What To Book Around The UK Right Now
SEE A PLAY IN A WHOLE NEW WAY: Animal Farm
George Orwell’s classic satirical fable Animal Farm has been adapted by multi award-winning Robert Icke (The Doctor, Oresteia) for a UK-wide tour. Orwell’s world-famous, biting political novel was first published in 1945 and tells the story of a revolution and its aftermath. Reimagined by a talented creative team, this production is a dynamic, daring and contemporary take on a timeless story – featuring puppets. Icke previously worked on another of Orwell’s classics, 1984, which he co-adapted and directed alongside Duncan Macmillan, garnering him his first Olivier Award nomination for Best New Play in 2014 (when it enjoyed sellout runs in the West End and on Broadway). We’re expecting great things.
Various dates & locations across the UK
Visit AnimalFarmOnStage.co.uk
GRAB A SPOT AT THIS HOT POP-UP: Prawn on the Farm, Cornwall
Prawn on the Farm will reopen in Padstow on 1st April. A pop-up by Katie and Rick Toogood of Islington fishmonger and restaurant Prawn on the Lawn, Prawn on the Farm will pitch up at Trerethern Farm for a third year of al-fresco dining and seafood straight from the Cornish coast. Daily changing menus will celebrate the best of what Cornwall has to offer, with produce grown on site at Padstow Kitchen Garden, charcuterie and pork from the farm’s pigs, and fish from a small network of Cornish day boats. The 52-seat restaurant will occupy a marquee with additional outdoor seating looking out onto the picturesque Camel Estuary.
Padstow, PL28 8LE; 1st April-2nd October
Visit PrawnOnTheLawn.com
ESCAPE TO THE COTSWOLDS: The Lund Collection, Cotswolds
Bergman Design House – the award-winning studio founded by Marie Soliman and Albin Berglund – has opened a one-bedroom cottage in the Cotswolds. Named The Lund Collection, the cottage is close to Chipping Norton and Great Tew, and has been wonderfully decorated by the husband-and-wife team. The space features original artworks and vintage treasures alongside bespoke furniture from the studio’s Black Berg Collection. Featuring everything from 17th-century Chinese ceramics to a modern deep-soaking bathtub, this accommodation is a must visit for design lovers. With a fully stocked bar, welcome hamper and state-of-the-art Swedish Moccamaster coffee machine, this is a cosy, luxe way to spend a weekend.
Chipping Norton, Cotswolds; now open
Visit TheLundCollection.com
TRY A NEW RESTAURANT: Number Eight, Kent
Stuart Gillies has opened Number Eight in the historic market town of Sevenoaks in Kent. Occupying an impressive 16th-century corner site with a charming courtyard terrace, the restaurant features floor-to-ceiling windows, solid oak parquet flooring, banquet seating and a raised marble-topped bar. Gillies has created a menu of luxury comforts that celebrate the best seasonal ingredients from local suppliers. Dishes on the menu include whipped cod’s roe with hazelnuts, green beans and homemade focaccia; truffled artichokes with creme fraiche dressing; and confit leg of Goosnargh duck with roasted ceps, cavolo nero and garlic fried potatoes. Drinks wise, it’s a local affair, with a concise wine list featuring bottles from vineyards such as Kingscote, Gusbourne and Chapel Down.
Sevenoaks, TN13 1AJ; now open
Visit No8SevenOaks.com
GET GARDENING INSPO: Water Lane X SSAW Collective, Kent
SSAW Collective – a collection of florists, flower farmers and chefs – will celebrate the Spring Equinox with a weekend of events at Water Lane in Kent. The date marks an important moment in the growing calendar and is the unofficial time to start sowing seeds and preparing for the season ahead. The series of events will involve educational workshops led by the head gardener of Naum House, Charlotte Heffernan, and the founder of Keats Organics, Chrissy Harrison. This will be followed by a spring feasting lunch by SSAW’s head chef Lulu Cox and Water Lane’s Jed Wrobel. Dishes will include wild garlic focaccia and fava bean paste followed by nettle gnocchi in a silky butter sauce and rhubarb and custard queen of puddings. The workshops are ideal for both gardening beginners and those who know what they’re doing.
Hawkhurst, TN18 5DH; 19th-20th March
Visit SSAWCollective.com
BOOK AHEAD FOR MOTHER’S DAY: Marle, Hampshire
Just an hour outside London, Heckfield Place is a pretty choice to treat your mum this Mother’s Day. We recommend booking in for a seasonal Sunday roast at newly Green Michelin-starred Marle. The kitchen uses produce from the estate’s biodynamically certified market garden and organic Home Farm – which will be turned into a family style feasting menu by culinary director Skye Gyngell (of Somerset House’s Spring) and her team. Priced at £49pp, menu highlights include a salad of farm beetroots with sheep’s milk ricotta, chicory and chervil; slow-cooked lamb with salsa verde; and rye and walnut tart with crème fraiche.
Hook, RG27 0LD; 27th March
Visit HeckfieldPlace.com
BOOK AHEAD FOR SOME SUMMER FUN: Pub In The Park
This summer, Tom Kerridge will once again be bringing together his crew of chef friends for Pub In The Park, a series of one-day food and music festivals around the country – including new locations Wimbledon and Brighton. Acts making up the musical line-up across the tour include The Feeling, Professor Green, Beverly Knight, Happy Mondays, Faithless, Basement Jaxx, Rag ‘N’ Bone Man, Craig David TS5, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Sister Sledge. Meanwhile, celebrity chefs James Martin, The Hairy Bikers, Matt Tebbutt, Andi Oliver, Simon Rimmer and Michel Roux Jr will be hosting the festival across the tour. The first pubs and restaurants to be announced include Kerridge’s The Hand & Flowers, Atul Kochhar Restaurants, Andrew Pern’s The Star Inn, Stephen Terry’s The Hardwick, The Mariners by Paul Ainsworth and Made in Oldstead by Tommy Banks. A must for food and drink fans.
Various dates & locations around the UK
Visit PubInTheParkUK.com
HAVE A MICHELIN-STARRED MEAL: Gusbourne Chef Series, Kent
Each year, Michelin-starred chefs are invited to Gusbourne’s The Nest to recreate their restaurants against the beautiful backdrop of the estate’s vineyards. The 2022 series will kick off on 29th April with Tom Kerridge’s The Hand and Flowers – the only pub in the UK to hold two Michelin stars. On 20th May, Gusbourne will welcome back Adam Byatt’s Trinity, followed by The Fordwich Arms on 24th June for English Wine Week. Each restaurant will serve one lunch and one dinner service at the vineyard. Guests will be invited to tour the vineyards while enjoying a Gusbourne aperitif and canapés, before taking their place at the table for a multi-course meal served with Gusbourne’s sparkling and limited-edition wines.
Ashford, TN26 2BE; various dates over 2022
Visit Gusbourne.com
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