Interview
Provenance and afternoon tea..
 
Critically acclaimed Chef Skye Gyngell has worked in some of the best restaurants in the world, including The Dorchester. After achieving and then, in true rock’n’roll style, rebelling against the Michelin star awarded to Petersham Nurseries Café when she was head chef, she moved on to become the culinary director of Heckfield Place, a luxury country house hotel nestled in the Hampshire countryside.
 
What is the best thing about the English food scene?

 
‘today, the house is regarded as one of England’s finest wine producers’
 
In 1988, Nyetimber planted its first vines and today, the house is regarded as one of England’s finest wine producers. Owner and Chief Executive Eric Heerema and Winemaker Cherie Spriggs are committed to producing wines of a Grande Marque Standard.

 
‘born of two hundred years of London heritage, Sipsmith gin is the marriage of a traditional recipe and a truly handcrafted process that delivers impeccable quality and a classic example of the London Dry style’
 
There is nothing more quintessentially English than gin.
Sophisticated, effortlessly elegant and refined, apparently straightforward but with so much hidden complexity it’s the drink that encapsulates the very essence of what it means to be English. This is what inspired the birth of Sipsmith.

 
Waiting to welcome you are some of the most fascinating houses in the world.
 
England has more than its fair share of stately homes and great houses, from the Elizabethan Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire to majestic Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. And what really sets them apart, according to Simon Howard, owner of Castle Howard in North Yorkshire, “is the diversity of the architecture and the presence of the contents of our houses.”

 
Take your pick of contemporary architecture or a house steeped in centuries of history.
 
In Derbyshire, Swiss Cottage is the prettiest house you can rent on the Chatsworth Estate. Overlooking its own lake, it was designed around 1840 as an ‘eye-catcher’, something for Chatsworth’s visitors to admire as they passed by in their carriages. Staying here means unique access to Chatsworth Fishery’s four miles of River Derwent where you can fish for brown and rainbow trout – the Fishery is only open to a select few and there’s a waiting list of several years to join.

 
Interview
A Green & Pleasant Land…
Take your pick of contemporary architecture or a house steeped in centuries of history.
 
England’s idyllic green gardens are celebrated as some of the most beautiful in the world. Head of Gardens and Estates for the Historic Royal Palaces, Terry Gough and his team tend to the thousands of trees, plants, sweeping vistas and ancient monuments that have been enjoyed by England’s kings and queens for centuries.
 
Why do you think the English are such a passionate gardening nation?

 
‘the ultimate in stylish, elegant iron furniture custom-made in England’
 
The Heveningham Collection by Annie Eadie which was launched in 1990 is the ultimate in stylish, elegant iron furniture custom-made in England. Only the highest quality materials are used throughout the manufacturing process and all furniture is hot zinc coated, followed by powder coating, thus ensuring that the furniture is both luxurious and highly durable. Perfect for the home, terrace, conservatory or poolside.

 
‘LINLEY has developed an international reputation for creating furniture and accessories that represent English craftsmanship at its very best’
 
David Linley founded his eponymous business in 1985 with the aim of designing and manufacturing furniture of the highest quality. Some 28 years on, the now well    established English design company LINLEY enjoys prominence as both a retail and bespoke business specialising in the design and production of furniture, upholstery, interiors and home accessories of a superlative quality.

 
Napoleon called us a nation of shopkeepers – it’s a tradition we’re proud to uphold.
 
London’s most prestigious department stores and shopping streets – Bond Street, Sloane Street, Savile Row, Harrods, Liberty, Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason, to name a few – are as familiar landmarks as Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London. But stick solely to the shops in the capital and you’ll miss some of the most interesting shopping experiences in the world.

 
Whatever is on your wish list, you will certainly find it here, and more.
 
Even more sumptuous is an experience offered by luxury concierge service Quintessentially: a private tour of the ‘Queen’s grocer’ Fortnum & Mason before it opens, followed by a tea tasting and an invitation to create your own version of the store’s iconic picnic hamper. You will then be whisked to the grounds of Windsor Castle by helicopter to enjoy your hamper before taking a tour of the castle.