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FOODIE NEWS
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Advance Features for 2008 Ex1 magazine advertising is an ideal place to promote your business and the services or products you sell.
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The Audi Q7
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The Ultimate Expression of quattro.
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Taunton Audi Priory Way Taunton TA1 2BB 01823 285200
Plymouth Audi Eagle Road Langage Business Park Plymouth PL7 5JY 01752 202515
Audi Approved Newton Abbot The Avenue Newton Abbot TQ12 2DD 01626 882300
Audi Approved Barnstaple Braunton Road Barnstaple EX31 1JY 01271 324411
Official fuel consumption figures for the Q7 range in mpg (1/100km) from: Urban: 14.5 (19.5) - 19.4 (14.6), Extra Urban: 27.7 (10.2) - 34.0 (8.3), Combined: 20.8 (13.6) - 26.9 (10.5). CO2 emissions: 282—326 g/km
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FOODIE NEWS
The next Merlot?
Argentine Malbec is everywhere, and most of it is attractively affordable.
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f you have tasted a Merlot OR a Malbec lately, you may be shaking your head at this article’s subject, wondering what wild avenue I’m exploring. But bear with me for a paragraph or two, and I think you’ll see the point. From time to time, a wine name, grape or style will suddenly become popular, and generally with good reason. A generation ago, many people - if they asked for wine at all - might simply call for “a glass of white wine” or even a generic “chablis.” Then “varietal” labeling became the rule, and the age of Chardonnay dawned on the land. The great white grape of Burgundy, transplanted in wine regions around the world, became the “default” white wine for many people. (It remains the biggestselling variety in supermarkets by a wide margin). But then came news of “The French Paradox” - the intriguing hypothesis that French people can get away with consuming large amounts of buttery, creamy dishes because something in the red wine they drink protects against heart and circulatory diseases - and suddenly the rest of the world started asking for “a glass of RED wine.” In spite of competition from such noble red grapes as the Cabernets of Bordeaux and the Pinot Noir of Burgundy, it didn’t take long for Merlot to jump into first place as the leading red-wine variety in Britain. Merlot, like Chardonnay, became the mass-market leader because it makes a wine that’s soft and fruity and easy to enjoy. In fact, it was just those characteristics that had prompted Bordeaux producers for many generations to think of Merlot as a mere “blending” grape, useful mostly for mixing in relatively small proportions with the more austere and tannic Cabernets to soften their harsh edges and make a balanced wine. By itself, the conventional wisdom had been, Merlot makes a wine that’s pleasant but, well, bland. But don’t tell that to the buying public, which made 100 percent Merlot a hit. All of which brings us around finally to Malbec. Pronounced “Mahl-beck,” this darkred grape was an even more minor player in the Bordeaux blend, but where Merlot’s role in the orchestra of varieties was to soften the finished wine, Malbec played bass to Merlot’s tenor, bringing big, lusty and fruity flavours to the dance. Bordeaux, traditionally considered a wine of elegance and finesse, could only take a hint of such a boisterous grape. But
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in France’s Cahors region, and even more prominently in Argentina, this grape came into its own. Making Malbec as a big, fruity and forward wine, often bolstered in flavour by aging in oak, many Argentines declare Malbec their nation’s trademark wine; they drink a lot of it and let a bit out for the rest of the world to enjoy. And now, just as some wine enthusiasts are starting to look around at Pinot Gris/Grigio and other white alternatives to Chardonnay, Malbec is starting to show up as an intriguing option for those bored with Merlot. I see it taking up more shelf space in supermarkets, and showing up even more as a by-the-glass option in local restaurants. It’s a natural match with beef (an Argentine speciality), and in my experience it goes very well with pizza.
How the comeback kid of grapes made good When Malbec, Argentina’s signature grape, showed up in the Mendoza region around the mid-19th century, it was the proverbial European immigrant, fleeing hard times and dreaming of a better future. And that’s what it found. Malbec had already begun its slow, steady fall from grace in western France, where it had been a dominant variety in the Loire Valley and even Bordeaux. The rustic red grape still figures prominently in a few low-profile districts, notably Cahors, but today Malbec is pretty much France’s vinifera-non-grata. This is for two reasons. In Bordeaux and in the Loire Valley, in particular, it rarely tasted very good. Short on fruit flavour, it also happens to be vulnerable to disease and frost. That’s two big strikes against any grape in the modern wine business, sort of like a tin-eared musician who never shows up on time for a gig. But, to stretch the musical metaphor, like many black American jazz musicians who decamped to Paris to find a haven for their music in the 1940s and 50s, Malbec crossed the pond and found its groove in the land of the tango. In the high altitudes and dry conditions of many of Argentina’s vineyards, the grape was transformed. Even the clusters look clearly better suited to winemaking, with smaller berries and a higher skin-to-juice ratio, which imparts more flavour, cellar-ability and tannic structure. The result is a drink that might be described as Merlot in blue jeans, medium full-bodied, with the rich, plum-like fruit core of Merlot but an earthy, slightly gritty character. If you’re a Bordeaux fan, think of a good Saint-Émilion, though perhaps without the tidy, elegant structure - a better partner for saucy, braised meats as opposed to roast beef.
Chase the family pound, pub operators are urged
Exquisite experiences at Newton Abbot
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hat with last year’s poor summer, the smoking ban and reports warning about falling consumer spend, pub operators could be forgiven for claiming 2007 had been an annus horribilis. But canny operators can still prosper by targeting families and promoting their offerings more clearly, according to recent in-depth research. In its first look at the pub market, consultancy firm Him! put 125 questions to more than 5,000 customers and 700 employees at pubs owned by Charles Wells, Greene King, JD Wetherspoon, Shepherd Neame, Mitchells & Butlers (in All Bar One and Vintage Inns outlets) and Laurel Pub Company (in Slug and Lettuce, Ha! Ha! Bar and Yates’s). The study revealed that while families spend over £5 more per person than the average customer in a pub, just 9% of pub-goers visit with their families, rising to 12% on Sundays. Tom Fender, sales and marketing director at Him!, urged operators to chase the family pound and become more child-friendly. He said families eating out in pubs could spend, on average, 50% more per customer, pointing to menu-ordering comparisons, where 15% of pub-goers order a hot meal but just 3% of those order a dessert. “The margins on desserts are attractive and we need to ask why the gap is so wide,” Fender said. “Could this be to do with the service, or is it to do with the fact that in this country you don’t order your main course and your dessert at the same time?” The research also showed that 42% of customers would like to buy a hot beverage in a pub with 30% also visiting a coffee chain during the week. Fender said pubs should challenge the popular divide between pubs for alcoholic and cold drinks and coffee shops for hot beverages because both were competing for the lunch market. “Coffee is a £2.5b per annum business. It’s a huge market that has relatively come up from scratch in the past decade,” he said. “What has the coffee shop got that the pub hasn’t got? We need to break creatures of habit and where people buy coffee. We want it to be a key component of our offer.” However, the number of adults visiting coffee shops in the typical week has stalled over the past year, averaging 7% as the number of adults visiting a pub in a typical week has fallen from 21% to 15%. Restaurants have been the main winners, rising in that time from 18% to 21%. Pub operators need to improve their marketing efforts, with the research showing that only 16% of pub customers noticed promotions and only 5% of pub-goers were buying promotions. Fender said the competition pubs faced for the consumer pound meant pubs should promote themselves more. If pub operators felt they should be doing more to entice customers, at least the research showed they are keeping their staff happy. Nine out of 10 pub staff enjoy bar work, while eight out of 10 enjoy working for their company. About three-quarters felt valued and well informed but only 32% implemented agreements with head office all the time. Disturbingly, just 12% of bar workers knew what their best-selling beer was. Nigel Bunting, retail director at Shepherd Neame, warned that operators shouldn’t get too hung up about attracting brand new customers. “What we should be aware of is not what customers we’re not attracting but looking at the loyal customers we have and giving them things they might not think they want,” he said. In conclusion, Fender insisted pubs still had an exciting future. “We spend 10% of our disposable income on food and drink. Competing for that pound is getting more intense and is no longer between different pubs and bars but between all high-street operators,” he said.
Eat and drink in style!
Great racing is not the only reason to visit Newton Abbot. Our beautiful setting, together with outstanding food from The Exquisite Catering Company, makes it a great venue for wining and dining in style, too. Whether you want to celebrate a special occasion, entertain cilents, hold a corporate event, or simply enjoy delicious food, Newton Abbot has everything you need to make your day memorable.
For more information call us now on 01626 353235 or visit newtonabbotracing.com
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EXETER your capital city
A great future is unfolding – more shops, more restaurants, more things to do, more choice
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HOMES & INTERIORS
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PROPERTY
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somewhere different somewhere special
The Country Hotel of the Year - Good Hotel Guide 2007 Romantic, Elizabethan Manor, set in 400 acres of parkland. Exclusive use available including 16 suites and bedrooms. Civil wedding / church blessing with transport by horse & carriage. 2-100 guests - 150 in a marquee on a croquet lawn. 2 Master Chefs of Great Britain The Devon Restaurant of the Year. Thatch Cottage with walled garden for romantic escapes.
Combe House Hotel & Restaurant Gittisham, Honiton, Nr Exeter, Devon EX14 3AD Tel 01404 540 400 35www.thishotel.com
“The home should be the treasure chest of living� Le Corbusier
re o t s N ew p e n a t o now esshay, Pr inc eter Ex Orange Tree, Darts Farm, Topsham, Devon EX3 0QH Orange Tree, 30 Bedford Street, Princesshay, Exeter, Devon EX1 1GJ Telephone 01392 876688 www.theorangetree.co.uk Winner of Best Retail Store in the South West Winner of Best Retail Initiative