NEWS Nearlywed Catch up on the latest from around the region LOVE IS LOVE Somerset Registration Service has devised a very special offering for Taunton Live & Pride festival goers this year – free mini ceremonies in the Wellbeing Zone, specially written for the occasion. You can even choose from a range of vows personalised for you on the spot. Couples young and old can have their love recognised, friends can celebrate their relationship or individuals can pledge to love and honour themselves. There’s no need to book, just bring yourselves and some love! The ceremony team will be on hand to answer questions on how to go about tying the knot legally or booking a full-length celebration or vow renewal. Taunton Live & Pride takes place on Saturday 16th July in Vivary Park, Taunton. Check out https://tauntonpride.co.uk for more, along with details of a special competition by Jen The Celebrant (https://jenthecelebrant.co.uk) to win a full ceremony on stage. A WELCOME RETURN Andrew Swann has been appointed executive chef at The Castle at Taunton in Somerset, returning to where he started his career more than 20 years ago. As part of his role, Swann will be responsible for the food and beverage offer across the award-winning hotel, including its 70-cover Brazz Restaurant, as well as its 44 rooms and suites. He initially joined the business in 2000 as a 17-year-old commis chef, and has since worked in some of the UK’s top hotels and restaurants including Michelin-starred Zafferano and L’Escargot, as well as The Savoy. Most recently, he was head chef at Luciano’s by Luciano Pierre White in Dorchester. A classically-trained chef, his cooking style focuses on using seasonal produce, sourced locally. The move comes following a recent £150,000 kitchen refurbishment, allowing the restaurant to offer wider, more sustainable and energy efficient options for guests. Andrew says, “It feels so great to be back home. I’m especially excited to be able to work with an incredible core team and to have access to some of the country’s greatest produce. Where we are, we’re spoilt every season and I can’t wait to get reacquainted with the local farmers and producers.” It sounds to us as though it’ll be well worth keeping an eye out for Andrew’s menus and sampling the delicious fare on your next date night. Visit www.the-castle-hotel.com TIME WELL SPENT This summer, guests of boutique bolthole No.15 by GuestHouse Bath will be delighted to discover a thoughtful reimagining of the eight bedrooms in the hotel’s cosy Coach House. With its Gothicstyle frontage and quatrefoil windows, The Coach House sits pretty and preserved behind the hotel’s main townhouse. GuestHouse’s inventive interiors combine heritage and modernity, with artisanal touches that celebrate local creators. Inspired by the building’s beginnings as a Georgian carriage house and taking its lead from the main house, the new bedrooms honour the history of the surroundings. Guests are greeted by a dramatic entrance featuring calming deep olive greens and uplifting candy pink tones, while warmly-lit hallways open up into light-filled bedrooms decorated in soft colour palettes. With a strong commitment to championing local makers and creators, GuestHouse has selected finishes, fittings and furniture that casts the spotlight on talented Somerset-based creatives. A total makeover of the Coach House offers the perfect opportunity to get away with your best gals and guys to celebrate your impending nuptials as you get to spread out and enjoy time together. Here, you’ll have the privacy and freedom to play music on the record players or gather on the fluffy sofas and armchairs for board games by the fire. It’s a place where you can all kick back, relax, indulge and make some special memories. Discover more at www.guesthousehotels.co.uk www.tobymitchellcreative.com 8
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