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We have a wide range of experience in the residential sector, delivering beautifully crafted homes that are inspired by their context and underpinned by sustainability.
Services include concept design, planning applications, building control applications, technical plans and project management. Our work covers heritage properties, internal and external renovations alongside new build homes.
Through the application of tried and tested processes we deliver buildable designs that are tailored to your needs and work closely with local contractors to ensure each project is delivered to a high standard.
Chiltern Camerata will perform at St Mary’s Church in Old Amersham on Saturday, 9th November. Star local cellist Nicky Tait Baxter, who will perform, tells us more.
Music-lovers! An eagerly anticipated event is all set for St Mary’s in the form of the Chiltern Camerata’s autumn concert.
Local stars violinist Ruth Schulten and cellist Nicola Tait Baxter will perform one of the most intriguing of concertos ever written, Brahms’ Double Concerto, featuring two soloists & orchestra. It’s piece full of colours and warmth, with bold orchestral textures, offset against sumptuous and singing solo lines.
Nicky tells us: “I performed Shostakovich 1st concerto with the orchestra last year and I can’t wait to return for this performance. The Brahms happens to be one of my favourite pieces; it’s tremendously exciting and challenging to play and just brilliant to listen to!”
Other pieces in the programme are Beethoven’s Egmont Overture and Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony. Now in their 29th season, The Chiltern Camerata string orchestra include professionals and advanced amateurs. The orchestra perform music from a widely drawn repertoire, this season under the baton of various guest conductors. Their guiding aim is to entertain audiences with music, from the Baroque era to the present, in a friendly, un-stuffy environment.
Halloween and half term are on the horizon. Luckily, Buckinghamshire is a county that’s (witch’s) brimful of great family-friendly fun! Here are our top picks!
From 25th October to 3rd November you can enjoy an intriguing Aesop’s Fables interactive trail at Hughenden. The same week, there’s a nature trail at Cliveden; National Trust
The fun-packed Odds Farm in Wooburn Green, HP10 0LX, also has a pumpkin patch, carving corner, arts and crafts and spooky surprises, 26th October-3rd November; Odds Farm Park
Over at wondrous Wendover Woods in Aston Clinton, HP22 5NQ, pick up your £4 party pack from the information point and set off on The Gruffalo Party Trail! Find out more at Wendover Woods
The Halloween spectacular and bonfire is back at Chiltern Open Air Museum in Chalfont, HP8 4AB, 5-9pm on Friday, 1st November, promising an evening of spooky fun for all ages in the atmospheric historic buildings and woods. Enjoy spine-tingling stories, marshmallow-toasting and scary woodland walks. For more info please visit Chiltern Open Air Museum
Enjoy Hogshaw School of Witchcraft & Wizardy at the farm & wildlife Park, MK18 3LA, 26th October to 1st November with pumpkins, potions, creepy crawlies, owls & extra fun! Visit Hogshaw Farm & Wildlife Park to find out more.
Gorgeous Peterley Manor Farm in Missenden, HP16 0HH, will sell pumpkins in the farm shop, or PYO. Visit Peterley Manor Farm
Majestic Waddesdon Manor, HP18 0JH, will welcome you for an autumn adventure trail, 2nd-27th October. You can also enjoy Creepy Critters with the ZooLab animal-lovers on 19th, 20th, 26th & 27th October. Or why not book in for a spooky afternoon tea, for children or adults, on 26th & 27th? Waddesdon Manor
The Pop-up Pumpkin Patch has popped up again in Stokenchurch HP14 3YF, for its third year, 23rd-31st October. Brooke White tells us more!
October sees the welcome return of the Pop-up Pumpkin Patch, the brainchild of Brooke and her husband Tom, a second generation farmer who has always farmed in and around the Chilterns.
Brooke says: “Usually rearing cows and sheep, we first started diversifying the farm and growing pumpkins in 2022 after a random ‘image if’ conversation over dinner one evening. That conversation turned into reality the following October!
“We love opening up the farm and giving people the opportunity to have fun with their families while picking their pumpkins from the field in which they were grown.
“With three young children, George, Mollie & Harry we are always looking for activities that we can enjoy as a family without spending a fortune at the same time! Entry to the patch is free and there’s lots for the little (and big!) ones to keep them entertained. Climb to the top of our straw bale mountain, play on a ride on tractor, spot the spooky clues with our Scavenger hunt, enjoy a tractor and trailer ride around the field, take some Insta-worthy photos and get lost in the maize maze!”
We’re sharing a taste from Tucking In by Sophie Wyburd who is the star chef at this month’s Wild Feast in Otmoor Farm in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire
Chocolate & cherry meringue tower
Jeremy Lee is the executive chef at Quo Vadis in Soho, the first and only proper restaurant I ever worked in, and he is famous for making the most fabulous puddings in London, if not the world.
Working there, I assembled many enormous meringue towers, rich with cream, fruit and toasted nuts. This pud is inspired by my time there. It features Black Forest flavours; my dad is passionate about chocolate, cherries and cream as a combination, so when making him a pud, I often use these flavours. This one’s for you, Dad!
This is a proper show-stopping dessert – expect oohs and aahs as you wheel it out of the kitchen.
“Expect oohs and aahs as you wheel it out of the kitchen.”
Serves 8-10 | Cooking 90 minutes, plus cooking Ingredients • 40g dark chocolate, plus 15g for grating on top • 4 large egg whites (save the yolks for another occasion) • 230g caster sugar • 450g frozen cherries • 2 tbsp kirsch (optional) • 300ml double cream • 25g icing sugar
Method 1. Preheat your oven to 140°C/120°C fan/gas mark 1 and line 2 large baking trays with baking parchment. 2. Break the chocolate into a heatproof bowl, and microwave it in bursts until it is melted. Alternatively, pop the chocolate into a heatproof bowl set over a simmering pan of water, and let it gently melt. Allow it to cool slightly. 3. Tip your eggs whites into a large mixing bowl, and weigh out 200g of your sugar in a separate bowl. Using electric beaters, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Add a couple of heaped spoonfuls of the sugar, then whisk again until you get stiff peaks. Continue adding the sugar like this until all 200g has been incorporated, and you have a thick, glossy mixture in the bowl. 4. Pour your melted chocolate into the bowl, and gently fold it through as streaks. Take generous spoonfuls of the meringue mixture, and dollop them onto the prepared baking trays in glossy heaps, spaced well apart. You should get about 10 meringues. Place both trays in the oven, and bake them for 1 hour. 5. Meanwhile, add your cherries to a saucepan over a medium heat, along with your remaining 30g of sugar. Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 20 minutes, or until the liquid has a thin, syrupy consistency. Stir in the kirsch, if using, then leave it to cool. 6. Pour your double cream into a medium mixing bowl, and add the icing sugar. Whisk with electric beaters until it thickens into soft peaks. Be careful not to overdo it – you don’t want it to look fluffy. 7. Allow your meringues to cool completely. When ready to serve, spoon a little cream onto your chosen serving plate. Add a few meringues on top, and dollop over some cream and cherry compote. Continue to stack meringues, cream and compote on top until they are all used up. Grate over a little more chocolate, then serve.
Spiced blackened salmon tacos with orange salsa
There’s a reason why fajita night had every family in a chokehold in the 2000s, and it is because it is a really fun way to eat. Popping lots of things in the middle of the table and getting people to help themselves is relaxed, a little chaotic, and ultimately communal – the way I like all my meals to be. These tacos look much fancier then they are, but in reality this meal involves very little cooking; all you need to do is make zingy salsa, and grill chunky sides of salmon in spices until the flesh is charred. It would make a brilliant dinner on a weekend, on a weekend, but it is also easy to bang together on a Wednesday night after work.
Serves eight | Takes 45 minutes Ingredients • 2 tbsp sweet smoked paprika • 2 tsp ground cumin • 1½ tsp cayenne pepper • 1 tsp dried oregano • 2 tsp soft light brown sugar • 2 x 600g sides of salmon • 24 corn tortillas For the salsa • 1 red onion • 2 red chillies • small bunch of coriander • 6 oranges • salt and olive oil
Method 1. Spoon the paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, dried oregano and soft brown sugar into a bowl, along with 2 teaspoons of salt and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix until you have a paste. 2. Place your sides of salmon in a large baking tray, skin-sides down, and rub the spice paste all over the flesh. 3. Preheat your grill to high. 4. To make the salsa, peel and finely dice the red onion, and finely chop the red chillies. Mix together in a bowl. Roughly chop the coriander, and set it aside. Slice the top and bottom ends off the oranges so that you can stand them up flat, then work your knife around them to peel off the skin. Cut the flesh into 2cm rounds, then dice them into 1cm chunks. 5. Add the diced orange to the bowl with the onion and chilli, along with any juices, then give it all a good mix to combine. 6. Place your salmon under the hot grill and cook for 7-8 minutes – the top will char and get a beautiful crust, while the flesh will stay tender and soft. 7. While your salmon cooks, heat your tortillas. Turn a small burner on your hob to high and place your tortillas one at a time on the grate above the flame. Cook for a few seconds on each side, turning them over with metal tongs. Keep them warm by wrapping them in a clean tea towel while you cook the rest. Alternatively, cook them for about 20 seconds on each side in a hot, dry frying pan. 8. Stir the coriander into the salsa. Pop your tortillas onto plates, and bring the salmon and salsa to the table, then let everyone serve themselves by flaking off the salmon, and adding it to their tortillas with a spoonful of salsa.
Nina Wadia to star in NOW That’s What I Call A Musical, directed and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood and with special guest star, Sinitta
Nina Wadia will star as Gemma in the world premiere of NOW That’s What I Call A Musical, opening at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre on Friday 6th September before embarking on a major UK and Ireland tour. The brand-new British musical is written by award-winning comedian Pippa Evans and directed and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood.
Nina said: “I grew up listening to the NOW tapes so for me being a part of this musical is like going home. When I read the script I immediately fell in love with the characters and Pippa’s story. I can’t wait to get started on my first ever musical and to see you all there.”
Sinitta said: “The most exciting thing about being involved in this project is the music. Dust off your spandex, crimp your hair and I’ll see you there.”
Get ready to relive the playlist of your life by celebrating 40 years of the iconic and chart-topping compilations brand NOW That’s What I Call Music, which has sold an estimated 200 million copies worldwide. This fun-filled evening is bursting with hits from Whitney Houston, Wham! Blondie, Tears For Fears, Spandau Ballet and so many more.
It’s Birmingham, 1989. Two school friends, Gemma and April, are busy with very important business – planning their lives based on Number One Magazine quizzes and dreaming of snogging Rick Astley. Cut to Birmingham 2009 and it’s the most dreaded event of their lives – the school reunion. Drama, old flames and receding hairlines come together as friends reunite and everything from the past starts to slot into place. The biggest question is: what was with all that hairspray?
On Saturday, 14th September, the Chiltern branch of the u3a will welcome you at The Chilterns Lifestyle Centre in Amersham for an open day to showcase their varied activities
Chiltern u3a was formed in 1999. All the group’s activities are run and supported by members.
Membership is open to all adults: You don’t have to be retired – just not have a full-time employment or caring commitments. Activities aim to offer fun and stimulating environments where you can learn new skills and make new friends.
Annual membership is £28pp. Should a group require specialist facilities or a professional tutor a small additional charge may apply, but this is kept to a minimum. This u3a currently has about 1,350 members who between them offer 90+ interest groups, ranging from ancient cultures to badminton, board games and bowls through drama, dancing, language, music, science & technology to walking, wine tasting and yoga. There’s also a monthly general meeting with external speakers covering varied topics. These groups in a member’s home or at local venues (e.g. in Amersham, Chalfont St Peter, Chesham, Hyde Heath and Holmer Green). Some have been visits to properties, gardens and theatres.
Chiltern u3a is affiliated to a national network of about 1,000 u3as with 400,000 members. The UK u3a Week is all set for 21st-28th September. In advance of this, you’re all welcome to the open day, 10am-4pm at The Chilterns Lifestyle Centre on 14th. Many groups will host information stands and there’s a membership offer of £14pp if you join on the day!
South Bucks Choral Society are in fine voice, rehearsing for upcoming concerts at St Mary’s in Old Amersham. Jay Roff tells us more and invites you to audition on 7th & 8th September
Do you enjoy singing? Even if you haven’t sung in a choir before, why not give it a try? Choral singing is a fun and rewarding pastime that has been proven to promote a sense of wellbeing.
South Bucks Choral Society have established an excellent reputation in the area, performing some of the greatest choral works in western music. Our next performance, the ever-popular Handel’s Messiah on 30th November, is a great intro to choral singing.
South Bucks Choral Society was founded by our conductor, Iain Ledingham, in 1980. Iain is a professor at the Royal Academy of Music. He has been Director of Opera there and was musical director of the Academy’s prestigious and highly successful Bach Cantata series from 2009 to 2018. We have received great reviews in the local press.
Accompanied by a first-class professional orchestra and excellent soloists from the Royal Academy of Music, our main concerts are centred around one of the great choral works. Past performances include Verdi’s Requiem, Bach’s St Matthew Passion and Christmas Oratorio, Handel’s Samson, Haydn’s Creation, Mozart’s Requiem & C minor Mass. The choir have also taken part in operas by Handel and Mozart. In 2019 we performed Mozart’s great opera Idomeneo with the amazing young tenor Freddie de Tommaso in the title role. He is now singing major roles at the Royal Opera House and throughout Europe.
Even after the most challenging day at work, going to rehearsal takes away the stress, I feel happier and have so much more energy. I’ve been a member of SBCS since I was 18! Verdi’s Requiem was the first work I learned, and I was hooked. Singing with the choir is exhilarating. Together we can create this amazing sound – the sum is so much greater than the parts.
Each year we perform two major concerts with orchestra, in November and April. There’s also our popular carol concert in December and a summer concert featuring opera choruses, folk songs and shorter choral works. We are aiming to increase our number to nearer 100 (so we can return to performing works that demand a larger choir such as Verdi’s Requiem.
We meet for rehearsals 8-10pm on Tuesday evenings, from September to April, in St Joseph’s School Hall, Chalfont St Peter. We also run an optional summer programme during May and June. Why not head to a 10-minute audition at Chalfont St Peter Parish Church 9.30am to 3pm on Saturday, and 2-6pm on Sunday 8th? Feel free to bring a piece of music to sing if you wish. Ability to sight read is not essential, we just ask that you can sing in tune!
Enjoy a fashion & beauty night out in Marlow on 26th September with a talk from Lucia Santa-Maria, a screening of The Devil Wears Prada, hair & make-up tips & more
September is the perfect month for new starts, so don’t miss this opportunity for some shopping style!
Krista Madden has organised an evening kicking off with a talk, 5-6pm at Court Garden House, from Lucia Santa-Maria who has been working on Marlow Murder Club this summer. She’ll talk about Building Confidence with Fashion, picking key high street pieces.
Find out about health and fitness tech at Sweaty Betty, including the next-generation Power Plate and a lymphatic drainage compression, with experts on hand, and health & make-up showcased in Jigsaw.
Nutritionist Brigette Hancock will launch her first book, Live Like a Lobster, at The Marlow Bookshop. The shops will stay open until 8pm with free drinks, special offers and lots of activities along the high street for you to enjoy. The evening will showcase local fashion, beauty and creative talent in Marlow.
Tickets to Lucia’s talk are £10pp including a drink & free for Marlow Living Loyalty App subscribers. For more details visit In Your Element Festival. Book your tickets for The Devil Wears Prada at Everyman Cinema. Follow In Your Element on Instagram for more updates!
Nature-lovers of all ages are invited to book in and enjoy a really wild animal encounter at Amersham’s Jubilee Hall on 14th August, Wendover Memorial Hall on 28th August & more
You’re unlikely to find lizards or tarantulas prowling Hervines Park… But the One World Animals team are bringing the Amazon to Amersham & Wendover!
This small, dedicated group of nature-lovers have been working with animals in films, TV and education for more than 20 years. One of the partners, Celso, grew up in the Ecuadorian jungle which awakened a lifelong passion for wildlife. He spent his childhood watching and learning about all kinds of native animals of jaguars, monkeys, kuatis, birds, as well as a multitude of creepy crawlies.
Celso came to the UK in 1984 and worked in rescue centres and other animal centres until One World Animals was ‘born’ in 2019. By that time he had accumulated so many rescued animals that it made sense to try to recoup some of the expense while also educating other about habitat loss and the need to protect and respect these precious creatures.
He says: “The One World Animals motto is ‘Experience the Wonder’. We want people to be aware of all the amazing creatures we share the earth with. By learning about them, and experiencing close-up encounters, people are much more likely to engage with conservation efforts to save those creatures still in the wild.”
Whether you’re a nature lover, a budding zoologist, or simply curious about the animal kingdom, the 75-minute encounters promise to a unique opportunity to connect with nature and deepen your animal understanding.
As well as the encounters at Jubilee Hall in Rectory Hill, Amersham, HP7 0BT, at 10.30am, 12.15pm & 2pm on Wednesday, 14th August, the One World Animals will also bring their animals to Wendover Memorial Hall, HP22 6AF, with encounters at 10.30am, 12.15pm and 2pm on Wednesday, 28th August. You can book tickets for either or both events at One World Animals Events where all the public events are listed.
To find out more about the team and animals, please visit oneworldanimals.com
