Bishops Waltham, Winchester

Today, we were cooking for my parents, so we drove to Bishops Waltham in search of my favourite traditional butcher.  They – traditional butchers – are harder to find than you think, in the face of supermarket and mega stores relentless takeover. So many have closed down, gone out of business, 100 years of family businesses cease trading because cost-conscious customers chose supermarket meats. Sure, they are more expensive than supermarkets, but with a local butcher, you know what you are getting for your money.

Anyway, it was a good excuse for me to visit Bishops Waltham. Years ago, when I accidentally fell pregnant with my second son and my University plans seemed uncertain, a family friend offered me a job working in his interior designer firm in Bishops Waltham. The shop was called Pulingers, and it is still there, quaint and old fashioned. And expensive. In any event, I went to University in Manchester where there was affordable childcare, and the rest is history, as they say. I often wondered what life would have been like if I stayed home.

I have so many beautiful memories here. It is a sweet medieval market town and the Palace, home of the Bishops of Winchester in bygone days and visited by Mary Tudor, Henry II, Richard the Lionheart to Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I. Today, you find lovely street cafes, quaint pubs and unusual shops here.  There is a cycling trail and walks through the nature reserve, but it was lovely enough to spend an idyllic afternoon here with my Beloved.

For more information on Bishops Waltham (including a pdf pocket guide), click here.

If you are into flowers, check out Bishops Waltham In Bloom here.