Resource Magazine

If one of your resolutions (and, quite frankly, whose isn’t?) is to get fit in the new year, then one of the most obscure, bonkers and yet brilliant ideas we’ve seen is the Roller Buggy. Invented by an Austrian designer, and produced by Pix Studio, the baby buggy boasts a retractable scooter platform meaning that when the busy pavements clear before you, you can pull out the platform and speed off. With chunky wheels and all the safety equipment needed to keep your baby tucked safely into its seat, it’s perfect to increase your heart rate when you’re out in the park. No more risky than the three-wheelers you see being pushed around by joggers, it means that having a baby is no longer an excuse to pile on a few extra pounds. (We’re just hoping that the lady in the picture didn’t hit a high kerb when speeding through Manhattan as she appears to have mis-laid her child. An unfortunate publicity shot, certainly).

Whenever we’re feeling a little jaded, or need something visually beautifully to inspire us – or, indeed, something delicious to get our creative juices flowing – we head out to Daylesford. Arguably the most gorgeous shopping emporium in the world. We popped over to Carole Bamford’s delightful store after a bite to eat at the Kingham Plough (delicious cider from Brittany, an excellent hand-raised pork pie with homemade chutney, a slightly over-cooked baked egg with Aga-burnt toast, a charming barman and sloppy service from their glamorous front-of-house) and were, as ever, completely moved by just how exquisitely the place has been put together. They say God is in the details and Lady Bamford certainly has left no (perfectly shaped, highly polished) stone unturned. We oohed and ahhed our way through the foodhall (and managed to blag a taste of Stichelton on the way), stroked every possible item we could in the Bamford Barn (mostly those items made from cashmere and softer-than-soft leather), made mental notes for our garden, found a beautiful collar and lead for office pooch Henry and plastered ourselves with wonderfully smelling products in the Haybarn – where a sense of calm and wellbeing envelope you as soon as you push through the doors. We were only there for an hour, but we left feeling full of ideas for our homes and a few pounds lighter (that’s Pounds Stirling).

www.daylesfordorganic.com 

If your Christmas was marred by arguments about who did the washing up, then perhaps you weren’t offering your guests the right kind of tea towel? (We’re not even going to bother asking why you didn’t just bung it all in the dishwasher). We love these whimsical designs by Emma Bridgewater, guaranteed to add a dash of humour to the task of tidying the kitchen.

www.emmabridgewater.co.uk

Did you get everything that you wanted for Christmas? With the Resource team, one gift leads to another. One of our favourite stocking fillers this year was the beautiful little Henkeeping tome published in association with The National Trust and Country Living. Sub-titled ‘Inspiration and pratical advice for would-be smallholders’, it’s gotten us rather excited about the prospect of our own version of The Good Life and so starts our wishlist for 2008. One chicken-y item that we’ve had our collective eye on for a long time has been the Eglu – a rather nifty, i-Mac-a-like design to keep your hens happy and safe, whatever the weather. As well as being the perfect anti-fox home for your egg-laying lovelies, they can also be used to house ducks, rabbits and guinea pigs. The latest version of the Eglu is the new Eglu Cube, which can be moved around your garden or smallholding to ensure that your animals get to munch on the freshest grass available – it’s insulated, can have its covered run extended if you decide to keep your flock in one area, can be hosed down to keep it clean, and can house up to 10 birds.

The Eglu – and chickens to fill it – is available from: www.omlet.co.uk

What with the current craze for upside-down and black Christmas trees, there’s definitely a Gothic, whimsical streak running through this year’s Christmas trends. If you’ve got friends and family visiting for Christmas lunch this year, then a sure-fire way to impress is by creating a dramatic table setting. Forget Good Housekeeping’s last minute cleaning tips, and opt instead for a visual assault on the senses: beautifully crafted cutlery, carafes of wine, enormous pewter platters ready for a feast (Whippet Grey do some beautiful ones), a seasonal arrangement of ever-greens and holly and place names scribed in your finest calligraphy so that you can keep the feuding parties at either end of the table. Perfect for adding some modern Gothic splendour to your table is Louise Campbell’s “The More The Merrier” candlestick. Created for the new Scandinavian design collective Muuto, the design can be shaped to fit perfectly into your table setting and will give off the perfect, calming glow.

If you’re having problems deciding upon which gift to lavish the Resource team with, then we have a fabulous idea for you. No pressure. But if you do want to seriously impress us, then we can’t think of anything that would make us smile more on Christmas morn than a gift voucher from Four Seasons. Preferably with a few noughts on the end of the figure you’re buying. That would mean we could get away to the Four Seasons Hampshire (pictured above) for the odd weekend of spa pampering and clay pigeon shooting, treat ourselves to a shopping trip to NYC (for research purposes, naturally) and a decadent couple of nights in the Georges V in Paris. There’s something rather lovely knowing you’ve got some luxurious weekends away stacked up when the winter nights are long and cold.
Presented in a beautiful folio, we guarantee a very happy recipient this Yuletide.
Buy online before 18 December and choose an amount from $20 (we wouldn’t if we were you) to $100,o00.

Cheese is, unofficially, the new rock and roll. New cheesemakers are popping up all over the place, and here in the Cotswolds we’re home to one of the most famous cheesemakers of all: former bass player for Blur turned independent cheesemaker and gent of the land, Alex James. Who’d have thought that such a hellraising popstar, known for allegedly camping out under the pool table of The Groucho in his Champagne-swilling and spilling days, is now a regular writer on his country life and an acclaimed cheesemaker. Working with the world-renowned cheese expert Juliet Harbutt, James launched Little Wallop this year from his farm in the Cotswolds. He only makes 200 of the vine leaf-wrapped goats’ cheeses a week, but it’s already won awards; such small levels of distribution and availability are typical of these small-batch, independent cheese-makers.
The revival of olde worlde cheese varieties, like the Double Gloucester here in the county, and further north the Stichelton in the land of Stilton, have been credited with saving traditional cheesemaking techniques which normally would have been lost; Double Gloucester’s resurrection apparently even saved a rare breed of cattle used in the making of this region’s most famous cheese.
Another Gloucestershire-based cheesemaker of note is Simon Weaver, whose award-winning organic bries even sell well in France; beautifully packaged, Weaver has managed to harness this region’s passion for food in his rich, creamy, expertly-made cheeses.
If you’re a fan of cheese and are hoping to purchase some hard-to-find varieties for this traditional cheese-munching season, then two must-visit cheese emporiums are the Fine Cheese Company and Paxton and Whitfield in Bath, where you’ll find a nose-twitching, mouthwatering display of cheeses from all over the world – including an impressive array of locally-made cheeses – served by passionate experts. The Foodhall in Dobbies on the outskirts of Cirencester also stocks a good selection of local and South-West cheeses, including Weaver’s bries, some excellent organic Cornish cheeses (the St Endellion is wonderfully creamy) and the superbly sharp Cerney Pyramid (a supreme champion at the British Cheese Awards).
If you want to make a seriously good impression at a dinner party this Christmas, take along a round of Little Wallop, small individual size Simon Weaver blue bries for every guests, a packet of Fine Cheese Company biscuits and a bottle of Port to wash it all down with.

Image of Alex James and Juliet Harbutt courtesy of The Guardian. Go online to see Alex James’s exclusive cheese-making blogs for guardian.co.uk