Boho Boxmoor

First of the summer wine: Frithsden Vineyard

Simon and Natalie Tooley bought Frithsden Vineyard in 2006. A vineyard had been in operation there from 1971 to 2001, but five years on there were no grape vines left. For the couple, it meant replanting the whole vineyard and starting from scratch.

They planted grape varieties that thrive in northern climates - unfamiliar names like Solaris, Phoenix, Rondo and Seyval Blanc. The 2007 harvest yielded 400 bottles of wine; this jumped to 4,000 bottles for 2008 and 5,000 for 2009. Next year, they're hoping to produce 10,000 bottles of the 2010 vintage, which will see the vineyard producing at maximum capacity.

Frithsden produces three wines - two whites, called Solaris and Phoenix, and a rosé. Sparkling wine is produced using different methods and equipment, and it's not something that Simon - who looks after the vines and does the winemaking - has tackled yet; but watch this space. Natalie manages the business and runs the vineyard's shop, which is at the heart of their retail trade.

The Tooley's sell 80 percent of their wine through their shop in the vineyard. The other 20 percent is sold wholesale, mainly to Salisbury pubs (which runs the Alford Arms, a near neighbour of the vineyard) as well as places like The Flying Corkscrew wine merchant.

The winery's shop throws its doors open Saturday 1 May, with an open day for the whole vineyard on Saturday 15 May. English Wine Week is 29 May to 6 June and the shop, vineyard and winery will be open every day that week, with free tastings and a self-guided vine trail, all culminating in a summer fete on Sunday 6 June (12pm-6pm).

For the rest of the summer, the vineyard and shop is open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 11am-6pm. You can sit on the Med-style terrace and enjoy their wine by the glass or bottle, plus coffees, teas and cakes. And you can buy bottles of wine to take away, of course. The shop also sells Natalie's own-design clothing, called Calla Lily and Littlelily (her kids' range), plus hand-crafted keepsakes and gifts.

Frithsden's harvest takes place during a six-week period in September and October. The different grape varieties are harvested separately, and picked and pressed on the same day. Up to 70 volunteers help with the harvest - friends and neighbours, or visitors to the vineyard who've expressed an interest. As the picture gallery demonstrates, it's a communal, sun-soaked affair, with a big outdoor lunch for all the helpers.

During the autumn and winter, all goes quiet (seemingly). The wine is first fermented (this takes up to a month) and then it undergoes a cold-stablisation process (up to six months). The vines need pruning and training throughout the winter. In late spring, the new vintage is bottled, the shop and vineyard reopens to visitors, and the cycle begins again. See you there.

PICTURE GALLERY: HARVEST AT FRITHSDEN VINEYARD

Frithsden Vineyard, Frithsden, Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP1 3DD. Tel: 01442 878723. Website (coming soon): www.frithsdenvineyard.co.uk

ENGLISH WINE WEEK: Find out more

The Roald Dahl Children's Gallery

Not to be confused with the Roald Dahl Museum and Storytelling Centre in Great Missenden, Bucks, this fun-packed gallery in the Buckinghamshire County Museum, Aylesbury, is one to add to your list.

 

First you'll have to book tickets over the phone -  you get a one-hour slot which ensures you're not turned away if the gallery gets too full. Then you'll have to negotiate the car parks in Aylesbury town centre as the museum is without it's own parking.

 

But, with those two hurdles out of the way, prepare for what can be an enchanting visit, from the moment you walk into the museum's grounds. The children's gallery is spread over two floors in a separate building to the museum. Colourful on the outside and crammed full of things for children to touch, press, crawl through and look at on the inside.

 

Roald Dahl is celebrated for his inventiveness and the gallery aims to transmit some of this spark to your kids. Children can crawl through Fantastic Mr Fox's tunnel; examine mini-beasts under a digital microscope inside James's gigantic peach; check out green-screen technology used in cgi films; conduct their own musical experiments; dress up as Victorians; or simply curl up in the story corner with a good Roald Dahl book.

 

An hour is probably long enough to take in the whole children's gallery. But the walled garden provides space for picnics and play; there's a cafe and shop, and of course the Bucks County Museum itself to take a quick look around. Having a nose around Aylesbury's old town can be a bit of a discovery, and it's worth noting there's a Pizza Express nearby.

SEE MORE PICTURES OF THE ROALD DAHL CHILDREN'S GALLERY.

The Buckinghamshire County Museum and Roald Dahl Children's Gallery, Church Street, Aylesbury HP20 2QP. Tel: 01296 331441. www.buckscc.gov.uk/museum. Opening times, until 1 November 2009: Monday to Saturday and Bank Holidays 10am-5pm. Sundays 2pm-5pm. Entrance to the children's gallery is £4 for kids, £4.50 for adults; entrance to the Bucks County Museum itself is free.

Read our review of The Roald Dahl Museum and Storytelling Centre in Great Missenden, Bucks. 

The Boxmoor Trust

Of all the things that makes Boxmoor a wonderful place to live, it is the Boxmoor Trust which in its own quiet way has probably done most to shape the character of the area. Nearly 500 acres of protected green space surround us, with not one but two rivers running through it (the Bulbourne and Gade), while herds of horses and cattle graze peacefully.

The Trust is governed by an Act of Parliament of 1809. It holds and manages the lands for the well-being of the local residents, present and future, and and is also involved in conservation of local wildlife. The Boxmoor Trust stages a number of events thoughout the year, all free of charge. The annual Conker Festival is a feature of Blackbirds Moor each autumn. In summer there are free activity days for children, and these are highly recommended. Also in the summer is the bi-annual Music in the Moor, held in Bulbourne meadow, which is getting better and better on each outing.

The Boxmoor Trust holds an AGM meeting every summer, in case you want to find out more about what is going on, their plans for the future, or you wish to air your views. There's lots of business to sit through, but you do get rewarded with some very good wine at the end. www.boxmoortrust.org.uk

READ MY ARTICLE ABOUT THE BOXMOOR TRUST ON THE BBC'S h2g2

The Rex, Berkhamsted

With the Rex being described as one of the most beautiful cinemas in the country, is it any wonder this restored art-deco gem is one of the best things about living in Boxmoor? OK, OK, so technically it is in Berkhamsted. But when last I checked it only took me 10 minutes to drive there from Boxmoor.

Independently run by the wonderfully eccentric Mr James Hannaway, and his friendly team of local staffers, the Rex will completely change your perception of what a night at the movies should be. No wonder my six-year-old daughter, accustomed to matinees at the Rex, burst into tears at a school trip to our local multiplex!

Plush seats with loads of leg-room, cabaret-style seating downstairs, wine and coffee instead of Coke and lemonade... and the wonderful marine-themed art deco design by David Nye are just some of the high points. Pay them a visit to discover all the others. THE REX CINEMA: High Street (Three Close Lane), Berkhamsted, HP4 2FG. Box Office: 01442 877759. www.therexcinema.com

READ MORE ABOUT THE REX

Sanuk, Potten End

You're driving through Potten End and you take an unfamiliar turn. The road is pretty but soon you notice there are no houses and the wood is getting thicker and thicker on both sides. There, ahead, is a gap in the road, and an unlikely sign for a garden centre and a tea room. You've stumbled upon Sanuk.

Nestled within Little Heath Garden Centre, Sanuk is a most charming tea room and ethic gift shop. Order a pot of tea or a cafetiere of coffee then choose a slice of one of their delicious homemade cakes. If it's summer, you can sit outside, among the plants, under an arbour. If it's mid-morning and mid-week, you may even find you're alone.

It's difficult to imagine Sanuk ever getting too busy though. After refreshments, allow time to wander through their Aladdin's cave of a gift shop, stuffed with trinkets and tribal art. And there's the garden centre's plants to browse too. When you get home, someone may ask what you did that morning. It will be on the tip of your tongue to answer: "Oh, I found the most wonderful little place..." and then you'll stop yourself. Perhaps you dreamt it, after all? SANUK: Little Heath Lane, Potten End, Herts, HP4 2RY, Tel: 01442 864951. www.sanukatlittleheath.co.uk
(Picture shows Sanuk's indoor tea room. Photo courtesy Ian Rance.)

Big Space in Harpenden

Big Space owners Sue and Lester Adams say they got sick of sitting in drab play centres with their kids, drinking dreadful coffee. So they opened their own parent-friendly play area in Harpenden in 2005, and this is the result.

Big Space is a joyous mixture of bright pink and purple soft-play apparatus, bags of natural light, and, blessedly, real coffee. There are also armchairs, magazines and a welcome absence of fried-food smells. Very grown up indeed.

The play frame is a touch on the tame side for older children, stretching only to two levels, instead of into the heavens as Berkhamsted's Kidzone's frame seems to. But, to compensate, there is a dedicated football area, a trike track, computer games, and even a TV screen tucked away in the play frame, for when kids need a bit of chilling out.

A complete thumbs up for this family-run business, with its pleasant, young staff. I've enjoyed every single visit, and so have the kids. Their parties are also recommended. BIG SPACE: Southdown Industrial Estate, Harpenden, AL5 1PW. Tel: 01582 766100. www.bigspace.biz

Waddesdon Manor

If you haven't been to Waddesdon Manor, as I hadn't for the first six years I lived in Hemel Hempstead, get someone to give you a good shake. And start making plans for your first visit, now. Waddesdon Manor is a National Trust property in Buckinghamshire built in 1889 in the style of a Renaissance-era French chateau. Crazy. It was donated to the National Trust by the Rothschild family in 1957, but at first the Trust thought it was so naff that they didn't want it.

In fact, it is stunning. You can tour the interior of the house (breathtaking when decorated for Christmas) with kids, who will love to listen to the commentary on personal audio sets they hold to their ear. These are free when you hire an adult audio set, which only costs about £2. The grounds are great for roaming, particularly in warmer weather, and there's a relatively new children's woodland playground that spills down a hillside, which will keep the kids well and truly entertained. Other points of interest outdoors are the aivary and the plant centre.

I love the Stables (pictured) which houses the Stables Restaurant - the more casual of the two restaurants at Waddesdon (the other is the Manor Restaurant, inside the house), and so better suited for families. There's also an outdoor coffee bar here, with take-away ice creams. Also in the Stables is a gift shop (again, the main shop is inside the house) and wine and food shop. The picnic tables within the Stables courtyard have different children's games printed onto their surfaces. Seasonal shopping fairs are held in the Stables during the year.

See Waddesdon Manor's site for more details, prices and opening times. And, if you're a first-time visitor, let me know how you got on. WADDESDON MANOR: 01296 653226. www.waddesdon.org.uk