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YOUR FREE INDEPENDENT MAGAZINE FOR SOUTH EAST WALES & VALLEYS
OUT&OUT Living JANUARY 2009
ISSUE 34
DINING OUT TIFFINS Indian Buffet Restaurant, Cwmbran.
TOURIST TRAIL Caerphilly
THEATRE
BUSINESS
Comedy season
HOVIP
FILM REVIEW
FEATURE
The Reader
Weddings
Rhydian
We speak to X Factor finalist Rhydian Roberts
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Good food, good Service, Welcome good time at the
Castell-Y-Bwch Henllys,Cwmbran.Gwent. NP44 7AZ.
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APPY New Year! It’s 2009 already and boy what a year 2008 was. It only seems like yesterday I was writing the Welcome piece for the January issue of 2008 - the year has simply flown by. Well I hope you all had a great Christmas and new year and that you are all managing to keep warm. So wrap up, put your feet up and take a seat in front of the fire and take a look through the new edition of Out & Out Living Magazine. This month we feature the town of Caerphilly. Famous for its cheese, castle and of course the famous comedian Tommy Cooper, Caerphilly is steeped in history and today offers tourists and residents a wonderful place to visit, live and work. Our wedding special looks at the history of the engagement and wedding ring and what they symbolise and also looks at the important jobs of the Bride, Groom, Best Man and Usher. We feature helpful ideas of where you can buy your outfits, accessories, cake and rings for your special day. Our food review this month is from Tiffin’s Indian Buffet Restaurant in Cwmbran. Recently opened in the new leisure complex by Vue Cinema and Bowlplex, this Indian restaurant offers a Buffet ‘All you can eat’ option as well as A la carte. We also give you a recipe for good home made stew for the cold winter. The cold nights are a perfect excuse to visit the cinema or theatre. Our film review pages will give you some helpful ideas on the latest releases as will a sneaky peek at what the local theatres are showing over the forthcoming months, including ‘something for the kids.’ Welsh singing star Rhydian talks to Out & Out Living magazine this month about his new album as he prepares to perform at the Cardiff International Arena. We hope you enjoy this issue and look forward to seeing you next month.
H
Anne-Marie
Join us for a traditional roast every Sunday 12 noon to 2.30pm. Call now for further information Managing Director
Bookings taken now for Valentine’s Night & Mothering Sunday.
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OUT & OUT LIVING JANUARY 2009
Editor Advertising Web Developer Production Accounts Office telephone Website Out & Out Publishing Ltd, 2 Town Bridge Buildings, Park Road, Pontypool, Gwent. NP4 6JE
Nick Clarke nick@outandoutliving.co.uk Anne-Marie Smith anne-marie@outandoutliving.co.uk info@outandoutliving.co.uk Phil Page webmaster@outandoutliving.co.uk production@outandoutliving.co.uk accounts@outandoutliving.co.uk 01495 750600 www.outandoutliving.co.uk Please note that all views of advertisers or individuals within the magazine are not necessarily the views of the publisher. No image, editorial or advert contained in this magazine can be reproduced without permission from the publisher.
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Contents 6
10
29 6-9 The Tourist Trail
33 Little Gems
Caerphilly.
Chuckle brothers come to the St Davids Hall and ideas for half term activities.
10-11 INTERVIEW X Factor runner-up Rhydian Roberts.
34-35 Special Feature Fourteen Locks & the Canal Towpath.
12-17 Special Feature Weddings & choosing your ring.
36 Business Heads of The Valley Initiative Programme.
18 Food Crunch
37 Finance
Home made Stew recipe.
30 36
Financial advice from Gavin Watkins.
18-27 Quintessential Cuisine Dining out, recipes and much more.
38 Interiors De-cluttering your home.
28-29 Films The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire & The Spirit.
39 Subscriptions
30-32 Music & Theatre
40 Health
Music from New Kids On The Block, The Hamsters, and Ground Hog Stray and a season of comedy from the Beaufort Theatre and St Davids Hall.
More top tips from dietician Zoe Harcombe.
How to get your copy of Out & Out Living each month.
41 Opinion Page Meme Morgan.
18-27 Quintessential Cuisine This month we visit Tiffins Indian Buffet Restaurant in Cwmbran. We have a winter warming recipe for home made stew along with our usual recipes, whisky, wine & cider columns. JANUARY 2009
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Caerphilly
A town of history... ...and cheese On a recent visit to the Welsh town of Caerphilly, Out & Out Living explored its lovely countryside, and looked into the history of the famous Caerphilly Cheese and Norman Castle. WORDS Patricia Clarke
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PICTURES Nick Clarke
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Caerphilly
T
EN miles north of Wales' capital city of Cardiff, the town of Caerphilly (Welsh-Caerffili) spreads itself around the second largest Norman castle in Europe, on the site of the original Roman fort established in 75ad. In the true tradition of the Norman occupation, the well preserved stone castle was built on the site in the early thirteenth century by Gilbert de Clare. The town is largely surrounded by beautiful countryside, and is just a thirty minute drive north to the famous Brecon Beacons. Just a few of the many persuite available to the visitor are horse riding, walking the Taff Trail, wild camping, archery and cycling, especially on the great Caerphilly mountain which stands between the town and Cardiff and is a ramblers’ dream. For the avid cyclist, it’s a wonderful journey down from the top into Cardiff, but good luck with the climb back up!! Then again you could aways join some of the Taff Trail walkers and push the bike back up the steepest part of the mountain whilst treating yourself to the refreshments available on the way, - well worth it because the panoramic views across the Caerphilly Basin are fabulous. Closer to home, the town holds festivals and fund raising events throughout the year, and a visit would not be complete without savouring the most well-known of these, which is the Big Cheese Festival held annually in the protective shadow of Caerphilly Castle.
the tourist trail
CAERPHILLY CASTLE This majestic Medieval Fortress is the largest in Wales and second largest in Britain (Second only to Windsor Castle) standing proudly in the centre of the town it is owned and run by Cadw which means ‘To keep’. The 13th century castle is no tumbledown ruin, having been wonderfully preserved and restored by its several owners throughout its history. Built by the aforementioned Gilbert de Clare to protect himself and his wife from his arch enemy Welsh Prince Llewellyn ap Gruffydd, the castle covers over thirty acres with lakes to the south and north for extra security. A failed attempt by Oliver Cromwell to raze the castle to the ground during the Civil War, it is said, succeeded only in providing it with its very own ‘Leaning Tower’. Having fallen into disrepair a large part of the castle was restored during the late 19th century by the third Marquis of Bute, and the dried lake areas were reflooded by the State in the 1950s. The Great Hall, East Tower, curtain walls, and the North West Tower are the most impressive parts of the inner ward; the latter holds an exhibition of Welsh castles. There are also reconstructed working Siege Engines in the castle grounds, so, all in all, this castle is a fascinating building to which I would heartily recommend a visit, but take care and keep your eyes peeled, as it is said that Gilbert de Clare’s broken-hearted widow Alice still walks the castle and its grounds WHOOOOOOOH!! JANUARY 2009
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Caerphilly
THE BIG CHEESE AND CONTINENTAL MARKET During the 1830s, the famous Caerphilly Cheese was produced by local farmers as a way of using up surplus milk, the cheese became popular throughout Wales, and was a valuable source of extra income. In much the same way as the contents of the Cornish pasty were protected from the dirty hands of miners by the thick pastry crust, so the rind on Caerphilly cheese enabled Welsh miners to eat without ingesting coal dust with their lunch. During World War II the production of any cheese apart from Cheddar was forbidden, so the Caerphilly cheese makers took several decades to recover, but it is, once again, a firm favourite thoughout the world. As well as the obvious food stalls, the Big Cheese Festival includes-archery, reenactments of medieval Welsh knights defence of the town, and an opportunity to inspect the armour and weaponry used against the English overlords. There are crafts such as wood turning and basket weaving, and the reconstructed Medieval Siege Engines demonstrate how missiles were aimed at the castle. There is also falconry, musical and comedy entertainment, a funfair and much more throughout the town and, of course,The Big Cheese Race. With 70,000 OUT & OUT LIVING JANUARY 2009
Visitors recorded this year, and 80,000 expected to arrive in 2009, this festival, described as an ‘Extravaganza of street entertainers, folk dancing, local history and much more’, has grown in popularity over the years. Its central position around the castle, entry to which is free during the Festival, makes much of the town's history easier to imagine and interesting to learn, and will be held in July 2009. For more information Tel: Caerphilly Visitors Centre on 02920 880011. WHAT'S IN A NAME? Regular readers of this magazine have told me how much they enjoy this section, and I must admit I love to discover the meanings of our Welsh place names, so I hope our new subscribers will enjoy learning these snippets (in Welsh-Tamaid) of our Mother tongue as much as we do. This month we kick off with Caerphilly, or Caerffili town which was named by sixth century Saint Cenydd who, when he left the area, handed the land on which the Roman fortress was built to his son Ffili. Hence Caerffili means ‘Fort of Ffili’ who himself went on to become a Saint. Next we have Heol Pwllypant, which means ‘Road of the Pool in the Hollow’, Senghennydd means Saint Cenydd, Heol Bro Wen is ‘White Lowlands Road’, followed by Hendredenny If ‘Denny’ was a person then it means ‘Denny’s Old Home’ but if Denny is a mutation of ‘Deondy’ then it
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Caerphilly must mean ‘The Dean’s Old Home’ or ‘The Old Deanery’. Penycae is ‘Top field’, Penyrheol is ‘Top Road’, my favourite Ffynnonbwla Road seems to mean 'Bullspring Road'-picture a row of bulls queuing up at the spring for a drink! Eglwysilan road is ‘Road of the Parish Church of Saint Ilan’, Nantgarw I think means ‘Bank of- or the Coarse Brook’- not sure which, Groeswen is 'White Cross’, Lon-y-Llyn means ‘Lane by the Lake’ and in the same vein, Lon yr Odyn translates as ‘Kiln Lane’. But this month’s curiosity is Llanbradach! Unable to find a Saint ‘Bradach’ which would have translated nicely into ‘Parish of Saint Bradach’, I discovered that there was no such saint-so plodding on I found that it could have been a mutation of ‘Nant Bradach’ which is an even more curious mix of Welsh -Nant meaning ‘Bank of ’, Brad which means ‘Treason or Plot’ and the Irish suffix ‘Ach’ meaning ‘Stream’ – So, here goes, it could mean ‘Banks of a Treacherous Stream’. As usual I am glad to be corrected. We hope that you had a Llawen Nadolig (Merry Christmas) and we wish you all a very happy Y Fflwyddyn Newydd (New Year) see you next month. CAERPHILLY WOODLANDS TRUST Approached from Cefn Carnau Lane at Wernddu, Coed Y Werin (meaning ‘The Woods of the People’) has been awarded the title ‘Site of Specific Scientific Interest’. Known locally as 'The Old Claypits’ the area is a bird watchers’ paradise, and there are fossils to be found in the ironstone and coal formed within the tropical swamps during prehistoric times. For more information Tel: 02920 882588 CAERPHILLY MEGADAY Launched in 1995 and aimed at raising funds for Velindre hospital in memory of two local musicians who were treated in their fight against cancer at the hospital. This fun weekend was held this year during August Bank holiday weekend, and has, to date, raised approximately £150,000. The statue of comedy legend Tommy Cooper was unveiled by Sir Anthony Hopkins in 2008.
the tourist trail
CENOTAPH The town's cenotaph, unveiled in 1926, is dedicated to the Servicemen named in the Roll Call who gave their lives during The Great War. Names of WWII heroes were subsequently added to the list. CAERPHILLY WORKMAN'S HALL Built in 1925 on Castle Street by a committee of workmen, the hall provided a meeting place for Trade Unions, and became the hub of the community with concerts and various modes of entertainment. FORTHCOMING EVENTS These include, several Farmers' Markets throughout the year, Antiques Fairs in the spring, the Summer Flower Festival. TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE This is situated in the town centre and here the staff are available with any information you might require during your visit, for example the Taff Buggy Trails, 4x4 Challenges, Archery, Clay Pigeon shooting, dates of forthcoming events, as well as Quadbiking, Orienteering,Abseiling and Canoeing, the list is endless. TODAY’S CAERPHILLY The residents of Caerphilly are right to be extremely proud of their local heritage, and the way it has been preserved. Instilled with well known Welsh hospitality, not to mention the conveniently close proximity to the M4 corridor, the town continues to lure visitors from all over the world. Since over 80% of the County Borough is beautiful countryside the town is making the most of its numerous historical attractions awash with the aforementioned activities and events, and myriad places to stay from camping to five star. With regeneration taking place to complement the Castle Court Shopping Centre, there is no doubt that the success of the area will go from strength to strength.
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Rhydian Roberts
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interview
The return of the Riddler Following his runner-up position in ITV’S X Factor, Sennybridge singing sensation, Rhydian Roberts is being unleashed on audiences across the UK. Mike Took spoke to him as he prepares to perform in Cardiff. AFTER X Factor 2007 drew to a close and crowned Leon Jackson its new pop king, Rhydian Roberts was at his lowest ebb. The 25-year-old classically-trained singer from Sennybridge, Powys, was inconsolable after his defeat. Twelve months on from that gut-wrenching result, Rhydian is reflecting on what he calls the greatest year of his life. Rhydian cuts a relaxed figure in Hampstead, London, beaming over the last twenty four hours that reads likes an Alister’s social dairy. Rhydian explains, “I was asked to perform at The Welsh Sports Personality of the Year last night – it was an absolute honour for me. I got to meet a few heroes too – (rugby player) Shane Williams and (boxer) Joe Calzaghe amongst a few others. I’m just amazed these people have even heard of me.” The morning after the night before, Rhydian was sharing breakfast with one of the biggest voices in the world of opera; “I met Bryn Terfel for breakfast this morning” he says, extending his enthusiasm further, “That’s the great thing about this job – I’m meeting heroes all the time.” Rhydian was thrown into the public consciousness on reality TV show The X Factor. Initially touted as a pantomime villain, he was accused of being arrogant and conceited by both judges and viewers. As the show progressed though, Rhydian’s huge voice and even bigger character turned public perception towards his favour – he was now the clear favourite to win. After singing in the final with Welsh soprano Katherine Jenkins, a lucrative recording contract looked inevitable. It wasn’t to be though as Rhydian was ousted into second place by Scottish singer Leon Jackson. Rhydian remembers the result coming through vividly, “I was absolutely gutted when I lost The X Factor, I felt like I’d let everyone down. A spent a few days feeling sorry for myself and then all of a sudden a call came through from (X Factor judge) Simon Cowell offering me a recording contract.” Ironically, Rhydian is relieved at not winning The X Factor, “Looking back, coming second did me a huge favour. I’ve got a better contract than Leon and having that extra time away has
allowed me to play more events and take more time on my debut album. Leon’s doing well for himself now though, we both are.” Rhydian’s eponymous debut album, simply-titled Rhydian, has been a huge success – debuting at number three in the UK album chart and only missing out on the top spot due to huge comeback albums from The Killers and Guns N Roses. Rhydian explains the recording process; “The album was recorded in Los Angeles and Stockholm. I was incredibly lucky to work with some of the best producers and writers in the world - Per Magnusson, David Krueger, Steve Mac, Jim Steinman – these people have written absolute classics for the likes of Meatloaf, Aerosmith and Britney Spears.” So, how much influence did the legends behind the mixing desk have on such a unique voice? A great deal according to Rhydian, “All of these fantastic people have made this album a success and created a pop edge for me. I was confident it would do well but not overly confident. It’s always difficult to judge how you’re going to be received, especially after being out of the limelight for almost a year.” Following the success of his debut album, Rhydian has announced his first headline UK tour and he can’t wait to hit the road, “The X Factor tour earlier in the year gave me a taste of what it would be like but headlining my own tour is going to be something a little bit special. I’m in the process of planning the tour and I think it’s going to surprise a few people. We’re going to have an orchestra as well as a band so it should make for a huge sound.” And what else does 2009 hold for the Welsh baritone? It seems as though Rhydian has it all mapped out; “We’ve already got out some great ideas down for the second album, so hopefully we’ll start recording after the UK tour. I want to try my hand at everything so don’t expect a duplicate of the first record - as an artist you want to evolve.” Rhydian Roberts has almost certainly done that. Rhydian Roberts plays Cardiff International Arena on 21 May 2009. His debut album, Rhydian, is out now. JANUARY 2009
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18 Cross Street, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. NP7 5EW
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859337
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special feature
To have and to hold The wedding dress, venue, flowers and cake are all important elements that help to make your big day as special as possible, but what about the wedding ring and what exactly does it symbolise. Why do we wear wedding rings and where did they originate from? OF COURSE, before the wedding ring, comes the engagement ring worn by a woman indicating her intention to be married. In some countries, such as the United Kingdom, it is worn on the left-hand ring finger, while in other countries, such as Poland and Ukraine, it is customary for the ring to be worn on the right-hand. So how much should be spent on the engagement ring? Well, it all largely depends on your partner's budget and how willing he is to splash the cash. Obviously, the larger the gemstone and the quality of materials used will have a huge bearing on the cost. In the early 20th Century De Beers set the guideline for buying an engagement ring at two to three months wages. This was, however, just a marketing ploy to increase the sale of their diamonds. Nowadays platinum is now very popular but does come at a cost and is more expensive than gold. However gold is very traditional and can be bought in different carat weight again depending on budget. As a couple, set yourselves a limit and remember that if you already have your wedding date planned, it might be worth remembering how much this is going to cost and to limit the amount you spend on the engagement ring. Above all, it will be fun looking and go for the one that you really like and not just the one with the biggest price tag! Also, check out the sales - you might be lucky enough to bag yourselves a great bargain. Now onto the wedding rings. It has now become more popular for men as well as women to wear wedding rings. In the United Kingdom in past generations, women wore wedding bands much more commonly than men did. Today, both partners often wear wedding rings, though for safety, personal comfort, or work-related reasons, a spouse might remove it from time to time. Matching wedding rings are available, and many couples have their names or marriage date, or even a romantic message engraved on the underside of the bands as a lasting reminder of their wedding day (and to remind their husband that they have no excuse to forget their anniversary)! According to some customs, the wedding ring forms the last in a series of gifts, which also may include the engagement ring. Other more recent traditions, encouraged by the jewellery trade, seek to expand the idea of a series of ring-gifts with the promise ring, often given when
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Weddings
serious courting begins, and the eternity ring, which symbolizes the renewal or ongoing nature of a lasting marriage, sometimes given after the birth of a first child; and a trilogy ring, usually displaying three brilliant-cut round diamonds each, in turn, representing the past, present and future of a relationship. Traditionally, in Britain, the Best Man is charged with keeping the wedding ring(s) safe and swiftly producing them/it at the key moment during the ceremony. Losing track of them/it is NOT an option! In days gone by, wedding rings were not only to signify a sign of love, but were also linked to the bestowal of ‘earnest money’. According to the prayer book of Edward VI: after the words ‘with this ring I thee wed’ follow the words ‘This gold and silver I give thee’, at which point the groom was supposed to hand a leather purse filled with gold and silver coins to the bride. Now, wouldn't that be nice (as well as the ring of course). Again, you don't have to spend a huge amount on the wedding rings which can be purchased relatively cheaply if you go for a standard gold band. However, Welsh gold has become very popular over the years largely due to its Royal connections and rarety. Her Majesty the Queen, The Queen Mother, Her Highness Princess Margaret, HRH The Prince of Wales, Diana Princess of Wales and HRH Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall all wore/wear wedding rings fashioned from Welsh gold. Because of this and its rarity, Welsh gold is usually more expensive to buy on the high street and is often sold in diluted form. A great place to browse and possible purchase your engagement and wedding ring (and in the future an eternity ring) is A.Lea Jewellers in Aberdare. They have a stunning choice of rings to suit all tastes and budgets and with years of experience in ensuring you get exactly what you want, they are certainly worth a visit. Make sure you put them on your list of jewellers where you will receive the ultimate in service and more importantly the ultimate in choice. Whatever you decide to go for, make sure you get them altered and fitted properly and you both feel comfortable with the style (and cost) as hopefully you will both be wearing them for many years to come.
WEDDING TASKS THE second part of our wedding feature looks at the individual roles of the Bride, Groom and Best Man. The bride probably takes control of most (if not all) of the planning of the wedding day, but it is important she remembers to involve the groom where possible. Planning a wedding can be very stressful and it shouldn't fall on just the one person. Although the bride will probably take responsibility for co-ordinating and organising the finer details of the wedding, the groom should be jointly responsible for the overall style of wedding. As a couple they will together choose their wedding date, the ceremony venue, be it a church or civil affair, the guest list and the reception venue as well as the photographer, videographer, and caterers.
The main things that a bride needs to to care of are:1. Looking beautiful and radiant on the big day 2. Buying her wedding dress or outfit and have regular fittings 3. Choose suitable underwear 4. Purchase shoes, handbag, jewellery, tiara etc 5. Organising for her hair to be styled on the morning of the wedding (make sure you have a trial run before hand) 6. Organising someone to do your make-up 7. Packing an overnight bag As well as the above, she will also need to organise the invitations, cake, wedding gift list and favors. Individually, the bride has the responsibility of bringing all her and her groom's plans together for the wedding day while the groom has his own list of things to do: 1. Choose the best man and ushers (and their style of clothing) 2. Organise wedding day transport 3. Buy the rings 4. Book the honeymoon 5. Choose outfits for himself, the best man and ushers 6. Book the first night hotel 7. Help choose gifts for the best man, ushers and bridesmaids 8. Work out his speech for the reception 9. Ensure all bills are settled on the day
BEST MAN The Best Man is the chief attendant of the bridegroom at the wedding. The honor is typically bequeathed to the bridegroom's best friend, brother, or the friend responsible for the couple's introduction. In the common wedding in Western cultures, the best man has these duties: 1. Arranging the groom's stag night; ensure that a lot of fun is had but that the groom gets home safely and intact! 2. Taking the groom to the wedding 3. To be in charge of the rings 4. Authority and supervision of ushers and groomsmen 5. Looking after the wedding presents 6. Giving a wedding speech 7. Proposing a toast at the wedding reception 8. Ensuring that the couple’s luggage and wedding car are ready for their departure. 9. Once the day is over, he must return his and the groom's hired clothes.
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At A.Lea Jewellers we have been delivering outstanding service and commitment to our customers for 120 years. Our experience means that we understand the importance of your very special and personal purchase, we are here to help you make the perfect choice. With A.Lea Jewellers the choice is always yours,
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Weddings
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OUT & OUT LIVING JANUARY 2009
The role of the usher was traditionally given to a family member of the groom but, in these modern times, ushers have also been members of the brides family or close friends. For every 50 guests there should be one usher. The main roles of the Usher include:1. If the groom and the Best man are wearing morning suits it is highly likely that you will be asked to do the same. 2. Make yourself available for a fitting of your morning suit. 3.The Best man might ask you for help in arranging the stag night for the groom. 4. Attend a wedding dress rehearsal to finalise arrangements on the day. 5. On the day of the wedding, arrive before the groom. 6. Collect the order of service sheets from the minister, so you can hand them out to guests as they arrive. 7. Have the buttonholes ready to hand out at the entrance to the church or venue for each of the guests. 8. Greet all guests as they arrive and direct family and friends of the groom to seats on the right hand side of the aisle and family and friends of the bride to seats on the left hand side. 9. Ensure all family members are seated close to the front. 10. Ensure the bride’s mother is escorted to her seat. 11. Before the bride and her father arrive ushers should take their place at the back of the church or venue. 12. Direct any late guests to the nearest seat. The bride is undoubtedly the centre of attention during the wedding ceremony. While some brides relish this, for others it can cause a few jitters. Whatever happens try to relax, take good care of yourself, remember to communicate with those around you as much as possible. Talk over any worries you may have with your fiancÊ, who will no doubt be there for you every step of the way. This should help you to look forward to your wedding day with enthusiasm and excitement.
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JANUARY09 FOOD
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The food crunch
Winter warmer AS regular readers will recall, I often refer to older family cooks and how, across the years, they have shown me how to cook good wholesome food on a budget with many taste enhancing tips and techniques. There was nothing particularly fancy, there being no nouvelle cuisine when I was growing up, and no exotic fruit and veggies such as kiwi fruit and the weird looking marrow-like squash, just good honest Welsh grown produce. I well remember my mother's stew, out of which she had to take the onion because I thought it was fat from the meat and it made me feel sick! This month I'll show why my own credit crunching recipe for a good nourishing tasty stew for a cold winter's day, has been lauded as the best by my family and some of my sons' friends-- and even I think it's delicious! Made with either stewing beef or shin beef (my favourite) I have never had any left-overs, and--Yes it IS made with onion--and
parsnip which my oldest son hates and doesn't even know I put into the stew--sorry son--I lied! But he has eaten this with enthusiastic relish a thousand times! Heh heh!! Known by my family as 'Mam's bucket of stew' which, because of the fact that I gave birth to two 6Ft 5ins giants and married another -not much shorter, an ordinary saucepanful would have been laughed at, I had to make this stew in a large 12 pint jam preserving pan. Saying that, my lovely lads are now men having (mercifully) left home for two other very courageous women to feed, so this recipe is for two average size folk with normal-type appetites, who like two helpings each, and made in a normal size 3 litre saucepan. Mind you, when I make it I have to keep it a secret so that I don't get unexpected visitors appearing on my doorstep looking hungry, otherwise we don't get our second helpings at suppertime!! COST-around ÂŁ3 to make 4 large servings, or lunch for a family of five.
BEEF STEW WITH SUET DUMPLINGS INGREDIENTS DUMPLINGS (makes 4) 2 oz self raising flour 1 oz shredded suet small pinch of salt METHOD - Mix ingredients together and add approximately 2 tablespoons of water to form a firm dough. - Coating your hands well with flour, shape into four dumplings, keep on a floured plate until the final cooking stage of the stew.
STEW INGREDIENTS 3/4lb stewing (or shin)beef 1 large onion 1 medium size leek 2 large carrots 2 medium parsnips 1 small swede 3 large potatoes 2 tbsp flour ground sea salt
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OUT & OUT LIVING JANUARY 2009
ground black pepper 2 tbspns oil 2 oxos METHOD - Prepare the vegetables, peeling and cutting into bite-size pieces, slicing the onion and leek. - Put aside the potato pieces (a bit larger than the rest) in a dish of water for the final stage, (or prepare later) - Cut the beef into one inch pieces, (I always remove the fat) then put the flour onto a plate adding a couple of twists of the ground sea salt and black pepper, and roll the beef in the seasoned flour. (This will add a slightly thickened gravy to the finished stew.) - Slice and fry the onion in the oil in a large pan until it has an opaque appearance. - Add the seasoned beef to the onion and fry until sealed, (about 3 minutes) taking care to keep the ingredients moving so that the flour doesn't stick to the pan. - If you have room in the frying pan (mine is huge) add the leek stir in and, if possible, add the
rest of the veggies, frying for a couple of minutes. - If you do not have a big enough pan add it all to the stewing pan and fry, remembering to keep the ingredients moving or the flour will stick. - Transfer meat and vegetables into your stewing saucepan. - Add two pints of stock made with the oxos and stir thoroughly to make sure that there is nothing stuck to the bottom of the pan, and carefully add (just a little) more salt to taste as the vegetables will absorb some of the salt whilst cooking. - Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to allow the stew to slowly simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 90 minutes. or until the veggies are soft and the beef is tender. - Final Stage--add the potatoes and dumplings, and a little more salt to taste if needed, and cook for a further 20 minutes, or until cooked through, before which you might wish to add more water depending on the strength of flavour and the amount of bread you intend dipping into your stew bowl!
COVER REDESIGN
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Newport, Littlewoods
DAILY DELIVERY SLOTS Abergavenny : 12-2, 2-4, 4-7 Aberdare: 12-2, 2-4, 4-6, 6-8 Mon-Fri, 12-2, 2-4, 4-6 Sat Blackwood: 10-12, 12-2, 2-4, 4-6 Cwmbran: 12-8 Mon-Fri, 10-6 Sat Ebbw Vale: 12-6 Mon-Thurs, 10-8 Fri, 10-6 Sat Merthyr Tydfil: 12-2, 2-4, 4-7 Newport, Clarence: 2-4, 4-7 Newport, Littlewoods: 11-1, 1-3, 3-5, 5-7 Newport, Dock Street : 11-7 Mon-Fri, 9-6 Sat SEE INSTORE FOR DETAILS
Abergavenny
8 Cibi Walk, Frogmore Street, Abergavenny. Tel: 01873 858946
Commercial Street, Newport. Tel: 01633 252474
Newport, Clarence
Blackwood
63 Clarence Pl, Newport.. Tel: 01633 267216
Newport, Dockstreet 1 Upper Dock Street, Newport. Tel: 01633 267744
Merthyr Tydfil
15, Graham Way, Merthyr Tydfil Tel:01685 379800
Aberdare
9-10 Commercial Street, Aberdare Tel: 01685 884330 Direct Booking Line 01685 884465
12, The Market Place, Blackwood Tel: 01495 224479
Cwmbran
18 Monmouth Walk, Cwmbran. Tel: 01633 863951
Ebbw Vale
Unit 1, The Walk, Ebbw Vale. Tel:01495 350844
JANUARY09 FOOD
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RECIPES Wine
The Crossings Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2005 Oddbins, £7.99 THERE was a time that if you asked someone whether they had tried a New Zealand Sauvignon you would have received a bit of a ‘blanc’ look. In the ten years or so that this now popular wine has been around, there seems to be an unending stream of choices, especially from its spiritual home of Marlborough. The most famous of these being Cloudy Bay, which commands prices of up to £20 a bottle, that's if you can get hold of it. Well here’s a tip for you, don't squander your hard-earned cash on one, I found the last few examples to be flabby and undefined. By way of contrast The Crossings Estate is an absolute beauty. The bouquet is loaded with tropical fruit, as if sliced open within the vicinity from the tree on which it was grown. The taste has great chunks of lime, zesty flavours that carry with it a healthy acidity and strong mineral content on the finish. All the aspects of the wine are amplified and easy to pick out, giving it character and personality.
Whisky
EDRADOUR 10 Year Old Single Malt Whisky, Highland, Scotland. (www.whiskyshop.com) £34.99 EDRADOUR is a single Highland malt whisky, produced in Scotland’s smallest distillery and is hand made today as it was over 150 years ago. The equipment used at the distillery has remained unchanged since the day the distillery opened and is only just capable of producing commercial quantities. Only 12 casks of whisky are produced a week, making Edradour single malt a rare pleasure for a fortunate few. Not entirely one of my favourites but with its golden colour, smoky with a hint of peppermint to the nose. This 10 year old single malt is a welcome addition to your collection. A little harsh in the finish I would recommend this more to those with a slightly more matured whisky palate. If you manage to find it, you will be one of the few people lucky enough to experience its charm - golden in the glass, smooth and creamy with a nutty, honeyed finish.
Welsh Cider
Nick Clarke
Perry Vale
GWYNT Y Ddraig
Tesco £1.99 approx WELSH cider producer Gwynt Y Ddraig or Dragon's Breath produce 20 different draft ciders, six bottled ciders and one perry. The company also makes a ‘Pyder,’ which is fermented from both apples and pears. In the autumn of 2001 they made their first few hundred gallons of cider on the home farm in Llantwit Fardre and since then have increased production every year and broadened their selection of draught and bottled ciders. The apples are milled and pressed on our farm and the apple juice left to ferment and mature in oak casks. The final product is a traditional farmhouse cider. One such product is Perry Vale. The new perry (fermented pear juice) is a blend of three varieties of freshly pressed pears that have been allowed to ferment and mature slowly. It has a ‘refreshingly crisp flavour and abundant pear aroma.' It tastes very refreshing, light and delicate and has a refreshing crisp fruity flavour. Just the sort of drink that would quench your thirst on a hot summer’s day.
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Goats Cheese & Pepper Tart INGREDIENTS 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons powdered sugar 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 2 teaspoons minced fresh basil 1 teaspoon minced fresh chives FILLING 2 red bell peppers 1 cup fresh goat cheese 1/2 cup half-and-half or milk 2 tablespoons dry white wine 3 eggs 4 ounces lean prosciutto, chopped (Canadian bacon may be substituted) METHOD CRUST: Combine flour, sugar, butter and herbs in a food processor and process until the dough forms a large ball (or mix dough using your usual pie crust method). Press dough to about 1/8-inch thickness on the bottom and up the sides of a 9inch fluted tart, quiche or pie pan with sides 3/4 to 1 inch high. Set aside. FILLING: Roast the peppers over a flame (or under the broiler) until charred on all sides. Place in a closed paper bag for 15 minutes to steam, and then peel off the skin, cut in half and discard membranes and seeds. Coarsely chop one pepper and cut the other into long, thin strips. Preheat oven to 375:F. Puree the goat cheese, half-and-half, wine and eggs in a food processor until smooth. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in prosciutto and chopped pepper, mixing well. Pour the filling into the crust and decorate the top with the strips of roasted pepper. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, just until mixture has set and the top had slightly browned.
JAN 09 ADVERTS
12/1/09
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Mariano’s Italian Restaurant
Open every day except Monday. Lunch time bookings only on Sundays. Open from 10:30am for teas, coffees and cakes. Lunch & Evening Menu available.
For further information or to book a wonderful dining experience call
01291 672459
7 Bridge Street, Usk. NP15 1BQ www.marianos@tiscali.co.uk
A true taste of Italy WITH a menu inspired by traditional Italian/ Sicilian cuisine, Mariano’s offers a true fine dining Italian experience. Opened in June 2008, the interior has undergone a complete transformation with a style that compliments and enhances the feel and look of the restaurant. This family concern enabled Mariano and his wife Jane to design a menu that reflected his Italian roots and the knowledge and experience he had gained during his many years working in large restaurants and hotels. Hotels such as the Radisson, Novotel and THF and not forgetting the Five Star Celtic Manor.
Their two sons Christopher and Joshua and daughter Natasha, help and support the business and take an active part in the day to day running. Mariano’s also supports the Mayor’s of Usk and Newport with their chosen charities by hosting charity events throughout the year and raising money within the restaurant. With support from the local community, Mariano also ensures that he buys local, fresh produce where possible. With a restaurant that seats around forty people and a room for private dining and parties, a menu that is outstanding and reflects true Italian cuisine and, a complete selection of wines from most of the regions of Italy, Mariano’s is Italian heaven.
Book Your exquisite Valentine’s Dinner NOW!
The Nantyffin Cider Mill Inn
Enjoy and relax at the 16th Century Nantyffin Cider Mill Inn. New owners Vic and Ann Williams invite you to dine in the stunning restaurant or eat in the cosy lounge bar.
A dining experience not to be missed! Brecon Road, Crickhowell, Powys. NP81SG
01873 810775 www.cidermill.co.uk
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quintessential cuisine
An ‘All you can eat’ treat Part of the new leisure complex in Cwmbran,Tiffins Indian Buffet Restaurant provides both A la carte and ‘All you can eat’ buffet options. WORDS & PICTURES Nick Clarke TIFFINS Indian Buffet Restaurant opened its doors on the 1st December 2008 following months of hard work and planning by the three owners Mark Riley, Foyshal Baksh and Iqbal Meah. The idea was conceived by friends Foyshal and Mark after construction began on the new Cwmbran Leisure complex in the town centre which also has a bowling alley and cinema. “I had been a regular at Foyshals restaurant in Newport for many years and because of that we became friends,” said Mark. Then being a long standing friend of Foyshals also, Iqbal was invited to join the exciting venture and having visited the location jumped at the chance, completing the dynamic trio. “I was considering entering the property market at the time but when I was approached to take a look at Tiffins, I visited the town centre,” said Iqbal. “With the car parking facilities and the footfall of the shopping centre itself I thought there couldn’t be a better location to open up a buffet restaurant such as this,” he added. On my visit one very cold Friday afternoon, I tried the A La Carte menu. Having already sampled the buffet section before Christmas I thought two options under one roof was a good idea to cater for all budgets. The menu itself is extensive and contains many of the traditional favourites you would expect to see as well as their own chef’s speciality dishes. To start I tried the King Prawn Butterfly and the Mixed starter. The King Prawn was unusually cooked in breadcrumbs and would be an excellent choice for families with younger children. This dish wasn’t too spicy and the flesh of the prawn was juicy and succulent. The fresh salad which accompanied the dish was crisp and the special mustard and tomato sauces were drizzled on the plate as decoration but proved to be a lovely dipping sauce. This dish was a refreshing starter for the spice kick that was to follow in the main courses. The mixed starter consisted of Samosa, Onion Bhajee and Chicken Tikka. The chicken was tender and the samosa and bhajee were lightly spiced and crisp. The presentation of the dishes was excellent and based on that alone left my mouth watering for the mains to come. For the main courses I chose the Tandoori Shaslick and the Chicken Jal Jushee. The shaslick is a dry dish with chicken marinated in spices, grilled and accompanied by grilled peppers, tomatoes and onions. I would have liked to
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see this brought out on a sizzling platter, but once I tucked in discovered the meat was piping hot, very succulent once again and spiced to perfection. I didn’t eat all of this dish as I also wanted to try the Jal Jushee, but on its own the Shaslick was delicious and accompanied with Pilau rice, the serving plentiful. The Jal Jushee is described as similar to a madras but with a unique taste as the tomato puree sauce is a home made secret recipe. This is again accompanied with Pilau rice and was my favourite dish of the two as I like my curry to have a bit of a kick and this dish didn’t disappoint. The sauce was piping hot, and contained strips of red pepper as well as the tasty and juicy meat. Now, I know what you’re thinking - did he have two starters and two main courses!? Well, yes I did but I wanted to sample more than just two dishes and my usual dining companion was poorly on this day. All the dishes proved to be very tasty and very good value for money, I sampled each dish and wasn’t disappointed with one morsel, the A la carte menu isn’t included in the ‘All you can eat’ buffet section, so I didn’t eat it all...... honest!! Tiffins Indian Buffet Restaurant is great for families wanting a quick bite to eat with prices starting from £2.95 for the kids and £6.95 for adults, this ‘All you can eat’ buffet option is superb value. The separate dining area for the extensive and well priced A la carte menu is perfect for couples and tastefully decorated. It seems Tiffins has it ALL and under just one roof.
ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET Monday to Thursday 12 noon to 5.30pm - £6.95 5.30pm to midnight - £9.95 OAPS £6.95 all times Friday to Sunday 12 noon to 5.30pm - £8.95 5.30pm to midnight - £11.95 OAPS £7.95 all times
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Separate areas for hire, catering for parties etc. Children’s menu available. Open midday to midnight, 7 days a week.
Tel: 01633 480 077
JANUARY 2009 OUT & OUT LIVING
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JAN 09 ADVERTS
12/1/09
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Asian Cuisine at its very best!
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HE Shoboraj restaurant in Newport has been satisfying its customers since 1993 with quality food and the ambiance of its surroundings. Offering a vast and varied menu, you can choose from a large selection of individually created mouth-watering dishes including Balti Tandoori, Vegetarian Curry, Biriani, speciality dishes and also include special Bangladesh fish dishes. Whether you are looking for somewhere to celebrate a special occasion with friends or family or to take a loved one for an intimate meal, the Shoboraj is the place to be.
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A Fine Romance & Fine Dining this Valentine’s Night! Book Now!!!!!! Finest Bangladeshi & Indian Cuisine
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Restaurant & Takeaway
01633 822822/822055 Sunday to Thursday 5.30pm - 11.30 midnight. Friday & Saturday 5.30pm - 12.30am. Open all Bank Holidays
30 Malpas Road, Newport, South Wales - Just 1 minute from Junction 26 the M4
JANUARY09 FOOD
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How the Lahore used to look.
A customers view Part 2 Last month we one of the Lahores oldest customers wrote about his memories of Newports oldest Indian Restaurant. This month John Clarke returned to his favourite eaterie to celebrate his 65th Birthday. ON December 9th which was my 65th birthday, my son treated my wife and I to a meal in my favourite Indian restaurant The Lahore, and what a great evening I had. As we now live over fifty miles away, it has been some time since my last visit, so I was really looking forward to my birthday treat. When we walked into the restaurant my wife and I were really impressed with the new decor, but were pleased to be greeted by the familiar bengal tiger picture on the wall which has always welcomed customers on entering the restaurant. The decor is really smart and comfortable but, at the same time, I was pleased to find that the cosy atmosphere had been kept intact. The restaurant was always comfortable, and even my ultra-fussy wife loved coming with me to eat there, although, nowadays she’s much more of a wuss with hot curries than she used to be, so the modern menu suited her down to the ground as she tried one of the new dishes kindly suggested by owner Rashid. ME, well I did say what I was looking forward to, and that was the traditional beef (brown or muddy) curry I have always ordered with chips and an extra portion of curry sauce, it was perfect and just as I remembered. The attentive staff were concerned that we enjoyed our meals, and checked regularly to make sure I was having a nice evening, which is enhanced by the fact that nowadays you can also have a glass of your favourite tipple, which wasn’t always the case years ago before the bar was added. So, full to the brim, I sat back with my glass in hand happily savouring the memory of the meal, when we heard someone singing! Suddenly we were treated to their very own version of Happy Birthday and a chocolate cake adorned with candles although, sensibly, they had not put 65 on it as it would have had to be accompanied by the local firecrew! I could not have left without ordering ten portions of the aforementioned brown curry sauce to go in the freezer so that I wouldn’t have to wait for my next curry fix. We would like to thank all the staff at The Lahore for making my birthday a very special one, and a big thankyou to my son for booking it. See you there on my next birthday, that is if I can make the ten portions of curry sauce in my freezer last that long!!
Lahore The
Indian Restaurant
BOOK YOUR VALENTINE’S DINNER AT NEWPORT’S LEGENDARY EATERIE
Satisfying customers since 1961 welcome to Newport’s oldest Indian Restaurant
Home Delivery within 4 miles
TAKEAWAY SERVICE AVAILABLE
SUNDAY TO WEDNESDAY SPECIAL MEAL DEAL
2 Course Dinner just £7.50 3 Course Dinner just £9.50 The Lahore Indian Restaurant & Takeaway, 5 Lower Dock St, Newport, NP20 1EE
01633 265665
Parking on Lower Dock street after 6pm (Free) Pay and Display parking behind Newport Leisure Centre All staff are health & hygiene certified. Closed Christmas Day only. Opening Hours: Sun-Thurs 5:30pm - 12:30am Fri-Sat - 5:00pm - 1:30am Lunch Sat - Sun - Noon - 2pm JANUARY 2009 OUT & OUT LIVING
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JAN 09 ADVERTS
12/1/09
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At the Unicorn, Pontypool, we offer an extensive hot and cold food menu with meals served for lunch and throughout the evening in a relaxed and comfortable environment..
THE CREDIT CRUNCH LUNCH 2 FOR 1 MEALS
SUNDAY LUNCH Home cooked, roast lunch from 12pm - 4pm. Choose from our selection of roasted meat or nut roast served with freshly cooked vegetables,Yorkshire pudding and gravy.All meat and vegetables are locally sourced/reared
2 Courses - £6.95 & 3 Courses - £8.95 Bookings are advisable at all times.
SIX NATIONS 2009
Lunch time meals throughout January. Available Tuesday - Saturday 12-3pm
Watch the Six Nations at The Unicorn where we offer FREE FOOD and a raffle at half time for all Welsh games.
What’s On at the Unicorn MUSIC NIGHTS NOT TO BE MISSED! Sat 17th Jan Oliv Oliver 8pm Solo guit arist playing his arist playing own brand and of Southern br Hemisphere luenced Hemisphere inf luenced blues and roots roots music. Percussi ve, persuasiv ercussiv persuasive and personal...
31st Jan Zerv per Zervas and Pep Pepper 8pm a-inf luenced 1970's Americ luenced America-inf band playing ying an acoust pla acoust ic trio trio set. Come on down down and relax with some relax with beaut ifully ifully chilled out countr y-esque music!
Sat 7th Feb Feb Runaw unaway Brian Brian 8pm ally y Quirky totall Quirky, solo, and tot original... iginal... Male singer er & or sing iter er embarking songwr embarking on a songwrit number of dates around dates around the UK and popping popping in to to The Unicorn visit... Unicorn for for a visit...
Albion Road, Pontypool,Torfaen. NP4 6LE www.theunicornpontypool.com info@theunicornpontypool.com
01495 751304
Y Y LittleCrown
JAN 09 ADVERTS
12/1/09
16:32
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A jewel in the
Valentine’s Day Set Menu £14.95 per head
Starters
Homemade Tomato Soup Served with Basil Cream (v) Stuffed Field Mushroom Filled with Stilton Stuffing (v) Eggs Benedict Plain Toasted Muffin topped with ham & poached egg covered in a thick Hollandaise Sauce Homemade Meatballs Served with a spicey sauce
Lancashire Cheese & Apple Souffle Tart Puff pastry filled with cheese & red apple soufflé topped with red onion
Desserts
One to Share Chocolate Lovers Delight Rich Chocolate fudge cake topped with vanilla ice cream, profiteroles and a rich chocolate sauce topped with whipped cream & a chocolate flake Lovers Nest Served in a glass - Strawberries, cheesecake, meringue, lightly whipped cream & strawberry coulis Luscious Lemon Lemon Sorbet on a crunchy biscuit base topped with cheesecake and rippled with lemon curd Sticky Toffee Pudding Moist Sponge pudding topped with lashings of sticky toffee sauce and served with sauce en glaze
Make your Valentine’s ¤ ¤ with¤ Night special a Romantic Dinner at ¤
¤ The Park Hotel ¤BOOK NOW!
Station Road, Waunlwyd, Ebbw Vale
Full menu also available. Call for further information
01495 371431 ¤
Elled Road, Wainfelin, Pontypool, NP4 6DR
www.thepark-hotel.co.uk
Main Course
Beef Stroganoff Strips of tender steak cooked in brandy & cream & served on a bed of turmeric rice. Cod Provencal Fillet of Cod served with a rich Italian tomato & herb sauce topped with crispy cabbage. Lemon Garlic Chicken Strips of chicken marinated in lemon & garlic served on a mushroom risotto
01495 763148
We also cater for wedding receptions Please call for further information
JAN09 FILMS, MUSIC & THEATRE
at the movies
12/1/09
04:30
Page 6
Edited by Jason Roberts THE READER (15, 124MINS)
OUT NOW
movie of the month
RATING
****
KATE WINSLET, DAVID KROSS, RALPH FIENNES
THE Reader stars Ralph Fiennes, David Kross and Kate Winslet, and is directed by Stephen Daldry (the Academy Award nominated director of THE HOURS), from a script by David Hare, and based on the award winning novel by Bernhard Schlink. Schlink’s The Reader has been translated into 39 languages and was the first German novel to reach number one on The New York Times Bestseller List. The film opens in post-WWII Germany when teenager Michael Berg becomes ill and is helped home by Hanna, a stranger twice his age. Michael recovers from scarlet fever and seeks out Hanna to thank her. The two are quickly drawn into a passionate but secretive affair. The performances of both Winslet and the young David Kross are superb as their relationship and love deepens. There is a little discomfort to the onlooker as the much older Winslet, seduces the young Kross, but this feeling of awkwardness is testament to the acting skills of both. Michael discovers that Hanna loves being read to and their physical relationship deepens. Hanna is enthralled as Michael reads to her from “The Odyssey”, "Huck Finn", and “The Lady with the Little Dog.” The audience is seduced by both actors as their love affair develops. The two embark on a cycling trip where Hanna is accused of being Berg’s mother. The trip brings them to a church where there is a choir performing and Hanna is reminded of a chilling past as she sits softly weeping in the aisles - all is revealed later in film. Despite their intense bond, Hanna mysteriously disappears one day and Michael is left confused and heartbroken. Eight years later, while Michael is a law student observing the Nazi war crime trials, he is stunned to find Hanna back in his life – this time as a defendant in the courtroom. As Hanna’s past is revealed, Michael uncovers a deep secret that will impact both of their lives. Ralph Fiennes plays the ‘emotionally affected’ older Berg, as the influence of his older love as a teenage boy has obviously caused him to become emotionally cold to the opposite sex himself. The Reader is a haunting story about truth and reconciliation, about how one generation comes to terms with the crimes of another. With superb performances and a must see for all movie lovers. This will most certainly earn Winslet an Oscar nomination and don’t be surprised to see her walk away with Hollywood’s top prize.
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (15, 120MINS)
FRIDAY 9TH JANUARY RATING ****
DEV PATEL, IRRFAN KHAN, ANIL KAPOOR BRITISH director Danny Boyle takes another intriguing career turn with this heartfelt underdog tale. Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) is a street kid (or "slumdog") who has landed an appearance on India's version of the hit TV game show WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE? Jamal exceeds expectations on the show, and the producers alert the police after they become suspicious of his methods. The young contestant is subsequently arrested and is interrogated at the hands of a nameless police inspector (played by Bollywood star
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Irfan Khan). As the interrogation proceeds, Boyle tells Jamal's story through harrowing flashbacks that both show the terrible poverty of Mumbai and help explain how he knew the answers to the MILLIONAIRE questions. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is
a tightly woven story that has been expertly edited into shape. The contrast between Jamal's upbringing and his chance of escaping it on the show are adeptly juxtaposed. Mumbai is portrayed as a place of terrifying poverty and unforgettable brutality, and Jamal and his brother get into a never-ending succession of challenging situations. But the way Boyle ties together Jamal's life experiences with his answers on the show is quite brilliant, and the film really does run the full gamut of emotions as we see him growing up, falling in love, coming close to death, and teetering on the brink of escaping from his terrible predicament. The film belongs to Boyle's cast, who are mostly unknown outside of India. Patel, in particular, gives a startlingly mature performance that audiences are likely to remember long after the credits role on this affecting feature.
JAN09 FILMS, MUSIC & THEATRE
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at the movies
Also released this month Thursday 1 January 2009 The Spirit (18) Friday 2 January 2009 Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia (R/I) Che: Part One (15) Sisterhood Of The Travelling Pants 2 (12A) Friday 9 January 2009 Bride War (12A) Defiance (15) Hannah Takes The Stairs Role Models (15) Sex Drive (15) Slumdog Millionaire (15) Stuck (15) Friday 16 January 2009 A Christmas Tale (15) Beverly Hills Chihuahua (U) Hansel & Gretel My Bloody Valentine 3-D (18) Seven Pounds The Wrestler (15) - Trailer Friday 23 January 2009 Better Things Frost/Nixon (15) Milk (15) Paris 36 Rachel Getting Married Red Cliff Underworld 3: Rise Of The Lycans (18) Valkyrie Friday 30 January 2009 Barry Lyndon (PG) The Broken (15) Franklyn (15) New In Town Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist (12A) Revolutionary Road (15) Tokyo Sonata (12A)
THE THE SPIRIT SPIRIT (12A, (12A, 108MINS) 108MINS)
OUT NOW RATING RATING **** ****
EVA EVA MENDES, MENDES, GABRIEL GABRIEL MACHT MACHT Adapted Adapted from from the the legendary legendary comic comic strip, strip, THE THE SPIRIT SPIRIT is is aa classic classic action-adventure-romance action-adventure-romance told told by by genregenretwister twister FRANK FRANK MILLER MILLER (creator (creator of of 300 300 and and SIN SIN CITY). CITY). ItIt is is the the story story of of aa former former rookie rookie cop cop who who returns returns mysteriously mysteriously from from the the dead dead as as the the SPIRIT SPIRIT (Gabriel (Gabriel Macht) Macht) to to fight fight crime crime from from the the shadows shadows of of Central Central City. City. His His arch-enemy, arch-enemy, the the OCTOPUS OCTOPUS (Samuel (Samuel L. L. Jackson) Jackson) has has aa different different mission: mission: he’s he’s going going to to wipe wipe out out Spirit's Spirit's beloved beloved city city as as he he pursues pursues his his own own version version of The Spirit Spirit tracks tracks this this cold-hearted cold-hearted killer killer of immortality. immortality. The from from Central Central City’s City’s rundown rundown warehouses, warehouses, to to the the
damp damp catacombs, catacombs, to to the the windswept windswept waterfront waterfront ... ... all all the the while while facing facing aa bevy bevy of of beautiful beautiful women women who who either either want want to to seduce, seduce, love love or or kill kill our our masked masked crusader. crusader. Surrounding Surrounding him him at at every every turn turn are are ELLEN ELLEN DOLAN DOLAN (Sarah (Sarah Paulson), Paulson), the the whip-smart whip-smart girl-nextgirl-nextdoor; door; SILKEN SILKEN FLOSS FLOSS (Scarlett (Scarlett Johansson), Johansson), aa punk punk secretary secretary and and frigid frigid vixen; vixen; PLASTER PLASTER OF OF PARIS PARIS (Paz (Paz Vega), Vega), aa murderous murderous French French nightclub nightclub dancer; dancer; LORELEI LORELEI (Jaime (Jaime King), King), aa phantom phantom siren; siren; and and MORGENSTERN MORGENSTERN (Stana (Stana Katic), Katic), aa sexy sexy young young cop. cop. Then Then of of course, course, there?s there?s SAND SAND SAREF SAREF (Eva (Eva Mendes), Mendes), the the jewel jewel thief thief with with dangerous dangerous curves. curves. She?s She?s the the love love of of his his life life turned turned bad. bad. Will Will he he save save her her or or will will she she kill kill him? him? In In the the vein vein of of BATMAN BATMAN BEGINS BEGINS and and SIN SIN CITY, CITY, THE THE SPIRIT SPIRIT takes gut-wrenching ride ride with with aa hero hero takes us us on on aa sinister, sinister, gut-wrenching who who is is born, born, murdered murdered and and born born again. again.
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JAN09 FILMS, MUSIC & THEATRE
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music & theatre
Not-so-New Kids return to UK NEW Kids On The Block -- Jordan Knight, Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood are back together for the very first time in nearly a decade and have had great reviews in the US for their new album “The Block” featuring their new single “Summertime”. The brand new New Kids album was really sparked when Wahlberg was in New York for a costume fitting for the upcoming film Righteous Kill that finds him living out another life-long dream by acting in a film alongside two of his greatest heroes, Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino as well as 50 Cent. Finding himself around the block, Wahlberg visited the office of his longtime entertainment lawyer, Jaimie Roberts, who handed him a demo tape of a young singersongwriter name Nazaree. Since the days of New Kids - and his time producing hits in the early Nineties for his brother Mark as Markey Mark and The Funky
Bunch – Wahlberg has been handed a mountain of demos in his time and he took the offering with absolutely no expectations. In the months that followed, Wahlberg and the other Kids would collaborate closely with Nazaree, who turned out to be a New Kids fan since childhood, as well as other gifted producers and writers including Bryan-Michael Cox, Emanuel Kiriakou, RedOne and Fernando on a new album that blends the melodic soul of vintage New Kids with a decidedly contemporary, hip hop feel. In the late Eighties and early Nineties, New Kids on the Block became a phenomenon, selling over 80 million albums – including the back-toback international number one efforts, 1988’s Hangin’ Tough and 1990’s Step By Step -- and a series of crossover smash R&B, pop hits like “You Got It (The Right Stuff),” “Cover Girl,” “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time),” “Hangin’ Tough,” “I’ll Be Loving You,” “Step By Step” and
Peter Karrie in the afternoon AN evening show, in the afternoon, West End star Peter Karrie comes to the Beaufort Theatre, Ebbw Vale on Wednesday 18th February. And what a show it is, aimed at all who would enjoy an afternoon filled with entertainment. It features regular Top of the bill performers, music from the Live & Dangerous John Quirk Sound, unexpected Star guests, and the whole
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afternoon is hosted by Wales’ very own International Musicals star Peter Karrie. Competitions, a prize draw, timeless sing-a-longs, and its very own game of Bingo in between acts. The Afternoon Show is just the ticket to turn any afternoon into a very special occasion. Call the Beaufort Theatre box office on 01495 355800 or visit www.blaenaugwenttheatre.com
“Tonight” -- as well as countless number of concert tickets, t-shirts and even lunchboxes to primarily female kids around the world. Then under the guidance of producer Maurice Starr who had previously brought the world New Edition, the New Kids made a tremendous impact on the culture very quickly So what will a New Kids On The Block concert look like in 2008? “We’re still young, we’re still hot,” Joey McIntryre answers with a laugh. “Our fans are between 25 and 35 now because they were really young then. They’re still very attractive -and very legal. So it’s going to be a girls night out. I know my wife’s going to be there every step of the way, but it’s still going to be fun.” The wait has been a long one, but it won’t be much longer now. To see this Iconic band live they will be appearing at the Cardiff International Arena on Thursday 29th January. Call the box office on 029 2022 4488.
JAN09 FILMS, MUSIC & THEATRE
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A season of comedy AS the economic gloom takes further hold on all our lives what better time to check out the season of comedy coming to the theatres of South Wales over the next few months. Starting with probably the most unusual comedy night on Thursday 22nd of January at the St Davids Hall with an evening with Ricky Hatton. A unique chance to spend two hours in the company of one of British boxing's most successful and popular fighters of all time, the acclaimed 'An Evening with Ricky Hatton' show is a hilarious glimpse into the life and career of the man affectionately known as The Hitman. Joining him on stage is British sporting legend Frank Bruno, who needs little introduction and at the height of his powers he was the most popular sportsman in the country; to this day the former world heavyweight champion remains a national icon. Don't miss out on tickets for this rare opportunity to see two of boxing's favourite sons in the flesh. On Monday 2nd February Russell Kane brings his Gaping Flaws Level 3 show to the St Davids Hall stage following his huge success in Edinburgh 2008. Russell Kane is an exceptional comedian, his pace is relentless and his material beautifully observed and exquisitely crafted. This is inspiring and brilliant standup…perfect. For those who like their comedy a little more risqué, Roy ‘Chubby’ Brown appears on Wednesday 4 - Thursday 5 February. The foul mouthed comedian is a modern-day phenomenon! The King of controversial comedy with his trademark patchwork suit, he will surprise, amuse and astonish audiences. His DVDs and videos, released every year for the past two decades, sell in their millions and his outrageous, controversial but always funny brand of comedy is as popular as ever. Branded too rude for television, his live acts go from strength to strength and bring shock and awe techniques to an ever increasing audience. Guaranteed to make your toes curl, your eyebrows raise and put hairs on your chest, his shows sell out faster than ice cream in a heat-wave but come with the warning - IF EASILY OFFENDED PLEASE STAY AT HOME! Finally, at the Beaufort Theatre, Ebbw Vale on 21 March, Wales’ very own first-class comedian Rhod Gilbert makes an appearance. With a string of accolades, Rod graduated to being the winner of the Gift Of The Gag 2003 and BBC Comedy Awards 2003 competitions. In recent times he’s been seen on TV’s Mock The Week. A surefire star of the future. Contact the Beaufort Theatre for further information on 01495 355800 or visit www.blaenaugwenttheatre.com
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JAN 09 ADVERTS
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Shows not to be missed in Blaenau Gwent
Alice and the White Rabbit The Met, Abertillery Thursday 19th February 2009 at 2pm Tickets Adult £2, Child £4.50 Join Alice on her magical adventure as she chases the White Rabbit back in time. A fantastic spiralling journey into Wonderland! Beware the Queen of Hearts or you might just lose your head! For ages 4+ www.indigomoontheatre.com
The Hamsters play Jimmy Hendrix Beaufort Theatre, Ebbw Vale. Saturday 7th March 2009 at 8pm Tickets £12.50 Guitar, bass and drums trio The Hamsters have long been established as our premier blues-rock attraction, having performed 4,000 concerts in 21 years. Although, primarily playing their own brand of rootsy Rock, Blues and Americana, they’re also widely regarded as the UK’s leading interpreters of the music of Jimi Hendrix - and the Beaufort Theatre is hosting one of their rare shows of solely his music! “They’re fabulous: one of Britain’s very best live bands” - Bob Harris, Radio 2
Paddy the Clown The Beaufort Theatre, Ebbw Vale. Thursday 19th February 2009 at 2pm Tickets £4.50 Paddy the Clown makes a welcome return to the Beaufort Theatre and Ballroom this February Half Term. With his International Award Winning laughter show. Paddy promises a half-term treat with an hour and a half of hilarious, mad mayhem for all the family! Don’t miss it! “ Wonderful fun” South Wales Echo
Ground Hogs & Stray Beaufort Theatre, Ebbw Vale. Friday 20th February at 8pm Tickets £13.50/£11 Blues Club Members Two “classic rock” names - one classic double headliner. Featuring two great guitar led bands the Groundhogs and Stray present tracks old and new from a catalogue that includes a number of top selling albums including Thank Christ For The Bomb, Split and Saturday Morning Pictures.
BOOK NOW! Call the Box Office on
01495 355800 www.blaenaugwentvenues.com
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12/1/09
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Chuckletrek ONE of our Just Kidding Children’s Events at The St Davids Hall on Tuesday 17 February. The Chuckle Brothers-Chuckle Trek-The Lost Generation - To boldly go where no- one has gone for a while! Paul and Barry set off on a new adventure and this time find themselves hurtling through Space. Captain James T Burke needs to recruit a crew to go on board the USS Exercise as they must save the Earth from being taken over by a nation of rogue “Robots” The alien Robot colony has waged war on our world and must be stopped at all costs! Can Earth be saved from this new threat to our planet? Are the Chuckle Brothers the intrepid duo who can do this? – Of course they are!!! Don’t miss this brand new adventure in Space. Book now to avoid disappointment. Call the box office on 029 20 878444 for further information.
Recreating History in Blaenavon
Cadw, the Welsh Assembly Government’s historic environment service, will be celebrating a quarter century of active conservation and promotion of Wales's historic environment in 2009. From Sunday, March 1st, visitors to Blaenavon Ironworks will be able to further appreciate the history of this World Heritage site as two additional furnished workers’ cottages, from 1944, along with two cottages from 1927, will open their doors for the first time. As featured in the popular BBC Wales Coal House series, the decorated period cottages will enable visitors to enter and step back in time and imagine life in the south Wales valleys in the early 20th Century.Witness the harsh reality of the cramped cottage in 1927 and compare it to the 1944 wartime house when there was at least electricity, but blackouts and rations were in force.
For more information visit
www.cadw.wales.gov.uk. JANUARY 2009 OUT & OUT LIVING
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JAN TRAVEL
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travel
Edinburgh - more to see than just the rugby There is much more to the beautiful city of Edinburgh than the Six Nations rugby match between Wales and Scotland next month. WORDS & PICTIRES Nick Clarke
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JAN TRAVEL
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travel BEAUTIFUL, and dramatic Edinburgh is the showcase capital of Scotland. With equivalent to Harrods. Jenners is located in one of the few Victorian buildings its stunning Georgian and Victorian architecture, and winding medieval streets, left on Princes Street. It’s an extremely classy and expensive place to shop for it’s easy to see why the city has been listed as a World Heritage Site. normal things but it does have a variety of souvenirs you won’t find anywhere On arrival in the city, the first thing you notice is the castle that dominates else. the urban skyline perched atop the crags of an ancient volcano right in the Princes Street also has a wide range of high-street shops as well as more centre of the city. Now, as mentioned, there is allot more to Edinburgh than traditional shops selling souvenirs including kilts, short-bread, whisky and many the castle, but that’s not to say that this award winning attraction is to be other trinkets to remember your visit to Scotland. missed. In fact, quite the opposite. Few visitor destinations around the world After a hard day shopping and sightseeing why not completely spoil and can pride themselves with such an amazing historical attraction at the heart of indulge yourself with a meal at the famous Witchery? the city centre, but even fewer can say that their number one attraction sits on Located in an historic sixteenth-century building at the gates of Edinburgh an extinct volcano. Castle, James Thomson’s Witchery is the most atmospheric and spectacular Whether you are in Edinburgh for a mini-break or for a dining destination in the city. longer holiday, the Castle is an impressive fortress waiting to be A unique location, stunning interiors and superlative food, wine and explored, a hub of history with splendid views of Edinburgh. service create memorable and magical dining experiences for locals, visitors Children love to explore every inch of this formidable fortress and celebrities alike. Ewan MacGregor, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta and ride the cannons in the Middle and Upper Ward. Jones, Jack Nicholson and Clarissa Dickson Wright have all succumbed to The panoramic views give visitors a chance to appreciate its charms, with Andrew Lloyd Webber calling it the prettiest Edinburgh's geological variety: hills, sea and extinct volcanoes as restaurant ever! well as its man-made skyline. Originally built for an Edinburgh merchant in 1595, this The main reason for Out and Out Living visiting Edinburgh was to historic building on the Royal Mile now includes the jewel-like Witchery dining room, the spectacular Secret Garden and a find out what else there was for tourists and visitors to the area, and collection of totally indulgent and opulent suites on the floors if there was something that appealed to everyone. There was! above and in an adjacent historic building From wonderful shopping areas to sites of historical interest and The Witchery has developed a world-wide reputation for not forgetting the wonderful restaurants and bars. We would sensational food in the most indulgent setting. An á la carte recommend that you fully plan your stay to the full to appreciate menu is available daily at both lunch and dinner and theatre all that there is to offer. This would have to include a visit to Mary supper and light lunch menus are also available at £12.95 for King’s Close. two courses. Hidden deep beneath the Royal Mile lies Edinburgh’s deepest secret; To be honest, a return trip has to be planned a warren of hidden ‘closes’ or streets where real as there was so much more to see and do such people lived, worked and died. Your character guide as the Haunted underground vaults. These were will lead you down a flight of steps into the dark site The statue of Greyfriars Bobby used mostly by merchants and craftsmen for below where you are able to view town houses and storing wine, dairy and other products and were rooms situated off four main closes that date back to OTHER PLACES TO VISIT guarded by underground caretakers. the 1600s. You will hear the story of the prominent Waverley Station Some local legends suggest that the vaults merchant Burgess who was murdered by two women The Waverley steps leading to Edinburgh's main could have been used for something else other (one of whom was his mother-in-law), the seamstress than storing goods. Burke and Hare, the Mary King, Annie the little girl who lost her family train station are right next to the Balmoral notorious body snatchers could have brought during the Black plague and numerous ghost stories Hotel. For some reason, there is always an their victims underground before selling them to to raise the hairs on the back of your neck. No incredible draught when you come out of the the nearby hospital but no evidence of this has gizmos and sideshow techniques are used in this fivehotel's shelter and pass by the steps. Princes been found. star attraction, just evocative story telling, drawn from Street can be quite windy because of its Two hundred years later the vaults were accurate historical research, and the subtle use of openness on the south side. discovered and excavations started to bring light state-of-the-art technology that enhances the dark to these long forgotten chambers. Soon after, passages into a memorable visitor experience. Princes Mall and the Edinburgh Tourist the Edinburgh Vaults opened for tourists and Onwards and upwards to the statue of Greyfriars Information Centre many of today's local ghost tours companies Bobby. Edinburgh is the only city to have a dog on Princes Mall and the tourist information centre regularly includeSteak them Tartar in theirattours. the list of citizens who have been given the the Witchery are both located in an open space near the As recommended earlier, you need to plan prestigious Freedom of the City award, that dog was Balmoral Hotel. Princes Mall is a contemporary your trip carefully – there is so much to see and ‘Greyfriars Bobby’. The famous Skye terrier, was so covered shopping centre adjacent to Waverley do – please allow plenty of time to fully devoted to his master John Gray, even in death, for appreciate this wonderfully, historic city. fourteen years Bobby lay on the grave only leaving for Train Station. food. It is reported that a daily occurrence of people OTHER FACTS Scottish Pipers and the Scott Monument Some of the movies filmed in Edinburgh and the from all walks of life would stand at the entrance of The Scott Monument is another of Edinburgh's surrounding district include ‘The Da Vinci Code’, the Kirk yard waiting for the one o'clock gun and the spires and one of Princes Street's most famous ‘The 39 Steps’, ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’, appearance of Bobby leaving the grave for his midday landmarks. The dark neo-gothic monument ‘Trainspotting’ and ‘Mary Reilly’. meal. A touching story for even the most hardened. dedicated to Sir Walter Scott is the world's Of course, a visit to Scotland would not be largest monument ever built in memory of a complete without sampling their famous tipple – writer. whisky. The Scotch Whisky Experience located on the Royal Mile just outside the castle gives a unique National Gallery of Scotland and Royal insight into the world of Scotch Whisky. Discover the Scottish Academy secrets of the “water of life” through a guided tour that takes you through the differences between Malt, Both galleries are located halfway between the Grain and Blended Scotch Whisky. East and West End of Princes Street. A 5-year Enjoy a tutored tasting of a Scotch Whisky, take project has recently been completed to connect the barrel ride through whisky history and meet the the two galleries through an underground link resident ghost - the Master Blender. Learn all about with new visitor facilities, shops, a restaurant Scotch Whisky including the characters who helped and a cafe. make it the worlds biggest selling single source spirit The Edinburgh Dungeon – Next to Waverley in the world! Bridge. Shopping is a must in Edinburgh and that has to Art Gallery include Princes Street and Jenners, Edinburgh’s JANUARY 2009
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JANUARY09 HOVIP
12/1/09
business
06:01
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In association with
INNOVATION drives success A unique opportunity to become more profitable
Enterprising Merthyr Networking, tax and marketing advice, buying opportunities and ongoing business support – just some of the benefits for participants in the 2008 National Enterprise Week events run by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council and partners. Nigel Walker inspiring Merthyr businesses.
ORGANISERS of the 2008 Merthyr Tydfil Enterprise Week have hailed it as a great success. The five-day event was Merthyr’s contribution to National Enterprise Week (17 – 21 November 2008) and included a series of eight events to promote, encourage and support businesses, including social enterprises, in the Merthyr area. Sponsored by the Heads of the Valleys Innovation Programme (HOVIP), the event was supported by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council and a range of partners, including Flexible Support for Business (Welsh Assembly Government), KTS Owens Thomas, Merthyr Tydfil College, Taste of Enterprise and Venture Wales . Enterprise Week is all about inspiring people to be more enterprising whilst having fun and gaining skills in the process. The launch event at the stunning, recently opened, Orbit Business Centre certainly set the scene. Nigel Walker, former Olympian, ex Welsh Rugby Union player and Head of Sport at BBC Wales addressed an audience of over 90 people,
Barnardo’s Green Paperclip Challenge in the new Myfanwy Theatre, Merthyr Tydfil College.
encouraging them to develop their creativity, enterprise and teamworking skills to remain competitive. The week continued with a series of exciting and practical seminars, workshops and business networking events: - a hands-on HOVIP Business Challenge Workshop provided businesses with solutions and tools and techniques to address the business challenges they face; - the Growing a Business at Home session helped people who were running or thinking of starting a business at home with valuable business information; - a Social Enterprise seminar with keynote speaker John Bennett of PackIT, addressed the key challenges and opportunities for this sector; - a Creative Business Workshop packed with inspirational ideas for people wishing to set up a business in music, art, drama or any aspect of the Creative Industries sector; - a very successful How to Tender Workshop furnished 30 local businesses with information on suitable tendering opportunities, providing them with practical advice to take their businesses forward; - and a Business Networking event at Treharris Boys & Girls Club provided first-class business advice, grants information, tourism opportunities and Fairtrade information to businesses in the Taf Bargoed Valley. The highlight of the week was the Barnardo’s Green Paperclip Challenge when 114 students traded-up a paperclip for various items, including a clock donated by the Mayor of Merthyr Tydfil. These items, along with 11 donated by local businesses, were auctioned and raised over £680 for the charity! Phil Burkhard, HOVIP Manager, said, “Nigel Walker leapt over hurdles in the 1984 Olympics and the events of this 2008 Enterprise Week prove that individuals and businesses in the Merthyr area can do the same.” “We are facing tough market conditions at the beginning of 2009 and it is those businesses that are prepared and flexible enough to adapt that will survive and thrive. HOVIP can help with a range of services from workshops and special events to hands-on support to implement projects relevant to your business. Keep an eye on the HOVIP website – www.hovip.org.uk – for the latest information.”
If you would like to find out how you can benefit from HOVIP, contact Phil Burkhard on 01685 725469 or Email phil.burkhard@merthyr.gov.uk or visit www.hovip.org.uk 36
OUT & OUT LIVING JANUARY 2008
JAN FINANCE
12/1/09
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In association with Medina Lynch Chartered Certified Accountants
Tel: 029 2064 4624
finance
What does 2009 have in store After a gloomy end to 2008 where we saw falling house prices, job losses and the UK economy enter into a recession I have decided to start the year in positive manner and put together some reasons to be cheerful about 2009. WORDS Gavin Watkins
INTEREST RATES LOW interest rates. For some householders on tracker products, the effective mortgage rate has already fallen as low as 1.7 per cent, making them hundreds of pounds a month better off, depending on the size of the outstanding loan. This is because at the height of the mortgage bubble, some tracker products were offered at below bank rate, so desperate were lenders to persuade house owners to borrow from them. If the base rate sinks to zero, which is possible, these happy few will presumably be in the bizarre position of being paid by the lender for the privilege of their indebtedness. Admittedly, not many will find themselves in such a fortunate position, but one way or another, most mortgage borrowers will be quite a bit better off. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of savers. Despite what you read in the press, which paints us as a nation of debt-crazed, spenders, net savers still outnumber net borrowers by a considerable multiple, even if the borrowers more than make up the difference through the sheer size of their debts. HOUSE PRICES Lower house prices. House prices have already fallen by some 15 per cent since their peak in September 2007, and according to most predictions, will fall at least another 15 per cent before they hit bottom. For many of us, this is excellent news, unless you are a buy-to-let landlord, or are planning to trade down or cash in and exit the housing market altogether, nobody has any interest in constantly rising house prices. In time, first-time buyers should return to the housing ladder and growing families ought to be able to trade up in the normal way, without having to take on a huge mortgage to do so. In the boom, housing came to be seen as more of a pension or business opportunity than a place to live. A return to the days of more affordable housing, seen for what it is – a roof over your head rather than a moneymaking investment – is very much to be welcomed.
INFLATION Low inflation. Price inflation is falling at a speed nobody would have dreamt possible less than six months ago, when it was roaring away at more than 5 per cent. It may even turn negative by the middle of next year. For those in secure jobs, this again means you are going to get better off, as wages are likely to continue rising, albeit not by much, even as prices are falling. Lower prices will be most visible in gas and electricity bills, and at the pumps. The only reason energy prices haven't fallen already is that, somewhat stupidly you might think, companies bought their supplies forward at the inflated prices that still ruled last summer. If lower wholesale prices aren't feeding through to the consumer by the end of next month, we'll all want to know why. For those of you who still have some money to spend there are some great deals to be had as retailers try to get their hands on your money: The feeling that you can reinvent yourself for a new year is a great one and lots of gyms are slashing prices, for example, Fitness First is offering a month free Now is the most popular time to start dreaming of your summer holiday and there are plenty of early-bird deals on the web. myvouchercodes.co.uk has links to lots of discounts. The budget airlines have already reduced the prices of their summer flights so now is the time to grab yourself a bargain. Many of the major motor manufacturers are now offering 0% finance on their cars, namely, Toyota, Volvo, Jaguar, Citroen, Renault, Honda and Vauxhall. 2009 is going to be a tough year for us all as we enter further into the recession. Some experts predict things will improve in the second half of the year, however, I think it will last longer than that. If you have any spare money use it wisely and get yourself a bargain and if you have any debt left over from Christmas try to transfer the balance onto a 0% credit card to help you through the next year. JANUARY 2009
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JAN HOMES
12/1/09
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in the home
De-cluttering your home Christmas is over, the decorations are down and the room looks bare. Not only that, you start noticing how shabby some of the paintwork looks and how tired and old some of your furniture appears. MAYBE now is the time for change. But, before you start ordering new furniture and accessories take time to de-clutter, clean and then introduce new items into the home. De-cluttering is a great stress buster and if you don't do it on a regular basis, why not? A regular schedule of de-cluttering will ensure that your home remains an easy to maintain environment. Ideally you should throw a critical eye over each room of the house once a month. This will avoid a build up of mess and the onerous task of de-cluttering on a massive scale. All of your possessions will fall into four basic categories:1. Obvious rubbish 2. Items you want to keep out and available 3. Those you want to put into storage, (for example items that you may want to store in the loft, e.g children's toys) and 4. Those you want to dispose of, but are too good to throw away. i.e you put them aside for friends or relatives, recycling, charity or a car boot sale.
Round Layered Coffee Table NEXT £250
Make sure you have plenty of bin bags to hand and try to do your de-cluttering the day before the bin men are due so you don't have rubbish hanging around for long periods of time. Also, be brutal and don't hang onto things for the sake of it. Obviously items that are of sentimental value should be kept, but things that you have not used for a few months, or an ornament that you hate but hang onto because great auntie Maude bought it for you for Christmas last year, should be disposed of. Once your home is a clutter free zone, you can now concentrate on buying new pieces of furniture.
Shanghai Cubes and Trunk NEXT £125
Oak Effect Desk Unit NEXT £110
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OUT & OUT LIVING JANUARY 2009
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JAN HEALTH & BEAUTY
12/1/09
05:53
Page 2
health When dieting, you don’t have to completely give up your favourite food. You can have one biscuit but don’t have the whole packet!
Eating disorders - physical or mental? It’s not just women who suffer from eating disorders. Men to are falling victim to the likes of anorexia and bullimia. So just what are the causes and symptoms? WORDS Zoë Harcombe IT is estimated that over 1 million people in the UK have an eating disorder and these conditions are no longer suffered only by teenage girls. Many men are also suffering from eating problems and a speaker at a recent medical conference said that 'the majority of women have a slightly odd relationship with food'. Although this seemed a rather provocative statement, most of the females in the audience promptly nodded. What are eating disorders? As the two words suggest, at the simplest level an eating disorder is any kind of ‘disordered’ (unusual) eating. The two most common eating disorders have been given names: anorexia and bulimia. The medical definition of anorexia is “loss of appetite” but this does not provide an adequate definition of anorexia as an eating disorder. Anorexia is the prolonged, deliberate abstention from eating despite probable ravenous hunger. It is a conscious decision to try and lose weight, not a reaction to a traumatic incident. It manifests itself in a sudden, rapid weight loss leading to an abnormally low body weight. It was only in 1979 that bulimia nervosa was recognised by doctors as an eating disorder in its own right. The term bulimia nervosa means literally “the nervous hunger of an ox” and indeed bulimia is characterised by erratic and substantial overeating. Bulimics can often be split into two further categories: ‘purging’ bulimics and ‘punishing’ bulimics (although some bulimics will purge and punish). The purging group often make themselves sick and/or take laxatives to try and ‘get rid’ of a binge. The punishing group may try and starve after bingeing and/or do extreme exercise regimes to try to eliminate the impact of overeating. Both conditions are characterised physically by insatiable food cravings and mentally by the trauma that sufferers experience as they feel completely ‘out of control’ around food. Physical or mental? This is the eating disorder equivalent of the great childhood debate – nature vs. nurture. The big difference, however, is that, with the nature vs. nurture debate – support for each ‘side’ is fairly evenly split. There are some arguments at either extreme, but most people will recognise that both nature and nurture play a part. With eating disorders, the vast
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OUT & OUT LIVING JANUARY 2009
majority of literature and treatment to date has focussed on eating disorders as entirely mental illnesses. I believe that people with eating disorders do play some ‘mind games’ that can be much helped with some psychiatric treatment (especially cognitive behavioural therapy). However, I do not believe that the vast numbers of people who have disordered eating are suffering from mental problems. I believe that people who have disordered eating and feel out of control around food are food addicts and we need to treat them in much the same way as we treat other addicts. We tell an alcoholic – take one day at a time and never drink another alcoholic drink. We tell a smoker to totally give up nicotine and never light another cigarette again. Why on earth, therefore, do we tell food addicts to eat everything in moderation - have one biscuit – just don’t eat the whole packet? The sooner we start treating overeaters as what they are – food addicts – the better. People can’t give up food, obviously, but they can give up certain foods and food addicts are addicted to quite particular foods, which they need to give up until they have the medical conditions that cause these cravings under control. These conditions are Candida, Food Intolerance and Hypoglycaemia and all three conditions can cause insatiable cravings for anything from biscuits to pickled foods or from chocolate to fruit! Zoë’s books (“Why do you overeat? When all you want is to be slim”; “Stop Counting Calories & Start Losing Weight” and “The Harcombe Diet Recipe Book”) are published by Accent Press Ltd and are available: on Amazon; in all good book shops and from her web site www.theharcombediet.com. If you would like to email Zoë with a query, she can be contacted at zoe@whydoyouovereat.com and she will do her best to respond.
JAN 09 OPINION
12/1/09
16:48
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opinion
In touch
by Nick Jones
IT’S CRUNCH TIME - ON THE PITCH IT’S nearly here once again - the RBS Six Nations Championship with Wales once again defending champs - doesn’t that sound good! Last season, Wales won the Grand Slam against all odds, following a dismal World Cup in France, a new coach and all the harder games away, England at HQ, Ireland at Croke Park, with the rest at home. This year Wales are home to those and play all the ‘blues’ away. Can they do it again? Yes, I think they can! The hardest game of course will be against France in Paris, even though Wales have a pretty good record there. The Scots have shown signs of improvement and beat Wales at home last time out despite being overwhelming underdogs. Finally - we all know what happened in Rome in 2006! So, what are Wales’ chances of a Grand Slam double? Well, there has never been a better time for Wales to be able to do this. All our regions are playing reasonable rugby, even though the Dragons left it a little too late in the season to find form and the one exception being the Scarlets, who have been poor as the season kicked off in August. Our boys are fitter and have a mental toughness now instilled in them by Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards, so a repeat of the dismal season of 2006 seems unlikely (hopefully not famous last words!). There is great competition for places now, and for once our national side seems to have a little strength in depth. Remember the days when either Scott Quinnel or Rob Howley would be out with an injury - panic
Final word
would set in and Wales’ chances on the downslope. Nowadays that isn’t the case as even Captain Marvel himself, Ryan Jones has been ousted from the number 8 slot by the barnstorming Andy Powell. Everyone thought that Wales would suffer with the loss of Mike Phillips to injury and Dwayne Peel struggling to find his ‘Lions’ form, but Gareth Cooper came in and served his country well. No doubt Phillips is the better player but with Cooper at number 9, Wales managed to turn over Australia at the Millennium Stadium in the Autumn series. There used to be a time when I would be a little apprehensive going into the Six Nations if Wales had a decent run of form in the Autumn, as the over-confidence would creep in and the players thought they need only turn up to gain a victory only for it all to come crashing down around them. Not this time! Wales won the Grandslam in 2005 and almost suffered a wooden spoon humiliation in 2006 if not for a win over England in Cardiff. Of course, they won the Grandslam again last year, but that overconfidence has gone and the players feet seem firmly on the ground. Come on boys - you can do it... again! Six Nations prediction: Wales Six Nations Champions but not Grand Slam winners, having just one defeat to France in Paris. Runners up France, Ireland in 3rd place, Scotland 4th, England 5th and Italy coming last.
by Meme Morgan
SKATING ON VERY THIN ICE! IT’S that time of year again when people do silly things. Things that really irritate me! Like people, who despite warnings decide it is ok to walk across frozen ponds or lakes. In a way I can understand why children do it, but why on earth adults? For children it must be very tempting and with a group of friends even more so even though they know it could be very dangerous. What really infuriated me the other day was reading in a National paper that a couple with their child had to be rescued from a frozen lake by the marine’s emergency service. Apparently mum and dad thought it would be great fun to skate across their lake with their young son in tow until they realised that they were in the middle and the ice was starting to crack. Fortunately, they were saved before anything serious happened thanks to the emergency services. The adults in this case should have known better and in my opinion should have charged for wasting valuable emergency resources and maybe even investigated by social services for putting their young child in danger!
carefully before purchasing a family pet – it’s not something you should go into lightly and remember you can’t simply return them to the shop when you have had enough!
A DOG IS FOR LIFE...
DOOM AND GLOOM
IT is also that time of year again when the RSPCA and local animal rescue centres see a huge increase in abandoned animals. Christmas seems to be the time when people think it’s a good idea to buy a cute little puppy or kitten for their children. Although they look incredibly cute when small, they do grow up and can be hard work. Even young puppies and kittens can be very trying. They need a lot of attention and fuss and of course there are also the trails and tribulations of toilet training, dealing with the chewing or clawing of furniture, vets bills and exercise. Many people buy an animal without researching them properly and realising how much of a tie they can be. I have a dog who is very much part of the family, but we still have to rely on relatives to look after him if we go away. Some people don’t have that privilege and have to pay kennel fees which can also be very costly. It is so sad when you see the adverts and news reports of animals that have been very cruelly treated and end up needing re-homing or even worse have simply been abandoned. Think very
WELL, I heard on the news the other day that this year will be the best summer that we have had for years (couldn’t be much worse could it?). The reason why we are having one of the coldest winters on record is because the weather happens in cycles. Apparently, that is why they are predicting a boiling hot summer. I have to remain a bit pessimistic at their prediction though, because we have heard it all before – every year in fact. It would be nice though and something that this country is crying out for. 2008 didn’t see a summer at all in the UK and I am fed up of seeing so many people looking miserable (me included). Sun and warmth is what this country needs to help lift our moods and spirits (and of course less talk about the recession). So it’s fingers crossed and, in the meantime, wrap up warm and wear plenty of layers and spare a thought for the people in Russia and surrounding areas who had their gas supply cut off recently – if you think it’s cold here, imagine how cold it is over there! JANUARY 2009
OUT & OUT LIVING
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JAN09 08 COVER
12/1/09
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PLACES TO STAY
TO BOOK YOUR SPACE CALL 01495 750600
Welcome to the Out & Out Living magazine ‘Places to Stay ’ guide. Each month this section is aimed at giving our readers and tourists a quick and easy reference and choice of some of the finest hotels and B&Bs to stay in South Wales. Crickhowell
Hotel/Restaurant
Hirwaun
Hotel/Restaurant
The Ty-Newydd Country Hotel CF44 9SX, Hirwaun T. 01685 813433 E. relax@tynewyddcountryhotel.co.uk www.tynewyddcountryhotel.co.uk Open: All year Rooms: 28 Ensuite: 28 The Ty Newydd Country Hotel is set at the end of a lengthy drive off the A4059 on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park and has everything you have been looking for - tranquillity, comfort, excellent food and some of the most beautiful scenery in Wales right on its doorstep. The 28 en suite bedrooms are complemented by the elegant Foxhunter Suite with its adjoining Olympic Bar; a particularly popular choice for weddings and banquets, the George Restaurant, serving freshly prepared locally sourced food, the residents bar with three quarter height oak panelling and residents lounge with an open fireplace and adjoining gallery. All our standard rates include full Welsh breakfast.
Cardiff City Centre
Standard Room Rate: Single £65 Double £85 Twin £85 Family £105 Deluxe Room Rate: Single £80 Double £80 Twin £80 Family £120 Superior Room Rate: Single £95 Double £115 Twin N/A Family N/A Special Corporate Rate Dinner Bed & Breakfast £70
Hotel
The Big Sleep Hotel CF10 2FE, Cardiff T. 029 20 636363 Open: All year Rooms: 81 Ensuite: 81 A design hotel at affordable prices, and recently voted '1 of 25 coolest hotels in the world' Conde Nast Traveller. The Big Sleep is ideally situated for business, leisure and pleasure in the heart of Cardiff. The hotel occupies a converted 60's office block and commands spectacular views as far as the Severn Bridge. Described as 'super cheap but sexy-chic' - Elle Dec, the interior design is modern retro, the rooms light and comfortable and the service friendly and efficient. Aimed at those who don't want to spend a fortune, but do need somewhere to stay that's different and delivers big value at small prices.
The Dragon Hotel
Crickhowell T. 01873 810 362 www.dragoncrickhowell.co.uk Open: All year Rooms: 10 Ensuite: 10 The Dragon is a very old hostelry located on the High Street. The town is regarded as a jewel of the Brecon Beacons /Black Mountains National Park. Nestling in the gorgeous Usk valley, Crickhowell is surrounded by mountains and comprises a Norman castle and a collection of early Georgian houses and cottages. It's a beautiful spot and a perfect base for adventures in the National Park.
Standard Room Rate: Single £45 Double/Twin £65
Family Room e.g. 2 Adults + 2 Children (16 and under) - En-Suite £105
Superior Room Rate: Double £78 Twin N/A Family N/A
Torfaen
The Rifleman’s Arms NP4 9QS, Blaenavon T. 01495 792297 Open: All year Rooms: 5 Ensuite: 5 Plus sauna room Welcoming, quality accommodation in comfortable, well equipped guestrooms. Fully Licensed, large family dinning room. Room rate: Single £30 Double £60 Family £80.
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OUT & OUT LIVING JANUARY 2009
Penthouse Mid week from £99 Fri/Sat from £99 - Sun from £99
Executive Suite Mid week from £99 Fri/Sat from £99- Sun from £99
Standard Double Rooms Mid week from £69 Fri/Sat from £65 - Sun from £50
Standard Twin Rooms Mid week from £69 Fri/Sat from £65 - Sun from £50
Family Rooms Mid week from £69 Fri/Sat from £65 - Sun from £50
Budget Rooms Mid week from £58 Fri/Sat from £55 - Sun from £45
Pub/Restaurant/Accomodation
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05:11
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JAN 09 ADVERTS
12/1/09
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Page 3
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