A specially curated guide to the next 48 hours (or more) in Bath
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CHRISTMAS | CELEBRATING THE SEASON
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Christmas at Bath Abbey
Christmas is always a wonderful time of year at Bath Abbey; from spectacular carol services and concerts – including Viennese Christmas Spectacular by Candlelight on 8 December, A Christmas Celebration on 10 December, Family Carol Service on 18 December and the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on 23 December – to festive tower tours and knitted Nativity fun trails, there’s something for everyone this season.
Visit the Bath Abbey website for further information on Christmas events: bathabbey.org
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OUR DECEMBER ISSUE – OUT NOW |
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Our December magazine features a collection of great reading by our team of wonderful writers as well as beautifully presented advertising by Bath's best businesses. We really hope you'll enjoy the read!
Every month we deliver 15,000 copies door to door, but if you don't get a copy at home then you can pick up a copy at many places around town and from our floor stands at: Waitrose, Sainsbury [Green Park], M&S Foods in Twerton, Tesco in Weston Village, and at The Holburne Museum.
Click here to enjoy our current issue!
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And if you would like to have a copy sent in the post every month, then we offer a postal subscription for just £33 for 12 issues, £18 for six issues or buy a copy for just £4.25. UK mainland prices. For Euro and World zone subscription prices – see our website.
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WEEKEND RECIPE | AN ITALIAN CLASSIC
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Mediterranean Stuffed Chicken Breasts wrapped in Parma Ham
Once you've assembled this classic Italian trattoria dish, you're less than an hour away from tucking into a molto elegante supper for two, perfect for uplifting a chilly winter evening... or a stylish Christmas Eve supper for two, perhaps?
There may not be many ingredients on the shopping list, but all of them go large on delivering flavour. The Parma ham adds a piquant, cheffy flourish to the dish, and the luxuriously creamy filling is the gift that keeps on giving as any excess ricotta that oozes out of the chicken mingles with the juices that collect in the foil wrapper to create a wonderfully luxurious sauce. Saluti!
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Ingredients (serves 2)
2 large free range chicken breasts (each weighing around 170-200g) 6 heaped tbsp ricotta 12 sundried tomatoes, chopped in half 12 black olives, chopped in half ½ tbsp capers 6 slices Parma ham
To serve: Parmesan polenta; steamed spinach
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Method
1. Mix the ricotta, sundried tomatoes, olives and capers together in a suitably-sized bowl. Season to taste, and set to one side.
2. Lay 3 slices of Parma ham onto a large chopping board, overlapping the edges to create a 'sheet'. Repeat with the remaining 3 slices of Parma ham.
3. Cut a deep slit along one side of each chicken breast (taking care not to slice all the way through the flesh), place it on a sheet of cling film and open it out like a book. Top with another sheet of cling film and gently pound with a rolling pin to even the fillet out to around 1cm thick. Lay the flat chicken breast onto a large plate.
4. Spoon half of the ricotta mixture across one of the flat chicken breasts and roll up to enclose the filling. Put the stuffed chicken breast onto the lower half of one of the Parma ham sheets and roll the ham around it, gently but firmly enclosing all the chicken and filling as you go. Repeat the whole process with the second filled chicken breast, the remaining 3 slices of Parma ham and the remainder of the ricotta mixture. Wrap the rolled chicken breasts tightly in cling film and put them in the fridge to firm up for at least an hour (or up to 6 hours, if you want to get ahead).
5. When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and heat around 1 tbsp olive oil with 2 tsps butter in a large, heavy-based frying pan over a medium-high heat.
6. Fry the wrapped chicken breasts for around 2 minutes on all sides until golden brown all over, then loosely wrap and seal each one in tinfoil. Put them on a roasting tray (sealed side up) and roast for around 16-20 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts.
7. Remove the foil parcels from the oven and allow to rest in a warm place for 5 minutes before carefully unwrapping, avoiding getting hit with a blast of hot steam while also making sure that none of the lovely juices run out of the foil.
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WEEKEND WINE | CHRISTMAS SHOP
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It's Christmas Wine Time
The Great Wine Co have officially opens their Christmas wine shop. With such a huge choice, you are sure to find your perfect festive bottle.
To whet your appetite – here’s just a few we really like the look of.
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The White: Chablis – Bernard Defaix
A lovely wine with a nose of greengage, oystershell and an understated honeyed richness. Crisp and 100% classic, a true-to-type Chablis | £18.85
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The Rosé: Las Fincas Rosé – J. Chivite Family Estates |
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A Decanter award winner. This delicious rosé (in a beautiful bottle!) has intense aromas of strawberry, pomegranate, raspberry and rose petals. It is smooth-textured, rounded and balanced, with persistence of flavour on the finish with lingering notes of cherry pie | £13.30
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The Fizz: Classic Reserve Brut – Hattingley Valley
Pale gold in colour with an abundance of fine bubbles, the wine has baked apple, creamy nougat and brioche on the nose, supported by hints of toast and fresh red fruit. Lovely | £27.50
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The Big Red: Don David Malbec – El Esteco |
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Combining violet-scented fruit with succulent, plushy texture, this is a beautifully intense yet refined Malbec. Don David is well-balanced with soft tannins and notes of violets, plums, red fruits and a hint of chocolate | £11.10
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The Dessert: Late Harvest Tokaji Katinka 37.5cl – Patricius
Light golden straw in colour, medium-bodied, reflecting its 12 months in barriques with appealing vanilla and caramel notes. Just the right hints of complexity and elegance. Exquisite length. Delicious | £13.95
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Order yours, there’s a multi buy discount and free local delivery on all orders over £50.
greatwine.co.uk
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Lauren Holloway: The Linen Bread Bag
Every baker needs a home for those prized loaves. This breathable linen Bread bag handprinted by designer Lauren Holloway will become an essential kitchen accessory, available in mustard, green or grey | £32.
See this and many more fabulous, sustainable bags and accessories by Lauren Holloway on her website.
laurenholloway.uk
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Looking for more delicious foodie inspo?
Click through to browse our full Delicious Guide!
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OBJECT OF DESIRE | DRINK IN STYLE
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Georg Jensen bar accessories
Take your home bar to the next level with some über stylish stainless steel bar accessories from the Georg Jensen Living collection.
Shown here, clockwise from top left:
- Indulgence stainless steel Champagne cooler | £226
- Wine and bar set in mirror polished stainless steel corkscrew and a silicone and stainless steel stopper and pourer | £131
- Sky stainless steel ice cubes (set of four) | £41
- Sky stainless steel cocktail sticks (set of six) | £45
There are many more from the fabulous Georg Jensen Living range to see and choose from at Mallory: mallory-jewellers.com
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BEAUTY | SWISS SKIN EXPERTISE
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Saqua Beauty
It’s Saqua Beauty and it can be found in The Corridor.
Under the direction of Swiss beauty expert, Sevcan Caglar – a biologist aesthetician she specialises in skin care, delaying ageing and creating younger looks – Saqua offers a full range of high quality beauty treatments as well as skin care products. They make great gifts and a good opportunity to pop in and see Saqua for yourself. Shown here is: the REFINE Youthful skincare set by Image, normally £199 RRP, you can pick one up at Saqua for just £125, saving £64.
Saqua, 18 The Corridor, Bath | saqua.co.uk
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JEWELLERY | SPARKLE AND SHINE
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Nicholas Wylde: Emerald & Diamond Drop Earrings
A glittering pair of 18ct white gold, emerald and diamond hoop drop earrings.
The elegant design features a pear-cut emerald assessed as 0.63ct in a claw setting while 58 more round-cut diamonds assessed as 0.23ct in total, Si colour G/H add an extra spark.
18ct white, 0.63ct emerald & 0.23ct diamonds | £4,070
nicholaswylde.com | Nicholas Wylde Bath, 2 Northumberland Pl, Bath BA1 5AR
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ACCESSORIES | HANDMADE DESIGN
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Handmade Jewellery by Cami-Lou
Camilla Frayling is a jewellery designer and maker from Bath with over ten years experience.
Camilla now runs her own small business, Cami-Lou Jewellery Designs, where she uses precious metals, semi-precious and precious gemstones creating fabulous, interesting pieces with beautiful textures and lovely detail. Shown here, 9ct yellow gold and sterling silver handmade organic arch style earrings with tassel | £75
See more on Instagram: @camilou_jewellerydesigns or visit her online shop at: camiloujewellery.co.uk
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ACCESSORIES | A PERSONALISED PRESENT
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Honey Willow: Personalised 9kt Gold Double Link Diamond Necklace
Celebrate her loved ones with a petite 9kt gold double link necklace, hand-stamped with the names or first letters of her loved ones or a date which is meaningful to her. Each link is set with a conflict-free diamond.
Circles symbolise infinite love, protection and unity. These two circles are freely moving, yet interlinked | £395
honeywillow.com
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CHRISTMAS | THE GIFT OF MUSIC
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Shindig Festival Gift Card
Shindig Festival 2023 has you covered this Christmas! Give the gift of a magical experience you and the whole family will look forward to. Enjoy four days of world class music and arts in the heart of the Somerset countryside.
Simply give this gift tag to your loved ones and pay later (kids under 12 come free!). To share the love this Christmas, Shindig will make a donation to local charity Boys In Mind/Girls Mind Too, when you use code SUPPORT at the checkout. In the words of Jazzie B from Soul II Soul, Shindig is “…a proper party for proper party people!”
Shindig Festival 2023 will take place at Dillington Estate, Somerset from 25–28 May | shindigfestival.co.uk
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MAGAZINE KIOSK | WHY WE LOVE PRINT
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Curated by Daniel McCabe
Holiday used to be a renowned international travel magazine that sold in the millions between 1946 and 1977. Around a decade ago it was revived and relocated from New York to Paris, where it's now published in English with ‘a French heart’. It’s notably less literary and more style/fashion oriented, but the gaze is still global, and the latest issue takes us to Detroit, with a heady mix of Motor City memories, Motown milestones, Detroit’s women MCs, house music legend Moodymann and more | £22 | BUY THE MAGAZINE HERE
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Carols by Candlelight, 9 December (7.30–9.30pm), BRLSI
Join Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution for an exclusive evening of Christmas carols, fun festive readings and warming mulled wine (or mulled apple juice) in a candlelit venue.
Music will be provided by Tim Snowden’s Bath Celebration Choir and friends. Tim Snowden is the Music Convenor for BRLSI. He is a composer and conductor, and is Musical Director of the Bath Celebration Choir, the Alley Barbers (University of Bath) and ShoBASs close harmony group.
Tickets £15–20, available from the BRLSI website | brlsi.org
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TALK | THE CULTURAL MISSION OF MUSEUMS
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Tristram Hunt: The Civic and the Global, BRLSI / online, 9 December
Dr Tristram Hunt is the Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, arguably the world’s leading museum of art, design and performance.
The V&A’s founding commitment to design, education and industry continues to define it today. Tracing the museum’s genesis from its Victorian roots, Dr Hunt will consider how the V&A’s civic foundations – the national and the global – engendered a world-class collection, and today, the creation of a nationwide family of museums, from Dundee to Stoke-on-Trent. His talk will consider the challenges and opportunities for a major museum in the context of current financial challenges and cultural anxieties.
Hunt's talk will be held from 7.30–9pm at Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution; tickets £4 for members, £7 for non members, available from brlsi.org
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CHRISTMAS | FESTIVE TUNES, OLD AND NEW
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Bath Camerata Christmas Concert, Bath Abbey, 19 December (7.30pm)
Bath Camerata is welcoming back John Rutter to Bath as the conductor of its Christmas Concert.
There will be Christmas songs, old and new, alongside some favourite carols for the audience to join in with – all presided over with gusto and style by ‘Mr Christmas’ himself.
Tickets, from £10 to £30 with half-price tickets for under 25s, available from: bathboxoffice.org.uk | bathcamerata.co.uk
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MUSIC | A HEARTWARMING CONCERT
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Bath Minerva Choir: 'On Earth, Peace', 3 December (7.30pm), St Swithin's Church
Join Bath Minerva Choir for a heartwarming concert of beautiful Christmas music featuring Vaughan Williams and Gerald Finzi and including carols for audience participation.
Tickets £15/£12, available from the Bath Box Office website: bathboxoffice.org.uk
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Modern ArtBuyer Winter Open House, 3–4 December (10am–4pm)
Modern ArtBuyer is hosting its Winter Open House pop-up in Limpley Stoke, featuring an extensive selection of contemporary limited edition prints and original paintings in a relaxed home setting.
Whether you’re on the hunt for the perfect gift or an inspiring piece for yourself, pop in and enjoy a coffee or a glass of prosecco.
modernartbuyer.com | Modern Art Buyer, 1 Cliffe Drive, Limpley Stoke BA2 7FY
Above: Precious by Maria Rivans
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LOOKING BACK | ON THE RAILS
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Words by Andrew Swift
Somerset and Dorset Join Railway
This photograph takes us back to 1891, when the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway took delivery of four new engines from Derby Works. This is No 15 on the lines outside the engine shed at Bath. Victoria Bridge – the only thing that links this scene with the view today – can just be made out behind the tender. Behind the locomotive, Stothert & Pitt’s Victoria Works can be seen under construction. For the technically minded, the locomotive was a Whitaker Class 15 2P 4-4-0, which survived until 1931, when it was withdrawn as LMS No 301.
akemanpress.com
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Jack Savoretti and Natalie Imbruglia to make appearances at Forest Live 2022
Jack Savoretti, who was the first artist to announce dates as part of Forest Live 2023, has announced Natalie Imbruglia as the very special guest for his concert dates presented by Forestry England.
Since his initial breakthrough with BBC Radio 2 airplay in 2006, a succession of crafted albums has built Jack Savoretti an impressive career. Written in Scars (2014) and Sleep No More (2016) confirmed his growing popularity with gold-selling status and these were superseded by No 1 albums Singing To Strangers (2019) and Europiana (2021) which spawned Europiana Encore, a special extended edition released this year.
This month, Natalie Imbruglia celebrated the 25th anniversary of her acclaimed debut album Left Of The Middle featuring the worldwide smash hit Torn, a song that touched so many people and continues to resonate as a top-streamed single from the nineties. Natalie has released 5 more studio albums including 2021’s Firebird, and enjoyed chart success with top 10 hits such as Big Mistake, Smoke, Wrong Impression and Shiver.
Forest Live 2023 will take place at Westonbirt, The National Arboretum from 8–11 June; Jack and Natalie will play on 10 June. Tickets for Forest Live 2023 available from forestryengland.uk
Above: Natalie Imbruglia and Jack Savoretti
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SPORT | FRIDAY NIGHT FIXTURE
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Friday night football at Twerton Park, 2 December (7.45pm), Twerton Park
This week sees Bath City have a rare Friday night fixture at Twerton Park with their match against Welling United switched from Saturday to avoid overlapping with World Cup knockout games over the weekend.
Fans are invited to enjoy an evening at the football with family and friends, free from the worries of work or school the next morning. And of course this season supporters can indulge in a drink on the terraces from the new Stripes Bar, including beer, cider, prosecco and G&T’s!
Plus everyone can save £1 on each ticket by buying in advance at bathcityfc.com/tickets.
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HOMEWARE | ARTISAN CRAFTS
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Artisan Homeware
Artisan Homeware is an independent Bristol-based homewares business bringing traditional craftsmanship to contemporary interiors.
They sell handmade Boleslawiec Stoneware from Poland, UK-made luxury merino wool blankets and cushions and a huge range of fairtrade and eco-friendly Fair Trade Christmas decorations from just £5.95.
Shown Above: Medium Lasagne dish | £61
artisanhomeware.co.uk
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INTERIORS | FABULOUS FABRIC
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Fabric Designs by Isabell Browell
With an interior design background, Isabell Browell’s love of fabrics was the motivation to learn the art of lampshade making. Using handwoven Ikats from Uzbekistan and vintage silk Sari fabrics from India, Isabell aims to create lampshades which make a statement and transform a room.
She can also offer a bespoke lampshade service for specific interior room schemes. Isabell is based in Bath. Shown here: a 14 inch green/blue/ivory silk Ikat lampshade, £160. Isabell’s lovely products can be viewed on her website:
browellinteriors.com
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PROPERTY | GEORGIAN TOWNHOUSE
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Lansdown Road, Bath BA1
Offered for sale by Cobb Farr estate agents in Bath.
This is an elegant and stylishly presented 5 bedroom Grade II listed Georgian townhouse located in a fine, elevated position within 5 minutes walk of Bath city centre.
The flexible accommodation, which has a wealth of period features, is presented in excellent decorative order throughout and is arranged over four floors. There is an attractive drawing and withdrawing room on the ground floor, both with lovely period fireplaces. On the first floor there is a well-appointed mezzanine level shower room, along with a charming master bedroom to the front and a further double to the rear. The top floor has three further bedrooms, one which is currently being used as an office.
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From the ground floor steps lead down to the lower ground floor accommodation where there is a mezzanine level office which enjoys access to the garden and sun terraces. In addition there is an impressive kitchen with natural stone flooring, which is linked to the dining room to the rear, along with a large utility room and pantry which enjoys access to the front of the property via stone steps. Double doors lead to the garden and sun terraces to the rear from the dining room.
The garden is a key feature of this beautiful house and extends to approximately 150ft and benefits from being divided into several ‘rooms’. There is a pretty, secluded paved sun terrace which leads from the dining room with steps up to a raised sun deck, this leads to a beautifully manicured lawn with a wealth of mature shrubs and trees and raised beds. Nestled attractively at the top of the garden there is a handsome timber framed garden studio with a further sun terrace. In addition, there is a Grade II listed potting shed which offers further potential, subject to the necessary planning consents to convert. Offers in excess of £1,000,000
For more image and details click here to see the property on the Cobb Farr website.
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