Ralph, White Vane is a lake that I know extremely well,though I haven't been there for a while. In my experience it is worth trying to make a bit of your own bait if you have the time. The carp seem to love anything new, or unusual flavour combinations that they haven't seen before.Forget the active 8,I started using it on there long before it was on the market.It did not perform brilliantly then,and it is still not one of their preferred baits to this day.(though I dare say you will catch the odd carp on it.) My catch rates improved drastically the moment I started using home made maple/milky toffee birdfood boilies.By the end of my time on there I had spent 18 months scratching for three twenties on the active 8, then in the next 18 months I caught nearly all the big fish in the lake on the new bait,including a 30+ mirror and common.I have a feeling that if you went on there with something really unusual,you would be in with a chance of a few big fish.(and there are a hell of a lot of carp in there.Our surface caught record was something like 76 fish-two days-one rod.)
If you haven't got the time or gear to make your own bait,the other bait that stood out on there and still catches is "Antbait" Liver mix which is on sale in lots of local tackle shops.(e.g. Jack Frost in Crawley). Don't buy small baits unless you want to catch bream all day.
The other thing you need on there is a large dose of luck.The place is crawling with doubles(and singles for that matter!) so at times it can be a bit of a numbers game trying to connect with a proper biggie,but stick with it,they'll come to you in the end,they did for me. I hope you manage to get a bigger one than your father in-law next time mate.Good luck. Jake.
p.s. I heard that active 8 mixed with Nash whisky has been doing the job on there recently.-Strange but true.