Love Local with Heidi Stanhope

Heidi Stanhope is one of the many mumpreneurs, who have decided to take their creativity and experience, and start up their own business – From A to You. Heidi is originally from Norway, but having travelled for years and living in places such as Zimbabwe, New York and Paris – she has now settled down in the outskirts of London. So it’s from a lot of different cultures and experiences that Heidi draws her inspiration.

Her drawings certainly has a minimalist Scandinavian feel to them, but they have a universal look to them which will surely appeal to a wide range of people. The softness of the “What a Hoot” animal range, has proved very popular; but the second series of machines “Honk your Horns” is quickly catching up in it’s popularity and will be available to buy late 2014.

It will be interesting to see what the future brings to ‘From A to You‘ as Heidi has a lot of ideas for the company to keep it expanding, and keep it fresh.

Heidi has kindly shared with us her favourite places to go and what the local area has to offer.

The Blackwood Arms

This is a ‘proper pub’ but the food here is exciting variations on what we think of as pub food, and the fact that they use local farmers as suppliers can really be felt in their finished product. It’s got a lovely atmosphere, and in summer they have a huge garden to enjoy. These things alone would be the mark of a good pub, but what makes this that extra bit special is how friendly they are; and how truly welcome they make your children feel. They really take their time to talk to the children, and treat them as customers too – not just a nuisance. And dogs are also welcome.

This little pub is a true hidden gem – you’re not likely to stumble across it unless you know it’s there, but once you know, you’ll keep returning to it. So make sure you book early enough (a few weeks is advisable).
www.theblackwoodarms.net

Burnham Beeches

It’s a great area to go for a walk with the kids, it’s an easy area to walk for little feet and we usually go for “Bear hunts” and looking around for animal footprints. There’s a circular walk you can take which start and finish at the Blackwood Arms, which is handy to get everyone’s appetites going.

Brindley House Café

This is a great place to go if you really need a cup of coffee and some distraction for the little one(s). Claire is normally there baking something yummy, and the space is small enough so you can sit down and have a coffee, but still keep an eye on the kids. www.brindley-house.co.uk
You can pop across the street for some retail therapy at www.edenroseboutique.com or just pick up some milk at M&S.

Wycombe Rye Lido

On a lovely summer, you can’t beat splashing in the water outside. And Wycombe rye lido is recently refurbished with heated pools; clean and with lots of lifeguards so you can really enjoy yourselves. There is plenty of parking for only a couple of pence and there is a park next door where you can look at the birds in the canal, go to the play area or simply wonder around and have a well deserved ice-cream.
www.fusion-lifestyle.com/centres/Wycombe_Rye_Lido

Old Queens Head

This is another great pub where they use quality produce which you can really taste. But aside the great food, they’ve got a great outdoor space which is great when the weather is decent, and their tagline “dogs, children and muddy boots welcome” makes the atmosphere really relaxed & friendly. The village green in Tylers Green/Penn is also great to go and feed the ducks and let little legs run wild for a bit.
www.oldqueensheadpenn.co.uk

And if you really want to get your walking boots on, there’s the nearby Penn Woods which boasts of trees more than 200 years old with lots of different paths to discover. The main entrance is off Penn Street where there’s a car park.

Tiggywinkles

This is the next big thing on our list; a visit to the Tiggywinkles Wildlife hospital. You can meet an array of animals such as deer, hedgehogs, water birds and rabbits. You can also see where they take x-rays of the animals, and look at some taken of previous patients. They have also go an outdoor play area, a coffee shop and gift shop, where the profits go straight back to the hospital. Check the website for opening hours.
www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk