The Garden Show at Stansted Park

Round & About

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Discover plants, garden and home accessories, art, design, sculpture, fashion, gifts and tempting foods and wine and more

The Garden Show is back to celebrate the 30th and the last at Stansted Park from June 7th to 9th.

Thirty years ago the first garden show at Stansted Park in Hampshire was created as a forum for the smaller family fun businesses and to showcase the work of talented artisans particularly those who couldn’t afford the larger, more commercial shows.

It’s a great opportunity to explore what’s on the doorstep; source new talent, designers and artisans. Browse affordable and handpicked companies showcasing the latest specialist plants, garden and home accessories, art, design, sculpture, fashion, gifts and then treat your taste buds to tempting foods and wines.

Pick up top tips from horticultural experts to solve those frustrating problems – as ever the specialist plantspeople will bring their knowledge and brilliant advice plus we have daily expert advice from The Gardening Doctor, Paul Slater, who will also be giving a Talk on Friday on ‘Plant Selection’. Also on Friday the show is joined by Dr Ian Bedford, entomologist, with The Pest Clinic to help solve any bug issues in as friendly a way as possible. On Saturday there is a Q&A Session on ‘Empowering Communities into Horticulture’ with Tayshan Hayden-Smith. Ben Cross from Crosslands Flower Nursery will also be back on the Sunday to extol, in his usual energetic way, on the ‘British Cut Flower Industry’… ‘British Flowers Rock’!

The Show’s chosen charity is CancerWise – www.cancerwise.org.uk – aspiring to be an enabling, compassionate community for people with cancer and those who care for them. Based in Chichester, offering support and information to anyone who is concerned about cancer. Through counselling, complementary therapies or emotional care, providing support to the mind, body, spirit and emotional health of people through and beyond cancer. They will be holding ‘A Giant Tombola’, prizes donated by the Garden Show Exhibitors, along with some fete fun games.

In memory of one of the original founders of the show, Lizzie Dymock, Tawny Nursery will be selling beautiful poppies in aid on CancerWise.

It’s not all about gardening with ongoing demonstrations including willow weaving, forging along with traditional chairs, broom, trug and fence making plus The Studio Shop artisans demonstrating and sharing their expertise on jewellery design, painting, photography, embroidery, felt making, woodwork along with so much more. Plus the opportunity to join in one of the Blacksmith Workshops and create a leaf to hang on The Tree of Life in aid of CancerWise.

There is plenty to engage your children & indeed the whole family: watch children play in the beautiful parklands, ride on the toddler fun fair with Carousel Amusements, watch Huxley Birds of Prey soar through the skies, learn circus skills with Crazee Hazee and enjoy the daily Punch & Judy shows as well as ‘have-a-go-archery’ with The Queens Archers.

Next year the show moves to Broadlands from June 6th to 8th.

Ticket prices on the gate: Adult £14. Senior £12. Child £5 (Age 5-16yrs. Under 5yrs free). Family £35 (inc 2A & 4C). Prebook and save 15%.

More details and booking at The Garden Shows

Swap white for green this Christmas

Round & About

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Tatjana runs a loose-leaf tea startup called teapro.co.uk based in Windsor and is passionate about all things sustainable

Whilst Christmas is undoubtedly the most wonderful time of the year, it can also be one of the most wasteful. The UK produces an additional three million tonnes of waste at Christmas and fills 100 million bin bags every year.

We’ve put together some easy and fun ways to reduce Christmas waste, so you can make a big impact this December and be part of the movement towards a more sustainable future. Let’s do this!

Spread joy with Christmas E-Cards

During that time of year when we want to express how much we care for our loved ones, Christmas Cards are more than just a tradition. However, even traditions can sometimes benefit from a modern twist, which is so easily done with lovely digital cards from companies like Paperless Post. Alternatively, you could also send plantable Christmas cards – there are some really lovely designs on Etsy.

Rent a Christmas tree

Seven million trees end up in landfill every year! One great way to reduce that astronomical number is by renting a Christmas tree and returning it back in January to be replanted. Another option is to repurpose your house plant into a modern Christmas tree – those fairy lights will help you make it look nice and festive!

Opt for reusable crackers

With some amazing re-usable options made out of fabric or Kraft paper, the transition away from single-use Christmas crackers couldn’t be easier! Try these and 
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1262342990/luxury-fabric-resuable-pullable.

Get a zero-waste advent calendar

Whether you’re a kid or a grown-up, you have to agree that advent calendars makes the countdown to Christmas so much more fun. Unfortunately, a lot of advent calendars contain unnecessary plastic packaging. We recommend picking calendars that use sustainable materials and have longevity beyond Christmas, like this cute tea advent calendar, which can be re-used as a cork board for your home office. Of course, you can also create your own advent calendar. Bonus points if you make it out of recycled materials!

Re-use last year’s decorations

It’s time to dust off those Christmas decorations from your attic – there is definitely a certain charm in re-using vintage family garlands. Alternatively, turn making sustainable DIY garlands into a fun family activity! There are also some gorgeous Kraft paper baubles and dried fruit garlands you can get on Etsy.

Shop presents locally and sustainably

When it comes to presents, experiences are a great idea! If you prefer physical presents, try sourcing them from local small businesses that use sustainable materials. Over £42 million worth of unwanted Christmas gifts end up in landfill each year, so if you’re not sure about the size or the colour preference – go for something consumable like tea! You can get a beautiful sustainably packaged subscription gift box from teapro.

Reduce food waste

When it comes to Christmas food shopping, try to only buy as much as you need. And if you really want to reduce your carbon footprint, try swapping your Christmas roast for a vegan nut roast option. If you do have leftovers, find recipes to see how you can make the most of them.

Try fabric gift wrapping

Fabric gift wrapping is the new trend of this year, it’s easy, beautiful and re-usable. Definitely worth an investment.

Recycle

Think ahead and minimise the effort and preparation for the next year. For example, make sure to keep all the usable gift-wrapping you get. If you get a new tech gadget, try to recycle the old one – your tablets and phone are full of valuable materials like zinc and gold that can be reused.

Instead of throwing away an unwanted present, you may consider selling it or re-gifting it. Lastly, consider donating unwanted left-over food to a charity like https://fareshare.org.uk/.

Jack & Beyond

Round & About

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Send some sweetness & light to loved ones with Jack & Beyond’s Christmas cakes & goodies available for delivery across the UK

Is it ever too early for the first mince pie of the year? We have decided that this year, most certainly not! We love food here at Round & About, which we’re showcasing in our jam-packed November & December magazines. So we have been trying to take the repeated warnings about food shortages in the run-up to the festive season with a pinch of salt!

Luckily, thanks to all the dedicated food & hospitality stars out there, we have found that there is much to celebrate… and tuck into! The bakers & makers at creative cake shop Jack & Beyond have wowed us, as well as the Great Taste award judges with their handmade artisan mince pies, generously filled with an immediate aroma of Christmas, earning them a two-star billing. They can be sent as gifts with a personal message or just as a treat for yourself (hey, we’re not judging!). There are also gingerbread mince pies and chocolate mince pies for the non-purists looking to shake things up.

The London-based Jack & Beyond team have expanded their Christmas range for 2021 – all available to order from their online shop for delivery nationwide. In addition to their divine mince pies, they have Christmas macarons, gingerbread and moreish truffles which make tasty Christmas gifts or simply a luxurious way to entertain your guests this Christmas.

New for 2021 are Christmas Macarons hand-decorated with quirky festive designs with four flavours raspberry, salted caramel, chocolate and lemon & elderflower all presented in a beautiful gift box. The new Christmas Gingerbread Cookies are packed with flavour and the fun decorations make them popular with adults and children.

For chocolate fans, Jack & Beyond’s range of smooth gooey brownies are made with luxurious dark Callebaut chocolate and finished with beautiful patterns, they achieve the perfect balance of sweetness and intense chocolate. Choose from white chocolate and pistachio; red velvet; salted caramel; peanut butter; and vegan chocolate and raspberry brownies and new for this year Bailey’s chocolate brownies fans – a classic chocolate chip brownie topped with a generous layer of indulgent Bailey’s & chocolate ganache. Ideal for gifts for colleagues, clients or teachers, Jack & Beyond has attractive gift bags of brownies, shortbread, fudge and new for 2021 Chocolate Truffles  – Champagne, Dark Chocolate, Gin & Tonic, Raspberry & Champagne and  Salted Caramel Truffles

For cake lovers, Jack & Beyond’s Christmas Yule Log and Fruit Cake Loaf are perfect treats or gifts and can be delivered nationwide. The Yule Log is an indulgent chocolate sponge cake roll with a swirl of spiced chocolate ganache, while the Fruit Cake has a lovely soft texture and packed with flavours of mixed dried fruits, spices and ground almonds.

JACK & BEYOND 606 Fulham Road, London, SW6 5RP Web: Jackandbeyond.com/ Instagram: @jackandbeyond  • Facebook/jackandbeyond

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