Due to staff shortages in our catering team (congratulations to our Head Chef who has just gone on paternity leave), over the weekends of the 11th/12th and 18th/19th May we will be serving BBQ food only from outside our Stables Restaurant, as well as cakes, sandwiches and ice cream in our cafe. A limited menu will also be available from Monday to Friday over the next two weeks. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.
Crunch through fallen leaves in the Landscape Garden, spot holly bushes and steal a kiss under the mistletoe… Hestercombe’s winter gardens are glimmering with the sleepy, frosty signs of the season. Paying us a visit is a wonderful way to get into the festive spirit, but in the meantime you can check out these ideas for a magical alternative Christmas tree.
This alternative Christmas tree idea is one of the easiest and most effective. Pop a few pins in the wall, then string up your Christmas light design in the shape of a tree. It’s perfect for adding a Christmassy touch to your hallway and rooms with more intimate proportions.
Hestercombe hosts all kinds of craft workshops throughout the year (check out our fantastically festive wreath and willow reindeer workshops) so we know we’ll have a pom-pom fan or two. Glue together a pom-pom tower to create this fun take on a tree with any colour scheme you like!
Save up any good-sized sticks that you’ve cut off when pruning to create your own alternative Christmas tree. Have secateurs or a saw handy to cut each branch to size, then start to layer up branches, securing them with twine or glue, until you reach the top of your tree. You can still add baubles and garlands, with the benefit that this tree lasts year after year.
At this time of year, letterboxes are filled with cards and it doesn’t take long for them to take over every spare surface at home. Put them to good use and enjoy them throughout the season by creating a Christmas card tree. You can invest in a wire frame to slip the cards into for a 3D solution, or pin them to a wall.
Take a leaf out of the traditional fir tree’s book and enjoy a Christmas tree fashioned from branches of festive foliage. You still get the scent, style and colour, but because this 2D design can hang from the wall, it takes up much less space.
Borrow some books from the family shelf or stock up on second-hand novels in our bookshop ready to create this alternative Christmas tree. Begin by piling up one or two thick tomes for the base, then open several more books in half and add them to the top to build up your Christmas tree. These small trees are ideal for a festive table centrepiece or to brighten up your desk.
Bakers, this is the alternative Christmas tree for you! Don an apron, grab a bowl and bake up a batch of gingerbread stars. Invest in a Christmas tree biscuit cutter kit or buy a range of sizes so you have larger biscuits for the base.
Once the gingerbread has cooled, start from the bottom with the largest gingerbread star and stack more on top. Turn each star-shaped biscuit a little as you go to create the full effect of branches, then add baubles and tinsel with royal icing.
Fancy some more festive treats? The Stables Café is serving up a host of Christmassy cakes and the Column Room Restaurant is home to festive afternoon teas – pop in and try them on your next visit.
If you're making your own unconventional Christmas tree, tweet us a photo - we'd love to see what you create.
Discover festive family events, savour a seasonal supper and meet Father Christmas at Hestercombe this year – plan your winter visit.
