My Perfect Winter Weekend: Caroline Kent
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@ScribbleAndDaub; @HillStreetUK
FRIDAY
My Friday nights are quite tame. I like to snuggle up in front of a film with some fish and chips and a bottle of fizz. If it's not a film, my friend Frankie is in the current series of The Traitors, so our whole family is glued to it.
We live in a clapboard cottage in East Sussex on the edge of a village called Robertsbridge. It’s quite a wooded area, so watching the colours and forms change throughout the season never gets old. We’ll go to the sea even in the depths of winter for a bleak and beautiful stroll.
If I’m at Scribble & Daub’s letterpress workshop in Rye, I’ll find an excuse to visit the original Knoops for a hot chocolate. But if you ever find yourself in Saffron Walden – my mum lives nearby – make sure you try a molten chocolate shot from Hill Street, which is ridiculously rich and delicious.
I like to round off the evening with a good book. I’ve just devoured Wellness by Nathan Hill, which was a Christmas gift from my husband – complex and clever, but a very easy read, so I definitely recommend it.
@ScribbleAndDaub
SATURDAY
My dream Saturday involves a lazy morning reading the FT in the wintry sunshine. That would be followed by some time pottering in the garden – unless it’s frozen. Snow or – the next best thing – frost is my favourite part of winter. That said, it can be a bit of a love/hate relationship when it claims one of my beloved plants from the garden.
I have a nutmeg-brown merino-wool cardigan and trouser suit from Sunspel that gets a lot of wear in the winter. I also love my full-length knitted dress from Caramel, and my gorgeous Kit Wood hat from Kettles Yard keeps me toasty out and about. One of my greatest vintage finds is a cream 1970s curly sheepskin jacket. It is incredibly warm, and people are always fascinated by it.
We tend to hibernate in winter and invite friends over for drinks, some piano karaoke or a meal. We might attempt a walk if we can cajole the children. That said, we did meet my friend Kate and her family last week for a chilly wander around Sissinghurst. It’s a garden I particularly like in winter as you can see all the elegant patterns of their trained roses.
@ScribbleAndDuab; @Fine_Cider; @TheThreeHorseshoesBatcombe
My dream dinner guests would be our friends Hugo and James, who used to live a few stops along the train line in Hastings. They left for Scotland two years ago to set up their brilliant gallery Bard in Edinburgh and we miss them. I’d love to while away a wintry weekend with them again – bracing walks, blazing fire, cuddles with the dogs and kids, great chat, food and wine.
If I had to plan a solo weekend, I would book a remote log cabin in Finland, with my sketchbook, an unputdownable novel, good wine and Brigitte Bardot’s winter wardrobe. I’ve not got much planned yet for this year, but I am going to Jaipur for a week at the end of this month for a project – I am looking forward to a shot of sunshine.
@Fine_Cider; @TheThreeHorseshoesBatcombe
SUNDAY
A recuperative roast on Sunday is a must. We have two fantastic proper local pubs near us – the Swan Inn at Dallington and the Salehurst Halt – both of which can be relied on for delicious food and a walk afterwards. There are a few other spots that are close to my heart, but a bit further away. If I could be transported to the Three Horseshoes in Batcombe I’d be very happy, or back to our old local in Edinburgh, Kay’s Bar – I defy you to find a cosier pub.
You earn a snug Sunday afternoon under a blanket with a walk through the woods first. We enjoy a frosty foray from the cottage and over the hills to Mountfield Winery for a walk along their ancient chestnut avenue, then an early night with a good book. There are some wildly beautiful pine forests quite near to us, with towering trees and secret paths that keep the kids happy for hours.
For the best seasonal produce, I hit the market. Every weekend, there are a few local ones in the surrounding villages, so we flit between these, and once a month we try to get to Water Lane’s produce market. I'm obsessed with Halstead Bakery which has a stall there.
Cooking is not really my thing, but my husband Tim is great at it. In the winter, our family’s favourite treat is some wild venison from a local farm. I do love to bake and might be persuaded to rustle up a plum or apple tarte tatin for pudding. On the drinks front, I was given a bottle of this sweet wine for Christmas. I could drink it all winter long.
I don’t have a go-to cookery book for this time of year, but in my experience, you can’t go far wrong with Nigel or Nigella. I very belatedly bought The Christmas Chronicles in the January sales and I’m loving it.
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@ScribbleAndDaub; @Fine_Cider; @TheThreeHorseshoesBatcombe
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