Cambridge Edition November

Cambridge NOVEMBER 2013

Cambridgeshire’s quality lifestyle magazine www.cambsedition.co.uk

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November 2013

Welcome

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13

In the time since we started Cambridge Edition, the food and drink scene in our city has evolved almost beyond recognition. From a few great stalwarts like Gog Magogs, Cambridge Wine Merchants (our Independent of the Month, page 57), and the Cambridge Cheese Company, to a flourishing gastronomic landscape which seems to be spawning exciting new openings on a weekly basis (not to mention Eat Cambridge, a vibrant new annual food festival which enjoyed a hugely successful inaugural event last spring). This local foodie revolution was truly brought to my attention this month, with no fewer than five high profile new independent cafes and restaurants opening their doors to an eager local public. Dive into our bumper food news section from page 49 and whet your appetite. There's plenty more to get stuck into as well – I hope you enjoy the issue, see you next month!

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Cover Art T picture on this month's The ccover depicts the Round Church, Cambridge, and is by talented local artist John Tordoff – winner of Lion Yard's Art Competition 2013. He will be exhibiting and selling his fantastic work on the ground floor of the centre every Friday, Saturday and Sunday throughout November, with prices starting at just £20.

Find Fi d outt more at www.john-tordoff.co.uk

EDITORIAL

CONTRIBUTORS

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Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 3

5 THINGS TO DO

this month Fireworks nights Wrap up warm and head to one of Cambridgeshire’s spectacular fireworks displays. On 5 November, Cambridge’s annual bonfire and fireworks extravaganza returns to Midsummer Common, taking place 6-10pm (if you don’t fancy joining the crowds, other good viewing points include Castle Hill and the Varsity Roof Terrace). Meanwhile Ely hosts a display by the Cathedral on 9 November (gates open 5.45pm), and Saffron Walden holds theirs at the Common on 2 November, 6pm. www.cambridge.gov.uk/fireworks

KT Tunstall Scottish pop-rock troubadour KT Tunstall is showing no signs of resting on her laurels, indeed, her latest album, Invisible Empire//Crescent Moon, is being hailed by critics as her best yet.

Released in June this year, it falls into two distinct halves (hence the split name), with tints of folk, alt-country and lyrics she describes as ‘from the heart’. See her live on stage at the Corn Exchange, 8 November. Tickets are £17.50-£27.50. www.cornex.co.uk

We at Edition are tireless supporters of our local indies, and love nothing more than unearthing a new undiscovered gem.

As such, we were delighted to learn that Independent Cambridge has unveiled the second book in its series, highlighting all the wonderful, interesting indie shops, cafés and boutiques in Cambridge, and where to find them. It has been hailed by former Mayor Sheila Stewart as ‘a brilliant addition to the city’s cultural life’ – and we agree wholeheartedly. You can purchase it in Heffers or go online – a perfect pressie for anyone who loves to buy local. www.independent-cambridge.co.uk

Festival of Ideas There’s still time to get along to some public lectures, exhibitions and workshops before the Festival of Ideas packs away for another year. Still to come are events including a night of brainy laughs with our local scientists turned stand-up comedians, the Bright Club; a talk with author Melvyn Bragg; a Mexican Day of the Dead art workshop; a Werner Herzog film screening; and a discussion on Britain’s immigration debate with a high-profile panel of academics and policy practitioners. There’s loads more too, so make the most of this brilliant event while it lasts. www.cam.ac.uk/festival-of-ideas

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Independent Cambridge

Christmas Begins at Burwash Kick off the festive season in style with the Christmas Begins event at Burwash Manor. As well as indulging in some retail therapy at Burwash’s many independent retailers, which will all be open until 8pm, guests will be treated to a brass band, fire performers, and authentic wood fired pizzas from the fantastic Fired Up pizza. There’ll also be mulled wine and mince pies to tuck into, and of course, the magical Christmas Marquee – which houses a spectacular array of festive decorations and accessories and will be offering a 10% discount on the night. www.burwashmanor.com

Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 5

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The Food Fuel Tour A Dorset and Wiltshire duo, Delve are taking a literal approach to the term ‘singing for your supper’, and loved making music so much they quit their boring day jobs and set off in a van to tour the country, playing as many gigs and open mic nights as possible. But, instead of asking venues to pay for them to perform, they’re happy instead with just a bite to eat and maybe something for their fuel costs. This way, they’re getting to see great places, play to some amazing crowds and spread their music far and wide.

They’re at the Hidden Rooms, 26 November, 7pm. Free of charge! www.hiddenroomsonline.com

Leisure Society Formed by songwriter and film score composer Nick Hemming (previously of early 1990s indie band She Talks To Angels, which included actor Paddy Considine and film director Shane Meadows), The Leisure Society have become favourites of the critics over the years, earning themselves two Ivor Novello nominations and legions of muso fans. With their delicate, dreamy and sometimes dark folk-pop sound, they’ve been likened to groups including Grizzly Bear and Fleet Foxes. Their gig on 25 November at Cambridge Junction will see them revisit acclaimed singles including The Last of the Melting Snow and Save It For Someone Who Cares, as well as showcasing their latest album, Alone Aboard The Ark, which was released in April this year. www.junction.co.uk

Stephen K Amos The mischievous comic and star of Live at the Apollo brings his new show, The Spokesman, to Cambridge Junction for a night of naughty but nice entertainment.

Delving into the politics and morals of the media in this latest offering, Amos combines serious subjects with a humorous delivery. He’s known for looking to you guys for material, too, so be prepared for a bit of audience participation… 15 November, starting at 8pm. Tickets £16. www.junction.co.uk

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Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 7

NIGHTLIFE

Funk and soul at La Raza Give your weekend a little groove on 1 November when La Raza welcomes Swagger as their live entertainment. As five guys from different musical backgrounds, they play a range of material from funk to rock to cheese. They’ll be there with guitar, trumpet, piano and synth from 10pm. Entry £5.

Also at La Raza this month, feed your soul with live music courtesy of The Darn Funk Orchestra – a five-piece band from Cambridge and London. Between them, they play drums, trumpet, saxaphone, bass and guitar, with former Cambridge music tutor James on vocals. Expect a mix that everyone can enjoy on 7 November. Doors 9pm; tickets £3.

Then there’s an acoustic night every Wednesday; soul man Myles Sanko performs on 14 November; there’s jamming to be done on 28 November; and on 29 Funk Nation returns for a DJ night of great, groovy soul tunes, 9pm-2am (£5/£6). www.laraza.co.uk

Roisin Conaty

ED BYRNE

The Edinburgh Festival fave takes to the stage at Cambridge Junction this month with her new show, Life Hunter. Having won the 2010 Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer, she’s on a mission to bring out the absurdities of daily life in a hilarious show.

In her distinctive chatty style, she’ll be addressing the things that are meant to make us happy, but possibly don’t, and the things that are meant to be bad for us, but are actually pretty good. She’s visiting on 9 November, 8pm. Tickets £12. www.junction.co.uk

The happily grouchy comic is embracing middle age with open arms, and invites you to do the same at his latest stand-up show, Roaring Forties. Now a father of two, the Irish funnyman is finding himself drawn to increasingly childish behaviour himself, while noticing an increasing lack of patience in other people. A self-confessed ‘miserable old git’ since he was 23, Byrne delights in the absurdities of life, ageing and the demands of family life, using a mix of observational comedy, a dash of politics and some healthy self-deprecation.

Join him at the Corn Exchange, 15 November, 8pm. Tickets £22.50. www.cornex.co.uk

BILL WYMAN The multi-talented former Rolling Stones bassist is experiencing a career rebirth.

Currently out on tour with his band, Rhythm Kings, he’s stopping by Cambridge Corn Exchange on 7 November for a full-bodied gig of classic rhythm and blues – the kind which first inspired him to pick up a guitar as a teenager.

After leaving the Stones in 1994, Wyman pursued an eclectic range of hobbies which would see him write seven books, exhibit his photography in galleries around the world, open restaurants and even patent a metal detector. The Rhythm Kings will also be joined by special guest roots singer Maria Mulduar, famously known for her hit song, Midnight at the Oasis. www.cornex.co.uk

Did you know?

Cambridge was one of the cities Wyman chose to open a branch of his Sticky Fingers restaurants – though sadly it closed some time ago.

8 | Cambridge Edition | November 2013

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NIGHTLIFE

now booking London Grammar

MOVEMBER BALL Show off your ‘mo’ at The Hopbine’s Movember Ball, taking place on 30 November at the Fair Street watering hole. There’ll be a three-course meal, competitions, prizes and dressing up (including stick-on taches for the girls), together with live funk, soul and rock ’n’ roll music from Cambridge band The Suits.

The evening runs 8pm-1am – ticket holders only. Tickets are £5, with proceeds going towards raising awareness of prostate and testicular cancers and men’s mental health. www.thehopbine.co.uk

1 February 2014, Corn Exchange, £14 This trio caused a massive stir on the festival circuit this year, blending all the best bits of the xx and Florence Welch, with added oomph.

Book at: www.cornex.co.uk

Punt and Dennis 13 February 2014, Corn Exchange, £22.50 The satirical comedy double act share stories of their life on the road.

Book at: www.cornex.co.uk

We Are Scientists 7 March 2014, Cambridge Junction, £15 The New York indie trio and festival faves stop off to showcase their new material.

Book at: www.junction.co.uk

Robin Ince

REGINALD D HUNTER A behemoth of the art of stand-up comedy, Reginald D Hunter can rarely be matched for originality, delivery and bare-faced honesty: a fearless comic with plenty to say and a gift for how to say it.

After nearly 20 years on the circuit, he’s back with a new stand-up show, In The Midst of Crackers, which drew rave reviews in Edinburgh this year and sees him mull over all manner of serious and frivolous matters, from relationships to race. He’s at the Corn Exchange on 10 November, 8pm. Tickets £23. www.cornex.co.uk

Did you know?

Reginald D Hunter did his first comedy set as a dare, aged 27. He won £100 for it.

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14 March 2014, Cambridge Junction, £14 The straight-faced comic moves on from Darwin and Schrodinger’s Cat and delves into his own mind – and possibly yours too – in his new show, In And Out Of His Mind.

Book at: www.junction.co.uk

The Stranglers 28 March 2014, Corn Exchange, £23 The punk veterans celebrate their ruby anniversary in the best way they know how – with a huge live show, featuring all the hits from the past 40 years.

Book at: www.cornex.co.uk

Russell Brand 1 & 2 April 2014, Corn Exchange, £27.50 After his October show swiftly sold out, the minstrel of mirth brings Messiah Complex back for another two shows this spring.

Book at: www.cornex.co.uk

Sarah Millican 6-7 February 2014, Cambridge Corn Exchange, £25 Join the queen of comedy on her third national tour, Home Bird.

Book at: www.cornex.co.uk

Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 9

NIGHTLIFE

Bright Club Frontiers Cambridge’s band of comedic academics pool their wit and wisdom at The Portland Arms, 1 November, for this ‘thinking man’s variety night’. Special guests are Iszi Lawrence and AF Harrold, who’ll be on stage along with fellows and researchers giving stand-up comedy a go for the first time and exposing the humorous side of their research. Starts 8pm, tickets £8. cambridge.brightclub.org

The Fountain Join the inimitable DJ Margaret Scratcher for his monthly night of funk, soul, disco and classic hip-hop at The Fountain on 15 November. Kicking off at 10pm, this night always delivers on great tunes and a lively atmosphere – you never know what Mr Scratcher’s going to spin next.

Plus, it’s free all night! (10pm-3am).

If you fancy having a go on the wheels of steel, The Fountain have also launched a weekly Open Deck Night: you can book a slot and wow the crowds with your own music choices on a proper sound system each Thursday. www.thefountain.co.uk

Greg Davies Considering his performance as the inappropriate head of the sixth form in The Inbetweeners, it’s somewhat worrying to hear that Greg Davies was in fact a secondary school teacher for 13 years before he graduated to the school of stand-up. His first solo comedy show, 2010’s Firing Cheeseballs at a Dog, was nominated for the Fosters Edinburgh Comedy Award and is followed up by the similarly quirkily titled, The Back of My Mum’s Head, at the Corn Exchange on 14 November. In it, he’ll be sharing some bizarre thoughts and observations, including a countdown of his favourite involuntary noises, all in his unique style.

Starts 8pm; tickets £25. www.cornex.co.uk

TEXAS Glasgow rock group Texas are back on the road – 25 years after the success of their debut album. It spawned the single I Don’t Want A Lover, which became an international hit and launched them as one of the major musical players of the 90s. White on Blonde helped cement their status, and a Greatest Hits album in 2000 was certified six-time platinum in the UK. Now, after a few years pursuing solo careers, Sharleen Spiteri and the boys are back on the road, performing songs from their new release, The Conversation – their first album in eight years. They’re at the Corn Exchange on 25 November, 7.30pm, and there are sure to be plenty of old favourites too. Tickets are £37-£48.50. www.cornex.co.uk

10 | Cambridge Edition | November 2013

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MUSIC

Jordan Worland from local music website Slate the Disco selects his must-see gigs in Cambridge this month f you’re looking for a band to fall in love with this November, we suggest Woman’s Hour. Still Corners fans may recognise these guys from their support slot earlier this year at The Portland Arms, and they’re back as headliners in their own right on 2 November. Led by the diaphanous vocals of Fiona Burgess, this alt-pop fourpiece from Kendal produce ethereal and hypnagogic music, magically suited to the intimate St Philip’s Church venue on Mill Road. Support on the night comes from Shield Patterns, a Manchester group dusted with delicate vocals and rudimentary beats. Local lo-fi outfit Seeds & Bones open the night; such a strong line-up makes this our gig of the month.

Former Bury St Edmunds trio The Soft are starting to gain some deserved notability for their craft in producing hallucinatory electronic music. Their latest EP, Uncanny Valley, is picking up praise for its acoustic-synthetic explorations. They play their first Cambridge gig of the year on 11 November at the beautiful Leper Chapel on Newmarket Road.

Anyone who didn’t see Public Service Broadcasting at the J2 back in March missed a true audio-visual treat.

Fortunately the duo return to Cambridge Junction on 18 November with conceptual music that repurposes old propaganda films to artful and stirring effect.

Also on the 18th, two of Britain’s most accomplished folk acts, Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman, perform at the J2.

Anglo-American husband and wife duo Rue Royal bring their beautiful acoustic folk pop back to Cambridge, this time playing The Portland Arms on the 26th.

Cambridge lad Nick Mulvey picked up a Mercury Prize nomination with his last band Portico Quartet. Now a fully fledged solo artist, and having toured with Laura Marling, Mulvey returns to Cambridge to play the beautiful Emmanuel United Reformed Church on 15 November.

Low return to Cambridge Junction on the 14th, on a tour is supporting their latest album, The Invisible Way, produced

by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy.

Having originally brought his new album The Argument to the UK with a full backing band earlier this year, Grant Hart is now returning to perform tracks – both old and new – in a solo, electric show at The Portland Arms on 3 November.

Fresh from the release of their second album, Summer Camp kick off their next UK tour at The Portland Arms on the 17th. Their new LP is as full of charming, nostalgia-led and pop as their debut; expect this gig to be lots of fun.

Double Ivor Novello nominees and indie-folk-chamber pop maestros The Leisure Society return to Cambridge to play the J2 on 25 November.

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PICKS Olympic opening ceremony performer Emily Baker lived in Cambridge when she first moved to the UK, even finding employment in Andy’s Records. Her multiinstrumental band The Red Clay Halo blend classical, rock, country and folk influences to stunning effect. They play the J2 on 11 November.

Dead Meadow’s appearance at The Portland Arms on the 24th promises to be a bit special. The American trio blend Black Sabbath-esque riffs with layers of dreamy guitar fuzz fronted by Jason Simon’s high-pitched melodic croon. This is for anyone into psychedelic pop-rock.

Welsh alternative folk-pop duo Paper Aeroplanes return to Cambridge for their second appearance this year, playing The Portland Arms on the 12th. Latest release Little Letters was filled with heart and emotional punch.

Finally, if you fancy taking a punt on the next wave of Cambridge acts, keep an eye on the Strawberry Fair Under 18s band competition. Kicking off on the 2nd, the competition runs every Saturday night at The Portland Arms in November.

Tell us about your gig at www.slatethedisco.com

Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 13

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ARTS & CULTURE

We explore the arts and culture scene in Cambridge, showcasing some of the many exciting exhibitions and projects taking place around the city, as well as highlighting the local artists and events to look out for

ELY LITERARY FESTIVAL 2012 saw the very first Ely Literary Festival, with three months of talks, lunches and afternoon teas dedicated to celebrating all that is great in the world of books. This year the line-up at the festival has been even more varied and impressive, with highlights so far including talks from comedian Jennifer Saunders and author Louis de Bernières.

But don’t worry if you haven’t managed a visit yet – there’s plenty more to come.

November sees talks from a wide range of writers, from the ever-popular poet Pam Ayres reading from her new book, You Made Me Late Again!, to the TV wine-buff Oz Clarke talking us through his selections for the newest edition of the Pocket Wine Book.

A reading by author Bill Bryson from his new book, One Summer, on Wednesday 20 November at Ely Cathedral promises to be a real highlight.

Set against a backdrop of 1920s America, the book is a story of brawling adventure and reckless optimism with a cast of

eccentric and unforgettable characters.

Tickets for this event cost £10 and doors open at 6.45pm for a 7.30pm start.

If philosophy is more your thing, then don’t miss AC Grayling, philosopher and founder of the New College of Humanities in London, reading and discussing his latest book, Friendship at Ely College.

His presentations are always insightful and thought-provoking, and in this book he looks at why friendship is such an essential part of human life, and how it has influenced society through the ages.

Tickets £7/£8 and doors open at 7.10pm for a 7.30pm start.

Other highlights during November include talks from Booker Prize winning author Penelope Lively reading from her new book Ammonites and Leaping Fish, and Kate Adie discussing her history of women in the First World War, Fighting on the Home Front.

For information and tickets for all Ely Literary Festival events, visit the website. www.toppingbooks.co.uk

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ONE E MILLION TINY Y PLAY PLAYS A S ABOUT OUT BRITAIN Open a window into lots of different lives with this selection of bite-sized plays at the ADC, running 13-16 November. Just two actors perform over 50 roles taken from everyday life, charting all the tiny triumphs, disasters, loves and losses of 21st century Britain. One Million Tiny Plays About Britain is based on a Guardian column and promises to change how you see and listen to the world around you.

It starts at 11pm; tickets are £5/£6. www.adctheatre.com

Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 17

ARTS & CULTURE

ANGLIAN POTTERS EXHIBITION With (say it quietly) Christmas just around the corner, now is a good time to start thinking about picking up some gifts. If you need a bit of inspiration, head to the Anglian Potters Christmas Exhibition, which begins this month in the magnificent setting of All Saint’s Church on Jesus Lane. Taking place from 16 November until 15 December, the show is open every day (10am-4pm Monday-Saturday and 12.30pm4pm Sundays), and features some of the finest ceramic arts in the area.

More than 60 talented potters from across East Anglia will be displaying their wares, ranging from domestic items such as jugs, to exotic animals and sculptures.

Everything is handmade and available for purchase and with so much variety, you’re bound to find a perfect pressie or three. Plus it’s free to have a look around.

Anglian Potters was formed 30 years ago with a goal of representing the best in East Anglian ceramics, and supporting the talent that this area boasts in that field. Their membership has since grown to more than 300 members, and they host exhibitions throughout the region, together with regular demonstration days and events. www.anglianpotters.org.uk

THE HAUNTING Burwash Manor in Barton has another intriguing theatrical offering for us this month, in the shape of lively adaptation of Dickens’ spine-tingling classic The Haunting.

Presented by the fantastic Nasu Enzuru Theatre group (the same lot who brought us a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream performed on the river Cam this summer), this promises to be an evening of music, mystery and ghoulish tales. But while the theatre may be chilling, you’ll be nice and toasty, gathered around a firepit and sipping on a hot toddy.

The show runs until 2 November and tickets are £10. www.burwashmanor.com

18 | Cambridge Edition | November 2013

MAKE MUSIC WITH RASPBERRY PI No one is suggesting trying to get a tune out of baked goods: that would be a terrible waste of good food! The Raspberry Pi is a Cambridge-born credit card-sized computer that plugs into a PC and keyboard, and has been designed as an affordable and accessible tool to encourage basic computer-programming skills. This event at the Cambridge Junction is led by Dr Sam Aaron, University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory research associate, live coder, Raspberry Pi hacker and creator of the Sonic Pi, and looks at innovative ways to use this exciting new technology to create art and music. You’ll get a chance to use the tools at the event, and come away with skills and ideas to take you off on your own Raspberry Pi adventure.

Sonic Pi is on Saturday 2 November, 10am-1.30pm, and tickets cost £3. www.junction.co.uk

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ARTS & CULTURE

NOVEMBER MIX Another month, and another opportunity to enjoy a brand new collection of first rate art at Byard. There’s still time to catch the end of the Ceramic and Still Life exhibition, which runs until 10 November, and then it’s all change for the November Mix. Beginning on 14 November, this group show will feature a smorgasbord of new artworks, ceramics and handmade jewellery that artists and makers will be delivering on an almost daily basis in the run-up to the Christmas Cracker show, which opens with mulled wine and mince pies on the last day of this month.

The gallery, on King’s Parade, will be introducing a host of exciting new artists to Cambridge in the coming months, so be sure to pay a visit. www.byardart.co.uk

LADYBEARD LAUNCH A group of female Cambridge University students have been creating quite stir in the city (and far beyond) recently, following the launch of a new, self-published magazine last month. Ladybeard, which received funding donations via Kickstarter, is a glossy, print only feminist magazine which is aiming to question how the media – especially women’s magazines – makes us look at ourselves and why. Find out more at www.facebook.com/Ladybeardmagazine

THE EPIC OF EVEREST

JOHN BEAZOR ANTIQUES EXHIBITION Following the success of last year’s show, John Beazor Antiques is welcoming back Jeremy Green of The Canon Gallery for this year’s exhibition, which will take place on 23 and 24 November at the charming Georgian showrooms in Regent Street. On display will be a wide range of 18th and early 19th century fine English antique furniture, clocks and barometers.

The Canon Gallery will also be exhibiting paintings by local artist Francis Jeans, who will be showing his paintings of Cambridge and London. This will be Francis’s first major exhibition in Cambridge for ten years, following successful exhibitions in London, Suffolk and West Sussex. The exhibition continues through the week from 25-30 November. www.johnbeazorantiques.co.uk

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Francis Jeans

West Road Concert Hall will host a screening of silent film The Epic of Everest, accompanied by a live orchestral score, on 16 November. This epic adventure film, which was shot on Mount Everest in 1924, chronicles the fateful expedition of Irvine and Mallory. It has been recently restored by the British Film Institute, and the screening will feature a live recreation of the original score, which consists of a number of excerpts from existing classical works, together with various specially commissioned themes, conducted by Andrew Gourlay and performed by the Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra.

It starts at 8pm, and tickets are £10-£20. www.westroad.org

Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 19

ARTS & CULTURE

THE ART INSIDER

Y

es, it’s getting colder as we start the countdown towards Christmas, so all the more reason to warm up at an art show and get your cultural fix. If you’ve ever fancied a Damien Hirst adorning your living room, then dive into the Cambridge City Art Fair in the Guildhall from 15 November, where you can find some of his work represented by the Lilford Gallery. Several acclaimed galleries are exhibiting, bringing works by a range of international artists including Tracey Emin; plus you can see Cambridge galleries such as Byard Art. Put Changing Spaces’ Contemporary Abstract Painting show in your diary, too, to feel drenched in vibrant, uplifting colour – showing Anji Main, Alexis Harding, Sarah McNulty and David Ryan, on until 25 November at Project Space, 9 Norfolk Street.

Also presenting cutting-edge art is the Frontroom gallery, tucked away on Gwydir Street. On 15 November make a beeline to the opening for Lawrence Epps’ installation, Shit Job Machine – which will be brilliant. Wysing Arts-based artist Epps scooped the British Ceramics Biennial Fresh Award in 2011, and has won acclaim for his often large-scale work that explores the impact of corporate pressure and workplace conformity – check his installation Human Resources, thousands of 5cm-tall clay men that were scattered on the streets of London and Stoke-onTrent in 2011, plus new work Take Stock.

Well-executed art challenging the status quo in such an accessible way! Ceramics have been making a bit of a comeback as an industry here in the UK, our apparently insatiable appetite for all things tearelated fuelling sales for the likes of Emma Bridgewater, so it’s great to see Cambridge artists playing a part in that renaissance. Check out Cambridge-based Katharina Klugg, who recently appeared in a documentary that was screened at the Biennial – she’s stocked in Cambridge Contemporary Crafts and has a loyal following for her high-quality, lustrous ceramics and her positive, sparkling personality!

In my wilder moments, I’ve caught myself making plans to get all my Christmas shopping done this month.

Mill Road’s Urban Larder have started to

Alison Bruce, Ca mbridge-based author of crime novel The Backs

Hugh Chapman and F lora Wellesley Wesley perform at Ca mbridge Junction

Inspiring word-based art from signwriter Wayne Tanswell exhibit more art; I’ve been eyeing up cute, quirky designs by Cambridge illustrators Jo Clark and Aurora Cacciapuoti while enjoying my cuppa – perfect pressies. I’ll be hunting for gifts at Upcycle City, a show opening at the Art Salon on 7 November, showing collaborative works from label Q Here and designer Fiona Henderson – who started creating hip, upcycled home furnishings, bags and other offbeat works together after a chat over cocktails at 196 on Mill Road (hurrah, cocktails can be productive, too!). Plus I am looking forward to Treasured, at Burwash Art, opening on 7 November, showing a mixture of art and jewellery made by local makers such as Scandinavian designer Birgitte Bruunn – beautiful. Watch out for Writing Wrongs, too, on 16 November at the Art Salon – the first ever solo show from one of the UK’s leading signwriters,

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Birgitte Bruunn's beautiful jewellery Wayne Tanswell, who’s been inspiring local artists Little Biggs with his excellent techniques. A real treat for word lovers.

Finally, don’t miss the showcase night of Cambridge-based performers, Views From The 'Bridge, at Cambridge Junction on 6 November, tapping into our city’s well of talent, providing a platform for performers. Look out for Fay Roberts, whose nights have long been a hit at the Fountain, plus the talented Hugh Chapman will be presenting a dancebased tour around Cambridge Junction’s many spaces with Flora Wellesley Wesley!

If all that excitement is too much, why not find somewhere quiet to curl up with a copy of Cambridge writer Alison Bruce’s new crime novel, The Backs? I’ll be tucking in to this most recent of her DC Goodhew cases while checking out new café on King Street, Afternoon Tease, just for a treat!

Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 21

ARTS & CULTURE

SPOKEN WORD AT THE FOUNTAIN

Regular listeners to the Naked Scientists’ BBC radio show will know that, sadly, the scientists don’t actually strip off; but rather, they strip down the science itself, making it accessible, fun and simple to understand. This is what the Cambridge Science Centre wants to achieve, too, so it makes perfect sense that the Naked team have chosen this location for their monthly broadcast. The events are recorded in front of a live audience, who will get the chance to witness live ‘kitchen science’ experiments, see interviews with Cambridge scientists, and put their questions to the team. To give you an idea of what to expect, the October broadcast featured the Naked Scientists chatting to atmospheric chemist Rod Jones and HPV cancer researcher Margaret Stanley, addressing the eternal question of whether anyone can hear you scream in space, and setting fire to a crisp packet.

If you fancy being part of the audience at the Cambridge Science Centre for the event on 27 November, visit the website for more information and ticket availability.

Recording is between 7 and 9pm – no entry will be allowed after 6.45pm. www.cambridgesciencecentre.org

The Fountain, which seems to be carving out something of a niche for itself in this field, is once again offering up a stellar line-up of spoken word events for November. There are six dates for your diary this month, kicking off with Women’s Work on 1 November, which promises a celebration of female performers and includes Fay Roberts, Catherine Adams, MOUTH and more (all proceeds to Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre). This is followed on 13 November by a battle of words with Hammer & Tongue, who give wordsmiths the chance to win over crowds with their verbal prowess in their renowned ‘poetry slams’.

Allographic are back for an Open Mic night on 24 November for some storytelling and snacks with a motley crew of raconteurs, and they’ll also be hosting various creative workshops throughout the month as well. www.thefountain.co.uk

NIGHTS AT THE CIRCUS Circus and acrobatic troupes are enjoying a bit of a resurgence in popularity at the moment, and Cambridge Junction is getting in on the act with a double bill featuring French quartet Collectif AOC and Barely Methodical Troupe.

In K’Boum, Collectif AOC transform the stage into a playground as they delight the audience with an act fusing BMX cycling, breakdancing and hilarious physical comedy.

The show is accompanied by a soundtrack of electro hip hop, performed on tiny instruments, from Bertrand Landhauser. New, experimental acrobatic company Barely Methodical Troupe break boundaries in circus performing, bringing influences from their skills of parkour, B-boying and tricking to their Oversees show.

This double-bill event takes place on 20 November at 7.30pm, and tickets cost £10/£6 or £25 for a family ticket. www.junction.co.uk

22 | Cambridge Edition | November 2013

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ARTS & CULTURE

WINTER LIGHTSy An outing to Anglesey Abbey might seem like a spring or summer activity to many of us, but a visit to their Winter Lights events, running for three weekends from 29 November, is an experience not to be missed. When the sun goes down, the Abbey’s beautiful gardens are transformed into a winter wonderland,

with the Winter Garden and the Riverside paths illuminated, and music drifting through the trees. Other parts of the Abbey grounds around the Mill and House will also be lit up, adding an entirely new dimension to the structures of buildings, plants and trees. Performers, lit from head to toe, will be wandering through the

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gardens doing tricks and stunts, and local jazz band Hat Trick will be performing live.

And if you get a bit chilly, you can retire to the Redwoods Restaurant for warming winter food and drinks, or sample something from the barbecues dotted along the route.

For 2013, the Winter Lights event will also be running on Friday evenings during the three weekends, making it the perfect post-work evening out. The event was so popular last year that entry is now by timed ticket only, so make sure you visit the website for more information and to reserve your spot in advance. Tickets cost £7.50/£10.50 or £32 for a family (two adults and up to three children). www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 23

ARTS & CULTURE

BEN MILLER As he prepares to return to his former stomping ground, comedy big-shot Ben Miller tells Jennifer Shelton about his student crushes, love of natural sciences and questionable dress sense… ripping down the courtyard steps, having a bad hair day and generally sticking out like a sore thumb is exactly what you don’t want from your first day at uni. But for any freshers who forgot their bag, turned up on the wrong day or called their professor ‘Mum’ by mistake, be assured you’re not alone. As comedy actor and Footlights alumnus Ben Miller can confirm.

“It was traumatic,” he says, recalling his first day at Cambridge in the late 80s. “I was from a comp, and the ways of academic dress were a mystery to me. When I arrived for the matriculation photograph, I was told my clothes were unsuitable, and not having anything else in my army surplus duffel bag I went to play electric guitar in my room. The head porter came to berate me, then softened when he realised it wasn’t anti-establishment pique but a genuine culture clash. I still remember walking out for the photograph, my entire year standing on those weird wooden benches they use, and everyone catcalling and jeering. Not a great start!”

Star of The Armstrong and Miller Show, and Footlights alumnus, Ben is about to return to Cambridge in The Duck House – a brand new comedy play about the parliamentary expenses scandal, which hits the West End in December.

It follows his successful run in The Ladykillers and promises to be a hilarious romp through that much-mocked episode in modern politics.

“The piece was so funny that I had to do it,” says Ben. “I wasn’t looking to take

24 | Cambridge Edition | November 2013

on another play so soon after The Ladykillers, but as soon as I read the script, I changed my mind.”

In it, Ben plays a Labour MP who, fearful of being turfed out by the voters at the impending general election, has opted to defect to the Conservatives.

“He’s a bit of a champagne socialist; a loveable rogue. From his point of view, the system of expenses has simply been part of the culture of Westminster and he’s followed the rules, just like everybody else, although he has fully exploited them and now has to get rid of the evidence.”

Ben, who read natural sciences at St Catharine’s, joined Footlights in his third year, realising early on that comic acting was his calling. “My first play was Othello.

I played Cassio, and every time I came on people started laughing. I decided to try and write some comedy and put on a spoof Shakespeare play, Norman Thane of Spane. I played Norman. The Footlights President saw it and asked me to join.”

While at Footlights, Ben dated the now Mrs James Bond, Rachel Weisz, who “was as glamorous then as she is now”, and rubbed shoulders with the likes of Andy Parsons and Stephen Mangan, “who seems to get every part I covet in the world of theatre, TV and film…

“It is amazing how many people have gone on to do more stuff,” he adds. “That said, the funniest person in Footlights when I was there was James Hickish, and he became a teacher.”

What was he, Ben, like as a student?

“Well, I was very keen on my subject, weirdly. And natural sciences wasn’t the coolest thing to study – I'm not sure if that’s changed. I used to lie and say I was studying ‘Arch & Anth’. I had earrings and bleached blonde hair… I was also in a student band called The Dear Johns. We made it to the final of the 1990 Cambridge Rock Competition: still my proudest achievement. We came third.”

Today, physics is still a hobby of his – “just like Rod Stewart with his train set,” he grins.

“I think both comedy and science share a sceptical attitude to the world: they both want to find out what’s real and cut things

down to d t size.” i ” On graduating, Ben teamed up with fellow Footlighter, the equally in-demand Alexander Armstrong, for a number of sketch show series, then moved seamlessly into drama with a role in ITV’s Primeval, swiftly followed by The Worst Week and Death in Paradise.

He has two feature films awaiting release; Molly Moon and What We Did On Our Holiday with Billy Connolly and David Tennant. Now, however, he’s looking forward to returning to Cambridge, where it all began.

“It’s the place where I found my confidence and stumbled across the world of theatre, which has been my abiding passion ever since,” he reflects.

Let’s just hope he arrives more suitably attired this time.

The Duck House is at the Cambridge Arts Theatre, 18-23 November, 7.45pm. Tickets cost from £15. www.cambridgeartstheatre.com

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THEATRE

THEATRE IDE GU

Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats as we present to you our theatre highlights for the month… ambridge’s Festival of Ideas brings a quirky addition to the theatre bill this month with a Puppetry Extravaganza, at the ADC on 2 November. Puppets and marionettes are increasingly making appearances in modern theatre, from epic West End hits like War Horse to children’s storytelling. Come and learn more at this sociable event where you’ll make puppets and explore being a puppet yourself! (12 noon, free, www.adctheatre.com).

Then, the historic battle of wits between David Frost, a British talk-show host, and Richard Nixon, the president of the United States, takes to the stage 5-9 November in Frost/Nixon. Performed by the Dryden Society and adapted from the criticallyacclaimed 2008 film, it’s at the ADC. (7.45pm, £6-10, www.adctheatre.com) English Touring Opera return to Cambridge Arts Theatre with another triple bill of sensational opera, starting on 13 November with Jason. Using the myth of Jason and the Golden Fleece as inspiration, this Venetian opera by Cavalli was an overnight success when it premiered in 1649. Jason has abandoned his wife for the sorceress Medea, but Cupid is ready to intervene to restore Jason to his family. On 14 November, revel in love, power, morality and corruption with Monteverdi’s final masterpiece, The Coronation of Poppea.

History and myth combine with a dramatic score as the young and beautiful Poppea does battle for the throne of Empress of Rome. Then, revisit some of the same

characters in Handel’s Agrippina, on 15 and 16 November. Set once again in Rome, this witty opera simmers with ambition as Agrippina, wife of the Emperor, schemes to secure succession to the throne for her son, Nero (7.30pm, £20-£39, www. cambridgeartstheatre.com) Open a window into many different lives with One Million Tiny Plays About Britain at the ADC from 13 until 16 November. Two actors perform over 50 roles in this selection of bite-sized plays charting the triumphs, disasters, loves and losses of 21st century Britain. Based on a Guardian column, it promises to change how you see the world (11pm, £5/£6, www.adctheatre.com) The latter half of Armstrong and Miller arrives at the Arts Theatre with a brand new comedy, The Duck House, running 18-23 November. Ben Miller stars as Robert Houston, the MP who’s got it all – and claimed most of it on expenses. But Gordon Brown’s government is in meltdown, and a general election is just a year away. Is changing sides the best way to save his seat? (7.45pm plus 2.30pm matinees, £15£30, www.cambridgeartstheatre.com).

A brave play by Caroline Horton and Company comes to Cambridge Junction on 27 November. Mess is engaging, has lots of songs, and is about anorexia. Confronting issues most of us shy away from, it was developed with experts from King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry (7.30pm, £8/£12, www.junction.co.uk).

Finally, set sail for a tropical island with South Pacific, at the Arts Theatre,

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PICKS

26-30 November. One of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s best loved musicals, it sees two couples drawn together across different cultures against the backdrop of the Second World War. It includes some of theatre’s most iconic hits, including I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair and Happy Talk (7.30pm plus 2.30pm matinees, £15£25, www.cambridgeartstheatre.com).

The West End sensation Thriller Live moonwalks its way to Cambridge for a twonight run on 29 and 30 November. Now in its fifth year, it’s a concert for all fans of the King of Pop, taking audiences on a dizzying journey through Michael Jackson’s 30-year musical history. Expect all the hits, from ABC to Smooth Criminal and They Don’t Care About Us, plus many more, all delivered by a talented cast and a live band. It really is an all-round spectacle of song, dance and theatre (7.30pm plus 2.30pm Sat matinee, £25.50-£32.50, www.cornex.co.uk).

Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 27

WORDFEST

WINTER WORDFEST he start of next month will see the winter edition of Wordfest, our city’s muchloved biannual literary festival.

Taking place across two venues on 1 December, the event boasts a line-up as impressive as ever, with speakers ranging from bestselling novelists to high profile politicians, plus a world famous explorer thrown in for good measure.

Kicking off proceedings with a special pre-festival event at the Cambridge Union Society on 13 November will be literary luminary Donna Tartt, who will discuss her hotly anticipated new work The Goldfinch. It’s been 11 years since the American novelist released her last work, The Little Friend, and 21 since she wowed readers with her highly acclaimed debut The Secret History – a bona fide literary phenomenon which sold over five million copies worldwide and was translated into 24 languages. This talk will be a rare opportunity to see the famously reticent author discuss her writing and give an insight into her latest book, a thrilling tale about a young orphan boy who becomes entranced by a mysterious painting which draws him into the art underworld.

The A-list authors certainly don’t stop there. The fiction-based offerings on

1 December begin with a visit from Sarah Dunant, acclaimed novelist of the Italian Renaissance, whose new work Blood and Beauty chronicles a decade in the lives of the infamous Borgia family. She’ll be followed by Jonathan Coe, whose latest novel Expo 58 offers a humorous, poignant portrait of Britain at a post-war crossroads, centring around a real life event, The World’s Fair of 1958.

Next up, it’s the turn of Lionel Shriver, best known for her international bestseller, We Need to Talk About Kevin. A bleak novel about a school massacre, told from the perspective of the killer’s mother, the book achieved global fame after it was made into a Hollywood film starring Tilda Swinton. At Wordfest, the writer will discuss her latest work, Big Brother, which takes an uncompromising look at the Western world’s biggest health problem: obesity. Dame Margaret Drabble, one of our nation’s most distinguished writers, will round off Sunday’s novelists in a talk that will see her reflect on a lifetime (and 18 novels) worth of writing, and unveil her latest book, The Pure Gold Baby.

The non-fiction contingent is equally strong for this year’s event, but a standout is likely to be the talk with the world’s greatest living explorer, Sir Ranulph

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Fiennes. He conquered Everest aged 65, has run a marathon on every continent, completed a 52,000 mile transglobe overland expedition, has knocked on death’s door on various occasions and is currently masterminding the first ever winter trek across Antartica. In short, he’s a man with many stories to tell. Join him and listen to some of them at the ADC Theatre at 2.30pm.

At the same time across town at the Winstanley Lecture Theatre, writers Melissa Benn and Alison Wolf will ask: what do we tell our daughters? With feminism making a comeback, the two women will consider the challenges and opportunities young women face today, as well as the relevance of feminism in the 21st century.

This year’s Orwell Prize winner A.T. Williams will also discuss his controversial book A Very British Killing, while two Downton Abbey experts will be joined by the show’s executive producer for an hour of unbridled Downton fan talk.

Elsewhere, you can catch a duo of memoirists, Barry Norman and Damian Barr, as well as former home secretary Douglas Hurd exploring the fascinating life of Disraeli. www.cambridgewordfest.co.uk

Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 29

GROUP SPOTLIGHT

GROUP SPOTLIGHT

CAMBRIDGE FOOTLIGHTS As panto season approaches, Jennifer Shelton goes behind the scenes with Cambridge’s world-famous student comedy troupe

I

f there’s one group that’s synonymous with Cambridge, it’s Footlights.

Founded in 1883, Footlights has shaped the very course of 20th century British entertainment, and continues to launch the careers of many up-and-coming new acting, writing and comedy talents. As well as providing us with half of Gilbert and Sullivan, half the Pythons, half the Inbetweeners and all of Fry and Laurie, without Footlights we might not have had Downton Abbey (Julian Fellowes cut his teeth here in the late 60s), and what would The Great British Bake Off be if Mel and Sue hadn’t met while treading the boards?

Now, in its hundredth year, the mantle of Footlights President – held in recent years by David Mitchell, Richard Ayoade and Simon Bird, all of whom have gone on to have great success – has been taken up by Ben Pope, a thirdyear student of classics. So what’s it like heading up this world-famous troupe?

“It’s as good and as cool as I could’ve hoped for,” he confirms happily. “The opportunities here are so good – the best, really – if you want to do comedy.

We have four ‘Smokers’ each term, which are a great way of testing out material, and because of the Footlights reputation, shows often sell out which means you always have an audience.

So we’re lucky with that. And you’re

30 | Cambridge Edition | November 2013

with other like-minded people, which is conducive to making good, new ideas.”

Both a writer and performer, Ben’s first love is stand-up. As he puts it: “It’s the most economic way of showing off! You get to write your own stuff, perform your own stuff and no-one else can really touch what you’re doing. But I want to keep my options open and do as much as possible while I’m here.”

Where did his love of comedy spring from? “When I was about 14, I remember watching Bill Bailey on TV for the first time and I was sold. I thought, ‘that’s what I want to do!’.”

From its vaudeville roots as a small group of extroverts performing in a pub (on the site where the ADC Theatre now stands), in the 50s Footlights broke into West End circles and by the 60s had became an established worldwide brand.

Still, the society suffered its ups and downs, often being criticised for being elitist; and it wasn’t until 1964 that women were allowed to join (Miriam Margolyes being one of the pioneers of funny Footlights females). As president, Ben is adamant that everyone’s welcome – just as long as you’re funny.

“The tour show this year, Canada, is the first for a long time where there’ve been more girls than guys,” he adds. “But it totally depends on who applies – often we just have fewer women auditioning.”

The 70s proved a trickier decade for the society, however, and Footlights nearly

packed up for good after the 1974 revue failed to make any money. But it survived, and its star was in the ascent again by the 80s, with Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson (Laurie’s then girlfriend) and Tony Slattery’s 1981 show The Cellar Tapes winning the coveted Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival.

With Canada completing its tour of Edinburgh, the UK and the US last month, all eyes are now on the Footlights panto, opening at the end of November. This year The Princess and the Pea gets the Footlights treatment: expect all the silly songs, innuendo and cross-dressing of a traditional pantomime – with added Footlights wit. And Vikings. Ben spent the summer working on the script with his two co-writers, and is looking forward to seeing it come to life.

“It’s very silly, very wonderful – it’s a lovely story,” he says. “But it’s quite a short story traditionally, so we’ve expanded it in various ways. There’s a lot of baking-based magic and baking puns (the villain is a former baker turned evil queen); the set is very ambitious and the music should be pretty spectacular.”

He continues: “It’s one of those great shows where it’s not just about jokes; there’s a plot, there’s music and dance, and we’ve got a fairly large budget for set design and that kind of thing. It’s definitely the biggest project I’ve been involved with. I got the writer post in June and started working on ideas and song lyrics

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GROUP SPOTLIGHT

almost immediately. It was definitely weird thinking about Christmas in the summer!”

A somewhat legendary Footlights institution, and a highlight of the student thespian calendar, previous pantos have seen David Baddiel don the green hose as Robin Hood, Griff Rhys-Jones as a panto dame and Robert Webb playing Prince Charming to David Mitchell’s Cinderella. Do any of them pop back for a visit?

“Sometimes I hear that someone has come to see a show; I think last year David Mitchell turned up to the tour show,” says Ben. “And some people get in touch asking for pictures or archive material from their time at Footlights.”

Still, Ben is keen not to hype it up too much – not everyone can go on to be the next Stephen Fry or John Cleese, after all.

“Not everyone in Footlights is destined to make it,” he says, level-headedly.

“When it comes down to it, it is just another student society and we are all just students. But on the other hand, you don’t want your year to be the one that it all goes to pot! I read Stephen Fry’s autobiography recently and there’s a bit where he remembers how, every year, people would say: ‘Oh, the Footlights are rubbish this year!’.” We’ll check back with you in ten years, Ben… The Princess and the Pea runs at the ADC Theatre from 27 November-7 December, 7.45pm. Tickets £10/£12 (£8/£10 opening night). www.adctheatre.com

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Not everyone in Footlights is destined to make it, but you don’t want your year to be the one it goes to pot!

Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 31

FAMILY

PRINCESS And

PAINTING Party

The Pea

Head along to the Fitzwilliam Museum on 30 November for their Painting Party – a chance for little ones to have bags of fun expressing their creativity with a series of arty activities. Kids will explore how to use paint through music with games including ‘pass the picture’ and ‘musical paintings’.

Old clothes are recommended as the session will be nice and messy! £5 per child (ages 5-7). Booking essential, 10.30am-12.30pm. www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk

Norwich Puppet Theatre present a colourful production of The Princess and the Pea at Cambridge Junction this month in their adorably playful style. Head down on 3 November (shows at 11.30am and 2.30pm), and enjoy a quirky take on Hans Christian Andersen’s story of a search for a ‘real’ princess.

In honour of its status as a bedtime story favourite, the tale is played out among sheets and blankets with dreamlike projections – and lots of loveable puppets of course! Tickets £9 (£5 concessions) and £23 family ticket. www.junction.co.uk

JAMES &

the Giant Peach

One of the best-loved children’s books of all time will be brought to life this month at Cambridge Arts Theatre.

The Roald Dahl classic, James and the Giant Peach, runs until 2 November. This wizzpoppingly good show (performed by The Birmingham Stage Company) follows the amazing adventure of a little boy who lives with two awful aunts. Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker never allow James to play with other children and make him slave away all day, until one day he meets a mystical old man who gives him a bag of magic.

James accidentally spills the bag near an old peach tree, beginning the adventure of a lifetime…

2 and 7pm weekdays, 10.30am and 2pm on Saturday; £17.50 adult, £12.50 child. www.cambridgeartstheatre.com

CHILDREN’S

C lassics Fun Festival

CHAIN

Reaction

Families are invited to help create a giant machine at the Corn Exchange on 9 November at 11am for the finale of Cambridge Science Centre’s ‘Build It!’ season. Chain Reaction will see crazy contraptions filling the venue, which trigger one another across the stage. The Naked Scientists will also be performing their ‘Crisp Packet Fireworks’ stage show.

This group of Cambridge University physicians and researchers are known for their fun, engaging demonstrations, equally enlightening for kids and grownups. £3 child, £5 adult, £14 family. www.cornex.co.uk

Join the Cambridge University Department of Law for a day of free children’s events on 2 November. Part of the Festival of Ideas, the event will include visits from ruthless Romans and gruesome Greeks – as well as lots of other nasty bits of classical history which you never learn about at school. There will be activities and fun with Matthew Ward from the brilliant Horrible Histories, as well as a creative writing workshop with kids’ lit author Caroline Lawrence, who’ll be giving a lively, illustrated talk on the magic ingredients of a good story.

Admission is free to the Festival for children, but children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult ticket holder. www.heffersclassics.wordpress.com

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Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 33

LISTINGS

THE FEELING

2 NOV 2 November BOTTISHAM CRAFT FAYRE Time: 9am-12.30pm Location: The Hub Price: Free entry Description: Come and browse a collection of beautiful handcrafted items, food and more, and maybe pick up a gift or two. facebook.com/bottisham. craftfayre.9

3 November BLUE Time: 7.30pm Location: Corn Exchange Price: £18.50 Description: Fresh from The Big Reunion, Blue are back on the road again with their own brand new tour, and a new album, Roulette. It’s 13 years since they burst onto the scene with All Rise, brandishing that fresh, R&B pop sound and dapper look they’re still working today. cornex.co.uk

SAVE THE LAST DANCE FOR ME

4-9 November

Time: See times online Location: Arts Theatre Price: £15-£35 Description: It’s the summer of 1963, and two sisters embark on their first holiday without their parents. To their delight, it’s not long before they’re asked to a dance at the nearby US army base – and so begins a holiday romance that’s not as simple as it sounds. Described as Dirty Dancing meets Dreamboats and Petticoats, this rock ’n’ roll musical is full of romance and some fabulous tunes. cambridgeartstheatre.com

FIREWORKS

5 November

Time: 7.30pm Location: Midsummer Common Price: £1 donation Description: Cambridge’s biggest fireworks display takes place at its usual location, accompanied by the Thurston Fair, which will be open from 6pm. Check your route as some roads (especially around Elizabeth Way Bridge) will be closed. cambridge.gov.uk/fireworks

8 NOV

34 | Cambridge Edition | November 2013

Time: 7pm Location: Cambridge Junction Price: £18.50 Description: Fun-loving indie boys The Feeling perform songs from their new album, Together We Were Made, along with hit favourites such as Fill My Little World, Sewn and Love It When You Call. junction.co.uk

10 November THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF Time: 11.30am & 2.30pm Location: Cambridge Junction Price: £5/£9 Description: This wonderful wintry tale uses actor-musicians, funny sheep and other delightful characters to bring Aesop’s famous fable to life. Suitable for children aged 3+. junction.co.uk

13 November

FROST/NIXON Time: 7.45pm Location: ADC Theatre Price: £6-£10 Description: One of the most compelling events in the history of broadcasting, the verbal showdown between Richard Nixon and talk show host David Frost proved an equally captivating film in 2008. Now, catch the stage adaptation of this gripping battle of wits. adctheatre.com

DEUTZ CHAMPAGNE MASTERCLASS Time: 7.30pm Location: Cherry Hinton Road Tasting Room Price: £25 Description: A special masterclass on ‘the champagne for people in the know’ – as descibed by Master of Wine Serena Sutcliffe – don’t miss the sampling of some incredible Deutz wines this November.

There will be delicious food too.

Not to be missed. cambridgewine.com

6 November

13 November

POETRY READING Time: 6pm Location: The Polar Museum Price: Free Description: Poet, essayist and naturalist Charles Hood talks about his experiences in Antarctica, which inspired his prose and poetry collection South x South. www.spri.cam.ac.uk

KT TUNSTALL

GET A WHIFF OF THIS Time: 7pm Location: Cambridge Science Centre Price: Free Description: Are you a super taster? How different is the world without your sense of smell? Explore your senses with hands-on activities, then join in a discussion with top scientists. Adults only. cambridgesciencecentre.org

8 November

15 November

5-9 November

Time: 7.30pm Location: Corn Exchange Price: £17.50-£27.50 Description: The folk-pop wonder returned earlier this year with her fourth album, Invisible Empire// Crescent Moon, and will be playing songs from this, and her other acclaimed works, at a gig at the Corn Exchange this month. cornex.co.uk

ED BYRNE Time: 8pm Location: Corn Exchange Price: £22.50 Description: The Irish funnyman, who’s described himself as a ‘miserable old git’ since the age of 23, is embracing his forties with open arms in this comedy ‘coming of middle-age’ show. cornex.co.uk

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LISTINGS

16 November EPIC OF EVEREST Time: 8pm Location: West Road Concert Hall Price: £5-£20 Description: A one-off screening of the newly restored silent movie – a traveloguecome-adventure shot on Mount Everest in 1924 – accompanied by a live score, performed by Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra. cums.org.uk

16 November

16 NOV

TURIN BRAKES Time: 7pm Location: Cambridge Junction Price: £20 Description: See the South London band in action as they present their new album, Outbursts – their first since 2007’s Dark On Fire. They recently celebrated their ten-year anniversary, so expect music from their back catalogue too. junction.co.uk

CHRISTMAS FLOWER ARRANGING COURSE

19, 21, 26 November CHRISTMAS FLOWERS Time: 6-9pm Location: Burwash Manor Price: £75 Description: Be inspired this Christmas by taking part in a flower-arranging course.

You'll get the chance to make a Christmas table arrangement with candles and a door wreath, and you can even take them all home at the end of your evening.

Mince pies, tea, coffees and mulled wine will be supplied. flowerscambridge.co.uk

K’BOUM & OVERSEES (CIRCUS DOUBLE BILL)

20 November

Time: 7.30pm Location: Cambridge Junction Price: £6/£10 Description: Expand your horizons and see something a bit different this month with an exciting double bill of contemporary circus. Featuring BMX cycling, breakdance and an original elecro-hip-hop score, this show packs quite a punch. junction.co.uk

THE DUCK HOUSE SE 18-23 November

Time: 7.45pm & 2.30pm Satt & Thurs Location: Arts Theatre Price: £15-£30 Description: Comic actor Ben Miller heads up this new comedy about the outrageous world of politics. s.

Think dodgy receipts, duck houses and parliamentary panic, all rolled together in one superlative stage satire. cambridgearts theatre.com

18-23

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NOV

23 November VINTAGE FASHION FAIR Time: 10.30am-4.30pm Location: Cambridge Guildhall Price: £2 Description: Cambridge Affordable Vintage Fair promises jewellery, homewares, clothing and collectables at great prices, all at the Market Square in Cambridge. Snap up an Advintage card for extra offers – not to mention tea and cakes! judysvintagefair.co.uk

25 November

29 NOV15 DEC

WINTER LIGHTS 29 November - 15 December

TEXAS Time: 7.30pm Location: Corn Exchange Price: £37/£48.50 Description: The timeless band celebrate their 25th anniversary year in 2013 and are back with a new album, The Conversation, as well as a huge live tour that’s a must-see for any Texas fans. cornex.co.uk

Time: 5.30-7.30pm Location: Anglesey Abbey Price: £7.50/£10.50 Description: See Anglesey Abbey’s beautiful gardens in a different light, as the winter trees and moody, jet-black lake are lit up in a rainbow of colours. nationaltrust.org.uk/angleseyabbey

25 November

30 November

CAMBRIDGE CHRISTMAS Time: 1-8pm Location: The Unitarian Church Hall Price: Free entry Description: A range of festive crafts and gifts will be on display at this annual exhibition, from local crafters and artists. A great place to pick up a unique, personalised gift (there might even be some mulled cider and mince pies going round). cambridgechristmas.co.uk

LEARN THE ART OF FERRETING Time: 10am-4pm Location: Wimpole Hall, Home Farm Price: £80 Description: Find out how ferrets are used to control rabbit populations, how purse nets are used and identify good warrens.

Also learn how to take the quarry home for the table at this handson course at the farm. nationaltrust.org.uk/wimpoleestate

29-30 November

30 November - 1 December

THRILLER LIVE Time: 7.30pm (& 2.30pm Sat) Location: Corn Exchange Price: £25.50-£32.50 Description: Don’t miss this spectacular live concert, in its 5th year, celebrating the music and showmanship of the King of Pop. So far it’s been seen in 26 countries, and takes audiences on a whistle-stop tour of Jackon’s hits, soul to pop, rock to disco. cornex.co.uk

A VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS Time: 10am-4pm Location: Audley End Price: £9/£13.50/£15 Description: Step back in time and discover what Christmas was like in Victorian times at Audley End House. Santa and his reindeer will be there, plus other costumed characters, and there’s a festival trail to follow around the house. english-heritage.org.uk

Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 35

Elite Swimming Academy Ltd is a private swim school offering first class results for children and adults. Set up

by English Channel Swimmer Edward Williams in 2007, Elite Swimming Academy has successfully transformed thousands of people’s swimming skills.

The big thing that makes them so different to other swim schools is the fact that they have such small classes with a maximum of just 3 students per class. This combined with the highest quality of teachers available and exceptional customer service means that they get children swimming years ahead of their time to the extent that most of their 3 year olds can do front crawl, back stroke and breast stroke by their fourth birthdays!

On line progress reports, free badges & certificates, and a designated relationship manager to speak to whenever you need anything enhance the experience further and set Elite apart from all competition.

“Our goal is to provide a fast track service for our students to progress

their swimming skills quicker and to a higher standard than anywhere else.

We may be a little more expensive than other schools but we actually work out vastly cheaper in the long run as our students finish their lessons years quicker than their peers. In affect you get a safer more confident child at a much younger age which gives our parents massive piece of mind.”

Edward Williams – Director of ESA For more information visit www.eliteswimmingacademy.co.uk or call 01223 633 699 for a chat about what they can do for you.

“Fabulous! I saw clear progress in just one lesson. I am a teacher and could have filmed the lesson for use in professional development! Excellent use of assessment for learning, clear instruction, personalised per participant and clear explanations of how and WHY! Super. We will be booking lessons for Christmas holidays if available.”

Mrs N Gabb

“I must let you know that although we have only had 5 lessons with you so far, I am more impressed with the progress that Jacob has made in just 5 lessons than he has made in 5 years of our previous swimming lessons!

Clear instruction, superb attention to detail and sheer professionalism every step of the way.”

L Davies

COMPETITON

!

N I W

WIN A VIP

SHOPPING EXPERIENCE AT JOHN LEWIS!

C

hristmas is going to come early for one lucky Cambridge Edition reader, as this month we’re giving away a VIP shopping experience at the department store worth over £400!

First up, our winner will enjoy the John Lewis Personal Style Profile service, usually £125, in which the in-house fashion experts will advise on which colours and shapes best suit you, offering a full colour analysis and a personalised brochure to take away.

Next, the stylists will help you put together different outfits to try in the Style Express appointment – a service designed to help you find a dazzling new look for a

38 | Cambridge Edition | November 2013

special occasion. You’ll then be given £250 to spend in the clothing department, with top brands including Ted Baker, Whistles, Hobbs, Reiss and Dune to choose from.

Once you’ve got your outfit sorted, you’ll be treated to a high tea in John Lewis’s stylish third floor brasserie, where you’ll enjoy an indulgent selection of cakes and sandwiches, plus a glass of Prosecco (worth £32.95) To be in with a chance to winning this fantastic prize, head to www.cambsedition.co.uk John Lewis, Grand Arcade, 10 Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DS 0844 693 1709; www.johnlewis.com

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NEWS

Christmas Cambridge

Step into a festive wonderland of fabulous handmade crafts, artwork and more at this much-loved annual event

25

NOVEMBER

mbrace a bit of early festive spirit and get ahead with your pressie buying on Monday 25 November, when the Unitarian Church Hall near Christ's Pieces Park will once again be transformed into a wintry wonderland for the sixth annual Cambridge Christmas. The event, which takes place from 1pm until 8.30pm, features a diverse array of work from local artists and craft professionals, which you can peruse and purchase while enjoying seasonal treats including homemade mince pies.

Among this year’s exhibitors are the event’s founder, Jo Tunmer, who will be showing her eye-catching prints, as well as a new collection of cards. “Cambridge Christmas is a gem of an event,” she says.

“It showcases exceptional work from handpicked local artists and makers, brought straight to the heart of Cambridge. It’s a vibrant, fun and unusual way to go shopping.”

She will be joined by other carefully selected artists including Alison Hullyer,

who produces charming original illustrations, prints, gifts and cards and Edel Hopkin, who hand makes beautiful books.

Also working with books, though in rather a different way, is Justin Rowe, who creates spectacular sculptures inspired by folk and fairy tale imagery – made using recycled old books. Some equally clever and creative repurposing comes from Ruth Schmid, whose company QHERE makes handcrafted bags and accessories using all sorts of unusual items, from recycled advertising banners to bicycle inner tubes.

Ceramic bits and bobs are always a good gift idea, and you’ll be spoilt for choice with stalls from excellent local potters, Amanda MacPhail, Rachel Dormor and Katharina Klug. And for that sweet-toothed friend or relative, we recommend checking out the edible works of art from Joali, which make colourful lollipops every bit as delicious as they are gorgeous. Jewellery is another fail-safe festive pressie win, and Ellie Air’s delicate silver necklaces, rings, earrings and bracelets are minimalist perfection.

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There’s lots more to explore as well, including wire art from Rhiannon Thomas and glass pieces from Alison Tait and Katie Lynn. In fact, with so much variety and such a high calibre of exhibitors, you’re almost guaranteed to find that perfect something for a special someone. The event attracted some 700 shoppers last year, so arrive early if you want first dibs! www.cambridgechristmas.co.uk

Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 41

NEWS

CAMBRIDGE BID MONTHLY UPDATE

Welcome Welcome to the very first update from Cambridge BID. Over the coming months, we’ll be using these pages to introduce you to the work of Cambridge BID and keep you up to date with all of the exciting projects and initiatives that we’re involved with. We also want to showcase Cambridge in all its glory, spotlighting on different areas and events, and generally helping to give Cambridge Edition readers a flavour of what to find in and around our wonderful city.

What is the Cambridge BID? The Cambridge Business Improvement District, or BID, is an initiative set up by Cambridge businesses and organisations to ensure continued investment in Cambridge City Centre.

Businesses within the Cambridge BID area (shown in the map, right), were given the opportunity to vote for or against the BID during the ballot and on 1 November 2012 a vote in favour of the BID was returned, paving the way for an organisation which will ensure sustained investment in this historic city and the delivery of a wide range of projects and initiatives.

Find out more at www.cambridgebid.co.uk Follow us on twitter at @cambridgebid

Cambridge BID City Ambassadors Back in early August, the Cambridge BID launched the City Ambassadors, who are tasked with providing guidance, assistance and a friendly face to all users of Cambridge city centre. The City Ambassadors have two key functions. Firstly, they will help users of the city centre with any queries and questions that they have, and secondly, they will engage with local businesses on behalf of the Cambridge BID. They will also be keeping an eye on the streets and noting issues within the city centre and reporting them – little things such as cracked paving and lighting issues that make a big difference to the overall appearance and feel of our city. The response to the scheme has been fantastic so far, with lots of messages of support coming in for the work our Ambassadors are doing, from a variety of visitors to Cambridge – and they have met with over 12,000 people since the start of the project! You can follow the Ambassadors on Twitter at @CityAmbassadors

42 | Cambridge Edition | November 2013

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NEWS

Cambridge BID Awards Last month, Cambridge BID hosted the inaugural Cambridge BID Awards at Downing College. More than 80 people attended the event, which sought to recognise and celebrate excellence amongst local businesses. The awards were presented by The Right Worshipful, the Mayor of the City of Cambridge, Councillor Paul Saunders.

Over the last few months 60 local businesses have taken part in a mystery shop programme run by Storecheckers, in partnership with Cambridge BID. The comprehensive mystery shopping programme addresses a core group of standards covering selling skills, staff attitude, staff image, store standards e and local knowledge/ambassadorship by staff. Based on the final results of the mystery shop, Cambridge BID was delighted to give the following awards:

The Winners!

Best Overall Customer Experience 2013 – National Business Winner: Specsavers, Lion Yard and runner-up: Bags ETC Best Overall Customer Experience 2013 – Independent Business (Fashion) Winner: Prohibido Lingerie and runner-up: Cuckoo Best Overall Customer Experience 2013 – Independent Business (Mixed) Winner: Podarok and joint runners-up: Cellini and Cambridge Strings Best Overall Customer Experience 2013 – Café/Restaurant/Bar Winner: Café Carringtons on Market Street and runner-up: La Raza Best Overall Customer Experience 2013 – Service Winner: Grafton Information Point and runner-up: Cambridge City Hotel Best Overall Customer Experience 2013 – Market Trader Winner: Alice’s Imagination and runner-up: Checkpoint Reality Special Recognition Award for Demonstrating Excellent Local Knowledge Winner: RSPCA bookshop on Mill Road Overall Winner: Prohibido Lingerie

The Big Switch On

17 NOV

Cambridge will be switching on its Christmas Lights on Sunday 17 November with entertainment taking place across the city from midday through to 6pm. Working in partnership with Cambridge City Council, Heart FM and Cambridge News, Cambridge BID will set the region alight with a jam-packed day of entertainment. As ever, the event will have a real community focus with performances from local dance, music, theatre and school groups across the four stages located throughout the city: The Grafton, Grand Arcade, Lion Yard and Market Square. This year we are building on the success of last year’s Cambridge Has Talent competition – working with Heart FM we will be looking for new talent to come and join us on the day, with the overall winner performing on stage right after the lights are switched on.

Keep checking the Cambridge BID website for full listings of those performing during the day!

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Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 43

COMMUNITY

70s and 80s Disco

news The latest news from your local hub BBC speaker to inspire local businesses Dominic Coles, the man responsible for planning the BBC’s coverage of the Olympic Games, will address senior directors from Cambridge companies at a leadership lunch in Huntingdon, organised by recruitment experts, THE ONE GROUP. David Ardern, the company's Executive Search Manager said: “We have always sought to offer value adding expertise to businesses and an event such as this should be of interest and benefit to many of Cambridgeshire’s leading business professionals.”

The Old Bridge Hotel, 8 November www.theonegroup.co.uk

Remembrance Sunday Imperial War Museum Duxford will be holding a special Remembrance Sunday service on 10 November, as visitors and veterans remember those who have fallen in battle. There will be free entry to the museum for the whole day, with an opportunity to join in some hands-on activities and see some of the spectacular planes and exhibits on display. It’s open 10am-4pm and suitable for all ages. www.iwm.org.uk

Children in Need A range of clothing will be on sale at the C2 Children’s Ward at Addenbrooke’s on 15 November, with all profits going to help Children In Need.

Come and see what you can find from 8pm. Also this month, Que Sera gift shop in Buckden will be donating a percentage of their sales to the C2 Children’s Ward for three days, 21-23 November. They’ll also treat you to a glass of Prosecco on arrival.

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Celebrate two great decades of music at a groove-tastic 70s and 80s Disco, taking place at Hidden Rooms on 15 November. The night of nostalgic classics will get going at 7pm, with tunes continuing until past midnight. Tickets are £5 in advance or £6 on the door, with proceeds going to the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, which carries out essential work within our community. www.hiddenroomsonline.com

Chill out at South Farm South Farm, the picturesque Cambridgeshire wedding venue, will be holding a Chilled Out Charity Sunday Lunch to raise money for Orchid, the male cancer charity, on Sunday 10 November. A canapé reception will be followed by a delicious three-course feast, made using homegrown produce from the farm, with musical accompaniment, in South Farm’s relaxed and enchanting surroundings.

The driving force behind the event is head chef, Matt Janusz, who successfully overcame cancer in 2012. Matt hopes to raise around £7,000 through ticket sales and sponsorship. South Farm’s kitchen team will donate their wages for the event and some of South Farm’s suppliers, including Fieldgate Nurseries, Micky Fordola, Dana Young Flowers, Infusions and Hill View Farm Shop, are also generously donating goods and services.

Orchid relies on donations to fund over £1.3 million of pioneering research every year into male cancers and promote awareness. It was founded by Cambridge graduate Professor Tim Oliver, who developed the standard treatment for testicular cancer. He will be speaking at the South Farm event about the charity’s ongoing research. www.south-farm.co.uk

Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 45

If you like Asian food, you’ll love us!

We cater the finest authentic Asian fusion cuisine.

Now booking for Christmas parties.

Please see menu on our website.

Stylish karaoke rooms now available for exclusive hire with state of the art sounds systems!

01223 321050 Opening hours: Lunch - 12:00 to 14:30 Dinner - 17:00 to 23:00 Karaoke Rooms – 12.00 – 3.30am in the morning Email: info@orchid-cambridge.co.uk Address: 70 Newmarket Road, Cambridge Website: www.orchid-cambridge.co.uk

ORCHID

FOOD

F OOD N EWS A monthly round-up of gastronomic goings-on in Cambridge and the surrounding area

Afternoon Tease Cafe Yet more exciting news for Cambridge’s foodie scene this month as Jo Kruczynska, aka local baker extraordinaire Afternoon Tease, has opened a brand new café on King Street. It’s been a long time coming for Jo, who has been planning and saving for the venture for around seven years, whilst gaining bags of industry experience working as a marketing manager for a restaurant group in London. She’s already built up a loyal following locally, supplying Cambridge favourites like Urban Larder and Hot Numbers with her fantastic cakes and sweet treats (her Guinness chocolate

cake in particular has become the stuff of legend). She also co-hosts (alongside fellow cook Ivana Gresham, who’ll be working for her in the new café), the Plate Lickers Supper Club – which puts on popup themed dining events in interesting locations around the city.

Jo was inspired to find a premises whilst travelling around Australia and New Zealand and seeing the exceptional calibre of the cafés on offer in these parts of the world, as well as being exposed to London’s vibrant café culture. At the Afternoon Tease café, expect funky, vintage-inspired décor, home-made

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cakes, great coffees, breakfasts, brunches and light lunches, as well as lots of special events, pop-ups, music and supper clubs.

“The quality of the food and drink are amazingly important to me,” says Jo. “But my other main aim is to serve it up with a large slice of feel-good, welcoming atmosphere, bringing an exciting and lively ‘extension to your living room’ environment and an experience of London’s café culture to Cambridge.” www.afternoontease.co.uk

URBAN STREET KINGS There’s a new street food van in town and it’s bringing a taste of the East to Cambridge.

The chefs behind the venture are Jay Scrimshaw (previously of The Pheasant at Keystone and the Angel Hotel, Bury), Richard Stokes (The Three Horseshoes at Madingley) and Greg Proud (also The Three Horseshoes). The menu will be split into tempting categories including ‘buns, bowls and fork required’ and you can expect dishes such as beef pho, slow-cooked pork buns and the legendary momofuku crack pie. “We’re very excited,” says Richard. “Being mobile will give us so much flexibility and you can expect to see us roaming the streets with fresh new offerings and food that Cambridge simply hasn’t seen before.” The trailer will hit the streets later this month but in the meantime Urban Street Kings will be hosting a special pop-up at The Black Cat Café on Mill Road on 7 November.

This will be a sit-down, five-course affair at £25 a head, plus £3.50 corkage to bring your own drink along. For more info and future events, stay tuned to their Twitter account: @food_urbansk

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Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 49

FOOD

THE OLIVE AND THE PEA We at Edition love a good supper club, so were delighted to hear through the grapevine that there’s a newbie on the local circuit in the shape of The Olive and The Pea, who will present their first ever event this month. The local duo, who have a shared obsession with making and eating good food, will be honouring Spanish roots with a tempting sounding Catalan feast on 2 November at a yet-to-be-revealed location from 7.30pm. Take your own tipple of choice and a suggested donation of £26 per person, which includes three courses, a welcome drink and nibbles. To book email theoliveandthepea@gmail.com – and if you can’t get a spot on the first event, don’t panic, there’s plenty more to come. theoliveandthepea.blogspot.co.uk

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Pint Shop

OPEN

It’s time to get excited. After a long wait and a lot of whispers on the local foodie scene, this month sees the muchanticipated Pint Shop on Peas Hill finally open. The philosophy is to provide the people of Cambridge with a unique drinking establishment that takes its inspiration from the beerhouses or ‘Tom and Jerry’ shops of the 1830s, serves up quality simple British dishes and boasts an extensive drinks offering.

Pint Shop is the brainchild of local restaurateurs Richard Holmes and Benny Peverelli, and is housed in an impressive four-storey building which offers a 70-seat bar, two separate dining rooms and even a garden for the summer months. Food offerings will include filled sourdough cobs, smoked fish and cheese, British cured meat and pulled pies, whilst the menu in the dining room will feature classic British dishes, cooked around three basic historic cooking principles: charcoal spit-roasting, charcoal grilling and slow braising.

“We started Pint Shop because we wanted to create a place that embraced eating and drinking equally. A place where you feel equally at home having a few beers, a light lunch or a full-blown feast. A place where people from all walks of life rub shoulders with each other,” explains Richard. “We want to take the spirit of those original beerhouses, namely craft beer, intimacy and fun, and throw in some killer food, cooked on fire, just as it was in 1830.”

As of January, diners will also be able to take advantage of the bargain pre-theatre menu, with two courses for just £10, and there will be latenight nibbles on offer in the bar for

munching on after a G&T or two. The bar will be home to 16 taps of British craft beer, whiskeys galore and 40 gins to sip your way through. In fact one of these gins will be a pea-infused number (to make them feel at home on Peas Hill, geddit?), specially created for them

by The Cambridge Distillery.

Richard and Benny have assembled a dream team to help them run Pint Shop and the staff list reads like a who’s who of the Cambridge food world: assistant managers are James Hickey, who used to manage The Tickell Arms and Clare Rosier, previously manager at Gog Magog Hills Farm Shop. Ben Pope, formerly of The Punter is senior sous-chef and Dan Peirce who used to be found in the kitchens at Fitzbillies will be sous-chef. And that’s just a taster of some of the esteemed members of the pack.

Phew, with all that on offer we’ll be first in the queue to try the new hotspot when it opens on 4 November. To book call 07852 458814 and for more information and menus visit: www.pintshop.co.uk

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FOOD

Rhode Island

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New independent restaurants in Cambridge are, it seems, like buses: we wait ages for one and then lots come along at once.

Making it five this month is Rhode Island, situated just out of town in a former pub on Cherry Hinton High Street. It’s a funky, retro-inspired all-American diner, complete with great burgers, juicy steaks, hot dogs and thick milkshakes.

Aksara Inamdar and her family, who have lived in Cherry Hinton for 25 years, are behind this new diner and have been working hard to transform the building into a fresh, contemporary take on the American diners of the 1950s and 1960s. There’ll be booths, vintage rock ’n’ roll playing, and a large outdoor area too.

The enterprise is inspired by the family’s many holidays in the USA, which got them wondering if they could bring a little taste of the States back to Cambridge.

“We used to fly to America and my dad would hire a car and drive us from state to state,” says Aksara. “We all fell in love with the diners; the laidback atmosphere and the great food and the fact you could pop in anytime, even if just for a drink.”

At just 25 Aksara is set to be a bright young star on the Cambridge food scene; she studied product design at university and has now seen the Rhode Island concept through from start to finish. “I lived in London for a while and saw some of the great diner-style restaurants there and it really showed me what Cambridge needs,” she says. “It has been stressful at times but I have loved picking out every detail and making sure it is perfect.”

The menu will contain all the American classics, with a slant towards providing just as many vegetarian and vegan options as well. And of course the milkshakes are going to be to die for, with a dizzying list of flavours that includes Oreo, peanut butter and chocolate orange to name a few, served in traditional malt cups.

Rhode Island is set to open on 10 November, with a few preview nights the week before.

Follow them on Twitter @RhodeIslandUK for updates.

A CELEBRATION OF LOCAL FOOD

Coast If premium fish and chips are your indulgence of choice then until now you’ve only had the (fabulous) Sea Tree on Mill Road to head to in Cambridge, but no longer, perhaps. With the rather sad news that Tatties on Trinity Street has closed down, came the much happier news that in its place will be Coast, a brand new high-end chippy.

The family team behind Tatties decided it was time for a change and in fact, owner Michael Cihan has been planning the concept of Coast for two years now.

“I saw a gap in the city for great fish and chips,” he says. “And this isn’t just cod and haddock, there will be fresh seafood and home-made fishcakes.

We’re even going to have handmade langoustine scampi.” The fish will come in fresh from Lowestoft and Coast’s head chef, Gael Schaler (a love of fish evidently runs in Gael’s family: his father runs France’s largest fishmonger) will be working his magic in the kitchen with dishes such as lobster and crab also featuring on the specials board.

“Everything about Coast will be the best quality around and we can’t wait for Cambridge to try our great fish,” says Michael.

We reckon this new independent, a welcome addition to the city centre, should have locals queuing round the block for their fish supper. c k co.uk www.coastfish.co.uk

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To celebrate the launch of Cambridge Carbon Footprint’s new Food for a Greener Future initiative, they will be hosting a special evening of local food at Fitzbillies on 21 November. The specially devised menu put together by chef extraordinaire Rosie Sykes will feature exclusively local produce. “The event will be an incredible showcase for local, seasonal produce and will demonstrate that cooking from scratch using these fresh ingredients always makes the most delicious food,” says organiser Elaina Roilo (tickets £33). CCF will also be promoting an Eating Local campaign from 4-17 November, encouraging local people to source all their food from within a 30mile radius throughout the two weeks. www.cambridgecarbonfootprint.org

OPEN

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Christmas at Carluccio’s Wondering what to buy the foodie in your life for Christmas?

Pay a visit to Carluccio’s at the Grand Arcade, where they’re getting into the festive spirit with a new range of gift boxes, cakes, biscuits, sweets and chocolate, all from artisan Italian producers. Among the new offerings are the Il Massimo (£65), a statement red box bursting with goodies including Prosecco, wild boar ragu, Sicilian extra virgin olive oil, orecchiette durum wheat pasta, tomato chilli and basil sauce, a box of gianduiotti, and more. For the chocoholics meanwhile, there’s L’Ora di Cioccolato (£25), which consists of an indulgent selection of cocoa pappardelle, dark chocolate truffles, cocoa biscuits with pistachio and a giant milk chocolate gold coin. Carluccio’s is hosting special Christmas shopping evenings on 28 November and 5 December when savvy shoppers can get ten per cent discount on the whole seasonal range, as well as enjoying a complimentary glass of Vino Cotto (traditional mulled wine), and piccolo assaggi (festive canapés, to you and me).

There’s also a new festive menu on offer at the restaurant, which features lenticchie e cotechino – a Christmas delicacy of Italian sausage, plus lobster lasagne and the torta al cioccolato – a rich chocolate torte served with raspberry coulis (three courses for £22 or four courses for £32 per person). www.carluccios.com

HOT NUMBERS COFFEE CLUB We were excited to hear that Gwydir Street’s fantastic independent café Hot Numbers has branched out and is now offering a delivery service on their famed freshly roasted coffee beans. Pop over to the Hot Numbers website and you can order your beans (either whole or ground to your specification), choosing between a range of seasonal, top-quality, single-origin coffees – currently on offer are Sidamo from Ethiopia, Villa Esperanza from Colombia and San Antonio, a decaf from Guatemala. Bags come in weights of 250g, 500g or 1kg and prices start at £9.50.

Real java enthusiasts can even join the Hot Numbers Coffee Club, a subscription service which includes a regular supply of freshly roasted coffee, brewing guides and accompanying flavour notes, delivered directly to your door each month. Prices start at £27 for a three-month subscription.

They’re also offering gift boxes, which come lovingly packaged and contain three 250g bags, plus a personalised note if you choose – a perfect present idea with the festive season looming (£28 each). www.hotnumberscoffee.co.uk

Entice Dessert Lounge The rumours are true: Cambridge, or more specifically, Mill Road, has officially got itself a gleaming new dessert bar and aan (hooray!) it’s just like in the films! Entice Dessert Lounge, which opened in October, G is serving up fresh N I N E OP coffees, waffles, crêpes,

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and huge colourful ice cream sundaes and milkshakes, and it’s open until 10pm on weeknights and 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays. If we’re not very much mistaken this is a first for Cambridge – especially because they’re planning on utilising their outdoor space as a shisha garden soon.

Definitely a must-visit this month.

01223 246103

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FOOD

New menus at The Three Horseshoes You might think of these winter months as barren and rather lacking in seasonal bounty, but you’d be wrong. At The Three Horseshoes in Madingley they are embracing the produce of the local countryside with a series of special game and hedgerow menus, running from November to February on the third Friday of the month (excluding December). This month’s dinner on 22 November celebrates the humble pheasant, and diners will be treated to salmis of pheasant, pheasant brawn and the hedgerow classic combination, rosehip and crab apple jelly. January will focus on venison and February is all about hare. Tickets cost £35 per person. www.threehorseshoesmadingley.co.uk

GIN TASTING NIGHT

¡Qué Rico! Tapas Another new Cambridge foodie discovery this month came when we stumbled across the delicious website belonging to ¡Qué Rico! Tapas. This local catering company, which launched around three months ago, specialises in freshly prepared Spanish food and tasty authentic tapas. Run by chef Estefania Les Ramos, ¡Qué Rico! Tapas, which prepare and cook their gourmet treats on site or deliver takeaways, offer an expansive menu that features lots of traditional dishes with creative twists. Dishes include melon soup with fried serrano ham, squid with wild rice, individual Spanish omelettes, croquetas and empanadillas. Sweet tooth? The lemon sorbet with gin and tonic gelatine looks especially irresistible. www.quericotapas.com

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The River Bar Steakhouse, the restaurant of Cambridge’s luxurious boutique hotel The Varsity, is hosting a special tasting night this month dedicated to showcasing the joys of gin. The event, which takes place on 13 November, will include a decadent four-course menu that features inventive gin-infused dishes, paired with specially matched gin cocktails. The evening begins at 7pm and is being held in association with The Cambridge Distillery, the UK’s first dedicated bespoke distillery, and as well as plenty of indulgent food and drink to enjoy, guests will also be treated to an engaging talk on the colourful history and production of gin, along with demonstrations on creating botanical infusions. Places are £49 per person. www.thevarsityhotel.co.uk

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©Thomas Skovsende

PUB of the

MONT

MEXICAN NIGHT If you’ve developed a taste for Nanna Mexico’s delicious tacos, then you might be interested to hear that Nanna Mexico owner and Mexican food guru Luis Navarro will be doing a special demo on 2 November at Ross Street Community Centre to teach us mere mortals how to make our own. The event is also designed for those learning to speak Spanish and throughout the night there will be chance to practise your Spanish conversation.

Even if you just fancy giving Spanish and tacos a go then this is the event for you.

The evening will cost £6 per person and you can book your place by emailing Debora@ferrarihaines.com.

H

THE EAGLE ew pubs in Cambridge have as many claims to fame as The Eagle on Bene’t Street.

It is said to be the oldest pub in the city and was the original coaching inn for Cambridge, dating it back to at least the 16th century, if not earlier. Back then it was called the Eagle and Child, or the Bird and the Baby by regulars. It is also renowned for the unique ceiling in the back bar which is a mural of names burnt onto the plaster with candles and lighters by Second World War airmen. Last but not least, it was, famously, the pub that Crick and Watson chose to announce their discovery of DNA in 1953. Yep, the secret of life was basically revealed to the world at this pub. Pretty cool.

The Eagle is even said to boast its own ghost. The tale goes that a small child perished upstairs in a terrible fire in one of the bedrooms because the window had been locked, making an escape impossible. Take a look up next time you’re in the pub’s courtyard and you’ll see that the window is now always left open, even in the depths of winter…

Fascinating as all that may be, it is the classic pub food menu and selection of beers and ales that make it a great spot to visit. The menu is full of hearty mains such as pie and bangers and mash, (amazing) chips, with lighter bites including jacket potatoes and sandwiches (the chicken, chorizo and rocket is especially nice). You can also round your meal off with a proper pud – their sticky toffee and date pudding is a winner.

The ales and beers on tap at this Greene King pub are another great draw; there is even a specially brewed Eagle DNA ale to celebrate the famous discovery. Add to the mix great service, a brill city centre location, roaring fires in the winter, lots of nooks and crannies to cosy up in and a perennially buzzing heated courtyard and you have yourself a fantastic Cambridge pub.

The Eagle, 8 Bene’t Street, Cambridge

©Thomas Skovsende

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INDIE OF THE MONTH

WORDS JENNIFER SHELTON IMAGES CHARLOTTE GRIFFITHS

INDEPENDENT OF THE MONTH

Cambridge Wine Merchants

For friendly, knowledgeable advice and a vast selection, our celebrated local wine merchant is the place to go. We pay a visit to a true Cambridge great

e’ve all been there: you’re ’ on the way to a party, trying to choose which wine to take.

Which country of origin should you look out for? Which vintage will make you look discerning? Which wine goes with which food?

Cambridge Wine Merchants, which has four branches in Cambridge, plus several out of town, are all about making the wine-buying experience easier and more enjoyable. I popped in to their recently revamped Bridge Street branch, now much roomier with tables to sit at and peoplewatch, for a chat with owner Hal Wilson – and a tour of his latest acquisitions.

“There’s a story behind every wine,” he explains, showing me their current display of wines from Spain, then moving on through France, the New World and beyond. “We’ve got great wines at every price point, and wines you won’t see widely elsewhere. It keeps things exciting.

Vintages will change, there’ll be new wines that excite us: at the moment we’ve got lots from Spain and the south of France.

We’re trying to bring a bit of that sunshine to Cambridge.”

Hal set up Cambridge Wine Merchants in 1993 with business partner Brett Turner.

The two met at uni, where Hal called on local lad Brett’s expertise to help organise the catering at the Peterhouse May Ball.

Hal was studying classics, but says he always had a mind to start up his own business: “My parents are self-employed,

so maybe it’s in my blood,” he ponders.

“And I always knew there was something magical about wine: opening one of my father’s 20-year-old bottles would be a real family occasion. He had a real reverence for wine.”

In a nice closing of the circle, as well as running their shops Hal and Brett also supply local pubs, restaurants and the Cambridge colleges – including many a May Ball. So, what would he recommend for me; a semi-reluctant wine-drinker with a sweet tooth?

“I’d go straight for this one,” he says, picking up a slim green bottle – a Torres Esmeralda, priced around £8. “It uses a grape called the Moscatel, making it one of the few wines that actually smells and tastes like grapes. It’s sweet and fresh, and made by one of the masters of winemaking.” I’m sold.

Spain seems like the vintage to watch for 2013, and Cambridge Wine Merchants recently picked up a significant award for their Spanish wines: voted the UK’s No.1 Independent Wine Merchants by the Best of Spain Awards. They’re also Large Independent Merchant of the Year in the UK 2013, and International Wine Challenge’s Merchant of the Year 2012. So what makes Hal’s business model a winner?

“Hard work, enthusiasm and really caring about the customers,” he replies.

“We have a team of buyers, and we buy independently, so we can buy what we like, and what we think our customers will like.

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We read and read, taste and taste – and taste some more – and find what we think will work.

“We’ve been very fortunate in Cambridge in the last five years. You don’t have to go far to see towns where every other shop is closed down. Whereas we’ve had real investment in the city centre, and people have really been getting behind the independent scene lately.”

Finally, I ask, am I the only one who can’t smell gooseberries or oak or cheese at wine tastings? Are people sometimes just making it up?

“That’s a really interesting question!” he laughs. “Actually, I’ve done quite a lot of work on this. As a sense, smell has been historically downgraded – it had its day a long time ago when we relied on smell for survival. So because we don’t have much training in using smell, describing smells is really difficult. I don’t like describing wine as a grocery list – it’s the emotional reaction that counts, and that’s different for each of us. Our sense of smell is hardwired into our deep memories.

It bypasses conscious thought. We are smelling the same thing, but we’re having a different reaction. It’s more like listening to music. So I like to tell people the story behind a wine, and let them taste it and make their own judgement.”

Branches in Mill Road, Bridge Street, King’s Parade and Cherry Hinton Road www.cambridgewine.com

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FOOD

WORDS ALEX RUSHMER

THE PROOF IS IN THE

s a nation, there are some things we do very well indeed when it comes to the sweeter side of life. Granted, if we’re discussing elaborate pastry work or intricate chocolate creations we have one or two things to learn if we are to compete with the French, the Swiss or the Italians, but there is no one on earth who can hold a candle to the English when it comes to puddings of the hearty and wholesome variety. Suet puddings are making a better-late-thannever resurgence and we are once again discovering the artery clogging delights of a proper jam roly-poly. The humble crumble is also a worthy contender for King of Puddings and this is a great time of year for cooking orchard fruits under a sweet, short and biscuity blanket, although the great cream versus custard versus ice cream debate will probably continue for some considerable time (the answer, by the way, is custard).

In spite of this great canon of stodgy sweetness there is one dish that just inches away from the field enough

Images courtesy of Waitrose

From humble crumbles to scrumptious sticky toffee puds, we Brits will always be frontrunners in the sweetstakes, says Alex Rushmer

to be crowned the true King of Puds.

Sticky toffee pudding is quite simply a magnificent creation that is a beltlooseningly tremendous way to finish a Sunday lunch. The combination of dark, muscovado rich sponge, bittersweet toffee sauce and ice cream (there is no debate here – ice cream is the only genuine dairy foil to this tummy busting stodgefest) is the perfect triumvirate when in search of a sweet finish to a hearty roast dinner and a legal and immediate sedative.

As one would expect there are a number of claimants when seeking out the originator to this great recipe. The strongest dossier of evidence lies within the village of Penrith, Cumbria at the heart of the Lake District where, let’s face it, a calorie-laden dessert might help in quelling the depression caused by the near-incessant rain. Early in the 1970s a cook named Francis Coulson began cooking up and serving the earliest

example of sticky toffee pudding (by that name) at the Sharrow Bay Hotel on the shore of Ullswater, a claim the hotel rigidly sticks to. This ‘original’ recipe remains a closely guarded secret, so much so that every member of staff at the hotel is still required to sign a secrecy agreement promising not to disclose the secrets of Coulson’s original recipe.

Not that this has prevented others from recreating and adapting the sticky toffee pudding, going some way to enhancing its reputation as a bona fide English classic which appears on pub menus countrywide in its various forms. Up until recently the version that has graced the lunch menu at The Hole in the Wall has been straight down the line classic – a sweet batter, enriched further with dried dates and baked until it attains a light, muffin-like texture – but as the year begins to enter the twilight zone I decide to take things a little darker and distinctly autumnal in this month’s recipe.

The combination of dark, rich sponge, bittersweet toffee sauce and ice cream is the perfect triumvirate SIGN UP TO THE EDIT NEWSLETTER AT CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK

Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 59

EATING IN

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EATING IN

WORDS ALEX RUSHMER IMAGES CHARLOTTE GRIFFITHS

Stick y treacle

tof fee pudding W IT H SM OK ED IC E CR EA M The addition of treacle makes my version of STP deliciously dark and stormy, while the ice cream is given a smoky flavour by the addition of lapsang souchong tea.

The resulting flavour combination makes this dish the essence of Bonfire Night.

Step-by-step guide For the ice cream 1. Slowly bring the milk, cream and lapsang souchong tea to the boil over a medium heat.

2. When it begins to boil, remove from the heat and leave to infuse for half an hour.

3. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale, light in texture and around double the volume you began with.

4. Pour the infused milk and cream through a sieve onto the egg yolks and sugar, mix to combine and leave to cool.

5. Refrigerate for six hours and then churn in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturers’ instructions.

For the pudding 1. Pour the water over the dates and bring to the boil in a saucepan.

2. Remove from the heat and stir in the

bicarbonate of soda. Set aside and leave to cool.

3. Cream together the butter, treacle and sugar and stir in the eggs, one at a time.

4. Add the dates and water mixture and finally sift in the flour. Pour into a greased and floured loaf tin and bake for one hour at 180°C. For the toffee sauce 1. Put the butter and sugar into a saucepan and cook over a moderate heat until the caramel reaches a temperature of 120°C. 2. Pour in the cream, stir to combine and keep warm until needed.

3. To complete the dish place a slice of the pudding onto a warm plate, spoon over the toffee sauce and finish with a scoop of the smoked ice cream.

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In association with Cambridge Wine Merchants

The great depth of flavour in Alex’s pud deserves something big, bold and sweet to accompany it. Try these two fortified wines for taste nirvana!

1. Great wine can come from the most unexpected places. The utterly delicious Bacalhôa Moscatel de Setúbal 2009 is made near Lisbon in Portugal. The grapes macerate until after Christmas, then spend a minimum of three years in small oak barrels. This is so good with sticky toffee pudding because it has its own lovely toffee and raisiny character, with a balanced, delicious acidity to offset the sweetness and a tang of marmalade richness. 17.5% ABV. 2. Graham’s make the most beautiful ports and their 20-year-old Tawny port is a musttry affordable luxury.

Exquisitely mellowed by careful ageing it is rich, softly sweet and smooth. Drunk alongside the treacle pudding the experience is truly unforgettable.

20% ABV. These drinks are available by the glass at the Hole in the Wall (01223 812282) and by the bottle at Cambridge Wine Merchants (01223 309309).

Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 61

EATING OUT

WORDS & IMAGES CHARLOTTE GRIFFITHS

RESTAURANT REVIEW Charlotte Griffiths visits the beautiful village of Therfield and receives a warm welcome – and some delicious food – on a wintry night at The Fox & Duck iscovering a previously unknown dining destination is always an exciting moment, so it was with great anticipation that my friend and I made the journey to Therfield, up and over the Royston heath, to visit the Fox & Duck for this month’s review.

The chill of winter was definitely in the air so we hurried into the welcoming pub that sits at the heart of this beautiful village. Owned by Ivan and Vanessa since October of last year, the pub’s focus is now firmly on food and it was certainly busy when we visited on a midweek evening. Guests can choose between a bar menu offering more relaxed dishes such as burgers, fish and chips and sandwiches, or a well-formed à la carte menu that changes to reflect the seasons and makes reference to many modern culinary techniques and flavour combinations – it was clear that whoever was behind the stove had grand plans for the Fox & Duck’s menu.

We were warmly received by Ivan who settled us at a comfortable round table in the corner of the pub, with a view of the busy bar and the extensive restaurant stretching towards the kitchens in the rear. My vegetarian companion chose to start with the soup of the day from the bar menu, which turned out to be a velvet-smooth cauliflower creation accompanied by warm home-made bread and butter.

I opted for the beetroot and ricotta salad from the à la carte menu and was impressed by the different preparations of the root vegetables that comprised

the dish, especially the thin crisps of different-coloured beetroots. Dish presentation was also excellent, several cuts above what you might expect from a local pub, and definitely whetted our appetites for the mains to come.

Main courses were a trio of pork for me, which included pork fillet, braised shoulder of pork and a croquette of belly, accompanied by creamed wholegrain polenta, baby leeks, apples and a wild mushroom fricassee. This was exactly what I needed to warm me up and I battled through the extremely generous portion, hugely enjoying the well-matched flavour combinations. My friend went for the vegetable tian from the bar menu, combining aubergine, sweet potato, spinach and courgette in a spiced tomato sauce, with a Parmesan and poppyseed crisp. Having had disappointing experiences of dining out as a vegetarian in rural eateries, she was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the main course. The presentation of both dishes was again first-rate, and this also applied to the more relaxed meals from the bar menu that we saw being carried past our table on their way to other diners – the fish and chips in particular looked very inviting.

The dessert list was small but perfectly formed, offering something

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for every sort of dessert fan, including a well-stocked local cheese board, but we resisted and chose a Bramley apple parfait and a vanilla panna cotta. Middessert, my dining companion put down her spoon and said, “Honestly, this is one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time” – and I wholeheartedly agreed.

Coffees arrived after dessert and were accompanied by a small tray of petit fours themed around postprandial drinks: a Baileys chocolate truffle, an amaretto biscotti and an Archers and lemonade jelly. In the process of expressing my glee at the wobbliness of the transparent jelly cube, I managed to drop it straight into my coffee, creating a mini tidal wave of hot drink that swamped my side of the table. More than slightly embarrassing (especially as the waiting staff were watching as it happened), but they almost immediately replaced the coffee and even tried to take responsibility for my daftness.

The Fox & Duck is a great destination eaterie, only 30 minutes from central Cambridge, and is well worth a visit – especially if you combine it with a walk in the countryside. A traditional pub that welcomes both locals and newcomers with equal warmth, this place should be high up on your hit list of local dining experiences.

Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 63

DRINKS

IMAGES CHARLOTTE GRIFFITHS

Time

The master mixologists at Rose Crescent’s hippest hangout La Raza introduce us to a selection of their delicious seasonal cocktails

# 1 The Autumn Press 37.5ml Absolut Pear vodka ½ Pink Lady apple 12.5ml St-Germain Elderflower lique ur 1 dash plum bitters 25ml fresh lemon juice 1 egg white

Method

Muddle the apple, then shake very hard with all the other ingredients. Dou ble strain into a coupette glass and garn ish.

64 | Cambridge Edition | November 2013

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DRINKS

#3 Fig Fall Old Fashioned 50ml Santa Teresa 1796 rum 12.5ml Edmond Briottet fig liqueur 1 dash Black Walnut Bitters Caramelised pear slices to garnish

Method

Stir ingredients on ice to achieve dilution and length. Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a caramelised pear fan.

#2 Praise The Gourd 37.5ml Patrón Reposado Tequila 12.5ml Cointreau 15ml pumpkin syrup ½ custard apple 12.5ml fresh lemon juice Ground nutmeg to garnish

Method

Shake all the ingredients and double strain into a coupette glass, lightly dust with nutmeg.

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Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 65

DINING GUIDE

WORDS SIAN TOWNSEND

Winter

Dining Guide

Whether you feel the need to snuggle up with a glass of mulled wine and a few nibbles, or fancy a sit-down feast, we’ve got winter festivities in Cambridge covered

Best for.. warming up

The Maypole This tucked-away but brilliantly central pub b is renowned for its warm welcome and over the festive period it will be positively glowing as po delicious mulled wine and locally mulled cider der is served in the laidback, friendly bar. As ever there will be more than 16 ales to choose from, around 50 bottled beers and the pub’s famous cocktails if you want something special to sip. If you find yourself feeling peckish and you’re in the sharing mood then options such as the red onion tarte tatin, pigs in blankets and Stilton mousse are all available at £11 for three. Hungrier tummies will appreciate turkey, pork and salmon offerings, with all the trimmings, for just £12.95.

20a Portugal Place CB5 8AF, 01223 352999, maypolefreehouse.co.uk

The Red Lion, Hinxton When it’s parky out, there are few better places to recline than on one of the chesterfields by the roaring fire in The Red Lion at Hinxton. The bar area makes a comfy spot for pre-dinner drinks before you wander through to the spacious restaurant. Head chef Peter Friskey has devised a menu with dishes to tempt, including hot smokedtrout salad, confit of pork belly and of course a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. The pub is famous for its puddings and the sweet treats on the festive menu are no exception – sticky toffee pudding, chocolate caramel tart and malted milk burnt cream are just some of the enticing options.

32 High Street, Hinxton CB10 1QY, 01799 530601, redlionhinxton.co.uk

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La Raza It’s all about the sharing and spice at La Raza this December. Their tapas-themed menus are made up of Spanish sizzlers, including turkey with a spicy rub and paella, and hearty classics such as crunchy roast potatoes. Groups can choose from a £19.50 menu or a £29.50 menu and then sit down to tuck in together with a glass of fizz for every reveller included in the price.

Once your party have had their fill you can hit the dance floor to show off your moves, as La Raza transforms from trendy tapas bar to funky club. Another plus is that on weeknights happy hour runs until 10pm, with selected cocktails for just £4. For a taster of the kind of spectacular seasonal cocktails on offer this winter at La Raza, turn to page 64!

4-6 Rose Crescent CB2 3LL, 01223 464550, laraza.co.uk

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DINING WEGUIDE WEDDINGS DDINGS

Hotel Felix

Best for.. great food

You can dine and dance the night away at Hotel Felix this December, where they will be putting on a finedining take on the classic festive dinner for £41 per person, including mince pies and Christmas crackers, all in a luxurious private function room. Or you can upgrade to the party option for £45 a head for a disco with up to 60 guests, and both offer pomegranate sparkle on arrival for all merrymakers.

Whitehouse Lane, Huntingdon Road CB3 0LX, 01223 277977, hotelfelix.co.uk

Fitzbillies If there’s one time of the year that is all about feasting, it’s Christmas. et Luckily a feast is just what you will get at Fitzbillies this festive season (and beyond). At this Cambridge institution, you and your party, large or small, can enjoy a special Christmas menu which features seven-hour shoulder of lamb, a dish of birds with duck fat potatoes or River Farm smoked ham, along with some irresistible desserts and a glass of fizz for £35 per head. Advance booking is essential.

51-52 Trumpington Street CB2 1RG, 01223 352500, fitzbillies.com

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d’Arry’s This thriving independent on King Street is known for great food and wine. When it comes to festive dining d’Arry’s has it covered – book a table in the restaurant’s buzzing atmosphere, or plan an intimate affair in the private dining room that can seat up to 18 people. The celebration menu has all the classic offerings and seasonal alternatives including baked pear and Roquefort gratin or roast duck with celeriac puree; nutmeg panna cotta takes our fancy in the dessert department. Two courses for £23.95 or three for £28.95.

2-4 King Street CB1 1LN, 01223 505015, darrys.co.uk

Hotel du Vin A classic Christmas awaits at Hotel du Vin with a menu including smoked salmon, rib-eye steak and turkey with all the trimmings. Decadent desserts include a candied chocolate-orange pot and a traditional Christmas pud, and the meal is rounded off with coffee and mince pies, for £29.50.

There’s the cellar bar for intimate post-dinner drinks and the cigar pre- or p shack if you are of that persuasion.

You can also book private dining in the complete with beautiful Balfour room, ro mural of the Hotel du Vin staff, or the smaller Common Room looking out on Trumpington Road.

15-19 Trumpington Street CB2 1QA, 08447 364253, hotelduvin.com

Pint Shop This bread, meat and beerhouse is now in full swing as Cambridge’s newest city-based independent restaurant. If you haven’t visited yet then their festive offerings should have you marching there pronto. Book a Christmas meal and you will be presented with a quail Scotch egg with piccalilli on arrival, then there’s cheese-crusted parsnips and potted pork for starter, and spit-roast crown of capon or coal-grilled book steak for main. If the savoury treats aren’t tempting enough, there is the chocolate feast – a St Nicholas chocolate log with distilled beer ice cream for dessert, among other tasty options. Two courses are £23 (lunch only) or three for £29.

10 Peas Hill CB2 3PN, 07852 458814, pintshop.co.uk

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DINING GUIDE

Cambridge Cit y Hotel

Best for.. someth ing d if ferent Madingley Hall If you want to try somewhere new this Christmas then how about taking your team out of town for a night of festive fun at Madingley Hall? This stunning venue will be putting on a special party night on 17 December where for £40 per person guests can enjoy reception drinks in the grand dining hall, a three-course meal with coffee and mince pies and then a disco for dancing the night away until midnight in the Terrace Bar. And the great part is that the hall also offers 62 en-suite guest rooms so that no one has to worry about getting home.

Madingley, Cambridge CB23 8AQ, 01223 746222, madingleyhall.co.uk

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If you want a night out with a difference this December then look no further than Cambridge City Hotel who have pulled out all the stops for their party nights. There are pub nights at Quinns Irish pub with 80s karaoke and a finger buffet for just £17.95 each, or casino nights in the hotel with a meal, casino table and cocktail bar for £43.95 a head. Or if neither of those appeal how about a variety night with three-course meal, magician, photo booth, DJ and cocktail bar, at just £43.95 a head? There really is something for every sort of Christmas celebration and of course the option to stay over so you can enjoy all the jollity and not worry about booking a taxi.

Downing Street CB2 3DT, 01223 464491, cambridgecityhotel.co.uk

De Luca Cucina & Bar This great Regent Street independent offers a host of merriment options for those who want to make a night of it. Start the party upstairs in The Regency Club, the restaurant’s very own cocktail bar, where you can enjoy drinks and canapés. The private dining room offers an Italian-inspired menu that features tempting options such as chorizo arancini and an Italian take on the classic – turkey escalope with fennel, lemon thyme sauce and home-made cranberry jam. And, of course, they do a fabulous Italian panettone for dessert. Once you’ve dined, head back to the bar to learn how to shake up a great cocktail.

The three-course menu is £28 per head and you can add on extras such as a cheese course and sorbet for £7, a glass of Prosecco for £3.50 and cocktail classes for £25 each.

83 Regent Street CB2 1AW, 01223 356666, delucacucina.co.uk

Zara Indian Cuisine

If you fancy spicing things up with some fine-dining Indian cuisine this festive season, we recommend a trip to the always flawless Zara in Great Shelford. Chat to the team at Zara and they can help you to create a menu to suit you. Party menus start from £12.95 including a set curry, rice and naan bread, or you can add starters, fish dishes or dessert from £17.95. Whatever you choose, the restaurant can accommodate large parties in their contemporary venue, conveniently situated right next to Shelford railway station.

1 Hinton Way, Great Shelford CB22 5AX, 01223 846668, zarashelford.com

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DINING WEGUIDE WEDDINGS DDINGS

Best for..

Doubletree Hilton

great va lue for money

Strada It’s all about added sparkle for less at Strada this December with a threecourse party menu and a glass of Prosecco for £22.95 per person. Diners can enjoy a fine array of Italian treats including fungi al forno, a festive calzone and an oozing chocolate fondant for dessert. As well as those Italian options there is also the must-have turkey feast and a fancy version of apple pie for those who like their traditional festive fare. Top tip: the risotto zucca with butternut squash and pumpkin topped with pancetta and pine nuts is a seasonal wonder; don’t just take our word for it.

17 Trinity Street CB2 1TB, 01223 352166, strada.co.uk

This riverside hotel offers the complete package for December merrymaking. Sit down for a special afternoon tea with turkey and cranberry sandwiches, mini mince pies and Christmas cake, all for £16.

Or enjoy the Christmas party menu made up of fine-dining options such as tea-smoked chicken and pancetta timbale, chicken with apricot mousse and, of course, the classic Christmas pud, from just £20 for two courses. Or upgrade to a party night option and follow your three-course dinner with a disco and dancing from £35 a head.

Granta Place, Mill Lane CB2 1RT, 01223 259988, doubletreecambridge.com

The Red Cow, Chrishall Take one country pub, add a few glasses of mulled wine and a roaring fire and you have the ultimate traditional Christmas setting.

You can find all this under one roof at The Red Cow. It’s known for its great food and will be serving up a party menu until 4 January. Options include a slow-cooked lamb stew or a roast sweet potato soup, alongside a turkey dinner. And you can’t get much more traditional than a plum pudding for dessert. The menu costs £19.50 for two courses or £24.50 for three.

11 High Street, Chrishall SG8 8RN, 01763 838792, theredcow.com

The Blue Lion, Hardwick The menu at The Blue Lion will leave you in quite a conundrum – do you go for the game-bird terrine with clementine and Prosecco jelly, the crab tart, or potted wild mushrooms? All three sound wonderfully tempting. It’s a similar story for main course; there’s the classic turkey but also an enticing pork belly dish with apple and black pudding tart. Whatever you choose, all mains come with maple-glazed parsnips, slowbraised red cabbage and roasties of course. Lucky the salted caramel and chocolate torte stands out as our clear winner in the dessert dilemma. Aside from the great menu, there’s an open fire and a bright conservatory area to dine in. The festive menu is brilliant value at £20.95 for two courses or £25.95 for three.

74 Main Street, Hardwick CB23 7QU, 01954 210328, bluelionhardwick.co.uk

70 | Cambridge Edition | November 2013

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FASHION NEWS

FASHION News Ness Grand Arcade Fashion Show As any discerning local fashionista will know, the Grand Arcade’s spectacular catwalk shows are not to be missed. In previous years we’ve been treated to opera singers and ballet dancers, and the team look set to pull out all the stops once again on 1 November in the Gold Dust fashion shows, which will offer a chance to take a peek at the hottest new season trends for men and women, as well as enjoying retailer discounts throughout the day and some tasty drinks and nibbles courtesy of Carluccio’s. Taking place at 11am, 12.30pm, 2pm and 4pm (each show lasts approximately 45 minutes), the free-to-watch runway shows will feature pieces from many of the Grand Arcade’s 60 high street stores and luxury labels, including John Lewis, Ted Baker, Coast, Hobbs, LK Bennett, Wallis, Gant, Kurt Geiger, TM Lewin and River Island. www.grandarcade.co.uk

Picks from the indies Our favourite styles from local independent fashion boutiques

New Opening

We’re excited to announce that last month saw the opening of Ness, a new independent fashion boutique in the Grand Arcade. Founded in Edinburgh in 1996, the styles on offer in the store honour the brand’s Scottish heritage, with a great range of tartan designs in a kaleidoscope of colours and textures, as well as lots of gorgeous tweed pieces, luxe knits and eye-catching prints. It’s the eleventh store for Ness, which aims to offer women beautifully-designed key wardrobe pieces and iconic British tailoring with a contemporary twist.

A browse through their Autumn/ Winter collection reveals stylish but super-cosy outerwear (including some very covetable brightly-hued wellies and duffle coats), bang on trend tartan skirts, and a range of perfect wardrobe staple knits. www.ness.co.uk

VEJA 'ENVELOPE' BAG £95 GIULIO CAMBRIDGE, KING STREET, CAMBRIDGE

TAN ANKLE BOOT £145 MODISH

SEA NY LEOPARD DRESS £365 ANNA, HIGH STREET, SAFFRON WALDEN

MISSONI PENCIL SKIRT £280 BASKA, MAGDALENE STREET, CAMBRIDGE

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VILLAGE ENGLAND CRANLEIGH BAG £165 BOUDOIR FEMME, KING STREET, CAMBRIDGE Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 75

FASHION

Get LEATHERED WORDS NICOLA FOLEY

It’s a winter staple for good reason: weatherproof, stylish, utterly timeless – and it makes everyone look instantly cooler. Fact.

Last winter we embraced brightly hued and metallic leathers, this season it’s back to basics with classic black all over the catwalks. For AW13, various designers offered up a gothic twist, with decadent glossy leather pieces and showstopping all-leather evening gowns, but there was also a strong minimalist contingent, with lots of simple shift dresses and pencil skirts doing the rounds. Whether you dabble with a T-shirt or go for broke (probably literally) with head to toe leather – you’ll definitely be in good company.

QUILTED LEATHER-LOOK T-SHIRT £50 TOPSHOP, GRAFTON CENTRE & GRAND ARCADE, CAMBRIDGE

BLACK PU PONTE PANELLED PENCIL SKIRT £10 PRIMARK, BURLEIGH STREET, CAMBRIDGE

SHANNON LEATHER PENCIL SKIRT £189 REISS, TRINITY STREET, CAMBRIDGE

TWIGGY BLOCK LEATHER DRESS £175 M&S, SIDNEY STREET, CAMBRIDGE

AUTOGRAPH JACKET £249 AUTOGRAPH DRESS £399 M&S, SIDNEY STREET, CAMBRIDGE

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LASER BUTTERFLY DRESS £299 HOBBS, GRAND ARCADE, CAMBRIDGE

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FASHION

CHECK FAUX FUR TRIM PONCHO £35 ACCESSORIZE, GRAFTON CENTRE & GRAND ARCADE, CAMBRIDGE

POINTED BROGUE BLUCHER £49.99 ZARA, ST ANDREW’S ST, CAMBRIDGE

IN

Brogue FRANKIE BROGUE £69.99 OFFICE, MARKET ST, CAMBRIDGE

CARINE BROGUES £129 HOBBS, GRAND ARCADE, CAMBRIDGE

TheGREATEST Cape ANIMAL CAPE £30 WAREHOUSE, GRAND ARCADE, CAMBRIDGE

COMBINATION CAPE £129 ZARA, ST ANDREW’S ST, CAMBRIDGE

ASOS BIKER CAPE COAT £75 ASOS, WWW.ASOS.COM

If the catwalks are any indication, we’re all going to be caped crusaders this winter, with designers including Chloé, Hermès, Valentino, Victoria Beckham, Vera Wang and (it seemed like) everyone else presenting this as the key shape for outerwear this season. From A-line to biker, and even poncho-like capes, there was something for all tastes and the High Street has followed suit, offering up a dizzying array of patterns, cuts and fabrics. Hit a trend double whammy with a bright blue biker cape from ASOS, go for military chic with this über-wearable Mango number, or turn heads in Warehouse’s leopard-print style.

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MANGO MILITARY CAPE COAT £90 AVAILABLE FROM ASOS, WWW.ASOS.COM

LUSTROUS SILVER BROGUE £79 DUNE, MARKET ST, CAMBRIDGE

LUSTROUS BROGUE (MULTI) £79 DUNE, MARKET ST, CAMBRIDGE

MANCE POINTED LACEUP SHOES £32 TOPSHOP, GRAFTON CENTRE & GRAND ARCADE, CAMBRIDGE

Cambridge Cam Ca C a am mbrriidge dge Edition Edition | November Nov 2013 | 77

FASHION

CLOCKWORK orange ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK

Make no mistake about it. It’s not often that one particular hue captures the imagination of so many designers simultaneously, but that’s exactly what happened on the AW13 catwalks. A vibrant, high-vis shade (being dubbed ‘safety orange’ by the fash pack) appeared at shows including Jonathan Saunders, Topshop Design, Vivienne Westwood and Katie Eary, with most opting for a head-to-toe look. If (and we don’t blame you) you’re not quite ready for that, we recommend a colour-pop beanie or jumper. Instant style points, guaranteed.

HOODED JACKET NOW £22 TOPMAN, GRAND ARCADE, CAMBRIDGE

SAFETY ORANGE DUFFLE £85 SCARF £17 RIVER ISLAND, GRAND ARCADE, CAMBRIDGE

NORSE PROJECTS LOGO CAP NOW £14.40 DOGFISH, TRINITY ST, CAMBRIDGE

ORANGE TEXTURE JUMPER £80 TOPMAN, GRAND ARCADE, CAMBRIDGE

WOOL MASERATI BLAZER £159 REISS TRINITY STREET, CAMBRIDGE

CHECK MATE

ORION SWEATER £75 REISS TRINITY STREET, CAMBRIDGE

CURL EDGE SWEATER BY FOLK CLOTHING £130 DOGFISH, TRINITY ST, CAMBRIDGE

Courtesy of Office

OVERSIZED CHECK BLAZER £80 TOPMAN, GRAND ARCADE, CAMBRIDGE

RED BUFFALO CHECK JUMPER £32 TOPMAN

It’s not just the ladies who are embracing tartan this season, the menswear designers were all over this trend as well, this time with supersized squares. Classic London label E. Tautz led the way on this one, with models sporting abstract, oversized checks on formal outerwear, but this look works equally well with casual jackets and lumberjack style shirts too.

78 | Cambridge Edition | November 2013

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A beautiful setting for beautiful therapies A secret haven of relaxation just two miles from the City

Massage / Facials / Nails (Vinylux & Shellac) / Spray Tan (Fake Bake) Hair Removal (including hot wax) / Pamper Parties and packages Gifts & Voucher – Perfect for Christmas / Regular special offers

Opening Times: Burwash Manor Barns New Road, Barton, Cambridge, CB23 7EY info@burwashdragonfly.com

Monday – Wednesday & Friday 10am – 6 pm Thursday 10am- 8pmSaturday 9am – 5pm Sunday 10am – 4pm

01223 263469

www.burwashdragonfly.com

BEAUTY

WORDS DAISY DICKINSON & CHARLOTTE GRIFFITHS

Beauty BOXED

This month we road-test the best beauty boxes on the market – subscription services that deliver stunning selections of beauty samples direct to your door

Image courtesy of Accessorize

Sometimes (especially at this time of year), the hunt for the latest beauty trend can seem like an uphill slog. We prefer to use the colder months to hunker down in front of YouTube to learn some new techniques while waiting for the warmth to return – but what happens when a hibernating beauty buff fancies a new product to put a spring in their step?

Step forwards, the beauty box. Now you can try out the latest beauty products without having to slip out of your onesie.

These subscription-based services will post you a handful or two of goodies, presented in a stylish box every month, or as a oneoff, containing a mix of classic products and new launches, so you’re almost guaranteed to find something that you’ll enjoy. We tried out four of these services – here’s our verdict!

Souk Souk Natural Box Committed to introducing customers to a wide range of organic, natural, chemicalfree and cruelty-free beauty products, this gorgeously-wrapped box had our inner eco-warriors whooping with delight. We got a nice mix of products from brands we’d not encountered before, plus two balms from a Welsh producer called

80 | Cambridge Edition | November 2013

Gwidhu (pronounced ‘goody hoo’) which turned out to be the pick of the box. The teeny-tiny chocolate bar went down extremely well too! planet-loving beauty aficionados and sensitive skin types.

From £10 per month plus £2.50 packaging. www.souksouk.co.uk

great for:

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BEAUTY

Glossybox We tried two different sample boxes from Glossybox, one of their new Miss Glossybox bimonthly service and one classic version of their Beauty Box, both of which went down a storm. They were beautifully presented with little books of stickers, stylishly designed fold-out guides explaining the products and exclusive offers on purchasing the full-size versions. We were impressed to find some classic products beneath the layers of tissue paper, including a make-up bag sized tube of Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream, and have no doubt that receiving a Glossybox every month or two would keep us giddy with anticipation. A gift subscription to Glossybox would make a terrific present, too. teenagers, style fans, presents (did we hint enough yet?).

Glossybox: £10 plus p&p, monthly.

Miss Glossybox: £7 plus p&p, once every two months. www.glossybox.co.uk

great for:

Birchbox One of the original beauty box providers, Birchboxes are legendary for their highquality samples and to-die-for packaging.

Our Birchboxes arrived as minimalist cardboard dressed in silky, neon orange ribbon – perfect timing for London Fashion Week which was raging in the capital at the time. We were pleased to see luxury brands like Aromatherapy Associates and L’Occitane included, as well as a gorgeous full-size nail polish from Révérence de Bastien, free from nasty chemicals, in a stunning shade. fashion-forward ladies, lovers of luxury. From £10 plus p&p, monthly. www.birchbox.co.uk

great for:

Latest in Beauty Perfect for those who crave the latest craze, these jam-packed beauty boxes incorporate travel-size samples of the newest beauty launches in skincare, haircare, make-up and accessories. The ultimate ‘try before you buy’, with various subscription options available including the Little Beauty Box where you pay just £1.50 via text message for three mini samples! Associated brands include some of our faves: Nip and Fab, Murad, Steamcream and Elemis. sample junkies and those who have everything. From £1.50. www.latestinbeauty.com

great for:

BEAUTY NEWS

Beauty

NEWS

New gel nails at House of Beauty Get set for the party season with some long-lasting nail polish. House of Beauty on Victoria Road now stocks VINYLUX, the breakthrough nail polish that stays flawless for up to a week. And, because its exposure to natural light helps it set, the polish actually increases its resilience to chips over time.

House of Beauty also offers facial treatments, body massages, manicures and more. VINYLUX is available in 62 shades – swing by the salon or check them out online. www.cambridgebeauty.co.uk

Unique Candle Ritual Treatment Just in time for the darker, chillier months, The Spa at Bedford Lodge Hotel, near Newmarket, has announced a new candle ritual treatment, designed to help relax and rebalance your body and mind as winter approaches.

The candle’s flames melt key ingredients, such as almond oil, coconut oil and shea butter. This relaxing and moisturising mix is then massaged onto the body leaving dry skin feeling beautifully nourished. This personalised holistic treatment will rebalance mind and body as well as soothing and warming tired aching muscles.

A unique treatment experience, this ritual is available for 60 or 90 minutes, with prices starting at £65. For bookings contact 01638 676130 or email spareservations@bedfordlodgehotel.co.uk. www.bedfordlodgehotelspa.co.uk

Meet make-up artist to the stars, Joseph Hernandez International make-up artist Joseph Hernandez will be making an appearance at the Elizabeth Arden beauty counter at Debenhams in the Grafton Centre to give expert tips and treatments on 8 November.

Hernandez has worked on fashion shoots for some of the world’s major glossy magazines and made up some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Kate Moss, Gwyneth Paltrow and Catherine Zeta Jones. He now works exclusively for Elizabeth Arden in the UK. If you fancy enjoying a glass of fizz and a glamourising one-to-one consultation with this master of his craft, you can book by calling 01223 443560 or visiting the Elizabeth Arden counter. Sessions are £10, which you can get back on purchases on the day from Elizabeth Arden. www.graftoncentre.co.uk

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Fitsteps Join in the new Strictly Come Dancing fitness craze, FitSteps, taking place at Stapleford Pavilion on Fridays, 10.15am-11.15am, and at Great Chesterford Community Centre Thursdays, 7.30pm-8.30pm. FitStep is a new fitness technique created by Strictly’s Natalie Lowe and Ian Waite, and six-time world champion swimmer Mark Foster, who swapped his shorts for sequins to take part in the show in series six. The class is headed up by Liz Priestley. For more information contact 07812 610154. www.fitsteps.co.uk

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Your Local Heating and Plumbing Company The Central Heating Specialists

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When you get a Gas Vaillant boiler fully fitted with us (prices start from £1995 + vat), you will receive a &2%% powerflush, programmable room thermostat and magnetic filter! (subject to T&Cs)

s )NSTALLATIONS s 3ERVICING s 0OWER &LUSHING s ,0' s -AINTENANCE s 0LUMBING s #OMBI "OILER 3PECIALISTS We’ve been providing expert service to our customers for over 14 years, and we’re very proud of how many of them keep coming back to us again and again.

So you know that when you call Marross, you’re always in safe hands.

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or email info@marross.co.uk

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INTERIORS

WORDS ANGELINA VILLA-CLARKE

YOUR FANTASY

SANCTUARY WOW FACTOR Even small spaces can be made to feel extra special.

Take inspiration from Laufen’s Palomba range, from £8000, available from Crofthouse (01223 300858; www.ckbh.co.uk)

86 | Cambridge Edition | November 2013

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INTERIORS

FLOORED BY DESIGN This bathroom keeps things subtle with Toulouse floor tiles, £7.99 per tile, FiredEarth (0845 293 8798; www.firedearth.com)

Bathroom designers are turning what were once utilitarian spaces into gorgeous hideaways within our homes. We reveal the latest trends to dream about FLOWER POWER

DREAM SPACE Make your bathroom cosy with upholstery and wallpaper, such as Peony, £98 a roll, Farrow & Ball (01202 876141; www.farrow-ball.com), or for a bolder statement, Venetian Bouquet, £118 a roll, Anthropologie (00800 0026 8476; www.anthropologie.ceu)

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We’ve come a long way from the days when a bathroom was a purely practical space that inhabited the smallest room in the house. These days, the place where we preen, catch our thoughts and make ourselves presentable to the world has evolved into a ‘living’ room in its own right. With homeowners investing more in stylish features and wanting their bathrooms to be a highlight of their homes, decorating ideas that were once relegated to living rooms and bedrooms have crept into the bathroom.

The use of floral prints and botanical designs on tiling, wallpapers and accessories, for instance, softens a bathroom’s functionality, making it a modern-day sanctuary. Using a bold, graphic wallpaper adds a fun, dramatic feel to the space. Prints that boast striking flowers or botanical drawings can be used to great effect, especially in small areas. Anthropologie’s Venetian Bouquet Wallpaper (£118 per roll, www. anthropologie.com) features vibrant blooms on a black background, while Farrow & Ball’s flamboyant Lotus print is

Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 87

INTERIORS

Photos by Mario Ciampi

BLACK AND WHITE EFFECT This Aquadi bathroom uses a dramatic monochrome combination. Available at By Design (01223 248409; www.bydi.co.uk)

FLIGHTS OF FANCY Achieve a bold design with beautiful tiles, such as the colourful New Museum, New York range by Carlo Dal Bianco, Bisazza (www.bisazza.com)

drawn from 19th century French archives and oozes glamour and sophistication (£98 per roll, www.farrow-ball.com).

Tiling is also embracing the trend.

Where once we would have chosen mainly neutral tiles for our bathrooms, with perhaps a bright border at most, there is now a growing appetite for statement walls created by ceramics.

If budget allows, Italian mosaic powerhouse Bisazza is the go-to brand for stunning floral designs (www.bisazza. com). Available in different scales – from all-over wall murals that are more akin to pieces of art, to smaller, softer designs, such as Insula Grey by Carlo Dal Bianco, which features tiny glass mosaics in grey and white – a Bisazza feature wall will undoubtedly elevate your bathroom with its wow factor. New for 2014 is Bisazza’s Affresco glass mosaic pattern designed

by Paola Navone. Featuring a flower motif that graduates from plainer tiles, it’s an eye catching and innovative design.

“Affresco has brightly coloured flowers emerging from a grated wall and they are

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so large that they almost seem to fade away,” Paola says. “They magically surface as if they had been cleaned from the dust of time, like plaster that has been ‘grated’ to unveil many layers of frescoes. I wanted to bring the illusion that I have unearthed decorations from far away and long ago, that mix in an undefined, unfinished way, giving the impression that there’s still something underneath…”

Flooring is another method in which a room can be lifted by botanicals. Fired Earth’s gorgeous handmade Toulouse floor tiles come in a range of colourways, and combined with block-coloured walls, are a subtle, rustic way of adding pattern and interest to a bathroom (www. firedearth.com).

Interior designer Kati Suard from Aaltonen Interiors, based in Cambridge (www.aaltoneninteriors.com), gives her tips on adapting the botanical trend to your own space. “Having florals in your bathroom doesn’t mean turning it into your granny’s bathroom,” she says emphatically. “By using abstract images

in strong, vivid colours, rather than pastels, you can achieve a contemporary feel. Remember that the look can be a temporary one, though, if you’re unsure about it for the long haul. Choose a printed shower curtain, have floral patterns on your towels or buy flowerinspired lighting – Anthropologie have a fantastic, quirky range of accessories.”

ARTFUL ACCESSORIES Add a floral touch with towels, such as the Perpetual Bloom selection, from £6, Anthropologie (00800 0026 8476; www.anthropologie.eu)

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INTERIORS

SPA DAY Who said you need to travel to a spa to achieve luxury? Nicholas Anthony’s stylish, internationally renowned bathroom ranges embody sophistication, comfort and tranquility (0800 0683603; www.nicholas anthony.co.uk) LUXE TOUCH Get a five-star look with this Aquadi Ravello oak vanity unit, By Design (01223 248409; www.bydi.co.uk)

LOOK OF LUXE Inspired by luxury hotel bathrooms and aiming to replicate a similar oasis of calm in our own homes, many of us are investing in luxury, bespoke bathrooms that will stand the test of time.

Francis Lowman, managing director of

By Design (www.bydi.co.uk), a premiere luxury bathroom specialist based in Cambridge, agrees that developments in bathrooms have come on in leaps and bounds over the past few years.

“In the past, the bathroom was often an afterthought,” he reveals. “Nowadays, it is a primary space in the home. People want it to look and feel luxurious and they will often invest in top-end fittings that will last for many years. We plan each bathroom to fit the customer’s needs, even though we often have just a small space to play with.

That doesn’t mean you have to scrimp on the style factor, though. People are often inspired by the luxuriousness you have in hotel bathrooms and we can replicate that feel in the home.”

The latest covetable fittings by brands such as Villeroy and Boch and Aquadi Bathroom Furniture, both found at By Design, give a sleek, unified look.

Meanwhile, the size of bathrooms is also growing, with architects allocating more space to accommodate luxurious elements such as walk-in showers, free-standing tubs and double sinks.

Crofthouse, a bespoke bathroom and kitchen company in Cambridge, is a supplier of the luxury Swiss bathroom brand Laufen and offers a complete design and installation service.

Tomas Hinton, director, reveals more: “Many Crofthouse clients are interested in recreating the luxury hotel look. We achieve this by designing rooms that boast clean lines, large-format matching floor and wall tiles, linear lighting and plenty of mirrors. It’s simple, but effective and practical. Pay a little more for quality sanitaryware and tiles. Make sure you have top-notch tradesmen and, of course, a creative designer.”

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SPA AT HOME As our expectations of the bathroom as a mini retreat grows, so does the demand for high-tech additions, more usually found in hotel spas. Take the Home Spa Towel Warming Drawer, by Jacuzzi, for instance; not only does it mean the end of ugly towel rails but also heralds the delicious prospect of cosy, warm towels on demand, and who wouldn’t welcome that?

While walk-in showers may have seemed like the ultimate indulgence a few years ago, they are decidedly bogstandard (pun intended) compared to the latest aromatherapy, steam and multiple programmable jets that are now available.

Mood lighting, under-floor heating, in-wall TVs, upholstered seating areas and armoires stocked with fluffy towels are other ways in which you can create a sumptuous place to relax, de-stress and escape for an hour or two.

“Many of us work hard, so time is of a premium, and so when it comes to relaxing, we want to be able to do that in

our own homes,” says Hayley Chilver of Nicholas Anthony, which has a showroom in Cambridge (www.nicholas-anthony. co.uk). “Cocooning bathrooms – that are a joy to spend time in – used to be something of a pipe dream for many of us, but now new technologies and sleek design, at affordable prices, mean we can recreate that feel for many of our clients. It can really change the way people live.”

Fired Earth’s Bathroom Category Manager Laura McCormack (www. firedearth.com) agrees that we are all after our own little sanctuaries but with an added touch of glamour.

“A free-standing bath is a covetable addition to any bathroom, and it has a glamorous connotation. The Fired Earth range includes everything from classic roll tops, to sculptural slipper baths and ingenious back-to-wall designs,” she says.

“Add a plentiful supply of fluffy towels, some scented candles and a glass of wine and then allow yourself to drift away as you enjoy the ultimate bathing experience.

You’ll never need to visit a spa again!”

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INTERIORS

Many of us are investing in luxury, bespoke bathrooms that will stand the test of time

SOAK IT UP The Bridge Hampton range incorporates marble and mosaic for a classically luxurious design, tiles from £99.88 per m2, Fired Earth (0845 293 8798; www.firedearth.com)

MONOCHROME MOODS

PRINTED MATTER The flamboyant Lotus wallpaper adds sophistication. £98 a roll, Farrow & Ball (01202 876141; www.farrow-ball.com)

The use of either all-black or all-white in a bathroom is a fantastic way to create a showcase space, especially when highlights of gold and silver are added in.

Kati Suard, interior designer at Aaltonen Interiors, agrees: “The monochrome look is actually very versatile. It can be wonderfully dramatic if you only use black and white. Or to create a softer look use different shades of grey combined with white. For an industrial finish, have bare grey concrete walls combined with lots of silver colour (mixers, shower, towel rail, hooks, etc) and a grey polished concrete floor. Monochrome even works in period interiors. Just think of checkered floor tiles combined with a free-standing bath.”

Laura McCormack of Fired Earth pitches in: “A monochrome bathroom can look incredibly striking,” she comments.

“Opt for eye-catching shapes and finishes to add interest and drama to the scheme.

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For example, try using alternating bands of black and white hexagonal tiles to create a stunning contrasting backdrop to the smooth curves of a contemporary slipper bath, extending the tiles across the floor in a continuation of the monochrome theme.”

Laura has also seen a rise in the use of nickel, which can add areas of interest in an all-white or black colour scheme: “A key trend that’s very much in evidence in boutique hotels in the States, is for polished nickel taps and shower fittings.

Polished nickel has a lovely warm finish and is less shiny than chrome. It develops a really beautiful patina over time and has a softness that works particularly well with natural materials such as marble.

Many of Fired Earth’s taps and showers are now available in polished nickel as well as in a choice of other finishes, including a stunning new dark bronze, which looks set to become a popular choice for hotelstyle bathrooms.”

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INTERIORS

A timeless appeal is an important one when choosing a bathroom style CLEAN LINES Bathrooms are expanding in size. Make yours extra special and invest in a Lindo bathroom for topend simplicity. Available at By Design (01223 248409; www.bydi.co.uk)

GO WITH THE FLOW Choose curvy baths, floating sinks and innovative sanitaryware and you’ll give a fluidity and elegance to your bathroom that is literally ahead of the curve.

KHZero 1 is the new Kelly Hoppen bathroom collection curated in collaboration with Crosswater (www. crosswater.co.uk/kelly-hoppen), luxury bathroom specialists, and is the perfect example of what is called a ‘seamless’ look.

Hoppen’s sleek design ethos has been combined with the functionality that Crosswater products are renowned for, the result being a contemporary tap and shower range.

As a leading interior designer, Kelly Hoppen identifies fluidity as one of her key trends at the moment: “Bathroom design will become more and more modular,” she confirms. “Another trend in bathroom

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design is a focus on art. Taps, for example, will be centrepieces and designed in a more artistic way. I find inspiration from so many aspects of everyday life, but ultimately it’s all about longevity and timeless design.”

Laura McCormack of Fired Earth agrees that a timeless appeal is an important one when choosing a bathroom style: “Marble’s undergoing a real resurgence in popularity, for instance, and it’s an ideal choice if you want to create a luxurious and sophisticated hotel-style bathroom,” she says. “Gleaming polished marble tiles are perfect for a contemporary bathroom, while there’s nothing quite like the showstopping glamour of a marble-topped console or washstand in a more traditional setting. Marble is beautifully cool and tactile and it has a timeless appeal so it’s a great investment, although it can actually be surprisingly affordable, too.”

TAPPING IN Kelly Hoppen’s latest range brings a zen sensibility to the bathroom, Crosswater (0845 873 8840; www.crosswater.co.uk)

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EDUCATION

UNIVERSITY TECHNICAL COLLEGE Edition finds out more about the groundbreaking new college coming to Cambridge next autumn ork is now underway on UTC Cambridge, a new specialist science college for 14 to 19 year olds which will open in September 2014. The college, located on Robinson Way, is sponsored

by Cambridge Regional College and Cambridge University Health Partners and backed by leading employers in the biomedical and environmental science and technology sectors.

This new £10 million state-of-the-art building will be equipped with science super-labs, a lecture theatre, classrooms, chill-out zones and independent working areas. It will have an innovative curriculum, including GCSEs, A levels, BTECs and specialist employer-led Challenge Projects – providing an in-depth taste of science in the real world, working alongside mentors and industry sponsors.

It will take students from a 25-mile radius of Cambridge, providing academic and vocational learning, employerdesigned projects and work placements with leading businesses to give students a head start when they move on to employment or university.

Among the organisations supporting the state-funded college are Napp Pharmaceuticals, the Medical Research Council, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the Babraham Institute.

Industry-backed Challenge Projects are a central part of the curriculum, led by UTC sponsors who oversee the six-week programme, arrange hands-on visits to their labs and provide mentors – including scientists involved in leading research.

The curriculum has been designed with industry sponsors, which means students will have the skills, qualifications and experience that employers want. Some of the country’s leading experts in their field will deliver masterclasses to students.

Work experience is also an important part of each course, providing the opportunity to work in some of the region’s top biomedical and cleantech organisations.

University technical colleges (UTC) offer a unique opportunity for education and business to come together to develop the skills needed by industry. UTCs are state-funded schools sponsored by

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employers, university bodies and colleges and offer young people aged 14 to 19 an innovative, specialist education to the highest standard.

“Cambridge Regional College is proud to be the lead sponsor of UTC Cambridge,” said Anne Constantine, principal at Cambridge Regional College. “It is one of the most exciting innovations to take place in education, offering specialist science to a generation ready to become part of the global network of biomedical and environmental science and technology professionals. It will deliver an education supported at every stage by leading employers and research centres, inspiring students to achieve above and beyond their expectations.

“UTC Cambridge will be a new centre of excellence for biomedical and environmental science and technology.

It will offer young people a unique opportunity to get a head start in the biomedical and environmental industries through an innovative learning programme developed in partnership with leading bioscience and ecotech companies in and around Cambridge, including Napp Pharmaceuticals, the Medical Research Council and Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.” www.utccambridge.co.uk

Cambridge Edition | November 2013 | 97

EDUCATION

WORDS CHARLOTTE PHILLIPS

Sixth Form Studies A GUIDE

The Perse Sc hool Cambr idge

s year 11 pupils contemplate life after GCSEs, working out what to do next can be an exciting – and daunting – time of change for them.

“It’s very much a transitional time, when students learn the skills and put in place the habits of independent study that they will need to make a success of their upcoming undergraduate study,” says Richard Morgan, head of sixth form at the Perse School.

The first thing to realise is that A levels are not the only fruit. Anyone, including those not necessarily in line for a bumper crop of top GCSE grades in 2014, has plenty of options when it comes to studying post-16, thanks to our area’s award-winning schools and colleges which, between them, offer something for just about everyone.

For the vocationally minded, for example, hands-on qualifications enable students, in many cases, to combine a job with education and earn while they learn – to great effect. With a range of courses that embraces everything from catering to social care and sports studies, as well as links with local and national businesses which offer students an insight into their chosen field, Cambridge Regional College (CRC) can speak, with good reason, of turning ‘good learning into great jobs’.

A levels, meanwhile, have recovered their academic mojo, following a tougher government stance and what many would see as a more robust marking system. It gives even greater cause for celebration following our area’s excellent results.

At the Perse School, 76 per cent of A levels taken by the 300-strong sixth form were graded A* or A, while the 100 or so day and boarding pupils – all girls – at St Mary’s School, who span a range of abilities, achieved A* to B grades in 85 per cent of A level entries.

Hills Road

With so many opportunities, working out what to do post-GCSEs can be daunting.

We find out what’s on offer locally for students taking their next step

And don’t be fooled by the absence of the Stephen Perse Foundation from official league tables. It’s down to the fact that conventional listings don’t do the school’s so-called ‘mixed economy’ justice. Once International Baccalaureate and A level results are taken into account, the average pupil score equates to a staggering A*A*AA. Another well-regarded measure is the number of students achieving at least AAB grades at A level in ‘facilitating’ subjects including sciences, maths and English literature, all of which are likely to be required or preferred by universities.

More students at much-lauded Hills Road achieved this in 2012, based on either two

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Our area’s awardwinning schools and colleges offer something for just about everyone or three facilitating subjects, than any other institution, state or independent, in the country, as well as scoring the highest points per entry score of any sixth form college in the 20 years since the official tables started being compiled.

Unsurprisingly, the college was ranked ‘outstanding’ in its last two inspections.

How much progress students make is also significant. Again, Hills Road does its students proud in both AS and A level results, while Long Road not only achieved a 96 per cent A levels pass rate – and 100 per cent for diplomas – but has consistently been ranked in the top ten per cent of UK schools and colleges for helping its 2,000 students achieve better than their predicted results.

For sixth formers in waiting, the hard part can be working out what they’d like to study. Hills Road Sixth Form College, regularly labelled as one of the

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The Perse School Friends' School Saffron Walden

most successful in the UK, stresses the importance of making choices ‘based on the subjects you enjoy and are good at’. It works, too, with between 90 and 95 per cent of students progressing to higher education and significant numbers heading to the most sought-after universities: only Westminster School and Eton College have secured more places at Oxford and Cambridge Universities in recent years.

It’s also worthwhile considering the career implications of your subjects. The Perse, for example, helpfully covers off must-do subjects required by particular degree subjects: biology and chemistry for medicine, for example, and art for studying architecture.

It’s also vital to ensure that your predicted GCSE grades will be a match for your aspirations. Many colleges and schools offer places based on predicted grades – often spelled out very clearly in their prospectuses. Hills Road, for example, asks for a B in maths to study computing, and As in the case of most A level sciences.

Whatever the subject, students require commitment. In addition to often longer lessons – 90 minutes is routine at Long Road – pupils will be expected to put in a substantial chunk of their own time, matching each lesson with an equal amount of private study.

But studying is far from the be-all and end-all of the sixth form experience.

These two years are a time to push the boundaries, not just in terms of formal studies but in just about every other area too. “Sixth formers need plenty of

Cambridge

Stephen Perse Foundation 6th Form College

EDUCATION

opportunity to spread their wings and develop self-confidence and resilience,” thinks Richard Morgan at The Perse.

Similarly, at the Stephen Perse Foundation, students are encouraged to think for themselves and push their boundaries rather than just walking through the syllabus of their chosen subjects, and are invited to do everything from flexing their entrepreneurial muscles to contributing to the school newspaper, as well as helping others through the school’s community outreach programme.

Hills Road, too, boasts an enviable range of activities, with an extensive programme of trips to successful sports teams, popular dance, drama and music programmes and strong links with the outside world, from charities to prominent individuals and organisations.

Local, regional and national sporting success is similarly impressive at Long Road, particularly when it comes to the basketball squad, which has won the U19 Cambridge League title twice.

In addition to a well-equipped sports hall and fitness suite, the college has also recently invested £800,000 in a stunning performing arts block complete with special dance floors, as well as a dedicated student centre with common room and Internet café.

It adds up to wrap-around programmes that give students the chance to develop existing interests and acquire brand new ones. Student involvement at Long Road ranges from building schools in Africa to volunteering at sports clubs or participating in fashion shows and performing arts productions.

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The extended curriculum at Hills Road embraces student-run clubs and societies and even a Finance Baccalaureate, a scheme sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland that gives maths and economics students the opportunity to spend a day in London seeing how their subject is used in a commercial environment.

For St Mary’s, an added strength of its award-winning activities, including a much-praised Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, is the different perspective that its international students bring.

“Increasingly, employers will value students with a global perspective,” says Karole Lewis, head of the sixth form. She points to the school’s award-winning Young Enterprise programme where students “who may come from four or five different continents” work together as a

team on initiatives that represent a fusion of different cultures and backgrounds – to everyone’s benefit.

Perse boys and girls, too, are spoilt for choice, with senior academics from Cambridge University delivering mindexpanding talks, over 50 clubs and societies to choose from, ranging from the Combined Cadet Force to debating, as well as overseas trips to destinations such as India’s Ladakh region, Kenya and Brazil.

And it’s not just large establishments that can cut the mustard. At The Friends’ School, where over 95 per cent of A level students achieved A*-E grades, 25.7% at A*-A, the small sixth form is different, reckons the school, because of the quality of the relationships formed there. Pupils learn, says the school, “how to be true to themselves and to others around them.”

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Cambridge Regional College

College Stephen Perse Foundation 6th Form

St Marys Cambridge

EDUCATION

Ensure that your predicted GCSE grades match your aspirations They are also an active bunch, with a programme that stretches them both physically and intellectually. All sixth formers are expected to complete 20 hours of community service, from working with young people with special needs to organising coffee mornings for the elderly.

Many find it so rewarding that they continue, and the programme is so well respected that organisations increasingly make the first contact with the school.

When it comes to formal recognition of students’ participation, CRC, where numbers are up, encourages students to work towards the Passport to Success,

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which divides pupils’ achievements into five skills areas – specialist, core, employability, personal learning and social and community, each recognised with a certificate at the end of the sixth form programme. Proof of the success is the fact that 95 per cent of full-time students move into further or higher education or employment within three months of completing their course.

Facilities range from the good to the splendiferous. For the active, CRC boasts two sports halls and a terrific gym – and ‘have a go sessions’ in a range of sports, many played at county and national level – as well as chill-out areas that also host concerts and exhibitions and student-run enterprises that include a radio station, gaming company and even a recording label. And there’s still more to come.

“This year, we have a fantastic new £3 million construction centre for our students and we will shortly be finishing a big overhaul of our engineering facilities.

Very soon, our engineering students will be working in state-of-the-art workshops fitted out with the latest equipment, and training in a dedicated robotics centre,” says Alan Jones, CRC’s deputy principal.

With so much to take on board and a deluge of opportunities, it’s understandable if students end up feeling a little overwhelmed. However, while

there’s an emphasis on ensuring that they are given every chance to be independent and develop an enquiring mind, they’re not just left to plough a lonely furrow on their own.

Ultimately, sixth form education is planned with one eye on the future. “We are teaching students the skills they need to get a job or go on to higher education or an apprenticeship,” says Alan Jones.

With no shortage of opportunities for future leaders, whether it’s the chance to serve as a prefect, mentoring, or as part of the Eco School committee at St Mary’s, for example, or become an expedition leader or sports captain at The Perse, the success of our area’s students comes as no surprise when they move on.

As Hills Road puts it, key to success is “the relationship between each student and their tutor”. It adds up to a guided tour of adulthood, where pupils aren’t spoon-fed but given, says the college, “personalised support to plan for the future and secure great university offers”, courtesy of a seven-strong team of specialist advisers on hand to help with the whole application process, from practise interviews to preparation for university entrance tests such as STEP and BMAT. Students at Long Road, meanwhile, have regular meetings with a progress

With no shortage of opportunities for future leaders, the success of our students comes as no surprise 102 | Cambridge Edition | November 2013

Cambridge Region al College

St Marys Cambridge

EDUCATION

coach to review performances and set targets, and plan their career path.

There’s also help with revision and exam technique, writing skills and research methods. The message is that just about anyone will find a course that matches their interests and ability. And by signing up to study post-16 years old, they are likely to find they blossom.

St Mary’s, for example, stresses that its sixth form education helps pupils not only foster a love of learning but much more – well-rounded, confident and independent thinkers, and do-ers, too, students will end up not just with qualifications but lifelong friendships, too. And that’s something any parent would be happy to sign up to.

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EDUCATION

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY HILLS ROAD SIXTH FORM COLLEGE OPEN EVENINGS DATE/TIME: 20 & 21 November, 5-9.15pm LOCATION: Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 8PE DESCRIPTION: Our aim at Hills Road is to offer you an outstanding learning experience that will engage, inspire and challenge you, and will prepare you exceptionally well for the next stage of your life. We hope you will visit us in November to see for yourself the extensive opportunities for personal growth and development and understand why so many generations of students made Hills Road their first choice for 16-19 education. www.hrsfc.ac.uk

STEPHEN PERSE OPEN DAY DATE/TIME: 7 November, 6.30pm-9pm LOCATION: Stephen Perse Sixth Form College, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge CB2 8AA DESCRIPTION: The college is a vibrant community of IB and A level students with some of the best results in the UK (the best IB results in the world in 2013!) and some outstanding opportunities, from learning coding to a Japanese cultural exchange, from expeditions to rain forests to joining the engineering team. Students go on to amazing university choices – MIT, Utrecht, Oxford, Cambridge, art colleges... there really are no limits. www.stephenperse.com

FRIENDS SIXTH FORM COLLEGE OPEN EVENING

LONG ROAD SIXTH FORM COLLEGE OPEN DAYS

DATE/TIME: 6 November, 6.30pm LOCATION: Mount Pleasant Road, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 3EB DESCRIPTION: Join us in the Assembly Hall for refreshments and then hear a talk by the Head of Sixth Form. Following this there will be the opportunity to move into the main building and talk with teachers and even current sixth form students. All subjects will be represented so you can find out more about what is on offer and life in general in our small, caring and vibrant sixth form. www.friends.org.uk

DATE/TIME: 13 & 14 November, 5-9pm LOCATION: Long Road, Cambridge CB2 8PX DESCRIPTION: Long Road Sixth Form College offers one of the widest ranges of courses in the region, with students able to ‘pick and mix’ between A levels and Applied courses to create their perfect learning programme tailored to them, and the staff are experts at teaching 16-19 year olds. Long Road are in the top ten per cent of colleges for stretching students beyond the results expected from their GCSEs. We have excellent facilities including a purpose-built Student Centre and new Performing Arts area. www.longroad.ac.uk

UTC CAMBRIDGE OPEN DAYS DATE/TIME: 22 November, 4-7pm and 23 November, 10am-1pm LOCATION: Deakin Learning Centre at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0QQ DESCRIPTION: The UTC Cambridge is an exciting innovation in education for 14-19 year olds who love science. Our £10 million state-of-the-art college is currently under construction, and open days will be held at The Deakin Learning Centre at Addenbrooke’s Hospital until the UTC opens in September 2014. You will: · Meet the new UTC Principal · Talk to some of our key employers and sponsors about the exciting range of career opportunities in science · Take part in hands-on science activities · Find out more about the curriculum and studying at UTC Cambridge · Get advice on how to apply to UTC Cambridge at 14 and 16 years old · See the plans for our fantastic new building and specialist facilities www.utccambridge.co.uk

THE PERSE SIXTH FORM OPEN EVENING DATE/TIME: 6 November, 6.30-9pm LOCATION: The Perse Upper School, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 8QF DESCRIPTION: Student tour guides will show visitors around the school and answer questions about sixth form life at The Perse. Staff will be on hand to talk about the subjects and extra-curricular activities on offer and about how we support students in their university applications. The Head of Sixth Form will be giving short presentations (no need to book). Please note there is limited parking available. Some parking is possible in surrounding residential roads, but please park considerately. www.perse.co.uk

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CAMBRIDGE REGIONAL COLLEGE OPEN DAYS DATE/TIME: 8 November 4-7.30pm and 9 November 9.30am-12.30pm LOCATION: Cambridge Regional College, King’s Hedges Road, Cambridge CB4 2QT DESCRIPTION: Cambridge Regional College is a great place to study, with experienced, highly qualified teachers and outstanding facilities. Visit our November open days to find out more about our great range of full-time courses, Apprenticeships and Higher Education courses, there will be one for everyone. www.camre.ac.uk

ST MARY'S SCHOOL OPEN DAY DATE/TIME: 7 November, 7pm LOCATION: St Mary’s Sixth Form, Bateman Street, Cambridge CB2 1LY DESCRIPTION: Take this opportunity to visit the new sixth form at St Mary’s, at their open day. Meet current sixth formers to hear what they get up to and discuss A level opportunities. There is also a number of scholarships available to sixth formers which are awarded up to 20 per cent of the day school fees, as well as the Ogden Trust Mathematics and Physics Scholarship. Complete the form online or telephone 01223 224167 to book your place. www.stmaryscambridge.co.uk

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See The Difference It Makes!

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the d

iffere

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es

Summer is almost a distant memory and autumn is well and truly upon us. For some this may mark the countdown to spring, but for me autumn is my favourite time of the year. It is a beautiful time of transition, with stunning reds and browns appearing on the trees, swirled and buffeted by blustery winds. It is the time to embrace winter warmers for dinner and the stark contrast between indoors and out. For children, it is a time of new beginnings: settling into new classes and, for some, new schools.

However this leads me to the one thing I don’t like about autumn: the changing of the clocks. It’s not the fact that I lose an hour of sleep, although that is something of an inconvenience; it’s the sudden change from travelling home in the light to travelling home in the dark. This change, even though it happens every year, still takes some getting used to. You travel to school or work in the morning and it is light. You hop on your bike, not even considering that coming home you are likely to need your lights. You send the kids off to school, forgetting that their dark uniform is much harder to spot as dusk approaches and they are heading home.

It probably comes as no surprise then, that this time of year sees a peak in road casualties, particularly for pedestrians. However, there are very simple things that everyone can do to make sure they can see others and be seen themselves:

Drivers: s !LWAYS USE LIGHTS IN DARK AND GLOOMY CONDITIONS s 5SE FOG LIGHTS WHEN VISIBILITY IS SIGNIl CANTLY REDUCED AND make sure to turn them off when visibility improves so as not to dazzle other road users. s 4AKE EXTRA TIME TO LOOK FOR PEDESTRIANS CYCLISTS AND motorcyclists who may be harder to see. s !DJUST YOUR SPEED SO YOU CAN ALWAYS STOP WITHIN THE distance you can see is clear ahead.

Cyclists: s !LWAYS USE LIGHTS IN DARK AND GLOOMY CONDITIONS s 7EAR BRIGHT COLOURS THAT STAND OUT BETTER DURING THE DAY s 7EAR REm ECTIVE MATERIALS THAT ARE MORE VISIBLE IN THE DARK s %NSURE REm ECTORS ON YOUR BIKE ARE CLEAN AND NOT obscured by clothing or luggage.

Pedestrians: s 7EAR BRIGHT COLOURS THAT STAND OUT BETTER DURING THE DAY s 7EAR REm ECTIVE MATERIALS THAT ARE MORE VISIBLE IN THE DARK

Motorcyclists: s !LWAYS USE LIGHTS IN DARK AND GLOOMY CONDITIONS s 7EAR BRIGHT COLOURS THAT STAND OUT BETTER DURING THE DAY s 7EAR REm ECTIVE MATERIALS THAT ARE MORE VISIBLE IN THE DARK s !DJUST YOUR SPEED SO YOU CAN ALWAYS STOP IN THE distance you can see to be clear ahead. s !DJUST YOUR POSITION TO INCREASE YOUR VISIBILITY TO OTHER road users.

7HETHER YOU LOVE OR LOATHE AUTUMN ) HOPE YOU CAN SEE the difference a little thought can make to your safety.

Have your say; join Cambridgeshire Road Safety on Facebook.

Institute of Continuing Education at Madingley Hall

Short courses and part-time qualifications for the public January to April 2014

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Find out more at www.ice.cam.ac.uk/2014 | Tel: 01223 746262 | Email: enquiries@ice.cam.ac.uk

Weekend courses at Madingley Hall Our popular programme of weekend courses runs all year round. Courses run from Friday evening to Sunday lunchtime, and include meals from our award-winning kitchen. You can choose to stay at Madingley Hall in comfortable en-suite accommodation, or attend as a non-resident.

Course title

Start date

Tuition fee (includes meals)

Accommodation fee

Course code

Duration

Archaeology and anthropology Measuring Alfred’s Greatness: Wessex and the beginnings of England

24 Jan 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX090

Fri – Sun

Evolution of the human mind and behaviour

28 Feb 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX111

Fri – Sun Fri – Sun

Origins of the Europeans: genetics, linguistics and archaeology

07 Mar 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX117

A journey back: a walk through human evolution

14 Mar 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX120

Fri – Sun

Archaeology of the Great War

14 Mar 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX122

Fri – Sun

Stonehenge: time after time after time

14 Mar 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX119

Fri – Sun

Enslaved! The slaves’ journey through the ages

21 Mar 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX127

Fri – Sun

Magic in antiquity

25 Apr 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX140

Fri – Sun

Classics The slave role in Roman comedy and subsequent literature

31 Jan 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX093

Fri – Sun

Reading Classical Greek

07 Feb 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX097

Fri – Sun

Reading Classical Latin: Catullus and Livy

14 Mar 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX121

Fri – Sun

Historic environment (landscapes and gardens) London and Wise: aiming to suit with Versailles

10 Jan 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX081

Fri – Sun

Reading the landscape: find medieval in modern villages

25 Apr 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX135

Fri – Sun

History and international affairs Burning convictions: a brief history of medieval heresy

10 Jan 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX082

Fri – Sun

The British home front in the First World War

10 Jan 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX083

Fri – Sun

Francis of Assisi and his followers in medieval England

31 Jan 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX091

Fri – Sun

Poverty, disease and medicine in history

31 Jan 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX180

Fri – Sun

Starting palaeography

31 Jan 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX095

Fri – Sun

The death of Christian England: the impact of the First World War on English churches and churchgoing.

31 Jan 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX191

Fri – Sun

Victorian Britain

31 Jan 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX092

Fri – Sun

Fall of eagles: the Romanovs, Habsburgs and Hohenzollerns, 1815–1920

07 Feb 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX101

Fri – Sun

Africa-China relations from the 14th century to the present day

28 Feb 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX109

Fri – Sun

From isolationism to globalism: US foreign policy, 1920–1950

28 Feb 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX186

Fri – Sun

1914–18: the naval war reconsidered

07 Mar 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX112

Fri – Sun

International Women’s Day celebration: extraordinary and everyday histories

07 Mar 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX114

Fri – Sun

Charles Darwin: history and legacy

21 Mar 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX128

Fri – Sun

Richard III

04 Apr 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX129

Fri – Sun

Fri – Sun

History of art and architecture Art Nouveau and national romanticism in Finland and the Baltic

21 Feb 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX105

The life and times of Thomas Chippendale

21 Feb 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX106

Fri – Sun

Buried treasure: the power of the art of the first millennium in Rome and Byzantium

07 Mar 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX116

Fri – Sun

Matisse and Picasso: breaking boundaries 1900–1950

21 Mar 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX123

Fri – Sun

Ten women artists

21 Mar 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX125

Fri – Sun

Angels and locomotives: the work and world of Edward Burne-Jones

25 Apr 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX187

Fri – Sun

Languages Introduction to Chinese language and culture

21 Feb 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX102

Fri – Sun

Reading New Testament Greek

21 Feb 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX104

Fri – Sun

Advanced French weekend

28 Feb 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX108

Fri – Sun

Intermediate Russian weekend

07 Mar 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX113

Fri – Sun Fri – Sun

Introduction to the history of English

14 Mar 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX118

Advanced Italian weekend

04 Apr 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX133

Fri – Sun

German language weekend

25 Apr 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX138

Fri – Sun

Literature, film and creative writing Law and literature in the long 18th century

10 Jan 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX182

Fri – Sun

Developing your travel writing

24 Jan 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX085

Fri – Sun

Emily Brontë: poet, novelist, mythmaker

24 Jan 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX088

Fri – Sun

Hollywood films and racial stereotypes

07 Feb 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX096

Fri – Sun

The golden age of children’s literature: texts and contexts

07 Feb 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX099

Fri – Sun

Tying Shakespeare’s hands

28 Feb 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX110

Fri – Sun

Find out more at www.ice.cam.ac.uk/2014 | Tel: 01223 746262 | Email: enquiries@ice.cam.ac.uk

Institute of Continuing Education Courses for the public January to April 2014 Comedy on the 20th-century stage

21 Mar 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX126

Fri – Sun

Literature and Romantic music

21 Mar 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX124

Fri – Sun

Shakespeare’s ambiguous comedies: love, language and laughter in As You Like It and Twelfth Night

04 Apr 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX132

Fri – Sun

Writing for children

04 Apr 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX131

Fri – Sun

Music The family Strauss and their Vienna

10 Jan 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX080

Fri – Sun

Composing for voices

24 Jan 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX086

Fri – Sun Fri – Sun

French piano and chamber music from Debussy to Poulenc

28 Feb 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX185

English choral music across the centuries: a participatory weekend

07 Mar 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX115

Fri – Sun

Music at the court of Frederick the Great

04 Apr 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX134

Fri – Sun

The genesis of the modern piano: Broadwood, Dussek and the London piano makers

25 Apr 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX137

Fri – Sun

Philosophy, psychology and religious studies Great modern philosophers

10 Jan 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX084

Fri – Sun

A place in the family: a role for life?

24 Jan 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX188

Fri – Sun

Science and Christianity

24 Jan 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX087

Fri – Sun

The meaning and purpose of words

24 Jan 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX089

Fri – Sun

Gnosticism: the other Christianity?

28 Feb 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX107

Fri – Sun

Mark: reading the whole Gospel

04 Apr 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX130

Fri – Sun

Liberty, equality and anarchy: themes in contemporary political philosophy

25 Apr 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX139

Fri – Sun

31 Jan 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX094

Fri – Sun

Science and the natural world Marine biology: an introduction to the science of sea life Mathematics is not a spectator sport!

07 Feb 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX100

Fri – Sun

Geological hazards: earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides

21 Feb 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX103

Fri – Sun

The geological history of Britain

25 Apr 2014

£240

£110

1314NRX136

Fri – Sun

Weekly classes at Madingley Hall These five-week, multi-disciplinary courses are all taught by top Cambridge experts who are actively involved in research. As with many of our programmes, the courses are open to everyone.

Course title

Sessions

Start date

Fee

Course code

Duration

First World War remembered

Mon 10:00–12:00

13 Jan 2014

£150

1314NWR001

5 weeks

600 years of death and burial

Tue 10:00–12:00

14 Jan 2014

£150

1314NWR002

5 weeks

Surrealism and film

Tue 14:00–16:00

14 Jan 2014

£150

1314NWR003

5 weeks

Writing non-fiction: telling true tales

Tue 19:15–21:15

14 Jan 2014

£150

1314NWR004

5 weeks 5 weeks

Medieval Fenland

Wed 10:00–12:00

15 Jan 2014

£150

1314NWR005

Cambridge science: behind the scenes

Wed 14:00–16:00

15 Jan 2014

£150

1314NWR006

5 weeks

Divided Kingdom: social class and inequality in modern Britain

Mon 14:00–16:00

24 Feb 2014

£150

1314NWR007

5 weeks

Writing with confidence

Mon 19:15–21:15

24 Feb 2014

£150

1314NWR008

5 weeks

Theory, truth and reality

Tue 10:00–12:00

25 Feb 2014

£150

1314NWR009

5 weeks

Enslaved! A history of slavery through the ages

Tue 10:00–12:00

25 Feb 2014

£150

1314NWR010

5 weeks

Magic: in history and culture

Tue 14:00–16:00

25 Feb 2014

£150

1314NWR011

5 weeks

Writing non-fiction: bringing the past to life

Tue 19:15–21:15

25 Feb 2014

£150

1314NWR012

5 weeks

Humps and bumps, houses and hedges

Wed 10:00–12:00

26 Feb 2014

£150

1314NWR013

5 weeks

The art of the Grand Tour

Tue 10:00–12:00

29 Apr 2014

£150

1314NWR014

5 weeks

Wild places of Cambridgeshire

Tue 10:00–12:00

29 Apr 2014

£150

1314NWR015

5 weeks

The architecture of pilgrimage

Tue 14:00–16:00

29 Apr 2014

£150

1314NWR016

5 weeks

Visions of the future

Tue 19:15–21:15

29 Apr 2014

£150

1314NWR017

5 weeks

Science behind the headlines: online discussion group

Online

29 Apr 2014

£100

1314NGE001

5 weeks

Poverty, disease and medicine

Wed 10:00–12:00

30 Apr 2014

£150

1314NWR018

5 weeks

Humps and bumps, houses and hedges

Wed 10:00–12:00

30 Apr 2014

£150

1314NWR019

5 weeks

Cambridge explorations

Wed 10:00–12:00

30 Apr 2014

£150

1314NWR020

5 weeks

Writing with style

Wed 19:15–21:15

30 Apr 2014

£150

1314NWR021

5 weeks

How to enrol on a course You can sign up for courses in the following ways: Online: visit www.ice.cam.ac.uk/2014 | Telephone: call us on +44 (0)1223 746262 Post: download an application form from our website, or contact us on ice.admissions@ice.cam.ac.uk to request a copy

Find out more at www.ice.cam.ac.uk/2014 | Tel: 01223 746262 | Email: enquiries@ice.cam.ac.uk

Part-time University qualifications At ICE we offer a range of part-time University of Cambridge qualifications at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Apply by 13 December for an Undergraduate Advanced Diploma to begin study in February 2014. These courses are research-based and allow you to pursue your own project under the guidance of a Cambridge expert. (Other Certificate and Diploma courses at ICE begin in October and will be open for applications from Spring 2014.)

Course title

Sessions

Start date

Fee

Credits (CATS/FHEQ)

Course code

Duration

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Find out more at www.ice.cam.ac.uk/2014 | Tel: 01223 746262 | Email: enquiries@ice.cam.ac.uk

MOTORING

Winter CAR CHECKLIST

Local independent car servicers German Tech Cars offer some simple tips to help you prepare your car for the cold weather and reduce your risk of breakdown

1)

Winter tyres In most European countries it’s compulsory to have winter tyres on your car when there’s snow on the ground.

There’s no such legal requirement in the UK, but it’s definitely worth seriously thinking about, since stopping distances and how safe you are on the road are vastly improved with winter tyres. People e are sometimes concerned that it will be an n enormous expense, and while winter tyres es are more pricey than regular ones (by around 25 per cent), bear in mind that you’ll not be wearing down your usual tyres, and you’ll be able to use the winter tyres for two or three seasons. We especially recommend winter tyres to people who do a lot of miles, and who feel unsafe or nervous in the snow – it will likely make a huge difference to them. m.

The reason that winter tyres are so effective is that they offer more grip and use a slightly different compound which works better in lower temperatures. You can get all-season tyres, but you would be better off getting designated winter tyres on your car – especially if you’ve got a rear-wheel drive, automatic car, because they can be difficult in poor conditions.

2) Screenwash

Don’t scrimp on your screenwash. The cheaper products tend to freeze at around –2°, and what you need is a screenwash that freezes at –20° or –30°, otherwise, when you go to use it, it’ll be frozen. We use a screenwash that freezes at –35°. It’s slightly more expensive at around £8 a litre, but is definitely worth it, especially if you’re taking your car abroad skiing or to colder climes. Also, be careful not to dilute your screen wash too much as this reduces its effectiveness.

3)

Wiper blades It’s even more important to check your wiper blades in the colder weather. Don’t be tempted to replace worn ones with cheap blades, because they’ll stick and smudge, and they won’t clear the screen

112 | Cambridge Edition | November 2013

you need them. You also need to ensure you have breakdown cover and have the number to hand in the car. properly. There is an argument to always fit genuine blades from the manufacturer, as they do tend to work better.

Also, it’s tempting, but don’t use your wipers to get rid of snow from your windscreen – it will tear them to shreds.

Instead, get a good scraper and use some warm (but not hot) water.

4) Checks

Check your tyre pressures, lights and levels. If you’re not comfortable doing that, most garages will do it for free, especially if you’re a regular customer. If there is snow – be sure to clear it off your lights as well as your windscreen, as this can affect your visibility.

5) Preparation

You don’t have to carry a shovel, a litre of brandy and a husky around with you, but it does make sense to have the basics in the car including a torch, in-car phone charger, screen wash and a hi-vis jacket.

It’s important to realise that it’s going to get dark at 4.30pm, and you don’t want to be stuck in the dark with no means of communication. Often people keep their scraper and de-icer in their house, they should be in your car – that’s where

6)

Car battery Almost every day last winter people phoned us up saying their car wouldn’t start, and most of the time, it was down to the battery. If your car battery is more than five years old we’d recommend changing it, because it’s not going to last much longer and the winter weather puts a great deal of strain on it. It’s difficult to check your battery, but if you get any kind of hesitation starting one day, the likelihood is it’s going to fail pretty soon – so get it changed.

7)

Thieves Last winter, there were a few instances in our area of people switching their engines on to warm up the car and clear the screen, then leaving their car unattended – only to fall victim to opportunistic thieves stealing their vehicles.

If this happens, you’ve not shown due diligence in looking after your car and you’ve invalidated your insurance. You wouldn’t leave your front door open, would you? It’s the same theory.

German Tech Cars, 50 Clifton Road, Cambridge CB1 7ED 01223 750285, germantechcars.co.uk

CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK

PETS

DOGGY DAY OUT When you’re out exploring Cambridgeshire you needn’t leave your dog at home, Gareth Salter, editor of Dogfriendly’s Out & About magazine explains here are an awful lot of dogs in the UK – eight million to be precise, suggesting that the old saying about our canine companions being man’s best friend has a lot of truth in it. Few can doubt the joy that our furry friends bring and the happiness that many people find in such a rewarding relationship. That’s why so many of us want to take our dogs with us rather than leave them at home when we’re out and about.

Luckily, attitudes are changing, and many places that once barred dogs are now welcoming them with open arms.

Dedicated teams of people like those at www.dogfriendly.co.uk have helped by contacting companies nationwide and listing those that welcome dogs.

Cambridgeshire, sometimes regarded simply as a drive-through county for those speeding their way to Norfolk and Suffolk, has many hidden delights for dog owners that are well worth investigating.

Leave your car and you’ll find miles of glorious, picturesque countryside you can enjoy with your four-legged friend, as well as some great attractions that are well worth a look. Here’s a rundown of our top dog-friendly destinations.

1) HOW’S YOUR SWING? If you enjoy a round of golf but feel guilty that you’re out in the countryside, leaving your poor pooch at home, try Abbotsley Golf Club, where they welcome dogs of all shapes and sizes.

They may not be much help as a caddie but they can join you on the course, then, after you’ve let them run in the woods nearby, they can even relax with you in the bar (bowls of water are provided). And, should you fancy making a night of your trip, dogs can stay at no extra charge. In fact dogs are allowed everywhere on the grounds except the restaurant, and can

114 | Cambridge Edition | November 2013

be left unattended in your room whilst you eat. www.abbotsley.com 2) CRUISING THE CANALS Cambridgeshire’s open skies are wonderful at sunset and the best way to enjoy them is to take a drive out to the fens. Drained in the 17th century, these are now a patchwork of waterways, many of which remain navigable. A holiday with Fox Boats of March is a lovely way of relaxing and narrowboats can be booked for day trips or longer excursions. www.foxboats.co.uk 3) STEAMING AHEAD The Nene Valley Railway is a must if you have children. A heritage railway, it uses part of the London and North Western line, running from Yarwell into Peterborough. Although it runs less often during the winter, there are services every day during October half term, except for Monday. An adult rover ticket costs £15, while a child ticket costs £8 and it’s just £1 for a dog. www.nvr.org.uk 4) DINING OUT A traditional coaching inn on the A1, The Sibson Inn is accessible but surprisingly peaceful inside. The menu’s extensive and you can eat at the tables in the bar with your dog at your feet. www.sibsoninn.com 5) THE RIGHT PATH There are many pathways crossing the county that, unless you have the right map, you may never discover. It’s worth visiting Cambridgeshire County Council’s website where you can download routes.

One of the most enjoyable is that around Wimpole Hall, and dogs are welcome in the grounds, so you can treat yourself to a cream tea outside the Stables Café in the courtyard. www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk www.nationaltrust.org.uk Find out about more dog friendly attractions at www.dogfriendly.co.uk

BARKING MAD Sadly, it’s not always possible to take your pooch out with you, especially if you’re heading away on holiday.

Fortunately, there’s a local dogloving company ready and waiting to help. Barking Mad, which recently celebrated ten successful years in business, provides a unique, bespoke holiday for your dog – finding them a home from home to stay at whilst you’re away, complete with a carefully vetted host family. Right now, the Cambridge franchise of this company is looking for host families to join them – so if you have a love of dogs, experience caring for them, and can offer reliability, and most importantly a welcoming environment, find out more by calling 01638 717 200 or visit the website www.barkingmad.uk.com

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