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get the party started DECORATORS DELIGHT seth casteel DRINK TO THAT DRESS TO IMPRESS

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GET YOUR PARTY started

It will be the tip of the ice ‘cube’

PARTY ICE Dressupyourdrinkswithbeautifulicecubes featuringblossomsfromthegarden.Redrosepetals willenhanceanydrinks,andcanalsobesprinkledon thetableforaromanticefect.Perfectforsummer afternoonpartiesorcocktailevents by mark diacono Years ago, when I was just developing an interest in growing, I found myself raving at the television – not Question Time, as you might expect, but at Gardeners’ World. The presenter (I think it was Sarah Raven) was encouraging us to eat edible flowers. Even though I’d never eaten one, I just couldn’t see the point. “Why would I eat something that doesn’t even give me the calories to chew it?” was one of my politer observations.

My now-wife ordered me outside to eat a nasturtium flower. I did as I was told, as I knew it’d be awful. Of course it wasn’t. It was a revelation, genuinely unlike anything I’d eaten before, unravelling in a series of flavours: initially very much like rocket, followed by honey as you get into the nectar, with a short sharp shock of peppery heat at the end.

I said my apologies to the television immediately and a few years later thanked Sarah in person for stirring my interest in a world of flavourful flowers I’d not

want to be without. And nasturtiums are still the ones I would recommend as the perfect stepping stone for the sceptical – eat one of them whole if you have never tried them.

Courgettes, daylilies and nasturtiums are among the most substantial of the edible flowers – each delicious raw, yet also capable of being stuffed, battered and deep fried. All have an underlying pepperiness but each has its own character. Courgette flowers, for example, have a clean, gentle mustard to their petals that is beautifully complemented by the fresh, sweet crunch of the base.

This combination makes them particularly good deep-fried, having been stuffed with either ricotta and chopped herbs or leftover risotto (see recipe).

Picking them needn’t reduce your courgette harvest if you slice off the male flowers – those without a small courgette developing behind the base.

7 www.telegraph.co.uk

DECORATORS DELIGH

put you in the picture SPRUCE UP YOUR LIVING THIS SUMMER Living rooms are often the hardest-working rooms in our homes. If your living room has no real flow, or you are not maximizing the area to its full potential, you probably aren’t enjoying it as much as you could.

Maybe it’s time to take charge. Start with a firm plan for your living room’s design and layout, and you will be on your way to a room that not only reflects your style and personality, but offers others a warm welcome too.

Make a list. To get an idea of what you already have, make a list of everything in your living room: furniture, rugs, lights, curtains — even accessories. What pieces do you love? What pieces should be tossed? Do you have any other pieces that you’d like to integrate into your living room? Maybe you have an inherited table or chair that would look perfect in your living room after you redo the layout. This also could be the right time to replace a few worn-out pieces or order new window coverings.

Decide what your living room can do for you. How do you need to live in this room? Is the space for watching television only? Does it flow directly into your kitchen or dining room? Maybe you have small children and pets. Prioritize your needs so that the space can function effectively — you may not be able to get everything you want in one space.

If you are short on space, you may need your living room to serve multiple functions. Integrating a home office can be a success, as shown here, when a desk blends tastefully into the living room cabinetry.

Occasional seating like a stool or ottoman takes up less space than a sofa or chair and will work hard for you. If you have more dining chairs than you use every day and the color scheme works, put one in a corner of your living room — this can be a nice way to link the decor in both rooms.

Lay out the living room. Your list of furniture and accessories is made; how will everything fit?

Then measure, draw and cut out paper to match all the pieces of furniture you want in the room, new and existing, including rugs. Don’t stress about trying to make them look professional; the basic shape is enough to get an idea. Make sure you use the same Once you are happy with how it all looks on paper, you can start moving furniture around. Use masking tape to make an outline of any pieces you like but haven’t yet bought. This will help with scale and help you avoid any unwanted purchases.

If possible, arrange the furniture so it sits off the walls.

This allows for airflow around the perimeter and actually makes the living room appear larger. formula as for the room measurements.

Have a focal point. Identify your room’s best focal point.

Our natural inclination is to visually focus on one object or area when we enter a room. If your living room doesn’t have a focus, a striking piece of art or built-in shelving may give you an anchor point to build your furniture around.

A spectacular fireplace like this makes it easy to arrange the furniture in the rest of the room.

Maximize your seating. Try to design your living room to comfortably cater to six to eight people. Day to day you will have only immediate family to worry about, but don’t forget that your visitors’ comfort is equally important.

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www.betterhomesandgarden.com.au

SETH CASTEEL

A man to melt your heart

a mans best friend MANS BEST FRIEND IS MORE THAN JUST A COMPANION Seth Casteel is an award-winning photographer and the New York Times Best Selling Author of Underwater Dogs, the best selling photography book of 2012, with over a quarter of a million copies sold in less than one year.

In 2007, Seth began volunteering to photograph homeless pets to help them find loving families. These improved, positive photos showcased unique personalities, resulting in countless adoptions.

Since then, Seth has developed a career as a Lifestyle Pet Photographer, accepting commissions and commercial assignments, collaborating with dozens of publishers and exhibiting his artwork in galleries around the world. His work has been published in National Geographic, The New York Times and in hundreds of other magazines, newspapers and calendars. You may have also seen him on Good Morning America, EXTRA, Jeopardy!, The Insider, Inside Edition and even Duck Dynasty! He has traveled the world in pursuit of his passion, working with animals on five continents. Seth’s nonprofit campaign, One Picture Saves a Life, inspires, empowers and educates animal ambassadors around the world to improve the image of rescue and adoption through positive photography.

Seth lives and works in New York and Los Angeles. He loves 80’s music and is a fan of the DeLorean automobile. He plans to one day go back in time, and change nothing. His two dogs, Nala and Fritz, have accepted the fact that they will be photographed every single day.

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BEN the pug

CHARLIE the cocker spaniel

LILY the staffy

13 DOUG the chocolate labrador

www.litlefriendsphoto.com

KITE STRINGTANGLE @ Oxford Art Factory

drink to THA

SUMMERSIPS A DRINK A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY

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1 (Front Cover) - Raspberry Lemonade Cocktail 2 - St Germain Mojito 3 - Dragon Fruit Limeade Cocktail 4 - Apple Flower Cocktail 5 - Blood Orange LemonFizz All Recipes to these cocktails are available from - www.abeautifulmess.com

DRESS o impress stef and jess

Globe-trotting, platform-wearing, cafe-hopping, haircut-hating, dog-obsessing, tuna-eating, sunworshipping, market-going sisters.

We come from Melbourne, Australia, but wherever we are in the world, we know how two live.

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superstar duo are rocking the fashion world with their eccentric style and confidence

INTRODUCING THE FOUR NEW

NAUGHTY

SISTERS

there’s a reason they’re kept aside...