THE SQUARE - ISSUE 6 SUMMER The Square 06

SUMMER 2019 ART & CULTURE FOOD TRAVEL

News and views from A curated guide to the RA A Scotch egg recipe from a Inspiration for summer days and beyond, featuring the best Summer Exhibition, and stroll local chef and a picnic hamper’s out and a gourmet openings and upcoming events through Chelsea Physic Garden worth of seasonal ideas staycation in Kent’s Margate

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Welcome

Strolling home through the park after work, sipping a gin and tonic garnished with fresh herbs at lunchtime and organising your social life around who is playing at Wimbledon… It’s this sense of good times that we’ve tried to capture in The Square this issue. Up your picnic game with the help of Nigel Mendham in this month’s food feature and learn why Margate might just be the most exciting place in the UK right now for a gourmet staycation. Fill your diary with the best outdoor events, get the low down on the artists who will be exhibiting in this year’s the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and discover the secrets of Mersea Island, which has nostalgic seaside charm by the bucket and spadeful. And if you can’t summon the energy to leave , take your favourite magazine for a relaxing day out in Chelsea Physic Garden, a secret Eden in the heart of the city.

Neil Miller-Chalk Editorial Director Contributors:

Imogen Lepere Lindsay Fulcher Andrew Eames Blossom Green Editor Contributor Contributor Contributor After four years as senior writer As editor of Minerva: The Andrew Eames, author of As a hotel-obsessed cookery at Food and Travel, Imogen International Review of Ancient several books and journalist, lover (not to mention her current Lepere is making the most Art and Archaeology and a is based in London. With one role as deputy editor of Food parent from the Hebrides and of freelance life by roaming member of the International and Travel), Blossom knows the other from the Channel everywhere from Melbourne Association of Art Critics, it’s a good gourmet break when Islands, he was born with his to Mongolia. This issue, her safe to say that Lindsay knows she sees one. This summer, she suitcase packed, although regular food column (p.16) has a thing or two about art. She returns to the seaside town of discovers in this issue’s Chelsea a hamper-full of practical tips draws on this expertise to Physic Garden feature (p.20) Margate (p.30) to guide The for how to give your picnic a recommend London’s best that you don’t always have to Square around its burgeoning gourmet twist. summer exhibitions (p.10). leave the city to go on holiday. artisan food scene.

Design & Art Direction: Hutton Farquhar www.huttonfarquhar.com

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The Big Smoke

The big smoke has always been around Its fingers the veins running through our wrists Bluer and firmer as we pranced across the stage like Gods. Its voice this summer was sweeter than honey And we could resist no longer A train, four hours and we had escaped this place’s grey-green discolouration. The sun held London as though it were his child. His heart warmed our cheeks and twinkled in the river But stars shone in the sequins of the queens at the Place Theatre Perched ready to laugh or cry or dance Nestled like chicks in the velvet seats we were home.

by Gracie May Bawden

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Contents

Inside this issue of The Square: 30 FLAVOUR OF THE MONTH Margate is emerging from a cultural regeneration as the hottest spot for a gourmet break 10 this summer. Here’s where to feast and make merry. PAINTING THE TOWN From Cindy Sherman to the RA Summer Exhibition, our art expert handpicks the most exciting upcoming exhibitions and provides insights into each. 16 PERFECTING THE PICNIC Celebrate National Picnic Week with a truly sumptuous seasonal spread, including a contemporary vegetarian twist on a Scotch egg recipe. 36 YOU’RE CORDIALLY INVITED Make the most of the season 2o with the best al fresco events in and around central London, THE SECRET GARDEN from traditional fetes to Join our writer on a balmy stroll gourmet wine festivals. around the Chelsea Physic Garden’s fascinating medical beds with head of plant collections, Nell Jones.

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LOCAL NEWS, OUT & ABOUT PIMLICO

BOOK A SEAT

A spate of tasty new restaurant openings is sweeping through the capital this summer. First up is Akira, a contemporary Japanese eatery serving Sister States in the north-eastern corner of the country. seasonal ingredients cooked over roaring robata flames Modern British cuisine is the order of the day at Brick Lane’s alongside a wide selection of sashimi. Watch the chefs at work in The Buxton. This Victorian pub has been given the Farrow an open kitchen, admire the bespoke ceramics and sip your way and Ball treatment and will be serving classics such as beef through 28 sakes (although, perhaps not all on the same visit). (butchered on site) with celeriac remoulade and treacle tart in For fragrant Indian plates in a stylish setting, head to Kanishka, its airy dining room. The roof terrace is just the place to sip a Atul Kochhar’s new pad in Mayfair. Menus focus on flavours Pimm’s and soak up balmy evenings. japanhouseakira.london, from lesser-explored regions such as the mountainous Seven kanishkarestaurant.co.uk, thebuxton.co.uk

Time for tea Afternoon Tea Week 12 –18 August

One of the quintessential British traditions, afternoon tea is as entwined in our national psyche as queuing and complaining about the weather. Celebrate with the perfect cuppa at Mariage Frères, ’s new tea emporium, which boasts the largest selection of teas in the world. Peruse the collection, pleasingly presented in apothecary jars, explore the museum and taste your way around the tea-growing world in the dining area.

mariagefreres.com

BEST FOOT FORWARD

A stalwart of London’s luxury hotel scene, the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park has reopened its doors in time for summer after the most extensive restoration in its 117-year history. All guest rooms have been given a full overhaul and emerged with plenty of authentic art deco touches, while the spa is now a temple of tranquility with a Rasul water room and area specifically designed for Chinese medicine.

mandarinoriental.com

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LOCAL NEWS, OUT & ABOUT PIMLICO

HOME from HOME SERPENTINE SUMMER

Junya Ishigami’s Serpentine Pavilion, 21 June – 6 October

Japanese architect, Junya Ishigami, is known for experimental structures which merge traditional designs with natural phenomena. His summer Pavilion is a whimsical slate roof which appears to levitate ‘like a billowing piece of fabric’ over a cave-like space designed to encourage contemplation. Meditate, ruminate and appreciate as you see fit.

serpentinegalleries.org

Tucked away in a Georgian townhouse on Marylebone’s Great Cumberland Place, Home Grown is this season’s hottest new members club. Specifically designed as a haven in which entrepreneurs and investors can relax and recharge, its elegant interiors are matched by seriously suave food and drink offerings. Sip signature serves such as The Baroness (gin, rosé vermouth, basil and orange bitters) while meeting the great and the good of the business world at intimate ‘in conversation’ events.

homegrownclub.co.uk

Urban Adventures - Father’s Day, 16 June If your father is as impossible to buy for as ours, Secret Adventures’ day tours are going to come as very good news. On 16 June, they will be offering a full day’s kayaking expedition from Greenwich all the way to Battersea. Enjoy quality time together while seeing the city from a whole new angle. So much better than another pair of socks… £62pp. secretadventures.org

7 HIDDEN GEMS

The garden at The Ivy

Vines trailing off trellises and antique planters overflowing with flowers give The Ivy Chelsea’s secret garden a romantic atmosphere that is difficult to beat for long lunches and even longer dinners. Tuck into the likes of creamy burrata with juicy peaches and olives and decadent lobster linguine, before ordering a floral cocktail from the outdoor bar and savouring it around the firepit. It’s a veritable Eden in the heart of SW3 and an absolute must visit.

theivychelseagarden.com

8 Three of the best: for al fresco dining

1. J SHEEKEY: 2. THE CINNAMON KITCHEN: 3. BOUNDARY:

What could be more summery than Tucked away in the heart of the newly Your expectations should be sky high slurping fresh oysters dressed with a developed Battersea Power Station, this for this rooftop bar, grill and terrace squeeze of Amalfi lemon on the terrace modern Indian restaurant does a mean in Hackney. With an excellent choice of this Covent Garden stalwart, which line in vibrant plates such as bitter of charcuterie and spritzes, you could has been a favourite with London’s melon stuffed with spicy soya ragout. be forgiven for thinking you were in theatre crowd since it opened in 1896. Knocking back one of their mango sour the Mediterranean, if it wasn’t for A retractable awning and blankets are cocktails while enjoying views of The the glittering outline of the City in the on hand to ensure the show can still go Thames from their suntrap terrace is the distance. Don’t miss sashimi-grade tuna on if the weather proves inclement. stuff summer dreams are made of. grilled to perfection.

. jsheekeyatlanticbar.co.uk cinnamon-kitchen.com boundary.london

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Art & Culture:

Painting the town Make the most of this summer’s cultural calendar with art expert, Lindsay Fulcher’s, in depth guide to London’s best exhibitions

Luchita Hurtado Untitled, c. 1951, Crayon and ink on paper, Unique, 61 x 45.9 cm © Luchita Hurtado, Courtesy County Museum of Art, Gift of Janet Dreisen Rappaport and Herb Rappaport through the 2019 Collectors Committee, Photo: Genevieve Hanson.

Luchita Hurtado Untitled, 1949, Crayon and ink on paper, Unique, 73 x 35 cm, © Luchita Hurtado, Private Collection, Photo: Genevieve Hanson.

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Luchita Hurtado Untitled, 1971, Oil on canvas, Unique, 127 x 88.6 cm, © Luchita Hurtado, Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth, Photo: Jeff McLane

I Live I Die I Will Be Reborn at the Serpentine Sackler Gallery

This summer the Serpentine Sackler Gallery is hosting the first UK solo exhibition by Venezuelan artist, Luchita Hurtado. This

is a timely show – in the light of the recent Extinction Rebellion demonstrations – as Hurtado’s vision is one of total interconnectedness, with no separation between individual human beings

and nature itself.

The show traces the course of Hurtado’s career stretching her life her paintings had only been exhibited sporadically over eight decades, demonstrating the cosmic scale, until 2016 when her work was ‘rediscovered’, exhibited and original experimentation and humane playfulness of enjoyed great success. her work. Although her feet remain firmly planted on the ground, there is a visionary aspect to how Hurtado views Hurtado makes graphite and ink drawings, crayon and ink the world. She sees things in a unique way and reflects paintings on board and paper, and oil paintings on paper this in her use of unusual perspectives – down or across and canvas. Her subjects include herself and her immediate her body, or straight up into a patch of blue sky – and also surroundings, nature and language. A totemic dancing of cosmic motifs and geometric patterns. To Hurtado the figure has appeared regularly in her work, including a human race is an integral part of the natural world and she series of paintings created in the last 12 months, which are maps the connection between us all. presented for the first time at the Serpentine.

Although she has been linked to various artistic movements, For Hurtado, the connection between human beings such as , the Dynaton Group and Magical and the cosmos was confirmed when she saw the first Realism, she continues to paint quietly and rarely exhibits photographs of Earth from space in 1946. Ever since, the her work. idea that all life forms are part of a single, living entity has permeated her work. In a time of deep national division Born in 1920, hers has been a long and varied life. In due to Brexit, and pressing anxiety about the environment 1928 she moved from to the , first and climate, Luchita Hurtado’s unifying vision comes as a working as a freelance fashion illustrator for Condé Nast breath of fresh air. And a beautiful one at that. in New York, before moving on to City. There she joined a group of artists and writers who had emigrated I Live I Die I Will Be Reborn by Luchita Hurtado will be on show at the Serpentine Gallery until from Europe in the wake of the Spanish civil war and the 20 October 2019. serpentinegalleries.org second world war, who were working under the banners of Surrealism and Magical Realism.

By the late 1940’s, Hurtado had moved to Mill Valley, , where she was closely associated with the Dynaton Group, an influential trio of artists known for their interest in the surreal, the abstract and the cosmic. In 1951 she moved to Los Angeles, where she still lives. Throughout

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John Wragg 1 John Wragg RA Perfume Acrylic on canvas, 100 x 100 cm Courtesy of the artist

2019 Summer Exhibition at the

After the colourful razzmatazz of Grayson Perry’s Summer Exhibition in 2018, this

year’s show promises to be just as lively, diverse and quirky with acclaimed British painter, Jock McFadyen RA, at the helm.

McFayden’s empty, decayed urban landscapes can Other well-known artists who have created some of have the slight whiff of Ballardian dystopia and their the 1,200 works in this year’s show include: the anarchic monumental size gives the impression of unlimited space. Jeremy Deller; YBAs Marcus Harvey, Tracey Emin and Buildings are abandoned, scrawled with graffiti and Gary Hume; the sculptor and land artist David Nash; gradually being reclaimed by natural vegetation. Yet German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans; artist and these sobering, perhaps prophetic visions, also convey a printmaker Chris Orr; the American painter James Turrell; sense of grandeur. sculptor and visual artist Hew Locke; conceptual artist Michael Craig-Martin; sculptor and artist John Wragg During the 1990’s McFadyen found a creative soulmate RA; German filmmaker and photographer Wim Wenders, in the writer Iain Sinclair whose psycho-geographical whose panoramic photographs will be on show in the books mirrored the artist’s preoccupation with east free McAulay Gallery; and, lastly, that colossus of the art London and the Thames Estuary. Prior to this, McFadyen world, German painter and sculptor Anselm Kiefer. worked with the novelists Howard Jacobson and Will Self on prints and booklets. In 2004, the artists collaborated The Summer Exhibition is always entertaining, ever with Sinclair and others to create an exhibition about the colourful and sometimes controversial – but never A13 at the Wapping Project. boring. Part of the London Season, it promises, as ever, to be a lively art party which could easily lead on to a glass The Central Hall of this year’s Summer Exhibition includes or two of bubbly in the Poster Bar or Senate Room. what McFayden calls a ‘menagerie’ showing animal- themed works by the likes of Polly Morgan, Charles The 251st Summer Exhibition is on show at the Royal Avery and Mat Collishaw. Jane and Louise Wilson RA Academy of Arts from 10 June to 12 August 2019. have organised two gallery spaces, one of display work royalacademy.org.uk inspired by light and time, while the Architecture Gallery, curated by Spencer de Grey RA, explores the topical theme of sustainability.

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Gary Hume 3 Gary Hume RA School House Original lithograph printed on 300 g. velin d’arches paper, 99 x 64 cm 13 Courtesy of Blackbird Pictures Ltd. Photo: Lars Gundersen THE SQUARE - ISSUE 6 SUMMER

Félix Vallotton Sandbanks on the Loire (Des Sables au bord de la Loire), 1923. Oil on canvas, 73 x 100 cm. Kunsthaus Zürich. Acquired 1938. © Kunsthaus Zürich

Félix Vallotton The Lie (Le Mensonge), 1897. Oil on cardboard, 24 x 33.4 cm. The Baltimore Museum of Art. The Cone Collection, formed by Dr. Claribel Cone and Miss Etta Cone of Baltimore, Maryland, BMA 1950.298. Photography: Mitro Hood

Félix Vallotton Self-portrait at the Age of Twenty (Autoportrait à l’âge de vingt ans), 1885. Oil on canvas, 70 x 55.2 cm. Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts de Lausanne. Acquisition, 1896. Inv. 620. Photo © Nora Rupp, Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts de Lausanne

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Félix Vallotton Red Peppers (Poivrons rouges), 1915. Oil on canvas, 46 x 55 cm. Kunstmuseum Solothurn, Dübi-Müller Foundation. Photo © SIK-ISEA, Zurich

Félix Vallotton: Painter of Disquiet at the Royal Academy of Arts There is something mysterious and slightly unsettling about the paintings and prints of little-known Swiss artist Félix Vallotton (1865-1925) – as you will see if you visit the Jillian and Arthur M. Sackler Wing of the Royal Academy of Arts this summer.

This is the first show of Vallotton’s work in the UK since 1976. Around 100 works, including portraits, landscapes Best of and interiors, from every period of the artist’s career, show his versatility and originality in both subject matter and the rest medium. His prints are especially powerful.

The exhibition follows the chronology of the artist’s life from his arrival in Paris, aged 16, through his contact with a group of avant-garde artists called Les Nabis in the early 1890s, and his role as a radical printmaker caricaturing and satirising the bourgeoisie and contributing to an influential periodical called La Revue Blanche. Printmaking provided him with a steady income Olafur Eliasson: In Real Life but, in 1899, he married a wealthy widow named Gabrielle at the Tate Modern Rodrigues-Henriques after which he could concentrate on his painting. Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson is one of the most prominent contemporary artists From 1904 onwards, Vallotton’s attention turned to the working today. This monumental retrospective female nude which became his principal subject. The first will bring together 30 works, including his world war affected the artist profoundly and his last series pivotal installation, Beauty. of woodcuts are spattered with red ink, like spilt blood, or refer obliquely to violence as in Red Peppers, 1915. The 11 Jul 2019 – 05 Jan 2020. tate.org.uk show ends with a seemingly more peaceful selection of landscapes and still-life paintings, although even these are suffused with an eerie silence as can be sensed in Cindy Sherman: Cindy Sherman Sandbanks on the Loire, 1923, which was painted two National Portrait Gallery years before his death. Throughout her life, Cindy Sherman explored Comparsions between Vallotton’s work and that of Edward the complex relationship between appearance Hopper have been made and also with the films of and reality through a series of stunning self- Fritz Lang and Alfred Hitchcock. He undoubtedly has a portraits. This exhibition will draw together disquieting yet deeply moving vision. more than 180 of the most compelling. Félix Vallotton: Painter of Disquiet is on show at the Royal Academy of Arts from 30 June–29 September 2019. 27 Jun – 15 Sep 2019. npg.org.uk royalacademy.org.uk

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Perfecting The Picnic To celebrate National Picnic Week (21-30 June), Imogen Lepere takes us on a potted tour through the history hamper of picnicking and shares some of her tastiest tips

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There is something intrinsically hopeful about planning excellent vegetarian main, while a quarter fig topped to dine al fresco. The touching optimism that it’s sure with a mint leaf and swaddled in Parma ham is a to be sunny because it’s summer, despite years of pleasing bomb of flavour that can be passed around rainy August’s implying the opposite. The expectation while setting up. that this time the spread might be as magnificent as the one inside Ratty’s bulging hamper in The Wind The most contentious dish at any picnic in the Willows (‘cold chicken, cold tongue, cold ham, has to be the salad. Should it be hyper- cold beef, pickled gherkins, salad, French rolls, cress traditional new potatoes slathered in sandwiches, potted meat, ginger beer, lemonade, soda water’), regardless of the sandy baps and limp mayonnaise and topped with crunchy salad we’ve all suffered countless times. bacon bits? Or an Ottolenghi-inspired grain concoction, such as faro with fresh The Great British picnic can trace its roots back to the Middle Ages, when noblemen used to chow down vast herbs and plenty of honey, paprika and quantities of baked ham at hunting meets. However, lemon dressing? they didn’t achieve their picturesque connotations until the 1800’s, when the Romantic poets rebelled The main thing to decide is whether you will be against the industrial revolution by ‘wandering lonely providing plates and cutlery. If you’re picnicking far as a cloud’ through bucolic landscapes which were from the car, lighten the load by sticking to vegetables fast disappearing, often taking their lunch with them. that can be eaten with the fingers, such as blanched William and Dorothy Wordsworth were among the first green beans in a classic vinaigrette scattered with to embrace a trend which soon saw the upper classes toasted walnuts. If you are providing crockery, a shrugging off the formality of the dining room to enjoy rocket, courgette and feta salad with plenty of basil the likes of ‘pigeon pies and collared calf head’ (thank and lemon zest is a deliciously fresh way of ensuring you, Mrs. Beeton) in nature. everyone gets their greens. But remember to bring the dressing in a jam jar to avoid limp leaves. Picnics are made up of many of the UK’s most quintessential snacks, many of which tell stories from Of course, a great picnic is about far more than just our past. Pasties are the legacy of Cornwall’s tin miners, food. A clean tablecloth makes everything feel more who needed self-contained lunches they could eat with appetising and I tend to avoid clingfilm. Instead, try dirty hands. Hence the knotted crust, which could be wrapping sandwiches in greaseproof paper tied with used as a handle and then discarded. Fortnum and string, a more environmentally-friendly option that Mason claims to have invented Scotch eggs in 1738 also means your sarnies won’t sweat in the sun. I also for wealthy customers to tuck into on carriage rides. always bring ice in a thermos. What good is a peach Creamy, curry-spiked coronation chicken was created and rosemary cooler if it’s the temperature of tea? for Queen Elizabeth II’s crowning ceremony. Every With a little careful planning, you may find yourself hamper is an edible history lesson. And who doesn’t making a similar observation to George from Enid prefer their history with a side helping of sausage roll? Blyton’s Famous Five books: “The meals we have on Of course, these days we are far more international in picnics always taste so much nicer than the ones we have our tastes. Halloumi and vegetable skewers make an indoors.” Lashings and lashings of ginger beer optional.

Feeling green: Fill your basket: the loveliest local Pimlico’s best picnic picnic spots pit stops

Clapham Common - This triangular park luxuriates over Delizie D’Italia Deli - A Lupus Street stalwart since 1990, 220 acres, and features a band stand which hosts regular this deli is a treasure trove of the finest Italian produce. live music, and several fish ponds, where you can try your Stop by for excellent charcuterie and home-made cannoli hand at angling. Contact Lambeth Council for permits. pastries. delizieditalia.co.uk

Green Park - One of London’s eight royal parks and just Gail’s Bakery - For delicious sourdough loaves baked by a stone’s throw from , this is a peaceful hand using decades-old starter culture, and mini chocolate oasis in central London. Rumour has it that King Charles II’s and tahini cakes, look no further than this buzzing bakery wife demanded all the flowers be removed from the park on Churton Street. gailsbread.co.uk after she caught him picking blooms for another woman, and there are no formal flower beds to this day. Tachbrook Street Market - Whether you’re looking for Indian Italian Gardens, Kensington Gardens - You can’t picnic street food, olives or quality ham in Kensington Gardens’ formal garden itself, but if you for your sandwiches, this local spread a blanket in the Italian Gardens you’ll have them as gem is a must visit. It’s open every a backdrop and be able to explore once you’ve eaten. weekday, from 8am - 6pm.

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Make your own: Spinach and chickpea Scotch eggs with roasted cashew and paprika pesto A childhood that revolved around summers spent on Norfolk’s coast has given Nigel Mendham, Executive Head Chef of Dukes hotel, plenty of picnicking practice. He shares one of his favourite vegetarian recipes here...

A lighter version of the original, these beauties are perfect for eating with your hands and are very self contained. No packaging or mess to worry about here. In terms of taste they can’t be beaten, with the creaminess of the pesto contrasting to perfection with the comforting dryness of the chickpea outer layer and texture of the egg.

Ingredients (Makes four) 1 pack vegetarian sausages For the pesto: 200g baby spinach 200g whole cashews 200g chickpeas “a tablecloth and 4 tsp smoked paprika 4 free-range eggs presenting food 300ml olive oil 1 tbsp oil Ground white pepper 100g grated vegetarian on plates makes Ground nutmeg parmesan everything feel more Salt 100g basil appetising...” 200g plain flour 4 whole eggs 200g panko Japanese breadcrumbs

Remove the casing from the sausages and place Lay out three separate bowls, one with flour, one for in a mixing bowl. Heat the oil in a pan and add the whisked eggs and one of panko breadcrumbs. the spinach, cooking for 30 seconds until wilted. Place the wrapped eggs into the flour and coat Season with salt and drain on kitchen paper. Wash completely, before dunking them in the bowl of the chickpeas and remove their skins, before gently whisked eggs. Use a slotted spoon to remove and roll crushing with a fork and adding to the sausages. Chop each in panko breadcrumbs. and add the spinach, then season the whole mixture with white pepper and nutmeg. Divide into 100g balls Heat a deep fat fryer to 185°C. Once hot, cook the and set aside. eggs until golden before placing them in an oven heated to 180°C for six minutes. While you’re waiting, Boil a pan of water. Add the free-range eggs and roast the cashews and blend all the pesto ingredients cook for 7 minutes, before placing them directly into together until well combined. iced water to halt the heating process. Peel them. Take the sausage mix and make it into a flat circle in the palm of your hand, place the egg in the middle and encase it gently. Repeat the process with the remaining eggs.

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Summer Loving From heritage hampers to fruity drinks, Imogen Lepere shares five ideas for al fresco feasting

1. Give your picnic some Levantine flare with the help of Nadia Zerouali and Merijn Tol, whose book, Souk: Feasting at the Meze Table (Smith Street Books, £25) is bursting with flavoursome mediterranean mouthfuls, including plenty from their native Lebanon. The fried kibbeh balls, fragrant fattoush and silky houmous are superb. waterstones.com

2.This summer, Dukes London is offering gourmet picnics in Green Park. Your butler will set up the site, complete with cutlery and chilled drinks, leaving you nothing to do except choose between a Ploughman’s spread (£26pp) or luxurious Dukes classic picnic (£39.50pp). Both have been created by Head Chef Nigel Mendham and are absolutely delicious. dukeshotel.com

3. You may only get the chance to whip it out a couple of times a year but there is a certain type of smugness which only comes from matching your picnic crockery to your rug. Be the envy of your friends with Sophie Allport’s bee-print melamine picnicware set and matching blanket. From £16. johnlewis.com

4.GW Scott’s wicker hampers were the picnic-receptacle of choice for London’s fashionable set for more than 300 years. Today, all the contents are still made by British artisans, including willow grown in Somerset by descendents of the original wicker- producing family. From £150. gw-scott.com

5.Nothing says summer like British strawberries, which are at their best in June and July. Try pureeing them with sugar syrup before pouring the mixture over ice in a highball glass. Top with sparkling water and a squeeze of lime and garnish with a sprig of mint for the ultimate cooling drink.

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The Secret Garden Join our writer, Andrew Eames, on a summer stroll around Chelsea Physic Garden with head of plant collections, Nell Jones

20 “Step through that gateway, and you’re stepping into an oasis”

Half-way down Swan Walk, an elegant backstreet lined with manorial Edwardian houses, there’s a discreet gateway in a wall under a green bower. With aircraft hovering overhead and traffic thundering along the Embankment below, it may not immediately seem particularly inspiring. However, this gateway is Chelsea’s equivalent of Narnia’s back-of-the- wardrobe. It’s an entryway to a secret garden of botanical curiosities that has been here since time immemorial – or at least, since 1637.

Step through that gateway and everything changes. This is built using a mixture of masonry from an ancient wall in the the Chelsea Physic Garden, a Tardis of the gardening world, , and volcanic basalt from Iceland, brought with more than 5,000 herbal, medicinal and edible plants here as ship’s ballast. from around the globe packed into just 3.8 acres. All of these exotic plants are here for a reason, as apparent Push open that door and you’re entering an oasis where the in the section nextdoor. Here there are beds for oncology, sound is of bees and birdsong, the smell of cowslip and wild beds for ophthalmology, beds for rheumatology, beds for thyme, and the noise of lorries on the Embankment fades neurology, and more. It’s like a complete open-air hospital, into the background like distant waves on a shingly shore. except these are not pillowed beds, but flowerbeds, and The temperature seems to increase too, and this is not just their leafy residents constitute a reminder that much of what an illusion. There’s a microclimate at work here, partly due we now know as medicine in bottles originated from wild to the proximity to the Thames, and partly because of the plants in forests. surrounding walls, which is why such an unusual variety of greenery prospers within. Take aspirin, for example, that wondrous household pill that can cure practically anything: it was derived from the bark That’s instantly evident at the pond rockery in the of willow and the sap of meadowsweet, both growing here. garden’s centre, where the life inhabiting its crevices So to witness the garden’s huge variety in all its usefulness constitutes a complete world tour, with a hyacinth from the is to re-connect with a life support system for the whole of mediterranean next to a tulip from Iran, and a narcissus humankind - just as a farm visit helps to remind one that from North Africa next to an Iris from Afghanistan. The food doesn’t grow on supermarket shelves. 250-year-old rockery itself is Grade II listed because it was

21 The new Physic Garden Cafe has a calm, sunny terrace perfect for refuelling with lemon and lime cake

The Physic Garden’s medicinal beds are the core of its as a City headhunter, and a very good one too. It was reason for existence. It was originally established by 17th only during a career break, made possible by substantial century apothecaries in order to grow health-giving plants earnings, that she came to the Chelsea Physic Garden as in the days before laboratory-made medication. It later a volunteer, ‘with no real concept of what it was all about’. widened its remit to include plants that were otherwise Eight years later she’s in charge of a team of six permanent useful, be it for food, building materials, crafts, dyeing, and gardeners, bolstered through the week by no fewer than even perfumes. While it’s no longer a centre for scientific 25 ardent volunteers - this is the sort of place that inspires research these days, to wander down its pathways still lifelong devotion. amounts to a reality check on quite how important plants have been, and still are, in the health, and even the wealth, A lot of responsibility rests on her shoulders. Nell reckons of the nation. she personally can identify around 50 percent of the 5,000 plants in her charge, and she has to make sure that the Educating people about plants is very much the mantra whole stock remains carefully labelled – and alive. Amongst of head gardener Nell Jones. Vigorous, tanned and lean, them are real rarities, some near-extinct in the wild. Many Nell looks every inch someone who has spent her whole are literally priceless. existence outdoors, but actually started her working life

Head gardener Nell Jones

22 “We propagate some 20,000 plants a year and log everything that happens to each one”

“We propagate some 20,000 plants a year,” she reveals circuit pointing out key features such as the most fruitful “And log everything that happens to each one.” She also olive tree in the country, and the Wollemi pine, once thought has to defend her charges against pilferers attracted by to be extinct. And of course the main gate in the wall their rarity, who take illicit cuttings or even on occasion leading onto the Embankment with its coat of arms, which remove whole plants. “Myself or my team usually catch a is only ever opened ‘to admit the Royal Family and our couple red-handed every week.” deliveries of manure,’ according to Nell, who shows just the hint of a twinkle. In case you might think that this is all a bit, well, worthy, the garden is hugely aesthetically pleasing, too. “We want it This tour ends up back at the listed rockery, where Nell to both teach and look beautiful,” says Nell. Albeit without suggests that the usefulness of the Physic Garden is far resorting to the serried ranks of colour typical of municipal from over. She points to a herb from the Spanish island of flower beds in nearby Battersea Park. Menorca. “That plant may not look like much, but it could turn out to be the source of a cure for Parkinson’s Disease.” It is at its most restful around the main lawn, where the brand new Physic Garden Cafe has its calm, sunny terrace. It would seem that Mother Nature still has some secrets up Amongst the horticultural enthusiasts refuelling with lemon her sleeve. and lime cake, there are clearly others who have paid the entry fee just for the privilege of having a salad of avocado, The detail Chelsea Physic Garden is open from quinoa, pomegranate and roasted butternut squash in such 11am - 6pm every day except Saturday. a secluded sanctuary, away from the hustle of city life. Admission costs £11, which includes a tour. Many of the cafe’s customers will have been on the regular chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk tour, included in the entry price, which takes visitors on a

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It’s human nature

Ghazaleh Khoub, resident podiatrist at Calmer Clinics, explains why spending time in nature is so important for both your mental and physical wellbeing

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In summer, it becomes even more It’s important not to look at wellness obvious how much us Londoners have as something that requires a lot of lost our connection to the natural effort. Allow yourself to understand world; and I believe with it, some of that being well and feeling happy is a who we are. For the vast majority natural state that we all have within of our evolution humans lived in the us. By being out in nature and letting wilderness, exposed to the elements yourself be as you want to be, you and rhythms of the year. It’s only will start to develop healthier thought relatively recently that we started patterns that allow your body to relax spending most of our time in man- and offer a sense of relief from the made environments. pain you may be carrying. Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD), a term coined by the writer Richard Louv, is a hot topic of conversation among The importance of medical communities at the moment. inner dialogue Although not a formal diagnosis, it is a way to describe the psychological, physical and emotional cost of our Whilst out in nature, really give yourself alienation from nature. permission to let go, relax and connect with the moment. Concentrate on that Doctors in the US and New Zealand feeling and allow it to expand within Walk this way have recently started prescribing you. Start by saying to yourself: “I’ve time outside to help patients disallowed this feeling for some time, Ghazaleh explains how podiatry can manage stress-related diseases. but now I’m softening and allowing.” help you find your feet again Social prescriptions are becoming a normalised part of the medical model Continue the dialogue in your mind Of course, it’s much more difficult as the focus shifts from drug-related by stating that “I appreciate my body. to get out and spend time in cures to prevention through holistic It has served me very well and there nature if painful feet are reducing wellness. are so many aspects about it that I your mobility. In my clinic I see am grateful for. I can let go of my all sorts of feet but most of the resistance, be happy about where I problems are footwear related. am and excited for where I am going.” Reclaiming your Regular podiatry appointments narrative Rather than struggling through life are excellent for those who enjoy depending on toxic substances such swimming, sports, have sensitive Activities such as strolling barefoot as caffeine and alcohol, allow yourself skin due to injury or medication, through grass have been shown to to feel a sense of relief and wellness and regularly wear closed toe reduce stress and anxiety hugely. Just naturally. This is the avenue to real shoes. Your feet should look good 10 minutes of having your shoes off happiness. And the good news is, it but more importantly feel good. and feet connected to the ground already lies inside us every day can release dopamine The medical pedicure is the most and serotonin in a sustainable way, sought after treatment as every reducing blood pressure levels and aspect of foot care is addressed, lowering stress hormones. Being out offering you a long lasting in the sunlight also offers a wonderful result. If you have underlying source of vitamin D, as well as mechanical issues, I recommend supporting better sleep patterns and a biomechanical assessment and healthy organ function. possibly a pair of our custom- made orthotics. I create them Calmer Clinics is a dedicated team of experienced for each individual using a three healthcare professionals based at Dolphin Square who dimensional scanning system as believe in a holistic 360º approach to wellbeing. To book well as 3D printing, guaranteeing an appointment with Ghazaleh, call 020 3813 8210 or an accurate solution for your visit the Calmer Clinics website. From £50 per half hour. specific condition. calmerclinics.wordpress.com

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Weekender: Mersea Island Buckets (and spades) of nostalgic charm and a host of quirky festivals make Mersea Island the perfect place for a weekend away this summer, says Imogen Lepere

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The best part? It’s just an hour and a half drive from Dolphin Square.

A verdant tuft floating in Essex’s Blackwater and Colne Nestling among Cudmore Grove’s wildflower estuaries, Mersea Island will transport you back to meadows, East Mersea is little more than a hamlet, the long, languorous summers of your childhood. making it the most tranquil place in which to base Sherbert-painted beach huts line the shingly shores, yourself for the weekend. Pop into Mersea Island roses clamber romantically over weatherboard Vineyard to pick up a few bottles of Brut sparkling cottages and family-run seafood shacks serve up wine (a refreshing blend of chardonnay, pinot meunier pillowy rock oysters which taste like a kiss from the and reichensteiner grapes) and don’t miss a meal at ocean. The best part? It’s just an hour and a half drive Mehalah’s Restaurant. This rustic spot is a fabulous from Dolphin Square. place to tuck into local seafood, such as house- smoked salmon and mussels dripping in garlic butter. Over the island’s 18sq km of greenery, you’ll find two villages. West Mersea is the capital, a cheery tangle of seaside cafes and fishing boats. The social life here revolves around the yacht club, which hosts an annual regatta on 17 August. Events include rowing races, a brass band, crabbing competitions and even a climbing the greasy pole competition… it’s eccentric summer fun at its most British (and bonkers).

Where to eat: Where to stay: How to get there:

Like Mehalah’s Restaurant, The Nestling in a wood on the east of Mersea Island is 116 km from Company Shed is owned by the the island, 500-year-old High Hoe Dolphin Square. The drive takes Haward family, who have been Cottage is a thatched dream of around 1.5 hours. The tide only cultivating and harvesting oysters a dwelling. Expect whitewashed covers the Strood, the road linking from the Blackwater Estuary walls, a woodburning stove and a the island to the mainland, twice since the 1700’s. Bring your own beamed sitting room with French a day for one week per month, so wine and pull up a chair, or if the doors leading onto a flower-filled you can generally get there under weather is fine, slurp your oysters garden. From £436 per weekend. your own steam. Always check tide on the beach. Sleeps up to six. times before you travel.

thecompanyshed.co highhoe-mersea.co.uk tidetimes.org.uk

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Where the wild things are A SUMMER NATURE WALK THROUGH PIMLICO’S POCKETS OF GREEN Battersea Park, Albert Bridge Road, Battersea, London SW114NJ Dolphin Square Vauxhall Park, Kennington, Lambeth,A Grade London II listed SW8 paradise designed by noted horticulturalist Richard Sudell, these gardens Bessborough Gardens, Pimlico, are particularlyLondon, SW1Vfabulous 2JE in early summer when the rose beds draw swarms of bumble Victoriaand Tower honey Gardens, bees. Millbank, The suntrap Moroccan GardenWestminster, is the London perfect SW1P 3JA spot to soak up some Battersea Park rays.

Battersea is a nature lovers’ paradise. Look out for Dolphin Square, Chichester Street, kingfishers around the lake and urban peregrine London SW1V3LX falcons swooping into the power station. On 9 August every year, a floating lantern ceremony takes place on the in front of the Peace Pagoda at dusk to commemorate victims of the Nagasaki atomic bomb.

Battersea Park, Albert Bridge Road, Battersea, London SW114NJ

Vauxhall Park, Kennington, Lambeth, London SW8

Bessborough Gardens, Pimlico, London, SW1V 2JE

28 Victoria Tower Gardens, Millbank, , London SW1P 3JA

Dolphin Square, Chichester Street, London SW1V3LX THE SQUARE - ISSUE 6 SUMMER Victoria Tower Gardens

The smallest of the royal parks, it nestles between the Thames and historic Victoria Tower, which is now used to store Battersea Park, Albert Bridge parliamentary documents. A screen of Road, Battersea, London SW114NJ London plane trees makes it the perfect place to relax in the shade with a book. Don’t miss Vauxhall Park, Kennington, the candy-coloured Buxton memorial, which Lambeth, London SW8 marks the abolition of slavery. Bessborough Gardens, Pimlico, London, SW1V 2JE

Victoria Tower Gardens, Millbank, Westminster, London SW1P 3JA

Dolphin Square, Chichester Street, Vauxhall ParkLondon SW1V3LX

Opened in 1890 by Prince Albert, Vauxhall Park boasts a lavender garden that really comes into its own in August. Look out for clouds of monarch butterflies, breathe deeply and imagine you’re strolling through the rolling fields of Provence, before setting up a game on one of Battersea Park, Albert Bridge the communal chess boards. Road, Battersea, London SW114NJ

BatterseaVauxhall Park,Park, AlbertKennington, Bridge Road,Lambeth, Battersea, London London SW8 SW114NJ

Bessborough Gardens, Pimlico, Vauxhall Park, Kennington,London, SW1V 2JE Lambeth, London SW8 Victoria Tower Gardens, Millbank, BessboroughWestminster, Gardens, London Pimlico,SW1P 3JA London, SW1V 2JE

VictoriaDolphin Square,Tower Gardens, Chichester Millbank, Street, Bessborough LondonWestminster, SW1V3LX London SW1P 3JA Gardens

Dolphin Square, Chichester Street, London SW1V3LX A collection of neat lawns in a quadrangle of stuccoed townhouses, this is a real local gem. Few passers-by realise it is open to the public and you’ll often have the run of its shrubberies and cooling tinkle of the water fountain entirely to yourself.

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Flavour of the month Margate

More than the sum of its ‘Kiss Me Quick’ hats, whistling arcade machines and melting 99’s, Margate is emerging from a cultural regeneration as the hottest spot for a gourmet break this summer. Words and images by Blossom Green

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Turner Contemporary

Meandering through the Kentish town of Margate for the first time, you’d be forgiven for wondering what all the fuss is all about. Brutalist high-rise blocks give way to dilapidated arcades, while vans churn out pallid chips to the delight of a colony of enormous seagulls. But with a turn onto the promenade, the sharp lines and glossy cubist layers of the Turner Contemporary gallery rise from the sand, suggesting Like many who visited at the time, I came for the art that everything is not quite as it seems. A stark and after a gentle amble around the gleaming site, confluence of modernism meeting Victorian tradition, went on my way. Having only passed a few grotty it’s this titillating sense of incongruity that underpins caffs on the ramshackle waterfront, a quick coffee in contemporary Margate. the gallery’s cafe sufficed in terms of sustenance.

During the Victorian era, it was the UK’s most affluent seaside resort. Having peaked in the mid-twentieth Little did I know that beyond the century, its descent into disrepair was hastened by faded facades, a culinary and cultural the growing availability of low-cost foreign travel. renaissance was quietly gathering Its Georgian townhouses began to crumble, shops were boarded up and the sandy beach morphed speed, driven by a steady stream of into something to scuttle past rather than sprawl on. young creatives fleeing the mounting However, with Britain’s appetite for staycations on the costs and pressures of life in London. rise, so too are Margate’s cool credentials.

My inaugural trip came a month after the launch of Within 18 months of the launch, 35 independent the Turner Contemporary, in 2011. Prior, the extent of establishments had opened, solidifying the onset of my knowledge of this swathe of Kent’s north coast Margate’s regeneration. Drawn by the sea air and was care of Chas and Dave, who waxed lyrical proximity to London, I’ve returned annually since, each (-ish) on its jellied eels and cockles in their 1982 ditty visit bringing with it more to write home about as the ‘Margate’, and Mary Portas, whose scathing remarks town quietly carved out a name for itself. And nowhere on its down-at-heel high street earned it the title is this seen more so that in its food. of the UK’s worst. Sure, I’d seen JMW Turner’s epic incarnations of Margate’s sunsets (a similar flame It’s with that in mind, and a few good Margate red to Portas’ bob, no less), but considered them little suppers under my belt, that I set out on my most more than a glimpse into the past. Upon my arrival, recent sojourn. While the town still offers plenty to my expectations were about as low as the tide. remind one of a Martin Parr photograph – melting 99s, ‘I heart mum’ tattoos, and a parade of lobster- pink flesh come summer – its food scene couldn’t be more in keeping with modern trends. With the Garden of ’s natural coast-and-country larder on the doorstep, I shouldn’t be surprised. Yet I am.

The Well

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“I pass Ramsay and Williams, an antique store moonlighting as an ice cream parlour – only in Margate”

A locavorian approach is the glue holding the food In keeping with the coastal setting, it would be remiss scene here together. A couple of streets back from not to dwell on the town’s penchant for fresh-off- the sickly scent of frying doughnuts, the Old Town the-boat fish, best seen in the likes of Buoy and reveals The Kentish Larder, a deli championing local Oyster, Angela’s and Hantverk and Found. The latter, produce, from ciders to jams and meat. A few doors a Lilliputian seafood-only restaurant-cum-gallery down, retro-chic cafe, The Greedy Cow, lures with its bathed in Jay Rayner’s scrutiny not so long ago and ingredient-led, no-faff menu of Kentish breakfasts, juicy came out shining. Taste the Rye Bay scallops with burgers and slow-cooked pulled pork. apple and celery leaf and you’ll see why. Boasting a menu of international influence, dishes have all the One of the first of Margate’s new wave, its outdoor elegance of a SW1 dining room. area makes the ideal spot to watch the ebb and flow of moustache-clad hipsters rolling to and from As much as provenance, independence is key here. the Old Kent Market. Poised on the site of what was And it runs deeper than what’s on the plate. Wandering once the Parade Cinema, the market is home to a the street-art clad lanes reveals a plethora of galleries, multitude of food stalls plus a kitsch double decker bus vintage clothing stores, Kentish wellness brands serving cocktails with aplomb. It’s a playful insight into (Haekels uses surplus local seaweed in its products), Margate’s myriad tastes, much like the neon interiors and a swoon-worthy array of antiques stores and of GB Pizza nearby, which belie the refinery of the crisp reclaimed furniture shops, neatly flanked by towering crusts and flavoursome toppings served within. old suitcases. Consider it a condensed Brighton without the brassy chains and noisy students. Around the corner is Italian deli, Caruso. Focusing on small-batch Campanian produce, it’s somewhere you’d be more likely to see in Knightsbridge than Margate. The fact that it’s here highlights the town’s focus on quality ingredients, while its weekend kitchen is notable for how it marries the two disparate cultures through homemade Italian pasta dishes, created using the finest Kentish meats.

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Emerging as the sky begins to blush pink, bag of curios in hand, my thoughts turn to something sweet. Meandering toward the beach, I pass Ramsay and Williams, an antique store moonlighting as an ice cream parlour – only in Margate. A lemon curd cone follows. It has all the texture and potency of a citrus grove on the Amalfi coast – gentrification at its gelato- fuelled best and not a flake in sight.

As I enjoy the last of it, the curve of the Harbour Arm comes in to sight like a finger beckoning from the sea. It’s from here that the lights of Dreamland amusement park dance into the evening reminding me that while much has changed, in some ways little has.

Margate may still be rough around the edges but it’s absolutely worth pushing through to the other side. With its energy and appeal building to crescendo point, it is flying the flag not only for the British seaside, but for Britain’s food scene too. Go for a day. Heck, go for the weekend. Just go.

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Where to eat:

THE GREEDY COW HANTVERK & FOUND BUOY & OYSTER

Family-run The Greedy Cow, rolls For a globally-inspired seafaring Overlooking the beach, award- out the kind of food you really want menu you can’t do better than winning Buoy and Oyster draws to eat. Breakfast on Kentish pork and booking a table at Hantverk a crowd for chef Simon Morriss’ fennel sausages or shakshuka in the and Found. Expect the likes of hearty British fare. Think crab meat artistically-distressed dining room, rock oysters, Bay of Biscay- style Scotch eggs, Rye Bay scallops, or take a pew at one of the benches boquerones, Korean-spiced clams blushing Saltmarsh lamb rump, that flow on to the square for sun- and, for the purists, local haddock and decadent local skate wing kissed lunches. The spiced pulled fish fingers. All fresh off the boat and with seaweed butter, all backed by pork burger is hard to beat. sustainably sourced. glorious ocean views.

3 Old Town. 18 King Street. 44 High Street. thegreedycow.co.uk hantverk-found.co.uk buoyandoyster.com

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Where to stay:

THE READING ROOMS OLD TOWN RETREAT THE WELL

Housed in a striking Georgian For a home-from-home, don’t A boho darling and newbie to the townhouse on a leafy square, miss the Grade-II listed Old Town scene, chic townhouse The Well The Reading Rooms preempted Retreat. The cosy converted holiday boasts sea views and a Tulum Margate’s revival when it launched cottage is bedecked in curios and meets Thanet aesthetic. Beyond the back in 2010 and set the benchmark antiques plundered from local pink front door lie low-slung rattan for everything that followed. Expect dealers. Moments from the Old planters chairs, a turquoise-tiled a glorious rough-luxe vibe across Town, you can’t find a better locale. kitchen, plenty of greenery, and three boutique B&B rooms, each Plus, there’s outdoor space for sunny neutral-hued textiles. Floor-to- encompassing an entire floor. days. Sleeps six. ceiling windows seal the deal. From £180 per night. From £125 per night. Sleeps four. From £125 per night.

31 Hawley Square. Cobb Court. Address provided on booking thereadingrooms.co.uk oldtownretreat.co.uk thewellmargate.com

How to get there:

National Express runs seven coaches per day from London Victoria to Margate. Journey time is around 3 hours. From £7.30 each way. nationalexpress.com

You can also take the train from London Victoria in just under two hours. From £13.60 each way. southeastern.com

The local tourist board’s website is packed full of practical ideas and inspiration for your trip. visitthanet.co.uk

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You’re Cordially Invited...

From mindful sporting events to immersive art experiences and super traditional fates, Shivani Kochhar rounds up 12 of the hottest al fresco events in London this summer. Diaries at the ready.

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Image: BBC © Open Garden Squares Weekend London (various locations)

8 TO 9 JUNE

For one precious weekend, Londoners can peek inside secret gardens usually closed to the public. This annual event, now in its 22nd year, showcases the city’s most amazing private green spaces, from the historic to the experimental. Ever wanted to glimpse 10 Downing Street’s manicured lawns? Enter a ballot to gain access to the space frequented Antiques Roadshow by the PM, world leaders and, of course, her Majesty. Other highlights include a Merton contemporary take on the Islamic garden – a style famed for its symmetry – at the 2 JUNE Aga Khan Centre and a kitchen garden Brush shoulders with Fiona Bruce et al called The Passage, which has great as the Antiques Roadshow comes to views over Westminster Cathedral. south west London this summer. Morden THE DETAIL Hall Park is a leafy oasis of lawns which £20 entry to all gardens. Various locations run down to the River Wandle, where a around London. delicate white bridge spans the water. opensquares.org Whether you want to discover the lost history of a family heirloom or just fancy Image by Anna Barclay © an afternoon watching behind-the- scenes television, this roadshow promises to be a very genteel day out.

THE DETAIL Free. Morden Hall park is a 35-minute drive from Dolphin Square. bbc.co.uk/antiquesroadshow The Wine Gang London Summer Taste of London Festival Camden Islington 19 TO 23 JUNE 15 JUNE A microcosm of the city’s buzzing food scene, legendary food festival, Taste of Thirsty oenophiles, raise a glass to this London, returns to Regent’s Park for its booze-infused festival organised by The landmark 15th year. Fine dining pop-ups Wine Gang, a collective of four of the UK’s this year include Indian Accent – famed most respected wine experts. The focus is for their buttery pao with quail egg on education as well as enjoyment. Learn and spicy soy keema – and Hutong, more about the terroir of your favourite usually based in the lofty heights of The labels and perfect your aerating Shard. Wander the vast site, Laurent technique, discover new varietals and Perrier in hand, sampling artisanal brands and swaying to live music. ask the experts that one question you’ve For those who want a more hands on been burning to know. The lush grounds experience, book in for a workshop on of the 18th century gem, Armory House, growing Thai herbs in an urban setting by are a suitably decadent setting for such The Wild Kitchen. an occasion.

THE DETAIL THE DETAIL £20 entry pass. Regent’s Park is a 25-minute £20. HAC Armoury is a 30-minute drive from drive from Dolphin Square. Dolphin Square. thewinegang.com/london- london.tastefestivals.com Image by Justine Trickett summer-festival-2019 37 THE SQUARE - ISSUE 6 SUMMER

Image by Nick White Greenwich Image by Cecille & Docklands International Festival Greenwich

21 JUNE TO 6 JULY

Art literally comes to life at this festival, Image by Cecille which features 130 free performances across Greenwich and East London. The cultural displays will be futuristically fantastical. Don’t miss the opening ceremony, where Woolwich will be transformed into an outdoor ballroom illuminated by a glittering chandelier made up of 1,500 bulbs. Another highlight is Daedalum, which will use cutting-edge technology to create whole worlds to be explored at your leisure. It doesn’t get Wanderlust 108 more immersive than this. Wandsworth THE DETAIL Free. Various locations in Greenwich, east 27 JULY London and City of London. Greenwich is a 45-minute drive from Dolphin Square. Come July, Battersea Park will be filled festival.org/gdif with the positive energy of 4,000 wellness- enthusiasts as they take part in this mindful triathlon. A must for aspiring-yogis, the event consists of a 5k run, followed by a DJ-powered yoga class and a 30-minute guided meditation. The emphasis is very much on self-care rather than straight up endurance, but if all that sounds rather too much like hard work, just go down for the festival vibes. You can watch people trying aerial yoga, experience sound healing, tuck into artisan food and browse the Image by Darren Sullivan Vince craft market. Kew Midsummer THE DETAIL Fete Belgravia Classic From £15. Battersea Park is a 5-minute drive from Dolphin Square. Richmond Car Show wanderlust.com

22 JUNE Belgravia Image by Cecille There has been a fete on Kew Green 23 JUNE every summer for more than 250 years – a tradition that lives on in the Kew Ferrari, Rolls Royce and Jaguar are names Midsummer Fete. Old-school charm is the which rightfully inspire adulation in car fair’s defining feature. Kids can swoosh fanatics. This June, vintage models by down a helter skelter, splat rats and soar all three will be on display at the third on flying chairs at the vintage fairground, Belgravia Classic Car Show. Stroll around while adults can sip prosecco and browse Belgravia Square admiring and taking reasonably-priced second hand books. pictures of more than 300 historic motors, Don’t miss the dog show, which is the before picking up a chilled Pimm’s and a biggest draw of the day and every inch fine cigar and sojourning at the jazz stage. as eccentric as you’d expect. Fiercely- Is this the most perfect day out you could contested categories include ‘dog most have in Belgravia? We suspect it might be. like its owner’ and ‘best old dog’.

THE DETAIL THE DETAIL Free. Kew Green is a 35-minute drive £10. Belgrave Square is a from Dolphin Square. 10-minute drive from Dolphin Square. kewfete.org mayfairandbelgravia.com

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Image by Barbora Cetlova South West Fest Westminster

29 JUNE TO 31 JULY

Celebrate SW1-style at South West Fest, a cultural festival with a delightfully local atmosphere. The aim of the three week event is to showcase arts, culture and community groups throughout the south Westminster area. This year, Pimlico is holding its very own proms with the brilliant Kew Wind Orchestra headlining the programme and there will also be flamenco, poetry and photography workshops. On Saturday 30 June, St George’s Square is due to be transformed into a family fairground with stalls, food and live music. It will be nostalgic summertime fun at its very best. See you there.

THE DETAIL Free. Various locations around Westminster southwestfest.org.uk Summer Series Westminster

11 TO 21 JULY

Somerset House is one of London’s most- beloved landmarks yet its open-air gigs have a famously intimate atmosphere. The 2019 line-up is full of soul. Standouts include NAO, whose haunting voice The Soho reverberates effortlessly over R&B beats, and The Internet, a five-piece LA export Village Fete who ooze funk. We can’t wait for the Westminster closing night party, which will see disco- punk princess Beth Ditto strutting her stuff Regent Street alongside her band, Gossip. Time to get 30 JUNE your dancing shoes on. Summer Streets Head to Wardour Street for some good Westminster old-fashioned fun with a flamboyant THE DETAIL From £41. Somerset House is a 15-minute edge at the 40th iteration of the Soho 2 TO 23 JULY drive from Dolphin Square. fete. Mad Hatters, raffle-revellers, somersethouse.org.uk drag queens, human fruit machines For four Sundays this summer, London’s and competitive spaghetti-eaters make most-famous shopping street will up the colourful crowd and the area’s Image by James Bryant © go traffic-free. Bring on the festival hospitality staff are no doubt already atmosphere: pop-ups, music and training for the show stopping event of gourmet food stalls will take over from the day – the Soho Waiters Race. Forty the usual double-deckers. Each event participants charging through the streets will have it’s own theme, with last year’s trying to balance a tray with a bottle of including garden party and design. The champagne, glass and ashtray is always whole street gets involved, with shops quite the spectacle. Less strenuous holding exclusive in-door experiences activities include browsing for bric-a- and restaurants creating bespoke menus. brac at one of the community stalls and Enjoy a carefree stroll through this usually having your fortune told. overly-congested part of the capital.

THE DETAIL THE DETAIL Free. St Anne’s Churchyard Gardens is a Free. Regent Street is a 20-minute 20-minute drive from Dolphin Square. drive from Dolphin Square. thesohosociety.org.uk regentstreetonline.com

39 THE URBAN GARDENER Summer Diary

JUNE JULY AUGUST

Check Water Top up Look and feel your plants every day Moisten your flowers at dusk to reduce Make sure any ponds or bird baths and give them plenty of water. dehydration for long periods of time. are filled up when necessary.

Trim Pots Snip Mow your lawn at least Terracotta pots are prone to Cut back any herbs to encourage once a week. water evaporation. Regularly check one last lease of life before the the roots and keep them cool. cold descends. Shade Try and cover your greenhouse Deadhead Shear from direct sunlight to avoid plants Get rid of any dead flower heads to Give hedges one last trim before overheating. encourage new life to blossom. they stop growing for winter.

Stake Capture Boil Keep protruding or Collect any seed heads from weeds Using boiling water in between flopping plants upright. to stop them spreading throughout paved areas will cause any weeds your garden. to wilt and die within a few days.

June tip July tip August tip Try and reduce the amount of chemicals Don’t fret if your lawn has turned brown Check for signs of clematis wilt, which could used in your garden - they may kill pests, in a dry spell as it will recover once it include black discolouring on leaves and but they also kill beneficial insects that rains. However, avoid walking on it stems. If infected, cut out and dispose of. prey on them, such as ladybirds. when wet, as this can cause lasting damage.

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LONDON C TER OU A NC MAJOR RE I WALTER CLOPTON G Major L WINGFIELD WALTER CLOPTON Blue1833-1912 PlaqueWINGFIELD Father of 8-   Lawn Tennis Father of lived here Lawn Tennis Focus lived here

Major Walter Clopton Wingfield may not be a household name, yet our summer season would look very different if he had never existed. In sporting circles, he is recognised as the father of lawn tennis, the brains behind the game we now recognise as the one played at Wimbledon every year.

Born in 1833 in Ruabon, Wales, his Wingfield and Lawn Tennis parents both died young and he was brought up by his uncle and great However, by far his most enduring uncle. In keeping with family tradition, venture was his contribution to modern he joined the Royal Military College at lawn tennis. Wingfield invented a Sandhurst and went on to serve in the portable court for playing the ‘ancient 1st Dragoon Guards in India. Eventually game of tennis’, which he patented in promoted to captain, he took part 1874. The earliest versions consisted of in the successful 1860 campaign to a box set that included rubber balls, capture Beijing (or Peking as it was a net, poles, court markers and an called then). instruction manual. He also authored two tennis books, The Book of the Throughout the rest of his life, Game in 1873 and The Major’s Game Wingfield was recognised with several of Lawn Tennis in 1874. accolades. In 1870 he was appointed to the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen His version spread like wildfire among at Arms and in 1902, Edward VII made London’s fashionable elite and the him a member of the Royal Victorian first official Major Championship at Order for ‘extraordinary, important Wimbledon was held in 1877. The and personal services to the sovereign Square salutes you sir. For what is a and the royal family.’ He also founded British summer without strawberries, a culinary society called Le Cordon sunshine (hopefully) and the sound Rouge and dreamed up an eccentric of a Wimbledon crowd cheering on a new type of bicycle. local hero?

Major Walter Clopton Wingfield (1833-1912) Father of Lawn Tennis lived here, 33 St George’s Square, Pimlico, London

Wimbledon 2019 will be held between the 1 and 14 July. wimbledon.com

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