There are plenty of displays to choose from, big and small, to make your fireworks night go with a bang
Friday, 4th November
Four Marks Bonfire and Fireworks, Four Marks C of E primary School, Kitwood Road GU34 5AS: Enjoy a dazzling display, live music, BBQ, bar, refreshments and stalls at this hugely popular event. Tickets sold out last year and are selling fast this year too, adult £8, child £5, under 3 free, family £20. Book yours at fofmpta.co.uk The organisers would like to thank sponsors H W Autos, Hamptons Estate Agents, Coop Four Marks.
Saturday, 5th November
Fleet Lions Firework Fiesta, Calthorpe Park GU51 4AD: Come and enjoy the fabulous fireworks display starting at around 6.30pm. At the Lions marquee you can buy burgers and hotdogs, get fibre optic and LED toys for the kiddies while the grown ups can sample our tasty Lions Glühwein (mulled wine). Fleet Phoenix are serving hot and cold drinks, The Hot Oven Bakers Corner will serve samosas, pasties and sausage rolls and The 29th Odiham Scouts will provide toffee apples, churros sparklers, sweet fountains rocket biscuits and chocolate mines and there’ll be pulled pork from Muncheon Luncheon. Caleb’s coffee and hot drinks will be served at the old Pavilion. www.fleetlions.org.uk/fundraising/fireworkfiesta.html
The Shed, Bordon GU35 0DJ: Remember, remember the 5th of November, because The Shed is hosting its second Community Fireworks Night! This free event will have food and drinks stalls open from 5pm across the Parade Square and Town Park with the big fireworks display starting from 7.30pm. And the night doesn’t end there – visitors can warm up with a drink and a dance to live music at The Tap at The Shed directly afterwards.
Hatch Warren Fireworks Display, Longcross Lane, Basingstoke GU22 4XF: Expect an outstanding display, starting promptly at 7.30pm with lively music, food and drink stalls and a licensed bar, along with light up novelty toys and children’s funfair rides to keep everyone of all ages entertained. www.hatchwarren.org/events-1/fireworks-spectacular-1
There are plenty of displays to choose from, big and small, to make your fireworks night go with a bang.
Saturday, 29th October
Twyford & District Round Table charity bonfire & fireworks night is celebrating 80’s & Disney movies at King George V Recreation ground Twyford. This year there is a Facebook poll to pick a Disney villain effigy to be lit atop the bonfire so get voting! Sponsored by Grapevine Estate Agents, you will not want to miss this fantastic mid-winter community festival complete with BBQ, a contactless and cash bar stocked with real local ales, traditional mulled wines, plus hot chocolate and coffee. Our stalls, and fairground rides for the young and young at heart, will blur the night sky and bring the night to life. Buy discounted tickets online in advance and save.
The UK’s largest low noise firework display choreographed to music more than makes up for the drama in visual impression at the Halloween Spooktacular Bonfire and Fireworks at Henley Showground. Without the huge explosions more families will be able to enjoy the dazzling displays without upsetting the children (or four-legged friends) in the local community. https://henleyspooktacular.eventbrite.co.uk
Friday, 4th November
LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort – November 4th -6th: Enjoy an awesome day with all your favourite rides, live shows and attractions followed by some of the best fireworks in the country! Plus, you can transform our incredible fireworks display into exploding LEGO® bricks with our magic Brick glasses* that put the ‘spec’ into spectacular. * Paid for separately. www.legoland.co.uk/explore/special-events/fireworks-spectacular
Reading Lions Fireworks Spectacular, Scours Lane is the setting for Reading Lions Fireworks Spectacular where there’s also a small fairground with children’s rides, hot food and drink stalls and a licensed bar, more fun with face painting and other activities and children dressed in the best Halloween outfits will win prizes! Book tickets at https://www.readinglionsfireworks.org.uk/#tickets
Saturday, 5th November
Witches and Wizards Fireworks, Windsor Racecourse, SL4 5JJ: It’s a wicked night of Wizards and Witches at the racecourse. Grab your broomsticks, dust off your pointy hat and cloak and see the Grand Hall, Platform 9¾ and special Wizard’s Show at this fabulous spooky night for all the family. With a huge bonfire, yummy treats – food and drink outlets will be card only – and a funfair (please bring cash for this) with the highlight the spectacular display to music featuring the 15-minute firework fiesta with a dazzling display of rockets, Catherine wheels, fountains and more. www.windsor-racecourse.co.uk/whats-on/fireworks-saturday-5th-november
Cantley Field Fireworks, Wokingham RG41 1BQ: A funfair with many rides for young children, as well as scary rides for the older ones kicks off proceedings at 5.30pm with a torchlit procession from 6pm in Market Place led by St Sebastian’s band and local dignitaries. The fireworks start at 7.30pm on Cantley Field and the display will be bigger and better than ever complete with drinks and snacks from vendors. All proceeds to local charities. www.wokingham-fireworks.co.uk/fireworks.html
Newbury Lions Club are presenting their spectacular charity fireworks extravaganza at Newbury Racecourse. Gates open at 5pm when you can enjoy music and children’s entertainment alongside food and drink outlets before the display to music starts at 7.30pm. Pre bought tickets only, there will not be any available on the gate. Buy yours from various outlets in Newbury, Thatcham and Hungerford and online at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/newbury-lions-fabulous-fireworks-2022-tickets-412396257307?aff=eand
The Friends of Pangbourne Primary School are holding a thrilling 20-minute display at the school in Kennedy Drive, complete with bonfire, hot food and drinks, a bar with beer and mulled wine, coffee and cakes, tombola, glow toys and amusement stalls. Get your tickets at https://www.tickettailor.com/events/foppsfireworkfiesta/771019#
Cookham Scouts Bonfire and Fireworks will be lighting up the night skies opposite the Village Hall on the Old Cricket Common from 5-8pm where you can enjoy a bonfire and fabulous fireworks display with warming food and drinks. A lantern procession will herald the start of the evening’s proceedings. Donations on the night will be welcome.
There are plenty of displays to choose from, big and small, to make your fireworks night go with a bang
Saturday, 29th October
Weston on the Green will be lighting the bonfire at 6.30pm before its display goes up around 7pm. It costs just £1 with profits going towards the cost of the 2023 event.
Friday, 4th November
Fizz, whizz, pop! The awe-inspiring Fireworks Display at Witney Lakes is back with a bang with food stalls, entertainment and more, our firework display will be a night to remember for the whole family. Wrap up warm and come for a night of entertainment at Witney Lakes Resort’s annual firework display.
Ridgeway Beer, mulled wine, hot dogs, doughnuts and cakes as well as homemade soup to warm you up are all available at South Stoke bonfire and fireworks night in the Recreation Ground. Go along and enjoy the fireworks display choreographed to music by double British firework champions Illusion Fireworks Ltd. All money raised goes to South Stoke School.
Didcot Football Club’s fireworks spectacular is kicking off with fairground rides from 4pm, keep warm next to the bonfire from 6pm and watch the colourful show from 7.30pm. Hot food and drink, a bar, stalls and glows and sparklers will all add to the fun for the price of just £5 per person on the gate.
Expect low noise and more environmentally friendly whizzes and bangs at Strathfield Brake Rec, Kidlington along with all the fun of the fair, stalls, a BBQ and bar. Tickets can be bought in advance from Exeter Hall with a £1 discount.
Hanborough Musical Fireworks promises to be a colourful sight with gates opening at 6opm before the main event at 7.15pm. Fairgrounds rides, candyfloss, a BBQ, mulled wine and hot chocolate will all help to keep you warm while you enjoy the show. Cash only event.
Saturday, 5th November
Thame Fireworks is raising funds for the 3 Thame Primary Schools at Chinnor RFC in Kingsey Road, come along and enjoy a colourful display. E-tickets available now at http://www.thameschoolsfireworks.co.uk/
Oxford Round Table are holding their 54th charity fireworks display on the main day at South Park where you’ll find so much more to enjoy in addition to the traditional display. There’ll be an enormous bonfire built by Round Table members and volunteers, a fully licensed bar, Hebborn’s funfair and a super family tent with dedicated enclosure and viewing area. For tickets visit https://oxfordfireworks.co.uk/the-event
Wallingford Bonfire and Fireworks has become known for the huge pallet bonfire and effigy which is burnt courtesy of the work put in by all the helpful folks at Wallingford 1155 who take great pride in organising the celebrations. Every hot dog, mulled wine, glow stick or sparkler you buy will help fund future events. The event is free but donations are invited on the gate. Look out for the Loose Cannon tents selling ale and Pilsner lager.
Sunday, 6th November
If noisy fireworks are not for you then how about the Festival of Fire and Light at Barracks Lane Community Garden. Join the procession with lanterns and make a head dress to wear. Make your own pizza to tuck into and enjoy warming pumpkin soup over the fire. Cornerstonemusik’s DJ BAPS will be adding to the festival vibes providing some conscious and loving ‘outanational’ selections. The garden is located in a new Resident Parking Zone so please come by bike, on foot or use public transport.
Saturday, 12th November
The week after there are still fireworks to entertain you when Illusion Fireworks return to Abingdon Airfield for the sixth year with a 30-minute display choreographed to music. A massive bonfire will form the centrepiece with fiery fireballs, a huge fairground, entertainers and fire breathers, a high powered light display and children’s firework display all part of the attractions. Book tickets at https://www.xplosiveevents.com/events/abingdon-bonfire-fireworks
Well done to all the wildlife lovers who took part in the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) competition who snapped some beautiful sights at local nature reserves and green spaces and showed how nature can help our mental health
Winning entries include this stunning shot of a buzzard in flight, this pin-sharp picture of a tiny shield bug emerging from a garden flower and a portrait of a pensive kingfisher.
The winner of this year’s children’s category was eight-year-old Roly Lewis from Oxford. The North Hinksey Primary School pupil took his fantastic photo of a shield bug, poking its head out of a flower in his own front garden.
Roly said: “I wanted to enter the competition, so I took lots of wildlife pictures all spring and summer. I thought this photo was my best one because the blossom was a nice background, and the shield bug had an amazing colour and pattern. This made me look closely at shield bugs which are really amazing. My mum told me I had won when I came out of school, and I was so excited I jumped up and down. I really wanted to win but I thought there would be so many good photos that I wouldn’t.”
Children Winner – Roly Lewis (8) (Sheildbug)Children Runner Up – Hayden Denham (7) (Hummingbird Hawkmoth)
The Wildlife Trust restarted its popular photo competition this summer after a three-year break because of the pandemic. The charity, which manages more than 80 nature reserves across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, challenged everyone aged six and over to take fantastic photos of plants, animals and fungi at its sites, or to capture action for wildlife in their local area.
Roy McDonald took first place with his crystal-clear shot of a buzzard in mid-air at the Trust’s College Lake reserve near Tring. The 45-year-old former courier driver from Berkhamstead revealed after winning the contest that he has struggled with his mental health for some years, and that wildlife photography had helped. He said: “Nature helps me so much, it’s honest and calming and it doesn’t judge you, and just sometimes, if you are calm and patient, it will allow you to get up close into their world. I always take great pleasure when a creature trusts you enough to not scurry or fly away. But you don’t have to take photos: just being in nature and observing it can give you something to focus on.
“I had my encounter with a majestic buzzard on a cold and beautiful winter day. I had seconds to react once I spotted it, and just as my focus locked on, it spotted me and flew directly across my path. So close to me. I chose the first image of the sequence because it had the most amount of action and sense of place. It is by far and away the best shot of a buzzard I have ever managed. They have eluded me for years. I’m quite stunned and delighted to have won.”
Flora and fauna Winner (and overall winner) – Ray McDonald (buzzard in flight) taken at College LakeFlora and fauna Runner Up – Adrianna Bielobradek (Poppy seedhead) taken at Buckleberry Common)
As overall winner, Mr McDonald won a top-of-the-range Panasonic Lumix digital camera and a wildlife photography masterclass. As well as receiving a printed canvas of his picture and having it appear in BBOWT’s 2023 calendar.
This year’s contest had six new categories: flora and fauna; nature reserve landscapes; people in nature; children’s category (ages 6-12), teenagers (ages 13-19) and Team Wilder, for shots of action for nature in the community. Helen Touchard-Paxton, a mum who lives Buckinghamshire, won the Team Wilder category with a snap of a frog in a garden pond that she and her family dug during the coronavirus lockdown.
She said: “I believe this photo shows that you don’t need acres of land to create a successful wildlife area: if you are interested – no matter how small your space – just have a go and see what works. I don’t have high-end expensive equipment, and I have no idea how to use photo editing software – the photo is very much ‘as taken’. I was absolutely amazed to have won the Team Wilder category.”
Team Wilder Winner – Helen Touchard-Paxton (frog)Team Wilder Runner Up – Peter Massam (bug hotel)
The Trust received hundreds of entries, creating an extremely difficult job for this year’s judges. BBOWT communications officer Kate Titford, Trust magazine editor Ben Vanheems and professional photographer Steve Gozdz, who runs local nature safaris in Berkshire through his business GG Wildlife Experiences.
Teenagers Winner – Zachary Osbourne (14) Kingfisher Teenagers Runner Up – Lucy Colston (17) (marbled white on scabious)
Mr Vanheems said: “It’s been a really laborious process with lots of debate going on because we want to get it right, but the competition entrants haven’t exactly made it easy for us.”
People in Nature Winner – Petra Mohr (girl on decking) taken at Weston Turville ReserviorPeople in Nature Runner Up – Lorraine Clarke (man in hide) taken at College Lake
Mr Gozdz added: “What I was looking for was composition, good use of light – an action shot would have been fantastic. What we’ve found is something quite stunning. A real in-the-moment shot with perfect angles and perfect light, and actually something I would have been very happy to have taken myself. In fact, when I first saw it I was quite jealous.”
Landscape Winner – Charlotte Day (sunrise landscape) taken at Cholsey MarshLandscape Runner Up – John Kearns (Warburg trees) taken at Warburg
The trust is grateful to GG Wildlife Experiences, Panasonic and Chroma for sponsoring this year’s competition.
Dr Marion Gluck, Hormone Expert, and Founder of The Marion Gluck Clinic explores the different treatment options available for anyone experiencing menopause or perimenopause symptoms.
With October being Menopause Awareness Month, and many women experiencing debilitating symptoms that make carrying out everyday tasks difficult, it’s important that women know there are treatment options available, and they needn’t suffer in silence.
Synthetic HRTs made from estrogens derived from horse urine, or synthetic oral estrogens are still available on the NHS but are not the optimal choices. The British Menopause Society recognises that bioidentical HRT is the gold standard form of HRT, which is derived from plant sterols such as beta-sitosterol and diosgenin from Mexican yams. Bioidentical and body identical hormones are exactly the same but body identical refers to the regulated standard dose treatments available on the NHS, and bioidentical refers to the personalised HRT from a compounding pharmacy.
As a menopause doctor, I prefer to prescribe compounded Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) and regulated body identical HRT where appropriate, depending on each individual client. BHRT differs from synthetic HRT as bioidentical hormones have an identical molecular structure to the naturally occurring hormones which are produced in the body. Whereas synthetic hormones are structurally different and do not have the same physiological reaction.
Comparing body identical and bioidentical hormones
Although body identical and bioidentical hormones are made with similar ‘ingredients’ there are differences between the two. Including the manufacturing process, dosage, delivery, and which hormones are available in terms of estradiol, progesterone, DHEA, and testosterone. For example, body identical progesterone is only available as utrogestan which is an oral capsule rather than a cream. The availability of suitable testosterone preparations for women is also limited.
Body identical hormones are produced by large pharmaceutical companies in regulated, set doses and application methods, and while this one-size-fits-all approach works for some patients, the dosage and application of body identical hormones cannot be altered to cater to those with more specific needs.
On the other hand, BHRT can be compounded into a personalised dosage and in different application methods, creating a better solution, with fewer side effects, for many women. Women can choose to have their medication as a cream, sublingual drop, or lozenge, making the treatment fit with their lifestyle and preferences. BHRT is also usually prescribed in much lower dosages than regulated hormones, meaning women experience fewer side effects and can enjoy feeling themselves again in a much shorter timeframe. With BHRT, shortages are rarely faced as individual prescriptions are made in the compounding pharmacy.
BHRT is prescribed in personalised dosages, based on thorough testing, and produced to order. This means that the pharmacy (which must meet industry standards for purity of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Good Manufacturing Practice) is able to prepare custom doses and application methods to address the individual needs of a patient.
“Women around the world face an ongoing needless struggle with hormonal issues. I have made it my life’s work to raise awareness about the treatment and holistic changes that can help them feel themselves again”
As we’re living longer and working later in life, menopause is something that needs to be discussed and women need to feel they have choices in their treatment plans and control of their wellbeing. For too long we have suffered in silence, and it doesn’t need to be this way. There are effective and safe treatments available to women who are experiencing debilitating symptoms such as brain fog, palpitations, anxiety, and sleep deprivation. Whether a woman chooses HRT, body identical HRT or my pioneering method of BHRT, I am on a mission to raise awareness, champion getting life-changing treatment, and offering women choice.
Round & About’s resident wine columnist gives his top picks of Champagne which are worth a pop!
Hello. I’ve just returned from my latest foray into the wonderful world of wine, this time a visit to one of my favourite regions, Champagne. To many champagne is a by-word for celebration; the wine with which to mark life’s highlights. While I wouldn’t disagree with this sentiment, that is to overlook champagne’s place as one of the great wines, one that can be enjoyed with food or as a celebration in itself.
In my latest column for Round and About, I’ll give you a brief guide to this fascinating region, its styles, and run down of my top ten champagnes. So, without further ado, let’s talk chalk.
Champagne: Beauty isn’t skin deep
Take a former inland sea, a hill with delusions of grandeur, trillions of dead fish, a good supply of trees, and place them in cool, north-western France, and what do you get? You get the world’s greatest sparkling wine region, Champagne.
Beneath a thin layer of largely poor soils, lies meters of ancient chalk. It’s this chalk that allows grapes to ripen in what would otherwise be (pre-climate change) an inhospitable place for vines. By leaching heat and storing water, the vast chalk deposits that underlay the region, Champagne manages to get chardonnay alongside the black grapes of pinot noir and pinot meunier to ripen and produce its wondrous wines.
For many of the top champagne houses – names such as Taittinger, Ruinart, Moet & Chandon, and Gosset – the chalk plays another vital role in the creation of these singular wines: ageing.
In the 5th century Roman settlers planted vines here. The name Champagne derives from the Latin’ campania’ in reference to the rolling hills of Campanula near Rome which the area resembles. When they arrived, they discovered very little in the way of building materials on the surface and so they started to dig. They soon discovered the vast deposits of chalk which they excavated to build cities such as Reims and Epernay, leaving behind huge subterranean caves – the ‘crayeres’ as they are now known – in their wake.
Today, many of these are used to house champagne while it slowly matures. Given the crayeres impressive depth – some go down over 30 metres – they provide the continuously cool, vibration-free environment the wines need as they develop.
Time is an essential element in the production of champagne. Even non-vintage wines, those blended from several harvests, received at least 18 months of bottle ageing prior to release, and vintage wines, ones from a single year, needing at least 3 years. And when it comes to rare cuvee de prestige wines such as Taittinger’s sublime Comte de Champagne or Gosset’s Celebris, a decade or more of ageing may be required.
Champagne’s Grapes and Styles
Given the wine itself is white or rosé, it may come as a surprise to you that most wines are made with black and white grapes. Around 75% of champagne’s grapes are black, the rest being made up of chardonnay.
As the juice of almost all grapes is white when pressed, the colour comes from contact with skins, and while there are seven authorised varieties in Champagne, the three most important vines are:
Chardonnay – which produces mineral-rich wines with wonderfully pure fruit, fragrance, and aromas
Pinot Noir – an aristocratic red grape that gives acidity, backbone, depth, and body to the wines
Pinot Meunier – rarely seen elsewhere, pinot meunier adds fruitiness and roundness to the finished blend
In terms of styles, that is largely in the hands of the winemaker and even wines produced from similar blends – the ‘cepage’ – can deliver markedly different wines. Try a bottle of Taittinger’s Prelude with its ripe, peaches in syrup fruit, subtle yeasty undertow, and generous weight beside Gosset’s equally long-aged Grande Reserve and you’d be forgiven for thinking the wines were made in different regions. The Grande Reserve is high-toned and fresh, with a piercing citrus flavour that’s softened by a rich seam of red berries and creamy yeast.
In terms of labels, the following are the styles you are most likely to see:
Brut – this is a dry wine which has a limit to the amount of sugar that gets added to the wines – the ‘dosage’. In the case of a Brut wine, this is less than 12g of residual sugar per litre. Brut is a movable feast, however, and some Houses have residual sugar levels that are close to the limit while others, such as Gosset, tend to be far lower
Demi-Sec – this is an off-dry champagne that is often served as an aperitif or with deserts
Blanc de Blanc – white wine made from white grapes; this is invariably 100% chardonnay. Most of these wines are good for early drinking while the fruit is young and bright, but given the structure of Champagne’s chardonnay, some blanc de blanc can age wonderfully. Taittinger’s Comte de Champagne is routinely aged for a decade before release and will reward another decade or more of cellarage. I’ve enjoyed venerable bottles of Ruinart’s R de Ruinart Blanc de Blanc, and my recent encounter with the sublime Gosset Blanc de Blancs show it’s a wine that has time on its side
Blanc de Noir – made exclusively from black grapes, blanc de noir is an odd category. Much of the cheap (and let’s face it, nasty) supermarket champagne is blanc de noir and is made almost exclusively from pinot meunier with the aim of being drunk young. At the other end of the scale, you have wines such as Bollinger’s Vielle Vignes Francaise or Krug Clos d’Ambonnay which combine extraordinary power, depth, and concentration and are amongst Champagne’s most revered (and expensive) wines
Rosé – in Champagne this is invariably bone dry and can be made in one of two ways. The first is to allow the grape to come into contact with the black grape skins and bleed its colour into it the must – the ‘saignee’ method. The alternative is to add around 15% of red wine to the white
Champagne’s Best 10 Wines
The following is my top ten and is based on a combination of excellence, value, and availability. It would be easy for me to reel of the off top ten greatest champagnes I’ve ever had, and some of them are included on this list. But unless you work in the trade or have a bank balance the size of Moet’s marketing budget, listing the likes of Krug’s Clos de Mesnil 1982 (£3,300) isn’t that helpful.
Now, the following represents ten wines that show champagne’s diversity, styles, and that its brilliance doesn’t have to be reserved for special occasions:
Taittinger Comtes de Champagne (£150 Waitrose) – Comtes is an astonishing wine. 100% chardonnay – so a blanc de blanc – logic would suggest that it wouldn’t stand up to a decade of aging before release, let alone that it would cellar well for years to come. Equally how does a chardonnay have such intensity, complexity and depth of flavour? Comte’s nose is flowers and white berries with a whiff of creamy yeast. On the palate it begins as a gentle vanilla mousse, but this soon builds as tones of apple, preaches in syrup, minerals and brioche flood in. Yes, it’s expensive, but in terms of quality phenomenal and is well-priced when viewed against its peers.
Gosset Grand Rosé (Ocado £60) – Gosset’s wines are intense, precise, capable of seemingly endless ageing, and wonderfully sophisticated. Their Grand Rosé is pale pink, with a nose that combines fresh summer berries, pear drops, and yeast. In the mouth it’s clean, tangy and fresh with an underlying richness and power. This is a wine for the mind as well as the mouth, and I would urge any wine lover to try it.
Vilmart Grands Reserve (The Champagne Company £35) – Vilmart is a small, high-quality house that takes a Burgundian approach to making wine. Visit winemaker Laurent Champs and you’ll find a small, pristine cellar that’s lined with new oak barrels. Oak ageing is at the heart of what Vilmart does, and it imparts a richness and weight to their wines, giving a creamy mouthfeel without smothering the fine red and white berry fruits.
Taittinger Prelude (The Champagne Company £48.50) – while the Taittinger Prestige Rosé (Majestic £44.99) was named as the ‘Best Rosé’ by Good Food Magazine in 2022, the Prelude is probably my favourite Taittinger. Such is my ardour for this glorious wine, that at my recent visit I passed up a second glass of Comte de Champagne 2012 (lovely, but so young) in favour of this. Prelude is aged for six years prior to release, and this gives the Grand Cru chardonnay and pinot noir fruit time to mellow and soften. Mid-gold, the nose is a complex blend of yellow autumn fruits, honey and citrus. In the mouth it’s weighty and ripe, but with that signature Taittinger elegance.
Roederer Brut Premier (£35 Majestic) – I first encountered this while working at Harrods as part of a tasting that included every champagne in the shop – over 100 wines. This was a standout for me and remains one of my favourites. The ripe, peach, apricot, and citrus nose gives way to rich, weighty, brioche and red berry palate that oozes class and refinement.
Alfred Gratien (£38 Vinatis) – Alfred Gratien is one of a few Houses that still age their wines in oak – other notable Houses include Krug and Bollinger. The barrels in question are old and the idea isn’t to add a vanilla flavour, but to allow micro-oxygenation (apparently) that imparts a richness and roundness to the wines. Richness is certainly a key trait. These are super-ripe, luxurious, sumptuous wines with a baked apple tone that’s balanced by minerals and a touch of salinity.
Adnams Selection Rosé (Adnams £33.99) – there’s a lot to be said for own-label or buyers’ own brand champagnes. In many cases these wines are from prestigious Houses who create bottlings for merchants. This is definitely one of the best I’ve ever had. It’s made by Blin, an excellent, but not that well-known House, and gives you a lot of wine for your money. Deeply pink, the nose is an enticing blend of red berries, citrus, and brioche. The palate is broad, rich, and satisfying but with enough freshness to keep it balanced.
Billecart Salmon Rosé (Laithwaites £60) – I first bought ‘Billy Rosé’ as we call it as it had a pretty bottle, and pretty is a good way to describe the wine. The pretty in pink colour is flecked with amber highlights, while the nose is a complex, fragrant blend of black fruits, rose petals, and yellow plums. The palate is soft, silky and loaded with strawberries and raspberries, minerals and a lovely yeasty finish. This is a great champagne to serve with lamb, salmon, and chicken.
Pol Roger Brut Reserve (Waitrose £39) –Pol Roger was Winston Churchill’s favourite champagne, and their cuvee de prestige is named in his honour. This is a traditional style of wine that never disappoints. The nose combines intense berry fruit with brioche and white flowers. The palate is taut, refined, and gives the sense of everything being where it should be giving a perfect balance to a rounded, yet clean tasting wine.
Dom Perignon (£160 Sainsbury’s) – despite its vast production and rising price, this remains an excellent wine. Best drunk a few years after release, Dom Perignon is a charmer of a wine. Its appeal lies in its complexity, which is admirable, and it offers a classic ‘biscuity’ nose that combines berry fruit with yeast and honey. The palate is typically rich and rounded, with noticeable flavours of Mirabelle plum, raspberries, peaches, and offers a long, complex finish.
Until next time…
Well, I hope that’s whetted your appetites for all things Champagne. Next time I’ll look at some reds that will make the long autumn evenings seem just a little too short.
The winner of a competition to design a logo to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the opening of Westgate Oxford has been unveiled – 10-year-old Tamsin Taylor from Oxford beat entrants from across the region.
Ahead of its 5th birthday celebration on Monday 24th October, Westgate Oxford supported by Experience Oxfordshire, invited local children in the region to design an emblem which will be used online, across social media and on a specially-made birthday cake.
The winning design, which features a shopper celebrating with a cake and balloons, will be seen at a birthday party event attended by the Lord Mayor of Oxford James Fry this Monday.
Tamsin Taylor, the winner of Westgate Oxford’s logo competition, said: “I am amazed and really excited to have won the competition. I love drawing and design and worked really hard on the logo. I can’t believe it!”
Brendan Hattam, Centre Director at Westgate Oxford, said: “We are delighted to be celebrating five fantastic years since the launch of the redeveloped Westgate Oxford, and we are proud to mark the occasion by unveiling this incredible artwork.
“We have some amazing artistic talent in the region leading to a very tough judging session. But, I think we can agree that our birthday emblem is a worthy winner – well done to Tamsin and thank you to everyone who sent in entries.”
Birthday celebrations will take place at 11am on Monday, 24th October.
A ground-breaking project created by BBOWT, (Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust) to create a new channel of the River Thames and restore long-lost wildlife habitat, has been completed.
The 450-metre watercourse at Chimney Meadows nature reserve near Bampton, bypasses a manmade weir and will enable fish to swim along a 30km stretch of the Thames, and spawn for the first time in more than a century.
Created by BBOWT in a £2 million project at its flagship nature reserve. The channel is already populated with native fish, birds and mammals.
Working with the Environment Agency, the trust also created shallow temporary pools called scrapes near the channel. The project has re-established a naturally functioning floodplain habitat. Which was once common across the UK, but was destroyed as rivers were straightened, land was drained and connection with floodplain was lost.
This wetland is now able to store floodwater for longer, helping to protect homes and land from flooding. Predicted to worsen as a result of climate change. The trust is also working in partnership with Bangor University and the EA. Who are undertaking research to demonstrate that active floodplains can store carbon and be part of the solution to the climate crisis.
Estelle Bailey, BBOWT’s chief executive, said: “This project is an amazing achievement for restoring vital habitats for wildlife, to move freely while tackling climate change. Our mission as a trust is to put nature into recovery. We want to see 30% of land in our three counties properly managed for wildlife by 2030. This is a golden piece of that wild jigsaw puzzle. We know we cannot tackle climate change without restoring nature. This project is a shining example to the whole world of how we can achieve that by working together to bring wildlife back.”
‘This is a golden piece of that wild jigsaw puzzle‘
The two-year project was funded by a £2 million Water Environment Grant. From the EU’s European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). The project was managed by environmental consultancy JCTR, designed by environmental engineering consultancy Atkins, and main contractor on site was Hampshire-based FiveRivers. Which delivered all the environmental, wetland and improvement works.
One of the central aims of the work was to create a channel that would bypass Shifford Weir. A structure has existed at this site since the 1890s. When a new ‘short cut’ channel was dug to connect two parts of the Thames and enable easier transportation of wool from the Cotswolds to London. Shifford Weir is owned and operated by the EA and helps with the navigability and flood risk management of the Thames. But blocks the movement of fish. This is one of the reasons that, in recent years, the river environments in the area have been classified as having poor ecological status.
The new channel, in combination with a new rock pool fish pass at Duxford Ford, will allow fish to pass some of the last remaining barriers on the Upper Thames. Fish will now be able to freely swim around the Duxford Loop of the river. Even during low water levels, to access some 30km of Thames between Eynsham and Radcot, including 2.1km of potentially good spawning habitat. Crucially, this helps populations of native species including barbel, chub and dace to be far more resilient to environmental change such as hotter, drier summers, and to pollution events.
The new scrapes around the channel will help the nature reserve’s curlew. An iconic wading bird with a distinctive downward-curved beak that is in national decline. The curlew is an indicator of the wider health of the wetland. But they need wet pools to feed on aquatic insects and longer grass, in which to nest and hide from predators. Both have now been restored.
The project has also attached ‘baffles’ to Great Brook Ford which will further help fish to swim upstream, and planted new, native wet woodland around Duxford Ford. With hundreds of willow, alder, birch and hawthorn trees.
The entire project was overseen by BBOWT Living Landscape Manager for the Upper Thames, Lisa Lane. Despite the fact that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in the middle of the work. Lisa said: “It was really challenging to make this project happen for many reasons. It came close to failing a few times. Lizzie Rhymes at the Environment Agency has been a great support in particular, since we first discussed helping fish over or around the various barriers in the river back in 2010! I can’t wait to show people what we have achieved.”
Donations to boost Windsor Foodshare and support the community.
As part of its annual harvest celebration, St George’s School Windsor Castle has collected more than 30 bags of packaged foods to give to Windsor Foodshare. To help tackle food poverty in the local area this winter.
Donated by parents and staff over the course of the half term, the consignment will be delivered to the charity during the October half term holiday by Emma Adriano. The school’s deputy head and head of pre-prep. Numerous donations have also been collected for Battersea Old Windsor, including dog treats and food.
“Harvest is a time to reflect on and give thanks for what we have. As well as to share with others who are not as fortunate as we are,” Adriano said. “Given the current economic climate, we are especially grateful to our school community for giving so generously this year. And in doing so, helping those in the local community through their kindness.”
In addition to collecting food, the school celebrated the season with multiple craft projects. As well as two Harvest Festival performances, with children from Reception to Year 2 gathering in front of parents and friends to sing much-loved songs such as Big Red Combine Harvester and Under the Harvest Moon.
For more information about St George’s School Windsor Castle, visit www.stgwindsor.org.
If you would like to help Windsor Foodshare visit windsorfoodshare.org to find out more.
It may feel as if the children have only just gone back to school but already it’s time for half term. So, if you’re in need of some ideas to amuse them and save your own sanity, read on…
This time of year may be the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, but it’s also the time for ghostly goings-on when things go bump in the night and you can’t help bumping into a pumpkin or two!
There’s a whole week full of pumpkins at Secretts at Hurst Farm, Milford from October 22nd to 29th. Pop along and pick your own to take home. They’re priced by the diameter so bear that in mind when tempted to go for the biggest. Pick up an activity sheet and join in a scavenger hunt. If the fleshy orange squash is to your taste, then tuck into the pumpkin menu of soup, curry or a slice of spicy pumpkin cake.
In the lead up to Halloween, RHS Wisley invites you to delve into the world of deadly plants and bugs. With fun family activities from Saturday 22nd to Sunday 30th. Follow the trail around the garden to explore how everything from cacti to centipedes defend themselves and their habitats. Meet all kinds of bugs and get stuck in with craft and planting workshops. Design a deadly bug or start growing your own carnivorous plant at a workshop and find out more about the wicked plants and wildlife who make Wisley their home.
Magic and mischief abound on The Watercress Line this Halloween with spooky fun galore to keep the kids entertained. Travel on the Wizard Express steam train, walk in Harry Potter’s footsteps over the railway footbridge and explore the Harry Potter style coaches in the siding at Alresford. Get up close to hairy, scary creatures, take part in a broom making demo and much more. As well as unlimited train travel between stations. And why not dress up as a spooky character for the chance to win a prize?
There’s a week of spooky make and take craft activities at the Rural Life Centre, Farnham from Monday 24th to Sunday 30th. With the popular pumpkin carving on Saturday and Sunday. Pre-booking essential for this.
If you’ve ever accused your children of being air heads let them revel in this at Brooklands Museum this October half term, at their Air Heads extravaganza where you’ll find all manner of activities to keep them entertained. Join in the Build a Paper Aircraft Family Workshop and watch it fly. Pedal planes will run from the paddock for under 5s. Become a detective and solve clues, decode messages and search for hidden objects to claim a prize.
Fairy Doors will be in the Painshill landscape from Saturday 22nd until November 13th. Discover the secret series of doors hidden around the woodlands and lake. As you wander the route you will see the best spots for autumn colour. Enjoy some stunning trees, collect autumn leaves and celebrate the season. Keep your eyes open for the fairies!
A new after dark trail awaits visitors to Polesden Lacey from October 20th to November 6th with IGNITE. Visitors can enjoy a walk through the gardens at night guided by flickering flames and glowing tunnels of trees, with magical illuminated installations along the way. Nestled in the Surrey Hills, the Edwardian gardens of the estate are the perfect setting for this exceptional after-dark experience.
An autumn stroll through the ancient woodlands and parkland at Hatchlands Park is a joy at this time year. The beech woodland creates a delightful haze of gold and yellow and the native wild service tree, with its vibrant red leaves glows against the sky. There are various way-marked routes to follow and if you need a little help to get around, book an all-terrain Tramper personal mobility vehicle.
There’s a weird, wacky, and wicked Halloween trail to follow at Winkworth Arboretum in Godalming. From Saturday 22nd to Monday 31st where you can uncover the spookier side of trees on a haunted trail around the arboretum. Did you know fungi is closer to an animal than a plant? There’s a tree that smells like candyfloss? Or that some trees can grow fingers? Discover all this and more…
Take part in an autumn colour hunt throughout the month at The Vyne. Search for reds, golden yellows and rusty browns hidden in the grounds using the autumn colour hunt key. Intrigue and curious conundrums are part of the Halloween riddle trail from Saturday 22nd to Sunday 30th when little ones can also hunt for witches, wizards, cats and toads exploring the gardens with the aid of trail sheets. A chocolate treat awaits at the end.
Spot the pumpkins hidden across the Pleasure Garden and have fun strolling through crunchy leaves at Petworth from Saturday 22nd to Sunday 30th. Search out seasonal colours and different leaf shapes at Petworth that are marked on the colour catcher chart. Collect what you find, then help create deer shaped wild art installations by attaching your leafy collections to the animal models.
Gin lovers listen up! Did you know there’s an award-winning distillery in the beautiful village of Ripley? Distillers Of Surrey are a family run business on the picturesque Papercourt Lake, Polesden Lane. If you’re yet to discover this hidden treasure, check out their opening times at www.distillersofsurrey.com or book one of their popular distillery tours where you’ll be welcomed with a G&T and enjoy an interesting tour. Younger ones aren’t forgotten with spooky Halloween craft to enjoy on Saturday 29th.
