The Winchester Cube

Customers shopping for new rattan garden furniture often ask us Sales Assistants what our favourite sets are as if to sway their own opinions and stimulate a purchase decision. I always find it hard to answer this question as, when you are surrounded by dozens of beautiful, high-quality rattan garden furniture sets, how can you possibly pick just one as your favourite?

...I can't! So, instead, I have decided to share one of my favourites with you today (and there will be more of my favourites to come over the next few weeks)...

The Winchester Cube

The exquisite Winchester 4 Seater Cube

We have been selling this set for a couple of years now but no matter how many new ranges arrive, the Winchester Cube always remains one of my favourite dining sets. The cube itself is an innovative design that allows you to extend your dining set through comfortable, thick-cushioned footstools, which can sit at each end of the cube to be used as extra seating; thereby the 4 Seater Cube becomes an 8 Seater, the 6 Seater Cube becomes a 10 seater and so on. In addition to it's versatility, the Winchester Cube is also unique in the way that each footstool tucks away under an armchair, of which the back flips down so that all 3 cushions can be placed on top (the two armchair cushions and the footstool cushion) and then each armchair can be pushed under the table to create a compact cube! The Winchester Cube is therefore versatile and makes for easy storage, taking up as little space as possible!


The 6 Seater Winchester Cube transformed into a 10 Seater Dining Set

The compact 4 Seater Winchester Cube

Like almost all of our Rattan Garden Furniture, the Winchester Cube is made from UV-resistant rattan that is hand woven around a rust-resistant aluminium frame, meaning that the set can be left outdoors all year round and is completely maintenance free. This is obviously a great selling point but it is the colouring and rattan design of the Winchester Cube that makes me such a huge fan of the Dining Set.

Winchester beige fabric and sandy rattan

The Winchester Cube features a rounded rattan weave that is, in my opinion, more authentic than the flat rattan weave. The weave features various tones of beige and light brown, creating a sandy effect that is complemented by the beige armchair and footstool cushions that are included with the set. Such colouring gives the Winchester Cube a Mediterranean feel (I can just imagine the set situated on a balcony that overlooks the ocean). The Dining set is not only well-suited to exotic locations however; The Winchester Cube is perfect for an indoor dining area, such as a conservatory (where the bright sunlight will not fade the rattan), or a balcony or garden.

And the best part of all? The Winchester Cube starts from the very reasonable price of £899...what are you waiting for?!

 

-Written by Beau Robinson

New Rattan Furniture Collections for 2014

Here at Outdoor Leisure we have been busy choosing new products to add to our already extensive range of high-quality, rattan garden furniture. We are currently giving our customers the chance to have a sneak peak at what's new for 2014 by adding images and product information to the website (www.outdoorleisureuk.co.uk) - these products will be available to order by March this year and our Clacton-on-Sea showroom will be packed out with new rattan garden furniture and accessories, giving you the chance to 'try before you buy!'

The new Victoria Rattan Collection is the range that Outdoor Leisure is most excited about! The collection features an innovative rattan weave; the modern wide flat weave is combined with a more intricate half round weave, creating exceptional detailing and a unique product range. The synthetic and UV-resistant weave is hand woven around a rust-resistant aluminium frame, making the furniture durable and suitable for outdoor use all year round.


Grey Victoria weave

Brown Victoria weave

The Victoria Rattan Collection is available in a traditional brown with beige cushions and the new for 2014 grey. The collection includes: sofa sets; dining sets; a rounded corner group; square corner group; and sun lounger - there really is something to suit everyone's taste and ample opportunity to extend your garden furniture range in the future.

Victoria 8 Seat Rectangular Dining Set

Victoria Rounded Corner Group

We really love the innovative design of the new Victoria Rattan Collection and believe that it would be perfectly suited to both contemporary and traditional gardens and conservatories.

Victoria Square Corner Group

So with the new year has come new, beautiful furniture ranges at Outdoor Leisure, which we are so excited to offer you!

Keep posted for our daily website updates and take a peak at what's new for 2014 at www.outdoorleisureuk.co.uk.

-Written by Beau Robinson

Priding Ourselves on Excellent Customer Service

Here at Outdoor Leisure we pride ourselves on providing outstanding customer service; we cater to our customer's individual needs, ensure that our prices are competitive and that our goods are of the highest quality in the rattan garden furniture market.

Customers are greeted with a warm welcome at Clacton Factory Outlet's Outdoor Leisure store and our online customers are provided with the best advise and service via personal telephone calls and emails. The outdoor leisure team have superb product knowledge and will always go the extra mile to ensure customer satisfaction.

Now that the Christmas rush is over for another year I have had the chance to reflect on the feedback that customers have left us over the past six months and I am so thrilled with the positive comments that I wanted to take this opportunity to share them with you...and perhaps show off a little!...

"Thank you so much, really happy with your excellent service and my new rattan garden furniture" 24/08/2013

"I cannot rate this seller enough, communication and help excellent." 04/09/2013

"Great seller. Item exactly as described and super fast delivery." 19/10/2013

"Courier service damaged my goods. Replacement was delivered personally. Outdoor Leisure couldn't help enough, outstanding, recommend. A*****" 02/11/2013

"1st class service. Thank you!" 04/11/2013

"Terrific service! The item is exactly what I wanted! Great quality! Fab!" 22/12/2013

And we received this rather lovely email from Mr Hillier, who purchased the gorgeous Dallas Bench Dining set from the Outdoor Leisure store:
"I have recently bought a Dallas Dining set from your outlet in Clacton. I would like to thank your staff who dealt with my purchase, namely Jason, Beau and Charlie. Their service was excellent - nothing was too much trouble for them, they worked well as a team and seemed very happy to serve their customers. It was a pleasure to deal with them all and I will not hesitate to recommend your outlet to all of my friends and relatives. Well done." 03/01/2014 

Dallas Bench Dining Set

The Outdoor Leisure team would like to express our gratitude to the customers that provided us with such fantastic feedback as, not only is it an excellent means of promoting our service, but it is exceptionally satisfactory for us to be reassured that our hard work results in happy customers.

We would like to take this opportunity to voice our New Year promise to continue to provide Outdoor Leisure customers with outstanding customer service!

-Written by Beau Robinson

Festive Cheer

The Christmas rush began in October for Outdoor Leisure this year and is well and truly in full swing now that December is here! Our Christmas shop has been a great success and 2013 has been a fantastic year for us; the hot weather generated incredible sales, new business alliances resulted in fabulous new furniture ranges and we have welcomed new staff- Sales Assistant ,Charlie, and even former staff back- myself, after my world travels, so the Christmas "work do" was a great opportunity to get the whole Outdoor Leisure team together and celebrate the business' success!

The Outdoor Leisure Team

Our team of seven (minus our IT whizz, Luke, who was unfortunately unable to attend) were wined and dined by our lovely CEOs Mark Hulstrom and Holly O'Toole at the seaside town's finest restaurant, Franco's. For starters we enjoyed delectable soft-shell crab, succulent sweet breads in Marsala sauce, juicy calamari fritti with chili salsa and devilled whitebait deep fried with a dusting of cayenne. And if your mouth is not yet watering enough, here's a taster of what we devoured for the main course: king prawn and lobster risotto; grilled hand-cut 24 oz T-bone steak; tender oven-roasted rack of lamb with root vegetables, creamed potatoes & red onion sauce; and pan roasted loin of venison with Marsala & dark chocolate sauce. All of this was washed down with some superb champagne- courtesy of Mark. 

Franco's king prawn and lobster risotto

The food was exquisite, the service fantastic and the company fabulous...even if we were all a little over-excited and noisy  (ahem Dave) after all the bubbles and present exchanges!

Following our meal we continued our festive celebrations at the Ocean Bar, where we all, as Holly said, "cut some shapes!"

So our Christmas 2013 work do was a great success and the Outdoor Leisure team would like to voice our gratitude to both the staff at Franco's Italian Restaurant and our generous bosses, Mark and Holly!

Read more about us and browse our products at www.outdoorleisureuk.co.uk

-Written by Beau Robinson

A Season of Giving: Outdoor Leisure's "Christmas Wish" Havens Hospices Fundraising Campaign

Giving is an essential part of the festive season and demonstrates Christmas' true meaning: goodwill. So, what better way to put into practice the meaning of Christmas than by donating to a charity?

...We couldn't think of one either! So here at Outdoor Leisure we have organised the "Christmas Wish" Havens Hospices Fundraising Campaign where we ask children and their families to visit us in-store to throw donations into our wishing well and make a Christmas wish!

Havens Hospices provide respite and end of life care for adults, children and their families both at home and in their two centres: Fair Havens Hospice and Little Havens Hospice. Little Havens has provided 15 years of child care and Fair Havens has celebrated its 30th year of adult support and nursing this year.

Fair Havens, located in Westcliff-on-Sea, is the only hospice in the vicinity that is wholly dedicated to caring for those with an illness that could shorten their life, such as cancer. Furthermore, Essex-based Havens Hospices provide specialist care and support to those in need for free 'making every day count' for those with life-limiting illnesses, and their families.

We have balloons and stickers for all donators and are hoping to raise a significant fund that will allow Havens Hospices to continue their wonderful work.

Remember Christmas' true meaning this year and give in-store or at http://www.havenshospices.org.uk/fund_raising/donate

-Written by Beau Robinson

Remember Remember the Fifth of November!

Remember, remember!

The fifth of November,

The gunpowder, treason and plot.

We see no reason

Why the gunpowder, treason

Should ever be forgot!

 

To most people the 5th of November signifies an enchanting evening of bonfires, sparklers and fireworks and the historical significance of Guy Fawkes Night is forgotten.

The 5th of November marks the anniversary of the evening in 1605 when Guy Fawkes was caught in the cellars of the Houses of Parliament with barrels of gunpowder; "Guy Fawkes and his companions did the scheme contrive, to blow the King and Parliament all up alive!" The "Remember remember the fifth of November" rhyme became an annual ritual that served to remind future generations that treason will never be forgotten...so remember the story this year when you light your bonfire!

And don't forget- we have a fantastic range of fire baskets and chimeneas for your bonfire evening and the La Hacienda Easy Logs and Heat Blox emit little smoke and give off no sparks or spitting- ensuring a SAFE and fun evening for all!

La Hacienda Calgary Narrow Fire Basket

La Hacienda Denver Firebowl and Heatblox

-Written by Beau Robinson

Grow Your Own VegTrug

This week the VegTrug has been in high demand and appears to be a popular item on the 2013 Christmas gift list!

Our lovely driver Jason has collected a huge delivery of both the Large and Small VegTrug this week to prepare us for the Christmas rush. Unlike some other suppliers, at Outdoor Leisure we include a free cover and frame (worth £39.99) with each VegTrug- so rest assured customer satisfaction is our number one priority!  

The Small 1m VegTrug holds 3.5 60L bags of compost and the Medium 1.8m VegTrug holds 7 60L bags. Sourced from sustainable plantation grown fir, the garden troughs are extremely durable and make for easy edible gardening.

The greatest thing about this product is that the VegTrug stands at an easy working height, which means no more bending or stretching and no more kneeling down! The VegTrug is therefore perfect for the elderly and wheelchair users. An additional bonus of the height is that a raised vegetable patch lowers the risk of slugs and snails attacking your crops.

The VegTrug is ideal for new gardeners as the garden trough is easier to manage than a dug-out vegetable patch. The Telegraph published a fantastic article last month, “A Beginners Guide to Starting a Veg Garden”, that offers tips and guidance for those who are new to edible gardening.

Personally, I think autumn is the prettiest time of year when the changing colour of leaves signals the end of the busy flowering and growing activity of summer. Now is a great time for those of you who already have green fingers to clear parts of your vegetable plot and compost old material- a job that is made much easier by VegTrug.

Although April and May is your busiest planting period, there is still lots you can do this season to get your VegTrug project underway! As advised by the Royal Horticultural Society, you can prepare beds in your VegTrug and sow broad beans, pea and pea shoots, onions, garlic, spinach, chilli peppers, blueberries and strawberries (to name a few) now while the weather is not too cold, ensuring that you have lots of fresh produce to enjoy in the winter and early summer (depending on the crop and variety).

Just in case you need any more reasons to invest in a VegTrug this year, these are a few more benefits of the garden trough:

• The frame is a fantastic means of attaching netting to create shade for crops needing it for example, salads or strawberries
• Easy working height for the elderly, children and wheelchair users
• VegTrug enables those without a garden and perhaps only a small patio area or balcony to grow their own produce
• You can easily change the earth to suit the crops you are growing
• The frame and cover enables you to extend the growing  season and obtain more produce in a single season
• Fleece cover slaves off the frost
• Because of the channel shape water retention is good
• VegTrug gives you a reason to get out in your garden and enjoy the fresh air in the winter months
• Edible gardening encourages a healthy diet
• There is nothing better than home-grown produce!

 

-Written by Beau Robinson