia UK and a further £5,000 from The Reed Foundation.
SWT is urgently asking for donations to help maintain and extend conservation grazing using herds of Belted Galloway cows and specially-bred cross breed sheep in the county. This is an effective way to keep chalk grasslands and heathlands buzzing with life as the climate and nature crisis bites, and supports a huge number of species including Nightjars, Dartford Warblers, Silver-studded Blue butterflies, Sand Lizards and a multitude of pollinating bees and beetles as well as plant life including orchid species and Cut-leaved Germander.
But the Trust is being hit by increasing costs for overwintering, feed and veterinary care. Additional funding is urgently needed to recruit more volunteers to help look after the herd.
SWT also wants to increase the use of ‘no fence’ grazing, which uses specialized GPS collars, controlled using an app. This makes costly fencing unnecessary and enables herds to be moved to new grazing territory safely, quickly and easily.
Surrey Wildlife Trust’s farm and livestock manager James Stoyles says: “Our unique landscapes bring huge benefits to thousands of visitors and residents, but they need sensitive management to stay in good shape for people and nature. Our conservation grazers are the best possible team for the job – but they need help to keep carrying out their vital mission.
“Thanks to the wonderful generosity of our supporters, we’re already 30 per cent of the way towards meeting out overall fundraising target of £50,000. It’s great that The Big Give has offered us this opportunity, but to get over the line we’ll need help from everyone who can afford to make a donation, however small. Every penny we raise will contribute to a healthier, more biodiverse and more beautiful Surrey.”
The fundraising campaign has four main aims:
Expanding ‘no fence’ grazing in Surrey. Equipping more conservation grazing cattle with GPS collars will reduce the need for physical fences (thus reducing the costs of installation and maintenance) and allow more targeted grazing.
Increasing awareness of conservation grazing and engage with local communities to ensure that people, dogs and grazing animals can safely enjoy local reserves.
Increasing the Trust’s conservation grazing team capacity by recruiting and training more volunteer ‘lookerers’. To ensure the day-to-day welfare of the grazing herds, SWT aims to have 15-20 weekend volunteer lookerers.
Breeding a flock of cross-breed sheep (combining traditional Wiltshire Horn and Boreray breeds) with wool-shedding qualities, resulting in improved welfare and low cost. These animals could be a vital resource for land managers and conservationists across the county and beyond.
