Masterchef Finalist Swindon Dining Event. A SWINDON-based luxury retreat company are offering an evening of Thai food and conversation at their first event next month at No 4 Studios in Old Town.
At the end of 2025, small business professionals, Janet Shreeve, founder of Shreeve Care Services, Fiona Scott, founder of Scott Media, and media consultant Lauren Roberts from Chippenham, joined forces to create Enlightening Escapes.
The luxury retreat company aim to create smaller experiences that feel personal and easy to be part of rather than big conferences or rigid workshops.
2026 debut event
They are kicking off 2026 with their debut event. It’s the Cuisine Escape: Thai Edition. This is a Thai cuisine evening hosted by 2025 MasterChef finalist Sam Kaeokon, offering an insight into food, stories and making connections.
‘We’re elated to have Sam join us for our first ‘escape’, said Lauren. ‘We spoke to him on our podcast and were thrilled when he said he would take part in a private dining experience. One that allowed guests to try his favourite Thai foods.’
Masterchef Finalist Swindon Dining Event – Sam Kaeokon, host of Enlightening Escapes’ The Cuisine Escape: Thai Edition.
Sam has lived in Swindon for over a decade and the town is where his love of cooking has flourished. He appeared on BBC’s hit show, MasterChef in 2025.
‘My love for cooking started when I was young, with my gran teaching me the basics,’ said Sam. “When I first moved to the UK, I missed the bold flavours of Thailand, so I began recreating dishes from home. Over time, it’s become my way to relax, express myself, and share joy with others.’
Masterchef
Sam’s relationship with MasterChef started in 2024.
I honestly applied on a whim. I didn’t expect to even get on the show, let alone get an apron and reach the final four!” commented Sam. ‘It was an incredible experience and I’ve made some close friends as a result of it. It so pushed me to my limits and helped me believe in my cooking.’
Sam went on the show to challenge himself, learn, and share his love for Thai flavours on a bigger stage. This Enlightening Escapes’ evening brings together bold Thai flavours and creative fusion dishes all while Sam shares his experiences.
Thai food is in my DNA! I grew up surrounded by its vibrant flavours and aromas,’ described Sam. ‘It’s a cuisine that balances sweet, sour, salty, and spicy in true harmony. What I love most is how Thai food brings people together and you can buy great food on almost every street! Every dish tells a story of culture and tradition.’
This intimate Thai dining experience, hosted by Sam will also provide a real insight into Sam’s journey and love of cooking.
Sam’s top Thai tips
Balance! Thai food is all about harmony between sweet, sour, salty, and spicy.
Fresh herbs matter. Where possible use fresh coriander, Thai basil, and kaffir lime leaves for authentic flavour. Your local Thai or Asian shop is your friend here!
Don’t be afraid of fish sauce! Yes, it’s a strong smell on its own but it’s the backbone of Thai seasoning. Start small and adjust.
Preparation is everything. Traditional Thai dishes cook quickly, so it pays to have everything ready before you go.
Use palm sugar for depth. This adds a subtle sweetness that white sugar can’t match.
Finally, taste as you go and adjust flavours gradually. Thai cooking is about finding your perfect balance, especially with spice.
On the menu
The luxury five-course meal starts with welcome drinks to awake the senses. That’s followed by five courses of deep flavour. The five courses consist of:
a Chicken Tom Kha
Scallop Thai style
Moo Ping
Beef Steak Khoa Soi
and concludes with the sweet treat of Thai Tea Panna Cotta.
With only 10 seats now available, this exclusive event provides guests a close-up experience with a cook who learned his craft on the UK’s biggest TV stage.
Enlightening Escapes kicks off the year with their The Cuisine Escape: Thai Edition on Friday 6th February at No4Studio, Old Town Swindon.
Pipp & Co Unveil New Products. Award-winning artisan baker Pipp & Co is reaching further into the retail market. This time by expanding its range available direct to customers by launching new pastry line-ups.
Best-known for its outstanding doughnuts, Pipp & Co manufactures all its products in Swindon. They also:
Have a popular café in central Bristol
Sell into trade and wholesale …
… as well as direct to customers at farmers markets across the South and South West.
Expanding their retail offering
Until now, most of its sweet and savoury pastries have been available only to trade and wholesale, with its doughnuts and cruffins alone, sold direct to customers.
But now the bakery is stepping up a gear, and putting more of its products into the retail market. This January alone, three new baked products are being launched:
a butterscotch & pecan knot
a plain croissant
and an almond croissant
Pipp & Co Unveil New Products – the new butterscotch pecan knot
Nowt nasty
Pipp & Co make all their products with natural ingredients. They contain NO:
artificial additives or preservatives
hydrogenated fats
Palm oils
GMOs
As a business they’re committed to small-batch production and handcrafted quality. Further they recently won a national food award for one of its vegan doughnuts.
Betina Evangelista, who co-owns Pipp & Co with husband Mario, said: ‘Following strong customer demand, we’re expanding our retail offering for the very first time. Far beyond our much-loved doughnuts and cruffins.
‘Our new butterscotch & pecan knot, and two new croissants – all made from hand-crafted pastry – will be available online, at Pipp & Co market stalls, and our artisan van across the region. This marks a new chapter for Pipp & Co, and is part of a broader expansion, as we move way beyond our original doughnut offering.’
Performing Arts Sessions Expand ACROSS WILTSHIRE AS FOUNDER RETURNS TO HER MALMESBURY ROOTS.
A Wiltshire performing arts company is celebrating its biggest year of growth to date. They’ve got:
New schools coming on board
More children attending sessions …
… and a meaningful expansion into Malmesbury for founder Fi Da Silva Adams.
Revolution Performing Arts
Award winning Revolution Performing Arts, which turned 18 this year, began running sessions at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary and Nursery School in the summer. The programme has continued into the autumn and winter months. Families booking for creative, confidence-building activities in a relaxed and welcoming setting find it in RPA.
A personal connection
For Fi, the Malmesbury venue carries a personal story. She attended St Joseph’s as a child. So returning as the founder of a county-wide performing arts organisation has felt emotional and full of memories. She said it’s been a full-circle moment. And that offering the kind of sessions she needed when she was younger has meant a great deal.
I grew up in Malmesbury and St Joseph’s was my school, so coming back has been a lovely full-circle moment,’ Fi said. “It feels like home.’
The sessions in Malmesbury run Wednesday’s at 5.30pm-6.30pm for ages 4-11 years and Weds 6.30pm-8.00pm for ages 11-17 years. Both classes are at the Riverside Centre in Malmesbury with trained performing arts professionals leading them. Children take part in drama, movement, singing and creative play. It’s all designed to help them grow in confidence and feel comfortable being themselves. Wraparound care from 8am to 5.30pm is also available during the holidays, giving working parents more flexibility.
Performing Arts Sessions Expand – Fi Da Silva Adams, founder of Revolution Performing Arts
New locations
The Malmesbury site is one of several new locations that joined RPA this year. Four schools came on board in September – Lethbridge, Oaksey, Tadpole Farm and Gorse Hill – with another joining in January.
Fi said she hopes to welcome a few more leaders to the team next year. ‘We’re growing fast and I’d love to bring in people who genuinely care about children and light up when they see a child grow in confidence,’ she said. ‘Having a few more passionate, creative leaders with us would make such a difference.’
Revolution Performing Arts now delivers more than 1,200 sessions every year across Swindon, North Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.
Fi’s daughter Angel joined the team earlier this year as a leader, adding to what has been a memorable chapter for the family-run company.
Freshbrook Way West Swindon. Although I’m numbering these articles, I’m not writing them in the order that they’ll appear in the Swindon in 25 Streets book – when I get that far. Anyway, as the title suggests, in this one I’m looking at Freshbrook Way in West Swindon.
Today, Freshbrook Way is an average, run-of-the-mill, middle-of-the-road … road. It sits in Toothill, as part of the suburban western expansion area.
Yet, it’s worthy of mention here in Swindon in 25 Streets because of what it once was. And what this road once was, was the main, indeed the only, route from Swindon to the west country. Traffic heading for Chippenham, Bath or Bristol had to use this road, then designated the A420.
And thus it remained until the 1970s. Then the *western expansion developed scantily populated farmland to the west of Swindon, into Freshbrook and Toothill (in the first instance), providing thousands of homes for the expanding population.
*Should you wish to learn more about the western expansion then go to Local Studies in the central library and ask to see The Silver Book. It will reveal all.
That development plan included the construction of a new relief road (though not called that) to the south, the A3102, that wears the mantle of the ubiquitous suburban thoroughfare servicing the residents of Toothill and Freshbrook. It roughly follows, and covers in places, the original Swindon to Bristol road.
The image below shows the before and after of the area. Look at reference 443 on the old map and you’ll see two dwellings indicated in pink surrounded by fields. On the aerial view you’ll see how they’re engulfed by the 1970s development.
Freshbrook Way West Swindon. Image shows a section of an old map side-by-side an aerial view of the same area today.
Farmworker’s cottages
No doubt the aforementioned dwellings once were farmworker’s cottages. Indeed, there are a couple of similar ones on the edge of Grange Park/Lydiard Park. I’m not sure when they were built – though these two are present on the 1841 census. Then, as Local Studies tell me, there’s a newspaper mention of them in 1866. Before that then they might have been known under a different name – or it could be that nothing newspaper-worthy happened to them before that.
Although unremarkable in and of themselves there’s a couple of remarkable things about them that are worth mentioning.
The first remarkable thing about them being that, by some small miracle, these little pieces of yesteryear somehow survived the development taking place all around them – in whose ownership is a mystery. And the second is that, when a developer bought them, said developer restored them rather than demolish them. And with some sympathy too. You’ll note from the photos that the original ogee soffits were retained. They’ve been painted white but otherwise are the same. Little short of a miracle I’d say.
In the first picture you see them before renovation. And in the second picture, after renovation – with another house built to their left – and right I think too.
Toothill cottages before renovation – Copyright Brian Robert Marshall and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2866586Toothill cottages on Freshbrook Way post renovation
What’s in a name?
Why is this road called Freshbrook Way when it’s in Toothill? Well, as a long-term resident of West Swindon explains, calling road ‘xxxx Way’ is an ancient method of directing people. Hence in Swindon we have Wootton Bassett Road, London Street and so on.
Was this once a coaching route? Well, according to Local Studies, there’s an absence of definitive proof of that. But, what is definite is that Freshbrook Way once was a turnpike road. We know this because turnpike gates are marked along the route on earlier maps and it’s referenced as a turnpike road in a newspaper article of a court session from 1866. And that article (see image below) also mentions the Toothill Cottages.
An article from the Swindon Advertiser (5th February 1866) confirms that Lord Bolingbroke (of Lydiard House) took the road between Swindon and Lydiard. It formed part of the route to Wootton Bassett and Brinkworth and joined turnpike roads to Christian Malford and Malmesbury. And part of that was also a main droving route too. So, we can say that Freshbrook Way definitely comprised part of a main road in the area.
Travelling Auctioneers visit RWB Auctions later this month. Royal Wootton Bassett will welcome the BBC this month. The reason? RWB Auctions is hosting a televised sale for the popular daytime series The Travelling Auctioneers. Thus they’rebringing cameras, antiques experts and a live audience to the town.
The BBC One programme, first broadcast in 2022, follows a team of specialists who transform unwanted items into desirable auction lots, raising money for UK families. Having aired five seasons to date on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, the show is now heading to Royal Wootton Bassett.
‘It’s great to welcome another TV antiques show to Royal Wootton Bassett,’ said Gareth Wasp, Head Auctioneer at RWB Auctions.
*See the teddy bear in the wooden box in the photograph? That looks to me to be identical to my teddy bear. My much-loved and much-worn Pedigree Toys teddy, with the growler only just growling. It has the same face and the same brown pads on its feet as mine.
Travelling Auctioneers visit RWB Auctions – Gareth with a selection of items
The team here have had a great time cataloguing the lots they have consigned. They range from collectable toys to gold jewellery, audio equipment, vintage Burberry coats and mid-century furniture. There are some great items here that will generate a lot of interest from our buyers.’
Viewers can expect to see well-known experts including:
Izzie Balmer
JJ Chalmers
James ‘JB’ Broad and ..
… Lauren Wood in action as they present and sell items sourced for the programme.
Your invitation is in the post
Locals have had invitatons to attend the auction in person. Thus get to experience a live, televised sale, with footage due to be broadcast on air later this year.
A total of 92 lots will go under the hammer. The action starts at 10am in RWB Auctions’ town centre premises. It also incorporates a café-bistro and a rooftop gallery function space.
Highlights on offer include:
a rare Kew Gardens 50p coin expected to sell for more than £70
a vintage 1979 Peugeot 103 moped estimated at £200 or more,
an 1872 early edition of Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass valued at £150 plus
and a nostalgic collection of 1950s scouting items with an estimate of £50.
Gareth added: ‘Hosting a sale like this puts Royal Wootton Bassett firmly on the map for both collectors and viewers at home. And it’s exciting to see the saleroom buzzing with a different kind of energy during filming.’
All lots will be available to view in person on Tuesday January 27 between 10am and 5pm.
