Pippa Middleton and husband James Matthews launch party space

• The lodge at Bucklebury Farm in West Berkshire is open for business 
• READ MORE: ‘Enthusiastic’ King Charles loved being ‘centre of attention’ at his first public engagement since cancer diagnosis, body language expert claims

Pippa Middleton and hedge-fund billionaire husband James Matthews have opened Bucklebury Farm Park’s lodge in Berkshire for parties, events, and Pilates.

While the Middleton family have cut ties with the mail-order business, Party Pieces, which went into administration last year, Pippa and James have not been deterred from the party business altogether.

In 2020, Pippa and James snapped up 72 sprawling acres of land in leafy Berkshire for just £1.5million – in a village where a detached house with a garden already costs close to that price.

Four years later, the couple have opened the lodge at Bucklebury Farm for social events, including parties or Pilates classes.

Daily Mail’s Diary Editor, Richard Eden, revealed in Eden Confidential: ‘Carole’s son-in-law, James Matthews, bought Bucklebury Farm in Berkshire for £1.5million in 2020. Now, I hear, he’s opening its lodge for parties, as well as events and even Pilates.’

The couple (seen together in 2017) purchased Bucklebury Farm in 2021 for a reasonable £1.5million

Pippa Middleton and billionaire husband James Matthews have opened the lodge at Bucklebury Farm for parties, events, and Pilates

Richard added: ‘Carole Middleton was left deeply upset by the collapse of her mail-order business, Party Pieces, which went bust last year. Happily, her family hasn’t been put off parties all together.’

Bucklebury Farm confirmed details of the plans on Instagram and shared photographs of the lodge.

The caption read: ‘We are so excited to announce you can now book The Lodge (9am -5pm only) for birthday parties, corporate events, yoga session, Pilates and so much more.’

The 72-acre rolling fields, which had a ‘wedding tractor’ to celebrate the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s marriage in 2010, is currently home to a 44-acre deer park, cafe, glamping pods and children’s play area.

Michael and Carole Middleton are well-established in the area and had been living in the small village of Bucklebury for many years before moving into the local manor house in 2012.

James Middleton also purchased a £1.45 million 16th-century farmhouse near Bucklebury with his wife, Alizee Thevenet, in 2021.

Next to relocate from West London to West Berkshire was Pippa and her investment banker husband, James Matthews, along with their three children. They have set up a home in a £15 million mansion a 20-minute drive from her parents.

James Matthews and business pals later purchased the 72-acre Bucklebury Park Farm, a stone’s throw from Pippa’s parents.

The lodge (pictured) is now open for bookings, according to the Bucklebury Farm Instagram page

The space is equipped to host yoga and Pilates sessions, with nibbles and drinks on offer for afterwards

It comes after the Mail on Sunday’s Charlotte Griffiths revealed in 2021 that Pippa has gone back to school to bring a new skillset to the project, dubbed ‘Pippa’s playground’.

The company is listed as being involved in ‘human health activities’ – a vast field that includes homoeopathy, massage, hydrotherapy, and acupuncture.

At the time, her spokeswoman said: ‘Pippa continues to focus on her studies.’

In 2023, Pippa followed in her mother’s footsteps and launched the Bucklebury Gift and Farm Shop.

With its biodegradable jute tote bags, diecast toy Land Rovers and wooden train whistles, it might seem to be the ultimate online shop for a certain breed of middle-class parent.

She has not had to look too far for inspiration – her mother, Carole, set up multi-million-pound business Party Pieces from her kitchen table 35 years ago.

However, Pippa’s online shop appears to be catering to a rather more affluent – and eco-conscious – clientele.

While the space is open to taking parties and yoga sessions, it is also suitable for corporate events

In addition to the lodge, the farm also has a deer park (pictured), petting zoo, gift shop, and a cafe

The biodegradable jute bag, sustainably produced in Bangladesh, costs upwards of £70, while other products include waterproof ponchos and ‘Truth Brush’ bamboo toothbrushes.

Cuddly toys – made from recycled plastic – cost from £14.99 for a fawn to £37.49 for a large cockerel or hen, there are children’s tutus for £25 and toy Aston Martins for £8 to go alongside the miniature £10 Land Rover Defenders.

The latter are described on the website not merely as toys but ‘diecast, collectable and generational’.

For those seeking life inspiration, a book advising How to Be More Paddington offers an ‘uplifting collection of quotations’ from Michael Bond’s stories about the bear from darkest Peru.

Drawing on her mother’s commercial nous, Pippa is also offering a selection of flower seeds (£5) in time for spring. You can buy poppy ‘seedballs’ and even seeds that encourage bees to pay a visit to your garden.

The venture is just the latest business move by hedge fund manager James and Pippa at the sprawling Bucklebury Farm site, half a mile from the village where her parents Carole and Michael have a £5million home.

Carole Middleton (left) started her own successful business and now she has seemingly inspired Pippa

The couple, who married in 2017, have three children together – Arthur, five, Grace, three, and one-year-old Rose – and recently bought their own £15million mansion nearby.

The farm project – dubbed Pippa’s Playground – already has a petting zoo, a cafe and cabin accommodation for 30 guests, as well as hosting birthday parties with tractor rides.

Carole’s influence, some say, is clear – and it is claimed it was Carole, 69, who encouraged the couple to launch the online shop.

She has previously been open about how involved the future queen and her siblings were in the early days of Party Pieces.

‘My children inspired my business and have been involved from the start, and the success that we’ve had has helped us build the life we have currently,’ she said.

‘Catherine started the first Birthday brand, Pippa set up a blog, as we didn’t have one, James came up with the idea of personalised cakes and got them off the ground for us.’

Success for Pippa is not guaranteed, however – despite the shrewd Middleton acumen. Younger brother James’s marshmallow firm, Boomf, went into administration in 2021.

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