London Town

Recent trips to London have been very arduous to say the least.  We find ourselves leaving Tetbury at 7am for an 11am appointment.  After Slough the volume of traffic on the M4 slows the journey down – then there is worse to come in central London – just bumper to bumper.  The other drawback is the £38 parking fee, £10 congestion charge – makes it an expensive trip.  Friends had suggested it might be more cost effective & much quicker by train.  Having decided to let “the train take the strain” I checked out the website of Raileasy and found to my amazement a return ticket travelling from Kemble to Paddington for £40 – an offer I took up!  Kemble is only ten minutes from Tetbury & parking is easy.  Kemble has a great independently run station café serving bacon/sausage baps and really good coffee – perfect while waiting for the train which was departs at 09.19.  We arrived in Paddington at 10.37 – much quicker than driving.

The purpose of this trip was a mix of business and pleasure.  From Paddington we travelled by tube over to Holborn – pretty packed with visitors going to the Olympic Games at Stratford.  We left the tube and walked over to Lambs Conduit Street, Bloomsbury to our first appointment at the “Oliver Spencer” showroom.  We have admired this label for a long time – his signature is ‘seen but not heard’ which sits perfectly alongside our ever growing menswear brands. 

Thornback & Peel Rugby Street

French's Dairy

Interior of Ben Pentreath

Interior of Ben Pentreath 

The French House

Lambs Conduit Street

Lambs Conduit Street

After placing the order for spring/summer 2013 we decided to explore the area.  The atmosphere is slightly bohemian – no boring lack lustre chain stores, but interesting diverse shops run by like-minded people.  There’s a great choice of café/restaurants with pavement seating – perfect for people watching.  Just of Lambs Conduit Street is Rugby Street which has a good selecting of interesting shops French’s Dairy now a costume jewellery shop run by Maggie Owen, from who we have bought wholesale when we sold jewellery.  Her jewellery brands always had a point of difference.  Two doors down from Maggie is Ben Pentreath a small shop crammed full of carefully chosen products and a variety of antiques.  We bought a set of sturdy robust ‘Perigord’ wine glasses as we are forever breaking glassware.  Ben has an excellent blog that is well worth following.

The Courtyard Royal Academy

It was time to head over to central London for an appointment with ‘Nicole Farhi’.  We have rested this label for two seasons.  The spring/summer collection is strong and back on track, aware that our customers would like to see it back in store; we placed an order for 2013.  After Farhi we had engineered some free time by booking a later train home and went to Royal Academy Summer Exhibition - a must each year.  The first work you see is in the central courtyard ’From Landscape To Portrait’ by Chris Wilkinson RA.  An extremely strong arresting statement made from timber, stainless steel & concrete.  Inside the central Wohl hall has been painted a rich red, perfect backdrop for the abstract paintings.  We made our way to The Associates Gallery,   which was hung with smaller works in a wave design.  Personally the large gallery didn’t work as I prefer to see the smaller works hung in the small ‘Weston Room’ it’s a far more intimate setting.  The show is extremely divers with work by both talented young & old.  We particularly like work ‘no: 623’ (£66,000) by Martin Creeds a green neon sign the word ‘Dogs’ which could be interpreted in a manner of many things.  A more affordable price bracket was ‘Street Painting’ of Bath by Francis Callaghan at £380.  One work I really coveted was ‘Larousse’ a book sculpture by AlexanderKorzer-Robinson at £2,000 – clever use of defunct old encyclopaedia book.

The Atrium at Fortnum's

En route back to the tube we hit the tourist trail and went to ‘Fortnum & Mason’ to view the gorgeous food and confectionary on display.  To avoid the crowds on Piccadilly we took the more refined route back to the tube via Jermyn Street.  Here you will find Paxton &Whitfield Cheesemongers who have been trading for 200 hundred years, also English perfumers ‘Floris’ who have been trading for 280 years.  The tube was packed, at Paddington we met up with a friend Jo Clark (photographers agent) for coffee and a catch-up at ‘Paul’ French bakery – staff very friendly but the coffee and hot chocolate was pretty awful – so don’t bother.  The train departed at 19.48 and we arrived at Kemble 21.19, definitely a much easier way to travel to London.

Fortnum's Confectionery

Fortnum's Clock

Jermyn Street

Jermyn Street

Visiting "Universal Works".

Viewing spring/summer collection 2013

Our spring/summer 2013 buying period has just started – our first visit has been to one of our favourite menswear brands “Universal Works”, a laidback slightly relaxed tailored look that takes inspiration from traditional British work wear clothing.   It’s not slavish to fashion trends – just simple classic cut clothes that are timeless.  In store soon will be the autumn/winter collection which we are confident will be a hit with our customers.  The colour pallet is muted tones of grey, khaki, blue jackets, chinos, shirts & knits made from natural fabrics and yarns.  The garments are not mass produced, but made by skilled workers in small factories. 

After placing our spring/summer order we made our way to 37 Lambs Conduit Street WC1 where Universal Works have just opened their first ever shop.  Here we met friendly & enthusiastic manager David who explained the ethos and concept of the store.  The interior is simple and low-key, perfect backdrop for the collection.  Stripped/distressed wood floor, white walls & quirky fittings – fireplace grate was filled with a display of socks.  The bold black “UV” wall/ceiling logo pulls the scheme together.  We are in no doubt the shop will be a success in this cool and stylish enclave of London.

Shop Interior

Making Of • Set Fashionology N°7 • AW 2012 Shoot

New to Fashion Dispensary this autumn/winter 2012 is German brand 'SET'.  This label totally embodies the "language of women's fashion" - the chicness of France, style of Italy combined with German expertise.  The designers have a cosmopolitan attitude - casual & self confident but extremely versatile, perfect for individuals with an eye for detail, harmony of colours & fabrics, premium brand quality at affordable price.  Watch the DVD for a preview of what we are stocking, creative director Maya Junger is wearing a gorgeous black leather biker jacket that we have ordered.  The models featured are Anna Selezvena and heartthrob Paraskevas Boubourakas.

Pastoral Idle

Being self-employed has lots of benefits, but in this economic climate there are highs & lows.  I spend six days working in our business, no holidays - that is survival!  Don’t feel too sorry, living and working here for the last eight years has lots of plus’s.  Tetbury is a beautiful historic Cotswold market town, largely made up of independent businesses.  Literally on the doorstep is the most gorgeous countryside imaginable, perfect for walking our bearded collie Hettie.  I thought it would be nice to share one of our favourite walks with you.

Hettie prepares to leave the house

St Mary's Church Tetbury

It was a glorious sunny day as we left the house heading down Silver Street over the Wiltshire Bridge towards the old tanyard and on to the fields.  Part of the walk takes us across the land of the Prince of Wales Duchy Estate.  The fields are organic pasture mixed with a plethora of wild flowers.  Hettie loves to roam free chasing deer, pheasants and retrieving sticks.  The beauty of this walk is that I rarely see anyone else - great for collecting your thoughts.  A favourite destination en route is the Highgrove Estate Close Farm ‘Veg Shed’ - recently relocated from Cherrington.  This purpose built shop/shed is a mecca for those that appreciate the value of organically grown produce.  We often buy a selection of vegetables to oven roast for supper.  Another must have are the freshly picked salad leaves ready to wash and devour; they really do have more flavour than the ready washed supermarket variety.

Horses graze in the adjacent field

'Bella' The Close Farm Shire Horse

Heading towards the Bath road

Bath Road

Bath Bridge 

Each Thursday Highgrove Close Farm has a large veg cart that is pulled into Tetbury by a Shire horse that also earns her keep working the land.  It’s parked by the old market house and is a magnet for locals and tourists.  Reading this you will probably think I have painted a picture of rural idle in this beautiful part of the Cotswolds.  Idyllic it is, but we have worked hard at our business over the last eight years thinking up new ideas to keep it fresh and one step ahead of  competitors so that we can  continue living and trading here.

Home!

Roasted Vegetables

Long Lunch

Claire preps the salad

One of my favourite days of the week is Sunday - probably because it’s my only day off.  I prefer a complete break from the demands of retail and always try and go out for a change of scenery.  One pleasure is a long relaxing lunch with friends, though personally I am not a fan of the traditional Sunday roast.  Claire, a friend from Lorfords Antiques Tetbury, a very stylish shop for antiques & decorators pieces all chosen with a very discerning eye - appealing very much to the interiors and collectors market.  She invited us to lunch with a mutual friend Rebecca who has recently taken over Belgrave House Tetbury and is hard at work transforming it in to a stylish boutique B&B with a delightful quirky edge that will set it apart from the run of the mill establishments.

Cullen Skink

Claire is a naturally gifted cook inspired by my favourite cookery writer Elizabeth David who started writing in the 1950’ inspiring a new generation to be more adventurous.  Her style of writing is chatty and enthusiastic with easy to follow recipes - notable successes were Mediterranean food, French country cookery, Italian food, & French provincial food.  All books are still in print; do buy as her style will inspire you.  Claire being Scottish prepared a starter of Cullen Skink a classic smoked haddock soup, which was absolutely delicious.  She followed this with pieces of chicken baked with lemon and cardamom served with braised Puy lentils, a small green lentil that has a peppery flavour - grown in the Le Puy region of France and a salad of dressed mixed leaves and avocado.  The combination of these dishes was wonderful.  To finish we had a selection of French cheeses and rustic bread.  Conversation flowed along with the wine, totally unaware of the time we eventually staggered home as the Market House clock struck 8pm, we had been there since 1.30pm, and this really was a long happy lunch with friends - the mark of an excellent host.

Rebecca & Colin

Frome - Refreshingly Different

Having spent the last two weeks suffering from the awful coughing flu bug that’s doing the rounds here in Tetbury - now feeling on the mend a change of scenery was in order!  A recent customer mentioned the market town of Frome in Somerset was worth visiting because of the large number of interesting, quirky independent shops on St. Catherine’s Hill.

Having spent an hour in Bath, Frome is an easy 20 minute drive from there, on arrival we found parking easy and free on Sunday’s.  With the dog in tow we headed into town via medieval Cheap Street, which has a good mix of independents - I noticed an excellent book/card shop ‘Hunting Raven Books’.  Running the length of the street is a narrow leat, quite common in the south west of England - I wondered how often people had tripped on this open gulley?  The town itself is architecturally well preserved with many listed buildings.  Our destination was St. Catherine’s Hill, a steep cobbled street flanked by eclectic shops with imaginative window displays that entice you in.  The shops have a charm that is not in anyway pretentious - just a group of like minded creative bohemian traders that sell all manner of goods from artisan products, vintage finds, clothes, haberdashery flowers and hardware.

St. Catherine's Hill

The first Sunday of each month St Catherine’s Hill is closed for the local Artisan and flea market - looks like a great day out.  This market town has a lot to offer, definitely worth a revisit.

Spitalfields Sojourn

Thursday 8th March marked our final day of buying autumn/winter stock - the majority of which will arrive by the end of July!  The beginning of the year is always busy with appointments, plus working in the shop six days leaves only Sunday for the more mundane chores.  Having secured a morning appointment this left the afternoon free.  Taking full advantage of this rare opportunity we headed over to Spitalfields, an area I haven’t visited for a long time.  As a avid follower of the blog Spitalfields Life it was time to experience it for ourselves.

Parking in this area as you would expect is fairly restricted, after driving around we decided to opt for the NCP on Shoreditch High Street..  A rather novel experience as a lift takes your car up to the parking bays.  As time was short this visit was going to be a whirlwind tour.  With Hettie our Bearded Collie we headed over to Folgate Street and Dennis Severs House.  He spent many years carefully restoring this once derelict property in to a time capsule of period rooms lit only by candle light.  We didn’t have time for the guided tour, but will be going on our next visit.

Nearby on Elder Street stands the house of Dan Cruickshank, he bought the property some thirty years ago gradually restoring it to its former glory.  Dan was one of the leading lights intent on saving this neglected area of London from the bulldozers and  redevelopment.    With a generous benefactor and a donation  of £10,000 the Spitalfields Trust was formed.  The trust was able to purchase these derelict unloved houses that were once occupied by French Huguenot silk weavers.  Once restored the  houses were sold to sympathetic purchasers - not speculators, mainly intellectuals & bohemians.  As the city fringes grow this area is being sought after by city types with properties now fetching over two million!  A far cry from the East End council tenants  that used to live here.  But having said that, walking around the area it still has a very exciting vibrancy.

Next port of call was Spitalfields Market until 1985 a fruit & vegatable market now bric-a-brac and antiques.  The energy & vibe is delightful with lots of really interesting stalls & people milling around.  I was surprised how reasonable items were priced.  Found an amazing vintage hat stall - bought a like new German made olive green trilby for £20!  We left the marker to head to Petticoat Lane - haven’t been here since I was a teenager.  Its changed, not so divers - mainly devoted to the rag trade.  From here we walked to Fournier Street, almost all the properties have been renovated - done so well it was like stepping back in time.  While here you should visit the Town House Antique Shop.  The shop occupies the ground floor of a carefully restored Georgian house.  The stock is eclectic, chosen with a very discerning eye, it was here we bought a signed copy of the book Spitalfields Life by The Gentle Author - have to say its addictive reading and great value at £20.  Above the shop is a very stylish two bedroom period flat available to rent for short city breaks Stay in Spitalfields.

Sadly it was getting late and mindful of the journey home we bid Spitalfields goodbye.  The area has so much to offer if you enjoy city life - definitely going back very soon.