Traeger Fest at Millets Farm

Karen Neville

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Join in a free weekend of delicious food and fun in Abingdon

Tips and hacks
Recipe – Roasted Sheet Pan Salmon with Spring Veg and Pesto

With spring around the corner and gardens being spruced up for the warmer weather to come, Traeger – makers of world-leading premium wood pellet BBQ’s – are holding a Trager Fest Weekend, at Webbs of Millets Farm, Kingston Rd, Frilford, Abingdon OX13 5HB on 15th and 16th April.

There’s something for all foodie tastes at Traeger Fest. On the Saturday, Traeger will be showcasing Classic American themed food, including dishes such as delicious Smashed Burgers, Chicken Wings and Cookies.

Sunday’s theme will be traditional English Roast Dinner, including a range of tasty classics such Roast Pork with Roast Potatoes and Yorkshire Puddings – all cooked on Traeger grills.

BBQ lovers can pop along at any time, to experience music, delicious food, and Traeger’s famous wood pellet grills. A Traeger chef will be on hand all weekend to showcase the grills, share top grilling tips, and hand out delicious samples to try.

Everyone is welcome to come along and soak up the Traeger atmosphere and you might even pick up some lovely new plants for your garden whilst you are there!

Traeger tips, hacks and recipes – 2023

What’s your top trick for cleaning your grill?

• Clean little and often rather than letting it build up. Using a Traeger cleaning spray helps.
• Wipe it down while it’s still hot! It’s much easier to do than when it’s cold. If you don’t have a wooden Traeger scraper, a ball of tinfoil works really well. Do this either at the end of your cook or once you’ve preheated the BBQ.
• For the grill grate itself, grill brush to scrape away large pieces and then a half onion on a hot grill to sterilise and flavour. The acids in the onion will help lift the grease.

What’s your top BBQ cooking hack?

• Always give yourself more time than you think you’ll need! Worst case scenario, the food is done a little early. Wrap it up, put your oven on the lowest setting (usually around 60c) and keep it warm.
• No matter what happens with a cook, even if it goes wrong, it can more than likely be recused and still turned into something amazing.
• Re-season your food with the rub you have used to start with, it adds a big depth of flavour.
• To BBQ the juiciest chicken wings with the crispiest skin – cook them at two different temperatures. Start by smoking them low and slow to lock in the flavour, then half way through – turn up the temperature to crisp up the skin.
• Wrap an assembled burger in foil and put it back on the grill. Takes it to the next juiciest level!

What trends do you think will be big this year in BBQ?

• Cheaper/ different cuts of meat will feature heavily as people want better value for money with the cost of living crisis and want as much bang for their buck.
• Mexican food such as tacos and easy one pot recipes such as  Goulash or stews.
• Smoking food and cooking low and slow are going to be big trends this year. This method of cooking is definitely becoming more popular in the UK with dishes such as smoked pulled pork, ribs and wings.
• We see more and more foods getting ‘smashed’. It started with the avocado, then we had burgers last season… Now we can see smashed potatoes next
• We should start to see more plant based and gluten free products as health comes to the top agenda.
• Batch cooking will return and with the mindset of healthy meal planning and reducing food waste.

What’s your go-to veggie dish to cook on a BBQ?

• Moroccan vegetable tagine or buffalo spiced cauliflower steaks.
• Corn on the cob with any Italian hard cheese and chilli melted on top.
• Grill Hispi cabbage, then while still hot, drizzle a jalapeno or chipotle honey sauce, making sure it gets between the layers. Finish with crumbled feta and crispy onions.
• Smoked cream cheese is a great little snack when you have people round. Sprinkle some rub onto the cheese and then drizzle on some hot honey once it’s done. Break out the ritz crackers and boom, your finest smokey, cheesy sharing dish.
• A smoked, confit vegetable tart.
• Vegetable pockets. Mix together Carrots, peas, cauliflower and broccoli mix together in a white or cheesy sauce and wrap it all up in puff pastry.

What’s your go-to veggie or vegan dish to cook on a BBQ?

• Braised carrots in a stock that’s flavoured with everything you will find in pickle vinegar, then smoke then and serve them as ‘not dogs’.
• A tray bake is always a good one to do. Throw in some new potatoes with a load of veggies. Sprinkle some Traeger Veggie rub over the top and bake in the Traeger until everything’s lovely and soft.
• Some smoked confit tomatoes which make an incredible bruschetta or a fantastic brown sugar and cinnamon slow smoked butternut squash.

Why are pellets the best way to grill?

• Wood pellets are clean, efficient, cost effective, family friendly and they produce the most incredible clean smokey flavour.
• Pellets are the best way to grill as they enhance the flavour of whatever you are cooking, depending on which wood flavour you use. You get such a big punch of flavour even from a small number of pellets.
• Wood pellets give you all the smoke flavour you need, with none of the hassle. You don’t have to worry about fire management like other methods of grilling, which means you can put 100% of your focus on the food and have 1 less thing to stress about.

How to cook the perfect steak?

• Use the reverse sear method. Season your steak with Traeger coffee rub, set your Traeger to 110c and insert the built in probe or Meater probe. If you like a medium rare steak, once the internal temperature hits 46c, remove the steak from the grill.  Put the Traeger cast iron on the grate to heat up first, then add the steak and turn up the temperature as high as it goes. Sear each side for just a couple of minutes until you’ve hit 56c internal.
• Always use a good rub that’s made for the type of meat you are cooking. With Steak – use a beef rub.
• Use a steak that is at least a 1-inch thick and has the same thickness throughout, to ensure a uniform cook throughout the steak: Reverse Seared Ribeye Steaks Recipe – Traeger Grills
• Most importantly, let the meat rest, so any juices have come out before serving.

Ingredients

• 1 Thick cut steak (no less than 1″) of your choice
• Traeger Blackened Saskatchewan Rub
• Steak needs to acclimatise to room temperature, so allow it to rest out of the fridge for around 30 minutes. If you hit your steak with heat straight from the fridge, it will contract and seize up and you will have a tough piece of meat.

• Pat your steak dry with some kitchen roll and season liberally with traeger blackened Saskatchewan and leave it on the side for 30 minutes.
• Set your traeger for 100 degrees c using Traeger Signature pellets where possible.
• Place your meat probe into the thickest part of your steak, making sure you avoid any fat as this will increase your temperatures.
• Grill on both sides as you prefer.

How important is it marinade meat or fish before you BBQ?

• It’s important for a few reasons. A marinade will add flavour, help tenderise the meat and lock in important juices. Try adding marinade or re-season while the meat or fish is resting to add even more flavour.
• Don’t overpower with too much rub or marinade, so that the star of the show doesn’t lose its identity.

What would be the perfect dish to create on your grill to celebrate the King’s Coronation?

• Coronation roasted rack of lamb with an asian style marinade served with roasted potatoes and green salad.
• Probably a suckling pig, with smoked apple sauce, red cabbage, beer gravy, loads of roasted veg and roasted potatoes!
• A coronation Chicken burger! A classic BBQ food, with a coronation twist. Who doesn’t love a good burger?
• King Charles is a very keen farmer so perhaps a classic roast beef with all the trimmings, championing the UK produce would be the best BBQ meal, fit for a king!

Roasted Sheet Pan Salmon with Spring Veg and Pesto

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 12 mins | Serves: 4

The beauty of this recipe is that it all cooks together in 10-12 minutes! Salmon is such a crowd-pleaser on the grill and is a perfect match for these spring vegetables with pesto. But how often do we focus on crispy salmon skin? This recipe cooks the salmon with the skin side up for a beautiful presentation for those who love the skin. And if you don’t care for it? No worries! Cook it skin-side down and it will still be beautiful.

Ingredients

• 4 Salmon pieces (100g), skin on, pin bones removed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Rock salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 16 fresh asparagus spears, sliced into 2.5cm pieces
• 180g cherry tomatoes, rinsed and halved
• 300g sugar snap peas
• 1 1/2 lemons halved
• 85g fresh pesto
• 2/3 lemon, zested
• Fresh basil leaves for garnish

Steps

1. When ready to cook, set the temperature to high and preheat, lid closed for 15 minutes.

2. Rinse the salmon and pat dry with paper towel. Brush all sides of the salmon with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and sprinkle generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper on all sides. Place the salmon pieces skin-side up on the sheet tray (or down if preferred) leaving 2 inches between each piece.

3. Place the asparagus, sugar snap peas and cherry tomatoes in a bowl. Gently mix the vegetables with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a fresh grinding of pepper. Scatter the vegetables evenly onto the sheet pan.

4. Place the sheet pan on the grill. In addition, place the lemons cut-side down directly on the grill grate towards the front of the grill. Close the lid and cook for 5 minutes at 80°C

5. After 5 minutes, remove the lemons from the grill and stir the vegetables. Close the lid and cook for 5 more minutes, or until the fish reaches an internal temperature of 60°C and can be flaked with a fork.

6. Remove the sheet pan from the grill. Place the fish and vegetables on a serving platter and drizzle with the pesto. Sprinkle the lemon zest over the top of the fish and vegetables and add a few basil leaves for garnish. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

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Tunde Baiyewu on playing Blenheim live

Liz Nicholls

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The Lighthouse Family’s Tunde Baiyewu chats to Liz Nicholls ahead of playing as part of the Nocturne Live series at Blenheim Palace with Gregory Porter & Emeli Sandé in June.

Q. Hi Tunde! Are you looking forward to playing at Blenheim?

“Hello. Yes, I am. I haven’t been to Blenheim. A few years before the pandemic we had been asked to play the palace but everything went topsy turvy. I’m chuffed that it’s happening now. You usually look on from the sidelines with these kind of events. It’s an amazing venue so I feel blessed.

This date comes in the middle of my tour which starts 26th May in Cardiff, goes on to 24th June. I’m a fan of Gregory Porter as well as Emeli Sandé so I’m going to be enjoying it as much as any other member of the audience.”

Q. How do you take care of that wonderful voice?

“I’m very quiet on the day of the show. A couple of hours before a show I say almost nothing – but partly that’s nerves! I resort to a lot of ginger, lemon and honey drinks. You know what it’s like, we Africans sometimes get overexcited. You know those situations in a bar or a club with your friends and everyone’s trying to talk over the music? You think you’re whispering but you don’t realise you’re shouting over the din, and find out when you’ve left. The next day you’re hoarse. So I won’t be raising my voice at all.”

Q. What’s your first memory of music?

“Well, I was born in London but when I was about five my mum took my sister and I back to Nigeria because my biological father died. She had to relocate to Lagos. Back then my mum, in her infinite wisdom, decided the best thing to keep me out of trouble was to enrol me in the church choir, singing lots of hymns. Then you’d be back to terra firma, you’d do some naughty things and then you’d go back to church on Sunday!

I never really could get my head round the idea that people wrote those hymns. I used to think as a kid, oh these songs are wonderful but nobody created them, they just existed. They’re just there and they help us feel good. In Nigeria growing up Michael Jackson was on the radio a lot, and James Taylor was very big and I love a lot of his stuff. So when I went up to Newcastle with Paul [Tucker] after college we were always going to nightclubs and listening to music, that sort of scene. Always liked buying records cheap – I had a lot of R&B, hip hop on vinyl. When I realised people wrote those hymns, that inspired me. A lot of the Lighthouse Family songs definitely have a spiritual connotation to them. That’s where they come from, but in a modern way – not a Kumbaya sort of way – songs that were like sitting with someone having a meaningful chat about life & love & spiritually – those were the sort of conversations we’d be having in the studio, Paul and myself.”

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Study and train with Oxford United

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Abingdon & Witney College launch new course offering the chance to gain a sport qualification as you develop your football skills

Abingdon & Witney College have launched the Oxford United Advanced Football Programme; a new course that allows students to study full-time for a sports qualification with Abingdon & Witney College whilst training with Oxford United.

The full-time programme is open to male students aged 16-18 on 31st August 2023, with a female cohort set to launch next academic year. The course provides students with the opportunity to develop their football skills whilst studying a BTEC Sports qualification.

Students will study at our Abingdon Campus, and train directly with Oxford United UEFA B qualified coaches; who alongside our academic tutors, will develop and equip them physically and mentally. Together, we will teach students the determination and resilience they need to succeed, all whilst building the strength and confidence they need to be at the top of their game.

Successful students who join the programme will have the opportunity to play regularly at the Oxford United Bangkok Glass Training Centre, part of the £4.9m sports complex near Horspath. They’ll also get the chance to train and compete in a competitive league and cup tournaments against other teams across the region. Every student will also get their own Oxford United x Abingdon & Witney College training kit and excitingly, a free Oxford United season ticket.

Through our new partnership, talented and aspiring players won’t have to pick between football and academic development; they can do both. When students are not training at the club, our specialist team will be there helping them to prepare for their future. The new study programme includes a sports-based vocational qualification, GCSE English and/or maths as required, a supportive tutorial programme, and the work experience and enrichment activities we offer all our students.

Once they’ve joined the programme, students will also have access to our full college experience. They’ll have the chance to immerse themselves in our student life, take part in our college wide trips and make the most of our pastoral care and guidance.

To find out more about the programme, how to apply and how to secure your place at our Football Trial Event on Wednesday 26th April from 4pm, please visit www.abingdon-witney.ac.uk

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Clay, Cloth and Wood in Henley

Karen Neville

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An exciting exhibition showcasing the varied works of four talented artists runs at Henley’s Old Fire Station Gallery from April 7th to 17th

Clay, Cloth and Wood: WORKS is an exciting exhibition showcasing the varied works of four talented artists covering ceramics, textile pictures and sculptural wood.

This exhibition runs from 11am to 7pm each day for 10 days, from Friday 7th April to Tuesday 17th April. It’s free and you are welcome to view the show at Henley’s Old Fire Station Gallery, just up from the Town Hall.

Henley resident Margaret Wainwright (Billson) has coordinated this exhibition which brings together the work of four friends, all highly experienced and gifted in their respective creativities. Their varied artworks are complementary and deliver a satisfyingly coherent show that will please many interests.

What can you expect?

Two of the exhibitors – Margaret Wainwright and Andrea Smith – are experienced potters whose passion for working with clay goes back decades. Based in Henley, they now share use of a kiln and studio where they exchange ideas and are mutually supportive. Will they ever apply to be on the TV series Pottery Throwdown? Ask them when you visit!

This TV series has no doubt fuelled growth of interest in handmade pottery and art ceramics, reflected in works appearing more in art galleries. Part of the attraction is the variety of form, texture and design and the uniqueness of hand-built wares, as is evident with these practitioners.

Margaret Wainwright’s hand-built pieces are textured, tactile and decorative. Robust, incised sculptural forms take inspiration from ancient rocky outcrops of granite. Other rounded vessels hold your attention with a Zen-like quality. Enigmatic forms hold interest from every angle. Margaret prefers matt finishes, with decoration coming from applied oxides, creative mark-making and use of a variety of clays. Pieces range in scale from palm-sized to large ‘statement pieces’.

In contrast, Andrea Smith’s domestic ware is skilfully thrown on the wheel and comprises bowls, plates and mugs. Her pottery is fired twice: an initial biscuit firing for the glazed decorations to be applied, followed by another firing at even higher temperatures. Her brushwork decoration is simple and tasteful. Each piece of tableware – dishwasher safe – works on its own or as part of a set. For gardens, Andrea makes hand-built bird baths.

Karen Higgs, from Watlington, makes expressive artworks – pictures and wall-hangings, using recycled textiles and thread. This medium has a subtle 3-D quality; and light catching the materials at differing angles highlights nuances in colours and textures of materials. It’s painterly, with portraits, landscapes, figurative and abstract subject matter, all superbly rendered as a montage of carefully selected fabrics, overlays and sewing threads.

Wood carver and turner John Heley has created sculptures, bowls and platters originating from trees sourced from well-managed woods and recreational parkland. John is a ‘man of the land’, living and working on a farm, his workshop a rustic outbuilding. Each piece starts at his sawmill, timbers sawn, stacked and seasoned over time – in readiness for working.

Like most craft workers with wood, John has a deep affinity and respect for trees, appreciating their varied qualities which dictate what he makes. His unique pieces highlight specific qualities of different woods, the grain and burrs, and the sense of history inherent in ancient trees.

The exhibitors are, in part, aiming to raise money for charities (the relief fund for the Turkish/Syrian earthquake & for Cancer Research) by donating some proceeds from sales and holding a prize raffle. Contributions are optional.

Do stop by at the Old Fire Station Gallery during the 10 days of this interesting free exhibition. The artists look forward to meeting visitors and chatting.

The exhibition has an Invitation only private viewing on Saturday 8th from 2pm onwards and is closed for public viewing at this time. Otherwise, you are very welcome to visit at the times shown.

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Conservationist cows to arrive in Camberley

Karen Neville

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Give them a quiet welcome, says Surrey Wildlife Trust

Starting this month, public access areas of Barossa nature reserve in Camberley will play host to a special band of black-and-white visitors – a 36-strong herd of native Belted Galloway cattle owned by Surrey Wildlife Trust.

During the spring and summer months, the steers play a vital role in keeping the site in good condition for nature by keeping vegetation including Molina grass under control, thus creating ideal habitat for species such as Nightjars, Dartford Warblers, Silver-studded Blue butterflies and a range of reptiles including Common Lizards and Adders.

With the animals set to arrive on 06 April, the Trust is reminding people not to be intimidated by the cows, but to treat them with respect. Surrey Wildlife Trust’s Conservation Grazing Manager Tamsin Harris says: “As well as being a popular spot for walkers Barossa is an important site for Surrey’s wonderful wildlife, and our cattle are helping keep the area special – but it’s important to remember that they are there to do a job, not to make friends. They are bred for a placid temperament but please don’t feed or pet them, remember to give them some space when walking past them and keep dogs under control.

“We hugely appreciate the support of local people in helping our herd stay happy.”

Conservation grazing is widely used by Surrey Wildlife Trust to manage wildlife habitat, whether it be grassland, woodland, wetland or scrub. It is less intrusive to wildlife than burning or cutting excess vegetation, and grazing animals can access areas which people and machinery can’t.

Many of the rare flora and fauna that exist within Surrey now relies on this type of management to survive, and Surrey has used cattle, goats, sheep and native Red Deer for these purposes on sites including Chobham Common, Quarry Hangers, Ash Ranges and Pirbright Ranges. Belted Galloway cattle originate from the lowlands of Scotland and are particularly suitable for grazing both heathland and chalk grassland thanks to their hearty appetites for course grasses and scrub as well as softer vegetation. Surrey Wildlife Trust’s Belted Galloway cattle are moved across multiple sites according to the season and the needs of each site. The 36 steers arriving at Barossa this month will remain on site until early November.

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Bring your lawn to life

Karen Neville

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Surrey Wildlife Trust and RHS call on gardeners to give the mower a rest and bring their lawns to life for nature

Surrey Wildlife Trust and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) are calling on gardeners to ditch the ‘golf course’ look and reimagine their lawns this spring and summer.

The ‘Bring your lawn to life‘ initiative encourages people to cut their grass less regularly and embrace daisies, dandelions, clovers and other naturally flowering plants. Leaving more space for native vegetation means the pollinating insects we all depend on, as well as a huge range of other wildlife from frogs to finches, has a much better chance of survival.

Lawns left to grow long help mitigate flooding by soaking up more rainwater, counter the ‘heat island’ effect in urban areas, and capture pollutants. They are also better at resisting browning during dry spells owing to their longer roots.

Their benefits continue into the height of summer, providing all-important habitat for a whole host of insects including ants, bees, beetles and butterflies.

The charities have set out five ways to love your lawn this year:

• Reduce the frequency of mowing to once every three to four weeks to allow flowers such as dandelion and speedwell to bloom and help pollinators.
• Keep some areas short as pathways, sunbathing spots, and foraging areas for worm-eating birds. For the rest, let the grass grow a little longer, offering shelter to grasshoppers and other insects. In turn, these creatures are food for frogs, birds and bats.
• Allow parts of your lawn to grow long for the whole summer so that caterpillars can feed and transform into butterflies and moths.
• Turn a blind eye to the odd bare patch as these provide sites for ground nesting bees.
• If you do want a luscious green carpet, consider growing hardy yarrow within your lawn or, where this is limited footfall, experiment with a tapestry lawn and grow herbs and flowers such as chamomile and creeping thyme.

Given that most lawn-dwelling plants are annuals, there is plenty of scope to experiment with different layouts and mowing patterns each year, giving gardeners numerous outlets for their creativity.

Lucy Cahill, Team Wilder Project Officer at Surrey Wildlife Trust says: “Private gardens cover more of the UK than all our nature reserves combined, so just imagine the difference we could make if every one of them became a sanctuary for wildlife. And with so much colour and contrast on offer, a lawn that makes space for nature can look as beautiful as the most formal display.

“We all depend on the services nature provides, so we all have something to gain by helping make Surrey wilder.”

Helen Bostock, Senior Wildlife Specialist at the RHS, says: “Lawns, while central to many garden designs, are often overlooked as important ecosystems in favour of the plants in beds that border them. But they’re home to a huge amount of wildlife and help mitigate the impact of climate change.

“We want to inspire people to get up close and personal with their lawns this year, discover what can be found in their swathes of green and dabble with new, more hands-off means of management.”

For more user-friendly information on how your lawn can help wildlife, visit Wild about lawns.

Surrey Wildlife Trust is currently asking for donations to create and protect hedgerow and woodland habitat for the threatened Hazel Dormouse – part of a vision for Surrey as a county where people and nature can thrive together. For more information or to make a donation visit Surrey Wildlife Trust.

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BBOWT Nature Photography Competition 2023

Karen Neville

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This year’s competition has opened with new categories and great prizes

Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) has opened its annual nature photography competition for 2023 with a host of new categories and prizes.

The charity is inviting nature lovers of all ages to send their shots of animals, plants, people and scenery at BBOWT nature reserves and in the community.

Anyone from a six-year-old with a camera phone to a seasoned professional can enter the contest which this year has new categories for pictures of plants, fungi, insects, mammals, birds, reptiles and fish. There is also a new category just for Urban Nature.

This year’s prizes include a top-of-the-range digital camera, an exclusive wildlife photography masterclass, and a high-quality canvas print of your winning photo. All winners will have their photo featured in the Trust’s 2024 calendar.

Rachel Levis, BBOWT Head of Events, said: “We’re so excited to be launching the contest again with these new wildlife categories. Last year we had so many fantastic photos of plants, animals and fungi at BBOWT nature reserves, and this year we really wanted a chance to celebrate all those ways of capturing our wonderful wildlife at its finest.

“I’m also really excited to be launching our Urban Nature category: as we’ve come to realise in recent years that we are in a nature and climate crisis, it’s also become clear that the solution has to be more nature everywhere – and that means looking after wildlife in our towns and cities as well. This category offers a brilliant chance to showcase and celebrate the species that are right under our noses – pollinating our window boxes, nesting under rooves and living in our gardens: these species can be just as important as the wildlife at nature reserves.”

Categories

All photographs must be taken on a BBOWT nature reserve except in the Team Wilder, Urban Nature, Children and Teens categories which must be taken in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire or Oxfordshire.

• Children (ages 6-11) – Photos matching any of the categories below
• Teens (ages 12-17) – Photos matching any of the categories below.
• Flora
• Fungi
• Insects and Arachnids
• Birds
• Mammals
• Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish
• Nature reserve Landscapes
• Team Wilder – People are stepping forward from every sector of society to lead change in their fields and we welcome businesses, schools, politicians, and individuals as part of Team Wilder. If you’re taking action for nature right now, no matter how small the act is, you’re already a part of #teamWILDER. Send us your photos and show us what you are working on or have achieved already.
• People in Nature
• Urban Nature – Wildlife or nature in towns, cities and other urban settings.

Closing date for entries is Friday 1 September 2023.

Prizes

This year’s overall winner will receive:

• A top-of-the-range digital camera
• Photography workshop with wildlife photographer Steve Gozdz from GG Wildlife Experiences
• A high-quality A3 canvas print of your winning photo
• Your photo featured in the 2024 BBOWT calendar
• Certificate

Category winners will receive:

• Photography workshop with wildlife photographer Steve Gozdz from GG Wildlife Experiences
• Your photo featured in the 2024 BBOWT calendar
• A BBOWT cafe voucher
• Certificate

The Children and Teen categories also have an additional prize: a bundle of nature books which will go to the school library of the winner (or to a school the winner nominates).

This year’s competition will be judged by a panel of three experts: Steve Gozdz is a professional wildlife photographer and founder of Berkshire-based GG Wildlife Experiences, which offers wildlife walks, experiences and photography classes; Ben Vanheems is the editor of BBOWT’s Wild Magazine and a wildlife gardener and Youtuber, and Lis Speight is BBOWT‘s head of communications.

Commenting on what he will be looking for in this year’s entries, Steve Gozdz said: “A great photo makes good use of light, composition and shows creativity. However, most importantly, I will be looking for images that capture ‘the moment’ that encompasses the beauty and essence of the subject matter of the environment.

“You don’t need a fancy camera: even a smart phone can produce some amazing images and give some very different perspectives. Don’t forget – the best camera you can have is the one in your hand.”

Need some inspiration?

Here are last years winners and runners up.

Teenagers Winner – Zachery Osbourne
Teenagers Runner Up – Lucy Colston
Team Wilder Winner – Helen Touchard-Paxton
Team Wilder Runner up – Peter Massam
People Winner – Peter Mohr
People Runner Up – Lorraine Clarke
Flora and Fauna Winner – Roy McDonald
Flora and Fauna Runner Up – Adrianna Bielobradek
Children Winner – Roly Lewis
Children Runner Up – Hayden Denham

The Trust is extremely grateful to GG Wildlife Experiences for sponsoring this year’s competition.

For full details and to enter, go to BBOWT Photography Competition 2023

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World Autism Awareness Day

Karen Neville

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Sunday 2nd April is World Autism Awareness Day, national charity Dogs for Autism, based in Alton, Hampshire, shares the story of employee Lola and how dogs help her

As Autism Liaison Co-Ordinator for Dogs for Autism, Lola Bellarosa-Homer is often the first point of contact for the families the charity helps. She has always really enjoyed her role, but her recent autism diagnosis has meant she really understands why she absolutely loves her job and feels like she belongs at the charity.

“Getting the formal diagnosis meant everything, for the first time in my life I felt like I belonged,” is how Lola reacted to finding out her formal diagnosis.

After her son, who is now 17 years old, was diagnosed with autism and cognitive learning disabilities, Lola set about investing her time into learning about autism and how best she could support her son and help him navigate the world. For as long as she could remember she had felt like she hadn’t fitted in, and experienced huge anxiety and depression that led her to self-harm, from being a teenager until she met her husband. While there wasn’t a lightbulb moment, she realized that a lot of the questions she asked about herself were common questions that other autistic adults were having.

After a lot of research and thought, she decided she wanted to know whether she too was autistic, and after seven months of consultation she was given her formal diagnosis.

Describing how it feels to know she is autistic, Lola said: “I finally see the world in colour. It’s like someone put a key into a lock and opened something that had been shut away for 30 years.”

Lola sees being autistic as an overwhelmingly positive thing and is keen that other people know about all the strengths that her autism brings her. Perseverance and courage, which come from having to work so much harder to navigate the neurotypical world, are two of the qualities that she wants to pass on to her son and every other autistic person. She also needs an enormous amount of courage to face and resolve difficult situations; this enables her to be a huge help to the families Dogs for Autism work with and they know that the charity really understand and see the world from an autistic person’s point of view. It’s meant she’s been able to bring in new processes, flow charts and mind maps, which all help the charity provide more support to their partners.

CEO of Dogs for Autism, Hilary Armour, sees huge benefits in having an autistic person as part of any team. She added: “It’s a massively positive step for our families to have someone supporting them who really ‘gets’ autism. I would actively encourage any employer to include autistic people in their teams.”

Lola feels that her unique perspective is an advantage to her work and something that any company would benefit from. She wants to be champion for helping employers to understand that by making small changes in the workplace, autistic employees can bring creativity, enthusiasm, and a new vision to their role. She would love other employers to read this and realise how positive it can be to have an autistic or neurodiverse person in the workplace. By making some small changes, educating staff, being accepting and open to allowing an autistic person to process things in their own way, it really will make a difference to the lives of their autistic staff, as well as bringing new strengths to the workplace.

For more on Dogs for Autism visit Dogs For Autism

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Tom Kerridge’s stars shine bright

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Michelin results are out and Sarah Hayward wins Young Chef Award

The Michelin results are out and Tom Kerridge’s pubs have successfully maintained the prestigious accolades at both The Hand & Flowers (Head Chef Tom De Keyser) and The Coach (Head Chef Sarah Hayward), both in Marlow.

Head Chef Sarah Hayward also won big at last night’s Michelin Guide Awards for Great Britain and Ireland taking home the Young Chef Award at the prestigious event in Silverstone, where Tom Kerridge joined Sarah on stage to congratulate her. Michelin described Sarah as ‘tenacious and determined yet modest’.

Tom says: “I am obviously delighted that Tom and Sarah and the teams have maintained their Michelin stars, they are both incredible chefs who I have worked alongside now for many years. I am particularly thrilled for Sarah winning the Young Chef Award, she is a fantastic chef, level-headed, grounded, focused and truly dedicated to her craft. She has put her own stamp on The Coach, I’m so proud of her, she is such a talent.”

Sarah said: “Wow, I am really blown away to be honest and really humbled to receive the Young Chef Award, what an honour. I have so much respect for Michelin and I know how proud my dad will be, being a chef himself. I’m so grateful to my team and of course Tom Kerridge, who has helped me become the chef I am today and given me the confidence and belief that I can achieve anything.”

Maintaining two Michelin stars at The Hand & Flowers, Head Chef Tom De Keyser says: “I am delighted, myself, the kitchen and front of house team work so hard throughout the year to keep standards as high as they can be and I couldn’t be prouder of the team. There will definitely be a few celebratory drinks!”

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Easter wine recommendations

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Discover some fantastic new wines for Easter. Round & About’s wine columnist Giles Luckett recommends a clutch of new wines for Easter.

Hello! With Easter in the offing and the prospect of some downtime over the extended weekend, I thought I’d look out for some wines to suit the season and the celebration. I’ve always loved Easter. As a good Catholic boy, it meant a deluge of chocolate (scoffed between seemingly endless trips to Mass), and later in life, it marked the end of Lent and a return to wine. Now, while I can’t claim to have forsworn wine for the forty days – the attempt would have been sworn at – I have made the acquittance of some wines that I’m sure will brighten your Easter break. So, in the spirit of helping my fellow man, here are six of the Easter best:

First up, one of the prettiest rosés I’ve seen in a long time, the Provence Rosé from Adnams (£11.99). While many rosés seem to focus on creating looks so exotic they would put a Versace perfume bottle to shame. Adnams seem to have focused their efforts on the contents – I know, a fresh form of madness or what? It has paid off, however, as the wine is so attractive. Made from Grenache, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon, the nose offers enticing tones of flowers, red berries, and citrus. On the palate, there’s a seem or pure red berry (raspberry, strawberry, and bitter cranberry) that’s deliciously offset by citrus and minerals. If the sun decides to shine this Easter, this will make a superb garden sipper.

“If the sun decides to shine this Easter, this will make a superb garden sipper.”

My next recommendation is an Albarino. Albarino is a grape whose class is undeniable, whose wines can be astonishingly good, and is regarded as a national treasure in its native Spain. Think liquid Stephen Fry without the passion for Norwich City, and you won’t be far off. While there are many great ones out there, the Pazo San Mauro (Palmers Wine Store £17.42) is a real treat. Freshness is the keyword here. From the explosive grapefruit, green apple, and herb-tinted nose to the ripe yet tangy pear, peach, melon and lemon palate, this is as clean as a whistle. Look closer, and you’ll find depth and complexity. Nectarine, minerals, a shot of honey. This is made for seafood – literally in Spain – but would be glorious with green salads, chicken, smoked fish, or Good Friday’s fish supper.

Sticking with Spain but moving to the other end of the tasting spectrum, we have the Contino Blanco 2019 (Noble Grape £23.99) – confession time; I’m obsessed with Contino’s Riojas. There’s something magical about this producer. Maybe it’s how they meld tradition with innovation or how they can create so many extraordinary styles from a single estate. Or simply as the wines are often breath-taking.

Breath-taking is the word I’d use for the Contino Blanco. I’ve only had this wine once, so perhaps I’m still in the first flush of infatuation, but it seemed to be love at first sip. Mid-gold, the bouquet is complex, displaying honey, almonds, pears, lemons, and wax. In the mouth, it’s mellow but clean, with layer-upon-layer of orchard fruits, warm spices, honey, lime, and butter. A real show stopper, give this a couple of hours open and pair it with white meats or fish.

Easter Sunday will see us hosting half the western world – pop in if you’re at a loose end; one more won’t make any odds. With recovery Monday the following day and with roast beef a must, a goodly supply of a great value red is a necessity. This year I’ve got some of the Antakari Carmenere Reserve (Laithwaites £8.99). Carmenere is Chile’s signature grape, and this iteration is packed with soft blackberry and blueberry fruit, with underlying notes of chocolate. Easy drinking; it’s a great wine that offers great value.

Back to Spain, we have another Rioja, this time the Vina Real Crianza 2019 (Waitrose £12.40). This is Rioja in exuberant form. Made from Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Mazuelo, it’s red berry-driven, but beneath the surface are richer tones of plum, creamy oak, spices, and orange zest. This is one of those wines that cries out for a food partner, and dishes as varied as cheesy pasta, tapas, roasted red meats, or, weather-permitting, barbecued fare would be ideal.

My penultimate wine is something of a myth-buster. To many, the name Beaujolais conjures up visions of hoorays charging to France in November to bring back Nouveau (why they bothered, I’ll never know) or pretty but forgettable flower-adorned bottles from Dubouef. Real Beaujolais is made from sterner stuff and is Burgundy’s best-kept secret. had the Louis Jadot Beaujolias Villages 2021 (Tesco £12.50) last week, and it was fantastic. My expectations were high as 2021 was a lovely year for Burgundy, and I wasn’t disappointed. With its bouquet of cherries, bubblegum, blackberries, and wildflowers, it’s as pretty as a picture of, well, something nice. In the mouth, there are the same fruit tones, but there are minerals, strawberry conserve, mint and almonds, all presented in a soft, edgeless body.

And finally, fizz. Oh, come on, you didn’t think I’d do a column without mentioning it? Might as well expect the rain not to be wet. Easter is a time for celebration, so here are two gems for you. The first is the Bouvet Ladubay Saumur Rosé (Majestic £10.49). Saumur in France’s Loire Valley was making sparkling wines when the likes of Dom Perignon were getting to grips with their Ladybird Book Of The Catechism. With its marginal climate, free-draining limestone soils, and long growing season, Saumur is a great place to create quality sparkling wines. The pale pink fizz bristles with notes of black cherry, green peppers, apples, peach stones and creamy yeast.

My second is Champagne Taittinger’s Nocturne (Tesco £39). Nocturne is a ‘sec’ Champagne, which means it’s not as dry as a brut. This wine demands time, one to sip after a meal or into the evening. The classic, elegant Taittinger style is there, but the extra residual sugar extenuates the peaches in syrup tone to give a champagne that, while far from an off-dry demi-sec, has a certain richness and silky, tropical edge to it. It’s a marvellous accompaniment to good conversation and gives a fresh view of this historic wine.

Well, that’s it for now. Next time, I’ll look at some wines from that bastion of brilliance, the Rhône, but until then, have a great Easter.

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