Folio200

­­folio­­ bristol & bath

free take one! the west’s best lifest yle m ag

september 2011 l No. 200

h a p py h t d r ay i B As Folio hits 200 (issues that is, not years…) we celebrate all that’s great and good about living in the South West

Cool gadgets School open days Q&A with SarahRaven A/W fashion

eating

out west

22-page food & drink section!

for the guys!

DAZZLING DRESSES FOR YOUR SPECIAL DAY The best venues the West has to offer

Inspirational finishing touches

Free Wedding Guide

Wedding

GUIDE AUTUMN 2011

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PM 8/24/2011 4:48:46

32 pages of inspiration for planning your perfect day

BRISTOL & bATH'S

MAGAZINE

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/september 2011 sweet sixteen Where were you in February 1995?

Replaying the Blur V Oasis argument with a random group of lecturedodgers in someone’s musty student bedroom? Knocking back the chardonnay à la Bridget Jones in a trendy wine bar complete with on-trend wood shavings on the floor?

(Helen Fielding’s eponymous heroine first appeared in column-form in The Independent that month). Or perhaps you were feverishly searching for a new job after the collapse of Barings Bank?

By all accounts, Feb ‘95 was a pretty major headlinegrabbing month. And so it was that, at the height of Britpop, Bridget fever and the demise of London’s oldest merchant bank, Bristol and Bath awoke to find a brand new magazine on their doormats. Yep, Folio was born that very month and now, well into her teens, she continues to thrive as B/B’s longest-running lifestyle mag. So to mark the occasion of our 200th issue, we’ve rounded up a bumper selection of the very best reasons to love living round these parts. So pour yourself a large glass of chardonnay and relax in the knowledge that you live in probably one of the best cities in the world…

Until next month

Features 4 Why we love living in Bristol & Bath 12 Mike White’s top ideas for things to do in September 15 Avon Wildlife Trust take us on a walk round

Goblin Combe

Competitions 16 Win treats from Hotel Chocolat plus £100 to

spend at Cabot Circus!

Lifestyle 23 Shop of the month: Best Buy 24 Boxfresh togs for the guys 26 Niki Whittle on style icon Pippa Middleton 28 Our spa spy visits the Bath House at the

Royal Crescent Hotel 32 Health roundup 34 NEW – cool gadgets for you and your home 35 & 41 School open days – what to ask and

where to visit 46 We look forward to the much-anticipated

launch of the Range Rover Evoque

Homefront 50 Crystal Clear reveal their latest Grand Design 54 We talk to Sarah Raven about her new book

‘Sarah Raven’s Wild Flowers’ 56 September garden stars – Michaelmas daisies 58 Property news

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why we love bristol & bath

24 Autumn/winter fashion for the guys

Eating Out West Rachel Nott Folio editor

Win treats from hotel chocolat page 16

62 Melissa Blease fills your basket with autumn

produce 66 Tony Benjamin sniffs out the best artisan

charcuteries 69 Diary dates 70 Farrells of Keynsham reviewed 73 Joya in Bath reviewed 74 Tabletalk and Central Bar, Bath reviewed 77 Top 10 local ales & La Riva, Bristol reviewed 80 Sea bream recipe from Delmonico

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How to dress like Pippa Middleton

Subscribe to Folio and get Venue with it! Just send a cheque for £37.50 (payable to Folio) to our Bristol address or phone with credit/debit card details and you’ll get the next 12 issues sent to your home, or 6 issues for £19.50 – the only way to guarantee you’ll get every copy of the West’s fastest-growing lifestyle magazine. Ffi: 0117 934 3741 Folio Bristol 4th Floor, Bristol News & Media, Temple Way, Bristol, BS99 7HD tel 0117 942 8491 fax 0117 934 3566 email r.nott@venue.co.uk or editor@foliomagazine.co.uk Folio Bath Bath News & Media, Floor 2, Westpoint, James West St, Bath BA1 1UN tel 01225 429801 fax 01225 447602 Editor Rachel Nott Group Editor Dave Higgitt Production Manager Cath Evans Design Team Sarah Clark, Sarah Malone Sub-editor Steve Wright Publications Co-ordinators Emma Gorton, Ruth Wood Commercial Manager Becky Davis Advertising Bex Baddiley, Adam Burrows, Nejla Unal, Ben Wright Distribution Dave Higgitt Ring us now for details of how to reach our 75,000 readers – and if you’re a reader, contact our advertisers now! Do please let them know where you read about their services.

Thank you. Folio articles preceded by the words ‘Folio Profile’ have been supplied by a third party, and the information contained within them does not necessarily constitute a direct recommendation by the publishers. However, we only accept submissions from bona fide companies whom we know from long experience to provide quality goods or services.

54 We talk to Sarah Raven about her new book

62 How to make the most of the new season's produce

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Feature

o w t f o A tale th issue, Melissa 0 0 2 ’s io ol F te a br le To ce ion of the ct le se er p m bu a p u s Blease round r twin cities best reasons to love ou

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Feature “Bristol is extremely cool without trying to be, and doesn't take itself too seriously!” Alex Reilley

WE LOVE OUR...

CITIES “I’m not originally from Bath, but a visit during a music festival fortnight fourteen years ago was enough to persuade me to move to the city and join in! There’s always something cultural going on: a course, workshop, event, performance, festival or exhibition planned with you in mind, whatever your age – and it only takes seconds for you to find out what's happening!”

Jill Bennett, Engage Programme Co-ordinator, Theatre Royal Bath (www. theatreroyal.org.uk)

“Bristol has a long and complicated history, filled with interesting moral ambiguities. Like all the best fictional good guys, it's a little bit bad, and like all the best fictional bad guys, it's a little bit good.”

Eugene Byrne, freelance writer and Venue Contributing Editor (http://eugenebyrne. wordpress.com/)

“Bath might be a pocket-size city but it certainly offers a lot, from the delicious coffee houses that set you up for the day through to a show in the evening after being spoilt for choice with dining options. Having said that, the best thing for me about living in Bath is the stunning view across the city from my kitchen window!”

Frances Macadam, Ustinov Studio Administrator, Theatre Royal Bath

“What I like about living in Bristol is the way there is a real music scene – not just a lot of bands and singers, but an actual organic network that takes in new arrivals and plugs them in – that’s why so many new ideas come about, like rock-meets-reggae (Massive Attack), dance-meets-jazz (Get The Blessing) or countrymeets-soul (Phantom Limb). If there’s a competitive side to things it’s about quality rather than personality, which is why the standard is generally so high. We’re spoiled rotten for great local sounds and I love it!”

Tony Benjamin, Eating Out West Editor and Venue music writer

Clockwise from top left: Bath Abbey and the Pump Rooms; Wyfe of Bath cheese; the Bath skyline; summer on the Downs; Pero's Bridge and Bristol Harbourside

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“Bath is beautiful, pretty and chilled out, and it's got a lot going for it in terms of the organic and local food scene: Green Park Market is fabulous!

I’m also a Komedia fan too...”

Sarah Jagusch, Marketing Manager, Komedia, Bath (www.komedia.co.uk)

“Bristol is extremely cool without trying to be, and doesn't take itself too seriously! The diversity of architecture, people and attitudes play an important part in defining the city, and the close proximity to Bath and great surrounding countryside makes Bristol a very unique place to live.”

Alex Reilley, Managing Director, The Loungers Group (www.thelounges.co.uk)

“Bristol is a phenomenal city: everything you could ever want is on your doorstep. It's more 'happening' yet more laid-back than London, the Old Market Tavern serves a great pint of 6X – and it's only a 20 minute drive into the centre of Bath!”

Darryl Bullock, The Spark magazine (www. thespark.co.uk)

"As I look out from the balcony of the Royal West of England Academy I can see the magnificent fusion of historic Bristol with the commercial buzz of contemporary Queens Road and Park Street. Within a mile's span of that vista are the Victoria Rooms, the Downs, the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol Zoo, St Georges & Brandon Hill, St James Priory Church, Bristol Cathedral, the Lord Mayor's Chapel, Bristol Hippodrome, The Bristol Old Vic, St Mary Redcliffe Church and, of course, the essence of Bristol: the vibrant and continuing testimony to this city's rich maritime heritage that is the Harbourside, crowned by the proud ss Great Britain.

“Bristol is the ultimate ‘village city’, throbbing with the pulse of modern art and culture yet also allowing Bristolians a quick escape to a slice of English countryside tucked within the city, thanks to the undulating and family-friendly Downs.”

Theresa Roche, Folio reader

“I love all the art that's going on in our cities! Painted gorillas, painted pigs, contemporary galleries, traditional galleries, street art, art trails, artists' studios, pop-up galleries in empty shops, exhibitions, competitions and print making at Spike Island. I could never move away, I'd miss it too much.”

Mary Rouncefield, Folio reader

“The best thing about living in Bristol or Bath? Folio and Venue magazines, of course!” ‹ Dave Higgitt, Group Editor, Venue Publishing

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“The best thing for me about living in Bath is the stunning view across the city from my kitchen window!”

Frances Macadam

Feature WE LOVE OUR...

MAGNIFICENT MUSEUMS Bath

The Roman Baths

A family-friendly, interactive experience offering wow factor moments at every turn as history is brought to life before your eyes.

Abbey Churchyard, Bath BA1 1LZ. Ffi: 01225 477785, www.romanbaths.co.uk The Fashion Museum

Home to an outstanding collection of more than 30,000 objects worn by men, women and children dating from the late 16th century to the present day.

Assembly Rooms, Bennett St, Bath BA1 2QH. Ffi: 01225 477789, www.fashionmuseum.co.uk No 1 Royal Crescent

Experience Georgian life as it was intended to be lived in a magnificently restored Georgian town house and living showcase for architect John Wood the Younger’s finest achievement.

1 Royal Crescent, Bath BA1 2LR. Ffi: 01225 428126, www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk The Holburne Museum of Art

A recent refurbishment has transformed the museum known as ‘the jewel in Bath’s heritage crown’.

Great Pulteney St, Bath BA2 4DB. Ffi: 01225 466669, www.holburne.org Old Orchard Street Theatre

This unique, historic building started life as the original Theatre Royal before morphing into a Catholic Chapel and eventually becoming one of England's oldest provincial Masonic Lodges, still fully operating today.

12 Old Orchard St, Bath BA1 1JU. Ffi: 01225 462233, www.oldtheatreroyal.com

Bristol M Shed

Innovative, multi-purpose complex offering a fascinating tribute to the people that have made (and continue to make) the history of Bristol.

Wapping Rd, Princes Wharf, Bristol BS1 4RN. Ffi: 0117 352 6600, www.mshed.org Blaise Castle House Museum Bristol Museum and Art Gallery

All (and we mean all!) manner of amazing artefacts...and a fabulous cafe, too!

Queen’s Rd, Bristol BS8 1RL. Ffi: 0117 922 3571, www.bristol.gov.uk ss Great Britain & The Matthew

Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s maritime masterpiece and a perfect replica of John Cabot’s hardworking but eminently graceful vessel. Landlubbers, what’s not to love?

Great Western Dockyard, Gas Ferry Rd, Bristol BS1 6TY. Ffi: 0117 926 0680, www.ssgreatbritain.org & 0117 927 6868, www.matthew.co.uk Clifton Suspension Bridge Visitor Centre

Learn all about how this spectacular feat of engineering came about.

Bridge Rd, Leigh Woods, Bristol BS8 3PA. Ffi: 0117 974 4664, www.cliftonbridge.org.uk

A late 18th-century mansion set in over 400 acres of stunning parkland, and home to most of the Bristol Museums Service's social history collections.

Henbury Rd, Bristol, BS10 7QS. Ffi: 0117 903 9818, www.bristol.gov.uk

WE LOVE OUR...

LOCAL GHOSTS Originally situated in Orchard Street, the Theatre Royal Bath was the first theatre outside of London to be granted a Royal Patent in 1768. Since then, a whole host of legendary luvvies have treaded those historic boards... but few of them linger long after dark.

Frequently spotted, though, in both the theatre and the adjoining Garrick’s Head pub (where she was said to have hanged herself

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Feature

“The TRB's Butterfly Phenomenon is the stuff of psychic society legend...”

after an unrequited love affair with a TRB actor), the Grey Lady is the one of the most famous theatre ghosts in the country.

Sightings are usually preceded by a strong smell of jasmine, and the Lady appears either in 18thcentury evening dress or merely as a wispy, smoky figure... the ideal partner, perhaps, for the theatre’s sinister Phantom Doorman, only ever seen by cast members? The TRB’s Butterfly Phenomenon, meanwhile, is the stuff of psychic society legend – visit www. theatreroyal.org.uk/page/3014/History for the full, fascinating details.

Bristol, meanwhile, has its own fair share of spooky spectres.

Regular reports include sightings of a semitransparent soldier (thought to have been condemned to death for deserting the army during the First World War) drifting around College Green; a poltergeist causing havoc at the BBC Radio Bristol HQ in Whiteladies Road; and a decapitated horseman galloping across Ashton Court Estate.

WE LOVE OUR...

FARMERS’ MARKETS Bath Farmers’ Market The one that kick-started the whole Farmers’ Market movement, held every Saturday from 8.30am-1pm. Dozens of stalls sell locally produced fresh and organic meat, dairy, breads and veg, plus foods for people on restricted diets, hot food to nibble as you browse and plenty of tasting experiences.

Ffi Green Park Station, Bath BA1 1JB. Tel:1225 787910, web: www.bathfarmersmarket.co.uk

Bristol Farmers’ Market A myriad of local producers from within a 40-mile radius of the city congregate and flaunt their wares along Corn Street and Wine Street in Bristol’s old centre every Wednesday from 9.30am-2.30pm. See also Fishponds Farmers' Market (Fishponds Park, second Thursday of every month, 9am to 1pm), the Whiteladies Road Farmers' and Fairtrading Market (Whiteladies Road, first and third Saturdays of the month, 8.30am to 2pm) and others.

Ffi www.bristol.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/ business/markets/

WE LOVE OUR...

FESTIVALS Bath

Literature Festival: February/March, www. bathlitfest.org.uk Comedy Festival: April, www.bathcomedy.com

International Music Festival: May/June, www.bathmusicfest.org.uk Coffee Festival: May, www.bathcoffeefestival.co. uk Fringe: May/June, www.bathfringe.co.uk Folk Festival: August, www.bathfolkfestival. org Jane Austen Festival: September, www. janeausten.co.uk Festival of Children’s Literature: September/October, www.bathkidslitfest.co.uk Film Festival: November, www. bathfilmfestival.org.uk Mozartfest: November, www. bathmozartfest.org.uk

Brisfest: September, www.brisfest.co.uk Organic Food Festival: September, www. organicfoodfestival.co.uk Encounters International Film Festival: November, www.encounters-festival.org.uk Festival of Ideas: year-round, www.ideasfestival. co.uk

Bristol

➻ Folio was established in 1995. In the same year, the Bath Literature Festival was established, the former Ministry of Defence (now Defence Equipment and Support) moved to a purposebuilt headquarters at Abbey Wood, Filton, and The Wurzels released the single ‘I Wanna Be An Eddie Stobart Driver’. ➻ Bristol and Bath share around 12,000 Grade I, II* and II listed buildings between them, roughly equally. Bath, however, was awarded UNESCO UK World Heritage Site status in 1987.

Mayfest Theatre Festival: May, www. mayfestbristol.co.uk Dot to Dot (music festival): May, www. dottodotfestival.co.uk St Pauls Carnival: July, www.stpaulscarnival.co.uk Harbour Festival: July www. bristolharbourfestival.co.uk Grillstock: July, www.grillstock.co.uk International Balloon Fiesta: August, www. bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk

WE LOVE OUR...

FIVE FUNKY FACTS

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Fine bespoke furniture

Get up close and personal with Plum Kitchens within Ruby & White Butcher’s (next to the Cowshed) 48 Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2NH. There will be daily cooking demo’s by a professional chef on Plum Kitchen’s luxurious furniture using V-ZUG premium swiss quality appliances* “It’s a new concept for a kitchen showroom, we will prove that our kitchens are not fragile showroom only models, a kind of Darwinism for kitchens if you like, anything that doesn’t stand this extreme testing ground will evolve giving my potential clients great confidence in our luxury products.”

Premium Swiss Quality Appliances

* Plum Kitchens are the only regional supplier of V-ZUG appliances

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Sep Until E anc tem nd es ber 201 1

Contact us for a FREE design and quotation t: 01179 000 858 e: sales@plum-kitchens.co.uk www.plum-kitchens.co.uk

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Feature

Famous names: Banksy, Derren Brown, Gravenhurst and Nik Kershaw

➻ The first chocolate bar in the world was created by Joseph Fry in his Bristol factory in 1720. ➻ Jane Austen only lived in Bath for five years (1801-1806), but set two of her six published novels (‘Northanger Abbey’ and ‘Persuasion’) in the city. ➻ The first regular mail coach route from Bristol to Bath was established on August 2 1784; the 11.5 mile journey took approximately 3 hours. Today, it’s possible to travel between Bristol Temple Meads and Bath Spa railway stations in 11 minutes.

have yet to be formally sanctioned by a reliable scientific source. But then again, nobody has declared it to have any detrimental properties, either – except in a sartorial sense. With its mildly sulphurous odour, cloudy hue and tepid dishwater taste, this ain’t exactly Perrier. It does, however, offer you a true taste of history... served to you a disposable plastic beaker by a man in tights. Other (tastier?) foodstuffs unique to Bath: Bath and Sally Lunn buns, the Bath Oliver biscuit, Bath Chaps and Wyfe of Bath cheese.

WE LOVE OUR...

WE LOVE OUR...

BATHTIME TREATS CELEBRITIES The neo-classical salon that dominates the street level entrance to the Roman Baths complex offers the ultimate English High Tea experience, served to you by unobtrusively efficient staff. But one team member in particular is bound to catch your eye. Bedecked in full Georgian footman regalia (including black knickerbockers, white stockings and silver buckled slippers), the Pump Room’s Head Pumper is responsible for the auspicious task of drawing the warm, mineralladen water on which the Heritage City’s was built directly from the spa pump itself and offering all-comers a complimentary sample in a disposable plastic beaker (which is perhaps the point at which the pomp aspect of this particular ceremony falls apart a bit).

Although undeniably rich in trace minerals, the water’s restorative or healing properties

Made in Bristol: Derren Brown, JK Rowling, Damien Hirst, Justin Lee Collins, Banksy, Robin Cousins, Carol Vorderman, Tony Robinson, Stephanie Cole... and Harveys Bristol Cream Five Historic Bristolians: Hannah More (18th/19th-century social campaigner); Blackbeard (18th-century pirate); Cary Grant (20th-century silver screen icon, pictured); John Wesley (founder of the Methodist Church in 1739); John Cabot, a 15th-century Venetian explorer, sailed to Newfoundland from Bristol in 1497.

Five Historic Bathonians Sarah Siddons (18th-century actress); John Wood the Elder & the Younger (18th-century architects); Harry Patch (last surviving soldier to have fought in the First World War trenches); Beau Nash (uber-dandy); the Romans (without whom, etc...)

WE LOVE OUR...

BRISTOL POP STARS The Blue Aeroplanes, Gary Clail, Massive Attack, Gravenhurst, Portishead, Tricky, Roni Size, The Pop Group, Nik Kershaw, Wayne Hussey (The Mission), The Korgis, Rip, Rig and Panic, Tears for Fears, Strangelove, Robert Wyatt, Fred Wedlock and... The Wurzels, yay!

WE LOVE OUR... DIALECT Oo-aar, where’s it to?, anywhen, daps, alroight my luvver, etc – they’re all part of the distinctive West Country accent that add inimitable colour and character to Bristol and Bath’s rich cultural heritage, described by one acclaimed dialect researcher as "a cranky, crazy, crab-apple tree of language with the sharpest, juiciest flavours that I've heard for a long time”. Proper job!

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Scarecrow, edible necklace and funny vegetable competition

Sunday 25th September 2pm GREAT PRIZES TO BE WON!

CLEEVE NURSERY Tel 01934 832134

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what’s new

Get affordable fashion advice at Cabot Circus from every girl's favourite stylist, aunty Gok

what to do in...

Sept

Fashion shows, twilit roof spas and a magical Somerset garden… Mike White’s autumn diary is bursting

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TIME FOR A CHANGE?

Feeling dowdy? In need of a change? Makeover inspiration is in the air this month. Firstly, every girl’s favourite style advisor Gok Wan comes to Bristol for the new series of his Clothes Roadshow, which is (appropriately, in these times of austerity Britain) all about affordable fashion – everything that you see on Gok’s catwalks at Cabot Circus will be available to buy in the shops. Later in the month comes the British Fashion Council’s Autumn/Winter Fashion Tour 2011, also at Cabot Circus, with free catwalk shows packed with outfits you can find on the high street; and Bristol Fashion Week at The Mall, Cribbs Causeway – showcasing the hottest trends for Autumn/Winter 2011. If you’re quick, there’s a chance for a makeover from top TV stylist Mark Heyes, after which you’ll get to take a turn on the Bristol Fashion Week catwalk to show off your new-found style. Application details are on the Mall’s website – but hurry! The deadline’s midnight on Sun 4 Sept.

Gok’s Clothes Roadshow Wed 7 Sept, Cabot Circus, Bristol, 5pm.

Autumn/Winter Fashion Tour 2011 Sat 24 & Sun 25 Sept, Cabot Circus, Bristol. Ffi for both events: www.cabotcircus.com Bristol Fashion Week Wed 21-Sat 25 Sept, The Mall, Cribbs Causeway.

Ffi: www.mallcribbs.com

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RAT’S ENTERTAINMENT

1866, breakfast time, somewhere off the coast of the Azores. The steamship ss Great Britain is heading home from Melbourne to Liverpool. Down in the galley, the porridge pots are piled up waiting to be washed and the hot, bad-tempered staff begin making a farewell dinner for the First Class Dining Saloon.

This morning in maritime history has been painstakingly recreated in the historic steamship’s new galley, transformed by a £60,000 makeover into a state-of-the-art exhibit that puts you right in the moment. The air is full of smells, the cook can be heard shouting at his minions, and (animatronic) rats squeak and scratch, hissed at by the ship’s cat. Wouldbe diners can be reassured, however, that this is all for show purposes only – the ship’s present-day kitchen, (tucked away behind the First Class Dining Saloon), meets the very highest standards in food hygiene!

ss Great Britain’s new historic galley exhibit is open daily from 10am-5.30pm. Ffi: 0117 926 0680, www.ssgreatbritain.org

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GET THE ABBEY HABIT

Even when witnessed in reverential silence, the mighty fan-vaulted nave of Bath Abbey is an inspiring sight. Imagine, if you will, that same ancient space filled with the sound of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra as they perform one of Mozart’s finest creations – the graceful Symphony No.29 – alongside works by Grieg and Bridge. A tempting proposition indeed.

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Thur 15 Sept, Bath Abbey. Ffi: 01225 422462, 01225 463362 or boxoffice@bathfestivals.org.uk

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what’s new

The perfect gift for gals who love pootling about town on two wheels...

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VELO MODE

Bristol’s the UK’s first designated Cycling City, and now Bristol-based online design emporium Howkapow are offering this fun bike brooch for pedalpushing fashionistas everywhere. Britishmade, it’s crafted from copper and powdercoated in a summery canary yellow colour.

HIGH FLYERS

The first weekend of September brings a skyful of fun to Ashton Court, as the Bristol International Festival of Kites and Air Creations returns to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Bring along your own kite to fly, or just marvel at the amazing sights from around the world – giant flying sharks, death-defying stunt displays, a wind orchestra and (the organisers hope) a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the world’s largest kite. Fingers crossed for wind!

Bike brooch £30 from www.howkapow.com

Bristol International Festival of Kites and Air Creations Ashton Court Estate, Bristol, Sat 3 & Sun 4 Sep, 11am-5pm. Entry is free, car parking is £7. Ffi: 0117 977 2002 www.kite-festival.org.uk

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RE-BOOT YOURSELF

‘Boot camp’ fitness programmes are usually thought of as pretty hard work – and whilst there will certainly be no shortage of calorie-burning challenges on the Cadbury House Boutique Spa Boot Camp, you’ll get to recover with some pampering afterwards. First the world class military instructors help you work off your love-handles with high-energy fun like body pump, beach workouts and team games, then you get a soothing session in the Spa's heated indoor pool, monsoon showers, steam and sauna rooms and Jacuzzi bath. You can even indulge in a special spa treatment for a small extra fee, happy in the knowledge that you’ve very definitely earned it.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

With variously ancient and beautiful areas to discover – lakes, temples, cascades, woodland walks and more formal flora – Somerset’s Hestercombe Gardens span three centuries of horticultural mastery.

September sees this remarkable place aglow with unusual light, as it plays host to a celebration of Somerset Art Weeks 2011 and the launch of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad in Somerset. As you wander along a special route through the gardens, you’ll pass light and sound installations twinkling in the dusky gloaming. Sounds magical.

Night of Light Fri 30 Sept, Hestercombe Gardens, Cheddon Fitzpaine, Taunton, 6-8pm, £5/3. Ffi: 01823 413923, www. hestercombe.com

Cadbury House Boutique Spa Boot Camp The Club & Spa, DoubleTree by Hilton, Cadbury House, Frost Hill, Congresbury, Bristol, BS49 5AD. Mon 12-Fri 16 Sep (also on Mon 31 Oct-Fri 4 Nov). Ffi: 01934 834 343 (option 1) or www. theclubandspabristol.co.uk

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BATH TIME!

Twilight is always a magical time: the orange glow of sunset giving way to the sky’s deepening blue, the lights coming on across the city. Bath, architecturally blessed as it is, and nestling in the green bowl of its topography, is a particularly good place to savour the slow shift towards night.

One place in particular offers a unique vantage point for dusk appreciation: the Thermae Bath Spa. Here you can sample the menu in the Springs Café & Restaurant, unwind in the aroma steam rooms and waterfall shower, try the massage jet, whirlpool and 'lazy river' in the Minerva bath and then head up to the roof for the Spa’s crowning glory: the open-air pool with its views over the spires and rooftops of ancient Bath and away to the hills beyond. The Twilight Package includes a three-hour spa session (including your time in the Restaurant), complimentary use of towel, slippers and robe, a main course from the special 'Twilight menu' and a drink. De-stress, enjoy a meal and then lie back in the mineral-rich thermal water as the evening’s first stars begin to appear.

The Twilight Package Thermae Bath Spa Hot Bath Street, Bath. Package available Sun- Fri from 4pm. Last entry to Spa 6.30pm, last serving in Restaurant 8.15pm. £42 per head. NB rooftop pool closed for maintenance 26-29 Sept. Ffi: www.thermaebathspa.com

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feature

Goblin

Combe

From high limestone grasslands to fern-strewn woodland paths, and from the pretty green hairstreak to the imperious raven, this walk is varied and rich in nature…

G

oblin Combe is a marvellous and mysterious place for a walk, the airy grasslands above making a startling contrast to the dark woodland below. You'll climb steeply through the Combe to the limestone grassland, where there are magical views across the Mendips to the Welsh coast. In late summer the grassland is dotted with autumn gentian, autumn lady's tresses and yellow-wort: and over 30 species of butterfly have been recorded here, including grizzled and dingy skippers, brown argus and the beautiful green hairstreak.

Woodland and common grasshoppers sing from the purple heather and you'll see buzzards orbiting in the thermals over the Combe – often joined by ravens, the largest members of the crow family. A word of warning: footpaths along the floor of Goblin Combe can be very muddy and slippery.

Proceed carefully – and do not approach cliffs and scree slopes.

THE WALK (2 hours) From the car park walk back down to the road, bearing right and past the Goblin Combe Environment Centre and following the footpath signs that lead you through a gate and into the Combe bottom until you enter the reserve. Continue along the path where gnarled yews grow – and where the mysteriously-named moonwort was first discovered. The uncommon white admiral butterfly can also be seen here in July.

As the path divides, stay in the valley bottom, keeping to the route turning off left after 40 metres. Winding your way up the footpath, follow the yellow markers on the trees to the grassland area through a kissing gate. Cross the grassland to the interpretation board and turn left just before this along the path at the top of the grassland. This leads to the top of the Combe. Take care here: the cliff to the left is very steep. The views from here span all the way from the western end of the Mendips to

the south Wales coast.

From the viewpoint, follow the path to the right going down across another stone wall.

Follow the path right to the bottom of the Combe, taking care when walking down the steep flight of steps, until you find yourself back at the reserve entrance. Turn right and retrace your steps.

Avon Wildlife Trust Our walk comes courtesy of this leading local charity working for people and wildlife. Ffi: 0117 917 7270, www.avonwildlifetrust.org.uk

Magical views across the Mendips to the Welsh coast await you at the top of the hill

Did you know…?

The Combe itself is a gorge that was cut into limestone by melting snow and ice during the last ice age. The damp woodland Combe is home to the rare moonwort fern which grows under the old yew trees.

There is also a thriving population of dormice here.

The western section of Goblin Combe is managed by the Goblin Combe Environment Centre, and the eastern section by Avon Wildlife Trust.

How to find the reserve Look out for sleepy dormice....

...and Rustyback fern

Nearest postcode to reserve BS49 4PH Grid ref ST 471 652 Bike View a location map of the reserve on the National Cycle Network website: www.sustrans.org.uk Public transport Various buses linking Bristol with Yatton, Nailsea and Weston super Mare stop in the centre of Cleeve village. For more info, visit www.traveline.org.uk Car Follow the A370 to Cleeve village. Turn onto Cleeve Hill Road and follow the road for about 1/4 mile. Parking is available in the old quarry car park, which is on the lefthand side of the road just past the junction for Goblin Combe Environment Centre. Follow signs for the woodland track running at the bottom of the valley through the Goblin Combe Environment Centre Reserve until you reach signs for the AWT Goblin Combe Reserve. folio/sept 2011 15

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Competitions

Win £100 to spend at Cabot Circus! £100 gift card

Bringing together high-street and designer shops, delicious dining, a 13-screen cinema and a spa, Cabot Circus offers the ultimate shopping experience and a great day out. And as autumn approaches, you’ll find everything you need at Cabot Circus’s 120 fabulous stores, including House of Fraser, Harvey Nichols, Urban Outfitters, Topshop and New Look. To inspire you, Cabot Circus is holding The ‘Autumn/Winter Fashion Tour’, a weekend of free catwalk shows, on Sat 24-Sun 25 Sept in association with the British Fashion Council. We have a £100 Cabot Circus gift card to give away, which can be redeemed anywhere in Cabot Circus. It’s like looting, only legal!

Cabot Circus Web: www.cabotcircus.com

fabulous compS

Enter today to be in with a chance of winning these great prizes!

To Enter

Win Loads of Hotel Chocolat treats

➻ Cabot Circus

Gourmet, ethical British chocolatier Hotel Chocolat decided that some of their flavours deserved an entire box all to themselves. And so its brand new Spotlight On range, now available in your local Hotel Chocolat store, features gorgeous boxed chocolates of just one variety. Choose from Salted Caramels, Eton Mess, Midnight Mints, Whisky Truffles, Rum Truffles, Coffee Truffles, Marzipan and Rose & Violet Crèmes – flavours that catch the imagination, demand the limelight and inspire unadulterated love. Sample them at a free instore tasting or, better still, enter our competition to win five assorted boxes all to yourself. Go on – hand ‘em round!

Just answer the following question: How many stores are there in Cabot Circus? Email your answer, with ‘Cabot Circus’ in the subject line, to: editor@foliomagazine.co.uk

by Friday 30 Sept. Please include your full contact details (name, address, postcode, email, mobile, landline).

➻ Hotel Chocolat

Just answer the following question: Which three key ingredients make up a traditional Eton Mess? Email your answer, with ‘Hotel Chocolat’ in the subject line, to: editor@foliomagazine.co.uk by Friday 30 Sept. Please include your full contact details (name, address, postcode, email, mobile, landline).

Hotel Chocolat George White St, Cabot Circus, Bristol BS1 3BA (0117 929 2329); Unit 143, Cribbs Causeway, Bristol BS34 5DG (0117 950 7978); Unit Su31, SouthGate, Bath BA1 1AQ (01225 448665). Web: www. hotelchocolat.co.uk

5

boxes of chocs

THE WINNERS Quadri comp: Congratulations to Joanne Rowse who won an Alessi pasta maker.

Correct answer: Milsom Place.

Bath Races comp: Congratulations to Ruth Bruton and Megan Thompson who won tickets to Ladies’ Day at Bath Races. Correct answer: 200 years.

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Voted in the Top 50 antique shops in Great Britain 2010 by The Independent on Sunday

OLD BANK ANTIQUES CENTRE 14-17 Walcot Buildings, Bath

Situated on the London Road (A4), just a short walk from the top of Walcot Street. Old Bank Antiques Centre is the largest retailer of antiques in Bath, without being stuffy and too grand.

This is how antiques shops used to look: a hoarder`s paradise. fifteen dealers spread through lots of showrooms in four shops with everything from 17th century to 1970s retro. Experienced and professional advice is always available. Customer parking is at the rear, accessed via Bedford Street. Deliveries can be arranged anywhere in the UK or the rest of world, at cost price.

Furniture restorer on premises.

Open seven days a week and most bank holidays Visit our website: www.oldbankantiquescentre.com Tel: 01225 469282 & 338813 Email: alexatmontague@aol.com

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profile

lifestyle

the giant flea and vintage market

bath flea market

T

he giant flea and vintage market at Bath Racecourse, really is full swing with hundreds of stall holders turning out to support the city’s antique and vintage trade and with thousands of buyers buying hundreds of unique items, it really is the place to be seen.

For the Septembers event we have secured a great attraction. We will be hosting 16 birds of prey from; owls, hawks and falcons and you can see them all at the next flea market in September 11th between 11 and 2.30pm. Maybe hold one or even feed one!

Many people get a little nervous about going to a flea market, there are many questions misinterpretations, and people have many images good and bad of their holiday

flea markets.

What price is the right price?Will I offend the stall holder about asking for a cheaper price?How much should I take?

We’ve put together some easy tips just to help you out. A flea market is not a car boot sale, a flea market brings together groups of artisans and traders from all over the country as a central point to trade in unusual antique and vintage items, The items on sale are good quality from antiques and vintage, everything is on sale from door handles to vintage clothing to gardenalia.

Don’t be afraid to make the trader an offer you feel to be more suitable, they can only say yes, no or make you a compromise.

Say your offer with confidence,

bath flea market Bath Racecourse Lansdown Bath, BA1 9BU Tel: 07730 283 632

Web: www.bathfleamarket.co.uk email: Bathfleamarket@live.co.uk

an item is only with what somebody is prepared to pay, the stall holder wants to sell and you want to buy!

But don’t forget the traders don’t get these items for free and they often make very small profits.

Thousands of people visit the flea markets and if you see something you really like make and offer and get it there and then as often someone else will snap it up for you.

But most of all Have fun, flea markets are a great day out and a great experience, with scrumptious food stalls, hog roasts, bbq’s and pimms it makes a great day out for the whole family.

Next Giant flea market Bath Racecourse: 11th September 2011 www.bathfleamarket.co.uk

• Parties • Festivals • Weddings • Corporate

Sound : Lighting : Staging Hire : Sales : Installations : Repairs

tel 0845 224 5967 || 07812 111 646 web www.bes-systems.co.uk email info@b-e-s.co.uk

Satisfied clients include: Arnolfini, Big Chill Bar, Bristol City Council, Paintworks, Shambala Festival, The Thekla, Tobacco Factory, Watershed

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➻ lifestyle Beautiful boots, skincare treats, contemporary art & kooky jewels HEALTH FARM

Somerset splendour ➻ Ever wondered about visiting a health spa – but wondered

whether it was quite right for you? Perhaps you’ve worried that the atmosphere might be a bit ‘ladies who lunch’ for your taste?

Well, Cedar Falls Health Farm, in Bishops Lydeard near Taunton, certainly does lunch (very well) and welcomes a lot of ladies.

However, this Georgian manor house draws in plenty of gents too – and serves up a whole lot more than lunch.

The health farm’s atmosphere is relaxing and indulgent – but totally unpretentious. Cameron Hodder, Cedar Falls’ new General Manager, thinks that one reviewer on www.tripadvisor.com has summed up the spa’s charms perfectly: “The place is not trendy or boutique chic, but wonderfully relaxing, comfortable, fantastic value for money and all in all a really fabulous break.”

Whether you’re an experienced spa-goer or just fancy dipping your toe in the water, Cedar Falls is a fantastic all-rounder. Keep an eye on the website for great autumn offers.

Cedar Falls Bishops Lydeard, Taunton, Somerset. Ffi: 01823 433233 (Enquiries) / 01823 433338 (Reservations), www.cedarfalls.co.uk

BOLD CONTEMPORARY ART EXHiBITION

Visions of the future

➻ Weston super Mare’s Lloyd Gill Gallery continues its adventurous programme of contemporary art this month, with the ambitiously-titled exhibition ‘The Future of Contemporary Art 2011’. The show features work by Fine Art graduates from universities and colleges up and down the country, handpicked both for their artistic merit and use of contemporary aesthetics. Works on show include painting, photography and mixed media.

The roster includes photographer Chris Spackman (pictured), who uses a long darkroom exposure over a twoweek period to capture flowers as they droop and wilt. Among the painters, Falmouth graduate Hannah Brown’s works are “an exploration into geometry and spatial ambiguity”. Also influenced by architecture, her paintings flow with effortless colour ranges. Fellow Falmouth graduate Katie Diederich, meanwhile, has used collage to create scenes that distil emotion through light, colour and pattern: her influences include

traditional Japanese interiors and the colourful work of Young British Artist Gary Hume.

Elsewhere, Bath University graduate Caroline Barby uses digital photography to explore travel and memory, asking questions about how journeys are experienced by both the traveller and, subsequently, the viewer.

Tom Keevill’s intriguing works, meanwhile, seem to have had a silhouette placed and then cut out from the work itself: they intertwine figures and landscapes, revealing a fear of danger, be it real or fictional.

In short, a great chance to see what’s going on inside the minds of some of the country’s most exciting artists.

The Future of Contemporary Art 2011 runs until Fri 16 Sept at The Lloyd Gill Gallery, Lee House, 13 Beaconsfield Rd, Weston super Mare.

Opening hours Mon-Sat 10am-4.30pm. Ffi: 01934 623449, enquiries@thelloydgillgallery.com or www.thelloydgillgallery.com

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lifestyle BEAUTY SALON

Laser guided BEAUTY SALON

➻ The Orangery Laser & Beauty Clinic has been described by one of its clients as “a little treasure”. Situated next to Kingsmead Square, the clinic is a little away from the bustle of Bath’s main shopping district – but still easily accessible to Bathonians and visitors alike.

This small business, set up 19 years ago by Suzannah Chamberlain, has earned its place as one of Bath’s most popular beauty salons. Some of its clients have been visiting for over 10 years, secure in the knowledge that The Orangery will provide a warm, relaxing and pampering welcome.

The salon is small enough to provide a personal service, but the treatment list is extensive. As well as all the usual services – including waxing, tinting, massage, specialist skincare and facials using Guinot and Jan Marini products – The Orangery offers Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) laser permanent hair reduction, facial thread vein removal and skin rejuvenation for pigmentation marks.

Also offered is the exclusive Laser Lift facial: a scientific solution to unattractive facial lines and wrinkles, giving a natural non-invasive face-lift.

Other services include laser teeth whitening, food allergy testing and nonsurgical facial rejuvenation by way of facial line reduction and lip enhancement using injectables. “Ladies are now discovering that everyone has access to the beauty treatments they hear about on TV and in magazines,” laser therapist Lynnsay Dulley explains. “Laser hair reduction is now becoming ‘the norm’ and not just something for celebrities. We have clients from all age ranges: ladies in their forties and fifties tell us it is the best thing they have ever done, and that they wish they could have done it years ago. Mothers are now giving treatments as a present to their daughters. It is definitely the way forward.”

The Orangery Laser & Beauty Clinic 2A Kingsmead St, Bath. Ffi: 01225 466851, www.theorangerylaserclinicbath.co.uk

PSST! we're loving the eco-friendly and quirkily cool handmade jewellery made by local designer karen russell. check out her latest range of recycled plastic

TOP LADIES’ FOOTWEAR

Sweet sole music ➻ SoleLution, an independent shoe shop in Clifton and Portishead, is one of the first UK retailers to stock JJ Footwear’s new boot collection, designed with real women in mind.

Each boot style comes in nine different calf widths from 30cm to 60cm, with different dimensions in calf, ankle, instep and foot width making the boot fit as well as a handmade boot – but at a fraction of the cost.

“I am very excited about this new range of boots,” says SoleLution’s owner Tanya Marriott. “As a lady with an ‘athletic’ calf, I have struggled for years to find a boot that fits my calf without looking like a welly round my foot! These boots fit perfectly and make you feel great too. The other great thing about the range is that they also come in narrow fittings, as we know from our customers that those with a slim calf struggle to find the perfect fit too.”

SoleLution are unable to stock every boot in every size – but they can offer a measuring, fitting and ordering service to ensure you get the perfect fit for you.

SoleLution 1-2 Boyces Ave, Clifton, Bristol (0117 973 8350) & 114 High St, Portishead (01275 843399). Ffi: www. solelution.co.uk

bottle chic! looptheloopjewellery.com

CELEBRITY SKINCARE IN BRISTOL

Amazing Grace ➻ Grace Emmerson runs a Bristol-based skin treatment business from her own home, offering a unique and personal service including holistic and bespoke skin and body treatments and advice.

She also sells the renowned Dr.Hauschka treatments, beloved by celebrities including Jennifer Anderson, Madonna and Elle MacPherson.

Grace especially recommends the Dr. Hauschka Translucent Bronze Concentrate, which can be applied either on top of your usual moisturiser

or mixed with it, to help even out skin tones, soften blemishes and give a sunkissed look. It can also be mixed with Quince Body Moisturiser and applied to the body to give a more bronzed hue.

Visit Grace’s website for a full selection of Dr.Hauschka products or call for a consultation about your skincare needs.

Grace Emmerson 38 Fernbank Rd, Redland, Bristol. Ffi: 0117 904 2296, www. graceemmerson.com

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BRISTOL & bATH'S mAGAZINE

www.venue.co.uk

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shopping

lifestyle

“Personalised, impartial service sets Best Buy apart”

Shop of the

Alesha Dixon tries out some headphones at the Bristol store's launch earlier this year

Month Melissa Blease channels her inner technophile at Bristol’s new electronics mecca Best Buy

E

arlier this year a branch of Best Buy, the world’s leading technology store, opened its doors at Cribbs Causeway, Bristol. Good news indeed: but despite being the shamefaced owners of a permanently crashing computer, archaic phone or a sound system that could be a museum piece, many of us are often so blinded by science (or rightfully wary of being befuddled by a hard-sell opportunist) that a trawl through the latest technology has become an experience to be avoided at all costs. But if you’re one of the thousands of people who feel this way, your perceptions are about to be seriously – and delightfully – challenged.

“Best Buy sells a full range of technology and entertainment products across computing, home theatre, home appliances, mobile phones, sound and vision and entertainment, including games, music and movies,” Alan Labrum, general manager at the new Cribbs store, explains. “But overall, the Best Buy experience is centred around the personalised, impartial service offered by our floor staff, the Blueshirts: they’re the people who really set Best Buy apart from our competitors.

“Our Blueshirts are passionate and enthusiastic about technology and love helping customers select the products which are best for them. All our Blueshirts attend our Training Academy before they take to the floor,

and they can talk about technology in a simple, user-friendly language that’s never confused by complicated terminology. All the products we sell are working and ready to try out – this way, our teams can better help our customers choose what they want and we demonstrate how to get the most out of what they buy.”

Sounds like our type of store already: and there’s more to come. “On top of the technical knowledge, I believe great customer service starts with listening to what customers tell us and giving personalised service in return, whether that’s via the hands-on experience of interacting with a ‘live’ product, the convenience of going online and reading buying guides and real user reviews, or our commitment to making sure our customers ‘walk out working’ when they buy from us,” says Alan.

“As well as getting a great experience, we also recognise that price is important to our customer, and our price promise means customers can rest assured that our prices will always be competitive. Once you’ve chosen your Best Buy, the Geek Squad Agents are on hand 24/7 to offer technology support and advice – it’s all part of the service!”

Best Buy holds the passport to your hi-tec future – and you’re in for a very easy ride.

Best Buy Unit 3, Centaurus Retail Park, Cribbs Causeway, Bristol BS34 5TS. Tel: 0800 380 0000, web: www.bestbuy.co.uk

A 'Blueshirt' helps a customer with his latest Best Buy purchases

The Best Buy store, Cribbs Causeway

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fashion

lifestyle

2

1

Scale the slopes of Park Street and Lansdown in comfort, with a little on-trend shearling luxury.

Shackleton Boat Boot, £74.99, Office

3

Cords. For when jeans seem a bit too “whatevs” for your age/shape/lifestyle.

This tomato pair lend a 2011 edge to the philosophy lecturer look. Red cords, £39.50 Marks & Spencer

Cool Sherlock Holmes-meetsTony-Hawks trapper hat in tweedy grey for parky rush hours.

Hat, £25, J by Jasper Conran at Debenhams

Man UP

Anna Britten unpacks boxfresh new A/W items for the chaps

D

ear, oh dear.

We had so hoped the stereotypes were false, but true they appear to be.

Real-life, everyday men – i.e. not Jamie Hince or the ‘Made In Chelsea’ chaps view fashion like an Inuit might a hand-held fan. “To be honest,” confessed one of the males we consulted by means of research, “I generally buy garments when my wife forces me to out of shame.”

Crikey. Said another: “I don’t shop if I can help it. If I do, it’s bike-friendly stuff.” Good news for makers of Gore-Tex gaiters then. Few and far

between – and slightly sheepish about it to boot – were those who confessed to a secret pash for, say, cowboy shirts or, erm, black leather trousers. Relax, guys. None of your menparts are going to drop off if you stare too long at the next two pages.

Luckily, this suspicion is not a two-way street. Fashion actually cares about men – carries, in fact, an admirably undented, unrequited love for these gruff, hairy, weirdly straight-up-and-down primates.

This Autumn/Winter you can expect a flurry of coloured (especially red) jeans and cords, chunky knits, slim suits and louche fabrics.

Get out there, menfolk. Don’t leave it up to the missus (or your mum).

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fashion

lifestyle

4

It is 1968. You are racing your Mustang through the streets of San Francisco, or Saint Tropez, or Yate. You’re wearing this. And, yeah, you look like your dad but that’s the point! Montecarlo Car Coat, £249, Marks & Spencer

6

This isn’t just any bag.

It’s a Bristol bag. Begs to be filled with sourdough sandwiches and a copy of the New Yorker, don’t it? Bristol canvas bag, £55, French Connection

7

It takes a real man to carry off a chunky, cream, animal pattern cardie, but they’re everywhere this autumn.

Trick is to go unshaven and ensure everything else you wear is slightly grubby. Soul Cal deluxe bear shawl cardie, £79.99, Republic

5

What a nice, justwholesome-enough, lambswool knit from Fred Perry, the label for men who don’t do labels. We want to say ‘snugglesome’, but won’t. Donegal tweed crew neck sweater, £100, Urban Outfitters

Contacts

Debenhams 1-5 St James Barton, Bristol BS1 3LT & 17 Southgate Place, Bath BA1 1AP. Ffi: 0844 561 6161; www.debenhams.com French Connection 21 Philadelphia St, Cabot Circus, Bristol BS1 3BZ (0117 926 8108) & 3 Green St, Bath BA1 2JY (01225 442874). Ffi: www. frenchconnection.com Marks & Spencer 78 Broadmead, Bristol BS1 3DS (0117 927 2000); Avon Meads Retail Park, Bristol BS2 0SP (0117 971 9136); Longwell Green Retail Park, Bristol BS30 7DA (0117 960 5887); 16-18 Stall Street, Bath BA1 1QB (01225 462591). Ffi: www.marksandspencer.com Office 6 New Broadmead, Union St, Bristol BS1 2DL (0117 929 4434) & Burton St, Bath BA1 1BN (01225 466055). Ffi: www.office.co.uk Republic Concorde St, Cabot Circus, Bristol BS1 3BF (0117 930 4030); Cribbs Causeway Shopping Centre, Bristol BS34 5GF (0117 959 2380); Southgate, Bath BA1 5TD (01225 337198). Ffi: www.republic. co.uk Urban Outfitters Concorde St, Cabot Circus, Bristol BS1 3BF (0117 929 3221) & SouthGate Shopping Centre, Bath BA1 1AQ (01225 787480). Ffi: www.urbanoutfitters. co.uk

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fashion

Ballerinas £55 Dune

How to dress like...

Pippa Middleton Personal stylist and image consultant Niki Whittle on the Royal Wedding’s most feted guest

S

ince her head-turning appearance at this summer’s Royal Wedding, Pippa Middleton has turned into something of a bit of a style icon. Not a week goes by without seeing her in the celeb magazines. And what about those shopping frenzies that follow?

They have the power to bring a website crashing down!

I should probably come clean at this point, and confess to not being much of a fan of Pippa’s look. She has a very ‘classic’ look for someone in their twenties, and I prefer something a bit more edgy. However, writing this column has somewhat altered my opinion of her. It’s all too easy to be ‘in fashion’ and even easier to look terrible in the process. Being stylish is much harder: it takes a degree of confidence and an understanding of your shape and how to dress to suit it best. Pippa may not be at the forefront of the fashion scene, but she’s certainly got style.

In fact, she’s a style icon for the modern day stylista. Not only is she photographed wearing the same items again and again, but she shops on the high street like the rest of us – most recently in Zara, French Connection and Whistles. She invests in classic pieces, building up a collection of clothes that work hard to earn their place in her wardrobe. She re-works outfits to create numerous looks that – unlike some of the regularly papped celebrities, are relatively easy to recreate.

So, if you fancy working Pippa’s style, try these pieces: they certainly wouldn’t look out of place in Miss Middleton’s wardrobe.

Ffi www.nikiwhittle.com / www. hipshapesandbristolfashion.blogspot. com

Leopard print wrap dress £16 Florence and Fred at Tesco

Boyfriend jacket £99 Mint Velvet

Handbag £225 Pied a Terre at House of Fraser

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profile

lifestyle

Ian Winson on What your shoes can do to you!

Nuffield Health

A

s a surgeon who specialises in foot and ankle problems at Nuffield Health, I often regard with some trepidation the new season’s footwear – and at the moment, of course, high-heeled platform shoes are all the rage.

Whatever might change in fashion, heels are not likely to disappear totally, so it’s a good idea to understand the potential impact that their height could have on you.

At Nuffield Health St Mary’s Hospital Bristol, we see many patients come through our doors with serious pain caused by shoes that have damaged them.

Yet many people are currently not aware that research shows anyone wearing high heels will have abnormal pressures under the sole of their foot and that over use of these heels tightens the Achilles tendon.

Of course, the main issue with the foot is basically that you cannot avoid using or putting stress on it. Another current trend

Nuffield Health ST MARY’S HOSPITAL, UPPER BYRON PLACE, CLIFTON, BRISTOL BS8 1JU TEL: 0117 987 2727 WEB: WWW.NUFFIELDHEALTH.COM/ BRISTOLHOSPITAL

pressure on the limb to make the exercise more effective. Sometimes a foot cannot take this, which can make for painful training.

At Nuffield Health we offer a number of different services that help people recover from anything from sports and dancerelated injuries to accidental damage and, of course, footwear problems.

If you feel that you have overworked your fashionable feet and find that your shoes hurt, or if you can’t find comfortable shoes for everyday use and for exercise, then you may have a problem that needs further investigation and treatment.

is to use shoes that claim to enhance exercising as you walk. However, what can happen is that the foot is used to put

Nuffield Health specialises in a range of foot and ankle treatments.

For more information call Nuffield Health St Mary’s Hospital, Bristol: 0117 987 2727 www.nuffieldhealth.com/ bristolhospital

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beauty

tHE BATH

HOUSE Clockwise from top left: A luxurious massage; the spa's welcoming reception; the relaxation pool and cool and tepid plunge tubs; a Watsu session which relieves stress and tension through gentle movement and stretches

H

eading to the gym, taking a swim or going to the local pub for a drink or two: we all have our own way of unwinding after work. But what if you could simply combine all of these things – and in an elegant, contemporary environment to boot?

That’s what you get for your membership at The Royal Crescent Hotel’s indulgent Bath House spa, as I found out when I went along for an afternoon recently.

Bath’s showpiece Georgian crescent is a stunning setting to head to at any time, and one of the most iconic images conjured up when you think of our fine city. The Royal Crescent Hotel is set snugly right in the centre of this beautiful ensemble: and

Nejla Unal indulges in some serious pampering deep inside the world-class Royal Crescent Hotel

although it’s best known as a luxurious, special-treat place to stay, the hotel is also a relaxed, chilled place to pop into for coffee, the spa or a meal.

My guest and I headed through the gardens to the Bath House and were greeted by pleasant and helpful staff, who offered us drinks while we waited. I was booked in for a treatment from the Mama’s Touch collection – and I chose the Mellow Mama, a 60-minute full-body massage using safe and effective prenatal techniques and oils. My guest, meanwhile, headed off to make full use of the spa facilities.

As a mum-to-be, I had a number of questions about the types of oils I could have: but May, my masseuse, was gentle and informative throughout. Lying on my side for a massage was a new experience for me, but it was certainly the most comfortable position for me to be in.

Omega oils were used for the rub, with specialist ones for stretch marks in certain places and a soothing balm on the toes and fingers. At several points I blissed out a little too much and nearly nodded off, but May gently brought me round to complete the treatment with a facial massage and cold eye compress.

I am still in quite an early stage of pregnancy, but I can imagine that this particular treatment would be perfect a little later when the lower back, calves, feet and ankles are all a bit tender – so maybe I’ll

go back and visit May again.

There’s a wide range of treatments to choose from at the Bath House, including full-day packages with lunch and drinks, specialist packages for men, detox days – and waxing, shaping, manicures and all those other little finishing touches we ladies love. You can find further information on all of these on the hotel’s website – or why not just pop in and pick up a brochure from the spa reception?

My guest was relaxing with a drink in the garden by the time I had finished my treatment and, as I was unable to use anything in the spa apart from the pool, I went out to join him. That was the only downside of visiting such a lovely spa for me, but those are the rules in the pregnancy handbook! My guest had enjoyed his sauna, steam room, plunge tubs and swim and commented on the stunning setting of the spa with its beautiful stained glass windows and soft lighting.

Club membership at the Bath House will give you the opportunity to relax, exercise, pamper and dine right in the city centre – all the while feeling as if you were tucked away in a beautiful home from home.

Contacts

The Bath House at The Royal Crescent Hotel 16 Royal Crescent, Bath. Ffi: 01225 823333, info@royalcrescent.co.uk, www. royalcrescent.co.uk/the_bath_ house.asp

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For more information call Simon Wellby your certified Rolfer: 07799 693 546

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For us it’s more than just treating patients, it’s about looking after people.

BRISTOL & bATH'S mAGAZINE

Whether you want to pay for your treatment or are insured, we can help.

As the only private hospital in the South West with an Intensive Care Unit, Spire Bristol Hospital has the expert consultants, nurses and facilities to provide a variety of services from the simplest of surgeries to the most complex of procedures.

Please ring us and talk to one of our dedicated Private Treatment Advisors.

We are here to help.

For further information, please contact: 0117 980 4080 cservice-br@spirehealthcare.com www.spirehealthcare.com/bristol

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health

lifestyle

complementary care

In good hands ➻ Chiropractic, physiotherapy and sports therapy services by Hands-On Health Treatments are now available at the Oldfield Surgery in Bath. The longestablished, multi-disciplinary complementary health care provider (established 20 years ago) opened up its facilities in Oldfield Park last month and supplements the company’s existing clinics in Keynsham, Midsomer Norton, Frenchay/Downend and Kingswood. The modern, purpose-built surgery provides patients with a wide range of services including dentistry, acupuncture, chiropractic, physiotherapy and sports therapies and an onsite pharmacy. “We are delighted that the GPs at Oldfield Surgery have invited us to work in partnership with them to provide quality care to the residents of Bath,” Kenneth Fohlmann, owner of Hands-On Health Treatment, tells Folio. “We look forward to working with people in the local community and with existing patients who want to access a high standard of complementary healthcare.”

thread vein removal

love your skin ➻ Thread veins – a distressing,

unsightly condition – affect more than half the population in the UK. But Bristolians need suffer in silence no more, as Doctor Brian Newman – the UK's leading thread vein removal specialist – has recently launched a brand new clinic in Clifton, offering a complete cosmetic solution for the removal and management of thread veins on the face and legs, as well as skin conditions such as rosacea.

Hands-On Health are offering half-price consultations (£15) to new patients. FFI: 01225 444489, www.handsonhealthtreatments.co.uk

FFI 0800 542 2023, www. drnewmansclinic.co.uk

Complementary therapies

body & soul ➻ Clevedon-based Nutritionist

Before...

After...

new RESEARCH

Gut reaction ➻ The Bariatric Group’s leading Bristol-based surgeon Richard Welbourn has been quoted in the New Scientist responding to a study showing that gastric bypass operations actually change the way people eat. The study (at Imperial College, London) concluded that patients who have had a gastric bypass operation to help counter their obesity not only eat less food, but also naturally choose more healthy food. “We’ve always known that the appetite changes after a gastric bypass operation, but we now know that this is not just psychological,” Richard tells Folio. “It’s all to do with the hormonal changes brought about by the operation – an effect that has a real physiological basis. In effect, we're operating on the gut, but we're changing the brain."

The Bariatric Group Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, St Mary's, Upper Byron Place Clifton, Bristol. FFI: 0117 392 2000, www.thebariatricgroup.co.uk

and Personal Trainer Sara Jane Anderson has recently turned a long-established dream into a reality by opening the doors to her Wellbeing Studio: a truly inspiring, exclusive space offering a total wellbeing solution to all clients in a comfortable, inviting environment combining a personal training studio and a collection of luxury therapy rooms, home to practitioners specialising in nutritional therapy, reflexology, homeopathy, hypnotherapy and counselling. “The Wellbeing Studio is the first of its kind in Clevedon,” Sara tells Folio. “I’ve chosen to focus on therapies that all complement each other, and it’s really exciting to be reflecting the Victorian tradition of visiting Clevedon for its healthy sea air in a new, modern way!”

The Wellbeing Studio 6 Alexandra Road, Clevedon. Ffi: 01275 870305, www. thewellbeingstudio.com

Sara Jane Anderson can help you revitalise body and soul at her new Wellbeing Studio, Clevedon

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More Special Offers!

IPL Permanent Hair Reduction Treatments A course of 6 x 1/2 leg treatments

Normally £1050 - now £399

❧ A course of 6 x 1/2 leg & bikini line treatments

Normally £1250 - now £499

❧ A course of 6 x full leg treatments

Normally £2250 - now £699

❧ A course of 6 x full leg & bikini line treatments

Normally £2500 - now £799 These offers are only available until 31st October 2011

No.2 Kingsmead Street, Bath BA1 2AA Tel: (01225) 466851 • www.theorangerylaserclinicbath.co.uk

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gadgets

lifestyle

inspect

a gadget Velimir Ilic casts an eye over the best new arrivals in gadgetland

1

For all seasons This über-whizzy German-made device is hugely addictive. Fill it with herbs or spices, tilt, and it’ll automatically grind your chosen seasoning over food, with four integrated LED lights to illuminate your delish dish. With no buttons to fiddle with and nothing to turn, even culinary refuseniks will love it.

AdHoc Milano Auto Tilt Electric Mill £39, Kitchens

2

Close shave Made by quirky Italian designer Stefano Giovannoni for Alessi, this super-funky electrical clothes shaver is typically offbeat. Available in three sunny colours, it certainly takes the chore out of de-bobbling your favourite threads, and its Pingu-like features make it doubly cute.

Piripicchio clothes shaver £27, Quadri

3

Cold calling This handy video fridge magnet puts paid to scrabbling around for pen and note-paper. Record a brief message (up to 30 seconds) and an LED light lets your family know there’s a memo waiting – it only saves one at a time, so no need to screen multiple entries. What better way to tell your other half his dinner’s in the dog?

Digital video fridge memo £34.95, Id Est

4

Picture perfect These days, everyone’s a photographer - but with Panasonic’s beautifully compact Lumix GF3, your pics will be anything but amateurish.

Tactile, light and easy to use, with interchangeable lenses and large touch screen, there’s no need to lug around a hefty digital SLR. What’s not to like?

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 Micro System Digital Camera £548.99, Panasonic Store

5

Sound investment Sometimes you just want to shut out the world and plug into the new Horrors album, or whatever. With expansive sound, Nixon’s standard earpiece volume dial, and a snug, padded fit, the Trooper is futuristic and economical. Easily folded away, these dandy-looking cans are great for whipping out when you’re on the go.

Nixon Trooper headphones £59.95, Bloomsbury

Contacts

Kitchens Cookshop 4 & 5 Quiet St, Bath (01225 330524) & 167 Whiteladies Road, Bristol (0117 973 9614). Ffi: www. kitchenscookshop.co.uk Quadri 16 Milsom Place, Bath. Ffi: 01225 329212, www.quadri.co.uk Id Est SU69A, Glass Walk, Cabot Circus, Bristol. Ffi: 0117 927 2850, www.iebristolsales.com Panasonic Store Clifton Down Shopping Centre, Bristol. Ffi: 0117 973 0404, www.pana-stores.co.uk Bloomsbury 15 New Bond St, Bath. Ffi: 01225 461049, www.bloomsburystore.com

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Education

lifestyle

Open

season

Choosing the right school for your children is a massive decision – and the school open day is an indispensable part of the process. Velimir Ilic tours the classrooms

C

hildren often have high-falutin’ aspirations of who they want to be when they're older, but even wannabe astronauts and television presenters have to start somewhere. A good educational footing is a key building block for later life; given a happy fit between pupil and school, children often develop longstanding friendships and a depth of character that positively shapes them into adulthood. Choosing the right school is, in short, a decision that should never be taken lightly.

It's not just about academic ability, either. Every child is different, so it's essential that their chosen school allows them to thrive and prosper accordingly.

Look at what schools specialise in (some excel in drama, others in sports) and decide which ones might best suit your child. Obviously, it pays to be wellinformed – think about location, do some basic research into potential schools (league tables, inspectorate reports), browse through schools' own websites, study prospectuses.

Ultimately though, the right choice often boils down to the connection parents and children make with their prospective schools by visiting them in person. That initial open day scouting mission is a crucial part of the admissions process; the brochure might be fat and glossy, but if the décor has clearly seen better days, staff are unapproachable and the atmosphere is flat, the decision between no-go or no-brainer suddenly becomes easier.

Open days have progressed considerably in recent years – prospective schools have

Open days are an opportunity for parents to find out about the wider school experience

upped their game in pursuit of students, offering interactive classroom sessions, school tours, music evenings and a whole host of other taster activities designed to present the school at its well-oiled, pristine best; there is scant room for flaws.

So far, so good: but, at this crucial stage, what do parents need to know? What kind of questions should they be asking? How can they and their child get the best out of the open day experience? Heads will proudly talk about their school's glowing educational performance or untold sporting prowess; it's all useful stuff, but don't allow yourself to be blinded purely by brochure-speak. It pays to be wellprepared with a list of pertinent questions.

As an important window on your child's future, open days are an opportunity for parents to find out about the wider school experience. Don't be afraid to ask some

difficult questions.

Ask, for example, about class sizes.

Is your potential rocket scientist likely to be competing with a raft of raised hands, all vying for teacher's attention? How will your child's potential be harnessed? And is there much parent/teacher contact? Be sure to quiz relevant heads about curriculum structure (some independent schools now offer the International Baccalaureate, for example) and other extra-curricular activities, and ask about their record on post-school study – on average, what percentage of students will progress to university? How well does the school prepare its students for university life?

A peek at the noticeboards will give you an instant low-down on daily activities, while chatting to current students should provide an insightful snapshot of school life. With facts and figures gleaned, take time to walk around and peruse the school buildings and facilities, and its various nooks and crannies. After all, as one of the most significant decisions you and your child will ever make, this is a time to be embracing such details, not skimping on them.

Find our full listings for forthcoming school open days on page 41.

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different

classes After our intro feature on the immense value of the school open day (see page 35), here’s a list of forthcoming open days at schools across the region.

BACKWELL SCHOOL Station Rd, Backwell, Bristol Open Evening Wed 14 Sept, 6.30pm Sixth Form Open Evening Thur 1 Dec, time TBC. Ffi: 01275 463371, www.backwellschool.net

Sixth Form Open Evening (Bell Hill), Thur 13 Oct, 7pm.

Ffi: 0117 965 5297/5207, www.colstons.bristol. sch.uk

BADMINTON SCHOOL Westbury Rd, Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol Open Day Wed 5 Oct, 9.15am ( Junior School), 10.30am (Senior School).

Ffi: 0117 905 5200, www.badminton.bristol. sch.uk

KING EDWARD'S SCHOOL North Rd, Bath (Senior & Junior) / Weston Lane, Bath (Pre-Prep).

Open Morning (Senior, Junior, Pre-Prep) Sat 1 Oct, 9am-12pm.

Sixth Form Open Evening Fri 30 Sept, 6-8pm.

Ffi: 01225 421681 (pre-prep)/463218 ( junior)/464313 (senior), www.kesbath.com

CLIFTON HIGH SCHOOL College Rd, Bristol Whole School Open Morning Sat 15 Oct, 9.30am.

Lower School Open Morning Thur 3 Nov, 9.30am.

Upper School Open Evening Thur 22 Sept, 5.30pm.

Sixth Form Open Evening Wed 9 Nov, 5.30pm.

Ffi: 0117 933 9087, www.cliftonhigh.bristol. sch.uk COLSTON'S GIRLS' SCHOOL Cheltenham Rd, Bristol Open Evenings Thur 15 & Wed 28 Sept, 6-8.30pm.

Sixth Form Open Evening Wed 12 Oct, 6-8.30pm.

Ffi: 0117 942 4328, www.colstonsgirls. bristol.sch.uk COLSTON'S SCHOOL Park Rd, Stapleton, Bristol / Bell Hill, Stapleton (Sixth Form) Open Morning Sat 1 Oct, 10am-1pm.

KINGSWOOD SCHOOL Lansdown, Bath Open Morning Sat 8 Oct, 9am-12pm.

Ffi: 01225 734210, www.kingswood.bath. sch.uk OLDFIELD SCHOOL Kelston Rd, Bath Open Evening Wed 28 Sept, 6-8pm.

Open Morning Fri 30 Sept, 9-11.30am.

Ffi: 01225 423582, www.oldfieldschool.com RALPH ALLEN SCHOOL Claverton Down Rd, Bath Open Evening Thur 22 Sept, 6-8pm.

Open Morning Tues 27 Sept, 9-10.30am.

Tours available by appointment.

Ffi: 01225 832936, www.ralphallen.bathnes. sch.uk

ROSE HILL WESTONBIRT PREPARATORY SCHOOL Tetbury, Gloucestershire Open Morning Sat 15 Oct, 9.30am-12.30pm.

Ffi: 01666 881400, www.rhwestonbirt.co.uk

ROYAL HIGH SCHOOL Lansdown Road, Bath Open Mornings Sat 17 Sept, 10am-12pm & Thur 22 Sept, 9.30-11.30am.

Senior School Open Day Sat 5 Nov, 10am-12.30pm.

Sixth Form Open Evening Tue 27 Sept, 7-9pm.

Ffi: 01225 422931/313877, www.royalhighbath. gdst.net ST GREGORY'S CATHOLIC COLLEGE Odd Down, Bath Open Evening Thur 29 Sept, 6.30-9pm.

Open Morning Thur 6 Oct, 9.30-11am.

Ffi: 01225 832873 ST KATHERINE’S SCHOOL Ham Green, Bristol Open Evening Thur 15 Sept 6.30pm & 7.30pm Open Mornings Tue 20 & Thur 22 Sept & Tue 11 Oct, 9-11am.

Ffi: 01275 373737, www.st-katherines.n-somerset.sch.uk ST MARK'S SCHOOL Baytree Rd, Larkhall, Bath Open Evening Tue 27 Sept, 6.30-9pm.

Open Days Tue 4 & Tue 11 Oct, 9.30-11am.

Ffi: 01225 312661, www.st-marks.bathnes.sch. uk TORWOOD HOUSE SCHOOL & NURSERY 8 & 27-29 Durdham Park, Redland, Bristol Open Morning Sat 24 Sept, 10am.

Ffi: 0117 973 5620, www.torwoodhouseschool.co.uk WESTONBIRT SCHOOL Tetbury, Gloucestershire Open Morning Sat 15 Oct, 9.30am-12.30pm.

Ffi: 01666 880333, www.westonbirt.gloucs. sch.uk

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motoring

lifestyle

Oh,

baby Steve Wright looks forward to the automotive event of the year: Range Rover’s baby SUV

T

his month’s (arguably this year’s) big motoring news is the arrival of the Range Rover Evoque, Land Rover’s hotly anticipated upmarket baby 4x4. The Evoque goes on sale this month at Guy Salmon, Bristol and other Land Rover dealerships across the country, having completed a punishing schedule of more than a million development miles in 20 countries – including a 5,000-mile test marathon at the Nürburgring, Germany’s fiendishly challenging purpose-built race circuit.

Available both as an elegant coupé and a practical five-door model, the Evoque adds agile handling and rakish good looks to the classic Range Rover package of luxury and all-terrain performance. Available in three trims – Pure, Dynamic and Prestige – the car’s bold exterior styling includes bright side protection tubes, bodyside decals and alloy wheels in alternative finishes. Inside, meanwhile, Evoque buyers can choose from an array of features including metal sports pedals and illuminated aluminium and chrome tread plates.

Given its compact proportions (it’s exactly the same length as a Ford Focus, for example), the Evoque’s interior is deceptively spacious – and this airy, spacious effect can be boosted by the addition of an optional panoramic glass roof, flooding the interior with natural light.

Elsewhere inside, as you’d expect from a Rangey, it’s a story of high-quality materials and craftsmanship, albeit applied in a more contemporary and sporting fashion than they are in the firm’s famous, flagship big SUV. Special touches include premium leather with twin-needle stitching on the instrument panel, doors and seats, while a touch of theatre is added by the instrument

displays that come to life via a choreographed start-up sequence.

The car also offers a host of premium technologies – including an 8-inch, highdefinition touch-screen display with optional dual-view technology that allows your passenger to watch a DVD while you follow the sat-nav’s instructions. Other entertainment options include satellite TV and 8-inch screens mounted in the headrests for rear passengers.

The true test, of course, is how the Evoque drives. And this is where that million-mile test drive proves its worth.

Taking its inspiration from the agile Range Rover Sport, the Evoque has sporting road manners consistent with its looks. Special attention has been paid to the car’s steering precision and agility at lower speeds, and the result is a car that’s agile and fun to drive in every situation, from day-to-day urban pottering via motorway cruising to off-road adventuring.

As you’d expect given its parentage, the Evoque is hugely capable on all driving surfaces, with a suite of technologies to provide maximum performance and comfort whatever’s going on beneath the wheels. Advances include the latest version of Range Rover’s signature Terrain ResponseTM system, which has settings for General Driving, Grass/Gravel/Snow, Mud/ Ruts and Sand to optimise comfort across all landscapes.

You might think that all this performance will come at the expense of the planet – but it needn’t. The Evoque’s compact size has enabled engineers to minimise weight, improve aerodynamics and reduce the sheer amount of materials required to produce it. It’s also the first Range Rover to offer a choice between the standard, fulltime four-wheel-drive system and a frontwheel-drive option tuned to deliver the

Price £27,955-39,995 Max Speed (mph) 112-135 CO2 (g/km) 129-199 Power (bhp) 148-237 Combined mpg 32.5 -56.3 Length 4.365m (5-dr) / 4.355m (CoupÉ) Width 2.125m Height 1.635m (5-dr) / 1.605m (CoupÉ) same agile handling. There’s a good choice of engines, too, from a 150bhp 2.2 litre turbo diesel eD4 engine that delivers less than 129g/km CO2 (in front-wheel-drive coupé form) and 58 miles per gallon, to a 190hp SD4 version which gets from 0-60mph in 8.0 seconds and a new 240hp 2.0 litre turbo-charged petrol engine that does the 0-60 sprint in just 7.1 seconds.

Prices start from £27,955 for an eD4 Pure 5-door model (with six-speed manual gearbox and two–wheel drive) to £44,320 for a top-of-the-range Si4 Dynamic coupé equipped with six-speed auto gearbox and LUX pack.

If you’re after brilliant driving manners, space for the family, some off-road capability and bags of eye-catching style – plus a share in one of the most exciting stories in modern motoring – you need look no further.

Contacts

Guy Salmon (Bristol) Land Rover Pioneer Park, Whitby Road, Bristol. Ffi: 0117 239 8502, www.hunters.bristol. landrover.co.uk Ffi: www.rangerover.co.uk/evoque

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➻ home front What's new, what's HOt, what's happening in the world of Homes & gardens QUALITY FURNITURE AND ACCESSORIES

QUARTER MASTER ➻ In between the neighbourly bustle of Gloucester Road and the urban buzz

of Stokes Croft, Bristol’s Cheltenham Road is feeling a new lease of life. And furniture/accessories store Quarter is one of the latest additions to the eclectic mix of independent shops, cafes and boutiques that have recently opened on the stretch.

Quarter specialises in solidly constructed furniture alongside eye-catching accessories for the home. The shop is set over two floors and displays an array of beds, mattresses, occasional furniture, storage, clocks, lighting, rugs and mirrors.

With 20 years’ retail experience – mostly in this area of Bristol – owner Andy Spiers has an eye for well made, beautifully designed furniture. “I’m always looking for new ranges for the shop,” he tells Folio. “The UK furniture industry is worth £13bn, but so much of that is mass-produced chipboard – relatively disposable stuff. I aim to provide sensibly priced furniture that you can use and love for many years to come”.

Quarter’s repertoire ranges from solid oak beds and stylish chests of drawers to walnut coffee tables and intricate mosaic mirrors. Whether you’re after one special piece to give focus to a room or you’re furnishing an entire home – modern apartment, Victorian terrace, Georgian villa or compact bedsit – you’ll find something to suit your needs.

Quarter 188 Cheltenham Rd, Bristol. Ffi: 0117 924 7777, www. quarterfurniture.co.uk Open Tue-Sat 10am-5pm/Sun-Mon by appt.

BESPOKE FURNITURE

Library now supply many of the fivestar hotels in London (such as the Metropolitan in Park Lane) and several royal families. Such prestigious clients notwithstanding, TSL cost their commissions at roughly similar prices to John Lewis’, and a full interior design service is also provided, with a structured approach that allows you to spend as little as £50 for some basic colour advice.

Now is the time to choose, as well, as it’s currently sale time at The Sofa Library. One of the company’s furniture suppliers, a specialist in solid oak furniture, has recently gone into administration – meaning that they are clearing existing stocks at a 50% discount and have even included all sofa frames in the half-price sale. Elsewhere, makeup charges for made-to-measure curtains have been reduced to half price. There’s a huge range (some 600 pieces) of handsome wood furniture in store, including solid oak pieces such as round, extendable dining tables and elegant sliding-door wardrobes.

SOFA SO GOOD ➻ Would a beautiful, hand-built

sofa give your living room just the lift it needs? If the answer’s yes, you should make a beeline for The Sofa Library, a Bristol-based company making hand-built, beech-framed sofas at their factory in Fishponds.

The talented folk at TSL can create your bespoke sofa in just one to three weeks, in a selection of some 10,000 fabrics: they can alter one of their huge collection of existing styles to fit your room at very small additional cost, or can amend a style or design for you.

The company’s capabilities don’t stop there: they’ll also design and create beautiful handmade curtains and any other soft furnishings within a similar time frame.

With this kind of expertise, it’s no surprise to learn that The Sofa

The Sofa Library Units 5 & 6, Eastpark Trading Estate, Whitehall, Gordon Rd, Bristol. Ffi: www.thesofalibrary.co.uk

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Two of Andy Smith's

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homefront

AWARD-WINNING BATH FRAMERS

YOU’VE BEEN FRAMED ➻ Hearty congratulations to Bath’s Framing Workshop, FUNKY NEW ARRIVAL

Oliver!

➻ This autumn sees an exciting and intriguing addition to the shopping line-up at

Cabot Circus, Bristol. Oliver Bonas, which will open its 29th UK store in town this October, stocks an eclectic range of products including women’s clothing, accessories, jewellery, gift ideas and things for the home. If you have a liking for individuality, cherish good design and are inspired by the cool, quirky and creative, you should add this place to your shopping itinerary.

The shop was born back in 1993, when Managing Director Oliver Tress started bringing back gifts for friends from his travels abroad (or “interesting things from interesting places”, as he puts it). The Bristol store will be the chain’s first outside London and the Home Counties. We wish them a happy landing in Bristol…

Ffi: www.oliverbonas.com

AUTUMN AT SKY BLUE

BLAKE DISTRICT

winner of a National Fine Art & Framing Business Award 2011 for Sales Promotion and Cultural Contribution to the City of Bath. The award is the latest addition to a huge trophy cabinet at the Walcot Street picture framing business, testifying to its first-class customer service and levels of care. TFW can frame your pictures in a wide range of styles and materials, including box framing, glass and perspex boxes, hand-finished and gilded frames and more – and the company also makes mirrors to order from its wide selection of mouldings.

“Any successful business is great to have in the city – but a successful business that contributes back into the city is something very much to be cherished and praised,” commented Bath MP Don Foster. “The Framing Workshop has made an outstanding contribution to community life here in Bath.”

The Framing Workshop 80 Walcot St, Bath. Ffi: 01225 482748, www.theframingworkshop.com

PSST! we've got our eye on this tweet june song tea lampshade (£42) from quincylampshades.bigcartel.com

➻ This autumn sees some typically beguiling exhibitions in store at the award-winning Sky Blue Framing & Gallery in Westbury Park, north Bristol. The gallery is run by artist Michael Ogden, whose originals and limited-edition prints are always available. This autumn, though, you’ll also find a brand new selection of signed limited-edition prints by Quentin Blake, whose unmistakable illustrations have adorned the pages of Roald Dahl’s fiction and so much more. Alongside Blake’s inimitable images (‘All Join In’, pictured) you’ll also find new work by Stephen Hanson, whose series depicting the expressive dog Toby evoke brilliantly life’s positive and negative sides. Elsewhere, French artist Veronique Giarrusso exhibits new paintings during October and November, and there’ll be new prints by local painters Susie Brooks, Sue Brown and Jane Ormes. You’ll also find prints by some big names for the modern art pantheon, such as Mary Fedden, John and Paul Nash and Eric Ravilious. And it doesn’t stop at the 2D fare: there are also fabulous fused-glass paintings by Jane Reeves, curvaceous figurative sculpture by Cathy Judge, designer contemporary jewellery and art cards.

Sky Blue Framing & Gallery 27 North View, Westbury Park, Bristol. Ffi: 0117 973 3995, mike@ skybluefineart.com

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MyGranddesign

bearing

The project The brief

How the house looked before the orangery was added

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fruit

Sharon T, from near Bath, wanted an extension that would complement her existing décor, while adding some lightfilled, stylish extra living space. She wanted an extension to the existing property that would look as though it had always been there. She was after a room with a bit of ‘wow’ factor, not just a run-of-the-mill extension – including a high ceiling and plenty of natural light. The build needed to include concealed wiring for a wallmounted plasma TV, and a flue for a wood burner. It had to be completed by September for a family event.

The solution

After discussing the brief, Crystal Clear suggested an orangery as the perfect solution – it would create a wonderful, light-filled living space that would be more sympathetic to the existing building than a traditional extension, and look as if it was part of the original design.

The orangery extends along three-quarters of the width of the back of Sharon’s house, creating an additional 28m² of living space that looks out on to the garden. The project took six weeks from start to finish, with Crystal Clear managing all elements.

Orangery and conservatory specialists Steve Arnott and Louis Mizen set out, laid foundations, built the stonework structure and fitted all window and door-glazed components - they were on site every day over the six-week period, with help from the rest of the Crystal Clear team for the lifting and installation of the weighty and very complex orangery roof.

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MYGranddesign

1

WINDOWS

The windows in the orangery are astragal bar windows – which give the impression of individual panes of glass, but are nicer looking and easier to keep clean.

Window boards were carefully installed in continuous lengths so that any joints were kept to a minimum and mitred in corners.

2

SUPER STRUCTURE

Part of the project brief was to tie the existing house and orangery together by use of matching stonework and sympathetic design.

The orangery required a high ceiling, which in turn meant a deeper area between the tops of the doors and the ceiling line.

To make this larger area more aesthetically pleasing, Crystal Clear added a blue brindle brick dental moulding to the build. The stonework was Sherston tumbled split stone, sourced

by Crystal Clear to match the existing house.

3

ROOF

There are many elements that make up the roof of an orangery, and great care has to be taken during fitting.

Crystal Clear pay considerable attention to detail during the design process, to ensure that the finish is exceptional. Nine men were required to install and lift the roof onto the orangery.

➻testimonial

inside out “The whole family is delighted with the result. An orangery wasn’t something we had ever considered, but it’s perfect for our needs and we started to enjoy it from the minute it was finished. I love the look of it from the outside and the light, airy feel inside. The finish is perfect and has incorporated everything I asked for. All of the electrical wiring and plumbing is hidden, giving us the contemporary, neat finish we were looking for. The team at Crystal Clear took such care with every element of the project and kept us informed every step of the way.”

Sharon T, nr Bath

CRYSTAL CLEAR ➻ As well as being registered with

FENSA (the double-glazing industry’s leading regulator), Brislington-based Crystal Clear is the founding member of the UK’s DGCOS (Double Glazing and Conservatory Ombudsman Scheme), which provides comprehensive protection for home owners and installers.

Tony Fox and James Mizen established their home improvements company back in 1999, with the aim of creating a highquality, value-for-money experience for their customers. Crystal Clear prides itself on offering an exceptional level of service from start to finish, including applying for the necessary planning permission (wherever needed) and adhering to building regulations. As well as building new orangeries, Crystal Clear can convert an existing extension into a stylish orangery by replacing the roof.

Crystal Clear Tel: 0117 971 7880 (Bristol) / 01275 759922 (Clevedon) / 01454 891100 (Thornbury) / 01934 886611 (Weston super Mare). Web: www. crystalclearbristol.co.uk

folio/sept 2011 51

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Q&A

homefront

Close up with Sarah Raven

Writer/gardener Sarah Raven tells Folio about her incredible year documenting the UK’s bounteous flora – and dodging irate swans into the bargain Words: Mike White

Was there a moment when you thought ‘this is the thing for me'?

I fell in love with wild flowers in places like Hayley Wood in Cambridgeshire, with its carpets of oxlips, as well as up Monte Grappa in Italy where there are meadows of incredible wild flowers – hellebores, veratrums, campanulas, lilies. I first fell in love with gardening when I had my own garden in my early 20s, when I was training to be a doctor at Charing Cross hospital. It was the perfect contrast to working on the wards.

What do wild flowers mean to you?

They mean that wherever I am – in a city, by the sea, walking in a wood, driving along a motorway, sitting on a train – I am looking at all the plants and flowers around me. Most of them are expected, but often I'll see something a little surprising and exciting which makes my heart beat faster and make me want to stop and go and have a closer look.

Do you have any favourites?

Grass of Parnassus – the most delicate and beautiful pure white buttercup which grows in upland meadows. I have spent a lot of time on the west coast of Scotland since I was a girl, and this was always the plant that I looked for when I first arrived in July as the school holidays began. And the fly orchid: an incredible late spring orchid of our woodland edges which looks like a mini bee, several hovering off one stem. It's rare and very exciting to find, exotic and elegant, trying to pretend to look like a female bee to draw its pollinators in.

Tell us about your forthcoming book...

It's a celebration of the wild flowers of Britain and the incredible places where they grow – from the highlands of Scotland and The Burren in Ireland to our cities, railway sidings and motorway edges. Each of the 500 plants included has a potted biography – what's interesting and useful about it, is it edible or deadly poisonous, what role has it played for us over time, and so on.

Sarah's new book is a celebration of the wild flowers of Britain and the amazing places they grow

You travelled a great many miles to research it – can you share an anecdote or two from the road?

The photographer Jonathan Buckley and I spent most of last year travelling around the British Isles. We had endless dramas losing

pic credit Jonathan Buckley

G

ardener, writer and TV presenter Sarah Raven runs a garden and cookery school at Perch Hill, Sussex, and is a guest presenter on BBC2’s ‘Gardener’s World’. She is married to writer Adam Nicolson, who documented the family’s move to Sussex in ‘Perch Farm: A New Life’. Celebrated gardener Christopher Lloyd has described Raven as “promot[ing] a more dynamic and showy style of gardening than has been fashionable for many years”.

Your education was in history, then medicine. Was it your botanist father who led you to pursue gardening as a career?

Yes. The love of plants which my father taught me from a young age and the fact that I was brought up in a beautiful garden where we lived just outside Cambridge. I spent many weekends and holidays with my dad searching for interesting flowers in Britain, Italy and Greece.

500 plants are included in 'Sarah Raven's Wild Flowers', each with its own potted biography

or damaging expensive kit, getting very, very wet and very sun burnt, often working from 6am to 9pm. While photographing river water crowsfoot in Dorset, we came between a swan and her nest and had to scarper over a barbed wire fence with all the kit as she prepared to attack us.

Habitat destruction and declines in pollinating insects are threatening our wild flowers, as you'll be exploring in your new BBC2 series…

Recent research points to the fact that cities and towns (where most of us live) are now often more biodiverse than the highly managed, intensively farmed countryside, where many of our interesting wild habitats have been destroyed. This is both depressing and cheering, as it means that we gardeners can think about planting pollinator-friendly plants, we really can help reverse the decline in our pollinators. And we need to do this, as without these plants our diet will have to change beyond recognition.

SARAH RAVEN WILL BE TALKING ABOUT COOKING, GARDENING AND HER BOOK ‘SARAH RAVEN’S WILD FLOWERS’ (BLOOMSBURY, £50) AT BRISTOL GRAMMAR SCHOOL ON WED 5 OCT. THE EVENT STARTS AT 4.30PM, TICKETS ARE £8 (INCLUDING AFTERNOON TEA). FOR DETAILS, CONTACT LUCY SHEPHERD ON LSHEPHERD@BGS. BRISTOL.SCH.UK

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profile

lifestyle

MAKERS OF QUALITY WOODEN BEDS

bed workshop

bed workshop Braunton Road, Bedminster, Bristol, BS3 3AA Tel: 0117 963 6659 Web: www.thebedworkshop.co.uk

B

espoke, handmade, handcrafted, made to measure, personal service are all terms that can strike fear into anybody’s wallet. If you want quality and good service, you have to dig deep. But maybe there’s an exception. Tucked away on Braunton Road, Bedminster is the Bed Workshop. Handmade beds are made on site alongside the restoration of imported antique French furniture.

You enter directly into the busy workshop with its smell of sap and wood lacquer. Amidst the piles of oak and pine timber, clamps, saws, chisels, semiconstructed beds and wood shavings you will find Ned Fitzgerald (53).

A former manager at Lituinoff and Fawcett bed makers of London, Ned came to work for the Bed Workshop in 1999 and is now chief carpenter. “We have different designs and sizes of bed, made from either oak or pine which we can stain in various shades and finishes,” he says. “The wood is from sustainable sources, a green credential proudly promoted by our boss Dr Scott Jones, based in Brittany. Because they’re handmade I can tweak and re-jig dimensions to what the customer wants. I’ve had to make beds to fit into odd spaces, such as attics with sloping ceilings. Then there’s making sure that we can get them up there in the first place. We also make accessories

such as drawers and trundle beds that fit underneath the main bed. There’s not much we can’t do to accommodate a customer’s requirements.”

In another room former UWE Bower Ashton graduate Paul Wood (36) is packing and sewing horsehair into an ornate French headboard. “I grew up with a father in the furniture business, which gave me the opening for a part-time job here, and conveniently my digs were opposite when I was studying for an MA. I’m full-time now and have been here about 14 years. I take care of admin, sales and customer care, as well as doing restoration. We’ve got the modern handmade beds and the antique French ones imported from Brittany, both of which are of excellent build and quality. We have other French furniture such as the Farmhouse dining sets, the Armoires (wardrobes), Chevets (bedside cabinets), Commodes (chest of drawers) and mirrors. We can look out for specific pieces of furniture requested by customers while

procuring items in Brittany. We can even colour match to a customer’s existing furniture.”

On the other side of the workshop Rob Richard (44) is putting another coat of lacquer to an item of furniture. Also a graduate from UWE Bower Ashton, he is now a qualified cabinet-maker. He’s been with the company for about 12 years.

He spends the majority of his time restoring the imported antique furniture. “The furniture comes over from Brittany about every three to six weeks. It’s good to work with, as it’s always inherently good quality. Some items take more work than others, but the results are always excellent. They’re also comparable in price to any reproduction equivalent on the market. If I’m not back here, I’m helping Ned or talking to customers. I don’t like to badger them while they look around, but once they’ve made a decision on the bed frame, I try to help them with their choice of mattress. You can have a beautiful-looking bed, but if the mattress is cheap and

rubbish, you won’t get a good night’s sleep. We let them bounce about on them upstairs to check them out. After they’ve made their choice, it takes an average of two or three weeks to complete an order, and that’s with free delivery and construction of the beds in the home. We try to be as accommodating as possible.”

An ancient wooden staircase leads up to the showrooms. It really is a contrast of old and new. The first floor has rows of handmade beds. Their various modern designs fall into that ‘simple clean classic’ look.

All are fitted with mattresses. Up one more level is a room full of restored French furniture, a mixed selection of ornate opulence and utilitarian rusticity.

There’s an easy-going charm that belies the professionalism of these three gentlemen, and their amiable, relaxed approach is refreshing in these days of ‘hard sell’. If you’re looking for a value for money purchase with that personal touch, pop into the Bed Workshop. folio/sept 2011 55

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gardening

homefront

In the

garden

Ideas and inspiration from Trish Gibson to help you make the most of your garden this month

Grow Something Special MICHAELMAS DAISIES

T

he Michaelmas daisies are reliable stars in September, flowering for a long time and working well as cut flowers too. Just make sure you avoid relatives of Aster novi-belgii, the New York aster, which are very prone to mildew. With some of the taller varieties – such as Aster ericoides ‘Esther’ – it’s worth giving them the ‘Chelsea chop’, cutting them down by about half in late May, and then you won’t need to stake the shorter but sturdier growth.

Growing tips Clumps can be left for four or five years, but then should be divided in spring when new shoots are starting to show. Dig up the whole plant and prise the clump apart using back-to-back forks or a sharp spade.

Replant sections in well-dug soil enriched with some home-made compost.

Jobs for september

Aster ericoides ‘Esther’ flowers for weeks on end

➻ Others to try ‘Lady in Black’

Masses of pink-centred white flowers are produced all through late summer above deep purple leaves. A stunning plant that extends the season and looks lovely in a mixed border. Height just under a metre.

Aster x frikartii ‘Mönch’

If you only grow one aster, make it this one. It flowers from July until late September or later and it’s a very healthy, resilient plant with attractive light green foliage. Happy in a dry-ish spot, too.

Aster divaricatus

The ‘wood aster’ will thrive in shade. It has wiry black stems and produces loose heads of white flowers over a long period. Essential if you want to get that tumbling, Gertrude-Jekyll type display.

Take cuttings of tender perennials such as marguerites and pelargoniums (geraniums). If you’re not sure how, there’s plenty of advice online.

Plant (or move) bulbs as soon as they become available by mail order or in the shops but wait until next month before planting tulips.

Lift and pot up rooted strawberry runners. Otherwise, buy and plant some for a crop next summer.

We’ll be buying…

Wasps are probably at their most persistent this month – so it’s time to invest in a wasp trap. My Eco Store has bee-friendly traps in coloured glass (small £2.99, large £5.99, plus p&p) or in clear glass (large only).

Ffi Tel: 07845 0708087, web: www. myecostore.co.uk

This month we'll be visiting...

British Food Fortnight at Tyntesfield, Mon 19 Sept-Sun 2 Oct Free garden tours every day at 12.30 and 2.30pm, including the kitchen garden – one of the few Victorian examples to have remained in continuous cultivation since the 1830s.

And throughout September from 10am6pm, there’s a ‘Food Glorious Food’ kids’ trail (£1 per trail + normal admission) – plenty of inspiration to start growing your own.

Ffi Tyntesfield, Wraxall, Bristol BS48 1NX. Tel: 0844 800 4966 (Infoline) / 01275 461900, web: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ tyntesfield/

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Property

homefront

New job, new city, new home?

Head for Harbourside!

T

he past few months have been really stressful for 24-year-old civil servant Andrew Kane. Not only has he moved away from his family home in sleepy Blandford Forum, Dorset, to relocate to Bristol, but he also started a new job at the MOD and bought his first apartment at Bristol’s Harbourside.

Phew! But fortunately, Andrew made the right move.

After looking at several properties in the city, Andrew eventually settled on a two-bedroom apartment at Harbourside - Crest Nicholson’s premier waterside development. “Harbourside was the first place I visited when I started looking for a property in Bristol,” Andrew tells Folio. “I then shopped around a bit, but found that nothing compared to the apartment I had first seen. For a start, it was so light and airy, which is something a lot of other apartments lacked. But overall, the views sold it for me; they’re breathtaking, and looking out onto the floating harbour is really relaxing. It’s really quiet at night, but there’s loads going on just down the road - whether I want a night out, a quiet meal or something different to do, I can find it all on my doorstep. Bristol is very different to Blandford Forum!”

Six weeks on from when he first moved in,

Three first time buyers tell Folio why they made the right move

Andrew has no regrets. “Bristol is really exciting, and I find it very easy to get into work from the centre,” he says. “The convenience of living in Harbourside makes life simple and much more enjoyable.” But the positives don’t stop there. Andrew’s Harbourside apartment is finished to the highest possible standard, offering stylish living and very little maintenance. Add to this the benefit of secure underground parking, and the development offers piece of mind as well as privacy. “Choosing a home at Harbourside puts people at the hub of city centre life, with work and leisure opportunities just a short stroll away,” says Susan Young, Harbourside sales and marketing director. “Properties here have proved popular with first-time buyers like Andrew, as well as downsizers and professional couples. We’re also finding that apartments here are perfect for investment opportunities - Andrew’s parents, for example, have helped him purchase his first property and they'll reap the rewards in years to come.” bristol Harbourside Ffi: 0117 908 8888, www. harbourside.co.uk. The marketing suite on Cathedral Walk is open daily 10am -5pm. OR contact Anna Stanbridge at Savills on 0117 910 0354. Prices currently start from £249,950.

We've just

moved in

First time buyers become first residents at SouthGate development

B

ath residents Euan Spence (28) and Maxine von Eye (28) waited over a year to find their dream home and are now one of the first couples to move in to The Residence at SouthGate in the centre of Bath.

Euan and Maxine lived in the Lansdown Road area of Bath for two years, but watched the SouthGate redevelopment with interest.

They were one of the first couples to view the apartments (situated across four houses in the heart of the centre itself) and immediately fell in love with the modern development. As soon as the opportunity cropped up, the couple jumped at the chance to buy a 887 square foot, two bedroom apartment on the top floor of Phillip House, complete with fitted kitchen and bathroom. “It’s the perfect place for us to live,” says Maxine. “SouthGate really is a hidden gem. People assume that living above a busy shopping district will be a noisy, impersonal experience, but in reality it’s quite the opposite. Once you enter the building and come out of the lift it’s like you’re in your own

little haven with lovely courtyards and fantastic views across the city. And, as I work in Bristol and commute by train daily, living literally two minutes away from the train and bus station has knocked about 30 minutes off my travelling time.”

“As first time buyers we assumed the price would be too prohibitive, but it wasn’t, and we came in just below the stamp duty threshold which obviously saved us quite a bit of money,” adds Euan, a researcher at Bath University. “Also, we didn’t have to buy anything to move in with as it was all there - lovely wooden flooring, and a brand new kitchen with appliances all ready and waiting. We definitely made the right move!”

The residence at southgate Ffi: 01225 480228, www.theresidenceatsouthgate.com there are 74 private apartments available to buy at The Residence at SouthGate. Prices currently start from £185,000.

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property

homefront

New Legislation for Energy Efficiency Ratings

T

he Government is planning to revise legislation for the requirement of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and are set to make an announcement regarding the full details any day now. The new legislation will require all non-residential buildings to have an EPC upon construction and before being marketed for sale or rent, meaning that all commercial buildings will require an EPC before being advertised, and the responsibility for providing the EPC will lie with the commercial agent. Confused? Don’t be!

Bristol-based company The Navitas Partnership provides total energy survey solutions in compliance with Energy Performance Directives. “Our major clients are already preparing for this change and we are fully prepared to assist in line with forthcoming legislation changes” says Navitas Partnership Director Tim Wrathall. The Navitas Partnership have been providing commercial energy solutions throughout the south west since 2007, working

At home on the TV

alongside the region’s leading agents, solicitors, local authorities and private investors.

The Navitas Partnership 43 North View, Westbury Park, Bristol. Ffi: 0117 973 6339, www.thenavitaspartnership.com

➻ Are you thinking of buying a home in Bristol? Channel 4 are making a brand new property series helping people find their dream home... and they’ll be focusing on the Bristol area in September. If you’re in a position to buy and feel you need the help of a property expert, email your details to Amber Comerford (amber.comerford@ raisetheroofproductions.com) or call 0141 427 5880 today... and make sure you let Folio know how you get on!

property of the issue…

Chaingate Lane, Iron Acton, £500,000

First Time Buyers get national funding boost ➻ Leading housebuilder Barratt has secured national funding to

help first time buyers who want to take their first step on the housing ladder. Hundreds of local households who have previously been priced out of home ownership will be able to take advantage of a Central Government fund to buy a property of their own as part of a new scheme called FirstBuy, specifically designed to give first time buyers a route to home ownership at the lowest possible cost and with the lowest possible deposit. Under the new scheme, buyers will be offered a loan of up to 20% of the price of the property, jointly funded by Barratt and the Government’s Homes and Communities Agency. Any household with a combined income of up to £60,000 qualifies for the FirstBuy scheme, but there’s limited availability and demand is set to be high. If you're interested, call the Barratt Homes sales office today.

Ffi Barratt Homes, 0844 811 1855, www.barratthomes.co.uk

➻ This gorgeous, detached, 4-bedroom family home, situated in a quiet country lane in a small hamlet, overlooks a meadow and is set within approximately half an acre of grounds, all just a short drive away from Yate town centre. The property (briefly comprising a lounge, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room, utility room, two conservatories, four double bedrooms, bathroom and shower room) has been lovingly cherished by the current owners and boasts charming, characterful flourishes including inglenook fireplaces and solid oak flooring, staircases and doors throughout. Ample parking space and a garage (accessible via a five-bar gate), a paved patio, a vegetable garden and fruit trees complete the experience, resulting in the perfect combination of old cottage appeal and modern family living, all yours for £500,000.

House-Hut estate agents Ffi: 0117 975 8636, www.house-hut.com

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, n

➻ eatingoutwest Food festivals, curry awards and the mushroom’s annual heyday ORGANIC FOOD FESTIVAL

EARTHLY DELIGHTS

➻ The supermarkets may have pulled back from organic produce this year – but it’s

their loss. The fact is that there’s a thriving world of producers out there making an everincreasing range of deliciousness from healthily reared and additive-free farm produce, and an equally growing customer base that can’t get enough of that planet-saving stuff.

Now in its eleventh year, Bristol’s annual Organic Food Festival is the country’s biggest showcase of Soil Association-approved goodies. And this year’s crop is another bumper harvest. Over 150 exhibitors will be proffering their organic wares, ranging from foodstuffs like Palestinian Fairtrade olive oil (Zaytoun CIC), Italian vegan wine (Cristina Menicocci), ethical chocolates (Plamil) and wild boar salami (the Cotswold-based Real Boar Company) to healthcare and cosmetic products including organic soap (Bentley), ‘superfood’ supplements (Organic Burst) and personal lubricants (The Yes Yes Yes Co).

Throw in green energy, organic kids’ clothes and even tipi holidays, and you’ve still only scratched the surface. Throughout the weekend there are themed exhibitions on health and fashion, with the Youth Food Movement’s popular Kids’ Taste Experience tipi offering loads of activities to help young people broaden their appetite and understanding of food.

Grown-ups might want to gravitate to the Chef Demo tent, however, where top tips will be on offer from the likes of Martin Blunos, Chris Wicks, Sophie Grigson, Linda Brown and Jane Baxter from Riverford Farm, with Bristol’s eco-eating guru Barny Haughton hosting the programme. Factor in live music and any amount of deliciousness to sample and eat, and the expected 20,000 visitors should find that all things organic are in a very healthy state indeed.

ORGANIC FOOD FESTIVAL 3-4 SEPT, LLOYDS AMPHITHEATRE, HARBOURSIDE, BRISTOL, BS1. TICKETS: £4.50 (ADV)/£6 (DOOR)/FREE (UNDER 15 AND SOIL ASSOCIATION MEMBERS). FFI: WWW.ORGANICFOODFESTIVAL.CO.UK

CARLUCCIO'S MUSHROOMS

SHROOM WITH A VIEW ➻ Global warming notwithstanding, it’s coming up to the mushroom season again – which is always big news in food-loving Italy. With September bringing ceps and porcini and October heralding the arrival of white and black truffles, hunting them all out is a major preoccupation that distracts rural Italians as the summer fades away.

Famously ‘greedy Italian’ chef Antonio Carluccio is particularly excited about the seasonal opportunities and is even marketing a mushroom hunting kit during September through the delis in his caffes, as well as offering pâté al tartufo (chicken and rabbit liver pate with black truffle) and a kit that should enable you to knock up a classic risotto con tartufi e porcini (risotto with truffles and porcini

mushrooms) at home. The restaurant menu, meanwhile, will also reflect the season, with a weekly-changing selection of seasonal and regional mushroom-based dishes.

But if you fancy yourself as a bit of a chef, you’ll be more interested to hear about the competition they’re running on the Carluccio Facebook page. If you reckon you have a top mushroom recipe in your repertoire, just cook it, snap it and upload the picture plus recipe onto the page for Antonio’s perusal. The winner gets to go and cook their dish with the man himself in his kitchen and have it flagged up in every Carluccio’s across the land. Fancy your chances?

Check it out at...

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ CARLUCCIOSCAFFE

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MENU NEWS AWARD-WINNING RESTAURANT

CURRY FAVOUR ➻ Rajah Ram Mohan Roy was a Hindu activist and reformer from 19th-century Bengal whose struggle for liberalism and women’s rights made him a hero.

Visiting Bristol in 1833 while in England as an ambassador, Roy developed meningitis and sadly died.

His cenotaph is in Arnos Vale Cemetery and you can see a statue down by Bristol Cathedral: but in Bath he’s commemorated in a much tastier way.

Diners at the city’s celebrated Rajpoot Indian restaurant can choose a special vegetarian set meal named after Roy, an inspirational figure to owner Ahmed Samad Chowdhury. Together with brother Mahmud, Ahmed has been running the Rajpoot for thirty years

during which the restaurant has picked up numerous awards and entertained celebrity diners including Rolf Harris, Lionel Blair and Jonathan Ross. Both Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins have enjoyed the Rajpoot menu (though not at the same time) and Brooke Shields was so impressed by her meal that she said “Yum!” (allegedly).

A much more important endorsement, however, comes from the British Curry Awards who have declared the Rajpoot the best curry house in the South West region for the last four years – an award worthy of Rajah Ram Mohan Roy himself.

RAJPOOT 4 ARGYLE ST, BATH, BA2. FFI: 01225 466833, WWW.RAJPOOT.COM

STAYING THE COURSE ➻ The Sanchez-Iglesias brothers of Michelin-starred Bristol restaurant Casamia have never been shy about raising their game – and now they’re at it again.

They’re already known for their five- and eight-course taster menus, including speciality dishes like beetroot, barley iced yoghurt and pickled fennel and ‘the smell of Renato’s Numero Uno’, but now they’ve decided to turn it up to 11. From September onwards gourmet diners can choose Casamia 11, an 11-course menu with a strong emphasis on local seasonal produce and featuring new dishes in the boys’ inimitable style. Casamia 11 costs £88 and is available on Friday and Saturday evenings.

CASAMIA 38 HIGH ST, BRISTOL, BS9. FFI: 0117 959 2884, WWW.CASAMIARESTAURANT.CO.UK

RESTAURANT NEWS

GET IN THE KITCHEN ➻ Fans of the popular Sunday brunches at the Clifton Kitchen will be disappointed to hear that they’re off the menu for a while.

The restaurant, named Bristol Restaurant of the Year 2011 in the city’s annual Tourism & Hospitality Awards, is shifting its opening times around for the summer and as a result will not be opening on Sundays until later in the autumn.

The good news, however, is that they will be open in the evening every day from Monday to Saturday, giving Bristolians more chances to sample the contemporary European bistro cuisine of chefs Paul Proudlove and Mike Houlden while taking advantage of the Kitchen’s generous BYO policy.

CLIFTON KITCHEN 112 PRINCESS VICTORIA ST, BRISTOL, BS8. FFI: 0117 946 7870, WWW.CLIFTONKITCHEN.COM

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âžť EatingOutWest

This pic: There's a glut of delicious seasonal produce out there so go forth and gather; right and below: eat the new season at the Lido and the Wheatsheaf

Fall into

autumn

Melissa Blease peers through the autumnal mist to detect this season’s coming foodie fashions

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Autumn

address book When the kitchen gods at these places say their food is seasonal and largely locally sourced, they really mean it.

Eat the new season at: ➻ Café Maitreya 89 St Mark's Road, Easton, Bristol BS5 6HY. Ffi: 0117 951 0100, www.cafemaitreya.co.uk ➻ Demuths 2 North Parade Passage, Bath BA1 1NX. Ffi: 01225 446059, www.demuths.co.uk ➻ Glassboat Welsh Back, Bristol BS1 4SP. Ffi: 0117 929 0704, www. glassboat.co.uk ➻ Juniper 21 Cotham Road South, Cotham, Bristol BS6 5TZ. Ffi: 0117 942 1744, www.juniperrestaurant.co.uk ➻ Lucknam Park Colerne, Chippenham SN14 8AZ. Ffi: 01225 742777, www.lucknampark.co.uk ➻ The Battleaxes Bristol Road, Wraxall, Somerset BS48 1LQ. Ffi: 01275 857473, www.flatcappers.co.uk/ battleaxes ➻ The Cork 11-12 Westgate Buildings, Bath BA1 1EB. Ffi: 01225 333582, www.thecork.co.uk ➻ The Lido Oakfield Place, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2BJ. Ffi: 0117 933 9533, www.lidobristol.com ➻ The Olive Tree @ The Queensberry Hotel, 4-7 Russell Street, Bath BA1 2QF. Ffi: 01225 447928, www.thequeensberry.co.uk ➻ The Wheatsheaf Combe Hay (nr Bath), BA2 7EG. Ffi: 01225 833 504, www.wheatsheafcombehay.co.uk

A

s the late summer sunsets start to give way to the evocative harvest moon that’s all set to hang low in the sky, a whole new crop of fresh foodie delights promise to compensate for the passing of those lazy, hazy salad days as the nights start to draw in and things suddenly start to get – well, cosy.

But we’re not quite embarking on the ‘hunker down at home’ season yet; a sneak preview of the new foodie shopping list, a rundown of what’s hot (and what’s not) and an indispensable seasonal hotspot address book reveals just how inspirational our local harvest really is – prepare to go forth and celebrate September in style. See you down the farmer's market...

Top ten English autumn superstars

Now's the time to make hearty stews and soups from root veg and cabbage

Apples: a distinctly English art From Discovery to Worcester Pearmain by way of Braeburns, Egremont and Cox’s Orange Pippins, British apples take centre stage over the coming months – use them or lose them!

Glorious gourds Butternut, acorn and spaghetti squash and, of course, the perennially popular pumpkin: all at the top of the taste league for yet another season.

The softie selection Blackberries, blueberries, bilberries; plums, pears and damsons – the colourful way to your autumnal five-a-day.

Check in to the Savoy Whether souped up, stirfried, braised or simply lightly

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profile

lifestyle

New venture from locally renowned chef

Apple Tree Inn

T

he Apple Tree Inn lies in the beautiful Somerset countryside between Shepton Mallet and Glastonbury. Locally renowned chef Lee Evans and his wife Ally invite you to eat, drink and sleep at their charming rustic inn, where you will always receive a warm welcome, roaring open fires, outstanding food and local ales, ciders and fine wines, as well as lovely ensuite accommodation.

Work up an appetite with walks over rolling picturesque hills around the local countryside then enjoy a fine lunch or dinner at this top eatery. The Apple Tree Inn prides itself on quality throughout, including loose-leaf teas from

Lahloo of Bristol and excellent coffee from Extract Roasters, also of Bristol. Dogs are welcome, too, with a water bowl at the bar and a large jar of treats!

Dishes on the current menu include the likes of soused mackerel with jersey royal and watercress salad, followed by 8oz sirloin of Hereford beef, triple-cooked chips and fried duck egg or garlic butter.

Finish with vanilla creme brulee, raspberry & basil compote and shortbread, or milk chocolate & honeycomb mousse.

Previously head chef and pastry chef at the Wheatsheaf in Combe Hay, Lee and Ally have made this a true eating destination, priding themselves on seasonal menus, local produce and quality throughout, from bread through to petitsfours.

Sample Menu Starter: Seared Lulworth Bay scallops, boudin noir, crushed peas;

apple tree inn West Pennard, Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 8ND Tel 01749 890060 or 01749 890090 Email theappletree.glastonbury@ gmail.com Web www. appletreeglastonbury.co.uk

Crispy beef, pickled shitake and mizuna salad Main: Roast rump of lamb, new season asparagus, nicoise jus; Confit duck leg, warm salad of toulouse sausage and puy lentils Dessert: Dark chocolate fondant, lemon curd icecream; Red wine poached pear, blue cheese ice-cream or vanilla

®

Sunday at The Sausage

• Superb dry aged roast sirloin of beef.

• Yorkshire puddings and crispy roast potatoes.

• Traditional home made puddings.

...not just sausages 7 - 9 Portland Street Clifton Village, Bristol BS8 4JA info@cliftonsausage.co.uk www.cliftonsausage.co.uk

0117 973 1192

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➻ EatingOutWest shops, fresh food retailers and market stallholders will have an excess of late-summer stock to clear at rock-bottom prices in readiness for the new-look autumn range. Don’t ignore those piles of slightly iffylooking courgettes, marrows and end-of-season tomatoes piled up on fresh produce counters everywhere right now; they can all be turned into super soups, casseroles and side dishes perfect for freezing or eating straight away, while chutneys, pickles and preserves are far easier to make than you might think. Visit www. bbcgoodfood.com and click on the ‘recipe’ link for instant ideas.

Season's greetings Trending on menus this autumn Out: Crab Cocktail In: Oysters Bloody Mary Out: salmon mousse In: game terrine Out: pinenuts In: cobnuts Out: macaroons (in both sweet and savoury format) In: popcorn (ditto) Above: Late-summer produce at rock-bottom prices are yours for the picking. Below: pies are in!

steamed and served with butter and a generous sprinkling of black pepper, nothing beats the elegant simplicity of a side order of Savoy cabbage.

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme The herbalicious chorale that heralds the arrival of autumn.

Game on!

Grouse, guinea fowl, partridge, pheasant, wood pigeon, wild duck, venison, rabbit: every one’s a winner.

Shuck off Oysters can be smoked, baked, fried, grilled or even added to drinks – but nothing beats the uniquely invigorating, elemental, sexy, salty tang of a raw, naked oyster, complemented by just the merest squeeze of lemon and a single drop of Tabasco.

Go nuts Cobnuts are seasonal and sold fresh, not dried like most other nuts. Green cobnuts have a taste and consistency not unlike a fresh chestnut; as they mature (from around the middle to the end of this month), they turn golden and become sweet, juicy and uniquely irresistible – roast or eat raw while their short season lasts.

The sweetest thing In fritters, salsa or soup, barbecued (the sun hasn’t quite stopped shining yet!) or simply steamed and gnawed straight from the cob, it’s time to get corny.

Snip snip!

Steamed, roasted, mashed or raw in a September ‘slaw, parsnips are back on the menu.

Hanging around Just like the high-street clothes

Out: gooseberry pannacotta In: apple crumble Out: jus In: gravy Out: tarts In: pies Out: goat's cheese In: macaroni cheese Out: potted shrimps In: jugged hare Out: sirloin, fillet, chateaubriand In: flank, shin, brisket Out: ice cream In: custard Out: food served on slate, plank, paper, etc In: food served on plain plates

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credit mark simmons

➻ EatingOutWest

This pic: The Daily Meal on Gloucester Road serves up a mouthwatering selection of home-cured meats; right: Israeli chef Elad Shames learned his trade in a top French restaurant in cosmopolitan Tel Aviv

Cure all

Artisan charcuteries are thriving round these parts. Tony Benjamin’s our man with the smoked sausage

I

t’s a hot August day and our bickering hands are picking away at the platter of delicious local charcuterie on our pavement café table.

Does the super-moist salt beef score over the rich Jambon de Paris ham? Or have the succulent duck rillettes more flavour than the earthy pork terrine?

Everything has the freshness of great home cooking but this isn’t a Dordogne village – it’s the Daily Meal on Bristol’s Gloucester Road, the latest manifestation of a wave of local artisan charcuteries.

Word of mouth about young Israeli chef Elad and his home-cured produce has put the place on Bristol’s foodie map. Pungent pickled herring, mackerel and gravadlax salmon are as tempting as his home-cured meats and pâtés. Surprisingly, Elad learned his skills – pork products included – in a top French restaurant in cosmopolitan Tel Aviv. “Our boss would challenge us to make things to his standard,” he recalls.

“We had to find recipes and perfect them but I would always try to put my own touch into it – something Mediterranean, Italian or French. It became my love and passion, the art and craft of curing meat.”

Over in Fishponds, Vincent Castellano has been making cured

sausages including saucisson sec and boudin noir (black pudding) for three years, using skills he began learning some 30 years ago in the French Alps. His pâté de campagne, pancetta, dry-cured bacon and Italian ‘coppa’ cured pork have all won ‘great taste’ gold awards, making Castellanos deli a destination for the discriminating.

For Vince it’s all about the flavour, and local meat is the key: “Our local free-range pork makes wonderful charcuterie – I reckon it can stand in its own right against anything from France or Italy!” He’s experimenting now with wild boar, making salami and air-cured prosciutto-style ham that takes 18 months to mature. His biggest battle is to meet demand: “I really need a small manufacturing unit now: I just can’t make enough for the range of markets and customers!”

It’s a problem shared by Mash Childs of The Bath Pig. Three years ago a conversation about chorizo with friend Tim French led to a fact-finding trip to Spain. “We converted a room at my place and spent six months trying to get it [the chorizo recipe] right. Then we spent another six months learning how to get it into production.” Once on the market, however, sleb chef Mark Hix proclaimed it as good as the Spanish original, prompting orders from restaurants and delis up and down the country. Like Castellano, Mash also puts great emphasis on the quality of British pork. “For us, provenance is vital – we only use British Freedom Food standard meat. We even ship it to the Spain where they make our mini chorizo.”

Good restaurants are now offering home-cured food – Michelin-man Josh Eggleton makes bresaola beef and hodge podge (“the Cotswold version of black pudding”) at his Pony & Trap gastropub, while chef Ross Wills features beetroot gravadlax, salt beef and tea-smoked trout on the menu at Source food hall. Scott Chance has installed a special smoking oven in Clifton’s recently opened Fifty restaurant, enabling him to offer hot smoked salmon, aubergines and seafood. (“If we’re doing scallops we actually put

Mash Childs of the Bath Pig

some smoke in a glass and seal it in.

It all adds to the theatrical effect!”)

All this new activity is welcomed

by Jonathan Newberry of The Valley Smokehouse. Now 20 years old, the Dundry-based business has been preparing hot and cold smoked fish, meat and cheese for some of the country’s top kitchens including The Dorchester and Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. “It’s a good time to be an artisan producer,” Jonathan observes. “Customers are expecting more and more and there’s people doing some serious charcuterie round here now. Provenance is vital, though. All our trout are from the (Chew Valley) lake, all our salmon from Loch Duart – it’s bloody delicious! I could buy stuff for half the price but it’s horrible. We’re not the cheapest but we are one of the best!”

Contact

The Daily Meal 18 Gloucester Road. Bristol . Ffi: 07791 862563 Castellanos 802 Fishponds Rd, Bristol. Ffi: 0117 965 2792, www. castellanos.co.uk The Bath Pig 8 West View Rd, Bath. Ffi: 0800 678 5823, www. thebathpig.com The Pony & Trap Knowle Hill, Newtown, Chew Magna, Bristol. Ffi: 01275 332627, www. theponyandtrap.co.uk Source 1-3 Exchange Avenue, St Nicholas Market, Bristol.

Ffi: 0117 927 2998, www.sourcefood.co.uk Fifty 50 Princess Victoria St, Clifton. Ffi: 0117 973 3711, www. restaurantfifty.co.uk The Valley Smokehouse Elton Farm, Dundry, Bristol.

Ffi: 0117 935 8338, www. valleysmokehouse.com

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A warm welcome awaits you at the

Winner of the British Curry Awards: For four consecutive years as the best in the south west and one of the top ten in Britain Open daily including bank holidays 12-2.30pm - 6-11pm Fri - Sat -11.30pm Special Lunch £8.25 (Mon-Fri) 4 Argyle Street, Bath BA2 4BA Tel 01225 466833 / 464758 www.rajpoot.com

U

Roast

Purveyors of the finest hog and lamb roasts for weddings, parties, festivals and corporate hospitality

All enquiries to: info@therollingroast.co.uk

www.therollingroast.co.uk

Finalists in Gordon Ramsay’s channel 4 Fword series 2009/2010 Britain’s best local restaurant

Christmas menu is now available 3 courses for £28, 2 courses £22, with FREE sole use for larger parties (T&C apply.) Details available on the website.

Lunchtime Buffet £4.95 Eat as much as you can, soft drink included Any Pizza or Pasta £5 to take-away Sunday Lunch Roast Buffet £9.95 Eat as much as you can Specials Board Changing Daily B.Y.O Open Mon – Sat 12pm – 2pm & 6pm – 10pm Sunday 12pm – 4pm

Prosecco is a small 38 seat restaurant in Clifton, run by husband and wife team Diego and Heidi Da Re since opening in 2006. Prosecco’s ethos is to serve unpretentious, well crafted dishes with Northern Italian influences.

The atmosphere is relaxed and contemporary, reflected by friendly but knowledgeable staff.

If you would like to book a table please call

0117 973 4499

25 The Mall · Clifton Village · Bristol · BS8 4JG · Details are also available on www.proseccoclifton.com

FREE DELIVERY to BS3 on orders over £15 Priviledge Card holders are entitled to a free bottle of house wine on each visit For more information visit www.ciaoitaliabristol.co.uk 0117 963 3544 149 East St, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 4EJ folio/sept 2011 67

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The Catherine Wheel Pub with a buzz - and great food

Renowned for good food and service at reasonable prices. While dining, enjoy superb views of the Abbey, the city and beyond.

• SPECIAL 3-COURSE LUNCH • 15% DISCOUNT ON TAKEAWAYS and for students • FULLY AIR CONDITIONED Marshfield, the gateway to the Cotswolds and just a few miles north of Bath, is at the centre of many spectacular countryside walks. The Catherine Wheel, nestled in the picturesque high street, is renowned for its traditional home cooked food. Lunch alfresco in the sheltered sunny courtyard or, when the autumn chill sets in, make the most of the welcoming and warming fire.

OPEN DAILY 12pm-2.30pm & 6pm-11.30pm; Friday & Saturday until 12.30am 9-10 High Street (entrance at Cheap Street) Bath BA1 5AQ Tel: 01225 464631 or 466626 www.jamuna-cuisine.com

If you fancy staying overnight, there are three very comfortable ensuite bedrooms and breakfasts are superb.

It’s a great party venue, too, and has excellent conference room facilities, with free Wi-Fi, projector and screen. Half-day or full-day hire can include breakfast, lunch or evening meal.

Open 12 noon to 11pm everyday

Food available

BRISTOL & bATH'S mAGAZINE

Monday to Friday 12 - 2pm and 6.30pm - 9pm Saturday 12 - 3pm and 6.30pm - 9.30pm Sunday 12 - 3pm and 6pm - 8.30pm Booking recommended (See website for details)

www.thecatherinewheel.co.uk 39 High St, Marshfield, nr Bath, Wilts SN14 8LR Tel: 01225 892220 Email: roo@thecatherinewheel.co.uk

www.venue.co.uk

New Season,Bar and Chef At Central Bar you will find a warm atmosphere and great customer service.

Enjoy and absorb the surroundings and enjoy your favourite tipple from our extensive drinks list, whether its a glass of wine,

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Podium Shopping Centre & Library

B O N D ST

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Guildhall and Market

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ABBEY RD CHURCHYA

Thermae Bath Spa

BEA U ST

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Pulteney Bridge

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Victoria Art Gallery

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Postal Museum

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Theatre Royal

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a bottle of premium beer or a delicious cocktail.

Additionally, we have taken on a very talented chef who will be serving from 10am until 5pm every day. Choose from one of our specially prepared

ST YO RK ABBEY GREEN

Sally Lunn’s House

menu meals or indulge in a variety of delicious summer sharing platters, tapas and nibbles to suit all tastes. Fancy a little treat? We have a great selection of fresh daily made desserts.

Sample Dishes Deep fried Seasoned Whitebait, Salad garnish, Homemade Tartare Sauce, and brown bread and butter. £4.25 A smooth Homemade Chicken Livers and Port Pate, red onion marmalade, salad and toast. £4.25 Goats Cheese lollipops, savoury Crème Anglaise, balsamic syrup. £4.25 Sautee of button cap mushrooms and lardons of smoked bacon, cooked in white wine, herbs and cream, served on a crostini. £3.95 A salad of Beef Tomatoes, Buffalo Mozzarella and Avocado, drizzled with Pesto Oil. £3.50 Fresh Mussels in shallots, wine, parsley, garlic and cream, served with bread. £4.50

SO U T H PA R A D E S

NEW ORCHARD ST

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➻ EatingOutWest

What's Cooking?

Our monthly round-up of news from the foodie world

Super Markets Forget those trolleys and barcodes. With good things falling off the trees and springing up out of the ground, now’s the time to check out your local farmers’ market and catch the local harvest at its freshest…

T

he signs are that the Bristol economy is pinning its hopes on us drinking our way out of recession, with re-investment aimed at reviving the fortunes of a number of watering holes. August saw the re-opening of The Plume of Feathers on Hotwell Road, with landlady Deb Jones determined to see the place thrive: “We’re trying to breathe some life back into the pub and get it back onto the local map,” Deb has said, announcing plans to serve homecooked food and offer live music while keeping prices as low as possible … Up on the Triangle in Clifton the August bank holiday weekend marked the opening of Pam Pam, a cocktail bar and night club, on the site of the former Joe Publics (underneath Habitat). Though it’s a return to the club’s former name, the place has been thoroughly refurbished and now includes Salon@Pam Pam, a members-only VIP area … Work is underway to re-open another landmark of the Bristol ale scene, with the former landlord of The Cornubia Luke Daniels taking over the lease of the CAMRAfriendly Bag O’Nails at the bottom of Jacobs Wells Road. Describing the place as “in a sorry state, indeed”, Luke’s started

a blog (sagaofnails.blogspot.com) so anyone interested can chart the progress towards re-opening … Sadly things are not so bright for a dozen small businesses in Bath’s Podium shopping centre, who have learnt that their leases will finish at the end of the year. The Podium is owned by the John Lewis Group, and it’s widely understood locally that their intention for the site is to expand the ground-floor Waitrose supermarket with a café and furniture department, though when asked for details a spokesman for John Lewis would only say: “John Lewis is often linked to new retail led developments and available sites, however, we don’t comment on market speculation.”

Every Sat Bath Farmers’ Market Green Park Station, Bath, from 8.30am.

Ffi: www.bathfarmersmarket.co.uk Every Sat Harbourside Market No.1 Harbourside, Canons Rd, Bristol, 11am4pm. Ffi: www.no1harbourside.co.uk 1st Sat of month Long Ashton Village Market Long Ashton Community Centre, Keedwell Hill, Long Ashton, Bristol, BS41, 9.30am-1pm. Ffi: www. longashtonvillagemarket.co.uk 1st & 3rd Sat of month Whiteladies Road Farmers’ & Fair Trading Market Outside auction rooms on corner of Whiteladies Rd & Apsley Rd, Clifton, Bristol, 8.30am-2pm. Ffi: www. sustainableredland.org.uk 2nd Sat of month Weston-superMare Farmers’ Market High St, Weston-super-Mare, 9am-12.30pm 2nd Sat of month Keynsham Farmers’ Market High St (next to Clock Tower), Keynsham, Bristol, BS31, 9am-1pm. Ffi: www. somersetfarmersmarkets.co.uk 4th Sat of month Westbury-onTrym Market Medical Centre car park, Westbury Hill, Bristol, BS9, 9am–1pm Every Sun Tobacco Factory Market Raleigh Rd, Southville, Bristol, BS3, 10.30am-2.30pm. Ffi: www. tobaccofactory.com 1st Sun of month Slow Food Market Corn St, Bristol, 10am-3pm. Ffi: www. slowfoodbristol.org Every Wed Bristol Farmers’ Market Corn St, Bristol, 9.30am–2.30pm

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➻ EatingOutWest

ReView FARRELLS IRISH ITALIAN RESTAURANT

Sláinte! And, indeed, salute… Tony Benjamin finds two distinctive cuisines making a perfect marriage

N

ot being totally familiar with Keynsham, I ring for directions.

“We’re on the High Street,” says the voice.

“You can’t miss us.” They’re right: as the Duchess of Ashley Road drives us into the heart of Keynsham, there’s Farrells like a beacon of contemporary smartness, freshly painted and nicely lit.

Inside it’s equally impressive, with a large, comfortable bar leading to a fair-sized dining area and open plan kitchen and with a small courtyard garden beyond that. It’s a Tuesday evening in only their second month, but already the place is filling up with a nice bustle going on, pizzas sliding into the oven to a soundtrack of Irish rebel songs… Ah, yes: that Irish Italian thing… what’s that all about?

The fact is that chef/proprietor Barry Farrell (visibly busy in the kitchen) is an Irishman whose career has been mainly in the Italian food business, including some years as a prize-winning pizza chef. After a long time as part of the Bottelino restaurant organisation he’s now finally going it alone so he can realise his vision of bringing together the two food cultures closest to his heart. Thanks to a former career in architecture and design, he can also take credit for the layout and décor in this totally refurbished former garage premises in Keynsham.

The waitress introduces the menu with an appropriate brogue (she’s from Kildare, via Whitchurch) and we mull over a range of classic Italian dishes and Irish plates with Irish ingredients like Cashel blue cheese scattered throughout. All relevant Irish and Italian products are sourced

with care, including Fior De Latte mozzarella cheese from Campania, and this week’s meat all comes from Newton St Loe with vegetables from The Severn Project in Keynsham.

Straightaway this all feels like a great idea, an impression confirmed both by the clean lightness of the dipping oil with our chunks of home-cooked walnut bread, and then our Irish starters of perfectly sea-flavoured brown shrimps potted in Killeshandra butter and a silky mousse parfait of chicken liver brushed with Bushmills whiskey. Our wine choice nods to the Italians, however, with a dark red Salice Salentino. It’s a full-flavoured drink yet light on the tongue, sitting well with both my Ulster Mixed Grill and the Duchess’ Donegal Fish Stew. The meaty plateful facing me is instantly rewarding: I’ve asked for rareness where appropriate so there’s a pink-hearted lamb chop and lump of seared steak running red inside but the sausage, black and white puddings and gammon steak are all properly cooked and wonderfully flavoured. Each element is a great example of its kind, a tribute to careful sourcing

and preparation, and even the fat chips are crisp perfection. I’m very satisfied, though sheer greed means I can’t help hankering for the Duchess’ Colcannon as well, but she makes short work of it herself by mopping up the wine and cream sauce around a heap of mixed fish, the flaking chunks of smoked haddock particularly pleasing to her taste. A crisp mixed

“IT’S A TUESDAY EVENING IN ONLY THEIR SECOND MONTH, BUT ALREADY THE PLACE IS FILLING UP, PIZZAS SLIDING INTO THE OVEN TO A SOUNDTRACK OF IRISH REBEL SONGS.”

salad scattered with pine nuts and slivers of sun-dried tomato adds a slight hint of Italy.

There’s a breather needed before we contemplate desserts and we decide to compensate for all that Irishness by going Italian for the finale. Thus the Duchess piles into a carefully undersweetened almond and limoncello tart with plum compôte and a firm Amaretto panna cotta that balances my forceful cup of espresso.

It’s all been ridiculously delicious, we decide, thanks to skilful cookery that would do well anywhere, let alone BS31. Our meal comes to £75 all in, which seems a very fair price for the quality and quantity. A return visit seems inevitable, if only to sample those excellent-looking pizzas.

Contact

FARRELLS IRISH ITALIAN RESTAURANT 44 TEMPLE ST, KEYNSHAM. FFI: 0117 986 6330, WWW. FARRELLSRESTAURANT.CO.UK The Verdict HHHHHHHHHH

A stand-out arrival punching well above its weight for taste and quality

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The

Christmas Experience FINE FOOD & ENTERTAINMENT IN EXOTIC SURROUNDINGS NOW TAKING BOOKINGS FOR CHRISTMAS 2011 Lunch & Dinner Illusionists . Belly Dancers . Late Night DJ Tuesday to Saturday 12PM to 2AM

Book Now on 0117 922 1883 www.byzantium.co.uk Byzantium f199.indd 1

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Lunch time Burger of the week Beer Battered Fish & Chips as well as Telegraph’s Matthew Norman 9/10 rated A La Carte Menu BOOK NOW FOR AN UNFORGETTABLE GOURMET CHRISTMAS PARTY

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➻ EatingOutWest

ReView Joya Melissa Blease finds a warm welcome and the very best in fresh Italian cuisine at this new Bath wine bar and restaurant

L

ast night I watched the sun set through a soft cloud of hazy rain over Bath’s historic Pulteney Bridge, and saw the ensuing rainbow that briefly appeared just before total sundown to its very best advantage. I witnessed the bridge perfectly reflected in mirror image in the stretch of calm water that segues into the bracing bubble and froth of the weir; I can now confidently estimate that – in late summer, at least – tourists stop to take a photograph of friends and family against such a backdrop at an approximate average of once every 1.2 seconds... and I know for sure that bocconcini mozzarella is at its very best when teamed with a sliver of bresaola.

All this I either saw, considered or stated as fact while sitting at a table for two by the window on the first floor of Joya, the restaurant previously known as the Real Italian Bar and Kitchen, itself previously known as the Rummer pub. Joya is another string to the utterly melodious bow drawn by the team also responsible for the Real Italian Pizza Co. on York Street (which offers exactly what the name suggests) and the Real Italian Ice Cream Co. (next door to the pizza HQ), which churns out the best gelati this side of Naples.

It comes as no surprise, then, that the Joya experience is an eminently – well, joyous one: properly cheerful, and effortlessly charming in a refreshingly spontaneous way. And even if you don’t manage to bag one of those window tables, there’s plenty to keep attention levels up in either the downstairs bar and eating area or upstairs in one of two spacious dining rooms, all furnished with comfortable, chunky tables and chairs. Both floors, what’s more, are staffed by properly welcoming folk who strike the perfect balance between ensuring that all your needs are met and leaving you to get up close and personal with your date or party on with a crowd.

And – typically for an authentic Italian-themed enterprise – Joya really is the sort of place where you could do either or both; the menu is an easygoing experience offering

“THE JOYA EXPERIENCE IS AN EMINENTLY – WELL, JOYOUS ONE: PROPERLY CHEERFUL, AND EFFORTLESSLY CHARMING IN A REFRESHINGLY SPONTANEOUS WAY.”

broad appeal without getting all confuso about the “modern Italian” idiom, relying on a blend of really good Italian imports and the best of British sourcing to present clean, fresh dishes packed with flavour – which is, after all, what decent Italian food is all about.

We started our Italian affair with a medium antipasto platter that turned out to be an enormo, delectable array skilfully combining multiple slivers of Italian dry cured meats and moist mozzarella bocconcini with fat, garlic-infused olives, chargrilled Mediterranean vegetables, a pile of freshly diced, super-juicy tomatoes and a stack of crisp, garlicky bread.

For mains, a linguine marinara that turned out to be a huge pile of fresh pasta packed with fresh seafood and bound together in a powerfully flavoursome, tomato-based sauce seething with garlic and just the right amount of chilli, and a perfectly cooked (and again, supremely tasty) 10oz, extra mature sirloin

steak that would have come with twice-cooked chips had a certain Italian stallion not been watching his waistline; as good as I suspect those chips would have been, the salad substitute was, I can happily report, pretty darn perfect too. Why, after showing such restraint, he then opted to share an utterly bellissimo homemade tiramisu and a salaciously sensual crème brûlée with me I have no idea... but I'm very glad he did.

All this was washed down with a bottle of Joya’s house wine: a rich, smooth blast of the lesserspotted Sicilian Nero d’Avola, in my opinion one of the most agreeable reds on the market.

The price for our dolce vita experience? Less than £60. That view of Bath? Priceless.

Contact

JOYA 6 NEWMARKET ROW, GRAND PARADE, BATH. FFI: 01225 460240 The Verdict HHHHHHHHHH

A life-affirming, well-priced, upmarket taste of Italy

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➻ EatingOutWest

ReView central bar Refurbed city-centre bar caters perfectly for the lunchtime crowd "Until nothing is fished that isn't both sustainable and destined for a plate, the fish fight can't be considered over"

Table Talk Net profits ➻

When celebrity chefs go on a mission, however worthy, it’s easy to be scornful. But at the heart of Jamie’s school dinners campaign there was a genuine (if heavy-handed) concern for the quality of life of people unlikely ever to buy a slebchef cookbook.

Ditto Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s blitzes, first on factory-farmed chicken and latterly on our insane fishing quota regulations, both issues flagging up our brutal mismanagement of the planet in the quest for cheap food.

Now, as with the Pukka One’s effort, it seems the squire of River Cottage has the ear of policy makers in Westminster and Brussels. His 700,000 signature ‘Fish Fight’ petition and mass email campaign to MPs led to a UK government feasibility study into abandoning the infamous ‘discard’ policy, whereby perfectly edible fish caught alongside official quotas of herring, cod or mackerel has to be thrown back dead rather than coming to market. Now even the EU recommends banning the discard requirement in its review of fishing policy.

So – a definite (non-ironic) ‘hoorah!’ to Hugh for his part in bringing commonsense to bear, and let’s all learn to love megrim risotto and smoked capelin salad…

But let’s not be too rosy-tinted. The fishing industry is not all horny-handed Cornishmen in bobbing boats, but mostly massive floating hoovers concerned to get whatever profits they can from the oceans.

They’re already mashing millions of tons of edible mackerel for fertiliser, as George Monbiot has pointed out, and they may well do the same with ‘bycatch’. Until nothing is fished that isn’t both sustainable and destined for a plate, the fish fight cannot be considered over. (Tony Benjamin Food & Drink editor)

M

any Bathonians probably think they know what Central Bar is all about: a pristine little social hub that’s sat tight in its cosy, Upper Borough Walls home for many a long year, offering daytime victuals and postsunset merriment to shoppers, tourists and a whole host of regulars alike. But a fairly recent change of ownership has started to gently introduce some refreshing changes to a tried-and-trusted formula that may have become a little bit tired as the inevitable new kids on the block turned heads in the Heritage City over the past couple of years.

Today, Central is sparkling after a minor facelift: a furniture reshuffle has brought light and air into a small but perfectly formed space, drawing attention to the seating options (casual at the front, cosier towards the rear) and the cool modern art displayed on the walls.

Food, meanwhile, perfectly complements such an environment: a daytime menu (segueing into steak nights on Monday evenings, with other post-sunset plans in the pipeline) offers freshly cooked, lively takes on familiar faves, from reliably good breakfasts to simple but super sandwiches, soups, homecooked burgers, pastas, etc: a broad-appeal range, at broad-appeal prices.

My pear, stilton and walnut salad turned out to be massive (well, I did opt for the large version, £7.95), featuring generous handfuls of the classic taste triumvirate – subtly sweet, inimitably earthy and playfully crunchy – mingling with soft rocket and steamed new potatoes.

My lunch date, meanwhile, hoovered up two neat rows of chubby king prawns that flaunted their freshly caught, freshly cooked (but not, thank goodness, to the point where bouncing them around the plate could be an option) provenance from the off, resting on toasted slices of baguette just made for juice-soaking purposes and accompanied by a right-here, right-now seasonal salad (also £7.95). Both dishes were a textbook example of what a city centre lunch should be: packed with fresh flavours and just the right size to offer satisfactory sustenance until way beyond the hometime bell without fear of the dreaded mid-afternoon slump.

And, when post-work playtime eventually beckons, it’s my bet that a return trip to Central is on the cards, when you can allow yourself a pick-meup from behind that inviting bar and put the remains of the day to very good use.

(Melissa Blease)

Contact

CCENTRAL BAR 10 UPPER BOROUGH WALLS, BATH. FFI: 01225 333939, WWW.CENTRALBARBATH.CO.UK The Verdict HHHHHHHHHH

A Bath institution, reinvented

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profile

lifestyle

Lucknam Park Hotel and Spa

T

he award-winning Lucknam Park Hotel and Spa is located amidst a glorious 500-acre private estate just six miles from Bath.

Recognised as one of the country’s finest country house hotels, Lucknam boasts 42 elegant bedrooms and suites, an awardwinning luxury spa, an extensive Equestrian Centre, a

contemporary and stylish brasserie and a gourmet dining experience in the elegant, Michelin-starred restaurant The Park.

This month, Laurent Perrier will be promoting some of their fabulous Champagnes at Lucknam Park, culminating in a dinner on 29 September hosted by David Hesketh, LP’s Managing Director and a Master of Wine since 1998.

The evening will begin with Champagne and canapés, followed by a delicious four-course dinner in The Park, created by Lucknam’s Executive Chef Hywel Jones. David Hesketh will host the dinner, sharing his passion and knowledge for wines and introducing a selected Champagne with each course. The cost for this very special evening is £150 per person.

Colerne, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN14 8AZ Tel: 01225 742777 Web: www.lucknampark.co.uk

But if you can’t wait till the 29th, why not visit Lucknam and come and enjoy a changing programme of fabulous Champagnes with your afternoon tea, early evening cocktails or dinner in The Park. The guest Champagnes will be Vintage

2002 (5-11 Sept), Cuvée Rosé Brut (12-18 Sept), Ultra Brut (19-25 Sept) and Grand Siècle (26 Sept-2 Oct).

For reservations call 01225 742 777, and for the Laurent Perrier dinner ask about our very special Why Go Home rate.

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LA

RIVA

ITALIAN RESTAURANT AND BAR

“Bringing a combination of modern and classic Italian dishes that creates an abundant and diverse menu of Authentic Italian regional fare!�

La Riva Italian Restaurant is located on Park street of Bristol which is the main street in Bristol linking City Centre to Clifton! We are within walking distance of the University of Bristol and also conveniently situated close to the Hippodrome Theatre at the bottom of Park Street, The Bristol Museum and art Gallery, Marriot Hotel and College Green.

Here at La Riva you can enjoy freshly prepared dishes, the finest and perfect ambiance with chic yet comfortable surroundings and friendly warm service.

If you want to have a business lunch, family event or a romantic meal for two, La Riva is the place to go Because all our food is prepared fresh to Order, we are able to cater for all dietary requirements with prior Notice.

72 Park Street Bristol BS1 5JX Tel: 0117 929 3866 email: info@larivarestaurant.com web: www.larivarestaurant.com

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➻ EatingOutWest

ReView LA RIVA RESTAURANT & BAR Tasty, generous Italian fare served in friendly surroundings in the centre of town

10 of the best Top Local Ales ➻ Chorister (Abbey Ales, 4.5%) • This

lovely malty bitter is a late summer special ‘guest’ from Abbey. Buy now while stocks last (and then go back to the reliably excellent Bellringer).

➻ Hunny Beer (Arbor Ales, 4.2%) • Honeyflavoured but not over-sweet amber ale from Kingswood that could please even lager drinkers.

➻ Wild Hare (Bath Ales, 5%) • Bath Ales’

golden organic pint is a real thirst-quencher, with a bitter finish that leaves you wanting more.

➻ Ultimate Stout (Bristol Beer Factory,

7.7%) • Super-potent Belgian-style dark beer full of chocolatey flavours and perfect for after dinner drinking. Easy now!

➻ Butcombe Bitter (Butcombe Beers, 4%) • English hops plus Mendip water equals clean-tasting bitter ale perfection available all over Bristol and Bath. ➻ Potholer (Cheddar Ales, 4.4%) • Full

of fruit and zingy golden clarity, this great summer lunchtime session ale tastes perfect in a hammock.

➻ Bob Wall (Dawkins Ales,4.2%) • The prolific Timsbury newcomers deliver a rewarding bitter, full of fruity flavour, to savour on a slow afternoon.

W

hile there are a few Italian eateries on Park Street already – including the redoubtable Jamie’s – owner Flamur Doku is confident that La Riva will find its place comfortably among them.

Unusually for a newly opening diner, La Riva comes with a well-grounded team both out front and in the kitchen, the whole operation (name included) having effectively relocated from Doku’s previous restaurant in Clacton-on-Sea. The restaurant occupies the deceptively spacious site where Beijing Bistro used to be, now swathed in red with contemporary lighting throughout. Given the location, they wisely offer a wide range of possibilities for lunch and early evening bargains, while the extensive à la carte menu has plenty of dishes available in small or large portions. Our shared starter of antipasto misto – a well-stocked platter of meat, veg and fish tidbits served on a small stand – with bread and a glass of wine each would have made an excellent light meal in itself for around £25 the lot.

But me and The Ever-Lovely She are nothing if not greedy, so we then shared a plate of spinach and ricotta tortelloni, proper al dente pasta pillows smothered in rich cream and mascarpone sauce.

When the mains followed, we realised our

➻ Old Slug Porter (RCH Brewery, 4.5%) mistake in ordering so much: my slab of crisp roasted salmon was sitting on a heap of green beans and lentils, her roast duck breast snuggled up to a mound of celeriac mash liberally doused with pancetta, prunes, spring onions and cherry tomatoes.

Naturally things slowed down at this point, amiably assisted by glasses of velvety Moltepulciano. I found the yielding fish and crisp bean combination flavoursome and satisfying, but She was less sure about the textures in her combination of prunes, spring onions and duck – an Italian take on the Chinese classic, perhaps? Whatever, she was too full for dessert, taking just a sip from my espresso-drenched affogato.

By this point our boat was more than pushed out – in fact, it was disappearing over the horizon, yet our four-course feast, with a couple of large glasses of wine each, had rolled out for £70. That seems like excellent value for a well-prepared meal with friendly service at an independent family restaurant in the heart of the city, and could well suggest Flamur Doku’s confidence is well-founded.

• A dark and nutty pint from Hewish near Weston, with delicious depths and surprisingly nutty flavours.

➻ Bankers Draft (Wickwar Brewery, 4%)

• Want to ‘murder a banker’? Do it safely with this light, crisp and malty ale that could turn you into a serial killer.

➻ Pilsner (Zero Degrees, 4.8%) • Finally,

one for the lager-lovers: amazingly, its genuine Czech flavours are brewed next door to the BRI, but one sip and it’s a Prague spring.

Contact

LA RIVA RESTAURANT AND BAR 72 PARK ST, BRISTOL BS1 5JX. FFI: 0117 929 3866, WWW.LARIVARESTAURANT.COM The Verdict HHHHHHHHHH

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you...

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM

Tell us about your big day or wedding plans; let us know all about the gorgeous dress you discovered or about that perfect venue. Ask us any questions you have about planning for your nuptials or share some useful tips of your own.

Email the editor at h.mottram@bepp.co.uk and you could be gracing the pages of our next edition.

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➻ EatingOutWest Recipe TYRONE TIPPINS Age: 35 Nationality: British Restaurant: Delmonico ➻ “As a youngster I never had much interest in food, but one Christmas I volunteered to help my uncle make a Christmas cake for the family. The whole process of mixing, baking and icing the cake was a real eyeopener for me. I realised how much I enjoyed working with food. One successful Christmas cake later, my career path was decided.

“I left Henbury School at 16 and enrolled at Brunel Technical College. During that time, a short period of work experience at Harveys Restaurant under chef Ramon Farthing encouraged me to pursue a career in fine dining.

My first job after leaving college was at Redcliffs Restaurant on the waterfront under chef James Brown: six years later, having become sous-chef at Redcliffs, I was offered the position of head chef at Melbournes on Gloucester Road, which two years later became Delmonico.

“I am not a fan of over-elaborate fancy food. My approach to the dishes I prepare at Delmonico is very simple: good quality, fresh and flavoursome ingredients prepared in a straightforward way.”

TYRONE TIPPINS AT

DELMONICO Address: 127 Gloucester Road, Bishopston, Bristol, BS7 8NN Tel: 0117 944 5673 Web: www.delmonico.co.uk

W

ith its myriad individual shops and pubs, Gloucester Road has always had plenty of character.

Over the past ten years, though, that character has grown ever more vibrant, with the opening of scores of independent restaurants, coffee shops and gastropubs. And Delmonico has been a part of that resurgence from the very beginning.

Nick Hennessy and Tony Wilshaw, along with chef Tyrone Tippins, opened Delmonico 10 years ago. The initial idea was to create a neighbourhood restaurant serving excellent food and wine at Gloucester Road (rather than city centre) prices.

Décor was also essential, and with its Art Deco feel inside, and outside seating for the warmer months, Delmonico has always been a stylish and comfortable restaurant.

Chef Tyrone favours Modern European and French classics such as confit duck and fillet steak au poivre, alongside Spanish and Italian-influenced dishes. Over the years, the menu has been bolstered with a great selection of tapas, catering for customers who prefer a few lighter dishes rather than a more formal meal.

Upstairs, Delmonico’s first-floor function room has become ever more popular with Gloucester Road residents. A stylish space with room to seat up to

30 diners, it’s been the favoured spot for a variety of occasions from christening to retirement parties.

And, unlike many other restaurants, Delmonico doesn’t restrict its diners to a set menu: you can simply choose from the menu when you arrive.

There’s a choice of six appetisers, main courses and desserts: and with a set price of £18.95 for two courses, and no room hire charge, it’s an affordable as well as a convivial place to dine. The small but comprehensive wine list, meanwhile, features a set of hand-picked wines, most costing around £15.

Cocktails and a good selection of beers also feature on the drinks menu.

Ten years on, and Delmonico’s combination of good quality food and wine at affordable prices has proved to be a recipe for success on Gloucester Road.

“With its Art Deco feel inside, and outside seating for the warmer months, Delmonico has always been a stylish and comfortable restaurant”

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Fillets of sea bream with peperonata and salsa verde INGREDIENTS

Serves 4 8 sea bream fillets (ask your fishmonger to fillet then) white wine, a splash Salsa verde: basil coriander parsley capers (handful) 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 garlic clove, chopped olive oil salt and pepper Peperonata: 2 yellow peppers 2 red peppers 1 red onion 440g tin chopped tomatoes 3 garlic cloves

TO MAKE

To make the salsa verde, blitz the parsley, coriander and basil together in a blender and add the chopped garlic, capers and mustard.

Blend in the olive oil and seasoning to taste.

Place in the fridge and serve cold.

For the peperonata, fry your red onion and then add peppers, garlic and chopped tomatoes. Cook until the ingredients soften

and serve warm.

Lightly grill the sea bream fillets, skin side up, with a little olive oil, seasoning and white wine under a hot grill for no more than 4 or 5 minutes. Serve the fish on the warm peperonata, with a generous spoonful of salsa verde on top.

Recommended...

SAN DE GUILHEM VIN DE PAYS COTES DE GASCOGNE (DOMAINE ALAIN LALANNE)

âžť Fresh fish dishes always require a

crisp, dry white wine to complement their delicate flavour. San de Guilhem perfectly matches the flavours of most white fish dishes and salmon.

The highly respected wine producer Alain Lalanne produces some of the best wines in the Bas-Armagnac region of south-west France.

San de Guilhem is an aromatic white wine, made using an unusually high proportion of the indigenous Gros Manseng grape blended with Colombard and Ugni Blanc. The resulting wine is zesty and lively with a nose of white fruits and a clean, crisp finish.

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