18th May 2023
The Luxebucks List
The Luxebucks List
Local instagrammer Suzie Cullen – aka @LuxeBucks – shares the best of Beaconsfield and beyond. From her favourite local luxuries to seasonal secrets, she gives Mr and Mrs Clarke her top ten.
SIP & SAVOUR
Woodfine Wine, a beautiful certified organic vineyard making natural English sparkling wine, can be found nestled in the stunning surroundings of Seer Green at Newbarn Farm. However, Woodfine is about so more than simply producing superb wines…hosting a series of experiential events including private vineyard tours and wine tastings plus farmhouse & cottage stays, wellness days and retreats.
Richard uses ancient wine making techniques, never adding sulphites, sugar, yeast, or any other chemicals. His enterprise supports the local community, with neighbouring families tending to the hens, and local artists creating the labels.
Guests are warmly welcomed to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Newbarn Farm, and wine lovers can book a walking tour around the 17-acre orchard farm and winery, followed by a tasting of wines and ciders served in the orchard, vineyard, 17th Century Tythe Barn or the winery (English weather depending!). A fabulous summer afternoon out!
CREAM OF THE CHILTERNS
So much more than simply a cookbook, the beautiful Chilterns Recipe Book is bursting with 60 fabulous recipes and showcases the best local ingredients and tells the stories of the people who lovingly make them.
From baked breads, sumptuous Sunday Lunches to chic cocktails, delicious doughnuts and creative cakes – this book is a feast for the sense, introducing the very best independent food and drink producers around Buckinghamshire.
Local author Rebecca Fleckney has undertaken painstaking research and created a gem of a book which goes way beyond creative cooking, featuring beautiful photography, recommendations for local days out, walks to explore and gorgeous places to eat.
www.chilternsrecipebook.co.uk @inthe_chilterns
WARDROBE WONDERS
Vintage & Vogue is one of Buckinghamshire’s best kept secrets – a private shopping studio near Gerrards Cross with carefully curated rails of gorgeous gently pre-loved clothes and accessories. A perfect private shopping experience that is kind to both pocket and planet, with all the high-end labels we love at up to 70% off the original cost.
Founder Emma Keen is passionate about preloved fashion and encouraging us to elevate our wardrobes with affordable luxury whilst shopping more sustainably. She stocks brands from Celine, Hermes and Gucci to Ganni, Rails and Essentiel Antwerp (and everything in between!)
BLOOMING MARVELLOUS
A haven for creatives of all ages, Where Inspiration Blooms in Holmer Green hosts a calendar of innovative arts and craft workshops for kids, teens and adults. The ingenious founders Jules and Caroline have brought together a community of artisans and artists to host sessions that feed mind, body and soul.
Classes include family pottery wheel throwing sessions, family bushcraft mornings and classes created just for teens such as arm knitting, watercolour painting and bath bomb making.
Younger children (along with their families) will adore the June Bushcraft mornings of bashing, drilling, squelching, bug hunting, whittling, searching, digging, finding and learning all sorts of outdoor crafts. Those with older children can enjoy family fun creating with clay on the pottery wheels and slab building.
www.whereinspirationblooms.co.uk@where.inspiration.blooms
TREASURE TROVE
Bucks Retro Vintage is a Winchmore Hill based wonderland of reclaimed and repurposed retro items for house and garden. Tucked away in an old warehouse on a country farm, this treasure trove will tempt you beyond belief.
Niki & Luke scour the world, buying items from France, Hungary, Austria, India, Morocco & Tunisia and bringing the treasures they find back to Buckinghamshire. Every item has a wonderful story behind it, and a browse around the showroom is like a journey back in time.
The bounty of beautiful items will make you want things you never knew you needed in your home and Niki’s fabulous stories of the origins of each piece add to the experience of discovering this best-kept Buckinghamshire secret.
SOMETHING AFOOT?
Whether you are run down and in need of a wellbeing boost, or rushed off your feet and wanting to relax – you should have Sarah Pollock at The Reflexology Place on speed dial. A treatment with Sarah in her beautiful barn annexe near Amersham will make you feel like you’ve had eight hours sleep.
Our feet are an incredibly detailed road map of our bodies. Sarah’s deeply relaxing foot treatments stimulate natural healing processes, aid sleep, and boost energy.
Her treatment room is in a cosy barn annexe, attached to her beautiful farmhouse nestled in the Chess Valley, just 2 minutes from Amersham. It is private, welcoming and an oasis of calm away from the stresses and strains of everyday life. A consultation starts with a cup of herbal tea and a gentle chat, before you are cocooned in soft blankets in the comfiest treatment chair. Simply relax while Sarah works her rejuvenating magic. This treatment is a little slice of heaven.
LOVE NOTES
Looking for an excuse to gather some girlfriends and do something totally different? Deborah Skillicorn, founder of the boutique perfume brand Zoe Brown, runs fabulous perfume making workshops from her home in Latimer. You will spend a glorious few hours learning how to identify and blend notes, before crafting your own small bottle of perfume to take away.
If you’ve ever wondered why a perfume’s top notes don’t last as long as the base notes, or why a scent changes once it is your skin, you will be fascinated by this ‘Perfume is Art’ craft workshop. Artisan perfumer Deborah has ‘sensory synaesthesia’ which means she smells in colour. For her, the experience of mixing different notes is like painting a work of art as she blends the ‘colours’ she smells into exquisite scents. Her passion for fragrance and her knowledge of the various notes and how to work with them is totally inspiring.
SUPERIOR INTERIORS
Thomas Tyrrell Designs is a must-visit for interior inspiration and gorgeous gifts. The stunning Prestwood shop is a veritable emporium of chic, and Thomas is a true guru of divine decor with a brilliant eye for the unusual and the unique.
On entering his shop you will find a creative hub for everything interior design related. Carefully curated, and often locally sourced, collections of heavenly homewares and perfect presents are artfully styled.
However, it is Thomas himself that makes this shop extra special. He is never short of ideas if you need gift ideas and regularly posts highly entertaining videos of his top design tips on Instagram
www.www.thomastyrrelldesigns.co.uk @t_tyrrelldesigns
HAND MADE HEAVEN
Each Prescott’s Chocolate is a beautiful little bite of pure Belgian bliss, handmade in Beaconsfield by highly creative boutique chocolatier Vicki Marsh.
Vicki can recreate pretty much anything in chocolate (see her website for the incredible commissions she has undertaken). She also hosts the most fantastic chocolate parties for kids, and fun-filled workshops for adults. Everyone leaves having had a blast making their own special creations.
Vicki creates some truly incredible bespoke chocolates as special orders and corporate gifts, alongside her signature range of delicious chocolate shards, truffles, chocolate letters, candied fruit, and unusual shaped chocolates; from fish to flowers and bikes to beans…
For a pièce de résistance gift created in chocolate – it has to be Prescott’s.
