Issue 9 - Country Lifestyle Scotland

Transcription

lifestyle
C O U N T R Y
Scotland’s rural lifestyle magazine
Pies!
Tasty pastry
SCOTLAND
to tempt you
Inside: WIN a coaching
session with world champion
shot, Ben Husthwaite
food and drink food and drink food and drink
Uncovering the artistic Refurb your furniture Aberdeenshire hospitality
food
and
drink
food
and drink
Perkhill and
cottages
Chalk
Paintdrink atfood
talent
of Victoria
Kerr with
Spring 2013
Scottis
Scottish
h Envi
Envirronmen
onmentt
Protectio
otection
n Agency
Agency
For your FREE e-edition subscription to Country Lifestyle Scotland, register at www.countrylifestylescotland.co.uk
life
C O U N T RY
SCOTLAND’S RURAL LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
food and drink:
Pies! Hand made, award
winning, pies from
Mr Corrigan pages 4 to 6
art:
Discover the talent of Angus
artist, Victoria Kerr
pages 16 to 19
SCOTLAND
Welcome
to the spring issue
of Country Lifestyle Scotland.
With the light nights returning, thoughts are
turning to getting back outdoors and blowing
the cobwebs away. In this issue we look at
how to improve your shooting skills when
last season seemed like such a long time ago.
There are recommendations of some excellent
coaches to help you become a crack shot.. Also
there is a chance to win an exclusive coaching
session with world champion shot, Ben
How to improve your shooting Husthwaite, in our easy to enter competition
on page 12.
skills, and the chance to win
Looking at the front page image, you can’t fail
a coaching session
pages 12 to 15 to be impressed by the quality of the award
winning pies that John Corrigan is producing.
Read all about the quality ingredients he insists
on to make such masterpieces!
And one for the art lovers - we meet Victoria
Kerr, who is an up and coming Angus-based
artist who specialises in painting horses.
Victoria is an inspirational young lady, using her
talent and her art to help in her journey back to
good health.
Spring can mean many things to many people,
but for the house proud among you, we have
a fantastic feature on how to refurbish your
Tips on how to transform
furniture using Chalk Paint. It’s simple and
your furniture using Annie
quick... all you need to know, really!
Sloan Chalk Paint
pages 21 to 25 Hope you enjoy the read!
country sport:
homes:
Karen
karen carruth, editor
[email protected]
Contact:
Editor: Karen Carruth
Tel. 0141 302 7750
[email protected]
fashion:
Thinking of treating yourself?
Then have a look at the classic
jackets available from ‘think I
should’
pages 26 to 30
travel:
Enjoying the Aberdeenshire
hospitality at Perkhill Holiday
Cottages
pages 32 to 35
Sales executive: Paul Johnstone
Tel. 0141 302 7368
[email protected]
Marketing: David Boyle
Tel. 0141 302 7719
[email protected]
Advertising production: Joyce Brady
Tel. 0141 302 7747
[email protected]
PA to publisher: Hannah Davidson
Tel. 0141 302 7722
[email protected]
Country
Lifestyle
Scotland
@countrylifescot
www.countrylifestylescotland.co.uk
Published by Newsquest Herald and Times Group Magazines, Glasgow
COUNTRYlifestyle / 3
‘In 2011 I
entered pies
into the British
Pie Awards for
the first time...
Our pork, leek
and pancetta
pie was the
only one to
win gold in the
cold savoury
section.’
Fancy bucking tradition?
You can have a pie piled
high as your wedding
cake. Choose a different
filling for each layer TSF
4 / COUNTRYlifestyle
Each pie is individually decorated, no prizes for
guessing what the filling is in this one TSF
Some artistic talent at work on the top of these
two pies TSF
Tasty pastry
The men behind the pies, Robert Corrigan and Ollie Mason
By Alison Mann
Photographs: Jacqueline Adamson
IT ALL started from a simple idea
to make better use of lesser used
cuts of meat, but now Mr C’s pies
is an award-winning pie company
supplying pies to some of the top
places in Scotland.
Owner of Mr C’s pies, Robert
Corrigan, decided to venture
into the pie-making industry after
attending a food conference in
Turin in 2006, where he listened to
farmers who were annoyed that
hotels, restaurants and chefs tended
to choose quality cuts of meat,
meaning there was little call for
cheaper cuts.
This trend meant carcases were
making less money for farmers and
Robert was keen to find out how he
could help this situation.
The answer was, of course, pies;
but not just your standard pick up
at a petrol station and give you a
heart-attack pork pie - his pies were
to be quality pies made from fine
TSF
ingredients, something his research
showed was lacking in Scotland at
the time.
Living in Glasgow’s west end after
working in hotel management and
consultancy for most of his life, he
set out on his journey to create Mr
C’s pies from his home kitchen in
2007.
He first sought out the expertise
of Mrs King’s Pork Pies which made
award winning Melton Mowbray
pork pies.
Robert explained: “I approached
Mrs King of Melton Mowbray pies
and asked to see her set up and
learn her technique. They taught
me the technique and I came back
to Glasgow and played around
with different flours in my domestic
kitchen. I got approval from the
council’s environmental health for
my kitchen. Then I made some
trials of different pies and asked
businesses and friends to taste
them and report back.”
From the start Robert knew he
Continued on next page
Hand filling the
pies TSF
food
The inside of a pork and
black pudding pie, and
a chicken and ham pie.
The filling reaches all
the way to the top TSF
Continued from previous page
would only use quality ingredients to
make a pie that would probably not
be cheap, but would definitely be
tasty. This idea was cemented after
his visit to Mrs King’s, which only
uses the best ingredients to make
its pies. After testing a wide range of
flours and other ingredients Robert
settled on Shipton Mill Organic flour
and the same lard used by Mrs
King’s.
If you’ve ever eaten a cheap pork
pie and felt a horrible greasy residue
cover your mouth, that, Robert
explained, is all down to the lard
used to make the pies.
You don’t get that lardy taste
with Mr C’s pies, he said: “I use
a top quality lard which melts five
degrees below body temperature
so the pastry melts in the mouth. A
lot of the Melton Mowbray makers
use this lard, which is actually
an offshoot of the Parma ham
industry. British lard tends to melt
at 39 degrees which is why it often
leaves a residue. The ingredients are
expensive but it makes a difference
and is worth it for quality.”
Once Robert had got his pastry
recipe just right and had perfected
his jelly making technique – an
important aspect of pie making – he
started working with local farmers
to make pies for them to sell at
farmers’ markets. He also started
making pies for Delizique, a quirky
deli and cafe in Hyndland, Glasgow.
While supplying the deli, he got great
feedback for his creations selling
2000 pies in two years.
It was around this time, in 2011,
Robert decided to enter his first
pie competition – The British Pie
Awards. Robert said: “In 2011, I
entered pies into the British Pie
Awards for the first time. I received
an email informing me I could now
order stickers so I phoned and they
told me I’d won a gold award, it was
a total surprise! Our pork, pancetta
and leek pie was the only one to win
Tasty pastry
gold in the cold savoury section.”
After selling his west end home,
he moved into a unit at Jamesfield
Farm Shop, Newburgh, and went
into full production.
He has stuck to his initial concept
of using cuts of meat from local
farmers. The main pork supplier is
Ramsay of Carluke, allowing Robert
to use meat coming from Scottish,
outdoor reared pigs which the
producer slaughter themselves.
He also uses their award-winning
black pudding to make his very
own award winning ‘piggie black’
pie which comprises of pork meat
and blackpudding. He also sources
meat from Lochbyre, a smallholding
near Newton Mearns which
produces Shetland sheep and rare
breed pigs. He sources venison
from Highland Game and a game
mix from Braehead Foods.
He currently produces six varieties
of pie from his unit in Newburgh
and makes three further varieties
specifically for Peelham Farm,
Berwickshire. Peelham sends over
the meat and he uses it to make
pies just for them to sell to their
customers and at farmers markets.
Having worked with the farm for
over two years, they have played a
big part in making Mr C’s pies what
it is today.
He supplies Hopetoun Farm
Shop, Crombies of Edinburgh,
Gloagburn Farm Shop near Crieff
and Loch Leven’s Larder, Kinross.
The company also supply to The
Wee Pie Company, Glencarse,
The Mound, Edinburgh and are
hoping to work with on-line stockist
Campbells Prime Meat. Robert also
makes pies for Donald Russell using
meat supplied by them.
Although Mr C’s pies are now
stocked in so many places, Robert
still makes each pie lovingly like
he was making them in his home
kitchen – with the help of his
apprentice, 19-year-old Ollie Mason.
Robert said: “It doesn’t matter
how many pies I am making, I still
make up 15kg batches of pastry
and weigh and season the meat in
60kg batches, as if I was making
them in my own kitchen. This
means I never compromise on
quality.”
Aside from his standard pies,
Robert has made some one-off pies
which were a little bit different. He
created the breakfast pie, a hearty mix
of egg, pork, leek and pancetta filling
and pastry lined with Ramsay’s streaky
bacon with jelly and tomato passata.
He made that pie for Scotland
Awards:
2011
2012
2012
2013
2013
2013
2013
2013
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Food and Drink last year and it went
on to win gold at the Scottish Pie
Club Awards. He also created a
haggis, neaps and tatties pie for the
launch of Scotland Food and Drink’s
excellence awards and he hopes to
produce the pie for next Burn’s night
due to its popularity.
He also makes a rather delightful
wedding cake made from lovely,
golden pies of different sizes, topped
with fresh flowers. These, along with
any other celebration pies can be
ordered from Robert directly.
Robert has a huge amount of
awards from his relatively short time
in the pie-making business and is
happy his idea to use lesser used
cuts of meat in a quality product
back in 2006 has come to fruition so
successfully.
Robert said: “It all started as a
desire to use lesser used cuts of
meat, including game, so there is
less wastage. This meant I was
doing what I promised myself I
would do while in Turin. I use pork
trim and veal trim and get the meat
straight from the farmers.”
Mr C’s pies are on Twitter
@acanthuspies, or you can call
on 07979523047 or email on
[email protected]
British Pie Awards – Gold – Pork, leek and pancetta pie
British Pie Awards – Bronze – Chicken and ham pie
British Pie Awards – Bronze – Celebration pork pie
Scotch Pie Club Awards – Bronze – Piggy black pie
Scotch Pie Club Awards – Gold – Scottish breakfast pie
Scotch Pie Club Awards – Diamond – Game pie
Scotch Pie Club McLaren Cup best in competition – Game pie
Best product at the Speciality Food Show at the SECC
COUNTRY SUPPLIES
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All enquiries telephone:
01555 660 099
food
By Joyce Reid
DON’T WE all just love walking
into a local greengrocer’s shop?
The friendly, knowledgeable staff;
new exotic items amongst the old
favourites; advice on cooking and
recipes we might want to try.
All of these experiences are
to be found at Clementine, an
independent greengrocer in
Broughty Ferry.
The shop, which was opened
in July 2010 by two friends, Jan
McTaggart and Carole Sommerville,
is a wonderfully welcoming place,
crammed full of every kind of fruit
and vegetable, alongside lovely
specialised items like Summer
Harvest oils, chutneys and more
exotic cooking ingredients, such
as preserved lemons, stocked
because Jan is a great fan of Yotam
Ottolenghi’s (an Israeli chef) recipes.
She and Carole share a passion
for food and keep up with new
cookery books and TV programmes,
often ordering the ingredients
featured in them as they know
people will come in asking for
advice. Indeed, one young man
came in recently saying he wanted
to make mince and tatties, but didn’t
know where to start.
Carole gave him her recipe, but
so did each of the customers who
happened to be in the shop at the
time.
It works the other way round
too. Jan says: “We often look at the
combination of vegetables people
are buying and ask them what they
are going home to make.”
This sharing of ideas is very much
in evidence in Clementine’s unique,
and biggest, success: Soup in a
Bag.
The idea is simply brilliant
– everything you need, including the
stock cubes, is in one bag, with the
recipe stapled to the front. All you
have to add is the water.
When they first opened, they
sold 100 bags a week and are now
selling more than 350. For the first
two years, Jan and Carole came up
with a new recipe every week, but
with the increasing popularity, there’s
now a new one each week, plus an
old favourite.
They find inspiration for new ideas
all around them. Having such a good
relationship with local farmers plays
a key role. One farmer, who delivers
monthly in the summer, told them
he had an acre of neeps he was
going to have to plough in, but, of
course, Jan stepped in and said she
would buy them and develop a soup
– 150 neeps then went into bags for
“Nippy Neep Soup”.
That farmer now gets in touch if
he fancies trying something new,
and Jan and Carole know where
to turn when they have something
particular in mind – they’ve had kale,
Romanesque, which was a popular
local crop in years gone by, and
Soup in a b
Jan McTaggart (left) with Carole Somerville, the ladies behind Clementine of Broughty Ferry
Genius! From Clementines of Brough
pumpkin grown specially for them.
Each soup bag feeds four and
working with the seasons keeps the
cost down. At this time of year you’ll
find tinned tomatoes, but in the
summer that will change. The soup
bags generally contain a spice pot
– a tiny little pot but integral to the
whole success. Who wants to buy
a whole jar of spices when you only
need a pinch or so? This way, it’s all
measured out for you, and there is
no waste.
The soups have been a
tremendous success, being bought
by people who have been making
the same soup for their families for
50 years, but have never strayed
far from the traditional recipes, to
parents who give them to their
student offspring as they leave
home.
So with the soup bags flying off
the shelves, what was next? A meal
in a bag. For £8 you can now buy a
bag containing everything you need
for a meal for four. Jan and Carole
have about 30 different recipes,
according to what is available each
week. If the price of cauliflower comes
down, that’s what will be in the bag.
It’s a good chance for people to
try something new, and again, you
don’t have to spend time searching for one elusive ingredient. “We
encourage customers by talking
them through the recipe,” said Jan.
“There’s nothing to be frightened of.”
Customers love the fact that so
much on offer is local (and farmers
love the fact that they can deliver
direct). Clementine sells more dirty
carrots than clean ones, even
though they are more expensive.
People will pay for the quality and
flavour of local produce. Indeed,
in the summer months, people
have said they can live almost
entirely off local produce and they
like that. However, they can also
try something completely different,
like black potatoes – a French
waxy variety, which makes a lovely
flavoured, purple mash that sit
alongside the local Maris Pipers on
Continued on page 10
bag?
Broughty Ferry
The idea is
simply brilliant
– everything you
need, including
the stock cubes,
is in one bag, with
the recipe stapled
to the front. All
you have to add is
the water.
Soup in a bag, is
proving to be a best
seller, all you need do is
add water
Crisp, fresh, fruit
and vegetables
are the name
of the game at
Clementine
food
Genius! From Clementine of Broughty Ferry
Continued from page 8
the shelf.
One of last year’s great successes
was soft fruits. A local farmer came
in to the shop in the spring with what
Jan described as “divine blackberries”
and asked if they would like more.
She then included the delivery in her
school run and the shop sold more
blackberries and raspberries than ever
before.
Jan and Carole pride themselves
in knowing most of their suppliers
personally, but they also know their
customers well. When Jan came
across a whole lot of mushrooms in
her garden she brought them into the
shop, knowing that one of her regulars
is a keen forager and would be able to
identify them for her.
Not surprisingly, once the shop
opened people soon started to ask
about veg box deliveries, so the ladies
got on to that. Now they are often
asked about a soup recipe book, and
I think it is fair to say, that will come
along sooner rather than later.
RECIPE: Mad March Minestrone (it’s a meal in itself)
1 onion – peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic – peeled and chopped
2 sticks celery – sliced
2 or 3 carrots – peeled and chopped chunky
75g black eyed beans – soaked overnight and rinsed
1 tin chopped tomatoes
Handful of kale – woody stalks removed and leaves chopped
750ml stock
Tablespoon of sunflower or vegetable oil
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Clementine, you can find this little treasure at 103 Gray St, Broughty
Ferry, DD5 2DN. Tel. 01382 738939
7.
Fry the onions for a few mins
Add the celery and garlic and fry for another few mins
Add the carrot, pre-soaked beans and stock
Simmer for 25 mins
Add kale and tomatoes
Simmer for another 20 minutes or until the beans are soft
(if it’s too thick at this stage, just add a bit more water)
Season to taste and serve with thick, crusty bread
Highland Cattle Society
“GUARANTEED PURE HIGHLAND BEEF” ™ comes wholly and exclusively from 100% pure pedigree Highland Cattle and
commands a significant premium in specialist retail butchery outlets. The Highland Cattle Society, representing an ancient
breed, is nevertheless firmly in the 21st Century, with fully computerised records, and able to authenticate the complete
traceability of this unique product.
Highland Cattle are naturally reared thriving in the hills and uplands of our country without the need for intensive farming practices, producing an
excellent modern beef carcass with the lean, well-marbled, flesh that ensures tenderness and succulence with a very distinctive flavour.
BEEF PRODUCERS AND RETAILERS
Ardardan Estate
- Mr & Mrs Grant Montgomery
Ardardan Estate
Cardross Argyll G82 5HD
01389 849188
[email protected]
www.ardardan.co.uk
Mr Gilbert Bannerman
Bannerman Quality Meats
Old Manse Balmaha
By Glasgow G63 OAH
01360 870210
Hilary & Bernard Barker
Barkers Highland Beef
Mid Torrie Farm
Callander Perthshire FK17 8JL
01877 330203
[email protected]
www.barkershighlandbeef.co.uk
Barlochan Highland Beef
Nigel & Angela Taylor
Barlochan Wood Palnackie
Castle Douglas
Kirkcudbrightshire DG7 1PE
01556 600221
[email protected]
www.bhbeef.com
CP & CE Bruce
Bogside Farm Shop
Bogside King Edward Banff,
Aberdeenshire
01261 821244
[email protected]
Cedar Cottage Country Foods
AA McIntyre
Cedar Cottage
Enterkine Estate By Ayr
01292 520453 M: 07779 311149
[email protected]
Mr Michael Clifford OBE
Tidnor Fold Highland Beef
Tidner Cross Cottage, Clifford Farm,
Rhystone Lane, Lugwardine,
Herefordshire, HR1 4AP
01432 853211
www.crown-anchor.co.uk
www.cliffordfarm.co.uk
J & L Fraser
Jim Fraser
East Tilbouries, Maryculter, Aberdeen
AB12 5GD
01224 732351
[email protected]
H Irvine
Craigluscar Farm Highland Beef
Craigluscar Farm
Dunfermline Fife KY12 9HT
01383 727222
brenda@craigluscarfarm,co.uk
www.craigluscarfarm.co.uk
Mr & Mrs M McCombe,
Great House Fold
The Great House, Great House Farm,
Earlswood, Chepstow,
Monmouthshire
01291 652957
www.highlandmoos.co.uk
Hellifield Highland Beef
Robert & Wendy Phillip
Green Farm Hellifield
Skipton North Yorkshire BD23 4LA
01729 850217 07812 105375
[email protected]
www.hellifieldhighlandbeef.co.uk
Roddy McDougall
R McDougall Butchers
1606, Paisley Rd West
Glasgow G52 3QN
0141 883 1207
[email protected]
www.rmcdougallbutchers.co.uk
Highland Drovers Ltd
Number 2/3 Mercian Buildings
Shore Road Perth PH2 8BD
01738 561523
[email protected]
www.highlanddrovers.co.uk
Mossdale Highland Beef
Archie & Kay Aitchison
West Linton Peeblesshire EH46 7AS
01968 661318 or 07702081510
www.mossdalefarm.co.uk
Glengorm Highland Beef
Glengorm Castle
Tobermory, Isle of Mull PA75 6QE
01688 302321
[email protected]
www.glengormcastle.co.uk
Fettercairn Highland Beef
Mr Rowland Robertson
PItgarvie Farm
Fettercairn, Aberdeenshire AB30 1RB
01674 840219 07919541707
Annie’s Market Garden
Annie Perkins
Clink Cottage Farm
Marlcliff Bidford on Avon
Warwickshire B50 4NY
01789 490872 - 07816877259
http://bit.ly-anniesmarketgarden
William & Tom Thomson
Woodneuk
Barrhead Glasgow G78 1ES
0141 881 1438/1538
www.woodneuk.com
[email protected]
Yorkshire Highlanders
Mr & Mrs Keith Gascoigne
Holly Beck Farm
Commonside Flockton
Nr Wakefield Yorkshire WF4 4DA
01924 848161 or 07850 694057
For more contacts and information please go to: www.highlandcattlesociety.com
With the soup
bags flying off the
shelves, what was
next?
A meal in a
bag. For £8 you
can now buy a
bag containing
everything you need
for a meal for four
Ingredients:
1 onion
1 or 2 cloves of garlic
An inch of ginger
A red chilli
2 small (or one big) neep
2 or 3 carrots
Teaspoon garam masala
Teaspoon cumin
Half teaspoon turmeric
2 nice organic stock cubes
Tablespoon sunflower or vegetable oil
RECIPE: Nippy Neep Soup
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Put oil in the pot and warm it up
Peel and chop your onion, ginger, chilli and garlic and gently fry for a few mins on a low heat.
Only use an inch of the red chilli (and no seeds) unless you want it really spicy
Add the spices and stir
Peel and chop your neep and carrots and add to the pot
Add the stock cubes and a litre of boiling water. Stir well, pop the lid on and simmer for half an
hour – or until the neep is really soft
Blend until very smooth and add some more water if it’s too thick
Enjoy!
1606
PAISLEY ROAD WEST
GLASGOW
G52 3QN
The Home of Quality Meat
Highland Beef Roasts
Blackface Lamb
A Fine Selection of
Flavoured Sausages.
Tel: 0141 883 1207
www.mcdougallbutchers.co.uk
country sports
win
a coaching session with
world champion shot,
Ben Husthwaite
Multiple world champion clay pigeon
shooter and coach, Ben Husthwaite,
is offering a free shooting coaching
session to the winner.
To take part you will need to click here
www.lindamellorphotography.co.uk/
benhusthwaite and answer one question.
Inexperienced and experienced shots invited to
take part.
Competition is being run in conjunction with Linda
Mellor Photography and closes June 1, 2013.
James Johnston being coached by Ben Husthwaite at Auchterhouse
Country Sports
Improve your
game
shooting
By Linda Mellor
PICKING UP your gun on a
regular basis is something we
all should do to keep ourselves
familiar with it.
I wonder how many shotguns are
cleaned and put away never to see
the light of day until the following
shooting season is upon us.
If this is the case it may take time
to settle back into shooting again.
Reacquainting yourself with your
shotgun and getting your eye in may
take, at best, a couple of drives on
your first day out or, at worst, all day.
It is also worth considering how
fit you are and how supple your
muscles may or may not be for
carrying and using a shotgun.
Shooting does not come cheap
so why not make the most of the
day and ensure your shooting
skills are up to scratch with regular
practise in between the seasons.
Donald Kirk says: “If you watch
a line of shooters on a shoot day
it shows when someone is familiar
with their gun. There is smoothness
to their movements, their shooting
style is relaxed and unrushed, with
their gun looking as though it is an
extension of their body.”
Donald was brought up on a
farm and from the age of six he
accompanied his father when he
went out shooting. Afterwards his
treat was stripping the gun down
and cleaning it then he was allowed
to swing the empty gun in their
farmhouse garden.
“I love shooting and have been
doing it for more than 50 years. I
enjoy going out shooting on game
days and usually do around 10 a
year and I also shoot clays.
“Practice is important and the
best way to do that is to go to a clay
ground. You can take everything
you learn shooting clays to a game
day. All the shooting I have done at
the clay ground has made my game
shooting better, a lot better!”
Farmer James Johnston has shot
since childhood; in 2012 he took up
clay pigeon shooting but struggled
to improve his scores: “I had shot
game, pigeons, crows, ducks,
geese all my life and I thought I was
a good shot but shooting clays told
me different. It was very frustrating
and I could not see a way forward.
I had been to see a golf coach to
improve my golf so I thought I would
apply this same logic to my shooting
and searched for a shooting coach.
“I asked around and world
champion shooter Ben Husthwaite
was recommended to me. I spoke
to Ben and we arranged my first
coaching session. The first thing
Ben did was ask me to mount
the gun while he stood back and
watched. He told me I was shooting
too low and to the left and I needed
to get my gun sorted to fit me
correctly. I had just bought a new
gun, Beretta DT11, and assumed it
would fit me but it didn’t.”
Multiple world champion clay
shooter and shotgun coach Ben
Husthwaite says: “The first thing I do
on a coaching session is to check
gun fit. Many people buy a gun and
assume it fits them. Most guns are
mass produced and as everyone
has a different body shape and build
so the probability of that particular
gun fitting you correctly is very slight.
“To shoot well you need a gun to
fit you otherwise your gun will not
shoot where you are looking.”
James continues: “Even after
my first lesson with Ben I made
huge progress and it also gave
me confidence in my shooting. He
shared his knowledge and gave
me the technical skills I needed to
improve. A few weeks later I had
two afternoons at the pigeons and
couldn’t believe the difference in
my shooting. I was reading the
flight lines and consistently killing
long crossing pigeons. I have had
three lessons with Ben now and
each time I see the progress in my
shooting.”
“I coach people on the clay
ground and in the field,” says
Ben, who won his first world
championship when he was 14years-old.
“The instruction off the field
prepares you for game shooting.
The birds are unpredictable on a
shoot day but with coaching you
have knowledge and confidence to
make the right decisions about the
Donald Kirk shooting clays at Glamis Castle, found that his
shot improved dramatically after just a few lessons
For someone with
a mental health
problem how you
deal with it makes
a difference
For more information
SC-008897
country sports
birds you want to shoot. As a coach,
it is thrilling to see someone you
have coached shoot with confidence
and go for the high birds.”
Working with a coach will give you
the fundamentals of being a better
shot, building on your confidence
and improving your technique. A
good coach will break down your
long term goals and work with you
to achieve them. Avoid engaging the
services of someone who tells you
they can sort your shooting out in
one day.
Phil Coley, from Clay Shooting
Success, says: “If you want to enjoy
and make the most of your game
shooting you should invest in some
coaching. People think they can sort
themselves out but realistically they
are not addressing the root of the
problem.
“Coaching can produce a huge
transformation in your shooting, in
three to four lessons an average
game shot is on the way to being a
good game shot.
“A progressive coach will develop
your potential and equip you with the
tools you need to be a consistently
better shot. With coaching you will
approach game days relaxed and
be confident in your shooting, able
to read the flight of a bird and select
acceptable birds in and out of your
range.”
SHOOTING
COACHES:
Cluny Clays in Fife caters for all levels
of shooting, if you are a beginner
and looking for an introduction to
shooting there are ‘taster’ packages
available with APSI qualified
coaches.
www.clunyclays.co.uk
(Centre) Andy Thomson with his group of
friends shooting at Auchterhouse
Cluny Clays
shoot manager
Eddy Buchan,
right
Girls get in
on the action,
Lorraine Waters
shooting at clays
at Auchterhouse
Country Sports
Auchterhouse Country Sports is run
by the Christie family in Angus. Drew
Christie is their senior instructor
and represented Scotland at the
Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
www.auchterhouse
countrysports.co.uk
North Ayrshire shooting ground is a
family run business based on a farm
in the hills above Dalry. They have a
well stocked shooting shop.
www.continentalshooting.co.uk
Ben Husthwaite world champion
shot and coach (available for
coaching throughout the UK).
www.benhusthwaite.com
Phil Coley sport psychologist
and shotgun coach (available for
coaching throughout the UK).
www.clayshootingsuccess.com
(Left) Ben Husthwaite coaching Alastair Keiller at North Ayrshire Shooting
art
The
pow
of
pa
Victoria Kerr discover
By Karen Carruth
Photographs: Rob Haining
WHEN YOU look closely at one of Victoria
Victoria is enjoying the studio that her parents has created at home for her
Kerr’s paintings, you begin to question
whether it is a painting or a photograph. The
detail is exquisite, and you can only imagine
that there must be a great love of the subject
to produce such results.
Victoria Kerr, is just 28, and her fledgling
career as an artist is just taking off. Even though
she has always loved horses, having had a
series of beloved ponies as a child, her talent
for painting didn’t show until much later.
Victoria didn’t enjoy art as a child and it
wasn’t until she was studying interior design at
college, that she found that if she wanted to go
further in this field she would require life drawing
skills, that she had to put pencil to paper.
Working with soft pastel proved to be a
life changing moment, and Victoria decided
that she would change direction and study
contemporary art for two years at Dundee
College.
An unconditional acceptance for Duncan of
Jordanstone followed, but had to be refused as
there wasn’t enough communication support
for Victoria, who is profoundly deaf.
Finding such a talent has proven to be so
important for Victoria, and she has used it as
something of a therapy, giving her a focus
which has helped her to get back on the road
to good health.
Looking back, Victoria’s school years were
quite difficult and communication has always
been difficult for her, but when she spent time
with her horse, she felt confident and relished
the unconditional love.
She was a talented rider too, competing in
showjumping competitions, pony club games
and winning rosettes for dressage. She joined
Glenbrae Riding Club and was junior champion
ower
pastel
vers a talent that ‘just has to be seen’
the first year, then went on to join Forth
View Riding Club and came second overall
in the winter dressage league.
However, her much loved thoroughbred,
X Beau, had to be sold when11 years ago,
Victoria was struck with the debilatating
illness ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis),
which leaves sufferers crippled by fatigue.
Victoria says: “There were days, weeks,
months, that I was unable to get up to the
stables to see Beau and riding was an
impossibility.”
The illness took its toll on Victoria’s
health, and after many years of struggling,
she one day started drawing cartoon
characters.
A work in progress
Feeling isolated, she then took the
tentative steps to join art groups to get out
and about, and it was just two years ago
that she had enough strength to take the
art course at Dundee.
Back to the present, and gaining
strength every day, Victoria works from a
studio in her parents’ home in Arbroath.
Her preferred medium is soft pastel,
because, she says: “It’s a lovely medium
to work with because I am able to feel it. I
can feel the texture and control the pastels.
When I am blending the pastels I use my
fingers. I also enjoy working in charcoal and
graphite pencil.
“I really enjoy seeing the painting evolve,
as I love to see the process from images
to finished artwork. I find the hardest part
is starting to look through my photographs
and choosing the next image to work from.
“A friend asked me to do a winter scene
of Orkney. This was a chore because it
was something that I wouldn’t have chosen
to do myself. However, it has worked out
well, and is one of my best selling prints.”
Horses aren’t the only think on the easel,
she has produced stunning paintings of
dogs, tigers, birds of prey, and she is quite
happy to paint any animal. She has also
produced a series of graphic portraits of
older people.
Victoria says: “I can get the details of
their faces better using this medium. I like
the texture of old wooden buildings or
wooden doors with locks and padlocks.
This requires me to draw on my technical
skills.
“When I am out and about I always have
my camera and take lots of photographs of
different subjects, and sometimes there is
one photo that I know will make a beautiful
painting.”
A close up canvas provides great detail
Pastel is Victoria’s favourite medium, as she can feel the
texture as she paints
art
The
power
of
pastel
Getting the photographs she needs has seen her venture back into
the horse world she loves, and Victoria attended the Aberdeen Heavy
Horse Show at Duthie Park in Aberdeen, where she took a host of
photos as source material. Last year she attended two shows at Brechin
Castle Equestrian Centre and the Riding for the Disabled, Inverarity,
and she hopes to get out to more shows this year, both to take
pictures, and to sell her prints and original artwork.
As this is a fairly new venture, Victoria and her extremely
supportive parents, Alistair and Dianne, are still finding
their way into this new world of retail.
This year she is hoping to attend Brechin
Show, RDA Inverarity, and Aberdeen
Clydesdale Show in August. At the moment
some of her work is on sale from Blackstone
Clydesdales, (contact details below), Electric Brae
Gallery and Coast Curios.
Mum, Dianne, says: “Victoria’s painting has really
helped her recover, and we can see she is gaining
confidence all the time. At the moment she works four days
a week, as she still gets quite tired; but the studio we built on
is such a lovely space for her to work. She is just so talented her
work just needs to be seen.”
Fact file:
■ Commissions for an original
piece of work, from £250 for 15”
x 11” or 39 x 29cm (approx.)
■ Allow 4-6 weeks for
commissions, a really sharp
photograph must be supplied.
■ Paintings can be supplied
framed.
■ Cards and small prints are
available from just a few pounds
each.
■ Paintings are currently on sale
from Victoria’s home studio,
where she can email you a
pdf of her existing work, as an
example.
■ Victoria welcomes visits from
riding clubs, stableyards etc
to her studio. (Tea, coffee and
home baking for groups).
■ Contact Victoria on
[email protected],
or tel. 01241 870439
(Website is under construction)
Angus Open
Studios
This year Victoria has joined the Angus Open
Studios, which aims to foster and promote artists,
contemporary and traditional craftsmen, and designermakers in Angus.
By joining this scheme, Victoria will open her studio to
visitors from May 23-27, from 10am to 7pm. A selection
of her artwork can be seen at www.angusopenstudio.
co.uk, click the Victoria Kerr link.
Commissions
Victoria has taken commissions for various subjects,
including dogs and landscapes, and is happy to paint
cattle and sheep, commissions for an original painting
start from £250.
Prints range from £30 for a medium size, and £50 for a
large. And there is a terrific range of cards depicting all her
artwork (see picture above) which are just a few pounds
each.
Details of stockists:
Blackstone Clydesdales, Rigg Road, Cumnock, East Ayrshire, KA18 3JJ
www.blackstoneclydesdales.co.uk
Electric Brae Gallery, Croy House, Croy, Maybole KA19 8JS www.electricbraegallery.com
Coast Curios, 56 Keptie Street, Arbroath DD11 3AG [email protected]
Saturday opening only
Bank Street Gallery, 26 Bank Street, Kirriemuir DD8 4BG Tel. 01575 570070
Exhibition dates Friday, March 15 - April 26
A selection of
greeting cards
that can be
purchased
You can buy a selection of smaller prints either as they are, or already
framed, above
The colours, the size, and the majesty of this painting, is something to
behold when viewing it face to face
A newly finished work, this handsome Clydesdale is Digger, Blackstones
oldest horse
SWAN & TURNER
~~
and
Sweatshirts
with
Country
designs.
A STIC•
Archibald Thorburn Watercolour
- £30,000
Daum Nancy
Vase - £5,500
Walnut Turnover Top Card Table
- £9,000
We are presently taking entries
for our next sale on 27th April
Catalogue and all images on website ten days prior to sale
www.swanturner.co.uk
36 High Street
Jedburgh
Scottish Borders
TD8 6AG
T IC • FA
Recent sale results include:
• FA NT
C
I Fleeces
AS
Our sales programme include regular auction sales of
Fine Art, Antiques and Collectables which are interspersed
with Specialist Sales when required.
Because kids will be kids
T
FA N A ST
Swan and Turner provide a complete Auction House Service
tailored to meet your requirements.
NT
Fine Art Auctioneers & Valuers
NEW IN
LAZY JACKS
Casual Wear For
Adults & Children
Breathable
Waterproofs
For Ages 12 months to 10 years.
email: [email protected]
Tel: 01835 863445
For quick ordering, order online at:
www.puddlejumpers.co.uk or call 01298 83812
Chalk Paint™, decorative
paint by Annie Sloan, comes
in a plethora of colours that
can be mixed and matched
Recycle, revive,
❤
and re-love
your furniture
By Karen Carruth
I WOULD think that most homes
have a piece of furniture, that may
serve a practical purpose, but isn’t
an aesthetic beauty. And in these
times of recycling, upcycling and
refurbing, there are some easy and
fast options available to transform
your furniture into something to
love, rather than loathe.
Pine furniture, loved by many
I’m sure, (but not in my house
– particularly the type with the
orange hue), was a prime candidate
for a little attention in my home.
So, it was with a ‘paint it or dump
it’ attitude that I decided that I had
to do something with my offensive
wooden items.
As all mums know, if you need
to find something out, ask another
mum, it’s that simple. Sure enough
one of my friends had heard of
a furniture paint that took no
preparation whatsoever, apparently
you could paint it straight on.
Sounded ideal. I did a google
search and found Chalk Paint™,
decorative paint by Annie Sloan. On
the website there were lots of hints
and tips on how to use the paint,
and I checked out the stockists
page to find there are around a
dozen stockists in Scotland.
Two were close to me, one in
Glasgow, and one in Troon. Turned
out it was the same lady running
both businesses, Liz Fortune.
Now Liz is a force to be reckoned
with: an antique dealer, interior
designer, trained French polisher,
soft furnishing manufacturer, Annie
Sloan demonstrator, and... a singer,
This side table has been painted using
the Antoinette colour
Before, above. And after, below
but that’s a whole different story.
A bubbly, blonde lady, buzzing
around her unit in Glasgow’s City
Antiques Centre welcomes me with
enthusiasm. Liz stocks the Chalk
Paint™ and a range of accessories
in both Glasgow, and in her interior
accessories shop ‘Iconic Home’
in Troon. She runs Annie Sloan
technique courses from both
premises.
On trying to find out more about
the properties of the paint, it seems
that it is a trade secret. What you
do need to know is that it can be
applied to just about anything:
furniture, walls, floors, frames,
garden furniture, metal or iron, even
plant pots, and the beauty of it is
that you don’t have to sand, prime
or strip before you begin.
It is a very easy process, you
paint your furniture, leave it to dry,
which is usually less than an hour,
and then apply a soft wax to seal
the surface and buff to a velvety
matt sheen. At its most basic, that
is the complete process. Of course,
with so many colours available there
is a lot of creativity to indulge in.
This look was achieved using
Annie Sloan has several
old white and versailles, using
books demonstrating painting
Continued on page 23
techniques learned from Annie
Sloan’s books
home
Recycle, revive
Annie
Sloan
in her
workshop
Who is
Annie Sloan?
ANNIE SLOAN lives and works in Oxford, England, with her husband
David who runs the business with her. Born in Australia to a Scottish
father and a Fijian mother, she came to England to a farming life in
Kent when she was ten-years-old.
With spells in Southern Africa and connections to France, Cuba and the
US she feels she has world roots. She has three sons all in their twenties
and has lived in Oxford for the last 25 years.
Her career
Annie Sloan is probably the main reason for the painted furniture
revolution through her easy, lively and creative approach to painting.
She has a strong desire to communicate and empower people creatively
which she does through her books, workshops and paint.
She has been painting for more than 40 years as well as writing
numerous books on the subject. She has created her own special
decorative paint called Chalk Paint™, which is specifically designed for
furniture, that can also be used on walls and floors. This paint has been
developed through Annie’s knowledge of paint, pigments and art history.
Annie trained as a fine artist, but turned to decorative work
and understanding colour after university. In 1987 she wrote the
phenomenally successful book ‘The Complete Book of Decorative
Paint Techniques’ which was followed by more than 20 other books
on traditional paints, colours and techniques and has led to total sales
of more than 2,000,000 books worldwide in 11 languages. The latest
book has just been launched, ‘Colour Recipes for Painted Furniture and
more..’, following on from the successful launch of ‘Quick and Easy...’
and ‘Creating the French Look..’
In 2000 she set up her shop in Oxford to showcase her Chalk
Paint™, run courses, and offer interior design services using her
knowledge about colour.
Annie has recently launched a range of fabrics which
complement her paint range.
There are numerous books where you can pick up fantastic
tips on how to transform your furniture, above, Colour
Recipes for Painted Furniture is the brand new addition to
the Annie Sloan library
❤
evive, and re-love your furniture
techniques to give you a range of looks. Textured,
distressed, crackled glaze, stenciling, and you
can even transfer text onto items with just a little
knowledge.
Gaining the knowledge comes in a couple of
ways. By far the most fun is to go along to one of
Liz’s courses. She holds two or three courses each
week, offering two levels of techniques. The basic
course teaches painting, textured painting, using
two colours effectively, waxing, ageing furniture,
distressing and tips on the shabby chic look. The
more advanced course, which I attended, shows
you how to master gilding, decoupage, stencilling,
crackled glaze, and transferring text onto furniture.
Liz says: “The courses attract all types of people.
Predominantly women, but we have lots of men,
and even kids come along to learn. It is such great
fun, and you learn something useful in a relaxed
environment. These techniques are enjoying a boost
in popularity at the moment. Due to the recession,
people are choosing to give their belongings a new
look rather than buy new. There is a huge recycling
movement along with a thriving craft movement,
and both these things sit well with ‘upcycling’
furniture.”
She continues: “There is a staggering amount of
uses for this range of paints, whether you have a
genuine historic piece of furniture, or a reproduction
piece, you can turn it into a thing of beauty very
easily – and even if the furniture isn’t in the best of
condition, this paint covers all sins.”
Liz’s shop in Troon is an interior accessories
shop, glittering with beautiful items for your home,
she also offers an interior design service, corporate
makeovers in retail outlets as Chalk Paint™
has become very fashionable for shop display
furnishings, floors and walls, and a soft furnishings
manufacturing service too, so she can take care of
all your interior design needs.
Annie Sloan has launched two new Chalk Paint™ colours – English Yellow and Burgundy
The paint
Annie Sloan developed her now famous Chalk Paint™ to answer
the need she had for a paint which would have many uses, from
acting like limewash to looking like old painted furniture, and
that had a good range of colours that could be extended by the
user. This paint is very easy to work with and allows people to be
creative, as there is no need to spend hours preparing furniture, as
the paint will stick to any surface, and it also allows you to change
your mind without hassle.
Add a little water to it to make it smooth, thicken it up by leaving
the lid off if you want to make it thicker, make it into a wash by
adding even more water to it. Use flat brushes for a smooth look or
bristle brushes for a more textured aged look.
To learn more about these and other techniques, contact your
local stockist about booking a course or workshop. Details on the
Annie Sloan website. www.anniesloan.com
There is a huge
range of colours and
accessories to create
the perfect look
Before, and after
Margo Simpson, found out about the paint
and bought a book to learn some skills. Her
first project was this bed. First coat in Duck
Egg blue, and second in Old White. Then
she ‘shabby’d’ it up a bit
Both theses items were painted at
home, using just Annie Sloan products.
This occasion table was transformed
using Paris Grey under Old White paint
home
Recycle, revive, and re-love your furniture
The course
THE COURSE was an evening event,
at Liz’s Iconic Home shop in Troon,
courses are held regularly and are
great fun.
Five like-minded ladies in a room?
There is only one outcome - chatting!
It doesn’t take long to find out all
you have to know about your fellow
course attendees. The important things
– tea, coffee, biscuits, and of course, all
the equipment is included in your £45
course fee.
Then it is down to work. We are
shown how to use decoupage glue, tips
on avoiding bubbles on the images, and
varnishing to protect the image. Then
it is onto crackled glaze, which gives a
wonderful aged look. Which glaze to use
and when, how long to use the hairdryer
to crack the glaze, and then the use of
soft wax and dark wax to maximise the
effects.
Liz then covered gilding, which I
initially thought I wouldn’t be interested
in, but having tried it, it was so easy
using brass leaf, it is inexpensive to
create a stunning look.
My favourite part of the class was
the graphic layering technique. Which
means transferring a detailed text or
image onto your items without having
to paint freehand. It was a very clever
idea, and although it does take a bit of
time, and some patience, the effect is
stunning.
Annie Sloan produces all the
accessories needed for gilding,
decoupage and crackle glaze products,
that can also be purchased in Iconic
Home, Troon, and in the Glasgow store.
LIZ FORTUNE who runs the courses in Troon,
showing us how to apply dark wax for an aged look
When heated with a hairdryer the glaze
cracks leaving an aged appearance
CRACKLED
GLAZE
Gayle, one of the ladies on the course,
cuts out a picture to use as her
decoupage image
DECOUPAGE
The interior of
Iconic Home in
Troon is like an
Aladdins Cave of
sparkly, attractive,
home interior
options
Dampen cut out image with water,
brush back with decoupage glue
(which acts as a varnish too).
Stick down in position
Dampen the picture flat down
again
Apply glue over the entire
image, avoid going over the
edges. When dry, apply a second
layer.
Apply a thin layer of the step
one glue base. Leave to dry
naturally.
When dry apply the
crackled glaze (step two
glue), liberally, in an uneven
pattern.
Dry with hairdryer to
encourage the crackled look.
When dry, apply a fine
layer of clear wax with
fingertips, then using a tiny
amount of dark wax rub into
crackled area to highlight the
cracks. Moisten tissue and
wipe away any excess to
desired look.
Contact:
GILDING
Using gold size glue, apply to
area you wish to gild. Leave until
glue changes colour from blue to
white. Using brass leaf, brush the
sheets face down onto surface.
Strip off the back sheet.
Using a soft, dry paintbrush,
brush away any excess. Using a
very small amount of wax, gently
rub over the brass. Then using
dark wax apply a small amount
with your fingers to define areas.
Rub off any excess with tissue.
LETTERING
Or grahic layering as it is called. Choose your image, no need to cut it
out. Cover the back of the image with a thick layer of chalk, use a colour
which will show up on the surface. Tape the image down. Draw over the
details on the image using a fine line pen. When you remove the image,
you will be left with a chalk image. You can then go over the lines with the
fine line pens, or something similar. Finally, use the soft wax to seal the
image. Buff. Admire.
■ Annie Sloan books giving detailed tips on transforming furniture are available widely. Check the Annie Sloan website, or
Amazon for a host of titles.
■ Scottish courses: Check out www.anniesloan.com for stockists and courses near you.
●
For courses and
to purchase
Chalk Paint™
you can call
Liz Fortune at
Iconic Home,
3A Church
Street Troon
KA10 6TU.
Tel. 01292
312674 and on
07789515570
in Iconic Home
171 Lancefield
Street Glasgow
G3 8HZ.
You can book
your course
direct on
www.
iconichome.
co.uk
Advertisement Feature
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the fashion conscious woman need look no further than Frox of
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fashion
Tempted to
treat yourself?
...we think
you should
Emily, above and Robyn, left, both Pam’s daughters, helped out with modelling mum’s
designs for the day. Above, Emily wears the fitted tweed riding jacket with four buttons
By Karen Carruth
Photographs: Rob Haining
THERE WAS always a chance
Robyn wears the tartan fitted jacket, also with the four
button front
that Pam Simpson would take to
designing her own clothing. Making
her own wedding dress 25 years
ago, and regularly making her two
girls’ clothes when they were young,
allowed her to indulge in her interest
in art and design.
So when a reorganisation was
muted in Perth and Kinross Council,
where she worked as a student
placement co-ordinator, she took the
opportunity to jump ship, and start her
own business.
‘Think I Should’ was started three
years ago, off the back of Pam not
being able to find the kind of clothes
that she wanted to wear.
We met at her home, at Methven,
in Perthshire, for a photoshoot, literally
hours before all the clothing she has is
couriered down to the Country Living
Fair in London. It’s a big investment for
the business, and Pam is in the middle
of something of a rabble.
“I’m just trying to decide if I have
enough jackets for the four days of the
show, I’ve never been before and I’m
worried that I don’t take enough.
“I have made the decision to take
mainly my new season’s jackets, which
are mostly short, fitted, jackets, which
can match with either a dress skirt or
for a more informal look, a pair of jeans.
I’m also taking my range of tweed mini
kilts, which are very popular at the
moment.”
Pam is a very proud supporter of UK
industry, and insists that all her fabrics,
and the tailors she uses to create
her designs are UK and if possible,
Scottish based.
She specialises in using the ontrends fabrics which are tweed, tartans
and stripes. A new range of boating
jackets are proving very popular with all
age ranges.
Erika Hay, Pam’s friend, models the classic
Cheltenham coat, with velvet detailed collar,
cuffs and back panel, £275
fashion
Pam Simpson, of ‘Think I Should’
clothing
“I would say that the markets I’m
aiming at are the affluent business
types, fabulous yummy mummys,
and the country set, who appreciate
top end tailoring,” says Pam.
As well as the jackets that Pam is
well-known for, she now has a range
of shirts which she calls the ‘hotchpotch shirt’. They are aptly named,
as they have different panels and
colours on each one. They are all a
little different from the other.
“I can’t say my clothes are
bespoke, but I think they are fairly
unique. I only get between one
and 10 of each item made, so
it’s unlikely you are going to see
someone wearing the exact
same jacket. Also, if someone
would like a particular style
of jacket made up in
any fabric or size, we
can accommodate
that without any
problems.”
This spring
season sees lots
of lighter fabric
jackets, twinned
with oversized gold
buttons. Stripes
and checks are
popular, with bright
contrasting colours
on the collars and
cuffs.
The range of
tweed mini skirts,
have a fashionable
wide velvet waist
band, which sits just
below the hips for that
flattering smoothfront look. They come
Continues on next page
The girls stride out in the boating jackets, showing some of the range of colours available
Emily wears the on-trend boating jacket, which is available in lots of colour variations, and
Robyn wears the fitted riding jacket in the check pattern, with contrasting lining.
Left, Emily wears the striking fitted riding jacket, in check with velvet colour detail. Prices
from around £190
Frox
of
Falkirk
Ltd
Timeless Sophistication for the Modern Woman
16 - 18 Newmarket Street,
Falkirk FK1 1JQ
Opening hours:
Mon-Sat 9:30am-5pm
Sunday 11am-4pm
01324 611350
www.froxoffalkirk.co.uk
fashion
‘I only get
between one
and 10 of each
item made, so
it’s unlikely you
are going to see
someone wearing
the exact same
jacket. If someone
would like a
particular style
of jacket made
up in any fabric
or size, we can
accommodate
that with no
problems’
in a variety of tweed and velvet
combinations.
Pam does most of her business at
the various fairs that are on around
the country. The Scottish Country
Living Fair in Glasgow, the Girl’s Day
Out Shows and she attends lots of
the charity shows, like the Scone
Palace Cancer Fair. But she says
that it is generally through word of
mouth that sells her clothes. She
also holds open days at home
and invites people over to view the
range.
She has a basic website that is in
the process of being updated, but
with the mad few weeks that she
has had, she hasn’t been able to get
it up to scratch.
Another string to her bow, is the
contract to supply the sixth form
blazers for Kilgraston School, and
she is one of the suppliers of the
Glenalmond sixth form blazer.
On the list for future consideration
is a men’s range of clothing, but
Pam has enough on her plate at the
moment to keep her busy.
Sizes range from a size six up to
size 20 in stock, and larger sizes
available on request, Pam hopes
that her clothes will appeal to all
ages, and with the timeless classic
cuts that she creates, I’m sure they
will.
www.thinkishould.co.uk
e. [email protected]
The girls model a couple of the tweed skirts from Pam’s
range, which feature a wide velvet waistband, designed
to sit, flatteringly, just below the waist. The skirts come in
different lengths, £95. Emily, right, wears one of the range
of Pam’s shirts which are called ‘hotch potch’ shirts, as
they have different panels, sporting different colours and
patterns, from £60
KEITH KILT & TEXTILE CENTRE
The “Original Kilt School of Scotland”
The Only one of its kind in the world
Learn to Handstitch,
Made to Measure Traditional Kilts
For course dates please see our website
www.kiltsandtextiles.org
Tel no 01542 886846
Mobile 07792 190653
The boating and the tartan jackets can
be worn with a smart skirt for work, or
jeans for a more informal occasion
Keith Kilt and Textile Centre
86a Mid Street, Keith, Banffshire, AB55 5AF
The Country Wedding Flower Co. specialise
in providing wedding flower services to
Dumfries & Galloway and the Borders.
Producing country-influenced, natural and
beautiful floral themes for your wedding
and can manage every aspect of floral
arrangements for your wedding.
Our services include:
Bridal Flowers
Beautiful bouquets for the bride on her
special day.
Bridesmaids Flowers
Complementary bouquet arrangements to
co-ordinate the bridal party
Wedding Venue Flowers
We can dress your chosen venue to match
your theme.
We can also arrange buttonholes, corsages
and complimentary services
to match your chosen theme
We offer a complete package service which
covers your entire requirements for the
day – please contact us to talk about your
requirements.
The Country Wedding Flower Co.
Tel: 07825 030535
Email: info@countryweddingflower.co.uk
Ladies Fashions
7/9 West End, Biggar, ML12 6DA
Tel/Fax: 01899 220245
116 High Street, Biggar. ML12 6DH
Tel/Fax: 01899 220884
SPRING SUMMER COLLECTIONS
now in stock
outfits to take you to every event in your diary this season.
Sizes 8 - 22
Libra, Lebek, Golliehaug, Gold, Joseph Ribkoff, Condici,
Zeila, Cabotine, Veni Infantino.
Complement your outfit this season with shoes & sandals from :
Gabor, Van Dal, Capolinni, HB, Riva, Reiker, Lotus Paul Green
Check out our website www.sheilaconnladiesfashions.co.uk
Based on your ideas
or supplied
pictures
Custom Metal Art can
produce a high
quality steel sign that
is unique to you and
truly stands out
from the rest.
For more information call or e-mail
Stuart anytime on 07973 568125
[email protected]
in association with our VOWS Award
winning sister shop Opus Couture
Mother of Bride/Groom
Special Occasion Wear
Cruise & Prom Wear
28 Ritchie Street, West Kilbride,
Ayrshire KA23 9AL
Tel: 01294 829 264
www.opusoccasions.com
By Appointment - Closed Wednesday & Sunday
travel
By Karen Carruth
IT IS inspiring to meet people who
have set goals in their life and are
working towards them at a pace.
However, as Pippa Davie will testify
with a shake of her head: “Do we
have to reach them all in the one
year?”
It is all happening at Perkhill
Estates, with their Aberdeen-Angus
herd building up nicely, and their
three holiday cottages attracting a
high occupancy rate.
The couple, Pippa and Alex Davie,
along with their three children, have
been at Perkhill, near Lumphanan,
in Aberdeenshire for the past
seven years, moving up from
Buckinghamshire to this area, where
four generations of Alex’s family have
lived and farmed.
The cottages are proving to be
extremely popular with guests,
now making return visits, and it is
not difficult to see why. The three
cottages overlook a valley, with
lovely views to wake up to, or to
enjoy, while relaxing on the deck
with a glass of something fizzy.
Named after the links the area has
to Macbeth, the cottages are called
King Duncan’s View, Macbeth’s
Retreat, and Lady MacBeth’s Rest.
Fitted out to the highest standards,
all the cottages boast wood burning
stoves, tasteful Scottish-themed
decor and extremely spacious
rooms, along with all the mod cons
you would expect from a modern
development, including under floor
heating, DVD players, Wifi, freeview
TV, and all electricity, logs, linen
and towels are supplied in the price
– think less packing!
King Duncan’s View is a two
storey steading conversion,
containing spacious rooms, three
bedrooms and stunning views.
The beauty of this cottage is that it
completely disability friendly (with
grade two disabled facilities), easy
access, ground floor bedroom
and wetroom. It sleeps eight
comfortably, and is ideal for a
family get together to enjoy the
surrounding countryside.
MacBeth’s Retreat, is a detached
property set down nearer the road,
and has two bedrooms, a huge
kitchen, and the master bedroom
has a superking bed, which on
request can be divided into two
singles for your arrival.
An added bonus of this cottage
is the decking that surrounds the
front of the outside of the property,
offering the chance to enjoy the
bubbling burn that winds past the
deck towards the River Dee, along
with the wildlife that call this area
home. Don’t be surprised to find
deer, badgers, otters, and a host
of birds including raptors and even
Black Turkeys nearby.
Last, but not least, is Lady
MacBeth’s Rest which is a high32 / COUNTRYlifestyle
MacBeth’s retreat sits lower
in the valley and enjoys a
deck around the front of the
converted cottage
Perfect
Perkhill
The little extra touches make
all the difference
roofed two bedroom granite
steading conversion cottage. It
comfortably sleeping four people,
it is perched up higher on the hill,
gives superior views.
The area where the farm is
located, is an ideal base for
exploring Aberdeenshire. The
granite city is just half an hour away.
There are plentiful golf courses,
cycling tracks, gliding, walking
(the Cairngorms are nearby), bird
watching and fishing opportunities
locally – also dogs are welcome
at the properties. The Royal
connection, with Balmoral Castle
being close by, is another attraction
to bring visitors to the area.
Just along the road is Deeside
Activity Centre, for those who like to
play hard outdoors, with kart racing,
paintball, quad baking and activities
for the kids all on hand.
This farm diversification was
not an easy project to complete.
The Angus beasts were the initial
project, with Alex buying over the
30-strong Whinbush Herd, as his
own starter herd. He has worked
hard on breeding and putting up the
buildings needed to get the herd
up to scratch. Breeding lines now
include Wedderlie, Blelack, Mosston
Muir among others, and he is now
happy with how his beloved herd is
progressing.
Having come to farming later
in their lives, the couple find
themselves in the position of
missing out on SFP on their 220acre farm, as they were over 40
and didn’t qualify for the young
entrants’ grant. This has made
the job of trying to get the farm to
pay, almost impossible. Therefore,
this diversification, along with Alex
thinking about going back to his
career as a structural engineer, have
come at a good time to help the
Davies maintain a healthy income.
Pippa works part time teaching
Spanish and French in local primary
schools, and has had the job of
looking after the day to day running
of the cottages, taking bookings,
turning over the cottages for new
guests arriving. And she thinks that
the personal touch makes all the
difference.
“I always make a point of replying
as soon as possible to queries,
people feel that they have made
contact with a real person, and it’s
easier to have a conversation about
their needs.
“We decided to do all the
cottages at the one time... yes, it
was hard work, particularly getting
grants and trying to get initial quotes,
but we are now up and running, and
since we opened in Easter 2012,
we have been surprised to have had
around 70% occupancy.”
When putting together the plan for
the cottages, the couple made sure
Continued on next page
Top right, the
living area in
Macbeth’s
Retreat is
spacious and
bright
Middle, the
master bedroom
is fitted with a
superking, which
can be split to be
twin beds before
your arrival if
requried
Alex’s herd
of AberdeenAngus graze in
the fields around
the three holiday
cottages
travel
Perfect
Perkhill
The kitchen in
MacBeth’s Retreat is
very spacious and has
all the mod cons
they included a green element. They have
two turbines on the hill supplying electricity
for the properties, which also sell back
to the national grid. Also, the houses are
heated using a log boiler, which provides
both heating and hot water.
As if there isn’t enough going on, Pippa
and Alex are also in the midst of building
their own dream farmhouse. Sited just
along from the farm buildings, they hope
to have the house finished by the end of
the year, to give their family, and dogs,
more space.
The key to being successful in a market
that is saturated with other competitors
is to offer something that no one else
has. And on that front, unbelievably, the
pair of them are currently planning, and
have started the building work on, a fully
enclosed 11 metre x four metre swimming
pool, which will sit on the hill with a glass
fronted outlook which will, indeed, provide
the wow factor. Check
the website later in the
year for the update on
the pool.
As I said, Pippa and
Alex have their hands
full, running their busy
lives, trying to complete
their building work,
and also running a
successful holiday
letting business. And
a word of advice,
compared to other four
star properties, the
rental costs are very
competitive, so get your bookings in quick,
the weeks are being snapped up fast!
www.perkhillholidaycottages.co.uk
Tel: 01339 883 636
All three cottages are beautifully decorated, and one
of the cottages, King Duncan’s View, is fully kitted out
for disabled visitors, and has the capability to sleep
eight comfortably
Decor, is clean,
contemporary, and
comfortable
2013 Agricultural &
Sightseeing Tours
All fully escorted tours from the UK. First class hotels and
transport. Pleasant mix of agricultural and sightseeing visits
and “travelling with people who speak the same language”
AMERICAN ROCKIES
1st to 16th June
Magnificent scenery of the American Rockies combined with fascinating Ranch and
farm visits on the high plains. Colorado, S. Dakota, Wyoming, and Utah, including
Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks
LIMITED PLACES REMAINING
WESTERN CANADA
& CALGARY STAMPEDE
27th June to 9th July
Rockies Tour + Calgary for Stampede including opening parade, rodeo,
chuckwagon races & evening show.
LAST 2 PLACES
RUSSIA & UKRAINE
26th August to 4th September
St Petersburg, Moscow and Kiev + the black soils of the Russian steppe
TOUR NOW FULL
CHINA & MONGOLIA
7th to 25th September
Includes Terracotta Warriors, the Great Wall, Yangtze River Cruise + autonomous
Inner Mongolia
IRELAND
Dublin, Kilkenny, Cork, The National Stud, Blarney Castle.
Enjoy the sunset on the deck
PORTUGAL
Lisbon, Douro Valley, Porto, The Atlantic Coast.
ALL ROOMS WITH AMAZING SEA VIEWS
ITALY - LAKE GARDA
22nd to 30th September
Venice, Verona, Po Valley, 4* hotel on the shores of Lake Garda.
CALIFORNIA
6th to 19th October
San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas, Yosemite and Grand Canyon National Parks
SOUTH AFRICA
+ Zambia & Victoria Falls
14th October to 6th November
Durban, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, Robben Island, Cape of Good Hope, Game drives
in Kruger National Park, Swaziland, Zulu heritage of KwazuluNatal + much more.
FANTASTIC WEST COAST GETAWAY...
SPRING BREAK
SOUTH AMERICA
4th to 29th November
including Brazil, Argentina and Chile
Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aries, Santiago, Sugar Loaf Mountain, Copacabana, Iguassu
Falls, “Welsh” Patagonia, The Pampas, Whale watching, The Andes and
Volcanoes of Chile.
Stay 2 nights
Stay 3 nights
DBB from £180pp DBB from £260pp
Enjoy a short break with a
stunning sea view from
every room!
Enjoy a short break with a
stunning sea view from
every room!
Based on 2 people sharing a
Cedar Wing sea-view room.
Based on 2 people sharing a
Cedar Wing sea-view room.
LOCH MELFORT HOTEL
Arduaine, by Oban PA34 4XG • Call 01852 200 233
Visit us on www.lochmelfort.co.uk
WINNER
Small
Romantic
Hotel of the
Year 2011
email: [email protected] for full detailed itineratites and prices
From Inverness to Dumfries and beyond,
homes specially designed to your specification
and built to an exceptionally high standard.
www.hopehomes.co.uk
01292 590442

Issue 9 - Country Lifestyle Scotland

Transcription

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