A landscape of rugged beauty that covers over 140 thousand acres of land, and is about 1,000 years old. The document recommends visiting the New Forest area of England for walks through the forest, local food and drink, and relaxation at the Careys Manor hotel and spa. It provides details on attractions like pubs serving local ale and food, goat dairy farms, and Michelin-star restaurants using high quality local ingredients.

1. travel − quick getaway
Of Trees
& Cheese
IMAGES NEW FOREST TOURIST BOARD / CAREYS MANOR / ISTOCkphOTO.COM
I
Acorn-hungry pigs, award-winning T’S PRETTY much guaranteed that on Christmas day – usually
between the hours of 11am and 1pm, when the turkey is gently
cheesemakers and a spa in the middle of it basking in the oven and the mulled wine is simmering on the stove
all; Nikki Haynes finds that there’s more to – the Haynes family will be on their Christmas Day walk around
the New Forest. When I was growing up in Southampton, every
the New Forest than trees Christmas and summer holiday and weekend was spent in the
forest; we’d take our bikes, have picnics and visit the newborn ponies and
donkeys that were roaming freely. We’d go on long walks and end up in
a country pub for a ploughman’s lunch or, if my mum had anything to do
with it, some tea and cake at one of Lymington’s old-fashioned tea shops,
full of lace and bone china. So, having been a seasoned regular at the
Forest for all these years, I considered myself something of an expert on
setting out on my latest visit. I soon discovered that this wasn’t the case!
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2. fresh escapes travel − quick getaway
hampshire Planning
When’s the best time to go?
united
kingdom Any time of the year in my opinion! The
southampton spring brings an abundance of new life in the
shape of flowers, new foals and lambs; the
summer sees the ground ablaze with a purple
carpet of heather, autumn brings the pigs
lyndhurst out to pannage and you’ll see them snorting
round the looking for acorns and in winter you
might be lucky to see the Forest covered in a
brockenhurst
sprinkling of snow and spot deer running about
new forest
(also a great time for venison!).
n at i o n a l pa r k
If you’re a foodie then visiting in July is a great
idea, because it’s the fabulous Hampshire Food
0 5 miles n Festival (1st-31st July, various events across
Hampshire, visit www.hampshirefare.co.uk for
more info)
This Page: (Clockwise from top) The New Forest is a place of
great natural beauty, Careys Manor & SenSpa, pigs snuffling
for their supper. Opposite Page: (Clockwise from top) The
Travel Essentials
New Forest Goat Dairy, a newborn pony finds his feet. Insider information
How to get tHere
Of course, I did know that the Forest was a South West Trains: www.
place of rugged beauty, stretching over 140,000 southwesttrains.co.uk serves four
acres of land in the south of England. And I stations within the forest, including
knew it was old: in 1079 William the Conqueror Brockenhurst
designated the area his “new hunting forest”
where the deer and other game animals were wHere to stay
protected (although not from royal arrows). Careys Manor Hotel, Lyndhurst Road,
Some of the ancient practices employed to Brockenhurst, Hampshire, SO42 7RH.
manage the land in those days are still in use Rooms from £89 per person per night
now. The area is a natural larder full of amazing based on two sharing on a B&B breakfast
produce and many of the animals reared in the Visit www.careysmanor.com or call
forest are free to forage on a tasty mixture of 01590 623 551
herbs and grasses that’s unique to the area.
Local inhabitants have “Common Rights” of wHere to eat
the Forest, such as “pasture”; the right to graze The Royal Oak, Fritham, Lyndhurst, S043
livestock including ponies, cattle, donkeys and 7HJ or call 02380 812606
“
to a lesser extent sheep, and “pannage”; the Hare & Hounds, Sway, Lyndhurst, SO41 A landscape of rugged A proper pub
practice of allowing domestic pigs to graze on 6AL call 01590 682404 After we checked into the hotel our first port of
fallen acorns or beech mast (or nuts). This is Le Poussin at Whitley Ridge, Beaulieu beauty that covers over 140 call was The Royal Oak in Fritham. This is a much
important as the acorns are fatally toxic to the Road, call 01590 622354 or visit www.
thousand acres of land, and loved pub with so much character and charm
”
New Forest’s wild pony population (and give lepoussin.co.uk that it seems to draw in everybody in the vicinity!
the pork a fabulous flavour!). is about 1,000 years old Locals, walkers, horseriders and cyclists gather
UsefUl contacts from far and wide for refreshment. Its chocolate-
A great escape Senspa: www.senspa.co.uk or call a boutique Eastern feel, which the hotel describe box looks might have something to do with it: the
A friend and I decided to get out of the city and 01590 623551 as “contemporary oriental sophistication”. (A pub boasts a traditional thatched roof, a garden
go for a relaxing girly weekend to the forest – lots Lyburn Cheese: www.lyburnfarm.co.uk little odd when you first come in from the Cluedo bursting with cottage flowers and a special gate
of fresh air, walks, good food, real ale and . . . spa or call 01794 390 451 set of the main building, but it works surprisingly to tie your horse to when you come and visit.
treatments. Yes, as well as its more traditional New Forest Marque: well once you get used to it.) There are three The building, which dates back to the 1600s, has
charms. the Forest has its very own health farm www.newforestproduce.com restaurants onsite; The Manor, a 2 AA Rosette always been a pub, and the current owners Neil
in the form of Careys Manor & SenSpa. Fold Farm New Forest Goat Dairy: Mount award-winning place, which uses free-range, and Pauline McCulloch are a warm and friendly
Brockenhurst station is only an hour and a Pleasant Lane, Sway, SO41 8LS or call organic and local produce; Le Blaireau Brasserie, couple who are happy to chat about the place’s
half’s train ride from London and Careys is just 01590 670 477 which serves traditional French fare; and the Zen history. Expect roaring log fires, heavy wooden
five minutes from the station. The hotel is a New Forest Tourism Association: Garden restaurant located at the SenSpa. The furniture, pictures of the Forest’s past on the
beautiful, very English-looking manor house with call 02380 285 464 or visit www. latter offers authentic Thai cooking; here you can walls and the odd older gentleman playing chess
lots of wooden panelling, tapestries and roaring thenewforest.co.uk have a three-course dinner in the evening or just with a weary dog at his feet.
log fires. Modern additions have, perhaps wisely, pop in for an exotic post- massage smoothie after The ale is certainly worth mentioning; the small
not attempted to emulate this: instead they have your treatment. bar is fully stocked with special, cask-conditioned
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3. fresh escapes
local brews: no wonder CAMRA named The Makers Marque Nettle. But all this eating is exhausting work, and,
Royal Oak regional award winners in 1999, 2000 The Royal Oak holds the New Forest Marque; an great as the cheeses were, we were ready for our
& 2001. In 2005 it was voted Hampshire Life award that guarantees the use of local produce. relaxing treatments back at Careys’ SenSpa.
pub of the year. Thankfully the food lives up to There are so many passionate producers in
expectations too: a tiny kitchen at the back of the the area that the Marque initiative, which only Goat’s cheese
pub produces simple, delicious British pub grub; began four years ago, has 120 on its books The next day we paid a visit to the award
homemade quiches, six varieties of ploughman’s and is available in 60 farm shops, restaurants winning New Forest Goat Dairy at Fold Farm in
lunches, locally made Uptons pork pies, and and hotels. As well as guaranteeing origin and Sway. The owners, Jason and Clare Holmes, are a
duck and kippers smoked in a shed at the bottom quality it also helps to support local growers and young couple who used to be in the armed forces
of the garden. If you visit during the summer you producers. (For more information see www. and decided to give it up, move to the Forest and
might be lucky enough to catch a hog roast there newforestproduce.com.) Three members of start a goat farm! The dairy opened four years
too. The Lyburn Old Westminster ploughman’s the Marque are cheesemakers in the Forest; ago with just three animals; today they have over
I ate involved a plate of thickly sliced pink Lyburn, Loosehanger and the New Forest Goat 20 with plans to expand to 36. The goats are
gammon, mature cheese, warm crusty bread, Dairy. Lyburn is available in Waitrose and is the turned out daily to enjoy grazing on grass, gorse,
a divine homemade pickled onion and a locally biggest operation. It produces a variety of award- brambles and nettles, and all of the hard feed
produced chutney that tasted of Christmas. winning cheeses including Lyburn Gold, Old they are given is GM free (the couple make their
Perhaps the perfect pub meal? Winchester, Stoney Cross and Smoked Garlic and own hay without the use of fertilisers). Jason
and Clare produce milk and a soft goat’s cheese
at the moment, and they’re experimenting with
yoghurt and a semi-ripened cheese.
After playing with the goats, daydreaming
about upping sticks and tasting their creamy and
deliciously piquant cheeses, we were ready for
our lunch. We dined at the traditional Hare &
Hounds at Sway, which serves traditional pub
grub. But be warned – the portions are massive
so you might be sitting there for a while!
From forest to vineyard
There are three working vineyards in the
New Forest; Setley Ridge, Beaulieu Estate and
Marlings Vineyard. Like many English vineyards
they’re still very new and need time to grow
into their full potential, but if you are interested
in trying some local wine then I recommend a
glass of Three Cows rosé; produced by Marlings,
it’s light, has berry aromas and is perfect for the
English summer. That evening we had dinner at
Alex Aitken’s Le Poussin at Whitley Ridge. Set
in a former royal hunting lodge that dates back
to the 18th century, both the surroundings and
the food are simply outstanding. Self-taught chef
Aitken has a Michelin star, several restaurants
around the world andthe likes of Gordon Ramsay
raving about his food! The menu is British, but
with a French twist, and, like so many chefs in
the area, he places an emphasis on high-quality
local produce.
Five-star fun
When we sat down for a glass of wine with Alex
he told us about his new project – a country
house hotel on the same site, which he describes
as the “ultimate house in the country complete
with grand spa”. Although Parkhill wasn’t yet
open for business, it had already been awarded
five-stars. If he applies the same high standards
there as he does to his food, I’m definitely going
to have to investigate next time I’m in the vicinity
– maybe a detour is in order on this year’s
Christmas walk?
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