Every year, a sprinkling of countryside escapes decorates my calendar like pixie dust and—like so many Londoners—trips like these fill my soul, clear my mind, and leave me returning to ‘real’ life with a lambs-spring in my step. City life is fun, but it’s fast and full-on. Retreating somewhere that promises blissful quiet and a clear night’s sky, a watercolor sunrise, and best-of-British landscapes feels medicinal.
Safia Shakarchi
Safia Shakarchi
I’m no stranger to the UK’s classics (some might say the clichés): The Cotswolds, Cornwall, Surrey, and Somerset have all featured heavily in my quest for long weekends of idyll. But more so than ever, what draws me somewhere new is the temptation of a particular hotel, Airbnb, or place to stay. Stumbling across Restaries Paradise Farm on Instagram one evening back in March, I knew I was onto something special. This kind of property is having a moment, both in the UK and further afield, and while some of the best farm stays in Europe instill visions of strolling through verdant kitchen gardens and neatly pruned vineyards, it’s the farms on my doorstep that I’m most enamored by this year.
Restaries in Suffolk is a three-hour drive from London on a good run. It’s the brainchild of Gem and Thom Bon-Scherdel, who meet us when we arrive with infectious energy and clear passion for what they have created. As if I’m not excited enough to be here four months after my initial discovery, I’m as giddy as one of the pygmy goats on site at our welcome party. Gem walks me through the grounds. The main event—the enormous red, thatch-roofed house that wouldn’t be out of place in a storybook—is actually the family home, but it sleeps up to 12 and is being rented out for a big birthday celebration this weekend. Dotted at its base are three Airbnbs, The Cider Store (our barn for two nights), a romantic one-bed with a spiral staircase called the Gate House, and one other. Between the accommodations are the animals—alpacas, Valais Black Nose sheep, pigs, and chickens, all with their own names and personalities.
As we head inside and make ourselves at home, we are all happy for different reasons. My husband fires up the pizza oven, prepping the bases we pre-ordered to eat alfresco while the children are entertained by the goats who just so happen to reside on the other side of our paved courtyard. I take my time soaking in the design of every room, putting off unpacking our very ‘normal’ things so as not to ruin the aesthetic—one that walks the line between countryside chic and expert curation. Anyone who can master the art of modern homeliness with a nod to traditional country living, apply a bold use of color, and have me googling tile companies is an artist in my eyes. This is what I love about staycations. They’re not only a chance to picture a different life, but live it for the weekend. The Cider Store is the kind of home that I dream of creating, but could never. Little luxuries elevate the experience—a reminder of the couple’s London roots: underfloor heating on the stone kitchen tiles, a Grind coffee machine, and indulgent toiletries in the bathroom.
Safia Shakarchi
Safia Shakarchi
Mornings are spent lazily waking with the wildlife. We’re beckoned through the barn by the bleat of a goat who has climbed purposefully to the top of the rocks in its pen, and continues to peer in through the glass doors as we pad around, barefoot and pajama-clad, making coffee and carving chunks of fresh sourdough that we pile high with salted butter (made locally, of course). The children root excitedly through the toy box left on our coffee table until there’s a tap at the door. Gem and her two blonde babes are waiting outside with a trailer and an invite to come and feed the pigs, Plucky and Prada. Never in my life have I felt so welcome at a place I’ve never been before.
As we wander through the grounds, we talk to other guests. Some are here celebrating a family birthday, and others are on a test-run to Suffolk, deciding if it’s time to uproot their own East London lives. It suddenly strikes me that this is partly what’s so endearing about the Bon-Scherdels. This is a couple who did make the move we all fantasize about, and it’s inspiring.
Other guests are joining yoga in the grounds and planning to explore the nearby towns in the afternoon. I know we should do the same, but I can’t tear myself away from Restaries, and we commit to an afternoon by the pool instead. At sundown, Gem darts around making cocktails to order and delivering them to each family’s doorway. Restaries is a place that feels hard to leave but a treasure to have found. On the drive home, I start plotting what, when and how to return. We’ll need to check in with those pygmy goats, after all—they’ve won a place in all our hearts.
This article was originally published on Condé Nast Traveller UK.
